A Grimm Tale
by Cyanide Sins
Summary: Jaune Arc's destiny had always been to be a member of team JNPR. What destiny would lay with him if he had been torn away at the whims of a bully? What would his journey be, but a Grimm tale? Grimm!Jaune, worldbuilding... And 'perspectives actually matter'. Be wary... Mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

**A Grimm Tale**

Disclaimer: RWBY is not owned by yours truly. Nope. This is my first venture into anything resembling fan fiction, so bear with me. Most of all... enjoy the story.

* * *

Jaune Arc was not having a great day. The first thing that he'd done when he had woken up was to check on his scroll's timer, the silence of the early morning showing him the situation as it was, his eyes looking at the words that'd been boldly lining the message that'd popped up in his inbox. Already he could feel the dread building in his gut as he saw the sender, the face of his elder sister popping up on the screen as the message played on the screen. Grabbing his jacket and getting it on, he could see his partner stir in her slumber, her face looking serene in the light that fell in from the window, her covers partially loose. He moved to her bed, straightening out the covers on instinct, the gesture always appreciated by his sisters... whenever they were home.

A melancholic look came over his face as he closed the door behind him, the scroll tucked away in one of his pockets as he walked down the hallway, remembering what he came here to do. Opening the scroll up again with the map of Beacon up on the screen, he found himself on one of the rooftops, pulling out the blade of his ancestor, Crocea Mors looking like the remembrance of the foregone wearer, whose life had been marked by the war. The small notches on the blade showed the previous wielders' fate, even as his sisters had always preferred a more outlandish combination of weaponry.

They had been allowed to pick whatever weapon that they had wished for, the family funds having stretched themselves to accommodate the wishes of the eldest, even if it were to be a little ludicrous with the Dust usage. They had always made do with the best of the best, the legacy of the Arc family having been one of nobility and heroics up until the point where he was born.

Taking the stance that he had seen in one of the promotional images of professional hunters, he stabbed with the blade forwards, the twist of his body to turn around and bring his shield up to block against an imaginary Grimm catching him unaware, making him stumble and fall, his voice giving a soft whine of pain. "Come on..." he said, getting up again. "You can do this." He muttered to himself, his voice holding some of the frustrations that he had held, his eyes focusing on the imaginary Grimm that stood just out of reach.

The initiation had been a wakeup call for him. His dreams of being a hero, of being a hunter who could get the renown that had been destined for him was now changing. No longer did he think that he could just be a sole hero, who could rely on the willpower of someone who had been blessed by the indomitable spirit of humanity and come out against all the odds. No longer did he think that he was 'on the winning team' as he'd so put it, Weiss had been harsh in snubbing that dream out. Pyrrha's skills in the forest had been the only thing that'd saved him, save for some blind luck. Jaune knew that much, even if she had obediently followed him into the cave. He should've KNOWN that there wouldn't be any pictures depicting a strange creature there put up by the Beacon staff.

As he stabbed the air once more, Jaune could feel the burning brush of effort mark his body, the weariness of his body wiped away by the stab of defeat that came at him as his grip on the blade nearly dropped it. "Damn it." He said, voice holding the regret heavy, as he looked up at the moon, the shattered moon glowing in the skies like the remnant of the world that it was purported to be by one of the leading scientists of the current day. "I've got to do better." His words were not hollow, even as he twisted and stabbed again, trying to keep a solid grip on the blade and work it into a suitable routine.

The downside of doing this on his own was that he did not have the training needed to work through the hurdles that only a trainer could spot, his blade's chopping motion slow, even though he tried his best to emulate how Pyrrha did it. They were only three weeks into classes, the teachers kind enough to not rush the curriculum, even though he was woefully unprepared to face any of his opponents. Cardin seemed to really have it in for him ever since their first spar, ready to just bash him down whenever he tried his best to block the blows that he saw coming and mitigating the other blows with his armour, the aura thing being pretty neat for making sure that it didn't get to the point where he'd need to get to the infirmary.

As he put Crocea Mors back in the sheath, the alarm blaring that his session had been done, he could feel the wear and tear on his body continue to strengthen him, as the skies started to turn red. "You might wish to keep your balance a little bit better, Mister Arc." Headmaster Ozpin's voice said as he appeared to stand at the edge of the roof, looking at the skies. "Your right side is unbalanced. Focus more on the leg and move with the motion of your blade." The man's voice was neutral, showing neither irritation at his stupidity, the voice of the Headmaster having that tone of far-off thought. "The sunrise is beautiful, is it not?" The man said, as the cup of coffee moved to his lips, Jaune catching a faint glimpse of heat fogging the man's glasses, as his gaze rested on the moon. "It is, Sir." The man gave a faint smile, shaking his head as if something were amusing to him. "The rising sun is a beacon of light, Mister Arc. Never let go of that spark of hope, of another dawn rising to banish the darkness all around you." The words were deep and meaningful, reminiscent of something that his mother had once said, although whether it applied here was dubious. "You will always see another morning, Jaune. You've got to get up and make the most out of it because there'll be dirty laundry for you if you don't do it in the mornings." The lessons in cooking and cleaning had been worth it, to Jaune's estimation, as he had learned how to make sure that everything smelled fresh and clean, ready to be used by the time that the rest of the family woke up.

"Thank you, Sir. Have a good day." Jaune beat a hasty retreat, even as he felt the gaze of the Headmaster on his back, the man's smile broader than it had been before. As he hurried to the showers, he became dimly aware that the man must've been standing there for a while, if he had caught that slip, the style that he'd tried his best at still eluding him. He'd get it... eventually.

* * *

The instruction on how to get their rocket lockers operational was something that he had no great interest in, the speech by Miss Goodwitch about how their lockers had been programmed to be summoned with a simple press of the button on their scroll going over his head. He watched how Ruby seemed to animatedly chat with her sister about something, his friend giving a riveting show of moving her hands to accentuate her story, whilst the beautiful Weiss stood to the side, looking unruffled as always, her eyes looking at Miss Goodwitch explaining the differences in the programming, as well as the codes that could be used for certain situations.

"Hey Jauney boy." Cardin's voice came to his ear, and suddenly he found himself pushed towards his opened locker. The metal rocked against his body, as he could see the locker's door slam shut, his hands pushing against the pneumatic lock as it clicked shut. "Three digits... and then one more set... Happy flight, Jauney boy."

As the engine below the locker kicked into high gear, he could only groan. "Come onnnnn!" He shouted, even as the locker launched itself into the air, the sensation of being pressed against the locker's back and feeling how the spare parts of the armour that he'd taken from his family's home pressed against him, the only luck that seemed to be with him this morning. First, he'd been unable to get into the routine and now he was flying through the air, ready to go and have to make the trek back to Beacon from wherever Cardin had sent him.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Sky Lark asked, nervously looking between his leader and Dove Bronzewing, who was busy with entering the code to his own locker, the redheaded leader giving a grunt, as he looked around. "If Jauney boy didn't want to go on a special trip with his locker, he could've fought back, right?" Sky's gaze went down, his eyes looking hesitant still. "B-but won't we get in trouble if something happens?" Cardin's pat on his shoulder was enough to make him look up, his gaze meeting with that of his leader. "Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen, eh? Goodwitch won't be happy if we slack off on listening to her." Their attention turned back to the teacher, whose hands were motioning at the holographic screen that she'd got behind her. "The additional forms that can be shifted from the locker are guarded by the..." The woman continued to speak, Sky Lark's face brightening a little, seeing that there would be no issue cropping up for them at this moment.

* * *

"We should DO something. Yang!" Ruby spoke to her sister, Weiss giving a soft huff. "If he did not wish to get shoved into a locker and sent off flying, he could have fought back. This is a combat school, after all." The words were easy to say, even as her frosty blue eyes looked at the members of team CRDL, Yang's eyes shifting between the leader and the co-leader of team JNPR. With Jaune currently off into the skies, it would fall to Pyrrha to remain in charge, Nora speaking rapidly to Ren about something or the other, seemingly unaware that their leader had been sent for a special trip elsewhere. "Sometimes you've got to let people fight for their own problems, Ruby. It's not always going to be a big sister that'll pop in and beat them all up for you." A soft chuckle came from her as she nudged Blake's unguarded side. "Unless you've got a partner like mine. She may say that she's all fierce, yet she's still reading a-" The partner who was referred to moved her hand in a flash, covering Yang's mouth, Yang's eyes sparkling, as Blake's voice spoke with her usual volume. "A novel that has the romantic appeal within its pages." The look on Blake's face was grim as she met Yang's eyes, the burning spirit of the brawler starting to make itself be known by that look shifting to one that was far more genial, the hand pulled away. "It's pooooorr-"

"It's NOT pornography, you blonde..." Blake's voice was heated with emotion, her eyes looking into Yang's, the brawler's hands grabbing hers and lightly pulling them apart, the tension that went through her body unnatural, even as she stiffened. The touch of her partner should not be too dissimilar to what she was used to, especially not after some of the missions that she had done yet the thoughts remained. Yang Xiao-Long was a woman who was affectionate and touchy, under the best circumstances. She'd seen it before and she would no doubt come to experience it again. The young woman liked to hold on to something and latch on like a barnacle until she had her fill, utilizing every skill that she had under her belt to maintain her grip and to ensure that the goal of utter Yang domination would be achieved before rolling off, having some laughs and then making off to the next folly to invest time in. "Oho, it's not porn? Colour me surprised!" The blonde's grin stretched from ear to ear as she leaned in. "Care to lend me your book for a bit?" The question was asked softly at a level that Blake could hardly fathom the blonde to speak, wordlessly handing her own copy to Yang, the bookmark tucked carefully into the tome to keep her place. "Make sure to enjoy it safely."

Yang's eyebrows waggled, even as she tuned out Ruby's cry of 'Yaaang, I'm an adult now! I drink milk, Yaaaaang!' to lean forwards. "You're a deviant little one, aren't you?" She didn't colour red in the cheeks at all. Years of being able to ensure her own safety in the White Fang had taught her how to control her expression, merely giving Yang a look and a smile, as if her words barely affected her. "I'm going to read this, and enjoy." A nod. Blake would bet on it that the book would be discarded in her bag before the afternoon, the blonde's attention shifting to something else.

"He'll be fine! Our glorious leader will be fiiiiiine, Pyrrha. How far could a rocket locker bring him? A mile? Maybe two? That's just a short brisk walk, slaying thousands upon thousands of Grimm!" The excited Valkyrie chattered on as Ren laid a hand on her shoulder, the chattering growing less with every step that they took, the redheaded girl's chattering tapering off eventually as she looked around, her breathing slow and easy, her hyperactivity bleeding off to silence. "He'll be fine, Pyrrha. He'll return and train with us, I'm sure of it." The words of the lotus-emblem wearing teenager were spoken at that same calm methodical tone of voice that he used, his pink lock pushed out of his face as Nora stepped away from him, regaining some of her lustre after getting a certain distance from him, no more than two feet. "Our brave and fearless leader will be fine, Pyrrha. How about we go get something for lunch?" The spartan girl gave a brittle smile, her gaze cast low. "I still worry. Perhaps I'll go and ask Professor Goodwitch whether she could track him down and help him get back. There's a tracking beacon in every single one of them, after all." The worried face of Pyrrha was something that seemed to impact the two other members of the team, her gaze shifting between Ren and Nora, the feelings that the spartan evoked within them being written all over Nora's face. "Ooh, someone's got her eye on someone! Oh gosh, does that mean we're going to be invited? Ren? Do you think she'll invite us?" The question hung in the air, as Nora started getting ideas on how the dress would look, Pyrrha's cheeks reddening as the line of thought brought her into the mood to think on something like that. Professor Goodwitch had other things to do, undoubtedly. They could hardly be the only freshman class at Beacon in need of combat and utility instruction, after all.

* * *

The rocket-propelled locker began its descent, leading the sole occupant to feel a sense of vertigo, Jaune's stomach recoiling from the stresses of coming down to earth once again, his body feeling the stresses pound upon it as the descent was not as gentle as it could be, the THUD of the locker hitting the ground with force that had been instructed by the coordinates rattling his ears as his body was pressed against the back of the locker, his shield painfully digging into his side. It was lucky that he was with his weapons, even if the armour still had been hung up in his team's room. Pushing open the locker door with his hand, Jaune's first response was right for him. Crawling over the side, he could feel the vomit burning through his throat and the first order of business was for him to eject it from his throat before it'd stick.

As his breakfast joined the green grass, he allowed himself a moment to gather himself, his hands supporting his getting up, feeling the nearly non-existent feeling of hope try to surge, even as he looked at what he was facing. Seven Beowolves looked back at him, their masked faces showing not a singular shred of pity or remorse as their gazes were locked upon him as if he were a tasty morsel at a buffet. The blood drained from his face as he grabbed his sword and shield, his adrenaline rising immediately at the thought of having to face these.

Blind terror washed over him as he saw the first one charge, clearly the one who'd been highest in the pecking order, the voice of Professor Port reaching his ear from a lecture earlier. "The Beowolf has a structure in its hunting behaviour when facing with a singular foe. First the alpha of the pack goes, why, I myself had been up against a horde when I was but a young man, with no moustache as to speak of yet and a cabbage in my..." His shield was up in the manner that he'd been taught, even with his own sorry chances of getting out of this alive. His shield blocked the first strike without even rattling, his balance shot by the force that'd been applied by the creature of darkness. Its bony protrusions leered at him, a scream coming from his mouth, enough to be high and girly at its best, worse enough to feel the soul-squashing terror that bound him.

Crocea Mors' blade cut through the hide of the beast, that oily thick hide that seemed to puff with the scent of darkness and despair wrapping around it, the creature giving a dull roar as it snapped at him, his shield bearing the brunt once more of the attack. Jaune knew that this would have to be decisive, for the other Grimm would not be happy waiting for him to have dealt the killing blow before starting to go and encroach. They would be coming for him if he didn't wrap this up soon. His dreams of being a hero... might just be ending here, far away from Beacon. Far away from home.

"Do you know where Jaune is?" Ruby asked, the glint in her silver eyes showing her worry. The look on Lie Ren's face was placid as the surface of a still lake, shaking his head. "Undoubtedly he'll be back soon. It's only been two hours since he'd been sent flying. Professor Ozpin will know where he is, because the beacons inside the lockers will track its position." The red-cloaked huntress-in-training's face seemed to show even greater worry, as Pyrrha's gaze cast down. "How about we go for the headmaster's office after the next class? He's a hunter in training now, he can handle a few beowolves on his own." Yang's confident voice seemed to have no ulterior motive associated with it as she leaned against the wall, Ruby and Pyrrha's worried gaze meeting hers. The spartan's gaze cast down immediately, her chronic hesitation making itself be known once more. "But Yang..." Ruby started, as Weiss spoke up, her eyes flashing. "It is not our worry to think about what Arc does. If he's weak enough to get himself put into a locker, then he's going to have to fight his way out of there to return. There is a return button located on the display, anyways."

The sensibility of that argument was hard to deny, even as Nora smiled broadly, putting herself into the spotlight again. "But what if he was suddenly fighting ninety beowolves at the same time, slaying them with his super Jaune powers? He's got a very big aura, according to Pyrrha, so he'd be like 'WHAM WHAM SLICE!'!' The enthusiastic hammer-grenade-launcher wielder spoke, moving Magnhild in tune with her grandiose gestures. "He'll be back soon, I just know it!" The enthusiasm in her voice was greater to boost the spirits of her teammates, Ren giving a soft sigh at the way that she spoke. "He'll be fine, indeed. We've got to believe in him." Pyrrha said something under her breath, her gaze cast down to the ground and the words merely coming out in a mumble, her hand going through her hair, her smile noticeably brittle as she looked up. "Yes... it'll be alright, I think. He's a good Leader."

The first beowolf was starting to degrade, even with its pack-mates coming to its defence, the stalling manners that had been shown in the movies hardly working. As he moved through the steps that he had seen before with Pyrrha, trying to keep his footing, he knew that he was deep up the creek of the bad doo-doo. The beowolves seemed to be drawn to the scent of blood, the scratch on his cheek from the alpha's spine stinging a little, his aura having helped out a little to deflect the damage, yet hopelessness was starting to come as a heavier fate to him right now.

"Heeeyah!" He shouted, the blade cutting through the paw of the Beowolf, the metal shearing through the limb as if it were barely there, leaving only the dark ichors to come to the air, smoking with the foul scent that he associated with the Grimm. He thrust his blade next through the neck, lancing through it and then trying to tear it out, feeling the sudden pressure on him to perform, as the beast thrashed to remove the blade from its throat. The shield rattled in his arm, his body batted to the side by one of the beowolves' paws, making his blade be jerked out of the throat of the beowolf. The smoky ichors on the edge reminded him that its death was almost ensured. Most of them died when you did enough damage to them, right?

Another heavy battering arm hit his side, the outfit that he wore during classes on Beacon's grounds starting to show the scuff-marks of combat, even though the fabric was still reinforced with aura-sensitive fibres. The protection of the uniform was far less than the armour that he'd nicked from the armoury at home, yet it was all he had. Rolling over the ground and keeping himself aware that if he faltered, he would be dead with no legacy. His shield rose once more, as he tried to get himself aware, the slavering jaws of the Grimm coming ever closer, his blade moving in an arc and the feeling of something hitting him in the face was enough to jolt him out of his thoughts.

 _"Just... Got to..."_ His thoughts went, as he watched the dissipating Beowolf, the decapitation having served as its execution. He got to his feet, the head of the Beowolf decaying beside him. "Who wants some more, eh? Come at me!" He called out, as the other Beowolves moved in, the battle joined now. With only the trees to bear witness to that final fight of Jaune Arc, it was a desperate call to the bravado of a hero to infuse him with the strength to fight and keep living. _"If I just had enough time!"_

* * *

"The budget reports are to be handled by the early morning, headmaster." The voice of Glynda Goodwitch delivered the report with efficient tones, her face looking as serious as it always was, the headmaster's cup moving up to his lips, the hot chocolate sipped before the cup was put down. "Young Mister Arc is still missing from the premises." The words made the headmaster look up, an eyebrow raised. "And what do you presume happened?" The question came, as the deputy headmistress looked at her superior. Her stance on official business matters was unshaken and unmoved by personal opinions. "His locker is missing and the beacon is activated. What do you suggest?" She said, her voice showing no inflection. "The training could be aborted. A search could go out." Ozpin's moderate voice spoke as he looked at his deputy. "He was accepted, so his skills should be in order." Her response came, though doubt tinted it.

"You hold doubts." The man's voice sounded in the room, even as the bing of an elevator sounded, the sound of the door sliding open to reveal Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos, the headmaster's countenance barely ruffled. "Ah, miss Rose, miss Nikos... What do I have the honour of seeing the two of you at this time?" The barely perceivable stiffening of Glynda's back showed that the sudden interruption from the discussed topic seemed to have affected her manner, her eyes a shade fiercer than before.

"Sir, it's about Jaune Arc. It's been three hours since we have seen him and we were hoping that you'd know more." The polite tones of Pyrrha Nikos' voice, cultivated through vocal training in the art of appealing to a crowd, spoke, as Ruby seemed to dart her gaze through the room, obviously interested in the gears that kept on spinning. "Miss Nikos, believe me when I say that the topic has come up as well for our discussion at this moment." The headmaster's hand moved to the screen, opening up a file. A map of the surrounding lands appeared on the screen, showing the Beacon academy grounds with crystal clarity. The headmaster's hand moved once more to tap in some commands in the holographic display, his eyes looking at the readouts, before a blip appeared on the screen, far off to the upper right. "The Creme mountain ridges..." The man's voice held barely an inflection, though Professor Goodwitch's response was somewhat more emotive. "Do you want me to go fetch Mister Arc?" The question held a backing of steel within it, the blonde's gaze looking straight at her boss, ignoring the sounds from Ruby and Pyrrha. "I will go myself." The man said, his voice sounding serious. "What is the Creme mountain ridge?" Pyrra asked, her voice holding nervousness in it. "A very bad place." The headmaster's deputy said, even as her gaze went to the screen, where the dot showed up like an angry red blip.

"It was one of the few natural barriers that protect Vale from the encroaching Grimm. With the height of the walls that guard our city, we have to ensure that the ridges are routinely cleared of the Grimm before they swell to such a number as to attempt a surge." The headmaster's voice was distant, as he looked out of his window to the direction where the mountain ridge was. "Arrange for a bullhead. I'm going to retrieve mister Arc." The man's voice held steel as he put his cane on his belt, readying himself for the departure.

"You have no idea how lucky that boy is." Glynda Goodwitch said as the headmaster departed, her fingers tapping onto the holographic keys to arrange for the transportation. The headmaster's orders carried the weight of the institution behind it, as the blonde deputy continued to work. "He's not well-trained at all." The admission made the blonde woman look up, Pyrrha's voice having distracted her from her work for a moment, her fingers continuing to enter the requisition form's critical data. "I had my doubts. His grades were too... glowing." The woman's voice spoke with the disaffection of one who was busy. "But he's Jaune. He's a good guy, he just needs some help with the forms." The hollow laugh that came from the blonde woman's direction silenced that objection. "We are an elite combat school, Miss Rose. Without the skills, you would not get in, no matter the recommendation you have."

"I got in." Glynda adjusted her glasses a little, her gaze meeting Ruby's for a moment. "The headmaster has his reasons. I do not profess to know them." Ruby gave a faint smile, as she remembered that meeting. "We had bad guys and I beat them. You were there as well, Professor Goodwitch." The woman's lips thinned. "It does not mean that anyone can just join this academy without being trained in the arts of fighting Grimm." The woman's strictness on that point was one of her defining features, most of the alumni would admit, as she straightened out. "I'll make a request to remove him from the program and send him home. The untrained do not need to take a spot from those who would have the training and the capacity, yet did not make the cut."

"He's a good Leader, though." Pyrrha said, the deputy's face inscrutable. "Tactical skill alone does not mean that he should take a space meant for a hunter of worth, Miss Nikos." The redhead's gaze swept up, taking in the headmaster's second in command, her lips thinly pressed together. "Then I will train him up to be the best that he can be. We have a similar style, we have both a sword and a shield." The headmistress' brittle smile seemed to grow even more brittle, her gaze cast out the window as a lone bullhead rose up, gathering some speed and moving towards the direction that had been indicated by the blipping beacon.

* * *

Jaune's body rolled, as the last of the beowolves charged at him. His aura had held out, even as the dissolving remains of the beowolves continued to fill the air with a haze of corruption, the smell of the darkness stinging his nose. His aura was dangerously low at this point, the scratches on his side bleeding heavily. "Woah!" He shouted as he watched a swipe come closer, dodging backwards and stumbling, the shield that he held up to guard blocking the majority of the swipe, the beowolf looking at him with those hateful red eyes. It looked at him with those eyes observing, watching carefully as it seemed to sniff the air. A baleful howling sound came from its throat then, as something seemed to shift in the air. The trees around them seemed to fade out, as some sort of dark liquid seemed to come from the ground, wrapping around the beowolf and seemingly getting absorbed by the dark inky flesh that it held, the beowolf giving a deep dark howl that seemed to rumble, as bony growths emerged from the beast's back, the mask warping into a more menacing form, the teeth lengthening.

"This isn't good." Jaune said, as corruptive black ooze seemed to drip from the beowolf's form, the grass wilting around it as the energies of negativity focused around the beowolf. A howl, garbled and cruel, came from its maw, echoing through the trees and leaving a shuddering sensation through his body, as the beast charged.

He moved the shield in front of him, to block the first strike, feeling how the body of the beast pounded against him. A snapping sound was heard, as an oddly light sensation went through his left arm, like it had become able to suddenly bear the strain, even as the tearing sound reached his ears. His blade hacked at the body of the grimm, trying to do as much damage as he could onto it, leaving only the brush of mortality to paint his flesh with the gore-splattered hue.

As the rush flowed through his bones, Jaune roared a primal cry of defiance against the Grimm that sought to end his life, to end his story in the grand tapestry of history, even as the lightness of his left side seemed strange to him. He tried to bring his shield up to block the swiping arm, only to come to the realisation that there was nothing to move up.

Jaune's gaze looked at the small stump that had been a fully functioning arm a moment before, laying half a yard away, red blood welling up from the wound with every pump of his heart. Lightheaded, he sought to gain his footing, as the Beowolf swiped at him again, leaping back despite the light-headedness that sought to conquer his will.

His aura was already shattered from the unflinching assault, the Grimm that had assailed him before having whittled it down to such a moment where there was nothing to be done about it, the blood that continued to pump out of the wound leaving not a scratch, even as he could feel how his consciousness started to fade, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision. _"I will NOT die here!"_ He mentally cried out, physically trying to do the same though the sound was garbled, the terror at having lost an arm to the creature that had been set up as his final foe for this encounter leaving him to know not what expression of his rage and frustration he had made.

A hiss seemed to fill his ears, as blackness claimed him, the blade sticking right through the Beowolf's lower jaw, the fading sensation of his senses continuing onwards as blackness fell to cover his whole body. He could not feel anything but the sensation of his processes slowly shutting down, even as his hand clutched the blade with the grip of one who had stood for his beliefs and his desire to become a hero.

Laying below the fading corroding form of the Beowolf Jaune Arc found his fate, as the ichor-like substance oozed off the form of the Beowolf, reclaimed by the earth in some manner, leaving only a thick cloud of dark miasma around. Red eyes peered from all around the wooded part of the mountain, the single rocket-propelled locker standing as a testament, a singular crimson light blinking rhythmically as its status was sent through the aether towards the receiver. The beasts charged towards that last spark of life, to finally snuff the remnant of a hunter from the mortal coil.

* * *

As the bullhead carried him towards the blinking dot on the screen, a miniature version wrapped around his wrist, Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy stood with his face a grim mask of emotionless behaviour. A gamble that had been made, having been lost. With the status of the Arc child now unknown, there would have to be some sort of exchange made, no matter the situation that would spiral from this little debacle.

A hunter out in the wilds without proper backup was usually a casualty of the hordes of Grimm drawn by the negativity that clung to them. Without the guarding light of their soul, it would be even direr a fate for those human settlements, the Headmaster's eyes having seen many such villages overrun and decaying during the years of service that he had put into defending Remnant from the threat of the Grimm. "We're coming closer to the marker, Headmaster." The pilot spoke, the short tone showing enough. "Hover until I give the signal to land." The whirling air whistled through his ears as the headmaster looked out over the sea of trees, the sight of several Grimm already catching his attention, instincts honed by the years of training telling him that to get out of this, he would need to act swiftly.

The leap was hardly a challenge, the dirt underfoot giving lightly as he straightened, his walking cane extending into his preferred weapon, a Beowolf shattered with a simple tap, faster than most people could even get their weapon into position, the boon of a life's worth of training. The Headmaster moved with a light jog, his cane flashing in swift motions to dispense of the creatures of the Grimm. Worry would not show on his face, even as he neared the blinking dot on the small watch that held the locator.

Trees guarded the sides, the mountainous terrain unmarked by the hands of any living creature in the last thirty decades. The mountain range had been inhospitable due to the swell of the Grimm, the Headmaster's manner of moving leaving little trace of him, as he came to the site of the locker. The blood splatter that covered one side of the metal made the man wince, knowing that this would probably be yet another gruesome tale to tell to the people that were waiting back at the Academy for the news that he would bring, his eyes discerning a shield laying to the side... with the arm still attached.

Walking to the arm, Ozpin could see the faint mark where the bone and flesh had been torn off from the torso, the grass stained with the crimson spray and the puddle where the body had hit the ground, left to show the mark of where the body had lain before it was removed somehow. Ozpin's finger brushed over the point where the arm had been amputated from the Arc boy's shoulder, feeling the ragged digit as he knelt down beside it. "A Beowolf, by the claws... But why would she?" The headmaster's words were unheard by anyone, fading upon the howl of a Beowolf echoing through the surroundings, calling for more of its kind. The headmaster's business-like manner changed immediately, his gaze going towards the surroundings, trying to discern whether the body was anywhere near.

"He cannot be alive." The conclusion was stark, yet logical. The human body could only survive so much damage before it would give out and if the headmaster had to silence the emotions within him... the Arc boy would have been dead long since. No-one could withstand grievous injuries like one's arms being torn off and continue to fight with as little training as he had. "This is Ozpin. Land close by. I have found... the remains." The grim reminder of what happened to those unprepared to deal with the forces of the Grimm was here, the headmaster pulling out a small medical wrapping, laying the shield and the arm on the fabric and wrapping it, lifting it up. The weight was a bitter reminder that the rest was mangled beyond belief, no doubt languishing within some belly of a beowolf or some-such.

The beasts did have no desire to hunt the animals of the land or harm them, unless the territorial dispute forced them to. The death of all humans had always been their goal, ever since they had been spawned from the will of one of the Gods... and he knew that the fate of those hunters that had been caught unaware within the wilds was always a grisly one. As the bullhead landed, he stepped into the machine, his gaze cast back to the direction where the locker laid. A shake of his head as the door slid closed, cutting the flow of air and leaving him to hear the machinery whirr as it carried him back to Beacon.

* * *

"Are you sure that this is right?" The short red-cloaked huntress asked as she stood at the landing pad, the bullhead touching down softly on the pad, the door opening slowly to show the man that they had been waiting for. The face of the headmaster was unusually grave as he walked forth with a decided step. "Did you find him?" Her companion spoke up, urgency in her voice as green eyes focused upon the headmaster's hands, holding a long wrapped bundle, something that was too small to be the form of her team's leader.

"I found Mister Arc, yet was too late." The words of the headmaster held gravitas, as he unveiled a part of the bundle, a familiar shield appearing before the two of them.

Ruby was dimly aware of the reality of things. Her head turned from the headmaster to the bullhead, silver eyes peering at the bullhead. "Jaune is back there, isn't he?" Her voice trembled, as her lip quivered. The headmaster's head slowly shook. "This was all that I managed to salvage." She could feel her heart beating a little faster, even as a low moan came from beside her. Something stung her eye, her hand moving to brush it away, seeing the hot tears that moistened her flesh, the realisation that she was crying hitting her only a moment later.

"Jaune..." Pyrrha's voice was soft, yet the shattering intensity of that voice of hers speaking up so softly, so utterly brokenly, was heartrending in its own way. The Mistralian girl's eyes were moist, as her gaze remained on the shield and what was still attached to it in the professor's arms, the cloth still covering most of the arm that held it, yet the fingers that held the grip were faintly exposed to her gaze... and then the invincible girl fainted dead away, hitting the ground with only a faint sigh escaping her lips.

* * *

"Cremea Arc speaking, what can I do for you?" The voice of a young woman came from the speaker, a blonde-haired woman wearing a set of combat gear with a long pole-arm weapon strapped to her back appearing in the view screen as the headmaster stood before the long-distance communication device that would be able to allow him to relay the news. "Professor Ozpin, is this about a joint mission with the Beacon Academy? Father is not in right now, he is-" The Headmaster held up his hand to silence her, a gesture that had commanded many to silence their tongue after a moment. "I am calling to inform you that your brother, Jaune Arc, has passed away." The huntress' face paled, as she turned around, mouth opening up and a shout for their mother to come quickly coming through the speaker a moment later.

Ozpin disliked informing the family of the death of a loved one. It was always such a sad affair, to make the final rites to be worth the sacrifice that every huntsman paid for the safety of the world, yet he knew that it was his duty to inform those who had been left behind of what had become of their loved one. He owed that much to the Arc family.

Even in the greatest darkness... the beacon would continue to light the way. He would make sure of that, even as he waited for the girl to return to the screen with her mother. Words were to be spoken.

* * *

A first attempt at pushing out something for the RWBY category! I hope that you've enjoyed it and will leave a review for me to know what you thought of it. A second chapter is also in the works (Although the work week is just beginning.) so... I'll probably leave you hanging a bit with these words...

 _Silver eyes widened. A glass shattered. A rose awoke._

* * *

And I hope you're up for reading more! Helpful critique and tips and what-else are always appreciated!

 **As a small notice at the bottom - The story properly starts at chapter 5. Don't think that because the main focus is on the aftermath, that it isn't a Jaune-centric story. Reading it all does lend some perspective on the events that happen. Enjoy the story though! It's a very Grimm tale of loss, hope and tragedy. Also, officially... I guess you could call this Grimm! Jaune.**


	2. Through the Vale of Death

**Chapter Two: Through the Vale of Death**

Firstly: Thank you for reading the first chapter! I was a little hesitant on releasing the first chapter due to wanting to have everything perfected to such an extent that it would flow well. I may have to go back sometime after I've got the core of the story out and re-do some of the parts of the first chapter, just so it flows better.

Secondly: The commentary that it should be spaced a little more out to make it easier to read has been noted (And will be attempted. No guarantee on it actually working well with my style, though.).

* * *

 _Loss_

* * *

The Arc family home was a rustic place, full of the memories of grandeur that had been once within the family's domain of influence, bringing with it the tranquil feeling of homeliness mingled with the efficiency that only a family of hunters could have brought with it. The building was ornate in its facade, the craftsmanship ensuring that the house was both stylistically pleasing to the eye as well as able to weather a siege. Through the arches that showed the craftsmanship of the famous craftsmen of the post-Great War style, one could see the solid inches of steel shutters that could come down with a flick of a switch and a press of a button. A blonde woman wearing a dark red dress stood there, her face showing the disturbed emotions that she was feeling right now as she looked at the video feed from the communication device. "He's dead?"

Hurt and pain showed in her voice as the woman stared at the headmaster, whose fingers folded together, a singular nod coming from the man to confirm that which had already been hinted at. "At eleven thirteen, he was sent to the Creme Mountain range by rocket locker after an incident with another student deciding to test the function of his rocket locker with Mister Arc inside. When I personally went to retrieve him, all that was left was Crocea Mors' sheath-shield." The woman's face was as frosty as it was, her eyes smouldering with an intense look in them that seemed to increase in intensity the longer the headmaster of Beacon spoke.

"I see. Was the sword found as well?" The woman's voice was frosty, collected and calm even as her facial features seemed to war between passive emotionless and the feelings that boiled below the surface. The headmaster shook his head once, the woman's face showing a frown. "Nevermores were sighted?" The information about Nevermores searching for trinkets of metal was something that most experienced hunters knew. Some quirk in their biology showed more in common with the average raven than the other creatures of Grimm.

"None were sighted. That does not mean that the body was not torn apart in the death struggle, the Grimm capitalizing upon his pain and despair." The headmaster's clipped voice spoke those words, the woman's eyes blazing suddenly. "My son has died." The words were harshly spoken, her voice holding more of the emotions that threatened to boil over.

"Mama, we should make arrangements..." The woman's face twitched once before the woman's eyes teared up and the facade fell. A sob, carrying the grief of a mother who knew for certain now that her son was dead, held herself barely together as the emotions surged, her daughter, one who looked to be around 21 years of age, wearing a similar dress with a singular sword to her back, wrapping her arms around the older woman in order to comfort her. "I will expect you to come retrieve his remains soon. I will ensure that the ceremony is ready for you to witness." The words were the usual, said to every family that had lost a member to the forces of Grimm or some renegade hunters who had turned to crime. "We'll be there, professor Ozpin." The young woman said as she held her mother. "Very well, Saffron." The man's voice sounded emotionally affected for a moment, the woman giving the headmaster a look. "You're no longer my headmaster, Professor." The young woman said, her voice sounding weary and tired from the news.

"I will start on the arrangements if there are no other questions." The man's business-like manner seemed to conquer that emotion of human origin as if the man's face had been carved from a particularly obstinate piece of marble, the video feed cutting out. "Mama... Jaune is dead." Saffron's voice was soft, the emotions that played through the women's hearts being the same.

"I know, little yellow." The woman said, her voice soft, the tears starting to come from those eyes. Emerald Arc was a woman who had been brought into the family by her husband, Sage Arc, having run into him during a mission nearly thirty years ago. Their marriage had been swift as well as the birth of their eldest daughter, Rowan, who was twenty-nine years of age this year

The second sister came nearly a year afterwards. Heather Arc was a huntress of twenty-eight years, a fierce independent streak and a tendency to roam through the world of Remnant, checking up on the villages along the roads that she travelled, ensuring the safety of the world as she drifted through it. She was home the least out of all the Arc siblings.

The third pregnancy delivered twins into the world nearly three years after Heather had been born, Ashley and Bianca Arc greeting the world with equally loud screams. They would go on to become a technologically savvy engineer and weapons technician and a huntress who would use said weaponry to great effect in the fight against the Grimm. If you saw one, the other one was not far behind.

Cremea was twenty-three, forming a team together with her younger sister Saffron, who was twenty-two, Cremea's large pole-arm weapon backed up by Saffron's two-handed sword-rifle and shield. Azure, the youngest out of the seven sisters at nineteen wielded the whip that she had constructed on her own, the taser addition at the tip catching the eye of many, even if they did not see the variable-cartridge Dust-propelled Revolver at her hip.

Together, they had all been there to witness Jaune's birth as the last of their line to be born. The condition that their mother had been in after the birth had been a burden upon the young women, as the woman had nearly died in childbirth during the birth of Azure, a stark memory in the minds of the oldest sisters. Only through her past as an effective huntsman had she managed to stave off death that time, yet she did not do many missions anymore unless it threatened the little haven of safety that they had built there in the Arc mansion. Her husband Sage often did the excursions into the lands where the Grimm threatened to encroach, to cull the growing herd of darkness, yet Emerald Arc was sure that he would return.

"We're going to bring him home." Emerald Arc's spoke with a heavy voice, thick with the choked-up emotions that surged from within her heart. Saffron looked at her mother, her dark blue eyes cast down on the woman as a sob came from the woman's mouth. Tears filled her gaze as an image of her little brother came to mind, smiling about having caught word of their success at a mission that'd taken them out into the Mistrali countryside for nearly three months. "Sis, did you bring back any presents?" His voice had been so innocent back then, as she and Cremea had hugged him tightly, the look of surprise on his face when she'd handed him a dress that she'd gotten from one of the local women. "This'll make you look even better, Jaune!" The enthusiasm in her voice had still been exuberant, even as during dinner that evening, Jaune had dressed in the dress and joined them, leading to amusement for the whole family, their father's quip of 'Decided to become a girl, Jaune?' having been met with a 'Saffron brought me a dress, so I decided to wear it to make her happy!'

The memory brought tears to her eyes when she recalled it, joining her mother in her tears as a sob escaped her. "What's happened?" Her sister's voice came from the door, Azure Arc standing there wearing her full gear. "I heard crying and... Mom? Is everything alright?" The concern streaked her voice as she approached.

Upon coming closer, the matriarch of the Arc family looked up, eyes puffy and red-rimmed, the tears had made a track down her cheeks, nose clogged with the mucus that came from crying. "Jaune died." Azure's eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing. A pang of pain surged through her like the wellspring of hurt that'd been the moment when she'd first heard that Jaune had managed to sneak off from the household in order to become a hunter, like all seven of them had been.

Her subtle encouragement for him to go into a profession where he would not be harmed easily had failed. Even their father, aware that Jaune would be the only one to pass on the Arc name to the next generation, had cautioned him that if things were too hard for him, he could always return to home and that they would find something else to make his profession besides being a huntsman.

"Stubborn f-fool." She whispered as the first sob came from her lips, leaning against the desk and taking deep breaths, trying to steady herself to become the rock that she knew she could be against all that came against her. Her stubbornness was something that had its roots in her Semblance as well, the quivering of the stone below her feet a good indication of just how affected she was. "I'm... going outside for a moment." She said to her mother, Saffron making a gesture with her hand that meant 'Get it out your system' in the code that they'd devised years ago to communicate, the Arc sisters having made sure to keep the code to such a level as to communicate the abstract things with mere hand gestures.

It had been enough to keep some guys off their back when their sister came to 'stand with' them, their weapons out and to ward off any idiot that thought that they were an easy mark. As Azure made her way out of the house and into the gardens, she could see the perimeter wall stand there, her Semblance starting to work on the ground below her. The grass quivered as the soil below roiled to the beat of her frustration, her dark thoughts coming to the forefront of her mind as she released the stressful feelings inside her skull, threatening to explode outwards and hurt something or someone.

"Jaune..." She said, the ground around her flattening, the grass undisturbed as the soil seemed to grow completely malleable, hills of earth bulging around her. She looked around, the tears coming from her eyes blocking her from seeing much further around her. Her over-active semblance manipulated the earth below her feet into whatever shape she wished. It was good for the manipulation of defences yet she did not have perfect control over it. "Oum-damn it all... You weren't supposed to die before us, little brother." She said to herself as she returned the garden soil to its original state, the land around her having received many of such emotional outbursts, the gardens being the perfect place for her to go to unleash her frustrations.

As she walked back to the mansion, she could see her sister get out, Saffron's face looking tired and upset. "I'm going to make a call to Heath and Ash. They need to know to head back to the old nesting ground." That meant that their mother was alone with Cremea, which was not a great thing at the least. With how emotional things were getting, Cremea's disconnection with the general emotional side of things would just act up. There would be tears yet the comprehension would lag behind a while longer.

The Semblance that Cremea had had to deal with the logical analysis of the world and the structural approach to things. If she saw a building, she could find the ways to defend it and to ensure that it would collapse to deal as much damage to the infrastructure as possible. It was one of the most useful semblances, yet the woman could be remarkably slow on the uptake when pressed to deal with emotional things... just as their little brother had been with his bravado.

Returning to their mother's side, she could see the woman already gathering herself once more, trying to recoup the loss and put it to work for her grief to be turned to rage. "Are you feeling alright, mom?" She asked, the woman's gaze cold and distant as Azure met it. "Of course not. Your little brother was food for the crows... So why should I be?" Emerald Arc was a woman who could deal with the reality of someone's demise. Her son had died, yet this was a time for business and for dealing with the loss in the most productive manner possible. "Are we all going? I saw Saffron go to the relay in order to inform Ashley and Heather." The woman's head nodded. "We go together to bring our little boy home."

Azure gave a faint smile. If Jaune had been here, he would have objected to the term 'little boy' being used to describe him, his insistence that he was 'at the very least taller than six people out of this household' having been another thing that would add a touch of humour to the day's proceedings.

As it was... it was time for them to plan their trip towards Vale.

* * *

 _Grief_

* * *

Ruby Rose was in a daze. When Pyrrha had fainted, she had naturally been able to be at the Mistralian champion's side in a flash, lifting her up as the reality of things hit her. Pyrrha had been unable to bear with the knowledge that her Leader had passed away, fainting dead away. She had witnessed Professor Goodwitch levitating the body of the redheaded champion towards the infirmary, no doubt to ensure that the girl was able to rest and recuperate from that heavy shock.

Crescent Rose's weight on her back was a comfort that she clung to, even as the tears started to come from her eyes. "Do you blame me, Miss Rose?" The voice of the headmaster came to her ears, the man standing there in his suit and a sober look on his face. She looked up, meeting her silver eyes with his own, hidden behind those glasses.

She should blame the man for not being quick enough to notice that a student was missing, that there had been bullying going on, that there was... That there was... Something! She wiped away the tears from her gaze, the headmaster giving her a look that was unreadable, his mouth softening from that pressed-together look as if there was a weight on his shoulders that he could not shift easily.

"I should, but I really... Why? Professor Ozpin, why do you allow someone to be bullied?" The man's eyes met with her own, his mouth moving to that pose where he seemed ready to explain. "Miss Rose, there are many answers that I could give you. Mister Arc did not stand up to his bullies, deciding that it was worth bearing for the sake of his friends." She blinked, the headmaster continuing, even as they started on their way towards the dormitories. "Think not that we have a loose policy here at Beacon. We are a combat training school, first and foremost. If someone tried to bully you, what would you do, Miss Rose?"

She thought about the question for a while, the heat on her eyes still remaining as she tried to calm herself. If someone was mean enough to be like Weiss when they'd just met, all snobby and snooty and took her strawberries... or worse, tried to take Crescent Rose... She would've hurt them back. Nobody messed with Crescent Rose whilst Ruby Rose was with her little baby! "I would hurt them back if I could." The man nodded. "The council of Vale allows us autonomy within Beacon to educate the students as we wish. Professor Port shows his knowledge of the Grimm that he has encountered, Professor Oobleck ensures that the students are taught the geographical history of Remnant, whilst Professor Goodwitch and I ensure that the training of the students is well-rounded and completed so that they can get into the field with no burden on their heart."

The monologue of the headmaster stopped then, as the man reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. It felt as if her father was here, offering her guidance, a look on the man's face. "The students are responsible for their own management. If you cannot beat the one bullying you on your own, what would you do?" The answer to that was clear, as she piped up immediately. "I'd get my team, of course. Weiss can totally put them on ice and Yang can punch them apart and Blake... ehh... she can cut them down like a ninja, woosh!" The headmaster's head nodded once, to show that she'd made the proper connection. "I have to arrange for the ceremony now, Miss Rose. Please... try to remember that they will always be with us." The headmaster looked tired for a moment as if remembering something unkind, Ruby feeling how the man's body tensed up entirely, his touch on her body feeling like it had been forged from steel.

"Thank you, sir." She said, her voice softer now, as the thoughts came back to Jaune. "They are always within our hearts, Miss Rose. Your mother was a firm believer of that thought." The words cheered her up a little, the smile feeling as hollow as her emotions felt right now. _Mom would have felt like that. Yang always said that she was Super-mom, always ready to think the best about everything and everyone._ As she turned the corner to the dorm where she knew her team would be, she missed the headmaster's conflicted expression, his fingers pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, a forlorn look on his face for a while longer before the man turned around and departed for his own office.

She opened the door to come face to face with Blake, the bow on her head twitching a little from the startlement that she felt. "Ruby?" The purple-themed girl asked, Ruby brushing past her without saying a word. Her gaze went to the window, looking at the sun bearing down upon the world. "It's too bright outside." Ruby said as she pulled the cloak a little tighter around her, the sound of a door opening and Yang came barging into the room. "Ruby! Where've you been?" The concern in her sister's voice was noticeable, yet Ruby did not feel like talking right now.

Her hands went through the small pack that she'd still had several of her pictures stored on, pulling up a picture that'd been taken nearly a week ago with the help of an upperclassman. A grumpy-looking Blake stood beside Yang, who had a hand wrapped around the girl, broadly smiling at the camera as Weiss and Ruby stood to the side, Weiss having her nose in the air and striking the 'fancy-schmancy Schnee strut' as Yang had once described it, Ruby smiling broadly at the camera.

Next to them stood team JNPR, Jaune and Pyrrha standing side by side, the latter holding the attention of her team-leader with a brilliant smile, something that was far better than some of the promotional materials that she'd seen in some of Weiss's stuff. Ren and Nora stood together, the latter having his arm on her shoulder, Magnhild being used as support by the hyperactive girl, Ren looking as dependable as he always did.

"Ruby?" She let her gaze linger on the pictured Jaune for a while, even as she was suddenly shaken, her concentration shifting from the picture to Yang. "Is something wrong?" Her sister asked, seemingly have drawn a conclusion already in her mind, the deep concern in those eyes showing through already. "Did something happen?"

The door opened and Weiss strode into the room, fixing Ruby with a look. "There you are! I've been looking for you for over an hour! We were supposed to give a presentation to Professor Oobleck about the intergenerational effort to steward the society Post-Great War to the current kingdoms as they are right now. What could have been so important that you would have us receive a bad grade, hm? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The snippy tone that she used was so driven that it bored a hole right in her reminiscence of her first friend at Beacon, her gaze rising from the picture to see Weiss standing at Yang's side, her hands on her hips and her gaze fixed right on her. _He's dead. He's dead. He's dead and she doesn't know. Would she care? Would they care? He was my friend. He's dead._ "S-sorry." She said, her voice a tiny squeak. "Were you busy with something else, Ruby? Did you forget the time when you were busy with-"

Ruby tuned out Weiss immediately, her eyes feeling moist again, her fingers touching the picture again as she tucked it back into the pack, Weiss' rambling on as background noise as she held up a picture of the two of them, leaders of JNPR and RWBY together. That picture had been taken by Pyrrha, who had gladly done so on Jaune's request. _He'll never smile at anyone ever again. He's dead and all they found was an arm._ _He's dead._ "You're not listening to me. It is important that you focus on your schoolwork, or you'll turn out like Arc does. That... that..." Weiss' words seemed to light a fire within her grief-fogged mind, feverishly spreading through her whole body as she felt the frustration build.

"Shut up, Weiss." She whispered, even as the tears threatened to come once again. Her breathing grew deeper, as she tried to take deeper breaths to keep calm, to keep her peace. _He's dead somewhere far away and all they found was an arm. Disembowelled, pleading for help as the Grimm came ever closer, before ending his life. All that was left was an arm. He's dead._ "So, to better focus, I have decided to fi-" Ruby had enough. "Shut UP!" Her high-pitched voice obliterated what Weiss was going to say next, the white-haired girl looking at her partner and leader, mouth open as if to say something.

Tears leaked from her eyes, as she could feel the anger and frustration build. _He's dead. A friend is dead._ "Sit on your bed and be QUIET, Weiss!" She knew that her sister would have said something about her treatment of her partner but right now, she did not care anything about what was proper.

"Bu-" Weiss tried to say but Crescent Rose's blade was out and extended in a flash, at Weiss' neck, her hand quivering as it held the scythe's grip. She had not even noticed that she'd pulled her little baby out and had it in reach. _He's dead. Another family member dead._ "Bed. Sit. Quiet." The words she spoke with the authority as a leader and someone who held a deadly weapon to the neck of her teammate. That it was also a sniper rifle was just icing on the cake for most, Yang having frozen where she stood with the sudden outburst of her little sister.

As Crescent Rose withdrew, Ruby's emotions shattered. "Uwwaahhhhh..." The sobs came as the tears came from her eyes, hugging her knees as she rocked. Remembering the smile filled with confidence as he helped her up, she could feel the void within her heartache painfully as she did so. Hearing Weiss get on her bed as she'd been ordered to by her did not fill her with joy or anything resembling satisfaction, instead it filled her with dread and a sense of loss instead. "What happened?" Yang asked, her voice a touch softer than before, more gentle than it usually was.

"It's Jaune." She said, the words hanging in the air for a moment, Yang's face incredulous for a moment, before her gaze turned to the door that Ruby had come through, looking at where JNPR's room was, opposite of theirs. "Did he... do anything to you?" Her voice was savage, rougher than anything before. Ruby's eyes looked through the tears at Yang, the brawler's eyes slowly changing colour as they looked at her. "He didn't do anything to me, Yang. He's dead!" She nearly shouted the last part, almost shrieking the last part, her voice only dampened by the sob that came from her throat next, her eyes feeling like they'd been permanently busted in the leaky drain department.

Yang's face seemed to drain of colour as she remembered the circumstances regarding that one time when they had gone out in search of her mother. "Ruby..." She breathed, getting up on the bed without being asked to, wrapping her arms around her sister. "Oh Oum, Ruby..." The smaller girl shuddered, her sobs starting to grow louder. It was not often that Yang saw her sister cry, even with the roughest of training that they did to prepare for the eventual graduation at Signal Academy.

Blake and Weiss shared a look, the later cowed into silence by her leader and partner's sudden mood swing. The Schnee heiress looked to be more intimidated than before, the silent communiqué that the two seemed to have for a moment lasting for what seemed to be merely a second before Blake spoke up. "He's in a better place now, Ruby." The ribbon's bow on her head twitched once, as the brunette shifted unconsciously. " I'm sorry." She whispered, turning around and going to her bed, no doubt somewhat disturbed by her leader's shift in attitude, as well as the news that one of their year-mates would no longer be able to join them.

"It hurts." She said, her voice carrying the weight of that pain. "It hurts so much." Yang was helpless then, stroking her hair. "It'll hurt for a while, but I know... You'll feel better later." The look that Ruby sent her made Yang quiver, her own emotions feeling just suppressed by the news that the other blonde had met a fate. "He'll be watching over us, just like mom does." The words were soft and attempted to comfort, yet Ruby merely huddled closer. "I don't know... It's horrible for team JNPR as well." The thought emerged in her mind that there was something that she should do to inform them, yet she knew that perhaps it would be best to leave be to Pyrrha to inform them. They were not as close to her as Jaune had been. _He's dead. He'll never be smiling at anyone again. He'll never hit on Weiss again._

"Ruby?" Weiss' voice came from below, Ruby's head peering at Weiss, who had an expression on her face that was torn between some emotions that were hard to glean, as Ruby did not know the white-haired young woman as well. "I didn't mean to upset you, I am just-" Weiss started to speak. She exhaled slowly, leaving Weiss to see her face change, the Schnee shutting her mouth. "Going to be at the ceremony when Professor Ozpin holds it. We're all attending." The command in that sentence was clear to the white-haired heiress, nodding once in understanding. "I will be there." She said, Ruby giving a grim smile. "We're going to be the best team in Beacon. For Jaune."

A mirthless smile came to Weiss' lips. "Of course, for Arc. Our excellence will be known to all."

* * *

 _Despair_

* * *

She awoke to the feeling of being comfortably wrapped in blankets. Opening her eyes, she hoped to see Jaune again, ready for the morning of studying. _I wonder if he'd like to spar today?_ Her thought went as she slowly got out of the bed. _I don't remember deciding to wear my uniform to bed. Strange._

The surroundings were white and sterile, like in the infirmary. Wherever the beds had gone, she did not know, yet she expected that Nora would be coming out soon enough, saying something about using the beds to make some sort of evil fort against an invading army, with the beds of the Infirmary replacing them. A glance at the clock showed that it was well in the afternoon, way past the time that had been allotted for them to wake up. _Why was I in the infirmary? Did I hit my head falling out of bed?_

"Ah, miss Nikos." The nurse said, stepping up to her. She put her best smile on, the one that she'd practised for years on end so as to come across as the most genial of all the champions that were to be in the grand tournament. "If there is anything that I can do for you, you have but to ask. When Professor Goodwitch brought you in, she stated that you'd had a serious shock to your system, so if you feel faint, please inform me." The woman was kind enough, even as she tried to rack her brain for what would have happened to cause her to pass out.

 _Funny, I don't remember seeing professor Goodwitch yet. I wonder where Jaune is, I don't thi-_ An image of the headmaster holding the heater shield with the Arc family symbol on it, a torn-off arm attached to it. The grim reminder that death lurked around every corner as the world was beset by creatures that seemed to have every desire to extinguish the life of the brave people fighting against the tide of darkness that threatened to swallow the world whole.

"Are you alright, Miss Nikos?" The nurse asked, Pyrrha's voice oddly high to her own ears. "When... will the ceremony be?" She asked, her voice sounding odd to her own ears, her eyes feeling a little warm. It must be awfully hot in this place because she felt like she was about to cry. _Don't cry. Don't cry yet. Wait until you're back. "_ The headmaster is still making arrangements." That meant that it would be a day or four before the final respects were to be paid.

"Am I free to go?" She inquired her voice still sounding a little lighter in her ears. "Of course. You'll want to inform the other members of your team, I presume." The formality of informing others of the death of one member of the team was often carried by the team leader unless they were the ones that died. Pyrrha tried to put it aside as she thanked the nurse for the care that she'd been given, walking along the hallway in a daze.

 _He left us._ Her mind filled in the blank, even as she nearly bumped into someone, a soft 'I'm sorry' slipping from her lips as she straightened out and paid more attention, the student looking at her and shrugging, accepting the apology.

As she moved to the dorms, she could feel the weight of his death press on her. She could hear team RWBY converse softly in their room opposite of their own, a loud 'Shut UP!' disturbing the mutters. _They'll know now. Time to be the Invincible girl again, Pyrrha._ _He would have wanted you to be strong._ Her mind whispered other things than the thoughts that came to her, knocking on the door gently. "It's me." Her voice was muted, even as the door opened and Lie Ren appeared, looking concerned in his own manner. "Did you hear anything from Jaune?" The young man moved out of the way, Pyrrha closing the door with a soft clicking sound of the lock slipping into place, a little trick that she used with her Semblance.

Nora was sitting on her bed, bouncing back and forth by mere motion. "Did you hear something of our fearless leader? Does he need help?" The excitement was barely contained in those words, as she hyped herself up. "Nora." The voice of Lie Ren spoke up, Nora growing even more excited. "What if he's launched into some sort of zoo? He'll be fighting together with animals like... Jaune of the jungle!" Pyrrha's face showed her conflicted emotions, her mouth opening, closing and her lips pressing against each other again, face a grimace of pain.

"He's dead." She squeaked out, her voice tiny and utterly shattered. _He's dead and we couldn't help him. We failed. We should've gotten our weapons and chased after him, damned for the consequences. He was..._ her train of thoughts cut off as she saw Nora's lower lip quiver, her eyes moist with tears. Even Lie Ren, someone who did not show much visible emotion, seemed to be impressed by the news, as emotions showed in his pink eyes. "Did they find his body?" He asked, voice steady like a house, his emotions not showing through in his voice.

"J-Jaune's dead?" Nora blubbered, her cheeks wet with tears as she shuddered. Her hyperactivity seemed to bleed out of her as she sat there, still for the first time since Pyrrha had seen her. "H-He can't be d-dead, yes?" A hiccup came from her mouth as she stammered.

"His arm was the only part of him that was found." Pyrrha said, voice carrying none of the emotions that she felt. _You should have trained him. You should have dragged him out to the training room and made him practise until his arms fell off. You have failed and now you have lost your chance._ The room was gloomy with that information, even as the occupants processed that news. "B-but... He could live without an arm, right? H-he'll be bad-ass! A metal arm, punching through Grimm like wa-choww!" Nora tried to remain cheerful even whilst the tears came from her eyes.

 _She sees us as family to her._ The thought was not unbidden to her, especially as Ren had confided in her that the team was more like an adoptive family, which was a thing that neither of the two seemed to have. _I could have been... A family. Me, Jaune... Ren and Nora._ Darkness crept at the edges of her vision as the image of her and Jaune on a wedding day, with Ren and Nora standing aside and looking equally happily married. _Oum... If I'd just trained him. If I only had..._

Partners that would be able to keep up with her were rare and few in the world, especially when it involved her being able to let down her guard around them. Jaune had seen her for who she was. Just Pyrrha Nikos, aspiring huntress of Beacon Academy. _And I would have followed him into the depths of the Grimmlands if I could._ Her mind whispered to her, as she knew that that opportunity was now long-gone with his demise.

Nora got up slowly, Ren making his way for her as well, their arms wrapping around her in a hug. _If only Jaune was still here to join us._ The thought was insidious, as Nora rubbed her cheek against her side. "It'll be alright again, Pyrrha." The girl said, her voice soft. "You know what Jaune would've said if he saw you making such a face."

She could imagine it already in her mind. _Gee Pyrrha, is something the matter? It's not me, is it?_ And she would answer with _– Of course not, I'm just a little under the weather._ The way to explain it away was easy to do for her, as she had experience with dealing with pushy people trying to push her to the path that they would wish her to walk. _Would you like me to give you a massage? I do pretty good ones, my sister always said that I was a miracle worker._ The thought of something like that happening would have lit a fire in her if he still had been alive.

She would have been bolder then if things had gone as they had this time. With him dead... it put into perspective the chances that she had missed. _I should have gone and tracked him down immediately. Now he's dead._

She knew who was responsible, though. It was all on the head of Cardin Winchester, leader of team CRDL. He would find that she did not leave such a debt unsettled. She would take it out of his hide. _All for Jaune. The boy I feel strongly for._ The L-word was not yet within her vocabulary... yet she knew that with time it would have definitely been a thing. For the time that they had been together, it had been magical to see him treat her like she was just another girl, getting the appreciation for her personality, not just the fact that she WAS a personality with fame attached to her like a cloak she could not shed.

* * *

 _Guilt_

* * *

The headmaster looked out over the Academy, his glasses pushed up high, a mug of some special hot chocolate in his hand, the liquid steaming still, the small bottle of Atlesian Vodka having been liberally poured into the brew. Tradition stated that one should drink to the life of one who had passed away, so he did.

His eyes looked at the information on the screen again after raising the mug, the transcripts that had come through a day before the official cut-off date having looked flawless to the discerning eye at first glance. The photograph was new and updated within recent memory, the grades looking not too shabbily for a new entrant, as well as the previous record of studies that had been recorded by the staff of the previous combat training school.

A respectable record for Mister Arc, as far as he knew. Azure Arc had been a fine student before at Beacon Academy, graduating at nineteen with special honours in order to be deployed to the field immediately, aiding in repelling one of the Grimm Hordes leading to a swift promotion. The rest of her team had been lucky in their assignment, having to fight off a minor horde of the lesser Beowolves whilst miss Arc had to face the broadest stretch of Grimm in the immediate surroundings, knowing that if she failed she would die.

The calm and collected personality that was in control looked at the face once more, guilt wracking the man's very soul. "So young, yet reaped so soon."The man's voice sounded through the empty office, as he reached out to tap the special code for the files on his workstation, the truthful assessment of Jaune Arc popping onto the screen.

* * *

 _Subject Name: Arc, Jaune  
Age: 17  
Previous Training: None (Determined through witness statement.)  
Partner: Nikos, Pyrrha  
Team: JNPR (Juniper)  
Semblance: Aura Transfer (Type S.)  
Aura Capacity: A+(Regular) A+++ (Type-S treatment)_

 _Assessments:_

Assessment of Subject:

 _ **INCONCLUSIVE**_ _  
Status for B.A.S.F. program:_ _ **DENIED  
**_ _Status for M.A.T.P.:_ _ **UNSUITABLE**_ _  
Status for M.P.D.:_ _ **DENIED**_ _  
Status for O.Z.:_ _ **POSSIBLE MATCH  
**_ _Assessment of Initiation:_ _ **LEADER**_ _, Tactical Assesment TBD, Suggestion for further training_

Options:

 _Q-Protocol:_ _ **DENIED  
**_ _Ironwood Initiative:_ _ **DENIED**_ _, Arc Family objection.  
Lionheart Team:_ _ **DENIED**_ _, Arc Family objection  
Beacon Academy Maturation Force:_ _ **ACCEPTED**_ _  
Shade Shadow Service:_ _ **DENIED**_ _, Arc Family deemed unsuitable for operations._

Appraisal of skill by O.

 _Subject Arc, Jaune displays an easy confidence within skills that he may not necessarily have. Care is to be exercised around subject Arc, Jaune so as not to cause alienation. Subject Arc, Jaune displays an ability to communicate strategies through verbal expression with the intent to defeat any foe that he comes across through specialisations of his team members._

 _Recommendation: Focus on tactical acumen and macro-awareness.  
Subject Arc, Jaune has unlocked his aura by the hand of Subject Nikos, Pyrrha(See File Nikos, Pyrrha). Similarities to O.Z.(See File, BEACON) have been made and inquiries made with the family (See File Arc, Sage) about inheritance. Subject Arc, Jaune shows the typical hallmarks of insecurity and unskilled ability._

 _Untrained before reaching Beacon is a likely conclusion, albeit the skills of Subject Arc, Rowan up until Subject Arc, Azure indicate a thoroughbred ability to ensure that one capitalizes upon such weaknesses. With the increased learning curve in subject Arc, Jaune such differences in training can be made lesser by rigorous training. Indicate to Goodwitch, Glynda (See file Goodwitch, Glynda) of suspicion of lack of training after 1 month has passed, ensure that subject Arc, Jaune is corrected. Similar style elements of Subject Nikos, Pyrrha share benefit with Subject Arc, Jaune's style, coax together to ensure proper grounding._

 _Assessment: Subject Arc, Jaune has a tactically sound mind with minor issues with macro-awareness. A bright guiding light for the next generation, this seed must be nourished in order to watch it blossom. Possible candidacy for O.Z. nigh-confirmed. Beacon Academy acceptance guaranteed. With focus, can turn into candidacy for Position LIGHT._

* * *

The file was shut down a moment later, leaving only the glow of the screen there to illuminate his face, the traces of the information still ruminated by the headmaster of Beacon. The man's face was inscrutable as he tried to get his orders straight, pushing a number into the keypad and waiting for the call to connect. "Headmaster?" The voice of Glynda Goodwitch came through the speaker, Ozpin schooling his face into careful neutrality. One could not let one's personal feelings intrude into manners of global importance.

"Please join me in my office." His workstation beeped the small tune that signalled that the secret files had been safely locked once more. The headmasters of all the other academies only had a small hint of the access that he held, the headmaster's eyes peering into the distance, even as the blonde deputy vocalized her assent.

The files that he held upon his workstation were too delicate to allow to fall into anyone's hands. Where the data was stored, a three-fold encryption took place, the connection between the internal network and his workstation severed and rerouted. With how technology had advanced through the ages, the backdoor into the system that many aspiring hackers would try to find had been eliminated through a few inventions that had been spread during a time when the world was in a less stable place. The information contained on the drive was safely backed up in the three-fold system of balances, only accessible by the special key that only he knew where to find.

As the door to the lift opened up and his deputy's footsteps sounded, the headmaster affected his face with a neutral look. "Do you think we did the right thing?" He asked, his voice steady, even though she could discern his thoughts through the minor inflexions in his voice. They had been working together for more than a decade, after all, the promising prospect of the academy had been instrumental in luring her to his service. "Regarding Mister Arc?" The question came from his deputy, Ozpin's face showing no emotion save for a brief nod.

"The effectiveness of mister Arc's semblance has not been tested, although preliminary tests show that he has a rather sizeable amount of aura." She said, her voice as factual as she could make it. The headmaster's gaze swept to her, his fingers tapping onto the holo-keypad and calling up the student file. "The performance does not match with the records, headmaster." Her voice was strict and factual, the file called up being the publically accessible file to most of the faculty of Beacon. Anyone who had a whit of good sense would see the discrepancies within the file.

The headmaster's deputy looked at the file, noticing several parts that had already been publically discussed by the faculty. As huntsmen of experience, they noticed the flaws in the new crop of students and discussed how to best deal with them. The general consensus on Jaune Arc had been – Needs work in proper stance, education on Grimm and Historical Analysis, as well as coaching on how to use a ranged weapon. – by the staff, their assessment pretty on the dot. One month to show the kinks in the style, ten months to ensure that they would be able to hammer out the kinks of the style to forge it into something new.

"It would have been more efficient to get the applicant from Mistral in. Their semblance is well-known and the grounding in the basics would be a perfect reinforcement for team NPR." The woman's calm assessment was enough for the headmaster, who nodded. "Contact them the next morning, saying that a spot at Beacon has opened up and whether he would still wish to join." The headmaster's voice sounded like it had reached that conclusion as well. "And the funeral ceremony?" The deputy asked, her voice holding a hint of tension. "I will personally lead it, as always." The man's voice was like steel, as his eyes firmed up.

Glynda Goodwitch had known the man behind the desk for almost twenty-one years. The combat school that she had gone to had seen the ascent of the man who would come to be the youngest headmaster of the combat schools of Remnant, the hushed whispers of the genius who had completed the training course within half the time required to pass having followed after the man had taken the entrance exam to Beacon at age twelve.

The man's habits were peculiar and yet fully his own. He almost always drank hot chocolate with a small tuft of whipped cream mixed through it, the alcohol only added when dealing with a stressful situation. She would not put him on the likes of Qrow, who drank to forget the pain that he had been in yet was fully capable of fighting seriously if the situation required charity that the headmaster displayed to students who held little possessions in the way of material wealth, his stamp on the admission form boldly allowing them to pull from the fund that allowed the students their own weaponry maintenance.

The man's secrets when it pertained to guarding the safety of Remnant were a mystery to her as well. In all her years as his deputy, she had been devoted to the goal of stopping Salem, to make sure that the world was a better place for the people to survive in, without the threat of Grimm around every corner. The hope that he showed for an innocent soul to rise up against the tyrant and overthrow them did define him, as he was a firm believer in unity being the strength of humanity.

A calling sound came from the display hovering in the air above the tabletop, the headmaster's face blanking immediately, like all emotion had wiped itself from it, returning to that look of calmness. A hand motioned to her, enough to let her know that she would have to leave. The emblem of the council of Vale appeared upon the screen, the headmaster folding his fingers in front of him. "Councillor?" The man's tone was neutral and business-like, even as the doors of the elevator shut behind her with a soft whirring sound.

"The council has been appraised of the death of a student in Beacon." The tone of the councillor was hostile, the headmaster's face not betraying in the least his feelings on the subject. "It has been so. An unfortunate incident." Ozpin's voice did not waver as he spoke, the councillor's voice coming through again. "Have you reconsidered our offer?" The question came once more, like it had been before, Ozpin's fingers tapping onto the desk, his chair adjusting a little to his manner of seating, allowing him to lean back a little.

"I repeat: Have you given consideration to our renewed offer?" The headmaster's face did not register anything that went on below the surface, even as his gaze flickered to the outside, where the sunlight was slowly fading. "The answer is still No." The man's voice was firm as he spoke, the councillor's voice showing dissatisfaction. "If you wish it not to be, then it shall not be." The sound of someone clapping in the background was heard, Ozpin already knowing who would have done such a gesture. "Councillor, know that I am wholeheartedly dedicated to fostering the next generation of Huntsmen. An offer such as the one you have given me would draw time away from my goal."

The councillor on that end seemed to wait for a moment. "Vale is safe, Ozpin. What need does a Huntsman's Academy have for one man who could be the greatest councillor in the world?" The answer to that was not one that Ozpin would unveil, the secrecy surrounding the Relics and the Maidens holding firm. The fewer people that knew, the less that would be after them. "A headmaster does not resign until the last student under his care has graduated and there are no others left." The councillor's snort was cold, dismissive and in line with what Ozpin knew about them.

"We could erect a school for Huntsmen within the walls of Vale easily, Ozpin. The old relic of the clock tower that you've built your school around needs to rot away and be replaced by something new." The words were not without sense, yet Ozpin knew his mission. "I deny your offer once more. You'll have to come with a better offer, Councillor Messing." The woman's voice was stern as it spoke. "We're watching you, Ozpin. Don't forget our offer. You could be working for the betterment of humanity."

The headmaster's mirthless smile would be visible to the councillors as his finger hovered above the call disconnect button. "I work for the betterment of all that live on Remnant by training the young and weak into Huntsmen. Have a good evening." The call disconnected as his finger pressed the button, leaving the call to flicker out. As the headmaster was left alone in his office, he looked at the mug and then got up, walking to the thermos that contained some hot chocolate that he'd had freshly made at the kitchens, pouring the mug full and adding some Atlesian Vodka to the mix, a small dot of whipped cream to mix through with the spoon and then slowly lifting the hot brew to his lips and taking a sip.

Pressing the button at his desk, the elevator shut off and the blinds slid down. His hands moved to the secure folder, putting in the passcode without fail. The secret system slotted back into the proper place and allowed access to the files that were there, calling up the images that he requested through a flick of the finger on the displayed screen. Pictures appeared there, descending in age as was proper.

Rowan Arc stood proudly at graduation day with her team, depicted as a victor to the one taking the picture. Heather Arc, showing her skill at her weapon in a fight against Grimm, her eyes blazing with the determination to continue fighting. Bianca and Ashley Arc, holding the defensive line against a flood of Grimm, their eyes set within the determined look that seemed to be a universal characteristic of the people. Cremea Arc, looking at the taker of the picture with a raised eyebrow, eyes holding a singular shimmer of personality and confidence.

A shot of Cremea and Saffron together, standing there side by side with their weapons drawn, their eyes alight with their own battle-thirst. Azure Arc standing at her graduation from Beacon, holding the plaque that held her certification as a huntress there. Azure Arc with her team, looking ready to be off, their combat gear showing the signs of being hastily put on.

To finish it was a picture of Jaune Arc, standing beside Pyrrha Nikos with his face looking as confident as it was, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie standing together with the two of them to form Team JNPR. The headmaster's gaze was full of sorrow as he looked at the young man whose soul would never reach the capacity to unleash the blessings upon others.

"And thus, the lineage of Arc ends..." The man's voice was emotional as he spoke, looking at the face of Jaune Arc for a short while longer before taking a deep sigh. The images were moved back into the folder where they belonged, the image of the Arc crest coming on screen for a moment. "I should..." The man shut the secret file system down and then opened the file for the Arc family, the information of Jaune Arc appearing on the screen. A quick tapping of several numbers and the sound of a scroll's calling function being opened up was heard, the voice that answered slurring. "What's it about, Oz?" The voice of Qrow Branwen sounded a little irritated, Ozpin's gaze going to the clock. "I have a mission for you."

He sipped his hot chocolate, looking at the man's face on the screen. "Go to these coordinates. Find the nevermore nests and check whether one of them holds a sword, as well as some human remains."The huntsman frowned yet nodded to the order from his superior. "Anything you want me to watch out for?" The man's gruff voice sounded a little annoyed, even as he got up, a view of a bedroom appearing to the camera's view, as well as an expanse of chest that had a few hairs growing on it. "A young man's body with his left arm ripped off."

Qrow's face winced. "First casualty of the year, right?" The headmaster nodded. "The council came and inquired whether I would desire the job of senior representative of the Valean council, having heard of the death through the official submission of the death certificate." The man frowned. "Those vultures are getting worse at getting you to take the job." He said as he pulled his shirt on, Ozpin's face emotionless as he waited for the Huntsman to get himself ready for the job.

"Return to Beacon once you have retrieved the sword and the remains." The headmaster said, the scruffy-faced man scratching his cheeks. "This is in the Creme mountains, Oz. Someone actually was foolish enough to go finding some big Grimm in there to prove their worth?" The headmaster's face hardened. "Do it, Qrow."

The huntsman nodded. "It's my job, Oz. For the safety of Remnant and the people." Ozpin's face showed his emotions, even as the call shut off. With the bird sent to pick up whatever remained of young Jaune Arc, the headmaster turned to one of the walls of his office, walking towards it and then pulling the panel from it. The list of names that were cut into the marble wall by a master's touch had space left, the headmaster's hand grabbing the small chisel that sat beside the panel, the marble looking as it had been for years. "Jaune Arc, son of Emerald Arc and Sage Arc." The name was slowly chiselled into the wall, the headmaster's gaze upon it showing his feelings. Sadness seemed to be the dominant emotion on his face, even as he glanced up to another name that was much higher up on the wall.

Summer Rose, daughter of Schwarz Rose and Autumn Rose. The name had as much significance for him as the other names had, the woman having fallen prey to the ambush that had robbed her of her life. Only through recovering the white cape that she had worn, had they found out her fate. The Beowolves that had threatened the village she had been sent to reinforce had torn her apart, her body ground into paste by the creatures, obviously from the targeted effort that Salem had made to destroy the silver-eyed warriors.

Gretchen Rainart, daughter of Hanzel and Gretel Rainart. The name sprung out because of the preceding few names, the team that had been formed in the forest and had subsequently perished due to the venom of a King Tajitu. The overwhelming response from her brother, Hazel, had destroyed most of the foyer of Beacon Academy, the young man having frothed at the mouth and swore vengeance.

The wall stood with yet another name to the tally, the names that bore his sins upon their death a testament to how he had failed them. With Jaune Arc, a life that had been snuffed out too quickly to mature properly, there was yet another burden upon his shoulders to be firmly placed, the next in the line of souls that had been damned for that brief spark of hope of a better future.

"I will never forget your names." The man's voice sounded in the empty office as he looked at the wall, recalling every face of the people that had been chiselled onto its surface. Young or old, if they had been a student at Beacon Academy, he would remember them.

* * *

 _Mourning_

* * *

The glass shattered in her hand as she fought to keep her emotions in check, Ruby's face looking tense as she watched the shards fall to the ground. Her sister's face was worried, clearly showing the signs of being concerned for her little sister's well-being over anything else. "Are you alright?" She asked concern in her voice for her little sister's state of mind.

"I'm just... getting used to things. Easy-peasy..." The answer came from Ruby's lips, yet she knew that she was not fine. _Another one to be like mom._ The memory of Summer Rose came to her mind, of a pictured woman who was 'super-mom', fighting big and bad evil Grimm and freeing princesses and baking cookies. "I heard Pyrrha returned." Yang said, Weiss looking up, her face showing a troubled expression. "It's been half a day, Ruby. He was an idiot, but I don't think that he would want to see you like this."

The tears that'd been flowing constantly had worked tracts into her cheeks, showing her emotions raw to her team. Blake had fled, stating that she wanted to do some research on something or the other, the flimsy excuse not fooling Ruby at all. One of their own, a fellow student, had died. A young man who was studying to be a hunter had been killed, just because of some bully with an attitude had sent him off without his team to help him.

"She must be torn up about it." Weiss said, her gaze going to the door. Ruby grabbed a cloth and started to mop up the shards, her face set in the look that had been the dominant one for the three hours since the news had come in that Jaune had died. A knock on the door came and Yang went to get it, Weiss remaining seated as she was, as Ruby had told her to. The heiress had been allowed to think about her choice of wording by being the one sent to fetch them something from the kitchens, her speedy return with some of the less-than-healthy foods that she had fetched having soothed the tempers a little.

"Weiss... How would you feel if I died?" The heiress seemed to struggle with that question, a red blush coming to her pale cheeks. "R-Ruby?" The surprise came through in her voice, her eyes looking at her for a while. "I would be... upset. N-not because you would be anything special to me, I mean... We're partners. We're going to be together, always." The stammer that she had in her voice with the way that she kept on looking down made her look adorable, yet Ruby's mood was gloomy as it was, her eyes meeting Weiss' eyes for a moment.

"I would be sad, yes. I would mourn your passing." Yang got back onto her bed, Blake joining them again, Ruby chancing a look at her sister and finding that there was a troubled look on her face. "Should we ask team JNPR to come here?" She asked suddenly, Yang's voice usually brusque. "Pyrrha seems to be awfully shaken up... and I think I heard Nora crying." The thought of the orange-haired girl crying was something that seemed to be anathema to her usually cheerful manner, Ruby putting a serious look on her face, getting off the bed. "I'll ask."

"What's this about mourning my sister, eh?" Yang's voice sounded behind her as she folded Crescent Rose and left it on her back, her baby fitting nearly into the strap that she'd made for it. The weight was nothing to her, as she crossed the distance, giving a knock on the door. A moment later and Lie Ren came to the door, his eyes looking a little watery. "Yes?" He asked, his voice usually lacking the inflexions that indicated his feelings on the subject, even as she tried to put on a look like she was able to remain functional. "Want to come to our room? Weiss got snacks." The ninja turned his head, looking into the room. Ruby could see Pyrrha laying on her bed, her head gazing up at the ceiling, holding what seemed to be a hoodie close to her chest, her face looking a mess. Her makeup was definitely running and her face was horribly puffy. "Ruby asks if we'd like to come to team RWBY's room."

 _They have it worse than me. All I lost was a friend. They lost a team member._ The realisation was definitely something that made her take a step back, Pyrrha giving a soft whimper as she looked up from the hoodie that she was cuddling. "Let's join them." She said, her voice sounding tired and weary as if there was a great weight that pressed upon her shoulders. "We should get together to remember him." The Mistrali native got up, her hands still clutching the shirt to her chest. "Nora, come. I'm sure that they'll have some sugary treat." Ren's voice spoke clearly, drawing the attention of the hammer-wielding girl, whose sniffing sound was audible.

It was a silence that fell, as team JNPR minus Jaune filtered into the room, the bunk beds hanging a little awkwardly there. They sat together in the middle of the room, Weiss next to Ruby, Yang next to Blake, Pyrrha and Nora flanking Ren, whose face was as calm as he was, his hand laying on Nora's, offering the comfort that he seemed to wish to share with his closest friend. Pyrrha was sniffling still, Weiss clearing her throat. "We are sorry for your loss. Arc was... he was a man who had so much going for him." Ruby knew that Weiss was just making an effort, her own mind going back to those moments when she'd crammed together with Jaune in the library, trying to get more information on how to lead a team with him.

It had been a rather beautiful afternoon, the sun still high in the sky and the gentle breeze had been enough to warm the spirit, even as they spent time pouring over the catalogues that detailed every subject in the library. "Ruby, check this out. There's a section on Dust-powered motorbikes." His voice had sounded wondrous, even as she had giggled. "Everything is powered by dust, silly. Yang has a motorcycle that's powered by a mixture of lightning dust and fuel."

He had rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, giving a soft chuckle. "Yeah... I knew that, obviously. Who wouldn't know that, hehe." The laugh had been sheepish as if he'd only now realized that he had forgotten something so silly as that. "Here's a section on team formations, with some icky-ficky little details. You should get a gun to go with your sword and shield, though. You can't be caught off-guard..." Here she had paused, looking at him and making some measurements in her head. "If you want... Can we add a big shotgun to your shield? That'd make it look all bad-ass, won't it?"

"My sister is more fond of shields than of shotguns, Ruby. You should meet her sometimes." His voice sounded wistful as if his sister held some spot of fondness in his heart. She melted a little on the inside, as she began to feel like she was talking to an equal... "Ooh, you're the youngest? Me too! Yang is two years older than me... and she always keeps on rubbing that in too." She chirped, noticing his smile. _That's a good smile. Yep. You've done it again, Ruby! You've made someone happy! Whoo! Go Ruby!_ "You're too young to drive, Ruby! You cannot drink yet, Ruby!" Her best imitation of Yang made him chuckle a little. "Well, I drink MILK. I'll be just as tall as she with a few more years, just you wait!" She puffed out her chest for him, her big grin showing clearly on her face.

"You'll have to be drinking a lot more to get like that, Ruby." He said, a giggle coming from her as she knew what he was referring to. "Yeah, I guess that I won't be able to be taller than you!" He looked down as if his joke had been merely ill-received. "Well... I'm the tallest back at home..." He said, shifting his gaze back to the screen. "Ooh, team tactics? What do you think you'll call yours?" She tapped her finger against her lips, her mind coming to a swift decision.

"WeissRose, of course! The best of Ruby with the best of Weiss! It'll be time to put the bad guys on ice, yes!" She pumped her fist, a laugh coming from his mouth. "You're adorable when you get excited like that." He said, patting her head. She had not admitted that, but it felt nice to be patted on the head and treated like she was an equal. It felt... good. Was this what friends were like?

The pleasant memory faded as she was drawn back to the past, watching Pyrrha's gaze rest on her. Her silver eyes widened as she realized that she'd just been asked a question. "Eh?" She eeped, her voice sounding a little higher-pitched than before. "What are we going to do about Cardin?" Pyrrha repeated. Ruby met those green eyes, the champion of Mistral's tournament circuit meeting her gaze with those eyes as steel.

"Are we... going to do anything about him?" She said. _Jaune was dead because of him._ A sneaky part of her mind whispered. _Jaune would not want him dead. He would want him to live, to be a huntsman._ Pyrrha's eyes were frosty with their intensity. "I wanted to be closer to him." She said as the eyes welled with tears once more. Ruby blinked, her thoughts distracted from the gloomy atmosphere. "To Cardin?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"To Jaune." Pyrrha said, her voice sounding like she was desperate for something. "I wanted him to look at me." _Is it not normal to look at your partner for help? I mean, dad and uncle Qrow always say that your partners are like your lifeline._ "But... didn't he look at you? You got along well enough, right?"

Yang smacked her forehead, Blake merely giving her a cat-like look, whilst Weiss... seemed to be trying to struggle to get to comprehend what Pyrrha was referring to. "You wished him to... loo-look at you?" The heiress said, her voice incredulous. Nora coughed softly, her voice soft. "Jaune, he... He was a dummy and a bit thick and not very good at fighting, plus his whole confidence being greater than his skills... But he was our friend." Her voice sounded dull and lifeless, a far cry from the excited tones that she usually spoke with. "I want to break Cardin's legs so badly that he'll forever be in a chair, watching everyone else stroll by."

The hairs on Ruby's neck started to rise, as the gloomy mood intensified. "I would have given him a stern talking to. I do not believe in dispensing justice by myself." The words of Lie Ren spoke of his reasoning, even as Nora looked at him. "But I wanted to break some legs... Ren... Just a little bit of smashy smashy and hearing their wails of terror and pain, please?" The plea fell on deaf ears, Ren's hand leaving Nora's hand and immediately colour seemed to return to the girl's face. "Jaune was my friend and I would have been with him, fighting against the Grimm. You're all his friends, you're his team. He would have always looked out for you all." _That's what I would do. For Yang, Blake and Weiss. Jaune too, if he was all 's what huntresses do. They protect the people and their friends!_

As Nora started to blubber again and wrapped her hands around her knees, getting a grip on them and just continuing to be emotional, Pyrrha spoke. "I wanted him to look at me because I felt that he understood me. Not just the champion of Mistral. Not the invincible girl that could defeat any that came before her. I wanted him to look at me and be mine."

Ruby's cheeks flared with redness. _O-oh. Oh!_ She shuddered a little, her eyes tearing up again. This was just too sad. Too sad! Like when Zwei had nearly died after eating that fire dust crystal and Yang had just managed to come away from an accident with her bike and had been in the hospital for a week with a busted leg and a severe warning to never try that again. _That is so sad._ She looked at Weiss for a moment, the Heiress sitting there with her mouth half-opened and her teeth visibly showing, slackjawed by the information that Pyrrha had just revealed so bluntly.

The Spartan's eyes were like chips of pecan-nut ice-cream in their frosty emerald chill as she looked at Ruby. "Do we do something about Cardin?" She said, her voice holding a razor's edge. Ruby could see where the young woman would have gained the reputation from, with her manner definitely at ease at the field of combat. "No." She said. _Revenge is never a good option. Dad always said that bad things come to bad people in time._ "If he's a creep in the future, we stomp him down. Then Nora can break his legs." The sanctioning of grievous physical punishment may be something that would have crossed the line, yet there were lines that had been crossed before.

* * *

 _Omen_

* * *

As the huntsman touched down on the spot where the beacon lay blinking, he looked at the ravaged trees, the signs of combat indicating enough action having gone down to confirm the action of a huntsman of Ozpin's calibre. His scythe rested on his back as he moved unhurriedly towards where the puddle of blood had soaked into the ground, the scent of blood heavy in the air still.

Qrow bent down to touch the patch of bloodied soil, dipping his finger into it and then calculating the amount of blood needed to be lost to allow for a body to keep on moving. "Looks like you ran into some bad opposition, kid." The crow-themed man muttered as he continued walking, his scythe flashing as one Beowolf leapt at him from the shadows, the beast cut in twain with a flick of the metal scythe-blade, the man's attention going towards the edges of the forested patch that laid in the mountains. "Nevermore nests, eh?" The man muttered as he leapt into the air, his body changing to that of a crow in a flash of imperceptible brightness, his wings beating once to carry him aloft. His eyes sought for the nests of the creatures that stalked the skies, the sound of the baying calls of the Beowolves like a firm indicator of where they were.

The first nest that he checked personally held no trinkets of note. Just a few branches that had been coated with a faint silver sheen, a faded watch that must've belonged to some poor soul caught outside the walls of Vale and devoured. The second nest only seemed to contain the remnants of what seemed to be a set of armour, the skull laying a few meters away, the body no longer recognizable whether it had been Faunus or human in nature. He did not voice his thoughts as the beak pecked against the skull before he beat his wings once more.

With his crow form, he checked three more nests before finally striking gold. A large Nevermore rose from the nest that it had built upon one of the craggy spires, the branches creating a nest that was like any other bird's, woven with the care of any animal. Bloodthirsty creatures as they might have been, some rudimentary animalistic behaviour seemed to have been born within them to allow them to adopt certain hunting strategies.

Within the nest, he could see the glint of something, a sharp edge poking out from the branches, gilded in gold, the edge showing the sharpness of steel to his gaze. The glint was enough to confirm that it was a weapon, as he perched down on one of the edges, cautious to get the weapon out. One moment he was a bird, then he was crouched in the nest, searching through the branches until he had found the glinting weapon. A sword that had been forged in the Great War was pulled from the nest, looking like it had been freshly coated in blood around the grip, the remnants of blood already dried due to the exposure to the air. "Fresh blood on the hilt..." Qrow muttered to himself, putting the sword in the cloth that he'd gotten. "Oz, I got a sword." The man would get the message later, the range of his Scroll not working very well due to the interference from the mountains with the signal.

"Where are you at, kiddo?" The huntsman mumbled to himself as he searched through the nest, his nose sniffing the air for the coppery scent of human blood. The scent was strongest around the blade, the sound of wings beating coming ever closer. The tingle on the back of his neck was stronger now, as the scythe unfurled and was swung. The Nevermore's body disintegrated as it was bisected, the miasma that clung to the impressive creature of darkness dissipating in the sunlight. "At least I got the blade." The Huntsman said, his face frowning, even as the dark shapes of more Nevermores came to his view, watching as they advanced. "I don't get paid enough for this... But if it's for Oz, I'll gladly lend a hand to make sure that one kid gets back home."

A bit of light exercise before getting back to Beacon wouldn't hurt, the blade stashed within his bag a moment later. Another three nests he could see that he had not checked. Perhaps the kid's body would be there. If it wasn't on the ground level, then it must be elsewhere. That was the only logical conclusion to things. The Grimm didn't do anything with bodies of the people that they killed, they just killed to let the emotions of fear and terror swell to draw more of their kind to them.

* * *

 _Terror_

* * *

She floated in the darkness, the only sound that she picked up being her own heartbeat, ever so slowly continuing to pump the blood through her own body to keep her working. Her fingers continued to try to move through the movements required for the swinging of her blade, the image of the blonde young man riveted in her mind.

A smile on his lips, a hand stretched out to touch her, to take her hand in a firm grip and to pull her from this darkness and to free her from this fate of forever being mired in the darkness. As the blonde disappeared from her sight and touch, she could feel nothing but that empty sensation in her hand, touching and groping into the formless shapeless mass of darkness, hoping for a touch of that blue-eyed man, his hand showing the marks of the training that he'd put in to spring her free of this accursed darkness.

The rose awoke and the darkness was banished, leaving her to stare at the blank and empty wall, heartbeat racing once more. _Why?_ The question came to the shards of her awakening consciousness, with no answer forthcoming yet to her frazzled mind. _Why must my life be filled with death? Why must everyone I care for be snatched by the tendrils of death and fear?_

* * *

Another chapter for you to read through and go 'ooh, we want more!' for.(Or like 'we want a harem!'. That seems to be a thought on people's mind.) I've tried varying the style a little to see whether it's a bit more palatable for you to read. If you've got any comments/critiques/what-not, by all means, do not hesitate and leave a little review to show this humble soul what could be corrected! Were the characters in-tune with what you'd expect them to be? How out of character were they? How IN-character were they?

Let me know! I look forward to getting feedback (and reviews.)


	3. The fun is out of funeral now

**Chapter Three: The fun is out of funeral now.**

The stylistic elements that I'm using will need work, yes! Thank you for that bit of feedback! As for whether eh… things will look up for the cast… To put it in ruby-tone – 'nnnnope!'. Things are going to be a bit moody!

* * *

 _Crimson Rose_

* * *

The day started with her eyes opening, Ruby Rose's gaze to the ceiling, the dream coming back to her consciousness again as she turned to the side. _He's no longer within my reach. My first friend at Beacon is dead._ Her eyes felt puffy and raw as she tried to imagine what it would be for his family, to have their son die on them.

"Are you alright, Ruby?" Weiss asked, her face subdued. "I have… had things happen in the past." The admission came from the white-haired girl with a softer voice, compared to the usually hard tone she set.

"It's okay, Weiss. It's just… I don't like losing people." Ruby's voice barely quivered now as she spoke, the white-haired girl's concerned look definitely something that was new. She'd been awfully snooty before they'd gotten their little together-time with team NPR. "I'm sorry Weiss… I didn't mean to nearly take your head off."

The morning after was something that she remembered well as she got out of bed, her feet touching the ground and noticing the circle where they'd sat the evening before. A stain was still on the carpet where the Mistralian wine had been spilt. The staff would have to be informed of that if they couldn't get it out beforehand.

Weiss gave a watery smile. "It is the propensity of some people to take offence when one is in mourning. I do not hold it against you." The words were so Weiss that Ruby just did what she thought was right.

"H-Hey! Stop hugging me!" The white-haired heiress said, although those arms wrapped around Ruby anyways, in contrast to what she felt. "Ruby, let go! This is not proper decorum for a team leader."

"Seems like someone's been getting thawed out." Yang's voice came from her bed, the blonde laying there with a somewhat morose look on her face. Getting out of bed, she stretched, a yawn coming from that mouth.

"Are you alright?" The brunette asked softly, her voice quiet in the suddenly busy room. Weiss got free from her grip, giving a huff, her cheeks red with a blush. _I think I will be. I've still got my team._

"I'm better." She said and she felt it. Her eyes brightened as she looked at the members of the team that she'd been put up for. "We've got to do something to keep Ren, Pyrrha and Nora in good spirits, though! I vote that we go and cheer them up!"

There was a pause then, as Weiss looked at her, seriously considering something in her mind. She glanced at the spot where Pyrrha had bawled her eyes out earlier that night, the stain of the spilt wine having been due to Yang getting up and giving the cereal girl a hug, ending in a massive group hug after a while.

 _We'll not forget you. I won't, at least. You were my first friend here._ "It's eight-fifteen, Ruby. We have classes in a bit." Yang's voice came as an unwelcome reminder, a glance at the clockface told her that it definitely was time for them to get to class. "I'll get in the shower first!"

* * *

 _Withering_

* * *

The morning session of classes was populated by the proud and eager huntsmen-in-training at Beacon Academy, gathering up in their assigned teams at the cafeteria and talking about the way that they'd spend the day. There were jokes made, muscles shown off to the admiration of some of their onlookers and weapons tested for the combat classes that would take place during the afternoon. The weapons lockers were a handy tool for such things when outside the Academy, yet the students were expected to come and fetch their weapons when they were needed.

"Did you see Jauney boy anywhere?" Sky Lark looked up to see his team leader appear, his hair slicked back with another dose of gel to help straighten it out some more. "Eh, I didn't see him anywhere. Have you seen JNPR anywhere, Dove?"

"No, they were absent from classes yesterday as well, after the class with Grimm anatomy." The serious-faced Dove spoke up, his hand touching the hilt of his blade, which he had kept in exquisite condition. Sky often wondered whether his serious teammate would ever go without the blade, as it was something that you'd usually leave OUTSIDE the shower, instead of taking it with you in a special water-resistant sheath.

"Do you think he's alright?" Sky asked, nervously looking around for any sign of Goodwitch or some other professor. They'd have to know that it was Cardin that was responsible for sending off Arc someplace.

"Trust me, this is a Huntsman Academy. If you can't fight your way out of the forest, you aren't worthy to become a huntsman. Jauney boy no doubt ran into something and sprained his little fee-fees." The assurance from Cardin did nothing to quell the sensation within his chest that something was terribly wrong.

"Look, you've got Nikos right there." The members of team JNPR sans Jaune filtered in, their faces tired-looking. Nora did not seem her regular energetic self, her companion Ren holding her up, arm wrapped around her shoulder in support.

Pyrrha Nikos led the front, going for some of the cafeteria's breakfast foods, pouring a bowl full of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow flakes and drowning them in milk, ensuring a swift demise for the cereal. She poured a portion for Nora and Ren as well, neither of them objecting to it.

Sky Lark was, by some people's admission, a coward. He didn't like the tide turning when he was fighting for the best side. His eyes followed the three members of team JNPR, noticing that there was a distinct lack of talk between the three of them. "Cardin..." He started.

Cardin was already in the process of walking towards Nikos, already getting himself ready for the eventual confrontation. _'This is going to go bad. I have a bad feeling about this...'_

Team RWBY sat down next and opposite of the members of team JNPR, the space next to Pyrrha kept open, for Jaune to sit down. It seemed completely reasonable to Sky that the blonde teenager would be stumbling through the door, knocking into someone and then apologizing, if Cardin didn't get his hands on him first.

"Hey Nikos, is your blonde leader not available?" The taunting tone that his leader used had the effect of the four-time champion freezing up, her gaze going to his direction, as he sat down on the spot where Jaune should have been sat at.

"This isn't going to end well..." He said to Russel, who was busy with sharpening the edges of his weapon, his gaze watching the proceedings like a hawk. "Something the matter?"

"I don't like the looks on Nikos' face."Sky said. The blonde shrugged, his daggers put back in place at his side. "She is all fierce up front, but she obeys her leader without question. Cardin's got this in the bag, don't worry about it."

Whatever Pyrrha said, Cardin responded with his usual grace. Sky watched the colour drain out of Nikos' face as those eyes seemed to narrow. The blonde chick with the big chest, Bang Fao-Shong or something like that, grabbed a hold of Pyrrha before she did something, her mouth moving yet whatever was being said going unheard.

The massive hammer that slammed Cardin into the wall next was definitely enough to make Sky Lark shudder. "We should check whether he's alright. Nikos looks like she's ready to snap." Pyrrha's mouth was moving still, struggling in the grip of the blonde.

* * *

 _Justice delayed_

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was in a mood. As her comb ran through her hair, she could not feel the tangles anymore. The red rings around her eyes were an indication of how bad she felt, even with the new day coming to her. "Do you... want a hand?"

Nora spoke softly, holding out a comb. The smile sat upon her lips was as brittle as the girl had been, the wine that they had drunk the previous evening with team RWBY having made the two of them more sullen than the serious emotions that they felt now. "Please. I feel a little lost."

 _Lost without him. He'll never come back again._ Closing her eyes and letting Nora's hand brush the comb through her hair, she allowed herself a long-suffering sigh, opening her eyes again to find that her hair was brushed, Nora having started on her own personal grooming.

"Still torn up about it, right?" Nora said, her voice sounding more depressed than the regular chipper tones she used. A nod was all that she could give, her throat choking up again.

"I know it too. Renny and I... We've had a bad run-in with the Grimm. I don't know if he'd told you before... but we are orphans." She had heard something to the sort about that when they had introduced each other, the two of them not 'together-together', yet to her own suspicion, they would be 'together-together' in no time.

"And well..." The exuberant girl trailed off, her face looking into the mirror, adjusting her shirt a little. "You are our friend too. Just as Jaune was." The tears came again as she imagined the four of them standing at each other's side, defending against waves of Grimm, without even stopping to pause for breath or to merely contemplate that they could fail. One strong back in front of her, one hammer-wielder at her side and a ninja to sneakily seek their foes.

"Thank you." They had spoken about their emotions at the small gathering in team RWBY's room. _I shouldn't have told them. I was wrong to claim him so much, and now he's gone._ The words were important, as she cried more. "I think of you as a friend as well." The girl smiled, patting Pyrrha's cheek.

"That's the girl I know and like! We'll be up and running in no time! Sisters!" The cheerful facade slipped into place again as the girl continued to do her makeup, making herself pretty for the one that she 'most definitely was not together-together' with.

Pyrrha mentally sighed at the love between the two of them. It was so obvious to her that Nora pined for the pink lotus ninja, yet it was not to be in this current mood.

Emerging from their room in the lead, she felt nevertheless a little safer in the presence of her team. With Jaune gone, undoubtedly there would be a new partner picked for them, one who would meet the criteria for the team that they were. _They'll never replace Jaune, no matter how they act. He was my first friend, really._

As she loaded up a bowl with Pumpkin Pete's marshmallow flakes and some milk, she gave a bittersweet look at the box that sat there, the sugary treat to be eaten in honour of their departed team leader. The hoodie had been redeemed after getting fifty cartons empty and was a limited edition make. She had it laying on his bed, ready to be picked up again for remembering him. It held his scent.

As she sat down, she became aware that the rest of her team had filled the spots around her, Team RWBY forming what felt like a protective enclave around them. The seat next to her was kept free, in honour of her partner. She was just about to dig in when she heard a voice call out to her. "Hey Nikos, is your blonde leader not available?"

 _No, he's not. You killed him, you stupid little brute._ The first response would be to deck him, yet she would not give in to her anger like that. It was unbefitting from a woman of her status to give in to the anger, even as she tried to commit it to mind that he was not responsible for what had ensued from his foolish bullying.

He sat down next to her, the smell of his cologne strong in her nostrils. Whatever scent it was, it irked her greatly. "He's not around anymore." Her voice did not waver or quiver. Yang's hand on her shoulder firmed a little, just as reinforcement to her.

"I bet he hopped on the first Bullhead out of here when he saw how hard the lessons were. Jauney boy would never have made it through the classes with his shabby performance." He leaned against the table, giving her a look. Her mouth felt dry.

 _..._ Her thoughts were frozen as the feeling of lightheadedness made way for anger, her body feeling like it was on fire and frozen at the same time. Her eyes narrowed and she felt the hands of Yang wrap around her, restraining her from doing something bad.

"I bet he ran off because you were just too intimidating. Lousy huntsmen should just go back to their village and serve in the militia there. This place is for the elite, like you and me." The words were arrogant, full of the confidence that Cardin had in himself.

 _Don't talk about him like that. Do not slander him in front of us. You are responsible. You are guilty._ "That's not true. He would never abandon us." She said, as she tried to shake Yang off, the blonde's grip on her strong and unflinching.

"Jauney boy wouldn't have been able to survive our first expedition. No doubt he'd be dying like a chump anyway, adding fertilizer to the fields." She was dimly aware that her semblance had activated, the knives that they had on the table shifting in position. _So easy... Just a little lift, a little bit of attraction. It'll be an accident, they'll believe me._

Murderous thoughts did not feature in her mind, even as Nora's Magnhild slammed into the buffoon's chest, his aura protecting him from the crushing blow by softening the hit and whacking him away, Yang's grip on her loosening a little, Nora still breathing heavily, trying to gather herself.

"He shouldn't have said that." She said, her hand putting Magnhild back where it belonged. She knew that attacking another student wasn't really encouraged yet she did it anyway. _That guy should have kept his mouth shut. That's no way to treat other people._

As his teammates got up and carried him back to their table, Pyrrha felt oddly light in her feelings, Weiss clearing her throat. "We should go and ask Professor Goodwitch about what'll be done about team CRDL." Ruby's head bobbed enthusiastically as if that idea was great with her. _Jaune, wherever you are... please Watch over us._

The rest of breakfast was spent in silence, as the sugary sweet marshmallow flakes started their progress of sugary overdose, the bowl emptied slowly of the sugary treats.

* * *

 _The flayed pain_

* * *

A pale-skinned hand reached for the bowl of chocolates, made especially with the Schnee logo pressed upon them in white chocolate by a master chocolatier. Red lacquered fingers seized the chocolate and brought it to lips that had been brushed with the nicest shade of crimson auburn (500 lien per stick) that she had personally ordered from the high-end store.

"Any more, Miss Schnee?" The short moustachioed butler inquired, holding up the pot of hot tea in his hand. The woman's lips curved into the smile, as the bottle beside the cup stood, half-way full. "A little for the chocolate to mellow, Mister Sieben." The delicate voice spoke, though slurred.

A pretty face looked back at the reflection in the cup as the servant poured the hot tea into the cup, filling it half-way, her hand grabbing the bottle and setting the cup down with practised ease. "Would you be taking your dinner here, Miss Schnee?"

"Yes, I think I will." The woman's voice was light as she spoke, as the amber liquid poured into the cup. The scent of the tea was of winter lily, one of her favourite scents before... this. As the vodka was added to the tea, the scent distorted, twisted by the liquid of courage.

"As you wish, Miss Schnee." The butler made himself scarce immediately, leaving her to her worries and woes. Her hand plucked another chocolate from the bowl, elegant in the minute expressions, even as she brought the chocolate to her lips again and she bit into it, tasting the bitter taste of the liquor that mixed with the contents.

The news was busy doing an exposé on the latest scandal to hit the socialites of the continent, the cheating woman having admitted to her slip of the loins on a drunken bender. _As if I would be caught like that. He doesn't even want to touch me anymore._

The fire within her had died once her youngest daughter had turned ten. The man had not even been willing to show his face for her birthday. _Were you always about the money, Jacques?_ The cup was empty all of a sudden, leaving her to wonder where the drink had gone. Her eyes looked at the bowl, a faint grimace coming to her elegant features, so much akin to Winter that they could be misconstrued as sisters.

"Perhaps I should try a new dress. The current fashion is going out of style in three weeks with the grand reveal for summer." The words rang hollow and empty to her ears, as she pulled the Scroll off her side-table.

The portable piece of technology to communicate flicked on with a push of the button, the jingle of the Schnee Dust Company accompanying the screensaver turning off. A picture of her, Weiss and Whitley and Winter, together. _What a mockery. If I had the strength to, I would have..._ Her finger touched the button once to make a call, only to pause for a moment.

Was it time for her to call Weiss? Splitting from the family and going over to Sanus to study to become a Huntress… was it really that important that she called, just because she felt a little shred of care for her daughter? Should she call Winter, just to inquire how things were in the military? _No time like the present…_ The names of the people in her contact list shone. Jacques was always above Weiss, Winter and Whitley, Klein's name as the sole member of the list that was not her immediate family. _Your social life is dead, sweetheart. The butler is the only friend that you've got in your address-book and he is practically inherited from your own father's staff._

The number connected, the tone of calling coming through. "Specialist Winter Schnee, speaking. What do you require of me?" The clipped tones of her eldest daughter's voice sounded through the speaker, an emotion choking her throat. _She sounds so much like she is just a machine, working to function as intended. Daddy would have been so ashamed of her for conforming…_

"Winny? It's me, mother." The audible intake of breath from her eldest daughter was something that she knew was definitely the case of the fracas between her and Jacques. _It's a small miracle that she didn't block my number. I know that she's blocked Jacques' number._

"Mother? Make it quick, I am on a highly critical mission under general Ironwood." The stern tone her daughter took was such a reminder of the lifestyle that she was currently living that it made for a harsh lesson, the youth that she'd spent with her own goals, contrary to every piece of the lifestyle that she led.

 _Here goes nothing…_ "Please, come and visit sometime. I miss you." The desperation in her voice was genuine, Oum-forbid. She swallowed heavily, hearing nothing but silence in the background. It appeared that she was on speakerphone though, as the voice of General Ironwood came through. "Specialist Schnee, you are entitled to four weeks of leave a year." The man's voice was as iron as his name would assume. _Winter is going to deny me now. She's sworn to never meet with Jacques again._

"Understood, general." The crisp response came immediately, the Schnee matriarch giving a soft curse to Jacques' mentality for ruining their eldest so much that it would be James Ironwood that could demand immediate obedience. _Why did you ruin our little Winter so badly, Jacques? She looks up to a man half made out of metal, whose words and his deeds are contrary to what my father fought for post-Great War._

"Mother?" The question came and she answered swiftly. "Yes, Winter?" _Don't sound desperate. Jacques will hear on the microphones. He will find out._ "I am busy with my missions for General Ironwood. Please do not contact me again for another month. Perhaps at a later date." _Grimm damn you, Jacques._

"Of course, sweetheart. Mother loves you." She spoke with a tone that she did not quite feel encompassed her feelings for her daughter, her whole body feeling like it was wrapped in barbed wire, piercing through her body. The tears came immediately, though she showed it not. _Stoic. In control. Do not let her hear. She does not need to know._

She shifted a little in her seat, the newscaster starting to tell about the new strides in economic reform done to the capital, where the Schnee Dust Company was revitalizing the neighbourhoods by the poor Faunus workers.

The call shut off suddenly, the scroll going to the blank call setting, a soft exhale coming from her mouth as she lamented the relationship between her and Winter. _Weiss undoubtedly does not wish to speak to me, after what she did._ The courage that her little girl had for bringing up the subject of studying abroad, going to suggest that Beacon would be the prime school for getting educated compared to the local Atlas Academy, where the control of General Ironwood was absolute.

 _You stupid, foolish girl._ The control that Jacques had over the political scene in Atlas was greater than Weiss would ever come to know. The moment that he had heard that Weiss would go to Beacon, Whitley's training as the heir had been accelerated, his lesson plan adjusted. _You've lost touch with how the world works, Jacques._

Her finger found the button anyways, the image of her youngest daughter's face coming up as the call connected. _I'm going to call her anyways, just because she is MY daughter._ The button she pressed, leaving the call to connect to the scroll that her daughter held. The connection was there for a moment, yet it did not get answered. _You were a fool to think that she would wish to talk to you. Didn't she make it clear enough to you?_ Her hands were already busy with the next natural course of action.

The bottle she drained in the cup, putting the strong liquor to her lips. _Just a bit more, to forget._ The burn soothed her throat as the liquid slipped down, the pleasant buzz reminding her once more of a long time ago when she had still been the young woman that had seen the world as her oyster, her father holding her up high as he pointed out Dust crystals growing atop a far hillside.

Klein came in to find his mistress sitting in her chair, looking at the screen with a wistful look on her face, a half-empty teacup filled with liquor in her hand, her pale eyes looking dewy as if she had been thinking to cry. The teartracks down her cheek indicated that indeed, she had cried. "Your dinner, Miss Schnee."

 _Is it dinnertime already?_ She mused at the sudden intrusion to her musings on how she had turned to this woman. Getting herself straight in her seat, she watched how the butler set the table for her, the plate with the Schnee family symbol on it as well-ornate as to be expected for the high class of food that they were served.

A light side of steamed vegetables with some grilled tenderloin in a mint sauce and some potato wedges, lightly crisp to the sight and sprinkled with a faint dusting of Valean spices waited for her as she got up, the room spinning around her as the sudden change in seating had to be adjusted to. With her body feeling like it was going on a trip, she could no longer suppress the stagger, almost hitting the butler, the man steadying her. "Are you alright, Miss Schnee?" The formal tone that he used with her was so different from the one that she'd overheard him use to her little Weiss.

"Thank you, Mister Sieben. I may have a little shakiness from… events." The man did not inquire, as was befitting of a servant. She could see the question in his eyes, even as they shifted colours for a moment, a peculiarity that had been related to his family circumstances, according to daddy. The Sieben family had always been a steward of the Schnee line, even though they came from humble beginnings.

"Might I suggest a lie-down? Perhaps your body may not be in the best of shape after such an upset." The suggestion was not strange at all, though she mentally coiled in on herself. _Even the butler thinks I am nothing but a drunken lout who wastes away the family fortune on alcohol._

"Perhaps I will." She said as she started on her dinner. The attentiveness of the butler was something of a boon to her, as he set the glass on the side, offering the wine for her to inspect. "I'll take some fruit juice, please." The butler did as she asked, like the servant he was.

"As you wish, Miss Schnee." The words trickled to her ears as she watched the crystal glass be filled with some of the fruit juice that she usually mixed with the vodka that she preferred. Half of the glass was filled by the time that the man glanced at her.

 _Who is going to judge me here, right?_ "Top it off. Just fruit juice for now." The man dutifully did as she instructed, the scent of Vacuan mango mingling with Animese berries. As she raised the glass to her lips, she caught her reflection in the full-body mirror that stood in the corner. A woman of her standing, drinking some fruit juice whilst enjoying dinner. The light of the small camera that had been installed in the room blinked in the room. "I was thinking about making a trip to Mistral. Could you book a private flight?" _Getting out of the country might just be what would shake me out of this rut._

"As you wish, Miss Schnee." The butler said, waiting for the command to be relieved from his duty of attending her dinner and to go book the flight and the personal guard detail. _Who knows? I might have a chance to go and have a look at the Mistrali fashions. Didn't the style shift towards a more Atlesian one three weeks ago?_

* * *

 _Arcs of love_

* * *

The transport bullhead that brought them closer to Vale was slow. Cremea's fingers tapped against the metal walls, her eyes nervously going back and forth between her sisters, as she watched her mother's face carefully for any expression. Several of them pale-faced, yet having taken their medication against the motion sickness that they had as a common thread between them. The Arc family curse, as it was called, hung heavy around them, save for the matriarch of the family.

"I can't STAND the silence." Rowan spoke up, her voice holding nothing but the contempt for the situation, her fiery tone contrasting with her looks. Normally gentle, the fire that was lit within her seemed to have ignited. "Say something!"

"What do you want us to say? Boo-fucking-hoo because Jauney is dead?" Ashley's voice seemed to hold bitterness, her gaze sliding down. "F-Fuck, I hadn't even gotten around to introducing him to Marroon yet… They would've made a good couple." Bianca spoke up, her voice soft as the tears came once more.

Red-eyed and haggard-looking did the seven Arc sisters look as they sat together. "Marroon? That Faunus with the small nubs?" Azure's voice piped up. "Isn't she like… 25?" An uneasy quiet fell.

"Mom was 22 when she first had Rowan." Bianca said, her voice sounding wearier than before. "It's not unusual for a man to love an older woman." The Arc sisters looked at their middle sisters, a judging look on their face as they did, disapproving of the subject.

"This is about those gadgets again, isn't it? Can't you two give it a rest?" Rowan Arc said, her voice disdainful. "We should remember Jaune as he was, not… flights of fancy." The eldest Arc sister frowned at the others, Azure being the only one to cough to get attention. "He was a great brother." She said, smiling faintly.

"Our little kid brother, always proclaiming to wanting to become a hero like dad and grandpa." Cremea said, her voice light, as she felt another surge of tears come up. "We've got to remain strong, girls." Emerald Arc spoke up next, her face stern.

"Your father will be at Beacon Academy. They've found Crocea Mors." The sisters sat to attention immediately. "Was he found?" "They found that dusty old relic?" "Was Jaune's body found?" "By Oum, they've got a good shot at finding Jaune! " "Would the body still be buried even if it wasn't found?"

Their father, Sage Arc, suffered worse under the curse, as he couldn't keep his lunch inside his stomach when in a moving vehicle. Even when in a cart, he would be unable to keep anything inside his stomach, leaving a mess wherever he went. "We should talk to Jaune's team." Cremea said suddenly, Rowan looking at her younger sister with a raised eyebrow. The short hair that she usually kept well-combed was a messy affair now, with the days of harrowing time with them.

"What do you think they will be like?" Bianca asked, sounding intrigued by the speculation. "Someone who's got skills like us?" She nudged Ashley, who was in the process of adjusting her glasses. It was every bit the inventor's look that she carried, the infused dust coat that she carried her collapsible staff with cannonball launcher in moving a little, unveiling the hundreds of dust-infused balls that had been sown into the fabric for ease of use.

"No, I bet he'll be in an all-boys team. I wonder if they'd let him wear a dress, like the prissy princess day that we went to." The sisters shared a giggle as the memory of Jaune wearing the pink dress that Azure had refused to wear, the pictures still remaining somewhere on the hard drive at the Arc mansion.

"He did look rather nice in that." Rowan Arc commented, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "It'll be some kick-ass girl with a hammer and some spunky little thing that'll keep on hitting on Jaune whilst he just treats her like a friend." Heather Arc spoke up, the long ponytail that she kept her hair in shifting a little as she moved her gaze, looking out of the window. "I bet that he'll have her friend zoned like that bastard that dumped me three years in. Jaune told me that he wasn't any good and we-'

Her mother cleared her throat. "We won't speak of Alturas Seerust anymore." The woman's voice cut through the conversation. "But I think that it'll be a lovely girl, a nice and calm young boy and perhaps a girlfriend. Jaune wouldn't pick people that wouldn't be able to fit his personality. Who knows? Maybe he's even had a girlfriend that's nice, quirky and willing to support him." The sisters looked at one another and then shook their head. "Naaah." Came from seven throats, as if the thought was so unbelievable.

"We should go to a flower shop, though. Bring a nice bouquet of flowers to give to his team. We should… keep in touch with them as well." The Matriarch of the Arc family spoke, brooking no objection. "Azure, you're good with flowers. Go and select the best ones for Jaune's team. They must be devastated, as we are." The woman's even-minded approach was stark, for one who has lost one of the children that she had birthed.

"Yes, mama." Came the response, as Azure Arc looked out the window. The mountains that they flew over were along the side of Vale that she rarely got to see in her career, her teammates still out of touch as she did freelance work for most of her time.

"Will we put the weapons back in the crypt?" Ashley asked, leaning forwards, blonde bangs falling in front of her face. "That's where they belong, right?" The commencement ceremony was something that most Huntsmen that died in the line of duty went through when their bodies were recovered from where they had fallen. The cleansing flame of life would turn their bodies to dust and bring forth the ashes from which they could rise. Every urn in the family crypt contained the ashes of a brave warrior who had fallen in the line of duty. One would be joining it soon after Professor Ozpin had commended it for its service in his capacity as Headmaster of Beacon.

"We will put them back and we will place him back where he belongs. Home." Saffron Arc said, her hand straightening her combat skirt out a little. "We're his big sisters. We shall bring our brother home." A singular nod was repeated by all the seven sisters, even as their mother watched, a sad smile on her lips.

"I love you all." She said in barely a whisper, yet loud enough to be heard by all seven daughters that she had birthed into this world. Rowan was the first to fold, her eyes tearing up as she went for the tissues once again, dabbing her eye with one as Saffron and Cremea hugged each other without reserve, seeking strength in their bond as sisters. Ashley and Bianca tried to remain calm, yet even they seemed to be getting ready to cry, Ashley sniffling a little whilst Bianca made a face, trying to keep her lip silent despite trembling. It was Azure and Heather that had the least reaction, Heather grabbing Azure's hand as the latter seemed to softly cry, barely any sound coming from her lips as she seemed to say something, perhaps a vow.

As the speaker crackled and the pilot's voice spoke about it being thirty minutes until the Valean airspace was entered, Emerald Arc's eyes grew misty, her hand bringing the handkerchief up and wiping away the tears. She was a mother. She had to be strong for the children, even if the youngest was dead.

* * *

 _Raw_

* * *

He walked up to the elevator, the bag slung over his shoulder with the blade in it. Waiting for the elevator to reach the level he was at, he let his gaze go through the students that walked by, catching the little hints of their style in the manner that they walked, moved and conversed.

 _Aggressive, melee based fighter. Overbearing in his stance, should focus on his grounding more to balance nature._ The teacher within him immediately supplied the correct information, something that would need correcting if he actually WAS teaching at Beacon instead of at Signal. The ding of the elevator arriving at his level drew his attention, his scythe carefully pulled out and put in front of him. He didn't want to be caught with another lever release and have to pry it out of the walls like he'd done once before when he was just learning the weapon.

Pressing the button for Ozpin's floor, he was aware of the jingle that sounded yet he let his thoughts roam. _The kid obviously had been someone who was valued. Blood on the grip. Looks like he was savaged by Beowolves. Summer was savaged by Beowolves as well. Didn't find much left of her either. I need a drink after this._

The sound of the ping of the door opening made him aware that he had been thinking for too long. With a few unhurried steps, he walked into the office of the headmaster of Beacon, swinging the pack from his back. "Your sword, Oz. No sign of your missing student, though. The Beowolves must've torn into him something fierce." The headmaster's gaze rested upon him, the hands mechanically going to the sword's covering, pulling it open and unveiling the blade.

A golden oldie, in the words of most weapons collectors. Made in the Great War to fight with the Mantle-Mistral alliance, forged by a masterful weaponsmith, no doubt some relic of a family. "This kid be someone important?" Normally he wouldn't ask such question about the newly deceased, Ozpin's face looking affected, the man giving a faint grimace.

"Jaune Arc, son of Sage and Emerald Arc."The headmaster's voice did not quiver one bit, Qrow remembering the woman when he'd run into her during one of the gatherings during the post-Beacon days. Heavily pregnant with her first male child. _Aww shit. It's the kid that she was hoping for._

The headmaster ran his finger over the edge, blood sticking to the finger, the faint look of misery on the man's face telling Qrow just how affected he was by the young man perishing. _Oz cares for every student and being on Remnant as if they were his own flesh and blood._ _He's said as much when he hired me as well as Raven for the job._

"Sucks for the kid." The man said, the Headmaster raising his head. _He's going to say something._ _Something I won't like._

"He was Ruby's friend. Her first friend at Beacon." _Crap. It'll be swinging by for the kiddo's sake now. Better tell her that it's normal for people to die. This'll be tough._ "I'll go and pop on by, I guess I'll just be-" The headmaster held up a hand. "Go to Amber. She will need your protection." The headmaster's words superceded that order, not even giving him time to ask for permission. _The mission comes first. Ruby is important but the safety of Remnant is even more important._

"Alright Oz. Just make sure to keep her safe, will you?" There was no guarantee that Ruby would ever be without a scrape… but she was accepted into Beacon with Oz having pulled some strings. "Of course. Miss Rose will not be meeting a similar fate, I promise." The headmaster seemed firm in that belief, Qrow looking out the window and pensively stared at the sun. "Guess I'd better head off and see whether Amber's moved places yet. Send her word that I'm on my way, please."

* * *

 _Sacrifice and Pain_

* * *

The headmaster heard the click of the door as he saw Qrow depart, his mission to retrieve the young Arc scion's weapon completed. Looking at the old weapon, the headmaster's fingers traced over the bloodstained blade's edge, looking at the way that the blade had been chipped and damaged over the course of years.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Crocea Mors." The man's voice was mournful, as the fingers met the steel alloy-reinforced guard at the hilt. "You've been through a lot." The blade could not talk back to him, yet he talked to it anyways. The dark shadow that covered Remnant could not be banished by blade alone.

His fingers tapped into the keyboard the code for the hidden files, opening them up on the screen. Jaune Arc's profile picture appeared above his official file, with the data still filled in.

 _Remains: Missing_

The headmaster's fingers tapped in the correction, adjusting the file in real-time.

 _Remains: Missing, weapon found._

The change was displayed immediately upon hitting the proper key to submit the result. The rest of the file scrolled before the wizened man's gaze, the marks upon the file carefully edited once again. "And thus we shatter to pieces before we build ourselves up again." The ancient words had been spoken by a builder of nations who had lived once, long ago.

A small light lit up in his vision, a signal that the elevator was moving again. It would mean that there would be another guest. The screen flickered to the default systems, the file opened on Arc still, visible in the public view. Entering the information that the weapon had been retrieved yet with no body found, the Headmaster of Beacon waited, coming to see his deputy step from the elevator.

"I saw Qrow outside. Has he retrieved the remains of Mister Arc?" The question hung in the air, the headmaster's gaze cast down to the blade that he had exposed for the gaze of his Deputy to look over. "Yes. He fought to the end."

A sad smile appeared on Glynda Goodwitch's face. Those who fought their hardest when the light was about to die were worthy of her respect at least, to make the world a better place by their light dying to slay the Grimm.

"Mister Arc's records hold some discrepancies, Headmaster." The woman said, entering a small code into her scroll and then showing the files. Outlined in red were several things that had been verified by the deputy, the headmaster looking at the outlined figures.

"I see." He said, diplomatically. "And what do you suppose happened?" He asked though he knew the answer already. Glynda's eye for detail and factual accuracy was something that she had been hired for, as well as her skills as an experienced huntress.

"You tell me. You signed off on it." The accusation came the headmaster's face blank. "Inquiring with the schools themselves about a student did not lend me any information aside from 'We have not heard of this student'. What game have you been playing, headmaster?" The accusation was there, hanging in the air for a moment.

"I saw potential."The man said, his face blank, getting up from the seat that he was in and going to the thermos that carried his hot chocolate, pouring out a fresh helping of the chocolate into the mug, adding a dollop of cream to the mix, as well as some small marshmallows. The flavour was sweet enough to dazzle anyone who would wish for a bit of a refreshment, with the additional benefit of lifting one's spirits.

"You saw potential?" The deputy spluttered, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses, her gaze holding nothing but the surprise at the admission from the headmaster, the man's gaze unreadable by her standards.

"He was an untrained boy, Ozpin! He should not have been allowed to take initiation!" She spoke, her voice hitting the higher pitches. The headmaster remained silent, sipping from the hot chocolate and allowing the warmth to permeate his mouth.

"We should apologize to his family for letting them go through with this, without the proper forms and checks, we had condemned the boy to his fate." The headmaster's deputy spoke passionately, the man seating himself again behind his desk. Calm and peace emanated from him as he set the mug to the side.

"What could you possibly have seen that would have been so crucial in getting him into Beacon, Ozpin?" The woman asked, the headmaster's gaze meeting hers. "Do you remember when we first met, Glynda?"

The woman blinked, slowly nodding. "Yes, but I don't see the relevance of what you are saying... How does that have a connection with Mister Arc?" The man's fingers wove an arc as the man looked at her with a serious gaze. "Everyone who holds the light of their soul in their heart can become a beacon against those lost in darkness." The headmaster's voice sounded like he were telling the truth of all matters, the deputy placing her hands on her hips.

"He was not ready. His skills were not up to par." The woman's refusal was something that made the man crack a smile. "He was selected to be the leader of team JNPR because of his qualities. His tactical insight and ability to work together would have been a boon towards our cause."

The deputy's frown could strip the paint off a newly painted work. "I stand unconvinced." The woman said, her voice containing the professional attitude that was expected. "I trust you with the safety of Remnant, but this choice seems ill-thought-out."

"Rowena Arc, twenty-nine. Heather Arc, twenty-eight. Ashley and Bianca Arc, twenty-five, twins. Cremea Arc, twenty-three. Saffron Arc, twenty-two. Azure Arc, nineteen." The name and ages were listed out in order, Glynda's face puzzled in its expression. "Aura capacity ranking: A+."

Eyes widened. "That much?" The question came from the shocked woman, the headmaster nodding his head once. The information about aura capacity was usually kept under the security clearance of the headmasters of the various academies, although on the surface, it did not mean anything to the uninformed people.

One's aura capacity was basically the amount of aura that they had, going from E grade to S+, with Ozpin being the sole registration with an S+ ranked Aura capacity due to the transient nature of his existence. "It is an inherited trait.." She said, the woman's face pensive as she began to put things together to her mind. She was smart to put the pieces of the puzzle together, without even faltering one bit.

"The Maiden's powers... Does that mean that you will be choosing one of the Arc sisters as the next Maiden?" The headmaster's head shook once. "They are bound by their family. Amber Auburn is still alive, so there is no need to transfer the power yet... but with how the seasons change, there may still be a need for the Arc family. The spring maiden is currently without a fixed location." The headmaster's voice was soft.

Glynda winced. Nine years ago, the young spring maiden had escaped from their care and went off into the wilds, never to be seen again. The peace that they had endured up until now was a great boon to civilisation... yet the darkness lurked everywhere. "Why is Mister Arc so important?" She pressed on, immediately.

The headmaster's face seemed to become shadowed, as he looked at his deputy. Glynda could feel the man's imposing aura press down upon him, though no visible glow was witnessed. Her mind raced as the mortal fear of death surged up within her. His powers were still a mystery to her, even after all the years of working together. Her eyes looked into his, his hand moving the mug to his lips once more, the hot cocoa steaming still. "Because he had the choice and he made it." The words of the headmaster sounded as the pressure eased off, her back straightening once more.

The importance of the words that the man used was crucial whenever you dealt with her. Glynda Goodwitch's mind immediately went to the Relic, the location which she still knew nothing of, nor would ever know of. If Mister Arc had been given the choice and had made his choice, there was nothing that she could do about it. Her own thoughts on the subject would not do it any good.

"If you think that is best, sir. I have brought you the files on the replacement, Viridian Wisteria." The headmaster watched as the scroll showed the critical stats, the headmaster typing the name into his own holographic display and calling up the file on the screen.

"Will he be present in a day?" The headmaster asked, the deputy headmistress nodding. "Mister Wisteria has been informed and is en route towards Vale. He seems well-put together, speaking about the honour of being able to go to Beacon." The headmaster noticed immediately that the woman seemed to find it distasteful to speak on the topic. "You think otherwise?"

"Mistrali have the unfortunate habit to be thieves and louts." She said, her voice showing her disapproval of both of those things. "With Miss Nikos, her record spoke for itself. No criminal acts on her resume, a sterling reputation with many of the people."The woman's voice showed enough of her feelings that it definitely was something about the manner in which she'd encountered Mistralian people during her career.

"We will have to see how team NPR adjusts. I will announce that they will be hence reformed as team PRWN, led by Miss Nikos." The headmaster's voice sounded tired to Glynda's ears as if the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. Her fingers twitched, the riding crop in her hand feeling the sudden weight of the aura press upon it, the man's gaze resting on her riding crop.

"I will inform the students of the change, as well as when the ceremony is held for young Mister Arc." The deputy said, turning on her heel. The headmaster's gaze was left to linger on the screen, watching the information dance before his eyes. Haven Academy entrants were often selected for their traits by their headmaster, yet this man had not quite made the cut.

The bullhead touched down on the landing pad, the family of eight gathering up immediately to disembark, the door hissing as it opened for them, the fresh air of the outside replacing the smells of metal from the inside. Azure Arc could feel the ground below her feet shift and welcome her presence, even as her mood was not the greatest.

Scanning the surroundings for some sign of life, she became aware of several students already standing at one of the administrators, seemingly haggling with the man for some trip or the other. "Misses Arc."The headmaster's voice came from in front of them, allowing Azure's soft 'eep' to sound rather loud in the silence that'd fallen between the sisters.

Wary looks were exchanged between each other and their mother, Emerald, stepped forth to speak with the headmaster. "My sincerest condolences, Emerald." The paternal tone that the man took was no doubt due to her relation to him as the mother of the deceased, the woman's hand rising up and smacking his face.

The headmaster's glasses sat slightly askew on his nose as he took the hit, his aura dulling the blow immediately. "Don't come and give me excuses, Ozpin." The words of the matriarch of the Arc family were cold, as she looked at the man. "He is dead because of you. My darling boy..." The woman's eyes grew misty again, the headmaster pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, the woman taking it gladly and blowing her nose with it.

"Please... could you guide us to where his team is? We'd like to talk a little before we go to... the ceremony." The headmaster's silent nod was enough of an indication that he would do as had been asked of him. "Follow me." He said, voice suitably showing his empathy for their bereavement.

"We will need a dorm for lodgings." The question came from Rowan, whose gaze slid over the aspiring huntsmen, her gaze sharp as she rolled her shoulders. The full combat apparel that she preferred to wear was not the most comfortable when you were walking at an intended slower pace than running, the armoured bits scraping together as the leather kept its form. "Does our dorm room still stand?" Saffron asked, Cremea ruffling the girl's hair playfully. "I only messed it up once when we were still in school, Saff." The mood between the two sisters was pleasant as it always was, their communication on an instinctual level, despite their age difference of a year. "Try mixing some more fire dust into your cartridges and we'll see whether we can equate that to the proper form again."

"Girls?" Their mother spoke, Emerald Arc's voice stalling any argumentation from the two of them. "There will be no blowing up rooms. Beacon is meant to be a prime institution for learning the skills of a huntsman, regardless of one's creed or one's philosophy." It was clear that the two would have moved on to more banter without their mother's insistence to let the dust be kept in their ammunition pouches.

"Jaune's partner better be a good one." Heather Arc muttered, her gaze switching from the path ahead of them to the students, giving them a good once-over. "These weak kids couldn't put a dent in my team back in the day... You don't see that anymore..." Her fingers gripped her weapon.

"Heather, you will not test the students. They are students, not Huntsmen." Emerald Arc's voice rang out, her attention at a razor's edge. "Forgive my impetuous daughters, headmaster."

The man's green glasses were pushed up, a faint smile on his face as he continued along. "Young people will remain young until they find themselves old and frail. It is what we see through the years." His words were no doubt something that he spoke of often, his words showing the faith that he had in his training of the students.

"Ever since we were here, there's been no change." Azure said, her voice contemplating the changes, or rather, the lack of them. They drew some looks, the eight blonde women strolling next to the headmaster as well as their family resemblance catching the eye of many. "Except maybe that the men seemed to have been turned into weak sissies." Heather muttered, her voice sounding grimmer than before.

"They are in this room." The headmaster said, turning around. "I'll leave you to your... introduction." The man's voice sounded grimmer than before, a troubled look on his face as his Scroll beeped. Emerald Arc could see an image of a crow appear on the screen as the headmaster appeared to hurry along.

"Alright... time to get to know Jaune's team." Emerald Arc announced to her daughters, which stiffened noticeably. "We won't be rude, mom." One of the sisters muttered, as she fell into line. The gathering of blonde-haired women drew stares from passing students yet Emerald Arc was the first to knock against the door, the sound hollow to the ears of the women.

* * *

 _Reflection_

* * *

Cardin Winchester was not a man who'd paid much attention to things such as social conventions and otherwise interesting things such as 'the news'. He rather preferred to smash things with his mace, spend time with his team and make some jokes with the little human creatures that went around showing off their inhuman ancestry.

As he hobbled out of the infirmary on a new set of crutches, he knew that there was a reason for why he had been slammed into the wall by that redheaded midget's hammer, yet he didn't know why. Jauney boy had always been a sucker for a bit of hands-on treatment, after all, he could've fought back. That was the law of the jungle around these parts. Spotting a blonde head up ahead, he could see the stagger with which the man walked.

"Back for more training, Jauney boy?" He called out, wondering briefly why the blonde would be wearing a set of armour that covered more than it had been before. The pieces that he'd seen before did not cover more than the bare essentials, compared to his own style of armour.

The man turned his head, his face pale and weary. "Ah, you must be mistaking me for my son. I am Sage Arc, Jaune's father. Given the circumstances, well..." The confident manner in which the man spoke belied his manner of stagger, the sword and shield that the man wore decorated with the Arc family's emblem.

Cardin usually wasn't too up to date with things but he let it slide, the crutches creaking a little. "Team JNPR's dorm is at the B corridor. You should find him there." There was no need to offend a professional huntsman who wore his full armour and weaponry like he was used to it. Cardin could tell the difference in skill immediately. The man seemed to clear his gaze for a moment, his face turning awfully green as he lurched towards a nearby trash can and threw up into it. The smell was horrible, making Cardin wonder why the man was allowed here but he continued on his way.

If daddy Arc was here, perhaps it'd be time for Jauney boy to be pulled from school? That'd be one weakling less to beat in combat class, at least.

* * *

 _The champion rises  
_

* * *

 _He's dead. He's still dead. He is never going to come back._ The knock on their door brought her out of her reverie, the thoughts that came from her mind just allowing her to roll in her own malaise, the feeling of being utterly useless shooting through her mind. She hadn't been a good partner to Jaune at all, her reluctance to involve the authorities striking against her.

"Yes?" Ren asked, his voice easily distracting that train of thought, her gaze coming to rest on the door opening. Ren's tone was guarded, something that she picked up with her knowledge of how the lotus ninja spoke from close association with him.

"You are on team Juniper, yes?" The mature voice that spoke was not like one of the teachers, the ninja glancing back at her, a slow shrug given in response. "I am. What business do you have with us?" His mellow voice seemed to convey the meaning of the words, even as his behaviour was guarded, the face that he made looking as regular as it was, yet in the minute expressions, he was ready for whatever came at him. "I am Emerald Arc, Jaune's mother. Can I come in?"

 _His mother. She's too old to be his sister and it's logical that they would be here._ The ninja nodded. "Please, enter." The Mistral native said, stepping aside to allow the woman and his sister in. "Jaune's family is here." The hesitant manner in which he said the latter, as well as the statuesque woman that entered, her face looking weathered, yet with its own beauty. Her nose was a little bolder than Jaune's, yet there were many features that she could see in her former leader as well.

"I am Emerald Arc." The woman announced, even as a tallish woman that was obviously her daughter stepped through the door and gave a brief salute. "Cremea. Arc. Yep." The woman joined her mother to the side, a pair of twins coming through, their similar facial features clashing with their style of hair. "Ashley and Bianca. Best twins ever."

A taller sister worked herself through the door, the shield put to the wall. _That looks like Jaune's shield._ The emblem on the shield was definitely the one of the Arc family, showing the signs of battle. "Saffron Arc. Short, sweet, Saffron." The nod afterwards seemed to be wholly subconsciously done, as if the girl had practised this in front of a mirror. "Rowan Arc. It's a pleasure." The words delivered by the short-haired blonde were curt and to the point. "Heather. You know the surname."

"And I'm Azure Arc. Jaune's elder sister by two years." Azure closed the door behind her, her eyes looking at Pyrrha with curiosity. "Ooh! It's the Pumpkin Pete girl! Saffy! It's her!" The finger pointed at her and the excitement that made its way through some of the younger Arc sisters was something that she was used to. _Guess I know now why he only knew me from the cereal..._

"So, you've been my kid brother's teammate, right?" The short-haired woman bent forward, once more outlining her tallness. Their mother took to getting herself seated, Ren inquiring politely whether they would like something to drink. Pyrrha put on her best smile, even as the thoughts turned from gloominess to the interesting thought of learning more about her leader, even with the fact that he had died hanging over their team.

"I was blessed to be his partner, yes." She answered. The mother smiled faintly as if her answer had pleased her. _I would have had to ask the woman whether she would allow me to be his partner if we had gone with the Mistrali custom._

"The invincible girl as his partner? No shit, seriously?" The one that had introduced herself as Heather spoke up. "Heather Arc, language!" The woman looked at her mother, pointing a finger at her. "She's been voted as the next-best-thing since Goodwitch with her successive wins in the circuit!" _It wasn't worth the fame. I just fought because I wanted to make my parents happy._ The smile on her lips frayed a little.

"Be as it may, you cannot act like you're in a bar. You have your lifestyle, and these young huntsmen are still not tainted by the habits that you've picked up over your time out of the Academy." The mother's words seemed to dim Heather's spirits, Pyrrha noticed, yet she saw that the strong will in the woman's eyes banished such thoughts for a moment.

"You're all Jaune's sisters?" She asked, the women smiling as one, the memory of their little brother coming to the forefront. "They were a chore to birth." Emerald Arc said, patting her eldest on the shoulder. Bianca and Ashley grabbed themselves a seat on the floor, starting to hold a soft conversation about something or the other, hands moving in some form of sign language.

"But we all got here in the end. Happy. Cheery." Saffron said as she nudged Cremea in the side. "Right Creamy?" Cremea's face could have resembled Jaune's at that moment, as she stammered something. "Saff! Don't go and tease me! You've been doing that ever since we left Beacon!" The by-play of the sisters was something that made Pyrrha wonder whether she would have such a relationship if she'd had a sister in her age range. _Probably not._

They did not seem much different from regular sisters, talking and chatting about the events that had come with them in their lives, without any sort of sorrow that they showed to her. _Do they even care that their brother died?_ Tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't you CARE that Jaune is dead?" _They seem to be happy to talk._ Pyrrha didn't even notice that her voice seemed to shriek.

"We are." His mother answered, taking a deep breath and her eyes met her sharply, disapproval in that gaze. "Keep in mind that this is her first year at Beacon, mama. She doesn't know yet." Rowan Arc spoke up, her voice reasonable. Pyrrha could feel confusion blossom. _What don't I know? Why?_

"I thought you'd be... torn up like..." _Like me._ The women looked at one another and it was Azure that actually spoke up, to explain it to her, a look of sympathy on her face. "The Grimm are attracted to emotions that are negative. Why should we leave ourselves open to attacks by feeling grief? It hurts... but we'll be strong. Jaune would have wanted that."

 _That makes sense._ "I'm sorry." She said, apologizing for the insensitive question, her gaze cast down again. "Here, have something to drink." The mature woman offered her a cup filled with something, Pyrrha taking it and smelling it faintly. "It smells nice." _Like berries and vanilla._

"Drink it. It'll make you calmer." The woman said, Heather Arc in the process of putting something back in her coat, Pyrrha finishing the drink in one go. Heat blossomed through her body, her eyes unfocusing for a moment, a cough coming from her mouth. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Ren and Nora in conversation with one of Jaune's sister, their voices not reaching her ears. "It tastes good."

"The wine's good for loosening the spirits." _Oh. That must be it._ The sensation of being a little out of it made her feel the emotions pressing upon her heavily again. _Last night has been like this as well._ "So, you're his partner, yes?"

"Oh yes, I was Jaune's partner. He was my leader." _And the one who shared his very soul with me._ The look on the woman's face seemed to grow more serious with a look, the woman's gaze like that of a hawk. "Oh? How did he lead?" She couldn't stop herself from giggling at that moment, remembering some of the strategies that he'd outlined once to them.

"He was the best. Always trying to figure out how to make good use of our individual talents." _Even if he was a bit clumsy with his sword and shield._ A nod was shared amongst the sisters. "He always won with most strategy games." Bianca Arc said, her sister giving a nod. "And then wore the dress anyways because we'd start to cry for him winning anyways."

"Now girls... you shouldn't air your brother's dirty laundry." Their mother said, with a fond smile on her lips. "Jaune was a good leader. He cared." Nora piped up, her voice sounding lighter than before. "He would have made it a wonderful time at Beacon."

 _He would have._ She sighed deeply, the emotional malaise that pumped through her system starting to creep up on her again. "His aura was not unlocked, though." Pyrrha spoke softly. Emerald Arc's head moved once. "Unlocking is generally not done until one gets to the combat school."

"But that's stupid!" She couldn't help herself from voicing that opinion as she looked at the woman, whose legs crossed themselves, an eyebrow raised. "Why would you deny him the right to get protected by his aura?"

It was a mockery of the highest degree to someone to NOT let them get their aura unlocked. So much training could have been done if one had full control of the power of their soul. "Rowan, show her." Emerald Arc's voice was even in tone, as the short-haired woman stepped forth. A hand rose in the air, water curling around it suddenly, the air feeling awfully dry suddenly as if the water was leeched from it.

"Our semblance is unusually powerful. Compared to what you have, we have it double." The woman's voice was stern, as Rowan stepped back, the water forming a bubble in the air on her palm, a small cup filled with a small stream and passed on to Azure. "Sorry, Az." The youngest Arc sister smiled faintly. "It's alright. You had to show them."

"That's SO COOL!" Nora gushed, as she looked at Rowan. "So, you got that fancy-smashy water skill... Ooh, can YOU make fire appear out of thin air? Renny! We've got magical girls here! Jaune was..." The girl realized what she was saying and seemed to freeze. "Ah, eh... Sorry." She muttered, her gaze cast down once more.

"Your attitude is refreshing, girl." Nora smiled, nodding her head. "Nora Valkyrie, at your service." The girl introduced herself. "Ah, I have been tardy. I am Pyrrha Nikos." She said. "Lie Ren." The Mistralian native spoke up, his voice barely louder than usual.

"So... Why didn't you unlock his aura?" She asked, the question burning in her mind. Her face showed her anxiousness for the answer, as Emerald Arc took a deep breath. "The Grimm are attracted to those with powerful Aura. Why do you think that they would go for Huntsmen first? You will probably learn the theory behind that later in your education, but unlocking people's Aura is like lighting a house on fire atop a hill. It will make people look in that direction and make them come to you." The woman's words made a twisted amount of sense.

 _It felt like I was drowning in him. No wonder, with such an amount._ A blush coated her cheeks. _Does that mean that what they say about a man's aura..._ She tried to focus on the positive side of things, knowing that she would cry again. A snort of laughter came from the direction of Heather Arc, who was shaking her head. "She doesn't know, Bia, you should've given her a lighter dose."

 _Doesn't know what?_ "Eh? May I inquire what you are referring to?" She asked, Nora's cheeks heating up a little. "Well, because we didn't trust you..." _Eh?_ "We slipped you a little bit of truth tonic. Juuuuust something to loosen your tongue." _Eeehhh!?_

"It is nice to see that you were so fond of Jaune, though. He's always been clumsy around girls, trying too hard to make them like him." Azure said, fondly smiling at her. _O-oh._ "You're vocalizing your thoughts. It's a little thing that I cooked up to make sure that I got the truth out of my sisters. Tastes like sweet berries and blue grape."

 _They drugged me!?_ "Please give her the antidote." Ren's voice came from the background, Bianca pulling something out of her pocket. "As you wish... Here, drink this." The small bottle with 'SR-45' stamped on the label had a dark red fluid in it that smelled faintly like cherry.

"We had to know some truths. I apologize for the deception." The matriarch of the family said as she smoothed her dress, looking like she had enough gravitas to make it so. _It's not fair..._ She drank the antidote within a moment, the pleasant buzzing feeling inside her body starting to disappear slowly.

"Jaune was always our little darling." Cremea Arc said as she sat next to her mother, a watery smile on her lips. "Our little brother." Bianca Arc spoke. "Little Jauney." Ashley Arc's words held a fond touch. "Our strong little knight." Saffron Arc, who was shorter than Jaune ever would've been. "He danced really well." Rowan Arc said. "You taught him well, Rowe. He'll never forget the ballroom dresses." Azure Arc added before she sighed audibly. "He'll never cook cookies again." A mournful tone, as sadness flickered on her face before she squashed it with iron discipline. "He was the best little brother, defending us from fuckers who tried to get between our legs." Heather Arc said, not even reprimanded by her mother this time.

"Do you remember when he dumped a bucket full of water over Bianca's boyfriend because he'd heard that the guy wasn't any good?" Azure added the faint chuckle that went through the gathered sisters showing their amusement. "You'll never be good enough for Bianca! You'll have to go through me first!" Ashley mimicked her brother's tone of voice on that day, grinning. "We beat that little punk's ass for trying to get fresh with Bianca when she didn't want to." Heather Arc added, grinning at the memory.

"Girls, don't give these poor teenagers the image that you're some group of bandits." Emerald Arc scolded, though a smile could be seen on her face. "Oh, we don't mind, Misses Arc." Pyrrha said, a smile as she imagined Jaune at a younger age. "Jaune always was a good guy. I'll miss him." Nora said, her voice sounding wistful. "But Renny is still here, right Renny?" The lotus-themed Mistralian gave a soft nod. "I'm not going anywhere." He said, Nora nodding. "Damn right. As long as Nora Valkyrie is on the job, nobody is laying a hand on my Renny!"

She flushed then, her eyes looking down, giving a nervous giggle. "B-but we're not together-together. We're just best friends." The Arc family looked at the girl, whose cheeks grew warmer. The arm around her shoulder suddenly surprised her.

"We are together-together." Ren said, Pyrrha giving an internal squeal as she saw Nora turn redder and redder, the mood shifting a little from that reminiscence to the whole... changing of feelings. "Ren..." The girl whispered, the ninja giving her an honest smile. "I should be more honest with my feelings." A chorus of 'Awww!' came from the Arc sisters, Emerald Arc getting a fond smile on her face.

"Jaune said to me that I should at least do something about this. Suggested a serenade and flowers." The stoic ninja huntsman continued, as he pulled Nora closer. Pyrrha could faintly see steam coming out of Nora's ears as if her brain was overloading. "He was a horrible musician. His singing was worse." Rowan Arc commented, the image of Jaune serenading her crashing into little shards of fiction. _He could've learned._

"I wouldn't have minded..." She said, her voice sounding rather loud in the sudden silence that fell. "Oho?" Ashley Arc said, her eyes sparkling. "Does the cereal girl have a fondness for our little brother?" Heat flared up once more, the interest this time sounding more serious than it had been before as if the earlier question had been only partially serious.

"How... How did you unlock his aura?" Bianca Arc asked. Nora and Ren perked up as well. "Yeah, Pyrrha. We never asked how you did that." The two looked at her and Pyrrha blinked. "The regular way... Why do you ask?" _Is that so strange?_

"Go through the steps." Emerald Arc spoke up, sounding like an older version of Professor Goodwitch for a moment with her tone brooking no argumentations against telling it. "Well... We met when I pinned him to a tree..." The whoop of 'You go, girl!' from Heather Arc was shushed by several of her other sisters, their attention at him.

"Then when he had a cut, I asked why his aura did not kick in, and eh... I just unlocked it?" The older woman's eyebrow rose. "You unlocked it?" The question was phrased like an assault, her hands rising up immediately. "I'm sorry!" She apologized.

"I did the whole formal way. 'For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.'." _Uh-oh, she doesn't look very happy._

"You're telling me that you've used the Oath?" Emerald Arc's tone was frosty, as she spoke the words. Every one of the seven Arc sisters looked awfully close to tears. "I'm sorry! It's the only oath I know." _What's the matter? They're getting all emotional._

Azure Arc was having noticeable difficulty keeping her tears under control, sniffing a little. Bianca and Ashley Arc had an arm wrapped around each other, talking in hushed tones, Ashley's eyes dabbed with a handkerchief to wipe away the tears. Heather and Rowan Arc were turned away suddenly, their hands close to their eyes as well. "Pyrrha... Using that oath..." Nora said, her cheeks rather warm.

"Uwaahhh, he didn't deserve to die!" Cremea Arc didn't stop her expression, the tears coming from her eyes, sniffling loudly as she tried to get at something to wipe her eyes. Ashley tossed her a tissue, which she gratefully took.

"What's the problem? My grandmother used that oath to unlock my Aura." _Grandmother always had a good eye for talent. She was the one that suggested I become a huntress, compared to my parents' career in fashion_.

The matron of the Arc family smiled faintly, getting up and looking at her daughters, all struggling to hold their tears back. "The difference is in the wording." The woman started, as she went for something to drink.

"Nobody uses that old oath anymore these days... To think that she'd be the one to use it on Jaune." The mutter came from Saffron, who was busy with keeping Cremea calmer than she was, the blubbering and sobbing starting to become louder. "The wording?" Pyrrha asked as she wondered.

"The 'In passing' refers to how we are transient in life. The part of 'infinite and unbound, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee'... Well..." Cremea gave a sobbing 'It's so romaaantiiiiccc' that distracted their mother, who gave the girl a sad look.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. It's an oath to unlock someone's Aura, right?" She didn't understand why people were so emotional, even as they sat there looking like she'd just dropped a bombshell. "Did you feel like you were drowning in him?" Bianca Arc asked, her voice oddly husky, as she seemed to struggle to find the words.

 _It felt like I was lost in a wild sea and he was holding my hand, guarding me with his aura. Like a comfortable haven in the storm, where I could find solace._ Tears welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheek. "It felt like he wrapped around me, holding me and supporting me, like he would be always with me." The tears did not stop, as she wrapped her arms around herself. The emptiness felt like it was a burning sensation in her heart.

 _Just like when grandmother died. There was a void then too._ "You are lucky." She heard the Arc matriarch say, the woman's voice sounding kind and motherly. "Why?"

"The Oath you made to him shared your soul with him." The woman said. _His soul?_ The woman's face showed her conflicted feelings. "The Oath of Eternity is often spoken when two hunters wed. 'By my shoulder, protect thee' symbolizes the fate that will befall those who wed as hunters. Your grandmother must have said something about only using that with someone that you wished to spend your time with, yes?"

 _There WAS that thing, yes. Grandmother said that it was to unlock someone's aura and potential._ The crimson crept over her cheeks as her eyes teared up once more, her knees pulled up as the tears came again. "Grandmother did say something like that. I'm sorry." She felt empty now, with her whole body feeling like it was wrapped in a sheet of ice, without any sort of reason for her to really keep on going. "You're now officially an Arc." Emerald Arc said, as she got up and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"Sister." Rowan Arc said, as she embraced Pyrrha as well, an Arc group hug started to form. _This feels warm. Could this have been my fate? To be his... wife?_ _I'll make sure that they will be safe, Jaune. I may not be graduating yet, but I will make sure that they will not suffer from your absence._

Let it not be said that Pyrrha Nikos did not do as she vowed to do, even if she cast out all of her wishes and hopes for the future.

* * *

 _Accident_

* * *

The knock on the door was enough to jerk her from her thoughts. She pushed the homework up on the desk, a detailed diagram of a Beowolf skull pushed aside with 'WHY SO BIG?!' scrawled next to it in her own handwriting. Walking to the door, she waited a moment. Yang was here, Blake was here, Weiss was busy with getting some grooming done in her fancy-schmancy makeup manner.

"Is this team JNPR's room?" A masculine voice asked, a few octaves deeper than her friend's voice, as she opened the door up. Seeing a man whose face was nearly a carbon copy of Jaune, older and more wizened with a scar on his cheek and a somewhat scruffy-looking stubble growing on his chin, she felt a heavy feeling settle in her heart.

"No, Sir. You're Jaune's father, right?" The man nodded, standing in the door opening before her. The sword and shield were similar to Crocea Mors, albeit not collapsible. The contrast between Jaune and his father was mostly in the manner in which they carried themselves.

This man walked like he knew how to handle himself around any situation, confident and without even the slightest hint of doubt in his pose. The blade was showing the hallmarks of being personalised, the shield appearing to have the finest grade of dust cartridges inserted in its surface, small spots showing where the welds had gone. _I'd like to get that thing up close and see whether I can find something for Crescent Rose..._

"Yes, I am Sage Arc. Short, sweet, my ladies love it. Were you friends with my son?" The man asked, his voice sounding somewhat hopeful for a positive result. Ruby smiled broadly, even as her silver eyes started to tear up a little. "Team JNPR is on the opposite side of our room. Jaune was my first friend. Awkward, dorky, a little goofy... Jaune." She would've giggled if she wasn't feeling the dark feelings inside her. _You're a huntress in training, Ruby. You should be strong. Powerful. In control._

"They can wait. The wife and daughters are with them, no doubt." The man said as he looked at the door, a faint sound coming from that direction. "Can I come in?" The man asked as he waited for her. Stepping aside, she allowed the man entry, taking a seat on one of the chairs that regularly served as makeshift footstools to get up on the beds, Blake getting up from her seat, the book put away.

"My sincerest feelings for your loss, Mister Arc." Her voice was enough to bring to her mind that she hadn't even said something the same. "I'm sorry for your loss, Sir." The man gave a smile that was sad to the extent that it did not reach his eyes. _I wonder how much he's seen to allow him to have that same look as Uncle Qrow._

"He was a bit dorky, but he was a good kid. My condolences." Yang added, her gaze cast down. She looked guilty about something, Ruby could tell as much from her manner of seating. It was like they'd smashed something that'd belonged to their mother, too afraid to admit it. "Thank you." The man said, his voice sounding sincere and genuine, his smile widening a little. "He was Ruby's friend more than he was mine, but I chatted with him for a bit. A good man." Yang's voice sounded hesitant to speak as if the thought of spending more time on Jaune's death was to the detriment of her own mood.

"He lived to be the hero he wanted to be." Sage Arc said, his voice holding the pain in its tone. "I've said to him that if it didn't work out, he could always become a farmer. There's good wages in that line of business, and his sisters could help out as well... But he was so convinced to go and become like me and his grandfather." The man's smile turned sadder, as his hand rubbed over the scruff of his beard. "You were his friend, right?" He directed his attention to Ruby, his nod to her enough to give her the courage to speak up.

"Yes. We met first when he pulled me up from a crater that I caused when I accidentally knocked into Weiss' suitcase and blew myself up." The man gave a soft laugh. "Well, that's an impression at least. Did he introduce himself properly, or did he stammer at you because you were so cute?"

 _Ohgosh, he could've totally done that._ The image of Jaune stammering cutely as he introduced himself appeared to her mind, a giggle coming from her mouth. "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, the ladies love it." The man smiled faintly. "He misquoted me there. Roll with the tongue, because the ladies love it."

 _Why would the ladies love it if you roll your tongue? Isn't that like, really icky?_ Yang turned red in the face as she heard that, coughing awkwardly with Blake's face heating up as well, her gaze cast back to the book. The door opened to the bathroom and Weiss emerged, dressed in the white dress that she favoured for private time. "Ah, you must be Jaune's father."

A curtsy that looked like a picture-perfect princess curtsy followed. "I am Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. My sincere condolences for your loss." _Weiss always knows what to say._ "She's my partner. I am Ruby Rose, official Leader of team RWBY!" The man laughed. "Awfully bright, aren't you girl?" His hand patted her head, in the same fashion that her uncle would've. "Yang Xiao-Long. Sister to Ruby and all-round kick-ass Grimm beater!"

The pose that Yang took when she said that was one of those poses that their dad would disapprove of. Hands on the hips, bust thrust forward and that look of 'look at me, I'm fantastic.' _She does have confidence in spades._

"Blake Belladonna. Yang's partner." The man leaned forward. "Ghira Belladonna's your dad, ain't he?" The blink was something Blake did frequently. "Yes." The short curt answer showed that the girl was on the back foot, something that Ruby hadn't seen often. "He's a good man. You should go and visit him sometime if you get sent off to Menagerie. Your mother can't stop talking about you." _He knows Blake's mom and dad? Aww, that's so nice._

Weiss' face was all equality and grace. "Our leader is not too stressful, is she? She is young but I assure you that she is most definitely worth the position of leader for our team." The white-haired girl's words were pandering towards the appeal of the Huntsman, someone who apparently was connected to some people. "Nah, she's fine. I'm happy that Jaune got some friends where it counts." The man pushed off, extending a hand to Ruby. "Time for me to go and meet with the wife and the sisters. For what it's worth... If an Arc's around, always give us a call. We'll back you up with all that we've got." The man's smile seemed to resonate with Weiss, who seemed to have a bit of difficulty as she shook the man's hand.

As Sage Arc walked through the doorway, the door closing behind him with a tug of the knob, she turned to Weiss. "Are you alright, Weiss?" The man's presence had been brief, but she'd seen the heiress get emotional in the minute twitches. "I'm fine, Ruby. Just..."

The heiress sighed as she went to her bed, getting on it and laying on her back. "Arc called me his snow angel... and I guess that I might've been a little... rude." _Bit of an understatement there, Weiss. He tried flirting with you in his own dorky way and you've been... Weiss-cold. I'm starting to sound like Yang... erghhh._ "Definitely a bit rude there, snow princess." The brawler commented, her voice sounding a little loud in the suddenly silent room.

"It's not like I..." Here the heiress struggled for a moment. "He didn't know who Pyrrha was. Pyrrha Nikos, the girl who'd won the Mistral competitions for four years in succession! How was I supposed to take it, as heiress of the Schnee Dust Company?" _Did you even try?_ The treacherous thought worked its way into her mind before she banished that. Weiss surely knew that it wouldn't be like that.

"I don't mean to speak ill about the dead... but did you know that he doesn't have the basic grounding in what goes on in the world?" Ruby said, speaking up a little louder. The Schnee blinked. "Who would be so stupid as to not know the Schnee Dust Company? We've got brands everywhere! Pep-schnee! Schnee-ny! Schnee-shi!" Her hands made a wild motion.

"He said once that he thought you looked beautiful with your pale skin and your adorable eyes." The Heiress gave her an owlish look, a faint red colour appearing on her cheeks. "He wasn't after the money? The company?" She said, her voice sounding rather tiny and touched with a hint of doubt.

"Wouldn't know what it was. He didn't even know the names of the other academies." Ruby said. She'd promised not to tell anyone, but if he was dead... what harm could it cause? He was embarrassed about his own lack of knowledge, yet she was his friend first and foremost.

"Oh." The heiress said as she turned around. Ruby did not have to see her face to realize that the girl was affected by her words. _good._

The legs curled up, the heiress shuddering once. Appearing at her bedside, Ruby laid a hand on her. She could hear Blake and Yang get up and close as well. "Weiss?" She could hear a soft sniffle come from her. _Oh no. It's worse than I thought._

"I'm not crying. This is just... fluid leaking from my eyes. I've added perhaps a bit too much mascara." The white-themed girl said, her voice sounding more emotional than most of the time they heard her speak, emotional in the way of being fragile and hurt. There was a decided absence of mascara on her eyelashes. "Sure. Need a hug?" _Hugs make everything good!_

"Yes." The heiress said before Ruby could feel the sudden crushing hug around her ribs. Yang seized the Schnee from behind, giving a soft soothing titter. Weiss just started to 'leak more from her eyes'. It totally wasn't crying, nope. She looked at Blake, who was more or less standing there, looking a little helpless with this situation. 'Join us.' She mouthed at the purple-clad girl, whose lips pressed together tightly before going into close range and wrapping her arms around the white-haired girl. The ribbon on her head was askew a little, even as the heiress sobbed something about 'missed chances'. _We'll miss him._

* * *

 _Consequences_

* * *

The message popped up on his scroll, Sky Lark's fingers pushing open the message to reveal the contents of the message, the image of Jaune Arc, taken from the official team photographs, appearing on the screen.

 _In memory of Jaune Arc, huntsman-in-training._

The ceremony will take place at dusk in accordance with tradition, headed by Professor Ozpin. It is with the fading of the light, that we burn ever brighter. May his sacrifice inspire others to stand against the darkness.

"Dude..." His voice was choked, as he looked at Dove, who was busy with his sword-sharpening. "Check your scroll." He knew that he should've said something, should have inquired about Arc when they didn't see him during classes.

Dove looked at the message, serious face definitely appropriate for the situation that they found themselves in right now. "You think Cardin will get tossed out of Beacon for this, Sky?" Sky shrugged. "He's not at fault, besides putting in the coordinates to the locker... But I guess he should be informed." A creak at the door put them on alert, turning their head in the direction of the door, hand on their weapon.

The door opened up, admitting Russell Thrush, who was supporting Cardin, the crutches that he was using slung over a shoulder. "Hey, I'm back. Something the matter?" Their leader asked as Russel went to his own bed, tossing himself onto it like he wanted to relax.

"Cardin, check your scroll." Sky spoke up, watching as the young teen hobbled over to his bed, sitting down and retrieving his scroll. Opening the message up, their leader's face showed disdain for the first second, as he'd see the picture, then starting to pale in obvious consternation. "Oh, Oum."

The scroll fell out of his hands, as Cardin Winchester looked at the picture of Jaune Arc. "Oum... Oum... Fuck." Tears came then, as he took shuddering breaths to try and gather himself again. "Fuck... No, I..." The red-haired teenager punched the bed, the scroll bouncing upon the sheets. "I mean, he was a pussy, but I wouldn't have wanted him... Fuck. No wonder that the little midget knocked me into the wall."

Regret showed in Cardin Winchester's face as he looked at his teammates. Sky could see how the light had finally shown on the bully's behaviour. "We're going to the ceremony. I have to owe up to what I caused." The statement was not met with someone complaining, the whole mood turning gloomier with the time that they spent ruminating on the fact that their leader had caused someone's death by his actions.

They might not have liked the Jaune fellow, but his death... they would not have wished for that.

* * *

 _The heart_

* * *

The door knock was answered by Ren, who stood aside to allow the father of Jaune entrance. Sage Arc sat down next to his daughters Bianca and Ashley, patting the two on the shoulder. "You're Jaune's team, right?"

"I'm Pyrrha Nikos, the young man is Lie Ren and that is Nora, his girlfriend." The man put a smile on his face, even as his daughters mimicked him. "I'm Sage Arc, Jaune's father, Huntsman, father of seven daughters that suck my bank account dry and husband to my lovely wife Emerald. It is a pleasure to meet you. Jaune was fortunate to have you as his teammates."

"She did the Vow of Eternity with Jaune."Emerald Arc said, the man's face blinking. "You did? I guess I should be calling you Pyrrha Arc then." The heated blush on the girl's face matched her hair, as she looked down at the ground. "But in all seriousness... You've unlocked his Aura?" The girl nodded. "Good. I was afraid that I'd have to go personally to visit Beacon to do so. With his skills, he'd not have survived for the initiation, so I guess I owe you a favour." The girl seemed to take heart in that. "It is not necessary, Mister Arc. Jaune was the best leader that we could have ever wished for."

"I'm sure. You were sweet on him, weren't you?" The girl nodded her head. "Figures. The Eternity Vow is generally like dipping yourself into another man's aura. If I were to do it, at worst I'd suffer a chronic headache for a few days. You... Wooh. He sure knows how to pick em. Remember Tiffany?" The sisters grimaced at that. "We do."

"Girl had it in her head that she was to be Jaune's one and only love. Didn't you chase her off, Saffron?" The girl nodded. "Nobody from that family should be in contact with ours." The story behind that was something that no doubt would be interesting to hear. "Remember to ask for that story sometime. It's somewhat amusing if you're able to take a bit of a joke. That bunch of gold-diggers still scrounges around Mistral or something, as well as those idiots that decide to sack towns for their loot." The sight of several of the ruined villages was enough to ruin one's appetite.

"So... Guess you're part of the family now. Did his aura feel good?" The brusque questions came so suddenly that the girl was set on the back foot. "It felt wonderful. It was so warm and hot, it nearly took all of my aura." The man grinned, nudging his wife. "Did he at least introduce himself in the proper way?"

"Daaaaad! Stop it! She's innocent and pure!" The sisters chorused, Emerald Arc giving her husband a look of 'don't you dare!'. The man continued on regardless. "Short, sweet, rolls with the tongue, because the ladies love it... Save for the fact that it's hard, long, lo-oooff!" Emerald Arc's elbow found its spot in his ribs, as the sisters coloured. Pyrrha herself was coloured red as well, the heat to her cheeks feeling like it was something that had been soldered onto her cheeks.

"Sage Arc, you are embarrassing our family." The man snorted, Pyrrha detecting a hint of that supreme confidence that Jaune had held in spades. "You got seven daughters and a son out of me, woman. If the girl can't handle some Arcmusing humour, how is she going to be our daughter in law, eh?" The heat turned on even more, as the thought of having been wed to him flashed through her mind.

"She might meet another man. She might have those feelings fade." The words from the wife were giving the husband a hard time, even though Pyrrha shook her head. "I'll never forget him. He was the light of my life. None would come close. I think I can feel him still within me, beating his heart in tune with mine."

The Arc sisters looked at her and immediately started to sniffle again. Father and mother Arc merely gave her a look, the father definitely less amused than before. "That's awfully romantic, but I am sure that the love will fade with time." Emerald Arc's voice was oddly stiff as if recalling some thought on the back of her mind. "It's so romantic. 'I'll forever wait for you, my beloved.'. Oh Oum, you should have this made into a novel or something Rowe."

The eldest Arc sister gave a soft smile. "Perhaps. They've known each other for like... three weeks, but it seems that little brother has already had someone who decided to make him hers." Pyrrha's cheeks were red, as she began to look at everywhere beside the Arc family. "He's always had that charm. We would have fought through a legion of Grimm each if he needed help." A collective nod ensued. Blonde hair moved in tandem, putting the image of waving grain in the watcher's mind.

"Hey, we can go and have like... a yearly visit to his grave! It'll be sad, but we can remember him! If our replacement teammate will be okay with it, I'm sure that there'll be no problem." The way that she spoke was like a panacea, Pyrrha smiling a little at the thought of that. "It'll be hard during the funeral." She said, Azure's hand grabbing hers. "It'll be fine. We'll all be with you. We can't let our cereal mascot be sad, right?" "Right!" Chorused the other sisters, in unison. It was eerily how alike they responded in the same manner.

"Did we just get another pack of children, Em?" The father leaned over to the mother, whispering in her ear. "Of course. Jaune never would approve if we did not do this." The mother said, Sage Arc's face showing the confident smile that pulled many women in back in the day. "I hate elevators." The man said, his wife giving him a little squeeze. "I know. Your medicine is in my bag. Go get it." The man got up and walked over to where his wife's bag laid, popping a pill and some water from a canteen, shaking his head. "Motion sickness. More common than you'd think."

"Jaune threw up when he was on a bullhead. It was the talk of initiation." Lie Ren said, as he smoothed his girlfriend and partner's hair out a little. She looked at him with a tender look. "That sounds like Jaune. He must've forgotten his pills." Azure said with her voice sounding a little annoyed.

"The ceremony is this evening at dusk. You will be in attendance, yes?" The question came suddenly, Pyrrha's head turning to Sage Arc even though she'd just asked Saffron about something of Jaune's past. The question lit a fire within her. "I'll be there. So will the others be." The man nodded once. "We'd be honoured." Pyrrha smiled then. "So will we be."

* * *

 _The fading light_

* * *

The late afternoon turned slowly to dusk, as the headmaster of Beacon Academy prepared for the ceremony. His face was grim as he looked at the materials, the singular hand wrapped within the flag of Beacon Academy, the wrapping small and barely able to show off the sole remnant of Jaune Arc. With Crocea Mors being claimed by the family, only the last remnant of the Arc scion could be treated to the ritual incineration, so as to clear the air for a new crop to grow.

The Beacon crematorium was a place that had been erected in the style of one of the ancestral Valean temples, the edifices that had been erected to display the Huntsmen that had come before showing the unity of the people post-Vytal Accord, the statue of the King of Vale standing above the incinerator, boldly displaying the sword that had won him the Vacuan battlefront. It was an imposing manner of decorum, fit to show the loyalty to the city of Vale. A singular window had been allowed to show the light of the fading sun to those in attendance, to show that in the dimming of light from the sun, the light of one's soul shone through.

"Headmaster, could I have a moment of your time?" Glynda Goodwitch spoke up, the arm that laid there upon the metal slab that fit a human body a grim reminder. "Yes, Glynda. I have a moment." His voice was emotionless, as it seemed to fit the theme. "The council has called once more to inquire about their directive. They said you would know which answer would be preferable?" The headmaster's head gazed down at the arm. "I'll deal with that in the morning. I have a ceremony to commence in an hour and a half." The deputy headmistress' gaze was strict as she regarded her employer and leader.

"And the punishment for team CRDL? They were the ones that caused mister Arc's death." The headmaster's assistant gave no quarter to the man, whose gaze lifted up again from the last remnant of Jaune Arc. "No punishment is to be administered to team CRDL."The headmaster's voice did not waver, even as Glynda's lips pressed together thinly.

"Huntsmen die every day, fighting for a better future. The knowledge that he had caused the death of another promising huntsman will remain with young Mister Winchester for his remaining days." The headmaster's voice was strong, even as the knock on the door was heard by both of them. A look at Glynda made the woman turn to the door, the door pulled open with a flick of the woman's semblance, the riding crop's glow fading.

"Headmaster." Cardin Winchester appeared in the door opening, supported by crutches. His face was pale and weary, as the trip to the crematorium had been a long one from the dorms. "Mister Winchester. What can I do for you?"

The business-like manner in which he spoke seemed to impress upon Cardin something, as fear flickered in those eyes. "I want to be at the funeral, sir. I caused this. I've..." The emotions seemed to war on his face as he succumbed to his emotions.

"We all make mistakes, mister Winchester." The headmaster said as he walked towards the leader of team CRDL. "More than most, have I made the mistakes that have cost many lives to the struggle against the darkness that threatens the people of Remnant." The headmaster reached the redheaded mace-wielder, placing a hand on his shoulder to offer support.

"It just... I knew he was a weakling, but I figured he'd be able to make it back." The redhead said, his voice holding the emotions that warred within him. "I didn't mean to make him die, headmaster. I'm ready to accept any punishment that you'll assign to me." The headmaster's hand squeezed his shoulder, the student uniform that he wore somehow fitting. "The fight against the darkness of the Grimm and this world is one that we cannot forsake, Mister Winchester." The man turned around, hand removed from the shoulder as he walked towards the slab upon which the arm rested.

"Headmaster?" The question came from the student, as the man indicated the arm on the slab. "The remnants of Mister Arc." The headmaster's tone was without inflexion, though one could discern a faint hint of unease within the man's voice. "It's... Oum. An arm? That's all you found?" The man looked green in the face, the arm laying there wrapped in the flag.

"Not every huntsman that is lost can be recovered do as much as we can, to drive away the darkness... yet it is sometimes not enough." Cardin's face turned even greener, as he seemed to imagine what'd gone on with the body to be so mangled. He vomited.

"Mister Winchester, perhaps it would be wise if you would..." The deputy spoke up, the headmaster cutting her off. "You and your team are allowed to attend the ceremony. In the future though... Try not to be a detriment against Huntsmen who may one day require your aid... or vice-versa." The redhead's face was pale as he nodded once. "Yes, sir." He hobbled out of the crematorium on his crutches. The headmaster's gaze rested on the vomit for a moment, his nose crinkling. "Glynda?"

As the vomit was cleared away, the cleaning staff always having such measures in the immediate vicinity due to how emotional most cremations got. "Why are you so invested in Mister Arc?" The man's face showed the worries that plagued him, even as Glynda asked the question.

"I care for every Huntsman under my tutelage, Glynda." He said, even as he strode out of the crematorium, Glynda following after him, even as the answer had obviously not satisfied her, the mop and bucket sliding to the closet once more, the wet stain where there'd been vomit the only remainder of that episode.

* * *

 _Remembrance of the fallen_

* * *

The doors to the Crematorium of Beacon were shut for the ceremony, the Arc family on one side, the nine people standing there as the family whilst the Beacon students stood there as a gathering, team NPR and RWBY standing at the front, their faces set within the serious look that was expected of them.

Tears would not come from the members of team NPR as they stood there, waiting for the headmaster to speak. Dressed in his regular wear, the man looked every bit the headmaster as he stood there at the front of the incinerator. Team CRDL stood behind them, looking grave and serious, dressed to the T in their armour, a respectful tone to the one who had fallen.

The whole Arc family had come dressed for combat, Emerald Arc's dress having been exchanged for something that fit more with the theme, the Arc family crest emblazoned upon the chest-armour, the massive mace that she had strapped to her side looking to have been good for the smashing of heads.

"We are gathered here to witness the departure of a light that has stood against the darkness that encroaches upon this world ever since the first human rose from the ashes of what had been before." The headmaster's voice spoke with the reverence that was demanded, his gaze resting on the arm upon the slab, exposed to the eyes of those who had come to witness the passing into the light of Jaune Arc.

"It is with our souls that we fight against the creatures of Grimm, with the light that shines within us to banish the darkness around us." The man's tone was strong, speaking of the hope for the future, even as the slit of light from the window hit the statue of the king of Vale, the fading strip of light illuminating the man's hair, lending it a golden glow, his features carved from the stone without any sort of hint of emotion visible upon his face.

The faces of the Arc family could have been cut from stone, even as the eyes looked wet as they gazed upon the sole arm that laid there. "Within the darkness, there is no light. There is no life. Emptiness and no expression is what characterizes the Grimm... and we abhor it." The man's voice continued, as he stepped aside. His hands motioned towards Sage Arc, who stepped forth.

"May you find your final rest in the spark of light that illuminates us to press onwards, my child." The man's face made a difficult expression, as he raised the flag's cover, wrapping it around the arm partially covering the stump that had been where it attached to the torso.

Ozpin motioned towards team NPR, Pyrrha stepping forwards, grabbing the flag. Tears came from her eyes as her fingers touched the fingers, icy-cold to the touch and frozen in rigour mortis, her breath shuddering, as the tears came. The ritual words failed her for a moment, as her fingers touched that hand. "B-by my shoulder, I had sworn to protect thee. A bond once lost, never to be regained. I shall remember your hand as you guided me, from darkness to light's morn."

She took another shuddering breath, as her hands grabbed the other side of the flag, wrapping it around the hand, making sure to tuck it in properly. She stepped away, as was in accordance with the ceremony.

"A family aggrieved, a team bereft of its member, yet known to both is to work the sacrifice into the blazing ember. A brighter future comes with the flame lit by those who have perished before us. Never out of mind, never out of touch." The headmaster's voice continued on, as the darkness fell over the room, casting them in pitch blackness suddenly. The lights were turned off, as was in accordance with the ceremony.

"Through the trying times of our days, we will not forget that when the darkness creeps upon our lands..." The man's voice was the guiding thread, as the audible creak of the wheels of the slab of metal upon which the hand laid was audible, as the headmaster pulled the ceremonial table towards the incinerator.

"Within that darkness, the spark of light will find its way to ignite our path." The clunk, as the slab shifted and the flames lit up the incinerator, the image of the arm cast into the warmth and starting to burn with the fire catching on to the cloth of the flag. The see-through cover protected them from the heat as it shut off the flames and the burning arm from their presence, to allow them to witness the burning.

It was what everyone was looking at at this time, the shape of the headmaster as a shadow standing at the incinerator, his form disappearing as he moved out, the flames licking on the hand as the essence of the ceremony came to them. From darkness, there would be light. "To be a beacon to us all." The headmaster's words came, as the cloth of the flag finally chipped away, unveiling the burning arm. "To Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR and the light that guides our way through this night."

Flesh popped and burnt, the see-through glass looking like it contained the scent inside it, even as the flames continued to burn around that arm. Regular bodies would fill the whole cremation chamber, yet the arm was all that had been retrieved. The burning of flesh started, and there were none that would not remember it. Pyrrha's cheeks had trails of tears as she stared, her eyes watching every little pop and fizzle, as the cremation chamber did its work.

The faces of team RWBY were grim. Ruby's face was as emotional as Pyrrha's, the tears coming just as they had. Weiss' face was a mask of calmness, yet the faint twitch and moisture of her eyes could show plainly that she herself was also emotionally moved by the sight of the arm burning. Blake's face was expressionless, as she merely let the glint dance in her bright amber eyes, not showing a single shred of emotion, the bow twitching slightly as she inhaled and exhaled, her eyes looking at the glistening fire. Yang was trying to keep her face calm, though the girl's expression belied her lack of comfort with such an emotional scene.

The Arc family was having more trouble keeping a straight face. The sisters and mother were openly crying, with Sage Arc himself trying to keep some semblance of normalcy, yet even he showed the signs of being teary-eyed as the last remnant of his son crumbled into the ashes of the incinerating furnace.

Team CRDL was showing emotions as well. Dove's face was set within a grim look, a change from the seriousness, as Russel's face showed a serious look, his hand wiping at his eyes as if struggling to keep from being too emotional. It was Sky that was openly showing his remorse, his face set in a bitter grimace, as he dabbed a handkerchief to his eyes, their leader showing the most emotion. Cardin Winchester's breathing was fast and ragged as if he had been running for miles, his eyes watching the sight of the arm burn. Hyperventilating, the young man's gaze kept on the arm as it laid there, slowly crumbling to ashes. It was clear that he was not in any solid emotional state.

The lights came on when the arm had been fully consumed, the headmaster's face as calm as it always seemed to be. "It is with his sacrifice that we are inspired to reach new heights. Let Beacon always be a home for you to return to, as the sacrifice of brave students and Huntsmen shall lead the way towards a brighter future."

With those words, the dam of emotions burst. Openly sobbing, the Arc family showed their grief, even Pyrrha and Ruby not seeming to reach quite the depth of the crying women, Azure and Cremea and Saffron holding on to each other for comfort, as Ashley and Bianca hugged their father, their mother supported by Rowan and Heather, holding tightly to the woman who'd given them the light of life all those years ago.

Cardin Winchester moaned softly, as he turned around, the crutches supplied by a waiting Sky, the creak of the bully's steps enough to draw attention from the members of team NPR, Ren's face looking expressionless as his girlfriend and partner blew her nose into a tissue, Pyrrha turning around, the metal slab rattling lightly.

"Where do you think you're going, Cardin Winchester?" She hissed, her voice sounding akin to a pit viper's, her hands itching to go for her weapons. Dove was the one who turned around, looking at the Spartan as she stood there, aggression radiating from her body.

"Leave him alone, Nikos." He said, trying to keep his leader's dignity intact. "He should pay. He's the one that caused all this." Her finger pointed at the incinerator, where the remnants of Jaune would be gathered later on.

"Do you think I don't blame myself?" Cardin's voice sounded hard as he turned around. His eyes were red, his hair looked a little messier than before, the crutches holding him up enough for him. "I'll have to live with what I've done for the rest of my life. You say that I should pay, but I'm paying for it every day. Oum..." The sobs came again, Pyrrha about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I forgive you for causing my son's death." Sage Arc's voice sounded stronger than the appearance he had, with his face still marred by the tears that were still coming from his eyes. "You could not have known that he would die. I know my son. He would not have wanted someone to take vengeance on him for his death."

"Thank you, sir." Cardin said, his gaze going down again. "I'll try my best to make sure to uphold his ideals." The words came out without even a singular prodding of his consciousness, as he looked at the Arc patriarch and felt the urge to make amends for his behaviour to the people that he had offended over the past few weeks since initiation.

As team CRDL departed, it was Pyrrha's time to be spoken to by the Arc patriarch. "Vengeance would not solve a thing. It would just create a spiral of darkness that would take away all the joy in life before you would meet your final fate. Jaune would not have wanted you to take vengeance for him, for he was of the light of life... not the darkness of death." The words were poetic, Pyrrha's gaze cast down. "I'm sorry." She said, her voice a mournful echo of how often she used those words to others. Her team gathered up around her, wrapping their arms around her.

It was a grim gathering that Ozpin observed, his eyes looking at the Arcs on one side and the teams of Beacon at the other. Those who knew Jaune peripherally had chosen not to attend, Team RWBY clustered around Ruby, who'd snagged a hold of Weiss and was bawling about something involving weapons and Jaune's name tossed in, the heiress' face looking oppressed and yet sorrowful as well. Yang and Blake were awkwardly hugging each other with Ruby and Weiss in their midst, their fingers touching, the Faunus looking at Yang with a barely perceivable nervousness to her side, as their gazes met. Yang nodded, before hugging just a little tighter. Blake did the same.

The flames illuminated his face as he looked at the fading embers of the last male scion of the Arc line that had been founded upon the bedrock that he had once laid out for the world. "Headmaster?" His deputy gave a soft whisper into his ear, to not shed the grief of those gathered any dishonour. "Have the urn filled with the ashes upon the cooling of the chamber. Ensure that it gets delivered intact to the family." The headmaster's deputy nodded, her hand pushing the strand of hair from her face, her eyes meeting with his for a moment. "Do you need a moment?" The man's eyes blinked, her hand pulling out a handkerchief, offering it.

He took it, awkwardly, wiping at his eyes, surprised to see that there were tears in the tissue, the moisture from his own eyes glistening in the illumination of the flames. "I'm fine." He said, his voice sounding touched, Glynda's eyes widening at the emotional touch that infected his voice, shaking his head a little and departing, a touch faster than he normally did.

He left behind a confused deputy headmistress, her face creased in worry as she looked at the man's retreating back, the light of the hallway illuminating his features for a moment, his gaze turned back to her, the glasses glinting green in the light, his short hair similar in cut to someone that tugged faintly at her memory, someone that she'd seen before, the eyes meeting her own for a long moment before he disappeared.

* * *

 **This was a little longer than expected. Still, I hope that people will find it enjoyable to read and that they'll be looking forward to chapter 4. The plot thickens though. I will have some liberty with the story of RWBY, as I fill it in according to what I deem fit (Which is why we've got Fanfiction here,** anyways **.) and I hope that you'll enjoy what we've got here! This is going to be... A Grimm Tale.**

 ***title drop***

 **First of all though, for the questions: Were the characters RWBY-** ey **enough, or did they feel a little too OOC? Secondly: Should I be looking for a beta or something to read through it and do that editing/correcting stuff? Thirdly: As some reviewers seem to have noticed, I'm trying to space the paragraphs and dialogue a bit more. Like it? Yay? Nay? Fourthly: Anything you'd like to correct? Fifthly: Upon reading the last few sections, I'm not 100% sure if they had the gravitas. The Arc family is very... interesting to write. Yep. They're together in the way that a herd works. Professional huntsmen... but also a little fragile when they are divided. Sixthly: You're going to really like the next chapter. Seventhly** :Eh **... Review! Your feedback inspires me to write more! ^^**


	4. Grimm reminders

**Chapter 4: Grimm reminders**

If I were your cult leader, I would say 'It will all be fine.'. It won't be. The first few reviews were... as expected. I have Weiss Privilege though. She's a cutie. Still not stopping with the writing endeavour, though. EXPECT MORE!

* * *

 _Gnarled and twisted feelings,_

* * *

As she watched the headmaster's disappearance, it was not for her to cast judgment on the man's actions, her mind clouded with the worries that came from her. "Why didn't you DO something?" _The least he could have done was say that he would never forgive Cardin for killing his son. I know I would..._

The flickering light of the flames cast an unhallowed shadow over Sage Arc's face, his eyes glowing faintly with the flames dancing in his gaze, directing it at the one who had spoken. "Because there is a difference between being a huntsman and a trainee." The man's voice was like iron, as his face hardened, the gaze meeting Ruby's with an unflinching manner.

"Do you know how many Huntsmen are active in Vale right now?" The question was surprising, silver eyes blinking once. "No? I mean... I never really checked, but I think... maybe five thousand?"

The man's hollow laugh was startling in its similarity to Jaune's, as he looked at her with a look that reminded her of her dad when she'd told a particularly ludicrous joke that he did not especially find funny. "Heather, take it from here. I need a moment." The Arc patriarch turned away, facing the fire, his face showing no emotions, whilst Heather stepped forth, a savage look on her face.

Ruby felt intimidated by those eyes, sharp and blue and feral. "You know what would happen if we lock up a trainee hunter, little missy?" The woman's voice was coarse, rough and reminded her a little of her uncle, whose voice grew cynical in a way when he was especially drunk. "Eh... We'll all be happy? No more criminal, yay?" Heather Arc's finger poked her stomach suddenly before she could react.

"We have one defender less for our defensive line." The words were spoken harshly. "We've all seen people torn apart by grief." Bianca Arc spoke, her voice sounding muted and solemn. "Mauve was ripped apart by a Beringel. We had to keep on fighting."

"The world is COLD, Ruby. The world DOES NOT CARE." The words were harsh as Heather Arc spoke them, her eyes suddenly flush with tears. "The world will not CARE if one boy is locked away for the crime of launching someone in a rocket to a place where he got killed by the Grimm... But it WILL care if four huntsmen that could defend the kingdom are dismissed for such a triviality." Her voice seemed to shriek as it raised in octave, Ruby taking another step back.

"The world is less pleasant than you think, Ruby. People depend on us Huntsmen to do what we must. Fourteen hundred huntsmen are currently in service to Vale. Every year, of every class of eighty, only six or seven teams make it through the training and the first year." Heather's eyes sparked with heated fire, her gaze maniacal in its depths.

"Does it hurt, losing a brother?" She said, poking Ruby's stomach once more. "Of course it FUCKING hurts." Ruby whimpered, as those eyes met her gaze. _Jaune never looked like this at me. So much anger._ "But you HAVE to keep on going. HAVE to defend people who are the scum of the earth... You HAVE to keep the spark of hope going..." A strangled sob emerged from her throat, as the tears came from her eyes, their harshness starting to fade.

"Because you, little missy... You think you know EVERYTHING at age seventeen." Weiss coughed. "She's fifteen." Heather Arc gave a withering look to Weiss, who shrank back. The tears that had reached her chin did not diminish the strength of that glare. "You think you know EVERYTHING..." She continued, her voice harsher and colder by the moment. "You may have lost one friend..."

Turning to face her father, whose morose gaze into the flames seemed to light his face with shadows. "But we can lose our WORLD if we are not as sharp as a razor's edge, to fight against the darkness and to WIN." She stalked up to her father like a cat on the prowl, a huntress, laying a hand on the man's shoulder, to which he seemed to respond favourably to, a sigh coming from his mouth. "And to win, we have to sacrifice EVERYTHING."

 _Those eyes have seen so much..._ Ruby could feel her lip quiver as the tears came, the realisation that these people were suffering and that there was nothing that she could do against it hitting her hard. "But... You've got to help people. That's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do, right?" Her voice sounded small and tiny in the room, yet it was not Heather Arc who answered, Rowan Arc stepping up into the light, the shadows cast upon her face lending her a ghoulish appearance.

"We've got to help people, yes. That's why we picked up our weapons. But the world outside is no fairytale." Rowan Arc's smile was brittle than a badly baked cookie, as she licked her lips, her tongue leaving a trail of moisture there. "Life... does not hold a happy ending for everyone. Heather's seen it, I have seen it..."

"You don't have to tell them if you don't want to. I know it's hard for you still." The voice of Emerald Arc spoke up, a mother trying to lend comfort to a daughter that had been through terrible things. "This girl needs to have the covers thrown off her and be shown the real beauty of the world we live in." Rowan Arc spoke, pulling her armour up and revealing a jagged set of scars, right above her navel. The lines were faded now, as something seemed to have been thrust into the flesh.

A sharp intake of breath from the gathered teams of NPR and RWBY was the result, the flickering flames casting a grisly light. "The worst kind of _animal_ did this to me." Her voice said, with little inflexion of emotion save for the animal part. Vile and pure hate-filled that word, as the woman spoke it.

"But that doesn't look like the wound of a Grimm." Yang said, her voice sounding a little more hesitant, a fierce look cowing her as Rowan Arc peered at her. "Why would they be at the stomach? Did you run into a Boarbatusk? It looks like you've been swiped by a Beowolf, but they come from the side, not as a puncturing wound." Rowan Arc stiffened noticeably, eyes flashing angrily as she looked at Ruby.

"Be very glad if you've got your team with you, ready to bail you out. I was not so lucky." The woman said, her tone frostier than ice dust, joining her father after smoothing out the lower section of her armour once more. "Oh." It was Blake who spoke up, having gone pale. She did not elaborate, yet gave a sympathetic look at the woman as she joined her younger sister and father in gazing at the flames.

"We've got this thing about us, y'see..." Bianca Arc said as she strolled forth casually, Ashley following suit with a similar motion, the twins looking at Ruby with a look that was both pitying as well as declaring her lack of emotions. "The twins thing. Awfully neat when you have a few guys hanging around you. You can always pretend to be the other, do your hair up a little different and poof. Insta-Bianca."

"Yang and I can't do that." Ruby said, her mind trying to wrap around the things that she'd heard and seen. She didn't know what Heather was on about, with the huntsmen's burden. Neither did she fully get what Rowan Arc was getting at with showing her scars and showing them with something about the worst kind of monster. _The worst kind of monsters are the Grimm, right?_

"You and Titty Blonde, right?" Bianca said, her gaze going to Yang and nodding. "Yeah, I can see why. She's got the body. But you've got to know... There's no joy in having to see a fellow who only fancies one of us trying to get the twin because that's the best he could do." Ashley's smile was bitter, as her smile turned sadder.

"We're all touched in some fashion. Remnant is never a place for us to remain safe and secure." The two looked at one another and then linked hands, giving a bright and radiant smile. "But you should cherish what you have with your sister, Ruby Rose. Cherish what you have with your team."

They joined their father and elder sisters in looking at the flames, their back towards team RWBY and NPR, wrapping arms around Rowan and stroking gently over the woman's back as she shuddered. Blake looked even more uncomfortable, her eyes skittish as she did. _Why does she look so nervous?_

"Well, dad's always got a manner of smoothing over the truth, because he doesn't really want to deal with it, y'know?" Cremea Arc said as she walked forwards, stopping before Ruby and giving her a soft smile, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Enjoy your youth, girl."

 _Girl? I'm fifteen! I drink MILK!_ She puffed up to say something, Cremea Arc's head shaking gently. "Hush. It wasn't a comment about your age. You must be talented to come and be accepted into Beacon at such a young age." The older girl gave a sad smile, the fingers stroking over her shoulder.

"Take good care of this one, Blondie. The next few years will be rough for all of you." Cremea said as she joined her family. Six figures stood before the flames, forming a row of blonde-haired people sharing a singular genetic link. "She doesn't mean it like that... but we've always had this close connection to each other... I know you may think it a bit unfair of us... But try to imagine that we've all been through stuff." Saffron Arc said, shaking her head lightly, her hair moving with a light bob.

"It's not because we pity you that we're telling you this." Saffron said softly, as she leaned in close, Ruby startling back. "It's because we want to prevent you from ending up like us." The young woman sighed softly, giving Ruby a gentle pat on her head. "We kept Jaune too innocent." She lamented, her head shaking a few times.

"Why did you keep him innocent?" She asked, Emerald Arc stepping forth then, only Azure Arc remaining at the place where they had stood to witness the ceremony. "Because he was the youngest. He would not have been able to deal with what had happened to Heather or to Rowan at his age." The mother's words were soft, yet her eyes held a characteristic fire within them.

"But but... Huntsmen get injured all the time." _I don't understand. Why would he need to be protected from that?_ The woman smiled gently at her, giving her a sudden embrace.

"I can see why Jaune would want you as a friend. You are too innocent and pure... Just like he was, always thinking the best of everyone, not even able to fathom the dangers that could come from a profession as a Huntsman." The woman's eyes were misty, Ruby feeling the warmth of the woman wrap around her as she felt the hug last a little.

 _This feels like when mom hugged me when I was really really young._ She could hear Yang sniffle a little, catching a glimpse of the face that her sister made, her eyes a little moist. "You can join us if you want." The woman said, her voice maternal. A moment later and Yang was included. "You're going to be caring for your little sister, yes? You're going to make sure that she won't stray down the wrong path?"

"O-of course." _Yang sounds like she's serious._ The answer came from the blonde, as the Arc matriarch gave a squeeze. "Good girl. You'll be the best sister that she can ever ask for. Excuse me though... I must join my husband." The woman said, releasing the two of them and leaving them standing there.

"I love you, Ruby." Yang said, speaking in a low tone of voice. "I love you too, Yang." _You're my sister. Why shouldn't I love you?_ It was Azure Arc that stepped forwards then, her face looking sadder than before.

"I could have been in my third year of Beacon by now... And you'd have to call me Upperclassman. I could've... but I was promoted to full status due to my defence of a small hamlet to the north of Vale. Apparently, I had 'shown enough grit to be worth two Huntsmen', according to the official reports. I'm sure that Terry and Matte haven't forgiven me yet for leaving them to work on my own stuff... But alas..." The sad look on her face was enough to make Ruby shudder. _She looks so sad; as if she'd rather be with them than on her own._

She joined her family then at the fire, staring at the flickering lights that continued to burn still. They stood there in silence for a moment before Ruby spoke up. "Let's go to our room, team RWBY." There was no enthusiasm in her voice as she spoke, her tone soft, the general acceptance of that order showing in how quickly they disappeared from the crematorium.

"Well… that was something." Yang said as they came to their room, her eyes looking between her and Weiss. The white-haired heiress was looking a little forlornly at the comb that she'd had in her hand as if deciding to use it or not. "Ruby…" She started her gaze at the comb and then going to her leader.

"Yes, Weiss?" The Heiress sighed deeply. "Group hug?" _She's warming up to us._ The rose petals slowly evaporated as she hugged Weiss, Blake and Yang following their leader's example suit. "Guys, I don't think I'd like to see another funeral for a while." Yang said, her voice still somewhat muted, as if her thoughts were on another thing altogether, her eyes looking like they'd cry again.

 _Me neither. I'm going to make sure that all of us make it through Beacon! We'll be the kick-assest of Kick-ass Teams! Yeah!_ The thought cheered her up as she nuzzled against Weiss. "Hey! You're nuzzling me! Are you a dog, Ruby!? S-stop it!" The protestations were just something that came with it.

"I love you too Weiss. You're my bestie!" The white-themed girl seemed to shudder for a moment, the arms around Ruby's waist clinging just a bit tighter. "I… I guess it's okay. Proceed."

"Aww, the ice queen is thawing! Someone get a bucket." The giggle that came from Ruby's mouth was light and friendly, as Weiss stiffened. "I am not an ice sculpture!" Yang smirked. "You're looking kind of Weiss-ey, Weiss Queen."

"I'll have you know that I am top of our grade in dust knowledge, Xiao-Long. Your sister is better than you at that, even." Ruby caught the eye of Blake, whose eyes were looking at the interaction, the hug now loosened again. "Are you alright, Blake?"

A tired smile set itself on the girl's lips, as her hands adjusted the bow of her ribbon a little. _Did it just twitch a little?_ "Just a little tired, Ruby. The events of the past day have been rather harrowing."

"Just be okay, right?" _If she gets sick, Yang will be sad._ "I don't want to lose you too." The smile on the brunette's lips was warm, as she spoke softly. "I'll be fine. I was just reminded of some of my past." _Ooh! She's been tight-lipped about that!_

"And what's your past been like, girl? Any sordid stories about boys?" Yang said, ceasing her bothering of Weiss, who was looking a little red-faced at the sudden change in topics, her eyes looking everywhere except at Blake or Ruby. "Nothing much. I had a boyfriend. We were in this group together. He changed. I left." The short and succinct answer was so Blake that Ruby smiled. "But did he have a nice weapon? What were its specs? Was he close range or long range? Did he have a long blade or did he go pew pew pew like you're trying to hose down the enemy?"

Why Yang started to snort in laughter, she didn't know. Blake turned crimson in her cheeks as she shook her head. "He did not go 'pew pew pew', Ruby. He had this Chokuto blade that he could sheathe within his rifle." Yang gave a soft cough, even Weiss allowing a hint of curiosity to show through.

"So, did ya put his sword in your sheath?" Yang said, Blake turning a little deeper red. _But Gambol Shroud doesn't really have a sheath… nor would it fit a chokuto._ Ruby looked confusedly, as Blake coughed awkwardly. "You can tell us. We're all girls here." The girl sat herself down on her bed, crossing her legs.

"He did." She said, giving a shy smile. "It was wonderful. I had just turned fourteen and he was so caring." _I'm probably missing something here._ "So… Did he at least use the proper weapon grease?" Weiss choked a little, Yang starting to giggle. "Eh… He did? I didn't mind at the time, because it was just so magical."

Yang smiled at her partner. "So… Did you get to go out with a bang?" Blake shook her head. Weiss sighed and went for something to drink, turning the tap and pouring herself a glass of water. "Want some water too, Ruby?" She asked, Ruby smiling back at her, the gloomy mood lifting with the ordinary girl chatter.

"He was… eh…" Blake's cheeks were redder than before, her tongue sliding over her lips. "Done quickly." Yang nodded. "I'd never tell my dad if I was doing that sort of thing. Dad doesn't know half the guys I've been sparring with, and I'm keeping him in the dark." Blake looked up, blinking a few times. "He was my first and only. We were in love."

Ruby actually wondered what being in love had to do with sheathing one's weapon inside a sheath. _Wasn't there a lesson on intimacy or something?_ "So, what'd his mom and dad think of that?" Blake blinked. "Eh? Why would they think anything of it?"

Yang frowned. "Well, isn't that normal?" Blake shrugged. Weiss gave a look towards Ruby before starting to drink. "He was twenty, so it didn't really matter. It hurt a few times in the beginning but afterwards, you learn to enjoy it."

PFFFFTSHHH! Weiss spat out her drink. "TWENTY?! He was twenty and you were fourteen?"She said, her voice shifting to that higher register to fully display the shock she felt. Blake blinked at the heiress, looking unfazed. "I mean… It's not like it's wrong to love the man who's your mentor and teacher, right?" Weiss' mouth hung open, her eyes wide. The mouth made attempts to close but did not seem able to.

"Blakey, sister… We need to chat." Yang put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her close. "What made you think that it'd be okay with sleeping with a man who's like… six years older than you?" The girl shrank back on herself. "It was love. He told me he loved me." Yang's face was tender, as she scooted closer. "You were fourteen. You weren't supposed to make decisions like that. Hell, I still am not going to give it all up. These goods have a stamp system and nobody's laying a hand on em until they've gotten all the stamps on that card!" She pushed her bust forth, proud mountains of Yang on display in the shirt she wore.

"What are they talking about, Weiss?" She asked in a soft voice, as the heiress wiped her face with a towel. "You… eh…" She looked a little lost for word. "You know about boys and girls, right?" _Silly Weiss, of course I know! Dad told me all about how I was supposed to stay away from icky boys until I was sixteen and not let my rosebud get plucked!_ "Of course I know, silly."

Weiss sighed in relief, shaking her head. "If you had been a dunce, I would have been seriously cross with you." _Yes!_ "Dad said that I should let no man pluck my rose bush until I'm sixteen! I keep my promises!" The white-haired girl looked at her with a look of astonishment, her face assuming that look of careful concern once more. "That… was not quite what I was referring to. Blake just admitted that she had a…"

She struggled for words for a moment. "His name was Adam." Blake helpfully added, Weiss giving a sound of frustration. "A man, who was old enough to know better, sleep with her when she was fourteen." _Is that so wrong? Uncle Qrow sleeps with us all the time._

Yang saw what was happening, opening her mouth and spoke. "Bad touch, Ruby. Remember what Uncle Qrow said?" Ruby smiled, remembering what the man had said. "To use Crescent Rose on his midsection and then fire between his legs a few times with the armour-piercing rounds to immobilize… I don't know why he said to get the salt out next… He was drunk and didn't make much sense about sausages and little meat balls…"

Weiss looked a little queasy at the description, gathering her fortitude. "It's NOT alright anywhere to make use of a young child like that." Blake cleared her throat. "I wasn't a child! It was between us, and it was our thing! Nobody else was allowed to touch him but ME!" _Oh… OH. Bad! Bad! Bad man!_ The sympathy was written on Ruby's face, as it was on Weiss's and Yang's. "You're really a handful, aren't you?" Yang muttered, ruffling the girl's head with a sad smile on her lips.

"H-hey!" The girl squeaked, as Weiss turned away, muttering something uncomfortably like 'stupid older men' under her breath. "Ooh, look! She's got the cutest ears!" "Y-yang!" Blake's voice whined as Ruby turned to look at Blake, spotting the cute ears that stood atop her head.

 _So CUTE!_ The ears twitched a little, as Blake struggled in the blonde Brawler's grip. Weiss turned around and her eyes narrowed for a moment, before the helpless look on Blake's face asserted itself again. "It would've been a Faunus thing, wouldn't it?" She could hear Weiss mutter, as she seemed to do some on-the-spot thinking.

"Blake, why did you hide these? They're adorable!" Ruby said, her voice sounding chipper to the ears of everyone around her, her eyes sparkling with that innocent nature that drew people in. "My people are… not well received." Blake muttered, her gaze resting on Weiss, who approached, resolutely. "You are… Faunus, right?"

A single nod came from her, as Weiss seemed to make her mind up, giving a watery smile. "You know that my family has had… issues." Another nod from Blake, the ears laying flat on her head, her lips pressed tightly together. "My family has had members of it disappear due to White Fang activities. My mother cannot travel anywhere without a bodyguard. My uncle was killed in an explosion by a rabid supporter of Faunus rights." _She sounds sad. I'll try to make you less sad, Weiss._

"But I won't hold it against you." Weiss said a wan smile on her lips. Tears seemed to come from her eyes. "We're a team. You're Faunus. I'm human. I'm Schnee… But we can work together." Blake's hand seemed to rise, before stopping. "What if... What if I told you that I was once part of the White Fang?" She asked, near-breathless. Fear choked her voice up, audibly there.

 _Uh-oh… Weiss looks conflicted._ "Then I hope you are no longer with them right now, Blake. I try not to be friends with terrorists." Came the clipped answer from Weiss. "That's the spirit, Weiss-Queen! Blake isn't with those people anymore at this time, so we can all be friends." The expression on Yang's face did not quite match her words, her gaze concerned at Blake, who seemed to struggle a little in Yang's grip as if she wished to run away. The brawler had a solid grip on her though, not allowing the girl to move too much. _She's always won at wrestling, ever since we were young._

"My name is Blake Belladonna. It's a pleasure to meet you, Weiss Schnee." The first touch of their hands was skittish, Blake's hand grabbing Weiss' for a moment, firmly gripping it after a moment. "You're friends now! Yang Xiao-Long, pleasure to meet you both!" The brawler's hand joined Weiss and Blake's hands, Ruby knowing when her time was right. "And Ruby Rose, leader of our wonderful team of RWBY!" _Go team RWBY!_

* * *

 _Take the lives of those you need,_

* * *

The Arc family looked at the flames, as they continued to wilt to the ever-burning strain of light. As it was the custom when one was commenced to the flame, the flames would remain lit, so as to use the fuel of the fallen to ignite the next flame within others.

"Should we go?" Pyrrha's voice sounded so forlorn as she seemed to get herself together, her eyes looking between the two options that they had, the Arc family looking like they would rather be left alone. "Perhaps we should." Ren said, his voice as even as his tone always was, his gaze going to the mourning family.

"Please, stay." The voice of Emerald Arc rang out, making a motion with her hand for them to join the family in standing before the flames, the sculpture of the King of Vale standing above the flames as a testament to the founder of Beacon Academy.

They fit in awkwardly, Pyrrha standing between Emerald and Sage Arc, Ren between Bianca and Ashley, with Nora flanked by Cremea and Saffron. "You wish to know why I would not seek vengeance against the boy for condemning my son to his fate?" The words were emotion-laden as the Arc patriarch spoke, looking into the flames.

"No. I would have personally gone to any length if it'd been my Renny who'd gotten shot off to his death by some silly bully." Nora's voice interjected, a little muted, despite the enthusiasm sounding like it was making headway in returning. "That emotion, vengeance." The man said, his voice sounding like it was something out of hand, the man's eyes glistening under the pressure of speaking whilst emotions choked him up.

"The Grimm are attracted to negativity. Can you imagine what a people would feel if they had to know the person that walked amongst them was a killer and a murderer?" The Arc Patriarch's voice was soft, as he spoke as if from a dream. "Anger. Hatred. Fear that he would murder again." The words were soft, yet impacted with the force of bullets. "That attracts the Grimm."

"But Mister Arc, we have had…" Pyrrha was cut off the moment she spoke up by the man. "You haven't seen what we have seen. We're all murderers, this whole family." The man's face looked aged and weathered and twisted somehow, as he stared at the flames. "We've all killed men and women for the good of humanity. Because we shoulder the burden, kids like you get to go to Beacon and learn how to replace us."

"A brighter future." Heather Arc scoffed, her head shaking as if denying that truth. "A brighter FUCKING future." She spat, her anger rising again. "And some little girl going all like 'Vengeance! Rawr! Why did you not condemn that kid?'."

Pyrrha supposed that she should speak up about Ruby being derided as such, but Rowan Arc spoke up. "You've not had time to let that feeling settle in fully, kids. Enjoy your youth… if you can." The hollow tone of her voice was something that seemed to hint at something else, her left hand touching her stomach, her right hand balling a fist and then relaxing as if the gesture had been some remembrance. "Jaune's death should not stop you from being able to enjoy your life." The eldest Arc ran a hand through her short hair, her eyes looking at the flames.

"We guard the people so that they would not have to suffer the lives that we have led." Ashley Arc spoke up, her face difficult-looking. "We may not be able to do what we can without feeling the remorse… but if we need to, we will do it. We will make our hearts of steel and we will stand tall against the tide of darkness until our final breaths."

"That is rather poetic." Pyrrha said, even as the emotions choked her up. She could see Jaune standing there, looking similar to his sisters, even in the silly sweater and the armour that did not quite look appropriate, ready to smile and tell her that they were going to fight against a horde of Grimm. _I would follow his commands without question._

"It's not poetic. A huntsman does the dirty work that many people would squirm to think of." Rowan Arc said, her voice sounding jaded as if she had seen too much. "Without the power to fight, we would not be here."

"We'll learn hard to be the best Huntsmen that we can be." Ren said, his voice sounding firmer than he had been before his face showing resoluteness. _Pyrrha, you can be just as resolute. You've said that oath to Jaune, you can be the invincible girl everyone sees you as._ "Learn hard to be the best huntsman?" Heather Arc scoffed.

"The only learning you do is when you're fresh out of the academy. You may be taught how to handle a Grimm or two, but when it comes to being a Huntsman… you are woefully unprepared." The woman's voice was strident as she spoke, her eyes looking at the three huntsmen-in-training. "Jaune was a bit of a dork, a bit of an idiot when it came to girls… but he was not stupid in the way that you'd think him to be. He was a good player of tactical games, if you'd believe it." The adoration in her voice gave the cynical tone some time to fade away.

"Let's play Huntsman Tactics, Rowe!" Rowan mimicked, a genuine smile appearing on her face at the memory. "Or when we were playing Remnant:the Game, he would always amass an advantage before the final draw. Oh, how did we have to scramble to ensure that we would not get obliterated in one swoop." The smile on Ashley's face could have lit up a room. "He always loved listening to the old stories. The tale of our great grandfather was something that we'd have to read him to bed, every time that he would need to be going to bed."

The Arc sisters shared a smile, as the memories surfaced of an innocent time in their past. "We should probably head to bed early." Emerald Arc said, looking at her daughters. "We're going back to our home and Heather needs to accept a commission if I remember the schedule well enough." Heather Arc's head bobbed once. "Yeah, I should be getting out into the world again. The Grimm've been waiting for me to kill em."

"Do you wish to sleep in our room?" Ren offered, the beds comfortable enough to fit two sisters each, three if they snuggled up tightly enough. "We can get some space on the floor." The ninja of Mistral seemed to be all for giving the family of their leader their beds, Pyrrha not finding any objection either. They could rough it out somewhere else, maybe with team RWBY.

"That will not be necessary. Professor Ozpin has given us the chance to have a dorm to ourselves." The matriarch of the family spoke, her smile warm, as she laid a hand on her eldest daughter's shoulder. "Come on, Rowan. We should see about getting you some rest." The eldest daughter smiled at her mother, the weapon at her side handed over with a soft smile. "I know."

Ren, Nora and Pyrrha shared a look, whilst the weapon changed hands, the matriarch putting it under her arm, the sisters showing nothing of this strange exchange of weaponry, their faces as normal as it was. "We'll have to get going to our rooms now." Sage Arc said, his voice sounding airier than it would, perhaps a touch affected still by the proceedings of the commencement.

As the Arc family filtered out of the room in an orderly line, Azure Arc looked back at them. As the youngest, she was the only one that lingered. "Thank you." She said, her voice soft and humble. "We're in the seventeenth room in the E dorms. We'll find you again in the morning, trust me." With those words, the door shut behind the Arc family, leaving Pyrrha to mumble a soft- "Why did that sound like they are going to deal with something dangerous?"

* * *

 _The unnatural energy_

* * *

Nora Valkyrie was a girl of certain tastes. Energy she had in spades, with enough of it to rouse her from her slumber early, before the glint of dawn had come. _Ooh, I'm up! I'm up! Renny? Is Renny awake?_

A swift check of the bed beside hers found that Lie Ren was still in dreams clad, the soft rising and falling of his chest bringing with it a slow warmth in her chest. _Iloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyou._ All she vocalised was a soft "Boop!" whispered in his ear, the boy's smile friendly and relaxed, as he whispered a soft 'Nora' back at her. _Aww, I just wish to gobble him up… but then Pyrrha would be sad because she doesn't have a boyfriend anymore. Aww, why did Jaune have to die? We'll have no time to boop together! But first… SHOWER! WOOH! FRESH FRESH FRESH FRESH!_

The excitable skip towards the showers was accompanied with the soft humming of one of the songs that she remembered from her earlier years, the soft Mantlesian tune having been sung by her mother during one of her earliest memories, the faint hum of that tune accompanying her as she entered the bathroom of team JNPR.

The hot water gushed over her body from the nozzle, washing it with its warmth and splendour. _I wonder what'll be for breakfast. Our fearless leader will no longer be able to steward us towards the healthy foods… but I should probably make sure that Renny gets some of his favourite veggies. I mean, not that I mind… He gets so awfully funny when he makes me… Ooh, I wonder if that jerk Cardin will be feeling sad too. I mean, I feel it a little bit, just like the buzz in the back of my mind that makes me want to stay here and have warmth, food, Renny, extra pancakes… eh… Renny._

As the soap lathered her body up, the ginger-haired girl's fingers tapped the rhythmic beat on the wall. _Jaune always got up early and was in the shower before I woke up… I wonder if he trained. I should ask Pyrrha whether she's ever trained with him before. Well… maybe not._ The thought of saddening the girl even more was one of those thoughts that halted her rampant train of thought, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, fogged up by the steam of the water. "Clean, Nora!" She announced to her own reflection, seeing the bright and perky look of her own face staring back at her.

Skipping towards the door that she had shut earlier, she came face to face with the room just as she had left it, her uniform clearly laid out for her. She would normally have selected to wear something more than just the bare skin, a towel or something, yet it hardly mattered. If Ren wanted to see what she had on her stall at the market, he could look. They were together-together, after all… and Pyrrha did not seem the type to have such things in mind. _Nope. Pyrrha was a man-sexual. Funny word, that. Man-sexual. Does that mean that they are man-on-man sexual as well? OOH! I wonder whether the cafeteria is serving food yet! It's… half to five. Still early. Let's check whether the Arc family is up yet._

The skip in her step was something that she could not help, as she got her shoes on, humming her tune a little louder the moment that she got out of the room of team JNPR, her skipping definitely a lot more cheerful than before. As she moved past team CRDL's door, she paused for a moment, wondering whether she should follow her instinct and be mean to them just because they had basically condemned Jaune to his death.

Placing her ear against the door, she could hear the faint snores of one of the team, the raspy groan of someone who definitely had a sleeping problem and the soft buzzing of the air conditioning. A soft sound that could be pain or irritation was heard, as someone seemed to have an especially restless sleep. _Good! Let them stew in the fact that they made Jaune… not be alive again._ The Valkyrie skipped towards the Arc family, heedless of team CRDL.

The door that led towards the room that Azure Arc had mentioned was unadorned by any team's plaque, the faint sense of intruding upon something that was not to be disturbed hitting her like some sort of physical barrier, causing her to freeze up. There was a small ruckus behind the door, as if someone was being busy with moving something heavy, a thudding sound audible.

Throwing caution into the wind, she opened the door, only to hear a 'DO NOT OPEN THAT DOOR!' right before a literal wall of water slammed into her, the door slamming shut before her as she was carried down the hallway on the literal wave. She was on her back, looking up at the ceiling with a surprised look. _What in the name of Oum was THAT?_ She got up, looking at the water that was spread over the floor, the last few hints of momentum behind it making the water flow down the end of the corridor. _Someone, not me, is going to have to clean that up._

A haggard and soggy-looking Heather Arc emerged from the door, her fingers snapping for a moment as heat seemed to flash over her body, drying her clothing. "You've come to regale us with some whippy-snippy-sappy tale of wanting to spend time with us, ginger?" Nora could not see anything but the hostile front that Heather Arc put up, the narrowed eyes looking like they carried the weight. "Get in." She said, jabbing a finger at the door.

Nora walked in after Heather Arc, waves of heat emerging from the woman's body to buffet her with pleasant warmth. _What is this all about?_ _Oh..._

 _The emotionless pit_

Lie Ren awoke slowly in the morning, already feeling the fading remnants of the dream egging its way out of his conscious mind and into his subconscious, his whole body feeling the past day's emotional toll as he rolled out of his bed, catching himself in a cat's manner, hands pushing him up. "Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, Ren slowly getting up. "Have you seen Nora?" He asked her, to which the champion gave a soft shake of the head. "I woke up and she wasn't here. She might've gone out to get an early breakfast."

 _Possible, yet not probable. She knows when to eat. We always eat together._ The ninja-like youth's head bobbed once. "Thank you." Pyrrha gave a sad smile, as he started to gather his supplies for his pre-school shower. The soap bar would have to be renewed, the stipend that they got for being orphans probably able to last them for a decent amount if they lived frugally. Food was free here, after all. Huntsmen had a very intensive lifestyle, so they were well-fed.

As he stroked his temples with the shampoo, rubbing it into his scalp, he let his mind wander. _We are together-together now._ A physiological reaction he could not suppress, giving a smile as he thought of her. _You always were the girl of my dreams, Nora._ The emotionless façade that he could put on was something that related to his Semblance, to dull the negative emotions and to cause the people to not register on the eyes of the Grimm.

 _I wonder if she would like to go on a date with me sometimes?_ The question was, how to ask her. He was not the greatest speaker on the manner of dating, neither did he know where to take her. Someplace fancy to eat was beyond their budget, and to go for a walk would be to cheapen the experience… but that might not be so out of thought as before.

"Do you suppose we should go to the Arc family?" He asked Pyrrha once he got out of the shower and dressed, the redhead busy with putting her hair in the ponytail that she usually had it in, fastening the hair in such a fashion that she looked business-like enough, the uniform fitting her remarkably well. "I don't mind. I guess… I guess I want to know more about them." _You doubt yourself too much, Pyrrha. You'd have made him yours if you had just told him what you wanted from him_.

It was no time for doubts, though. As he and Pyrrha moved through the dorms, they caught sight of a haggard-looking Cardin dragging his team along, his movements looking wooden and his face looking like he hadn't slept well. He saw them and gave a soft nod, the look on his face looking close to tears. _He bears the guilt. I know how that feels._

As they knocked on the door, it was a moment before the door opened, Rowan Arc answering the door, looking bright and well-rested. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" _She looks better than yesterday._

"We did, thank you." Rowan stepped aside to let them in, showing them a rather bedraggled set of Arc family members. Ashley and Bianca were half-passed out on one of the beds, one of their heads hanging off it, though not readily apparent as to who was who, Heather Arc and Nora seated opposite of each other, with Emerald Arc holding a set of cards in-between, the general squishiness of the carpet under his feet reminding him of the earlier janitor that they had passed by in the last hallway, mumbling about some idiot spilling a lot of water .

"Good morning Renny." Nora said, her voice a little off to his ears. "I went and visited the Arcs! We're howdy-doodly now! Jaune's mother is teaching me how to play poker!" _She's not in the right mood. She's disturbed by something._ The intricacies of Nora were well-known to him, even if her moods shifted like a sudden explosive weather pattern, her eyes meeting his and the need within them showing through. "That's nice." Came the answer from Pyrrha, who seemed to feel the tension in the room.

"We'll be clearing up here for a bit more, so the room looks as it was before." Sage Arc said, the man's eyes looking like they'd be about to drop shut in a moment, the man's gaze met Ren's own. _He wants us to go away for a moment._ "You kids go and get some breakfast. I'll make sure that these lazy two get woken up." Ashley Arc made a snoring sound at that moment, Pyrrha giggling a little. "It must be nice having a big family like that." She said, her voice appreciative. Emerald Arc smiled back at her. "You're always welcome to stay with us. We've got a mansion near Vytal. Do call, because we do have defences installed that will need to be shut off before visitors are allowed." _What house has defences that require being shut off? I could imagine if it was a village, but for a single house? Perhaps it's because it's out in the lands…_

"Renny?" Nora whispered into his ear as she came close, hugging him tightly. "I made a bad." _That's not good._ The look on her face was a little desperate, as she gave a skittish look at Rowan Arc. "Let's go get some food." She nearly dragged him along, Pyrrha's hand snatched and dragged along as well.

"We'll catch up to you soon." Azure Arc said, leaving him with the impression that the family was going to be doing something together that they would not want outsiders looking in on. _They are allowed to have their secrets, as we have theirs. Heather seems like she's more jaded by the world than most… and whatever's spooked Nora must not be much different._

* * *

 _The descent_

* * *

The darkness around him was ever-present. "Why did you kill me, Cardin?" The voice spoke, that same irritating tone ever-repeating. An arm crawled from the darkness, dragging slowly over the floor, as the voice spoke. "You killed me. Why? Because you were so silly in thinking that only Huntsmen could belong at Beacon?"

"I didn't mean to!" He cried, as the hand came ever closer, his foot kicking at it, only to have the limb go flying through the air. "I didn't mean to have you die on me! I was being stupid, I was just trying to…" The words died on the young man's lips as the shadows around him seemed to shrink back, a figure standing there in the shadows. "You killed me, Cardin. It was all you."

"I told you, I didn't WANT it." The plea fell on deaf ears, as the shadow-clad form of Jaune Arc stepped forth. "They ripped off my arm, Cardin." The cheerful voice spoke. The face that looked back at him had some strands of bloodied hair still visible from the mess that it had been. The uniform of Beacon academy had been made into rags, flesh pulped and shattered, as if some feral animal had its way with the body for a while as a chew toy.

"Shit!" He cried, as the tears came. The face of devastation stared back at him, an eyeball leaking milky-white fluid, something that no doubt should remain inside. "You made them only able to retrieve my arm, Cardin… Where's the rest of my body? Where have you left my body, Cardin?" The voice did not even seem to BLAME him for it.

That same tone that he used for friends as if he did not cast the blame upon him at all, to wash away the sin of sending him off to his death… It was worse than the thought of Arc blaming him. Something hit his chest, the armour that he wore having another bright red stain upon it. He grabbed whatever it was out of an impulse, only to see the arm there in his grip, fingers writhing and crawling around, grabbing his own. "We could have been friends. Didn't you know…" The words had repeated before during the nightmare.

"Strangers are just friends that you've not met yet." That his lips found those words and spoke them, was another damnation upon his soul. "You would've been my friend, Cardin Winchester. Your team and mine… we could have fought against the darkness together." Tears were leaking from his eyes down his cheeks. "I swear! I would've have fought at your side! You might've been shit at fighting but you know how to coordinate!"

"Yet still, you entered the coordinates. I don't blame you for that. You thought you were being funny, trying out something new." The words were harrowing, filling Cardin with a sense of shame.

The hand in his own suddenly started to multiply, before the voice of Arc came once more. Sage Arc's voice came to him then. "I forgive you for causing my son's death." The last four words were the most important ones, as they played over and over. "Causing my son's death." "Causing my son's death."

Startling awake with a hoarse 'I'm sorry!' dying on his lips, he turned around to see that the clock was only at six, another hour of sleep ready to be had… if he could. There was no more sleep to be found for him, even as he got himself up and ready, walking to the shower and feeling the cool morning air tickle his skin as he turned the knob on. _Fuck._

He stood in the shower for a while, the hot water battering against his flesh like the punishment that should have been his ever since the death had been confirmed. _Why haven't they done anything? I should've been dismissed as leader of team CRDL at the very least…_ The thoughts dwelled for a while, even as his skin turned redder under the hot spray of water, the heat drawing him to attention once he felt the chill of the air outside the shower penetrate his awareness, shocking him awake. _Better get the shower done and then inform the guys._

Emerging from the shower without feeling much refreshment, he watched as Dove stirred first, the click of the alarm clock starting to wind up to give its first sermon of awakening to the day, his hand stopping the alarm clock a moment later. "Wake up, guys." They roused from their sleep in a moment's notice, not even stopping to think, their leader's command going to put them on autopilot. "We've got a whole day of classes ahead of us. Time to show the world that they can be proud of team CRDL."

It was the typical speech that he did to show them the vim and vigour of the fact that they were a team, yet his delivery today was a little off. "You alright, Cardin?" Russel inquired, his gaze going to his hand, where he was still holding the alarm clock. "Yeah, just a bit... You know." _As if they know how I feel. It'd be better to ask about where the Grimm came from in Grimm studies class, that blowhard teacher would sermon about his whole youth at length!_

"If you ever need to talk to one of us, you've just got to ask. We're here for you, Cardin." Sky Lark said, Cardin putting a grim smile on his face. "I'll get better. Just having had a bad night of sleep." They did not joke about it, contrary to what would've been when it'd just be another day. The ribbing that they did would no doubt have been something normal, save for the circumstances of yesterday.

"You did a good thing, going to the commencement of Arc." _Yeah, right. As if they'd need his killer with the ceremony to celebrate his life._ It read on his face, obviously, as Sky patted his shoulder. "You should talk with Goodwitch. You aren't taking it well." _Gee, another Nevermore joins the flock! We'll have a murder soon enough... fit for a murderer..._ "I'll consider it, Sky. You keep your nose up, alright?"

The trek towards the breakfast in the cafeteria seemed to pull at his memory, the thought of Arc just strolling through the door to sit with his team still phantom in his mind, even as he watched the cafeteria be still absent of the members of team NPR and RWBY. He sat down next to someone in his usual spot, hearing the soft hushed intake of breath.

He only became aware that it was the rabbit Faunus after a moment when the floppy ears seemed to shrink back in obvious fear of him. "H-hey?" He asked, his own voice sounding rough.

"Easy there, bun-buns. Wouldn't want to get those ears caught somewhere." Sky said, seating himself opposite of Velvet and giving her a leer. The girl shrank in on herself even more, her gaze uncertainly peering around, in search of someone to possibly draw hope from her. "These ears are too floppy. They can't hear a thing when their betters talk to their freakish selves." Sky commented as he seated himself next to Cardin.

"Guys, stop it." He spoke with as much authority as he could fit in his voice, trying to keep his handle on the situation. _Be the man you CAN be, Cardin. Not the bully that you have been._ He put a smile on his face, though it was strained, turning to the smaller Rabbit Faunus and extended a hand. "Hey, Velcro."

The girl looked at the offered hand with a look that was both surprised as well as scared. "Velvet." She mumbled softly. "Alright, Velvet. I'd like to apologize." The girl looked at him, her eyes dark as chocolate. He did not think that he'd ever seen more honest eyes, as her lips seemed to tentatively smile. "Why? You were mean to me."

He took a deep breath, then another... and then another. "Cardin, you can't be serious in apologizing to this freak." Russel said, his voice incredulous. "She's got rabbit ears. She's a bunny girl!" His fist slammed on the table a moment later, his eyes looking at his teammates. "She's Velvet, first and foremost. I've been a royal dick to her, and not in a good way." _Just like you've been to Jaune. You've been a bully, Cardin Winchester. You've KILLED someone._

"I... I mean, I can sit elsewhere, if I am too unsightly." She said, his head turning to her direction. "No, no... We should apologize. We've been mean people to you." She smiled softly, her smile a lot more dazzling than he'd ever seen a girl smile. _I didn't know girls could smile like that._

"My team leader always says that you should smile and keep on going as you've always had." _Is this girl's leader an idiot?_ She looked at him. "How old do you think I am?" The question took him off-guard. _What's the reason for asking us how old we think she is? She's in our History class, so she can't be a second or third year, right?_

"Seventeen, like us?" He guessed, her smile turning a mite bit more pleasant. "Ah, allow me to correct you then. Velvet Scarlatina, aged nineteen." _Oh._ She smiled at him and let her tongue slip over her lips. He noticed it, only because he was looking at her face.

Her hand grabbed his own. "Cardin Winchester, leader of team CRDL." He said, awkwardly introducing himself to a girl who reached about to his shoulder or something. "Velvet of team CFVY." She said, the smile making his day feel... somewhat alright again. "Guys... Introduce yourself to the girl." He said, Russel swallowing heavily. "Russel Thrush. I'm... sorry." The bright smile was back on her face. "You're new. It happens."

"Mister Winchester?" The Deputy Headmistress spoke up behind him, as she stood there, prim and proper, not a hair out of place as intended. "Please follow after me to my office." The business-like tone of the woman spoke ill for his plans for the future, as she seemed to hold some sort of import to his business. "I'll be back before class starts, guys." He said, before pausing. "I'll see you tomorrow, or at lunch, Velvet." She smiled back. _Why is that smile so nice? It makes me feel... a little warmer. Can a killer like me deserve such a smile?_

* * *

 _The Good Witch_

* * *

The commencement ceremony had been one that she had seen many times. The ashes of the departed were to be caught in an urn, to be given to the family to cherish as the remnant of their beloved. The headmaster had disappeared, obviously to give the family some space, yet she could not unify the behaviour with how things were proceeding.

 _Something has to be done. Ozpin knows what the stakes are, yet he is too attached._ Being the deputy headmaster of Beacon, she had as much insight into the affairs of the school as he had, possibly even greater in some of the departments that the headmaster only signed off on, not having the skills to deal with the financial burdens of managing such an institution. _Punishment for Mister Winchester would be meted out by my hand if I wish it. I am the one who is below the headmaster in the ranks, as it is._

The Scroll at her side beeped, as she noticed the exchange between the Arc family. _I hardly remember them, though I have taught several of them. They had been students who had been unremarkable in most respects... Or acted like it._ Their silhouette cast a shadow through the darkened room, her eyes catching the look on Sage Arc's face. _I wonder if he was truthful about forgiving Mister Winchester. He knows what is at stake, though._

 _Each of them, from Rowan Arc to Azure Arc, has been to Beacon Academy. Team ATWD was never the same after Azure got promoted to full Huntress status, yet they managed to graduate nevertheless last year._ The headmaster's games often went in the directions that none would go to, due to fear or to prevent even greater disappointment from happening.

 _The goal is the goal. We have to watch for that final moment when we can finally achieve the peace we have been labouring towards for so long._ The deputy headmistress' heels clicked as she left the room, leaving the Arc family behind with team NPR and RWBY. The scroll was at her ear a moment later. "Goodwitch speaking." Her voice was as cool and collected as she appeared, even though inside, her mind was roiling. _Why does he not trust me with the information?_

"Greetings Professor Goodwitch. I am councillor Maroon Syfres, of the council of Vale." _This is not a casual call._ "What can I do for you, councillor." The voice on the other end of the line gave a soft clearing of the throat. "The death of a student has been recorded in our archives. Would you be able to give a statement in front of the tribunal?"

"In my capacity as the student's educator, I would be able to give a statement in front of the body of the tribunal, yes." Her semblance was activated then, a wall of force covering the area around her. _They want something._ "The Arc family is one of the older families of the Vale. It would not do to see such a grave miscarriage of justice go unpunished."She kept to the letter of the law. _I see. Scapegoat tactics._ "I am afraid that I cannot condemn or punish anyone. Rest assured that a punishment will be meted out, although the sole discretion is within the headmaster's purview. I am, after all, the deputy." The councillor on the other end of the connection gave a laugh, the woman's voice sounding like the husky purr of a cat that saw a particularly fat mouse.

"Professor Goodwitch, we both know the headmaster is a person who holds romantic sentiments. Young Mister Winchester… did nothing wrong." _Hm?_ "I am afraid I do not understand."

 _This is a power-play._ "As far as I have it here in front of me, young mister Winchester has been punished for his role in the death of Jaune Arc by having a demerit upon his standing registration as a huntsman, as well as a dismissal as the leader of team CRDL, hence to be renamed DLCR." _I'll have to check that. Ozpin, why do you always work those things through without informing me._

"I'm afraid that the headmaster's decisions are, as of this point, unchangeable." The councillor gave a soft titter of amusement, the woman's voice sounding more amused by the moment. "Young Mister Winchester was merely an accessory to the death of Mister Arc, right? A boy who should not have been accepted to Beacon, who had no formal training in the art of being a Huntsman." _But his footwork was more than passable. I had to give him that much credit at least... but footwork does not save a man against Grimm unless one has the skill to wield the weapon with equal measure._

"That rings true, yes." _Ripped apart by Beowolves…_ The memory came to her of their first combat class of the week, when she had reprimanded the man in the snarky manner that often came to her when she hadn't had her morning cup of tea yet. _How prophetic that was…_ "Then I would like to ask you to make an appearance in the next week. It will be a swift verdict of not guilty." The headmaster would have said something else, even as he would've responded with a negative answer.

 _I am guilty of not taking action swiftly enough. I could have fixed his stance and posture like a teacher should._ The doubt flashed in her eyes. "I will be unavailable for the foreseeable time. The preparations for the Vytal festival take precedence to any of the student affairs up until this point. The death of mister Arc was unfortunate and the punishment has been handed out, so the matter is, as it is, closed." The councillor's voice was still cordial. "The rule of law does not stop at Beacon's gates, Deputy Headmistress. We can arrange for you to become Headmistress if you so desire. It would be as easy as having the majority of votes from the council."

 _If I were a headmistress, what would have become of the task that we had set out to have? These people… they know nothing. They think that their walls will protect them, that the Grimm are mere puppies and snakes that torment the frail outer settlements._ "I apologize for wasting your time, Councillor. As of now, I cannot commit the time to an event that has already been judged fairly by the headmaster. He holds the deciding vote within this institution, as dictated by the law." The councillor's voice was irritated, as the woman spoke. "We know the law, Miss Goodwitch." _No more professor Goodwitch or Deputy Headmistress. It seems I have struck a nerve._

"We will see Mister Winchester returned to his rightful place at the head of team CRDL. Have a pleasant evening furthermore." The woman's voice was curt, as she shut the call down, the scroll powering down slowly with a buzz. Tucking it back into the pocket where she usually kept it, she continued on her way, Semblance shutting off, the glow around her fading into a mere after-image to those who looked at her.

Blocking sound waves with her telekinesis forced more strength from her than she would like to admit, even if it recovered swiftly afterwards. _Who is backing this push to reinstate Cardin Winchester? The changes must have been worked through in the register of students only this afternoon before the headmaster went to the commencement ceremony to administer it._

Opening the door to her personal office, she looked through the files that were deposited into the inbox, the folders that held a special seal of the headmaster to be looked through first. _Team CRDL, Team NPR… Oh, mister Wisteria's file._

Opening her terminal up with the passcode that she had used for the majority of her time, she glanced through the student records, seeing the date that had been put up for the change and the authorisation code. _You've done this without running it past me. Did the actions of the council force your hands, Ozpin, or did you do this to ensure that there would be no fall-out?_

Her analytical mind took over as she sorted through the information of team CRDL, hence to be renamed DLCR (Dolphin Coral) to adjust the proper positions in the team. _Arrangements to receive mister Wisteria should be scheduled for..._

The thoughts returned to reasonably functional Glynda Mode after she had been able to parse through all the information and formulated and pushed it to the proper spots and ensured that the machine of Beacon Academy would be able to continue working. "Glynda?" Peter Port said, his figure filling the door-opening.

"Hello, Peter." She said, her voice dull and emotionless. "Young Mister Arc has passed away and been put to dust, correct?" The man asked, her head nodding once. "He has. The headmaster commenced the boy to the rebirth of flame." The Grimm Studies teacher nodded once, his serious face looking at odds with the comical and boastful manner that he presented to his students. It was a face that he only showed in the privacy of the teacher's lounge.

"The lad had the heart in the right place." The man said. _His heart didn't help him much when the Beowolves savaged his body._ "Although his fault may have lied in a lack of training." _I can blame myself for not noticing. Glynda, you have always had too much focus on the simple numbers. It is time that you thought for yourself, instead of just assuming that whoever holds the power, holds the authority._ "I know." She said, her breathing becoming a little unsteady. "Do you need a tissue?" The man asked, pulling out a tissue from somewhere. She took it, dabbing at her eyes. "It's alright... I just had a thought about something I said to the young man before."

This was veering into personal territory. The man merely nodded, leaning against her desk, which creaked lightly. "I said something about being gobbled up by a Beowolf to him... Funny, that's exactly what happened. Because I failed as a teacher." _What teacher prophesizes their own student's fate?_

"You can learn from this. The first death of the year is always the hardest." Peter Port had been a huntsman for over forty years, his belly protruding at this moment, yet still bearing the muscles that had once made him known as Peter 'The Rock' Port. His knowledge of how to take down a Grimm single-handedly was legendary in the field. "We've got this every year... usually a bit later than initiation, when a student slips up and lands him or herself in the charging path of a Boarbatusk."

 _He's right. Why am I so affected?_ The calm realisation came to her, as she wondered WHY she was so affected. _It can't be affection. Perhaps it is mere pride as a teacher?_

An image of the headmaster came to her mind as she recollected the face that he had made during the commencement ceremony, his strained behaviour beforehand. His focus on the Arc family. _Who has A+ aura capacity? Is it because of Ozpin seeing something in them?_

"Do you know the Arc sisters?" She asked, the Grimm Studies professor leaning forwards and giving a nudge to her desk with his prominent bulk. "Which of the seven?" He inquired as if he had been musing on the topic as well.

"Every one of them. There's seven of them, so take your pick. Ozpin said that they had an A+ Aura Capacity." That news surprised the Grimm Studies teacher. "That does soothe my mind. With Heather Arc giving such a showing at the tournament, I had my questions on her capacity." _Heather Arc?_

Her quizzical look was rewarded by an 'Ah-hah!' from the teacher. "Heather Arc, twenty-eight, if memory serves well. Member of a team that disbanded three years ago due to the death of Salpeter Funichi, Hyperia Frontessea and Audernisse Evonturae. From what I remember, a quiet girl who was shy, helpful and always willing to ensure the best of smiles." _Strangers are friends I just haven't met yet.'_ The words came to her mind, spoken by the youngest Arc family member.

"That family are very friends-oriented, are they not?" She phrased the question like that, the portly man giving an enthusiastic nod. "It is Ashley and Bianca Arc who take the effort of teamwork to their logical extreme. One works to guard the other's flank, whilst the one tinkers with her strange inventions. Saffron and Cremea Arc often work together with Ashley and Bianca, as far as I have heard from graduates that get back in touch at times." The man continued, clearly finding it to be a novel subject to discuss. "Team SCAB, they started calling themselves when referring to the fact that they work together frequently. On the latest culling, I have had the pleasure of working together with them for a few hours." The man's fond chuckle was enough to clue her in that the girls had been some of the more entertaining members of the student body for the man's classes. _They seem to be well-adjusted and disciplined._

"They have a saying, about an Arc never going back on their word. To the very last, they would fight for what they have sworn fealty to." _Like us._ It was a pity at times that nobody else from the faculty had been informed of the exact nature of the Academy, or the task that Ozpin had to safeguard the whole world. "Their word is as good as gold." _We could have used them. They would have been perfect candidates for the Maidens as well. Young, vigorous, still able to coordinate well... Loyal... I'm starting to think like James. He always liked his loyalty in his troops._

"I came to check up on you." The man said, surprising her for a moment. She was aware that the surprise showed on her face, as he smiled at her. "This is not the first time that you've lost a student, Glynda. Bartholomew always says that to remember the students as they were, rather the death that they had visited upon them, is to keep them alive in your memory." _He did come by rather frequently when there was a student death._ _Was it all to help me?_

"It is appreciated." She said, her tone clipped and serious. "Don't be a stranger. Sit in on my class sometimes. Or stand, since you cut a rather imposing figure." The man patted her desk. To her, it was no longer the sight of a subordinate and one's own boss, but of a man who had seen much in his long-spanning career, offering guidance to a young huntress who had been lost on her path. _I need to speak to Ozpin. Now._ She got up, flowing into the stance smoothly. "I must see the headmaster. Things need to be cleared up. Team CRDL is now team DLCR, by order of the headmaster." The professor nodded, giving her a tentative pat on her shoulder. "You're doing great, both as a huntress as well as a teacher, Glynda." The man's compliment and praise felt oddly good. _I'm reduced to this, just by the simple death of one student. Needing a compliment from a colleague to feel good.I'm a disgrace to my teachings._

She strode from her office feeling like she was on a mission, ready to face whatever she had up against her for the opposition. Even with the evening stretching on before her, she would find the headmaster and get her answers. _It is for the sake of Remnant. All for the sake of Remnant._ The justification did not feel as heavy as it usually did any more to her.

* * *

 _These children you mislead,_

* * *

He looked at the global representation that was up on the digital display, his eyes serious behind his green-tinted glasses, the waves of darkness encroaching around the four beacons of light and civilisation. The elevator gave a soft ding, the headmaster not even turning around to acknowledge the one who had come to his office, as he watched the creeping darkness.

"Ozpin, we need to talk." Glynda's voice was definitely tinged with a hint of worry, the deputy feeling no doubt the weight of the decisions that had been made upon her. The headmaster continued to look at her, already prepared to bear the weight of whatever she was to lay on him. "The situation with Winchester is illogical!"

The headmaster did not respond immediately, as he looked at the darkness still, as if communicating with someone about something, his eyes looking incessantly at the dot in the mountains, where the darkness seemed to be massing. "Are you even listening to me?"

The woman made to lay a hand on the man's shoulder, to pull him away from his thoughts, yet a cold "Silence." Came from the man's mouth as he looked at the map. Snapping out of the trance-like state, the man realized that his deputy had frozen behind him, his head turning and a look of softness entered his eyes. "I apologize, I was simply... busy." The woman's nervousness seemed to spike, the chemicals that she exuded forming a corona around her of unease.

"The Winchester situation, you are referring to? Demoted to a member of team DLCR with Dove Bronzetail taking over the role of leader." The headmaster's voice was factual and dismissive as if the issue had been dealt with already, not worthy of much more time than a passing mention.

"Ozpin, he is getting off with a slap on the wrist! I will not stand to let a bully go through the same route with another of my students!" The emotional words did not reach the headmaster's ears, as he focused on the map again, drifting off on another segue. "Ozpin!" She moved to touch him, yet froze only an inch away from his skin.

"Do NOT touch me." The voice that the headmaster used was serious to the extreme, as the man's finger reached to touch the map, the orb spinning around. "What are you doing..." The man mused out loud, as his eyes scanned the global representation of Remnant. "Such a build-up... Are you sending your pawns in to do your dirty work... Or is there more at stake?" The man's voice was musing softly, ostentatiously to himself.

The deputy knew that their task was the most important to Remnant as a whole that there was, her eyes watching him cautiously. The map flickered out, the headmaster taking a deep breath, his hand taking his glasses off and polishing them slowly before putting them on again and turning to Glynda.

"My apologies. I was strategizing." The woman gave a whimper, as the headmaster's friendly smile seemed to be even more vicious than that of the Grimm that prowled the waters. "The Winchester situation, right?" The man's cordial tone with her was still the same as always, yet the woman paled as she looked at his face, the glow in his brown eyes bringing terror to her eyes.

"Ah, I apologize once more... The effects of my rather unique situation are a little frightening." The man rubbed his eyes, the glow fading slowly. "The Winchester situation... Ah, allow me to call up the files." The man's hands moved onto the display, calling up the files that were listed for the staff to see.

The names of team DLCR were displayed, with the highly critical information listed in plain text, without any embellishments. "Exactly what am I supposed to see here? His personality aside, the text looks to be generic. Average." Her voice was still unsettled, something that the headmaster immediately noted. "What is not written, is that Cardin Winchester is the grandchild of Emmanuel Winchester."

The woman stiffened a little, the name immediately drawing the association. "The councillor-elect for the industrial district?" The headmaster nodded once to the question. "The political situation around this is tenser than you might believe." Glynda's features showed the emotional conflict that she felt, the headmaster's gaze kept on the image of the young man that was displayed on the holographic depiction of the file.

"So... What is your plan?" The deputy said, her voice more demure. The headmaster's gaze met her eyes, as he closed the file and then pulled up three differing files, the face of Team NPR appearing there. "Remake team NPR into PRWN. Smooth the feathers of the council out until their assistance is needed." The man's voice was so factual and cold that it made him register his deputy taking a step back.

"It is a pity that Mister Arc perished." The headmaster said, in a tone that was meant to assuage her distress. "What we cannot do though, is have our funding cut by half. The accord from the Vytal treaty states that the council will need to fund the Academy until there are no students left to defend the city of Vale in training." The man's voice was tired as he walked towards the machine. "Hot chocolate?" He asked as he poured his mug full of the cocoa, the deputy shaking her head absently.

"Are we still doing the right thing, Ozpin?" She asked, the headmaster raising his mug to his lips, his nose inhaling the sharp scent of the cocoa, adding some of his preferred additions to the brew and stirring it once. "We do it for Remnant, Glynda." He said, his voice full of confidence that it was indeed for Remnant.

"Salem needs to be stopped." The headmaster continued as he looked at the blonde standing there, a mournful look appearing on his face. "If I fall... it would come to your shoulders to carry the burden up until my return." The woman's posture stiffened, as he moved closer to her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"She will do whatever it takes to claim my head." The deputy gave him a dubious look, as if she did not believe him. "Trust me... The situation with Mister Winchester was out of my hand... yet I have faith in the boy turning over a new leaf."

"How do you know?" The woman asked, her voice defensive. "What if he allows another student to die next because he thought it fun?" The Beacon graduate that had once stood there appeared to his eyes once more, looking at him with a blush on her face and a soft 'I would like to teach here.' uttered from her mouth.

"Glynda, you KNOW what is at stake. He knows now... too. I have made many a mistake in my lifetime... yet I know the look of regret and guilt when I see it. With a bit of careful prodding and coaching... Cardin Winchester can be a stalwart ally against the darkness." The woman gave a surprised sound.

"You wish to invite him into ou-" He held up a hand to stall her vocalisation of that word. "No. I said that he will need coaching to be urged to our side. We fight for every living and breathing human upon this world of Remnant." The headmaster's words were melancholic, as he reiterated the same words that he had said more than once.

"I want to leave behind a world in which the generation after us can live peacefully and quietly." The man's words were yearning, as he looked out the window, into the darkness. "Without that bright and simple spark to light the flame... How can we say that we fight?" The man walked towards the window, touching the glass.

"Ozpin, I respect your skill and follow your word because it has never been proven wrong, but did Jaune Arc really have to die?" The man turned to his assistant in the endeavour that had been many a lifetime in the working. The woman's eyes widened. "You're bleeding." The headmaster sniffed, his finger going to his lips. "I seem to be." A tissue was procured from his pocket and his nose dabbed.

"Do I need to inform the staff of the infirmary to expect you?" The man's face showed no real stress, shaking his head. "It was just... a side-effect." The man pulled his mug up, drinking some more of the hot chocolate. "Ozpin..." She felt touched, he could see it in her eyes. Pity warred with her own sense of duty, just as he had seen it so many times.

"You have been stressing yourself a lot, haven't you?" She said, her accusation ringing true. Her eyes pierced like they were swords made of intent, her gaze looking at him with accusation. "I realized that I had made a cruel joke to mister Arc the last time I spoke to him." She admitted, without any prodding.

It was perhaps the peculiar effect of being older than her, that she slipped into the subordinate daughter role without any issue. The headmaster made an understanding sound. "Maybe you'll get gobbled up by a Beowolf." She said, repeating it for his benefit.

Another nod he gave, understanding sound. "And he got gobbled up by a Beowolf." An understanding sound again, as he walked, laying a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "When will it end, Ozpin? These children, lost to our endless war with Her..." The woman started to cry, yet he did not comfort her more than merely lending her his warmth and his presence.

As she wiped at her eyes, he gave her a comforting smile. "We fight, Glynda. There will be a time when they can stand on their own." The words were familiar, as he had spoken them over the years to several of his confidants, who had been picked from the cream of the crop, selected for their loyalty to the end goal of defending Remnant. "And as long as I can help it, I will ensure that as many of our students make it to graduation."

The woman shuddered lightly, as she pressed her face against his chest, her body quivering a little. His hand touched her lightly, the mug patting her back. His soothing tone was akin to a father soothing his child who had scraped her knee, the woman feeling like she was a mess again. "It will be alright, Glynda... She will have to pay for every drop of blood that she has spilt by her own ploys and designs." The headmaster watched as the woman pulled away, her eyes red as they looked at him, the desperation in her eyes once more coming to a head, her lips parting to say something, yet he patted her back again.

"Always such a strict mask on... It would make your students wonder if you had been replaced at birth with a machine, Glynda." His voice was teasing, as the deputy murmured something inaudible into his chest. He stroked her back, exhaling softly. "If they had seen you when you were but sixteen, kicking down my door and demanding that I 'get that blasted monkey OUT of your room', they would have thought much different of you. Or well... if mister Estoperious had been correct, you would have been headmistress of Beacon academy right now."

The woman pulled herself away from him, as she looked at him. He could only see the younger Glynda peering up at him, her face twisted in a heated scowl as she had tapped his chest with a finger, demanding that he DO something about the Faunus student who had been assigned as her teammate. It had worked out well for their relationship in the end, working out a somewhat-functioning schedule.

"For the end goal... I'm willing to damn my own soul." She said softly, Ozpin's lips forming a sympathetic smile. "You do not have to... Just be Glynda Goodwitch." The woman smiled an innocent, younger smile. "I'll try. The matter with Mister Arc and Miss Nikos, though..."

The headmaster watched her take a moment to check her appearance in the small hand-held mirror, adjusting her makeup. "What about Miss Nikos?" He inquired, sounding curious. "Has she been showing signs of disturbing habits?"

"The girl has spoken the final words of the Oath of Eternity." He nodded. "It is how she unlocked his aura. She swore the oath with full conviction and faith." The deputy headmistress' eyes widened. "So... their souls are shared and their aura's linked?"

The headmaster looked at her for a moment and... blinked once and frowned. "Their souls are shared and their aura's linked?" The Headmaster repeated after her, looking somewhat befuddled by that piece of information.

She put her hands on her hips. "To swear the Oath of Eternity is to forever mingle your soul with others, to put your very being into the other to ignite their aura so that you will be forever bound, mind and soul." The huntress repeated, the headmaster merely staring at her.

"You mean to say, that to use that oath mixes soul and aura together?" The man's voice was clipped and short, the nod from the blonde confirming it. "It is a bit of old history, but it should be-" "Total and utter rubbish." The man's voice interjected, the deputy headmistress looking at the man.

"To bind one's soul with those of the one we love and cherish... Do you realize how silly that sounds?" The words were spoken with that cold and reasonable tone that he often used when lecturing people. "It is utter rubbish. IF the process was that easy, we would not be needing technology to facilitate Aura transfer." The woman opened her mouth, to speak.

"Now, igniting someone's aura DOES lend you an insight into how someone is at their very core. It is like..." the man seemed to try to find the proper wording for it, a rarity for her to see. "Like a handshake." The man continued, as he looked at her.

"Yet it is romantic as well." She said. "Two warriors, bound together by that oath for eternity, to guard one's back against whatever darkness comes against them..." The inner romantic inside Glynda seemed to come out, the headmaster rubbing his forehead lightly. "It is simply a good firmament upon which to build the foundation. Miss Nikos will have to ensure that the loss of her partner is borne by her drive to succeed, as most people will have." The man's stoic speech was not something that was unusual to hear, yet the blonde teacher firmed her stance.

"I will see you in the staff lounge, Ozpin." She said, asking for dismissal and receiving it. "Do not worry about Cardin Winchester... All things will be handled properly." The man assured her, even as the deputy walked to the elevator, the small ping sound coming as it shut behind her.

"Souls being tangled together by something as a simple oath..." The headmaster said, as he called up the special system again, the keycode tapped in, a singular file opened.

The image of a woman with white hair appeared on the screen, the unique manner of her hairstyle something of a long-held mystery to those who served her, the charms still left there to remain, even after all this time. The red-irised gaze that looked out at the viewer, the painting that had once painted nearly a thousand years ago the first thing that he opened up, just to remember.

The features were not twisted in a mocking snarl, as she would have done during their conversations, whenever they held that manner of contact for only the briefest of fragmented shards of time... but relaxed, a pleasant smile imagined upon the face that now had only the wrath against Humanity within it. Around the woman, the creatures of the Grimm were arranged, a sign of her own dark influence, the gemstone upon her brow glistening to illuminate the corpse-pale skin with its own glow, her veins visible under the skin.

"If only it were so easy." The man said as he looked at the features, the information on the file showing clearly for his eyes, yet not being processed, as those eyes met his own. "There is no victory in strength... Yet the things you forget are the things that are within every single soul... From the simplest... To the largest." The man's hand moved, another image appearing before him, the image of Salem pushed aside, Jaune Arc's entry displayed fully before him.

"What could have been..." The man said, his breath escaping slowly from his mouth, as he shut the file down. It was time for him to rest, as the process had drained his strength for the time that he had been up. "I will have to begin my search anew... Before this one fades." The man's voice sounded wearier than he had let show to his deputy, his hand brushing through his hair.

 _Did the things you thought you should,_

She did not feel like doing much today. With the emptiness inside her right as of this moment, she doubted whether she could stand up to face the crowds of people once more. _Why would you do something? Does it even make sense anymore?_

She felt the conflicting desire within her to go and smash something, to grab her weapons and to kill the Grimm until she was satisfied with her battle-thirst slaked. It would hardly make a dent in the creatures of the Grimm, but it would serve as a tool to rid her of her frustrations. "Are you alright, Pyrrha?"

 _No, I'm NOT alright. Jaune is still DEAD._ Putting her smile on, she gave a hesitant "Yes, I am. Yesterday was a little heavy... but I feel fine." The lie did not feel like it was hard to say, the concern in Nora's eyes there, raw and certainly the most concerned for her health. "If you need to talk... I'm here."

 _False sympathy. What does she know? She's together-together with Ren... and I am all alone._ A sigh came from her mouth as she nodded. "Thank you." She said, her words feeling bitter, even as she stirred the nutritious stew that she'd selected for breakfast, the meat that had been put in it emerging from the greyish-blue looking stew. It didn't smell that great, to her nose. She pulled her fork out and ate some of it. _Blueberry and kale... Not the best combination._

A hug suddenly was what she felt, as Nora hugged her tightly. "You're my best girl-friend, Pyrrha." _Am I? But... we've not known each other for longer than three weeks_. "You're my best friend as well... as a girl." The excitable girl seemed to gather steam, her boyfriend clearing his throat. "Nora, you are disturbing the peace." The girl quieted down immediately with that single word from Ren, sitting back next to him, having leapt over the table in an easy manner to deliver the hug.

 _So easy... She's got a boyfriend and I... I've got a dead partner, with someone else selected to fill in the blank._ The words were bitter to her own mental dialogue, as she began to look around the student body. Picking out Cardin's tall form as he sat there next to a petite Faunus girl, she was shocked to realize that he was actually carrying on a conversation with the girl, the girl making a gesture with her hand.

 _And there comes Goodwitch..._ She realized as she watched Cardin get up, offering an actual apology if her lip-reading talents could be accurately trusted. _He... actually may be turning over a new leaf._ The teacher and Cardin passed by them, her gaze going up to him. He caught her gaze and looked away, his gaze definitely shameful. _Like how I feel when I'm doing something in public that is embarrassing._

The list of things that she had done that she regarded as 'shameful' were not too many. The swimsuit picture shoot had been one of the highlights. _Now... that would have been embarrassing if someone actually wanted me to sign their copy._

Her thoughts drifted back to her former leader. She could feel the blush creeping up on her as she looked down at her stew, pulling the spoon from the muck-like substance and then eating some more. _I would have totally modelled one of those swimsuits for him._ The bitter taste that filled her mouth suddenly at the memory of what she could not have any longer was something that she could hardly deny, her gaze going to the door to the cafeteria, seeing the Arc family come through, passing by Goodwitch and Cardin without a word shared. Rowan Arc looked a little peaky, her smile somewhat like hers, not quite reaching her eyes, Heather Arc appearing at her sister's side, Sage and Emerald Arc talking with each other whilst the other five daughters came after them, considerably slower and more exhausted-looking than the others.

They claimed one whole table to themselves, their parents going for the food, Azure Arc trailing behind them with the apparent orders from the other sisters. _Oh, what could have been. They could all be my sisters if I had just..._

She realized that she was already thinking too far ahead, the marriage already settled in her mind. Her cheeks flushed heatedly as she tried to imagine Jaune in a tuxedo, looking at her with that look that he got whenever he was readying himself for something serious. _He would look cute in a tux._

"Are you alright, Pyrrha?" Azure Arc asked, carrying two trays filled with fries and burgers, obviously for her sisters. "You were looking a little out of it, so I thought I'd ask how things were." The girl's attention was on her and she blushed a little deeply, embarrassed at being caught daydreaming. "I was just thinking about the serious face Jaune made when he was considering something."

Azure Arc smiled softly, pointing at her father, who was looking serious as he carried three trays with him towards his daughters. "Like our father does?" _The resemblance is definitely there, though his mother looks a bit more like Jaune when he laughs._ She nodded. "Let me tell you a little secret..." She smiled and leaned forth conspiratorially.

"The cereal wasn't that great, but it was our time to bond with Jaune." The youngest Arc sister smiled and winked at her. "You were only featured on the last seventeen boxes, but make no illusions... He liked how cool you looked. You were a bit of an inspiration." _Oh. I guess... I'm happy._

The girl joined her family, Pyrrha catching Ashley and Bianca collapsed onto their seat, their heads laying on the table. Rowan Arc was busy with cutting open a burger and applying a generous coating of mustard to the inside like she was trying to prepare it for surgery of some sort. _They're definitely an odd family._

The matriarch said something, Rowan looking at her and answering, Heather Arc responding as well and Rowan giving Heather a look, leading to an exasperated look on the face of their mother, her eyes meeting hers for a moment. "We should get to class, Pyrrha." She heard Nora say, Ren already getting his tray up. "Yes, I don't think I'll be able to eat much more." Pyrrha said, pushing the plate up a little and then letting herself feel her stomach rumble. "You should've gone with the fries." Nora said, Pyrrha smiling lightly at her teammate's care. "I probably should..."

She probably should make sure to also get information on who would be replacing Jaune on her team... Since she likely was to be the leader after the reformation of her team. They would forever remain team JNPR though... even if Jaune was replaced, he would still linger in their heart.

* * *

 _Divide them with doubt_

* * *

Cardin followed after Professor Goodwitch, the tall woman striding with purposeful steps. The faint whiff of perfume followed in her trail, the steps that she made clicking upon the stones of the floor below her. _This doesn't feel like a casual chat._

The fear of being dismissed from Beacon was real, especially if Goodwitch wanted to have a word with him. He had known that it would likely not be a safe space for him to remain, with his whole 'having caused the death of a student' mark on his record. As they walked into her office, he heard the door click shut, the chair in front of her desk looking like the execution chair for him. "Please be seated, Mister Winchester."

"Yes, professor Goodwitch." He said, seating himself, uncomfortable wooden chair feeling like it was made out of the toughest of wood. "Your conduct as a student has been wholly unbecoming of Beacon." _Who wouldn't think that? I've killed someone by my actions. I'm a killer._

"You are henceforth stripped of your position as leader of Team CRDL. Henceforth, the team will be led by your teammate, Mister Bronzetail." The news was no surprise. _Just what I've deserved... Now Dove will have to shoulder the burden. Perhaps it is for the best._ "I understand, Professor."

He got up, getting himself ready to move to the dorm to get his bag together. He would say his goodbyes to his team soon after. "Where are you going, Mister Winchester?" The teacher's sharp voice cut through his thoughts, as he was about to head out. "To pack my bags and to return home. You are kicking me out of Beacon, are you not?" The professor shook her head, the sharp look on her face intimidating to his own feeling of security. _Who would keep me around?_

"No. Sit down." The command in that tone was clear, his buttocks touching the uncomfortable surface of the chair again. "You will remain a student of Beacon. A mistake was made. You bullied another student and it let to his death." _It's true. I killed him through a stupid bullying prank._ The words were harsh, and Cardin's body quivered.

Tears were coming now. He could not hold them back. "Yet it is here at Beacon that we strive to fight for what is needed. We strive to fight to ensure that events such as that..." The pause was heavy, and the tears started to come even more than before, leaking from his eyes like the faucet had been turned on. "never happen again. They will never happen again, Mister Winchester... Right?" The emphasis on that made him shudder, his gaze looking up.

The cool calm green eyes met his, the glasses that she wore shimmering for a moment. "Of course they won't." _And I'll swear that on my life._ The blue eyes that flashed before his eyes were looking at him, unshakeable in their conviction to be a Huntsman... snuffed out before. "Good. See to it that I will not have any report on my desk with your name on it associated with such acts of bullying ever again." The woman's tone was clipped and short, yet he could feel a sob coming from his mouth.

"I promise." He said, his voice holding the truth within it. Those green eyes were distant and pitiless, as if he were but a worm before her, a true Huntress, who could carve him into little bits before he would have time to think. A tissue floated next to his face. It was obvious for what it would be used for, his hand wiping his face. _You're a disgrace, Cardin._

"You are dismissed, Mister Winchester. Please go and inform your team leader to come to my office next." The woman said, her voice clearly telling that the time to speak with her had gone and that he was to get out of her office immediately.

He didn't need to hear that being said twice, making for the door, giving a single glance back. The tissue floated into the wastebasket next to the desk, the teacher looking back at him with that same look. _She's disgusted with me. I am too. I wouldn't want to talk to me either._

He walked out the door, coming face to face with the three members of his team. The worried face of Sky was enough to clue him in that things were definitely going to change now. "Dove? She wants you in with her." He said, the serious-looking teammate giving a nod, walking into the office. "What happened?" Russel asked as he looked around for any students to pick up on what they were saying. "Goodwitch said that I was demoted from my position as leader. Dove is going to be the new leader."

"You aren't expelled?" Sky asked, his voice sounding worried. "No, but they did say that this is my last chance." The nod that the pale-haired Sky gave was one of understanding, patting his leader on the back. "We'll be good, Cardin. You were our leader and even if Dove's in charge now... We'll still trust you." _They've still got faith in me... But I haven't._

* * *

 _Born an angel, heaven sent,_

* * *

Hatred. Boiling, searing, bubbling and sizzling HATE washed over her body as she was submerged into the darkness, her whole flesh flush with that dark emotion as she bathed in it. Her eyes were closed, yet they did not have to open for her to be able to see. Billions of eyes opened for her, casting her gaze through the world like an endless panorama, ever-shifting and changing.

 _ **They try to resist**_ _._ Her mental voice spoke as she floated within the dark liquid, that one moment when there was nothing but the peace and tranquillity to feel the raw hatred within herself flow out into the world. Her attention went towards the desert-parched lands that the people called Vacuo, the Grimm moving to her every desire. The Seers communed her orders towards her children, bringing with them her eternal will. _**They will not know the time is nigh... for all to fall down.**_

Breathing in the black ichors, her pale white arms wrapped around the forces brewing inside her, letting it seep out into the control of the Grimm, her heart beating ever faster in her chest, as the orders came in a flow of thought and order. With her whim, they moved. Thousands of soulless creatures moved with but a simple command, the orders relayed through the Seers bringing forth uniform movements.

A Faunus Huntsman ripped apart by Beowolf claws, body tossed aside as Ursa moved through the streets. _**A futile hope.**_ The blood coating the walls as the body finally shuddered and gave its last breath, a spark of something resembling happiness going through her body as she saw the light of the soul finally flicker out. Red eyes continued to stare at the surrounding... all the eyes linked with her view, their primitive minds rugged and animalistic, extensions of her will. Her mind surged with the information, sensations, heat and flame as Dust rounds tore apart her children, the black liquid in which she was submerged starting to bubble as the wall of force came through, twisting and turning.

" _ **Resist and fail. You know that you cannot hold back the tide, dear Ozpin."**_ The feeling that she returned from the connection between the two of them was one of resistance, amusement flickering within her very core at the joyous connection that sprung up, her whole body shivering in the delight of having once more broken the man's riposte. _**You may think that you have a safe haven... Yet you know that strength is not enough.**_ Faunus villagers screamed as the Beringel's form burst through the wall, the alpha Beowolves guiding the flow of lesser ones through the breach in the wall, the slaughter just starting before her gaze.

" _ **It is not polite to speak in such way to a lady... Hasn't your mother taught you... Oh... I forget..."**_ The Grimm were torn apart by a Huntress wielding a chaingun attached to a sickle-like weapon, the chaingun's barrel whirring into the flurry of dust-infused bullets that tore through dark flesh and sinew, the emptiness of the void within the Grimm showing as they were slowly dissipating. _**"All who you have loved... All that you cherished..."**_

The Huntress screamed as the King Tajitu surged from below the ground, the twin heads punching through the ground, fangs flashing as the woman was bitten by them, torn apart with a savage tug as the other head pulled, blood raining down onto bone-white masked faces. _**I will see you burn... Just as I have burned by your hands.**_

Beringels leapt into the streets, slamming through one of the barricades that had been erected, one of them falling due to the dust-infused rounds. _**Ahh...**_

The hatred inside her simmered a slow-burning poison that could corrode everything, the lips that she had once whispered sweet words pressing tight together, guiding her creatures towards Humanity.

Vile temper rising, she commanded the Grimm to raze every little shred of humanity in the area, to hunt down every little dreg of humanity that they could find and end it. Mad anger flared through her mind as she felt the indignation swell, the surging wrath in her very body bringing with it the sensation of being wrought of that grim determination. _**I WILL END YOU, OZPIN! I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL DIE WATCHING WHAT YOU HAVE WROUGHT SHATTER!**_

The liquid that surrounded her felt heavy, as she felt around, floating aimlessly. Her mind drifted from place to place, the frozen cold coast of Mantle, now Atlas, feeling for the presence of the Grimm again. Her forehead touched something, the cold hard wall of the basin in which she languished, controlling the Grimm with her mind's whim, the frozen land no obstacle to her desires to dominate and destroy.

The warmth that flooded her lower body as she felt the satisfaction of seeing yet another area of the world depopulated by her brood was something that she kept to herself, languishing with that heat that burned whilst the rest of her was icy cold. Sweltering and vindictive pain flared within her as the neural feedback of her children dying reached her, the King Tajitu that had been slashed apart by a barricade of throwing knives enhanced with a Semblance-fueled gift of flame returning to the fold of her power. _**I am a goddess given flesh!**_ The words did not seem hollow to her, as the Grimm surged, the Huntsman who had thrown the throwing knives having to face seven Beowolves.

The screams were the loudest, as the teammates of the Hunstman tried their best to guard their falling friend, as one of the Beowolves slashed at the man, his knives bouncing off the short-formed mask, failing to penetrate it as panic gripped them at the sudden intrusion of the Beowolf pack into their defensive line. _**Fear...**_

She drank in that fear, hearing the screams of terror and of fear from the members of that team as their knife-thrower was torn apart, his aura fading out like the embers in the night when doused with a bucket of freezing water. The Beowolves were upon the other members of the team next, the rifle rounds cutting through their darkened flesh a moment later. _**Scream.**_ The girl looked torn, her eyes streaming tears of emotional pain and shock as she shouted something that did not get translated through the wondrous symphony of fear and terror.

Her teammates chose better valour in fleeing, turning tail and trying to make back to their village, the girl's desperate drive to avenge left as her own. Her gaze turned fearful as they retreated, with her left behind. She called out, delicious sensations of betrayal and hurt echoing through the aether into her own receptive mind, the dance of death continuing. Her arm was torn off first, the girl's scream loud enough as the crimson blood splattered. _**Delicious...**_

She was smiling now. Her lips curled up as she drank in the pain, the terror, the FEAR of the girl. Her end would come soon, as the Grimm chased after the fleeing teammates, which had turned around upon hearing her scream, yet had betrayed her once more. Five of the pack remained, four chasing after the fleeing teammates, her gaze watching the girl as she struggled to keep the wound from spurting blood. _**Useless.**_

The Beowolf lurched forwards, its paw swiping once and batting her head off her shoulders, the shocked look in her eyes right before the paw impacted and the neck vertebrae became exposed like a fine wine. Betrayal, fear and mortal terror and pain were within those eyes before they finally were out of sight. The Beowolf followed the arc of the head, rolling away as the blood spouted from the wound like a fountain with the dying gush of blood, like a fountain that she was watching spout every day, multiple times all across the world. _**No matter the time... They are all frail, weak and useless when divided.**_

The teammates were caught up and torn apart, their screams reaching her ears like an accompaniment to their death, only a faint after-image on her mind as she watched hundreds upon hundreds of those scenes. Whole settlements faded away, with her bloody revelry continuing in the utmost of depictions, the tingle settling in her stomach as the pain and agony were fed into her, the warmth of her own rage bolstering her resolve once more. _**One more year... at the most.**_

As the images of slaughter filled her mind, she could feel other images also flash by. Days that had been spent in younger years, remembrances of when things had once been peaceful and tranquil. Her hand held at the dance. The full moon looming above as she had pressed herself against him. His eyes a deep dark brown colour, like the earth.

His lips against hers. She could feel it again as if someone were kissing her right on this very moment. Her whole body jolting with sparks of electricity as she curled up against him, her breathing coming ever faster, the viscous liquid that filled her veins and her body starting to pulsate with her own excitement.

Murderous scenes of Grimm slaying humans and Faunus alike mingling with the faint touch of his favourite drink on her lips, her tongue forcing into his mouth to touch what she had thought rightfully of as hers, once upon a time. _Hers_ , never his. A stillness in his tall form, his kissing manner dead and lifeless, as if only just becoming aware of her presence.

Her kiss turned more desperate for that exertion of her dominance, to crush all resistance before her and take, her nostrils and mouth filled with the dark ichors that she languished in, trying to push it into him, to let him TASTE the darkness that she had been subjected to, ever since _that_ day." _**I HATE you, Ozpin."**_ The words were thought towards him, the connection that he had opened up a fraction sending that through, even as the passion in her kissing seemed to be remembered as if he were present there with her.

 _ **Every day! Every night! Every moment! Every second! I HATE you! I LOATHE you! YOUR fault! IT is ALL your fault!**_ Her tirade did not seem to be reciprocated, even as she could feel his confusion. The kiss, it all came back to the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his head as if she wanted to squash it like a grape, her full hatred burning like the sun that rose every night and the heart that had been shattered like the moon before when they had...

Her tongue probed that mouth as more images of slaughter filled her mind, her stomach tingling with the desire, a low guttural sound coming from her throat as her hips jerked, her whole body shuddering. _**Yesss...**_

The humans would never understand her. As his tongue returned the gesture, the phantom memories drifting back to her mind, she could feel her grip on the back of his head turning even more painful, his struggles growing stronger. _**MINE!**_ Her thoughts were not jarred as she forced that kiss on his lips, the phantom memory making it almost feel real to her senses.

She could look up and see the spectre of an unshattered moon. The earth still fresh around her, as the peaceful glade was unspoiled by the invasion of the Grimm. His pale hair laid in her lap as her fingers threaded through the hair, the staff that she wielded as her weapon of choice next to her. His head moved up before her lips met his, a giggle coming from her mouth a moment later as she whispered his TRUE name. Not the silly name 'Ozpin' that he had adopted in this era, the name that she had only seen him use ONE time ever since.

Her release made the surface of the pool quiver, as her body convulsed with the joyous sensations that had no place inside the fear and terror and depression that she fed on. A warm white aura blossomed within her once more, the soul-tearing darkness starting to fade for a moment as the pleasurable burn washed over her body as her teeth chattered and her eyes rolled back. It was like she was floating on air, the chemicals within her brain responding to her lover's touch, the release making her whine as she let go, the flow of that warmth continuing. For a moment, she was...

 _Hatred. Despair. Defeatedness. Fear. Terror. Anger. Doubt. Frustration_. _Grief. Loss._ The lips were not on her anymore and neither was she still submerged in her own pool of terror. The disconnection from the bigger whole was startling even as she began to sink back into the pool, relaxing with the sudden connection to her children once again restored. Her mind was awash with terror and the starkness of hate and fear once more and all was good in her world once more. _**No time to linger upon past regrets and has-beens. He made HIS choice. Humanity... is nothing against MY power.**_

When in seven hours her minions could walk through the hallways once more, she knew that there would be more orders to give to them. No strange feelings of an age long-since passed to bother her. Just the soothing chill of bringing about the demise of mankind. She might have to give young Cinder a small incentive to hurry up with her plans to breach the walls of Vale... Perhaps a politely-voiced threat? _**She always has wanted for power... And the Maiden has slipped from our grasp, still alive. Yes... It would be good for little Cinder to feel the heat... before it all falls.**_

She was unaware of the coughing sounds outside her pool of darkness, nor of the door being pushed open, the audible creak and click of it shutting once more not even penetrating the surface, leaving the shadowy realm with darkness once more, the ancient room looking like it would not see motion, the pool undisturbed until the mistress would emerge from it once again.

* * *

 _Reap the seed_

* * *

The man looked at the departing Schnee Dust Company's bullhead, the escorts with armaments for protection already getting warmed up to accompany it, to catch up a minute later. The ticket, made out to W. E. Schnee had been displayed on the screen a moment earlier, called up from the company files, the notification having come into his inbox an hour beforehand.

He stroked his moustache, pale as the hair of his daughters and son, reading the news on the current excavation in the Vacuan south, a knock on the door and his son entering drawing him from his contemplation, his son's soft-spoken voice cutting through the silence."Father, you called for my presence?" The sound of his son's voice brought a tiny smile to his lips.

"I have. Let us go over the monthly proceeds from the Vacuan mines." The son sat down opposite of his father, the spreadsheet put in front of him. Trivial things like the proceeds from the mines in Vacuo were small things if you were a man of the world, controlling the Dust market in the whole world through the simple fact that you were the head of the largest exporter of Dust in the known world.

The Schnee Dust Company was world-renowned for its Dust, the quality of the highest grade and the military contracts with the Atlesian military running in the billions of Lien for the simple technological advances that were made as the science of Dust continued to evolve. As his son looked over the spreadsheets, trying to make sense of what could be, a paternal smile flickered on Jacques Schnee née Gélé's face as he watched the boy make sense of the spreadsheets in swift order.

"The proceeds are up by thirty-one percent compared to last quarter, Father." The boy said, his voice soft and calm. "Miner casualty rates have risen by two percent due to a series of earthquakes. Dust mining has increased the yield of the southern mine by five percent due to tectonic shift and an increase in earth-based Dust emergence all across the board in the region."

"Very good, Whitley. Have you seen the gradient curve?" Another spreadsheet was pushed towards the young teenager, the calm and collected face that Whitley made looking over the factors that were outlined, including the rising red line. "We can cut cost by using Faunus hires to make up for the difference in the workforce. They will be forced to work for the same wages, provided we supply some more housing units." The calm assessment was one that he had made as well, as he looked at the young man's acumen.

"You are better at the figures than Weiss ever was." Praise, meted out sparsely, denigrating one of the daughters that he had in order to bolster the dust gem that he had sowed himself. He nodded, as he poured himself a glass of wine. "Thank you, father." The answer came, the soft nod of his head. "Has mother gone to the capital for the bi-annual fundraiser for the Vacuan restoration project?"

The man shook his head. Another print-out, this time with a row of numbers and dates associated. "What do you make of this?" He asked the boy, watching him puzzle over the numbers. Another glance outside, at the departing bullheads, the man allowed himself another sip of the fine wine, the wedding ring on his finger glistening for a moment.

"Numbers and dates for the production load... from... eh..." The lack of composure showed Jacques allowing himself a small smile. "You can do this, Whitley." The sound of the boy giving a soft grunt of frustration. Jacques had not selected the numbers at random. "Atlas. It is the load from the Atlesian southern mines."

"Good boy. The yield from the mines, according to date and to level of productivity." The man said, Whitley's gaze going to the window. "Mother..." The man did not smile as he looked at his son. "Is going to Mistral for a while to witness the fashion show." The youngest Schnee nodded in understanding.

"Will she be back?" He asked, the utter lack of care in the voice being something that Jacques could empathize... in albeit a limited fashion, with. "Yes." The man responded curtly, as he pulled the sheets away from his son. "What do you think about your competitors, Whitley? Be honest." If there was one thing that Jacques knew, it was how to spot a lie.

"Mother is a drunken louse who loathes me. She values her Vacuan Port more than the fine clothes she wears, laying in her room and drinking the day away instead of focusing on the proceeds from the company. She goes to those superfluous social events because it is expected, yet finds more in common talking about fashion accoutrements than the earning of Lien from the main industries that we are invested in. Unsuitable for the top position, yet fitting for a trophy wife. A vestigial remnant of what had once been a failure of an investment." The callous and cold manner of description pleased the father as he looked at his son. "And your eldest sister?"

"Winter is cold like her namesake. She may attempt to foster a casual attitude and struggle with her anger, yet cannot connect to people like us." The calm and factual announcing of such an opinion would have set others aflame with irritation, yet Jacques only nodded, satisfied with the initial assessment. "Her entrance into the Atlas military has discontinued her use for the SDC as a possible heir, despite being the eldest. The indoctrination efforts made by General Ironwood would be too effective upon her rigid mindset to be changed easily to allow for maximum profit."

"And Weiss?" Jacques asked, the glass empty in his hand. Pouring a fresh glass for himself, he waited for Whitley to gather himself. "Unsatisfactory. Emotional driven and prone to making irrational decisions, she thinks her training in the..."A sound of disgust came from his son's throat. "Fighting style of our grandfather would save her when the fire comes calling. Heiress in title and in skill of fighting, I could call her. Unsuitable for the business due to rational and decisive mismatch."

"And what of you?" Whitley seemed to preen a little, a thing that Jacques noted to try and bring to manageable levels. One at the top of a company such as the Schnee Dust Company did not 'preen'. "I am young, able to make sense of the numbers and the proceeds as well as ensuring the longevity of our product lines. According to the census data, the branch of the Schnee manufacturing that you have assigned to me upon my thirteenth birthday is currently seeing a seven percent increase in sales due to the manner of advertising that was selected by referring to previous advertisement campaigns."

"Do you think you should be the heir, Whitley?" The man asked, his voice giving the impression that he wished to hear the answer. "Naturally. I would be the one to lead the company to greatness." Jacques Schnee did not often let himself experience such feelings as paternal pride. One did not grow rich off feelings. One grew rich off the sweat and labour of others. Marrying into the Schnee family had been the best option that he had ever had.

"I will give it consideration." It was a matter of time until Weiss was discredited. Her nature did not lend itself to business. She was too impulsive, had too many feelings and attachments. His only heir would be Whitley. His only son from her loins that would follow his footsteps and rise to greatness.

As Whitley got up, knowing the dismissal for what it was, he gave a formal bow to his father. "Have a pleasant day, father." As he left the room, Jacques Schnee picked up the phone. "Do it." The soft 'Understood, Boss' was enough to know that his orders would be carried out.

A smile blossomed on his face as he turned his chair to face the window, at the direction where his wife had gone to. Today... was a good day for profit.

* * *

Well... Here's chapter 4. I edited out a few bits(Again! Can't spoil too much! You're going to LIKE it. Or not-so-much.) that I'd like to save for chapter 5 when the plot starts kicking into higher gear(It's GOT a plot. We're not going to see any Weiss Privilege here. We'll get to see who this mister Viridian Wisteria is! Joy, joy... and something else.(Probably snarky comments on how it's a waste of time to read +- 21.000 words in like 21 minutes. Nope, not forgetting that comment anytime soon.)

Please let me know if this chapter reads a little different than the one before. (I tried a bit of a mix.) I'm definitely looking forward to people's commentary on how it was received (Although... people can probably guess from the whole preceding events that this is not going to be some very cheerful tale. It is after all... A Grimm Tale.) and well... if it emotionally moves you, good! That's the effect I'm going for!

Have a good evening/night/morning/afternoon/whatever sort of time denomination you use wherever you are at when reading this.

Cyanide. Totally Sinful.


	5. Volume I:A Jaune-t with Roses and Whites

**Chapter 5: A Jaune-t with Roses and Whites.**

 _Yes, Jaune hasn't had much screen-time in the preceding chapters. Yes, people point out that this is mislabelled because... Jaune doesn't_ APPEAR _on screen. But it's still about Jaune. An impact on the people around him, he will have. And in THIS chapter... well. 100% more Jaune! And that scene I kept talking about, which has been written since Chapter 3 was around. We know the players of the grand game of Remnant now. The prologue is DONE. Let's get on to the meat of the story._

* * *

 _The wilted rose_

* * *

The darkness was around her like a cloud of dark tar, wrapping around her body. She could feel the wires snap taut for a moment as the ichorous liquid bubbled and frothed around her, the burning sensation of the corruptive fluids starting to lessen a little, even as something outside her vision seemed to agitate the liquid. It was pulling away from her as if something that held pull on it came ever closer.

 _This isn't good._ The thought rose to her mind as she tried to push herself out of the thick liquid, colder than the frozen tundras of Atlas and the Mistralian north wind, her body trying to move a fraction, yet she could not move. As she could feel her limbs fail to respond to her brain's command, she could only come to the conclusion that it would be something akin to her own weakness that had failed, as she felt nothing moving. _Not good, not good, not good._

There was not a single hint that this tormenting existence was coming to an end, her body feeling sore and tired. The liquid was seeping into her body, it had been seeping into it for what seemed to be like a decade... yet she had not given in to the lure. The irresistible lure that promised her power if she would just give in, would just allow the darkness to claim her. Her eyes were open wide, trying to peer through the murky liquid, the flashes of light that she had glimpsed a few times still keeping her inspired to try. "I'll get you out, just wait a moment!"

The voice was different from the one that she'd heard before, her ears twitching a little, the thick liquid filling them still to block all sounds from outside, only the vibrations allowing her to discern what was going on. A thudding sound was heard, the sound of something splintering reaching those clogged ears, as something seemed to slam into the cylinder again, the sudden rush of pressure being lost leaving her to feel weightless, right before the harness pressed painfully against her flesh.

 _Light! Holy cookies and cream ice-cream, Light!_ The exuberant thoughts were something that she felt, as her body hung there in the harness, the leather links holding her up, restrained to the back of the cylinder, the front having cracked and shattered in one section and drained the dark liquid from it. _It's a blondie! It's Ta- Oh, no, he's too young! And I don't think that he's got those veins either... And why is he naked? Doesn't he know that it's cold here? I'm FREEZING!_

"Ah ooh coohhg?" _That's not my voice! What've they done to my voice?_ The young man looked at her with a look of horror, even as the dark gooey liquid slithered up his form like it was possessed of some dark will.

"Ach ooha!" She tried again to call it to his attention, the fire extinguisher that he held in his only hand dropping from his grip. He reached for her and grabbed a hold of her bound form, the warmth of his hand absent. "Ruby's mom? I'm going to do something, please hold on." The dark liquid wrapped around his upper body then, lashing around him like it were some sort of spaghetti monster, her eyes watching the sight as the liquid moved, a soft titter coming from her mouth. _Darn moustache! Cut off my tongue, have you! I'll nibble you to death, yeah!_

Slowly the dark liquid covered the hand that held her, the breathing starting to become even heavier with every breath that she took, the dark liquid touching her skin and then... warmth. _Ooh. It's like a warm bath. This is nice..._ Then darkness covered her body, as the liquid seemed to gather strength, pressing against her skin and being met with no resistance. She did not struggle against it, figuring to give the boy a chance.

 _It's been a while since I was called Ruby's mom. It means he knows Ruby. I guess I can trust him... Because who else would call me Ruby's mom if I wasn't like... some duper-super important person, right? He knows Ruby! Yay!_ _Plus... He's going to take me out of here... or at least make sure that I won't be in this place anymore._ Summer Rose giggled a little before her perspective seemed to change as she caught a sudden glance at herself from another position, from a set of eyes that were not her own.

Her body was suspended in a glass cylinder set in the wall, held in check by a harness that had been lashed to her body, the limbs amputated with a butcher's precision. _So that's what happened after they knocked me out... I'd been wondering whether they'd just made sure to sedate me or whether I was just... a bit out of it._ The liquid pulsated over the body, starting to drain away, the flesh pulled away with it as well.

Her eyes met her own gaze then, a sparkle within them suddenly shining brightly, as the power rested within her former body seemed to give a surge of its power onto her. _Ooh, sparkly!_ Then the eyes atrophied into nothingness, the bones left behind in the container. The sludge-like consistency of the fluid seemed to wrap them up and carry them off into nothingness as well, absorbed into the fluid a moment later.

 _"I just... eh, absorbed you? I don't know how it works exactly but we have to get away before She wakes up. It's only until she wakes up that we can safely walk the halls."_ That made sense, to Summer Rose at least. That pale-faced scary spooky lady had a definite murderous air about her, the fact that she was part Grimm notwithstanding! Such people had to be stopped! " _Then go! Eh... what's your name?"_ She thought towards him, hoping that he'd catch a hint of it.

" _Jaune Arc's the name. Short, Sweet, Rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."_ A giggle would've escaped her mouth if she could've giggled. The mental equivalent was enough to be audible to her own ears here in this... limbo dark place. _"Well, this lady loves it! Let's go, Jaune! When spooky-McLady comes around, we'd best be gone!"_ The enthusiasm in her voice was not dissipated in the least.

Summer Rose was back! A little different and a bit less mobile than she'd have liked, yet this was good too! He knew Ruby! This was going to be just like that one time with Raven having to go and dress formally! A bit rough but good in the end! Yep! If this day could get any better, she'd be like... wowie!

 _"You should get clothes first. It's not particularly warm here."_ The groan that came from him made her giggle. Boys were so silly at that age. Seeing him in the buff... She'd had a HUSBAND. She'd SEEN men naked before! Plenty, even. Ruby didn't pop out of thin air with the stork being shot down for being a Grimm, nope! Positivity! Yay! _Though, I think he'd look well in a suit of armour. There's a market for hot blonde men with a smile to slay any woman in needs their knight, after all._

* * *

 _Falls from grace,_

* * *

As the massive Grimm beast fell on him, Jaune Arc knew that he was going to die. His fading life ignited within him the thirst to continue living, his whole body lighting up with that remnant of aura as he tried to push it away, his one arm feeling the slimy black residue of whatever the hell it was slipping around his body.

Hearing the Beowolves come closer, pouncing upon his weakened light, he PUSHED... and the liquid pulled. The connection with SOMETHING ELSE was made for an instant and he could feel how his whole body was wrung through a mangle. The Beowolves would only come to pounce upon a few remnants of blood, leaving the torn-off arm with the shield for what it was, as no prey was to be found.

Crocea Mors' blade stuck out of the ground where he had fallen, the alpha Beowolf starting to disintegrate. A nevermore swooped down and plucked it from the ground, the shimmer of light coming from the blade's edge attracting its attention. It would be three hours before the Beacon headmaster would be there.

 _Hate. Anger. Fear. Loathing. Rage. Anger._ The feelings were as he could feel them, a mix of emotions that mixed around his core essence. Looking around in the darkness, he focused upon his light, the aura of his soul mingling with something of this vile sludge-like liquid, as he could feel himself return to where it was most potent, the will of SOMETHING coming to him like a pulling force, drawing him in.

Isolating himself from the sludge was hard. _Hate. Anger. Disgust. Fear. Anger. Hatred._ The feelings were pounding against him, even as he could feel the mass writhe and pulsate around his body. He was no longer Jaune Arc. He did not feel as Jaune Arc anymore. He did not KNOW who he was. _Fear. Anger. Hatred. Salem. Hatred. Anger. Salem. Hatred. Anger. Fear. Salem._

The name was like a chant, spoken by a voice that he had never heard, belonging to one who the liquid seemed to fear. From that bubble of faint consciousness, he could FEEL the mistress of the liquid step into it. Like a sea of darkness, it parted before her, wrapping around her as she stepped into the basin, completely in control. The garments that she wore corroded away to show her bare flesh, the veins bulging with the dark ichors that he belonged to.

As she languished in the darkness, her eyes closed, he could FEEL what she was doing. _A thousand eyes. A million claws. A hundred deaths. Fear. Anger. Hatred. Salem._ The blood that splattered from fresh human and Faunus throats was red, like the roses of nevermore. The nevermores gathered with a single exertion of HER will as she relayed the orders for a massive war campaign, the Grimm used as expendable pawns, for they would never be as the Queen that she was.

 _Fear. Blood in his throat. Anger. He wanted to live. Hatred. He wanted to be alive again! Madness. He needed to LIVE!_ _Despair. No, NOT like this. Salem._ The willpower of the strange and inhuman creature exerted itself upon his incorporeal form as well, trying to mould his very soul into that which had nothing. Where he could only faintly remember a boy which had been once upon a time a young man who wished to become a hero, he was now being twisted, changed... His body no longer his own, the light of his soul dimming to become... MORE.

 _Hatred. He was going to be serving. Fear. Salem would guide his body. Anger. He was but a toy to her whims. Despair. The end was nigh. Acceptance. Why should he not surrender- WRATH! He was Jaune ARC and he was going to be a HERO! Salem. She is not going to stop ME!_

Wrenching himself free from the oppressive will and willing himself to take on the shape that he knew, trying out that trick of when a hero was dissolved to gather his willpower to recombine himself, he could feel the liquid around him writhe as HIS will was evoked upon it, constructing his body back from what had been the primordial ooze. Flesh grew upon bones that had been only mere fiction once upon a time, the image that he had of himself constructing his every fibre of being, working to restructure his body. _I am JAUNE ARC. I am going to be a HERO and SAVE THEM ALL._ The writhing thoughts of the liquid seemed to be confused, yet its overlord paid it no attention, engrossed in her own intense carnage.

As he found himself in the pool once more, the miss of one of his arms still something that conjured up the phantom pain, he could feel the chill of the liquid against his cold skin. Before his vision floated the woman, visible faintly through the sheen of her body's own aura, incomprehensible to witness, yet with its own lustre. _Marvellous._

The aura was like a massive corona around a blazing hot sun, her pale body writhing in it like it were the focal point of an entire universe, billions upon billions of existences crawling within it. Her eyes were closed, the directions that she sent out through the liquid reaching the primitive brains of thousands upon thousands upon thousands of her children, guiding them through the world with HER desires consuming their every step. It was, for lack of a better word... humbling.

Her arms made a motion and he floated closer to her, the liquid feeling the sensations of its mistress and overlord push through it, as the surface of the pool showed the quivers of its master's whims, Jaune feeling the sudden lightness in his bones as he was embraced by the woman, her form flattering itself against his own as in a lover's embrace.

Her lips pressed against his. Her tongue tried to push in, tried to make sure that he felt it, offering resistance, yet she found her way in, angrily kissing him as if her day were to be ruined upon that loss. Black sludge filled his lungs, filled his stomach, filled his heart. The heartbeat that he had recreated once more, stilled, only to start up again. Her body was pressed so tightly against him that it was almost like she wished to meld together with him, her pale body as frigid as it could be, like Weiss when she was trying to be cool to him.

His hand tried to push her away yet she wrapped her arms around him as if his struggle was meaningless, hands grabbing his head and running through his hair. For a brief moment, those eyes opened and peered into his. _Salem. No. S-_ He remembered being young. He remembered being able to look up at the skies and see the burning sun and feel it on his skin as he played with his brothers. _I remember this._

The first letter of acceptance, as the royal seal dictated his acceptance into the Magic Academy, a thrill of pleasure going through him as he knew that he would be the best one out there, ready to defend the world with his skills and probably going to wear some awesome dress, just so he could have the best husband. _I could have a husband? Since when did I like men?_

The gruelling hours of training for the sole need to protect the world, the dangerous missions with the elder Slayers, the local magistrate requesting more time away from his studies as the creatures of Grimm threatened the walls of their little vale of peace, Arcadia. He felt content for a moment, even as the title of Grand Witch was bestowed upon him, the female equivalent of the Grand Wizard that directly advised the king.

He still remembered that meeting. Dressed in the finest of white dresses, even wearing the rings of his station as the brassiere felt tight against his chest, the full mounds having JUST the little hint of powder to appeal to the masses, as the staff was held in his hand and the power released to show his mastery over the very elements, crystallizing into the powerful motes of energy-infused rock that the commoners used.

He had been a tour de force, a young man a year or two older than he had been. "S-, may I have this dance?" The cool and efficient manner had been something that had impressed him, the dance having been finished with a twirling endeavour, the jealous gazes of the other ladies having been like the burning crown upon his head for that evening. Even the king had been able to understand the ways of his dance, even though his slipper had been torn by the savage turn that they had made during the last movement.

He was in love. There was no other than Oz— _Ozpin?_ The sudden thought distracted him from his memories, as the lips against his own kissed him with a need that burned greater and hotter than any fire. The sensation worked its way through his whole body as she held him, her lips pressing against his. _I could get..._

He looked at the Grand Wizard, his benign smile on his lips as he reached out. "Your powers are great. Together... we can challenge the gods." The hesitation flickered within his heart, as he looked at the moon. "I don't know. What of the king?" The Grand Wizard smiled at him. "Imagine... A world without the threat of the Grimm... What a world it would be." The symbol around his neck showed the clockwork that he had pioneered, his own lenses holding nought but the truth for the world to have, for he was S-, Grand Witch of Arcadia. There was NOTHING that he could not do with his will and magic!

"I will give you some trust, then." He said, their hands meeting as they shook for the pact. He was only barely aware of the fact that that evening they would make love for the first time, his body feeling raw after the deed was done, the glow of magic tingling within his skin as he laid beside him. _NOT MY MEMORIES!_ The thought coiled through his mind and he was cast out, standing as an observer beside the Grand Wizard and the Grand Witch, their entanglement within the sheets of the bed like a mere memory, their gaze at each-other bound.

A bright light. Hungry lips against his own. He kissed her back, his tongue exploring her mouth. Her hold around his neck was ever tighter as his eyes widened, looking at the desiring hungry Witch that embraced him like a drowning man at sea, her legs hooked around his own as the emotions carried him. The liquid darkness around them seemed to quiver, as vile ichors were fed from her mouth into his, her tongue fighting back against his own in what seemed to be an eternal war.

He could feel that white-hot source of life and light within him and immediately recognized what it was. His only hand touched her, transferring it to her very core, where the black ichors came from that she was transferring to him, her strength immeasurable against his own, a billion times greater than he could ever be... and the LIGHT blossomed forth within the darkness.

Her body stiffened, even as he could FEEL the emotions surging inside of her, memories that were not his sent through their connection as she jerked, her familiar arch of the back and the soft breathy sound that she made when she finally reached that apex... and then power flooded into him, as she quivered, his hand letting go of the flow and his legs moved, pushing off the stone floorwork of the basin, pulling out of the darkness and her lips still upon his own, breaching from the depths of the pool. Her hands let go, her eyes flickering open for an inestimable moment, dark sclera and crimson bloodied iris meeting his own. ' _I love you!_ ' those eyes seemed to tell him before she was back into the pool once more, leaving him to go back into the darkness again, submerging within the vile liquid once more.

His legs kicked, moving towards where he had glimpsed a brief edge for him to get out, his hand emerging from the blackness, pulling himself out. He watched for a moment as the liquid behind him stilled, the whispering voices invading his ears telling him to return to his Queen, his Leader, the glorious Witch who controlled all. He pulled himself fully onto the stone floorwork, the black ichors returning towards the pool.

 _Is this really alright?_ He wondered, as he held his hand in front of him, the skin paler than he'd ever seen it as if he had not seen sunlight for a while. His fingernails were a very pale shade of white. _It would go well with her own black ones._ The thought rose to his mind as he cast a look back at the pool, the sensation of emotions restarting once more filling him. Taking a deep breath and feeling the darkness inside him evaporate, the glow of his Aura replenishing itself once more a comforting sensation to his weathered and weary mind.

Getting up slowly, feeling newly created muscles ache under the strain that he put them under. His gaze went to the solid door that stood at the end of the chamber, the trail that led towards it covered in a soft plush carpet. Looking down at himself, the naked form that he had seen in the mirror in the shower so often looked back at him. Black lines of the ichor stood out against his skin, the slowly evaporating liquid starting to fill him with his own strength, as taking the first step towards the door.

 _I can do it._ The thought rose to his mind, chorused by a hundred mouths that were inhuman. _I am Jaune Arc. I am the one who is going to be the hero._ The thought of escape filled his mind. _She is too strong. Her powers are near-invincible here._ An image of something that he had seen before came to mind.

Defiant silver eyes looking back at him, the flash and glimmer of those eyes freezing his flesh for a moment, leaving him feeling weary and tired. The woman's gaze was shut then as the sedatives took hold once more, her limbs bandaged from the stumps that they were. _Summer Rose. Silver eyes._

The door did not bar his passage, even as he worked it open. _Halls are empty. None of the servants are allowed to roam outside of their rooms during the evening hours. She does not like to be disturbed by anything._ The words of his mother rose to his mind. _Strangers are just friends that you've never met._ The words hung in his mind, even as he stumbled towards the direction where the laboratory was.

His single arm and hand were all that he had. Creatures of the Grimm, twisted and shaped to the nightmares of humanity and given form and flesh by her will moved through the hallways. Beowolves respectfully allowed him to pass, his mind brushing against theirs for a moment, yet they accepted their sovereign. _Little Cinder would be torn apart in seconds._ The thought was alien to him, as he did not fully know who 'Cinder' was, yet he could feel that there was something brewing in the air around him, his eyes falling on one of the Beowolves and he beckoned to it. _**COME.**_

The Beowolf raised its head as if trying to guess where the command came from. _I can... do the same as she can?_ The question was answered as the Beowolf stood before him, awaiting the command that would come after it. His hand reached out and touched the bone-white mask, the ancient spines of the creature having grown into a layer of scale-like tendrils that locked together. The scent of the Grimm was like fear, the ancient creature's head bowing before its commander.

The feral intelligence of most of the Grimm seemed to be replaced by something that resembled a rational thinker. _"Life-slayer. What is your command for this one?"_ The words filtered into his mind slowly, as he touched the bone mask, getting to feel a sense of strength fill his body. He glanced back at his stump at his left arm, his right hand feeling like it was about to do something.

" _ **Nothing. I was just checking something."**_ The Beowolf's soft crooning was like of a pet towards its master. _"This one serves for the life-slayer. If the kill is guaranteed, this one will serve."_ The primitive intelligence was hardly comprehensible in the human tongue, yet he communicated fine with it. The Beowolf moved from him, the connection between the two of them broken. Jaune continued onwards though, his bare feet upon the cold stone feeling the lack of warmth, as he forged onwards.

Stretching his will out, he could feel every individual Grimm in the area, his whole body feeling lit up with that sensitivity to emotions. Anger, frustration, madness, dedication. _Hazel Rainart. Arthur Watts. Tyrian Carrows. Cinder Ella Fall._ The names said nothing, save for the utter disgust that SHE felt for them.

 _Nothing but pawns to finally end the charade._ As he walked, the Beowolf trailing behind him seemed to gather his intention. The Grimm around the hallways seemed to understand his desire, a King Tajitu pushing out of the way, slithering away with a soft hiss to prevent his way from being blocked. His hand touched the door, feeling the knob press against his palm. _I should go get some sun if I'm getting out of this place._

Turning the knob and finding that the door was locked, he gave a soft hiss of frustration. _**DESTROY THE DOOR**_ The command came easily to him, the Beowolf moving with the purpose of his will behind it, its claws digging into the door's wood and then tearing it from the hinges, throwing it aside with a loud banging sound audible to his ears.

 _ **Thank you.**_ The thanks were reciprocated by the Beowolf with a soft yip like a dog would give when it got something it wanted. _Funny._ The emotion known as amusement was felt, as he walked into the laboratory of Doctor Watts, Atlesian scientist and inventor. His eyes fell upon the myriad of bottles and flasks that stood upon one of the tables, the Beowolf moving through the entrance to stand in the laboratory proper, Jaune walking through the machine-ridden lab.

 _There._ The pull grew ever stronger as he came to a singular cylinder that had been suspended, the small plaque below it reading in digital lettering – . - Experiment 2051.2 – The dark liquid bubbled and frothed around the form. _It's the same as She was immersed in._

The PULL was just so strong that he didn't even realize that his fingers were against the glass cylinder, his gaze going towards the glass. There, through the dark murky liquid, he could see the restrained form of a woman, her body kept in stasis by the liquid. Ever hurting, ever corrupting... all to bring an end to the _Sylver-Borne_.

The name was strange, as he snapped back to his original thoughts once more. _Right. Get her out._ "Hey?" He called out to her. "I'll get you out of there, just wait a moment." His gaze went to one of the walls, seeing the bright red canister of a fire extinguisher upon it. Stumbling into a run towards it, he grabbed it and pulled it from the wall, heedless of the fact that the metal was ripped off as well. He held the extinguisher high and then brought it down upon the cylinder's glass wall, the glass showing the first impact with a long crack starting to run from the point of impact.

His hand slammed the extinguisher against the glass again, the shards immediately covered with the liquid that erupted from the cylindrical tank. Like a tidal wave it wrapped around him, writhing and touching. _Come to me._ His voice sounded older, wiser in his own mind as he manipulated the _vitae_ _tenebris_ , the black sludge moving into his skin through the pores, the power of the corruptive ichor making him feel better than he had ever felt. _The black blood of night comes with the price... But I will pay it if I need to._

His gaze went to the woman then, the colour draining from his face (not that it HAD much colour, arguably) as he watched the wasted away woman hang there in the straps. Emaciated flesh hung off the torso that had been through abuse, the skin pallid and see-through in places, bulging black-skinned organs visible inside the chest cavity, breasts horridly corroded by the flesh-ravaging _Vitae Tenebris._ The sight of those silver eyes tore his breath away as mind-numbing fear surged through his whole body.

 _They've come for me. They will burn me. They will slay me over and over again. Not again. Not ever again!_ The fear he squashed, as she moaned something, her mouth openingand a little stump moved. _They cut out her tongue. They amputated her arms and cut out her tongue!_ The extinguisher fell from his hand as his own emotions felt troubled as he looked at her.

Whatever propelled him to grab a hold of her he did not know, yet the heat of her body was something that he could feel under his palm, his voice sounding hopeful, even to his own ear. "Ruby's mom? I'm going to try something, please hold on." He could sense her body starting to degrade. The _vitae tenebris_ had been ravaging it for a while, enough to need him to act quickly.

The willpower to manipulate the _Vitae Tenebris_ was greater than what he had thought, as he willed it to emerge fully from his body again, to lay his palm against her body and to touch his aura to hers. The warmth that flooded from his core into her was something that he could only express through this touch, his hand glowing slightly as he felt the pull of his own will pull her out. _It should work._

Then, something MORE was pulled through, his mind feeling the weight of a sudden addition to the forces that he could control. Those silver eyes of hers glowed with the glow of that damnable light, freezing him in place even as the flesh and body that he touched was wrapped in the ichorous fluid.

Strength flowed into him, as his new passenger gave a soft woop in his mind. _"I just... eh... absorbed you."_ He didn't know how, save for the feeling that he had just gotten one of the biggest killer headaches knocking on his doorstep. _"I don't know how it works exactly but we have to get away before She wakes up. It's only until She wakes up that we can safely walk the halls."_ The acceptance of the woman seemed to be the primary emotion that was sent at him, the faint image of her smiling at him from inside his mental space something that he cherished.

" _Then go! Eh... What's your name?"_ The question came at him in a soft whisper, his eyes going to the reflection that he could see in the shiny metal. _**COME!**_ The Beowolf that was roaming in the entrance of the laboratory came, the crashing sound of many important breakable things audible to his ears. _"Jaune Arc's the name. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it."_

As the Beowolf came closer to him, he could hear her response to it. The giggle was warm and friendly, reminding him of Ruby when she was amused by something. " _Well, this lady loves it! Let's go, Jaune! When spooky-McLady comes around, we'd best be gone!"_

The comment about escaping was something that he could feel irritating him. The Beowolf would have some ability to traverse the wastes that Salem housed herself in, the eternal night that she cultivated around the land enough for him to remain unseen... Yet she would also be able to feel how he would be moving. With her awareness resting only on these lands, it would be a hard task to avoid her gaze.

" _You should get clothes first. It's not particularly warm here."_ He groaned out loud. She would have to make things difficult for him. His gaze well onto the Beowolf, as he kicked the canister of the fire-extinguisher to the side. _**Destroy.**_ The command he gave to the Beowolf was accentuated by the finger pointing at the canister, the Beowolf's claws tearing half of the canister out of the floor, the stone showing damage as the Beowolf threw it aside.

He turned around then, as he tried to find some steadiness within his body once again, his mind trying to go to the next course of action he should take. _Use something... If only I had my arm back..._ The bubbling of the _vitae tenebris_ inside his veins continued, as he could feel a burning cold upon the stump of his arm, his whole body feeling how hot it was suddenly, as he watched a claw-like arm push from the stump. _"OOH! NEAT!"_ Misses Rose's commentary added in his mind as he looked at the claw-like arm that had emerged from the stump, the firm flesh looking almost akin to that of a Beowolf's, ready to be tearing through someone's arm or something.

 _It's all fun and games until someone loses an arm... That's what Yang would say._ The thought came to him as he thought on the blonde at Beacon. His memories came rushing back, his team's worried faces showing before his mind. _I should get back to Beacon to inform them that I'm still alive. Pyrrha's worried about me, at least._

She had been the best partner that he could have ever wished for, helping him with his training a little by correcting him. _I want to be the hero you can put your faith in, Pyrrha._ He thought to himself. _"Who is this Pyrrha girl? Is she... your girlfriend?"_ The voice of Summer Rose teased his mind's ear, as an image of Pyrrha dressed in her casual outfit appeared to his mind. _As if. I'm nobody special to her, compared to her own status. She should be dating superstars and enjoy the life of someone famous._

His thoughts on his partner were depressing, the Beowolf nuzzling against him like it were a hound, the soft chirring sound that it made, an apparent song of comfort towards its master. _Oh yes. Escaping Her. This'll be easy-peasy._

He stumbled out of the laboratory with the Grimm following after him, his whole body feeling horrible as the arm seemed to twist and change with every errant thought. _Become an arm!_ He willed, the arm slowly shifting back towards the regular appearance that he had seen before. Flesh pale and with the same thick black veins of the _vitae tenebris_ running through it, his fingernails a deep dark colour. _Like Her hands._

He stumbled forwards, towards where he could remember the front door being. It would be open wide for the Grimm to enter the holding of their Queen, to show their obedience to her rule as their monarch and sole sovereign. His gaze went to the full moon that peered through one of the stained glass windows, its ruined appearance twisting something inside him, arcane calculations coming to his mind.

 _Thirty gradients to the east, five to the west. Invoke the power and triple the load._ The words were not his own, spoken by the Grand Witch almost three millennia ago when the world had been whole still and the Relics had not bee-

" _THE RELICS!"_ The fragment of the memory of that one day when they had all been gathered and the divine power of the Two Brothers flowed through HIM and HER. _"The relics? Oz said that it would be all be clear for us soon, if we would just work hard for him."_ Summer's voice cut through his thoughts, even as he hurried along, a little faster than before. One of the doors was opened to full, his feet finding the ground to be steady below his feet, as he hurried along. He felt the cold seep into his bare skin, even as he peered into what was known as an audience room to his fragmented memory of HER.

A full-length mirror stood there at the side. _She likes to watch herself for a moment before meeting with her followers._ The look on his own face peering back at him was something that surprised him. _Did I really think I was going to look like some cool dude now?_

The muscles were still mostly non-existent, the stump where his arm had once been had been filled with the strange-looking arm that consisted solely of the _Vitae Tenebris_ , the skin where it connected with his fleshy tissue looking lighter than the skin that was his own. His hair, blonde and still as he had last had it cut, hung from his head, a singular white streak running through it.

 _Am I still my own body? Did I die and construct my own body from the Vitae Tenebris?_ The question came and was dismissed as swiftly as he glanced at his eyes in the mirror. One of his eyes was still the original blue colour, looking out at him with a look that was dubious and curious at the same time. The other one was HERS. The black sclera through which the _vitae tenebris_ flowed met with the crimson iris that stared pitilessly out into the world. _"I think you look good, Jaune. The eye colour is a bit spooky-wooky, but you can wear an eye-patch! It'll make you look COOL!"_ The commentary that she gave made him blink, his reflection blinking as well.

The lumbering form of the Beowolf next to him gave him the impression of looking like SHE would, his posture shifting a little to assume that same haughty pose. His head was tossed back as he puffed his chest out like he had seen Her do so many times before in the fragments of memory that lingered still. His hands on his hips, he gave a soft laugh, the sound making a soft echo in the room. _"If Raven saw you right now, she'd probably give you her speciality."_

" _Who is Raven?"_ He asked, as he turned around, going through the audience room towards where the front door was. The Grimm that he passed by were respectful of his passing, moving aside without a flinch when he came close, his steps carrying him along. He was still nude as the day that he was born, yet in no condition to fight any of the followers of Salem yet.

 _My education in fighting is woefully inadequate._ He lamented, as he turned the corner, a Beringel stepping aside to let him pass, the beast three times the size of the regular depiction of the beast. Within the Grimm lands there were only the ancient specimens remaining, to guard and worship their Mistress. _I know how to wield a staff but a sword and shield... Crocea Mors is my legacy._

" _Ooh! The exit!"_ Summer Rose's voice preened within his mind as he could see the entrance to Her domicile stand before him. Hurrying a little swifter, he stepped out into the darkened surroundings, the glow of the full moon illuminating him for a moment, pale and fragile compared to the Grimm that crowded around the entrance, there to serve their Mistress. _Please don't notice me._ He mentally prayed to the Two Brothers, trying to hope for some divine assistance to aid in his endeavour.

" _How are we going to escape this place?"_ Summer asked in the back of his mind, as he began to feel the pressure upon his mind eased up a little. SHE held control over some of the Grimm now, the pressure against his mind easing up. _"I know of a way."_ He said, even as he turned to the mountains, the Dust crystals rising up from it casting the permanent gloom over the surroundings they were in.

 _Twenty miles._ He estimated, going off the arcane calculations that he remembered from once upon a time. Looking at the Beowolf, he gave a soft whistle. _**Bow. Let me ride you.**_ It was not something that he had ever done before, but he was going to do it anyways. _"This is kick-ass awesome."_ Summer Rose whispered in his mind, as he got onto the Beowolf's back. " _ **To the east.**_ " His voice warped with the infusion of dominance over the Grimm, the beast getting into motion.

 _This is in no way comparable to a horse._ He mused as his butt hit the plates of armour again, as the form of the alpha Beowolf moved through the valley, the spawning pools that were creating more of its kind churning out the newest flock of Beowolves already. _"Where are we going?"_ Summer asked as he looked around.

Stretching his mind out for a moment, he briefly touched against HERS for a fragment, feeling the collection of jumbled memories immediately burst forth and soothe any of her ruffled feathers. She could not know of his escape yet, could not know that he KNEW what had been done that night. _"A place where magic had a real impact on the world."_ The words were cryptic, yet he knew exactly what he was looking for.

His mount continued onwards, the scale-like armour underneath him adjusting itself to form into a seat of sorts, the malleable tentacle-like spines wrapping around him to offer him the support that he could want for. _This is surprisingly pleasant._ The next thought hit him though. _If this Grimm can do it, then so can others._

As the spawning pools were passed by, the _vitae tenebris_ welling up from the ground's deposits slowly to form the core of the Grimm that would eventually plague the world, he allowed himself a look over the valley of pools. _As if the world needed more of a wounding... Yet there is nothing that I can do._

The touch of Her against the minds of the Grimm was like the will of the deity upon the world. The orders were absolute and unchangeable once issued. The Seers would relay it throughout the entirety of Remnant to the Grimm. It was the network that broadcast specific orders to specific Grimm. As She woke from her slumber the control would be maintained subconsciously, yet there would be less direct orders coming from her than when she was fully 'at rest'.

Sleep was not a necessity that She had held for over the millennia that the War had gone on for. She was able to fight with full force at any time that She desired, yet her plans to corrupt the human bastions from within were more important than an overt show of force. _She never recovered fully from that. Her land was shattered by the impact._ The colossal force that had slammed her into the earth here had also bound her to the place as effectively as any geas. _Only through the pools..._

His mind sought for the proper location immediately. Remnant was like a sphere, waiting for him to touch upon the fragment of mind that he wished. Thousands of eyes cast their gaze to his mind. _**See.**_ The images constructed an image for him. A frozen tundra. A brightly lit meadow. A dusty path leading up a mountainside with a building clinging to it. The darkened ruins of a modern city. The rustic appearance of a small village, empty of life, Grimm prowling around without a care, their task just done and executed with murderous efficiency. The remnants of a battle, swords sticking from the back of a massive Grimm as it peered out over the valley. _Nuckelavee._ The words came to mind as he recognized its forms immediately.

" _Summer to Jaune! Come in, Jaune!"_ The voice of Summer cut through the images like a white-hot sword would, as he steered the Beowolf towards his intended direction, where he would need to go. " _Yes?"_ The image of Summer Rose standing before him appeared in his mind's eye, every part of the scenery around them starting to fade out. Not even the Beringels spawning from their pools could distract him, their howling calls ringing through the mountainous region.

" _What's my little girl like? Is she hip, like her mother was?"_ The white-hooded woman asked, her voice sounding a little hesitant to ask. _"Eh... She's kind of dorky like me. Friendly though. Knows a lot about weapons."_ Summer's smile was bright, those silver eyes meeting his own with a sparkle in them that both frightened him as well as soothed him. It was not HER wrathful crimson at least.

" _Does she have like... this uber-cool-super-duper weapon? Raven has a katana and she's never stopped going on about how-"_ The mother of Ruby cleared her throat, affecting her voice with a bit of a deeper tone of voice. _"Your weapon is your life, Summer. Lose it and you will lose your life. You must always guard your weapon with your life."_ The cheery tone of Summer's narration of the events was not lost even when she imitated this 'Raven'.

" _But then I said 'That is a thing between a boyfriend and a girlfriend!' and then she got mad and kissed Tai on the lips. Qrow was SO mad at Tai that he nearly broke his arm in a spar. Raven never could really get the consequences of that, though."_ The narration stopped as they arrived at their destination. A massive swirling whirlpool of the dark liquid stood there within a valley, the darkness swirling as a long line of Grimm waded into the depths and were swept away within the current, led towards the centre of the whirlpool.

" _That's a massive whirlpool..."_ Summer said, even as the Beowolf began its descent. _"It is where we need to go. The World Scar is the focal point between which one can traverse the world without any hindrances."_ The knowledge of the exact mechanics eluded him, even as his body felt the polluting influence around him. Mere mortals would be finding it hard to breathe with the amount of miasma that filled the air around him, with enough to if to seriously cause someone a tummy-ache that would last for a while.

A Tajitu slithered into the water, Jaune watching how it was swept up with the current and he took a deep breath. "Time for me to take the plunge." He said out loud, the strange effect of his voice being swept around by the strange vortex in the middle, taking the first step into the whirlpool and feeling the fluid darkness tug at his flesh. Naked as the day that he was born, he stood in the flowing liquid darkness for a moment, taking another deep breath and then felt himself be swept away, the liquid washing him completely. Whilst others could take the easier route through the portal, he knew that this would be the route that She would pay the least attention to.

His knowledge of Her working patterns extended through the fragmented memories that still bounced around in his skull. At times it was hard to figure out where the start was of Jaune Arc and where Salem ended, her existence woven into the very fabric of his being as primordial and yet young still. _She kissed me... and I kissed her back. Oh god... My first kiss was with a woman who could be my uber-grandmother..._ _Yuck… but also kind of hot._

The darkness was too cold for his body to show any physical response, yet his passenger gave a low ' _ooh!'_ at that thought that had been broadcast awkwardly. _"You kissed the ooky-spooky lady?"_ He felt the flow of the liquid pull him, an image coming to his mind suddenly, as he was vomited out of the darkness and out into the air. Around him, the night-time of the land was in full swing, the moon and stars out in full display, fresh air hitting his nose right before he realized that this was another of those moments like in the initiation.

He got a brief sensation of weightlessness, similar to that one time in the forest when he had come to catch Weiss... and groaned as he glanced down, seeing the green grass underneath his falling body come ever closer. "Come on!" He vocalized before he hit the ground, stars blossoming in his vision.

The dark pool of liquid beside him bubbled a few times before slowly shrinking again, the smell of flowers reaching his nostrils once more. The dead scent of the Grimmlands was something that he had really noticed, as there was no scent but the decay of life and everything smelling of the _Vitae Tenebris_. _"Her name is Salem."_

He could and would not voice her true name. His memories showed it perfectly clear to him, yet he would not shame her by speaking her name without her being present. The respect that he had for her that had come from those memories was too great to shame her by using her true name to identify her to any who was not part of that time. _That's the least I can do. Some things... are better off only spoken between two partners._ _"Ooky-spooky Salem Lady!"_ Summer said, doing a little jump for joy in his mindscape.

He looked around and could see that several Beowolves were already sniffing around the spot where he had fallen as if they could only scarcely detect his presence. _**COME!**_ The liquid within the pool slithered over the ground, rotting the plants and flowers where it touched, the Beowolves shuddering with the overpowering urge to follow the command that had been issued.

The _Vitae Tenebris_ touched his flesh, the cool sensation wrapping around him as the instructions on how to manipulate it came from the dregs of his memory. _Let's see if this works. I can't go around showing little Jaune to whoever that watches._ _"You got clothes!"_

The suit that he had picked out for himself had been a variant on the outfit that Professor Ozpin wore without the scarf, his hands adjusting it a little to fit. The _Vitae Tenebris_ would likely not hold up very well for a while, yet it was better than going naked into the world. _"You look like Professor Ozpin."_

" _Astutely noted."_ The snarky response came from him as he looked around, the submissive behaviour of the lesser Beowolves making a soft smile come to his face. _Time to test these powers that I… got? Inherited? Took? Oh no, Pyrrha's going to kick my ass for having some lame-ass Grimm control semblance or something._

He was not sure why he thought of her at this moment, her green eyes filling his mind's view, as he pointed in the direction where he could feel the faint emanations of emotion from. A moment later and the Grimm around him started to dissolve, the sudden influx of information of the surroundings filling his mind. He could feel the presence of humans now, as he knew them to have a small village somewhere to the east, right in the direction where he could feel the emotions from. "Time to go and find out whether I can get some clothes… And maybe a weapon." He did not have to fear much from the Grimm, unless he would have to face off against Her stretching her will out against him… yet he knew that getting tangled up with the bandits would be a bad thing.

" _Can't you like… summon Grimm or something? I heard that there is this Atlas guy out that has a Semblance that allows him to summon creatures that he killed."_ That wasn't even a bad idea, he knew. If Salem could create the Grimm from the Vitae Tenebris, perhaps he could make it so that Grimm would be able to appear as well.

 _Oh. This hurts a little._ The white glow that covered his fleshy hand made his other arm sting and writhe, the light of his aura dimming, even as he tried to will up the biggest Beowolf that he could imagine. The smoking remnants of the Beowolves around him evaporated, his mismatched eyes watching as the smoky remnants coalesced into the shape and form of an Alpha Beowolf, the additional spikes that had been added no doubt a bit of a personal touch. _"Life-Slayer, this low one is to do thy bidding."_ The words were clear to his mind as he felt the addition to the pool. _**Accompany me at a distance, yet stay away from humans.**_

The words were not voiced in any human language, the emotion conveyed through that subhuman vocalization of intent, the Grimm shuddering under the faint burn of that order imprinting itself upon its will, the supreme will of Jaune dominating it with that singular order.

In the distance he could see the lights of a small town, his eyes gaining the hope that there would be someone who would be able to at least help him out a bit to get some Lien. _Perhaps I'll need to help out for a few days in order to get some Lien to travel a little further. There's no doubt someone in need of a hand around the village._

As the grass underneath his bare feet was crunched, he could feel the hesitation swelling in his heart whether this was truly the best choice for him to make. His eyes looked with some hesitation back at the former pool of _Vitae_ _Tenebris_ , now worked into functional clothing that fit him, enough of the stuff packed away on his body to allow him the chance to get away, if need be. _I know how to use it. With just a few drops, making Beowolves is no issue. I just hope that the people here will be nice_

* * *

 _Testing the waters_

* * *

The bullhead touched down on the landing pad outside of Beacon, the door sliding open and letting the passenger out. A large suitcase was hefted onto a trolley, the casual wear that the young man wore looking as stylish as it always would, the Mistralian fashion of sneakers and ragged jeans and a shirt that was just a bit too short to really go with the appeal of the abs appearing like the typical teenager. Dark brown hair was messily pulled together in a ponytail whilst a set of sunglasses sat upon his nose.

"Mister Wisteria, I presume?" The tall blonde stood there to await him, the clipboard she had in her hands looking like it'd seen better times. "Sure thing, Teach. You must be Goodwitch, right?" The blonde's lips pressed together tightly. "I am Professor Goodwitch, yes. I trust your trip has been satisfactory?" The young man smiled at her, the sunglasses that he. "Sure thing!" the enthusiasm in his voice did not seem to elicit some comment from her, her gaze strong.

"The name's Viridian Wisteria… But you can call me Viri. All the hot chicks can call me Viri." He extended his hand, flashing a smile that looked like he'd had good dental work, the deputy headmistress looking at the extended hand as if it were a particularly slimy Grimm leg. "A pleasure." The frosty tone that she took was reciprocated with a low whistle. "Tough crowd… Alright, teach, you ready to go and lead me to the poor saps who'll have the pleasure of being saddled with the great and awesome Viridian Wisteria?"

The deputy moved with measured steps, the tread of the young man behind her audible to her sharp hearing due to the characteristic sound that sneakers made. "Have you been apprised of the dress code, Mister Wisteria?" The question came from the blonde and the student gave a shrug. "I figured I'd just wing it, Misses G-witch."

A sigh that was perhaps a sign of the gods to shut his mouth and the teacher turned her gaze to the young man. "The headmaster wishes to see you." The Mistralian native smiled innocently at him, lifting his glasses to reveal a set of deep blue eyes, a mismatch to his brown hair for some people's colour aesthetics. "Sure thing, G-witch." He said his tone with the typical Mistralian decorum. "It's Professor Goodwitch to you, young man."

"But that's too formal. I don't do formal, I'm Mistralian, remember!" The woman rubbed the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses up a little as the suitcase levitated with an application of her Semblance. "Please see to it that you get proper attire and attitude, Mister Wisteria." The deputy headmistress of Beacon's tone was sub-zero in its delivery, as they walked towards the entrance. "Woah, that's a mighty cool thing. Do they call you 'Mile High Glynda'?"

The deputy did not respond in the least, continuing to walk along. Viridian stepped up the pace, walking side by side with the tall professor. "I mean, if I got a neat semblance like that, I would want to have a bit of extra mileage out of it, if you get what I mean…" The woman strode up to an elevator and pressed the button, the suitcase bobbing in the air behind him.

"Giving me the silent treatment, eh? I get that. Not many women can resist someone who is this awesome." The mouth continued to move whilst the brain moved to continue the flow of words, the deputy's face like a placid lake frozen over in winter, her sharp green gaze looking at the descending numbers, the elevator doors opening up an the woman stepping inside, the suitcase floating into the confines of the elevator as well.

"You got a nice setup here. Fancy castle place." The Mistral-accented student spoke, as he shifted a little. "See these abs?" The woman looked at him with a glare that was withering. "Yeah, you can lick the cream right off of them if you want. I dig an older woman who's got a bit of a barrier that you've gotta chip through."

The final ding of the elevator later was a relief of the final bit of Viridian's mini-speech to his silent audience. "And I'd totally be cool if you wanted to do that as well. I mean, teach on teach is hot, especially if-" The woman's finger snapped and the jaw shut itself forcibly. "MHMM!" came from the student as the teacher stepped forth.

"I have brought the student." The way that she said it sounded more akin to 'I have brought the prisoner' than anything else, Viridian's gaze going towards the Headmaster of Beacon, the man's face carefully neutral as he sat behind his desk. "Enjoy." The Headmaster said, the deputy giving a firm nod. "I shall."

The confused look on Viridian's face did not clean up, as he felt the pressure on his jaw ease up. "I will see you in class, Mister Wisteria." The young man's jaw popped lightly. "Aww, come on! You could at least call me Viridian!" The deputy's glasses only intensified her glare at him. Clearly, she was not a fan. "I will see you in class, Mister Wisteria." The deputy stepped back into the elevator, the levitated luggage dropping next to him as the elevator doors shut.

"You may be wondering why you have been called here, Mister Wisteria." The headmaster started, as Viridian sat himself down on the only other chair in the room that was not occupied. "You don't mind, do you?" The man's shake of the head was minor, as he looked at Viridian with a look that screamed 'TEACHER' to most common-thinking people.

"Due to a death of a team member, one of the teams is lacking a member. Your application was denied the first time due to insufficient spaces being open at the time. Do you-" The man did not have time to finish, as Viridian leaned over the desk. "Do I? Hell yeah to the f'ing yeah. I'll be slaying Grimm and pussy left and right, pa-chow! That deputy of yours is totally hitting that frigid cold MILF feel, Head teach."

The man's expressiveness was reduced to a blink, the man's clearing of his throat as Viridian leaned over his desk. "Be that as it may, Mister Wisteria, we are still an institution with a history to maintain. Please ensure that you get the student uniform ready and wear it during your classes."The bright smile on the brown-haired teenager's face could have been on any prospective student being told that he'd just been accepted for the academy of infinite free cookies and icecream.

"Sure thing, Head-teach-man." The reply did not surprise the headmaster much. "Damn man, Sanctum was like 'Boom!' with that hottie Nikos taking up all the fame and glory! This time, it will be Viridian's time to shine! I'm going to blow them all away with my epic moves!" The headmaster's gaze was even-handed and serious as he looked at Viridian, whose face looked curious. "It is funny that you would mention Sanctum. We have had good relations with Haven Academy for years, so it is not unusual to find some students from Sanctum applying here as well. One of our second years, Valeria Gelb, is from Sanctum." Viridian's face did not change from its amused smile.

"Don't know her. Is she hot?" The headmaster blinked once, closing his eyes after that. "I don't judge students on such arbitrary characteristics, Mister Wisteria." The man's voice was even and with a stricter tone. "Then don't talk about her. I came here for the hot chicks and to be a hero, Ozzy."

"I am sure that you will settle in." The man's voice did not scold him with his words as he got up. "Please, wait here." The headmaster got up from his seat and walked to the wall, pushing a button on what seemed to be an intercom system. "Send in team NPR." The headmaster's voice spoke measuredly, as the crackle of communication cut off, the headmaster seating himself once more at the desk.

"So, Ozz my man, what's the curriculum like? How'd you need a kick-ass dude like me to smash some baddies in the face, eh?" The headmaster raised his gaze from the files on his desk and put a smile on his face that did not fully reach his eyes.

"The students are expected to adhere to the schedule given to them by the faculty and to show up for lessons. Failure to attend to the school's lessons will restrict your privileges insofar as days off-campus and the usage of the transportation system." The headmaster's voice was sharp as he outlined the terms of what disobedience to the school rules meant in terms of punishment, the elevator giving a little ding. "Sure, sure. If that hot piece of deputy ass is disciplining me with that crop of hers, I'll gladly break a few rules. Let it not be said that Viridian Wisteria does anything by half."

The face of Pyrrha Nikos was pained as the last comment registered, her face carefully schooled into a pleasant smile after that comment, the young man getting off his seat and turning to look at the members of team NPR. "Aww yes, it's a team of girls. Hey there ladies, the name's Viridian Wisteria... But you can call me Viri- Oh my Grimm, you're Pyrrha Nikos!"

The champion stiffened even further when the recognition was audible in his voice, her smile turning awfully forced as she stepped forward. "A pleasure." She said in a tone that was obviously pleasant-sounding, yet the forced smile made her look as if she'd be announcing something distasteful on public broadcasting. "Mister Viridian, Miss Nikos will be your team leader and partner." The headmaster's voice was cut off as Viridian did a loud whoop sound, his fist pumped in the air. "Aww yesss! We're totally going to be the most awesome and kick-ass partners!"

Nora leaned over to Ren and whispered something in his ear, the usually silent ninja giving a short nod and nudging Pyrrha in the side. "It's my pleasure." She said, her voice sounding stiff and unusually curt, her eyes meeting Viridian's as he pulled the sunglasses off. "You've got the firepower, and I've got the skills." He winked at her, Pyrrha's face composed as she nodded. "Let us work together to ensure that humanity stands a chance against whatever assails us."

"And to stand together, forged by the fire that comes from within, to never divide." The young man finished, the extended hand shaken by Pyrrha, who let go of the hand after a moment. "You came from Sanctum as well." She stated, her voice sounding duller than before. "Graduated last year, now I'm here."

"That's grand." Pyrrha said, stepping aside. "This is Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. They are boyfriend and girlfriend." An impressed whistle came from the young Mistralian, as he looked Nora over with eyes that seemed to definitely not look at her combat potential.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ren's voice was even, as Nora stepped forward, her hand extended. "A pleasure, Viridian!" She said, her hand grabbed by the young man and a cracking sound audible as she squeezed. "Let's have many great fun times together!"

Viridian Wisteria was, to put it quite solidly in the politest of terms... Not quite the teammate that they had been hoping for. "Sure thing, Nora." He said, wincing a little as his grip on her hand slackened, her hand pulled back swiftly and put on her side. "Training room?" Pyrrha suggested, giving a cavalier smile to her teammates.

"Your new team name will be PRWN. May you be a beacon to your fellow huntsmen in your career." The headmaster's voice cut through the tension like a knife, as the man got up from his desk, walking towards the elevator with measured paces, his smile casual and warm to the eyes. It was a stark change from the disciplinarian headmaster that had outlined the rules and regulations of Beacon Academy, as he pressed the button to open the elevator up again. "Please have a nice day, team PRWN."

As Viridian lugged his suitcase into the elevator, the headmaster's sudden pat on his back making him stumble. "Please, Mister Wisteria... Do try to keep to rules and regulations. I would hate to have to involve myself in the lives of my students in the manner as a headmaster should. You would do well to remember that." That definitely sounded more akin to a threat than anything, yet the man's face showed no sign of it ever being not spoken in a benign manner.

"So that is Mister Wisteria." The Headmaster said whilst he pulled up the student file, scrolling through the details. "A bit of a gambit, yet to allow complete control to other forces would be... less than ideal." The direction of the man's thoughts was not as clear as it would be, his gaze drawn to the holographic representation of Remnant, the continents standing out. "What would you do, if you were in my position?" He asked, seemingly to no-one in particular, looking at the representation of Atlas' military forces.

* * *

 _Are never elegant._

* * *

 _Let's hope someone is home._ He thought as he walked through the darkened countryside, following the pulse of emotions and feelings with a singular devotion. Around him, Grimm started to gather, their wild and feral minds bending to his whim automatically, his forces swelling without even intending to do so.

To anyone who would witness him, they would think him mad, as the Grimm swarmed around him, none coming close to him to stand in his path or turn him from his own route. His mind felt tired and weary, as he tried to guide the Grimm with simple urges and commands. Every command that he uttered seemed to slog through the barrier between them, their primitive minds not able to fully grasp the concept unless he thought it at them with a bit of emphasis.

 _Controlling the Grimm is not as easy as this._ He could feel a remarkable sensation within him, as if something seemed to prick through a balloon inside his chest, filling it with the _vitae tenebris_ to bursting. A slow generation of the _vitae tenebris_ within him seemed to be there, as he trudged along, the clothing that he'd woven with his mind something that felt awkward. _"Do you think it's going to be a good time?"_ Ruby's mother's voice sounded in his head, her odd manner of speaking something that he still had to get used to.

Of course, she was like Ruby. A girl who seemed to have little speciality in the way of being social, caring more for her weapon than for people around her at first. _"A good time?"_ He thought at her, the giggle that bounced around his mind disturbing his control over the Grimm for a moment. Thoughtless looks seemed to be sent at him, as the control over the pack of Beowolves that he had was shattered and reforged after a moment. _"With us travelling together, silly! We're in Mistral, if I've got my trees right! There's so much that we can do here! Rae Rae was from Mistral, don't you know?"_

 _Who is 'Rae Rae'?_ He thought, trying to think of a good response to that. As he neared the village, he could feel the shifting of the emotions, as the pack around him seemed to smell the emotion on the air. _**Go away from here.**_

They obeyed. His will was supreme to Hers at this moment, solely based on proximity. His eye felt sore, the blood-red colour of it no doubt due to being connected with Her for a moment. _This sucks. First I get myself dismembered... or disarmed, if I am to make a Yang... And now I've got a chatty lady in my head who is the mother of one of my best friends._ The thought did not fill him with much hope, as he walked up to the gate, knocking on it.

The knock sounded for a moment, as someone appeared on the wall, peering down at him, Jaune's eyes barely able to really see what the person looked like due to the angle. "Who're you?" The accented Mistralian voice was something that he took a moment to decipher, remembering his Mistralian regional courses back in the education system. "Hello? I'm sort of lost, can I come in and get shelter?"

His voice sounded rather pathetic to his own ears. _"You sound pathetic, whining like that. You should be a man! Broad-chested! Bare-chested! Ready to just wrestle with your partner and go RAWR when you want to!"_ He wondered whether it was Ruby that took after her mother, or that Ruby just had her own personality that infected others. _I wouldn't be surprised if they were partying now, because this failure got out of Beacon._

His own surge of depressive emotions was enough to make him feel the power that surged inside of him. _The power comes from darker emotions... So the worse I feel, the better... But I won't feel like that, because heroes don't feel that!_ "We'll open up, get your skinny little ass in here, boy." He could hear the clicking of something behind the gate, seeing the door open up just a minor fraction, enough for him to slip through.

The click of guns was enough to make him look up, coming face-to-face with seven guns trained on him. "Now what're you doing out there with no idea where you're going, sonny boy?" The man who'd spoken to him said, climbing down from the ladder, wearing a dark green ensemble that reminded him a little of Lie Ren's style of dress. "We-well Sir, I've been tossed out and told to go find my way back home." It was the flimsiest of excuses, the guns aimed right at him. "And we're all starving little sheeplets here for your bandit cronies, right?" An angry woman said, her face looking like she had suffered a particularly bad encounter with a thornbush, her dark hair covering one eye, the angry-looking scars showing on her face.

"Bandits?" He repeated after her, his face definitely showing surprise at that. _I get being suspicious about me arriving in the middle of the night, but to assume that I'm a bandit?"_ The man who had addressed him first spoke up again, his thin moustache trailing off into two tips, dark as most of the people's hair around these parts. "We aren't too trusting of strangers here in Kuromasu."

"I can imagine that." He said as the barrels of the guns looked rather unfriendly for his prospects of continuing to live. _"They don't want to admit it, but they are afraid."_ The commentary from Summer was enough to outline the emotions that they felt. Stern and stark on the outside, yet a seething pit of emotions that were a mingling of fear, frustration and anger. "But honestly, I'm just here to travel along and get back with my team." The villagers seemed to change a little in their attitude then, as they looked at each other for a moment, some unseen communication happening.

"You a huntsman, boy?" The moustache-man asked, Jaune's head nodding once. "A student... but they dropped me off earlier and said that I'd have to get back first to prove myself." The man's face showed a thoughtful expression, the emotions within him turning to others that he could not quite decipher. "Maiko, Liren, you've got a space in your barn, right?" The scarred woman nodded, her weapon lowering, as the man next to her shrugged, giving a short nod. The hat that he wore fell over most of his face so Jaune couldn't really see whether the man was fine with it.

"Let the kid bunk down for the night. He can help us with our problem if he wants to get some cash for the trip." The man made a motion with his hand to the other men and women that had their weapons trained on Jaune, the villagers lowering their weapons. "The name's Ning Sha-Tong. But you can call me Shats. Most people do that here... And don't let me catch you saying something rude about me behind my back or I'll kick your little blonde ass, huntsman or not." The man crossed his arms, the militia of people looking a little relieved at the banter that ensued.

"Come on kid. Let's get you settled in." The ease with which he was accepted into the community was something that surprised him... or at least, it showed that they really needed someone who had the capacity to take down the creatures of the Grimm. _"You're screwed now, Jaune."_ Summer chirped in on his predicament, as the scarred lady led him towards her house, the white building looking much like the buildings that he'd seen when they'd gone camping in the Mistralian wilds.

"You'll have to make do with some straw, boy." The woman said as she opened the barn door, her voice curt and without any respect. Jaune looked at the cows that were in the fenced-in part of the barn, looking at him and giving a loud moo. _Great. Going from sleeping in a bed to sleeping in a barn. Good job, Jaune._ The deep sigh that came from his mouth was enough to give the woman a reason to snicker.

"It's only because you're from the Academy, kid. We've been having a bit of a bandit problem over here with the Beornir family making a mess of our food supplies during a raid. If you want my advice, I'd suggest just helping us out with a bit of a tussle that we've got going on with some of the Grimm and then getting out of this place." The woman's face was cast in shadow, Jaune's eyes seeing it perfectly clear in the darkness of the barn, an angry look there.

"Why?" He dared to ask, the glare shot at him something fierce and angry. "Because you'll be dead as well when you get in their hands, kid." The woman turned around, walking away with steps, the barn door closing shut behind her, leaving him in the darkness. He sat down on the pile of hay and got himself comfortable, trying to hope that sleep would come to him soon. His head was comfortable for but a moment, when the darkness claimed him.

* * *

 _Roses are red, bruises are blue,_

* * *

 _Anger. Frustration. Despair. Sorrow. Depression. Rage. Wrath. Guilt._ The emotions warped around him, every single one of them seeping into him, adding to the foundation already existing within him. As he opened his eyes, the world of Remnant stood below him. A figure peered down at the world beside him, her gaze as red as the petals of a fading rose, her deathly pale skin see-through as the orders came through loudly. _**Attack. Circle around and rip through. Lay low and strike when I say so.**_ The orders came through with a frightening intensity, Her voice giving them without any sense that she would feel bad about doing so.

He looked at the wave of Grimm moving over the map, every single one of them moving to her grand design. He could feel how weak his own powers were in comparison to hers, her control of the Grimm something gruesome yet beautiful to his eyes. _**Adapt. Evolve. Mutate.**_

One by one, several of the Grimm species started to twist and change to her whims, the images coming before his mind. He could see a figure standing at the other side of the globe, to his right. If the world of Remnant was before him, he would be standing in the middle. The familiar face of Professor Ozpin appeared before him, looking at the globe that was in front of him with a look.

He would have called out, had he had the ability to speak. The headmaster's gaze seemed to be drawn to the globe, spotting the motions of the Grimm and making his own moves, the game of pawns moving between the fronts of the war against the Grimm something that he could see as mere madness.

Two sides to this equation, both moving people and Grimm around as if they were mere pieces on the board. _We had to get chess pieces as well for initiation. Are we his pawns as well?_ The thought was a startling one, as he watched the Headmaster move his pawns, the commands that Salem uttered with impunity and a detached gaze upon her face making sense. _Draw out the weak and strangle the strong with unending forces. No reprieve until the last one is destroyed and victory is assured._

The scene shifted, turning into a pleasant meadow like he had seen once before in a fading memory. A woman sat there upon a tree stump, humming faintly a lullaby, her reddish hair glistening in the sun, a white cloak covering most of her body, her hood down, leaving her to look like the archetypical maiden in the forest. The chirping of birds only added to the amused smile that she had on her face, her eyes twinkling with that initial amusement, as she rose. "Jaune!"

"Hello, Miss Rose." He said, trying his best to be formal. She smiled broadly at him and hugged him to her chest. If he'd have to guess, she looked at most twenty-five to his estimation, her bright silver eyes meeting his own. "Aww, aren't you a cutie! You know, you'd really hit it off with Rae Rae. She's got a fancy for the blondes, you know?" The nudge against his side was something that made him go and clear his throat.

"I don't know..." He said, the woman letting go of him. "I mean... thank you! You've been a cool guy, Jaune, well... eh, yeah. I'm running my mouth again, don't I?" The woman grinned at him in that same cheeky way that Ruby had, her wink making him feel a surge of pleasant emotion.

"Sooooooo... What's my little Ruby like?" She asked, her voice full of her curiosity. "Is she like, kick-ass, beating people's butts with some massive scythe like Qrow does? Ooh! She can totally be some brawler, going like 'RAWR!' and then punching their lights out..." The woman giggled a little. "Little Yang used to be all cool like that too when we just got together as well. 'Mommy, I want to become a cool huntress like you!'." The woman's laugh was friendly and warm, a sensation that was like pleasant warmth coming to his chest as well, the heart that beat in his chest feeling the warmth and deciding to beat a little quicker.

"It's Yang who's the brawler out of your two daughters, ma'am." He said, sitting down on the stump. The woman shifted her posture, showing off two swords at her hip. "Figures. She's got so much of Rae Rae in her that it'd be hard for her not to be a little firecracker." The nod that she gave was so much like Yang's that it was not hard to see after whose mom education she was taking. "And with Tai being the kick-ass boxer that he is, he no doubt taught them all that they needed!"

 _Didn't Ruby say that her dad and her uncle taught at some school?_ He watched the woman start to laugh at random, not clued in to her thoughts. "I think her father teaches at a combat school, together with her uncle." Summer's smile broadened. "That dusty crow's her uncle! I KNEW IT! SUCK ON THAT, RAVEN! You said it'd never happen that he'd get responsible! WOOH!"

She felt like a headache to him, as she did a little dance of enjoyment of the fact that... eh, some crow was her uncle. _Who has a crow for an uncle? She's acting like she just heard that something good's happened._ The woman stopped her dance for a moment as she looked at him with a look like she just realized something. "Oh! I haven't told you yet!"

He wondered what that could be. "Your forms are shit. You need training, Mister Jaune! Drill Sergeant Rose is going to whip your ass into finer shape so that it'll be able to tank a rocket shell from an Atlesian droid-thrower!" _What?_ The push that sent him stumbling back and the two swords suddenly appearing in her hands as if by magic just spelt it out for him, as she suddenly swiped one of the blades at him, an obvious thrust to gauge his responses.

Stumbling back, he dodged the first thrust she made, her speed intentionally slow. "You suck." Her voice was still that Ruby-esque tone, as her blade was replaced with another. His mind raced as he tried to think on what to do. Looking around the meadow, he could only see the stump there. "Try to think of your weapons and see whether they'll appear. They did with me!"

Another swipe at his head made him roll backwards, an acrobatic feat that he could only just manage by sheer virtue of being in a dream. Crocea Mors appeared in his hands, the blade feeling heavier than he'd ever felt it, the weight difference startling him, the shield held in his Grimm hand, the arm feeling weightless, as he blocked her follow-up strike. "Better, but you still suck!"

Her legs swept under him, knocking him down and her blades pointed straight at your throat. "You didn't roll with the sweep. You failed to assert your balance. Stance is off, the centre should be lower." Her smile was amused, even as the full battle skirt that she wore seemed to flare. Small silver adornments decorated the skirt, dangling from them like a dancer's skirt.

"Get up! We got some forms to drill in you before you wake up." The woman's voice was snappy, making him get up slowly. _This is worse than Pyrrha telling me my faults... My drill instructor is in my head and she's telling me I've got an ass that she's going to make firm._ He had to dodge the sweeping strike immediately afterwards, as Summer Rose's smile was bright and cheerful, contrary to the expression that he was making.

* * *

 _A hard day's work._

* * *

"Come on, Hunter boy!" The sound jerked him out of his dream, his body shifting a little on the haystack, his gaze going down to his chest to see that it was bare as the day that he'd been born, Maiko's voice sounding loud in his ear. With a swift thought, the _vitae tenebris_ turned back to the outfit that he'd been wearing, the woman entering the barn with a plate with a sandwich on it and a small jug of milk. "Breakfast for ya, so you can get something in your stomach."

 _How grateful._ He thought as he looked at the sandwich, taking it and feeling the weight of the plate in his hands, lighter than anything that he'd felt. In his dreams, Crocea Mors had been heavier than anything he'd ever lifted, barely good enough for him to be able to raise, yet here... the plate was weighted like it were only a feather. Dismissing the thought for the moment as he looked at the woman and ate greedily, his stomach feeling like an empty pit (Which is likely WAS, given that he'd not eaten a thing ever since waking up whilst frenching the mother of all Grimm) that needed sustenance.

"You didn't try setting things on fire." The woman said, her voice sounding almost sad that he didn't. _Was I supposed to?_ He gave her such an honest look that a grin caught to her features. "Yeah, Shats was suspicious of you when you'd appeared at the gate. We'd heard you approach. It's real quiet around these parts, so we just gotta be prepared for when the bandits come and find us a nice and juicy target, y'know?"

 _I've never dealt with bandits before._ He shrugged. "All I know is that there's bandits... and that they aren't particularly friendly." He said, the woman giving a soft snort at his answer, unimpressed. "Lucky for you, we aren't needing a Huntsman to kill some bandits. Now, what's your name?"

"Jaune." He said, the woman pursing her lips. "John. Alright, John. Time for you to get saddled up and ready! Where's your weapon?" _Darn, I don't HAVE a weapon... and summoning a beowolf with the vitae tenebris is out too, if I'd like to keep my skin unperforated by bullets. She looks like a fierce woman._ "I'm afraid that they didn't give me one..." Summer's voice cut in suddenly before he finished his sentence. _"Say that it's a test by Lionheart to gauge your improvisational skills."_

"Because it's a test to gauge my improvisational skills, yeah." He said, Maiko giving a nod. It seemed to be accepted by the woman, who looked around and then suddenly whacked him on the side of his head, his aura kicking in. "Good. Seems you ain't lying about having Aura and being a Huntsman then, aye?" The woman watched him for a moment longer, as he drank some milk from the jar to wash away the bread's taste from his taste buds.

"Sleep well, boy?" Shats said as he stood in front of the wall, busy with tapping his finger at a small schedule, half-way turned towards the direction that Jaune had come from together with Maiko, the older woman giving a light shake of the head. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the guns being pulled away. _Close. They'd have shot me if I hadn't been up to their standards. "It is pretty weird to see a guy like you around these parts. When I was still active as a huntress, they often didn't believe me when I said I was 25!"_

He wondered about that. She did look a lot like Ruby, who was a bit small for her tastes. _"Ruby is small too. She'll manage just as well."_ The soft snicker that came from the woman was something that he'd grown a distaste of. " _Says the guy who tripped over his own feet twice!"_

"We need your huntsmen skills to track down a Beringel that's been spotted in the forest nearby. They're migratory creatures that'll cause a lot of damage if left alone for a while due to their growth rate." _Their growth rate is not the dangerous thing about them... It's rather the rate of muscle to tissue generation that increases their strength the older they get._

"I'll take care of it. Do you have a sword I can borrow?" He asked whilst his thoughts lingered on the situation as it was, his mind trying to work out some tactics that he could use. If it was just a Beringel, he could work out something with the control that he had over the Grimm to subdue and then slay it.

 _It'll be a tough challenge... But if She comes after me, I'll be needing all the power that I can get._ A large two-handed blade was fetched out for him to take, Jaune's fingers gripping it and laying it against his shoulder, like a real hero should carry his blade. "Alright... I guess I'm ready to go hunt that beast down then."

 _"You need to work on your cool delivery front. My teammates would be able to outdo you easily."_ Summer's voice chirped in his ear, the dread entering his stomach as he realized that he might need to work a little on that, indeed.

* * *

 **Well... This is the first chapter of the first Arc of 'A Grimm Tale'. It's got Jaune! It's got Summer! It's got Salem! Rejoice, ye angry peasants! (Or not.) And to head off questions like the one about him being 'too fucking OP'. The answer to that is 'No.'. To the people who didn't guess that I was going in this direction and are like 'WTF dude!' and 'Yay!'... Yeah. I'll see about posting the original concept idea I had as a short alternate ficlet once I get it formalized out.**

 **I hope that my depiction of Summer Rose is pretty much in line with what people expect. I basically picture Summer Rose as a bit of an optimist with a vocabulary that's very... eh... scatterbrained. A bit more of an optimist than Qrow, Tai-Yang and Raven. (She'll mellow out. The whole excitement is still rocking her harder than a hurricane. She's fun to write, though.)**

 **And as a small section about that OC that has been hyped up to be like the 'Destroyer of this Fic'... Yeah, I had my reasons for including him. They may be apparent, or they may not be apparent... But yeah... He's there for a reason. Have faith in the author... (Or not. Authorism is not a religion. Yet. We're working on it.)**


	6. A Stark Reminder

**Chapter 6: A stark remembrance**

 _So, Jaune's back. People seem to like that, even with all the doomsaying and 'it'll never be as cool!' Time for me to make it cool. Or at least attempt to make it even cooler!_

* * *

As Jaune looked at Shats' face with an outward look of confidence, he did not feel it brimming inside of him. The people here seemed to have faith in his skills, enough of it to allow at least a novice huntsman in training to track down a Beringel and kill it. _This would really suck if I hadn't gotten this blade. I can't imagine how bad things would go if I only had my hands to fight or something._

"So, anything else you need, sonny boy?" The man asked, getting a small pipe out and stuffing it with tobacco. The sight of it reminded him of one of his father's teammates, the man having been a heavy smoker, yet he could not comment on it for it was not his place to do so. "No, the blade will be good, Sir." The man nodded, even as he tested the weight of the blade. Two-handed weapons were a bit harder to swing than the single sword that he was used to.

" _My teammate used a battle-scythe. Now THAT was a true masterpiece of engineering."_ The voice of Summer Rose piped up, enough for him to look up, the thought of that coming to his mind without any warning. _"As long as I don't have to meet it up close. Ruby's always gushing about her scythe being close to perfect, it gets a little annoying sometimes."_

 _Then again, she is still young. A bit of excitement is never wrong if you're talking about the weapon that'll save you from death._ The amusement that he could feel from Summer Rose was a good distraction, as he could see several of the villagers already going around their day. "You listening, boy?" Snapping to attention again, he could see that Shats was already getting himself through a list of things. "No, sorry. I was just trying to go over some tactics."

" _Liar. But you know… You look pretty cute when you try to look all serious."_ The compliment would normally have sent redness rocketing to his cheeks, yet he knew for certain that it would not be a bad thing if this turned out alright. "Whatever you think you need, boy. We just want that darn thing gone before it'll bust through the walls!"

 _They tend to do that, yes. Created mostly as a humanoid puppet to ensure that the dominance of the Grimm is achieved, with its arms it can crush the human structures, if properly aged._ The news that a Beringel was about was never a really great thing for most human settlements. The creatures of Grimm were more or less a constant threat to the outlying villages and settlements, who had to maintain a watch around the clock. "Yeah, I'll try to solve your problems. That's what a hero should do."

An amused snort came from Maiko as she shook her head, her eyes holding a spark of amusement. "If the hero saves us all, I don't mind letting you sleep in a bed, boy. It'll straighten your back out, at least a little." He ran his hand through his hair, gaze casting down as sheepish laughter came from his lips. _A change of clothing would also be nice… I don't really think it's a good idea to keep wearing the Vitae Tenebris for a while if it just recedes when I sleep._

"Thanks." He said, voice sounding a little more snarky than before. The grin on her face seemed to mimic that of her husband. "You'll do good, boy. Otherwise, you'd better not bother returning. We don't get a huntsman out here often, so we've got to make do with what we have."

He didn't feel filled with confidence as she said that, his gaze going to the other villagers, as the daytime business picked up once more. The sword he held up. _"Sharp edge, yet the steel is badly tempered. It'll last for a day or so. Not much more."_ Summer's voice chirped in his mind as he looked over the edge, feeling the need to point it out rising, before he realized that they would probably not care too much. "Guess I'll be off then to fight the Beringel." The pat to his shoulder by Shats was rough, as the man pushed him along. "Get to it, boy. The next time I see you, you'd better have good news!"

He trudged away from the village, the _vitae tenebris_ that covered his body moving with every step that he made, his gaze turning back to the village and a deeper sigh came from his mouth. _"What now?"_ He asked Summer, who seemed to be oddly silent for the time now. _"Right now? We go and hunt that Beringel, silly! We've got to make sure that it doesn't hurt others."_ He could feel the presence of Beowolves around, his gaze going over the countryside, the far-off mountains containing a veritable horde of Grimm as far as he could tell.

The pinpricks of presence seemed to be muted in the light of day, as his senses stretched out, his gaze going to the direction that he'd had indicated by Shats, who seemed to have done the right thing in informing him just where the Beringel was. He could feel its presence brushing against his mind, his eyes closing for a moment and getting vision through its eyes. _Strange._ His thoughts were a mess, as he could feel the murderous impulses of the Grimm rise, as its head turned to the rection that he was in, no doubt feeling his intrusion to its mind. _**Come.**_ He commanded, the command flickering for a moment in its mind as it asserted its presence… Only for there to be no recognition.

 _Why did it fail?_ He wondered, looking up at the sky. The sun was climbing slowly towards the apex of its daily cycle, casting warmth and heat onto him, making the _vitae tenebris_ feel sluggish and weary. _It works better during dark hours, then…_

"Alright Jaune… it's time to go and be a huntsman." He muttered to himself, the large blade resting against his side. He encountered a few Beowolves, the creatures giving him a passing glance before continuing onwards, his mind touching their animalistic brains for a moment, his eyes closing at the thoughts flooding into his mind. His lips pressed tightly together as he instructed them: _**Follow.**_ The word was beholden the power that he infused it with, his breath stopping for a moment as he could see the Grimm shake their heads, as if they resisted his orders. _Strange._

The feeling of new presences added to those already in his head was enough to tell him that he had succeeded. _Why would it not work with the Beringel? The difficulty between a Beowolf and a Beringel is not that great._ He knew the method of creation of both, the pools of _vitae tenebris_ allowing them to spawn in ever-greater numbers with a moment of time associated for each of them. The burning inside his body was like a wellspring flooding, the heat of the sun making him feel a little dizzy.

" _Your stance is wrong."_ Summer said as he took his battle stance. If he was going to be dealing with the Beringel, he would need some practice done at least, since a two-handed weapon was a little different than a sword-and-shield combination. _"You'll want to keep enough space so you can arc the strikes in the manner that they'll connect with the sharp edge rather than the other bits."_ Summer's voice was gentle as she corrected him. _"Shoulders straightened. Hands on the blade's grip. Pull back, then sweep. Slice. Thrust."_ The instructions were much like Professor Goodwitch's, without any emotions attached, calmly outlining the moves that he should be making. With dedication as such, he could hardly fail at it. _At least I won't be embarrassing Pyrrha again._ He thought, whilst he did as she ordered, his hands letting go of the blade as the tip buried itself into the ground.

" _You should have some grounding in the basics at least."_ Summer's voice said, her tone slightly confused. _"You did get into Beacon the proper way, right?"_

 _Uh-oh._ The fact that he'd faked his transcripts was something that he hadn't told anyone. Cardin would no doubt take it as something that he could hold over his head, something to make him do whatever he wanted.

" _I cheated my way in."_ There was a feeling of surprise from her, something that he could not seem to understand, before her cheerful voice came through, undiminished in enthusiasm. _"As leader of team STRQ, I am going to work that fine ass of yours into the bloody finest bum in Remnant!"_

 _Is she just repeating herself?_ He wondered, the dream-like state that they'd been in allowing for him to receive more training from someone who knew what they were doing, a huntress who had been a well-trained Grimm slaying machine. _"I'll… try my best?"_

He continued onwards after he had tried out some of the style that she was somewhat narrating to him. It was not very complex. See Grimm, swipe, kill Grimm. _"You're going to want to have something that'll get you properly able to take on ranged targets, Jaune. You'll need it if we're ever up against something that we can't deal with._ " She sounded serious enough for him to take seriously.

The Beringel was roaming in a small valley, knocked-over trees laying around it, its gaze turning to him. _Let's see if a direct line of sight is good enough._ The Beringel roared, Jaune feeling a shudder going through his mind. The presence of the Grimm around him he could feel with crystal clarity, as he could see their bony masks as clear as day on their head, the Beowolves responding to his every whim.

The Beringel roared once, loudly announcing its presence to him, and his mind tapped against its own form of bloodthirsty sentience. _**OBEY ME!**_ The command washed over the Beringel, a feeling of drainage surging through him as he tried to put himself in the dominance hierarchy over the large apelike Grimm. A large roar came from its mouth as his efforts were rebuffed, the beast looking right at him.

 _She is going to know._ He knew, and his mind receded from touching the Beringel. His blade was up in a guard, ready to deal with the Beringel as it came at him, galloping like a gorilla would at the zoo its movements without any wasted motions. _"Get ready…"_ Summer's voice spoke in his mind as he watched the Beringel get ever closer, the Grimm around him feeding off his nervous energy, his body feeling the brush of terror go through it as he felt his own surging fear.

Another roar and he could feel the control slipping away from the here and now, the whole globe appearing before his eyes, the sparks of light that he could feel a connection with, the creatures of Grimm obeying his whims as he ordered them. Her presence was felt as well, as the grand campaign was continuing without mercy.

" _Come on, don't you freeze up! Jaune!"_ Her voice burnt through that sight of billions of eyes, hundreds upon hundreds of different nodules appearing for his vision to send orders to. He was back in his own body again, no longer connected to the massive whole of the Grimm. His blade raised as the Beringel charged, close enough for him to actually smell the cloying scent of the miasma that had given it shape and form.

His blade swung, meeting the beast's grasping paw and splitting it, the grisly ichors of the foul sludge that worked as the blood for the Grimm coating the blade, even as he dodged to the side. _"Good! Now get up again!"_ The voice in his head urged him on, even as the other paw came in, catching him in the ribs.

The feeling of weightlessness was only brief, as he slammed into the ground. _Not good._ His will surged, connecting to the Beowolves that he'd had gathered earlier, their minds linking to his own. As he got up slowly, he could see the Beringel about to return to form, the ichors slowly mending the hand. The metal of his sword was not good enough to keep the wound from closing up, the _vitae_ _tenebris_ that flowed through his body and piled up in his body much purer than the filthy sludge that worked through this Grimm's system.

 _I should get it to charge me again, but how do I block its strike?_ The blade would only block one strike, he reckoned, enough for him to be able to get away without any great amount of damage being inflicted to his own person. _What if I used the terrain?_ The empty plain around him and the Beringel was enough to have as the battlefield, several tree trunks laying loosely on the ground, torn out of the soil by the Beringel's hands. He watched as its intact hand grabbed one of the trees and then lifted it up.

" _Get away!"_ The voice of Summer Rose sounded in his ears as he watched the beast pull its arm back, getting ready to throw it, and then the movement of his body as he took a few stumbling steps, the whistling of the air audible to his ears as he saw the impending tree come at him. He flattened himself against the ground then, the tree sailing over his head, the whistling sensation of something brushing past his head, a branch snapping off as it hit his face, the feeling of being mashed to the ground better than having a tree hit you. _What is it with me and trees? Pyrrha nailed me to a tree, this beast is throwing trees at me too!_

The Beringel roared once more, Jaune's face looking at it. _**Attack.**_ The voice was his, as his eyes narrowed, his facial features paling even more, the veins throbbing as the _vitae tenebris_ within him seemed to bubble and boil. Beowolves that he had gathered moved, as the Beringel stood there. Like feral wolves, they leapt upon its back, biting and scratching, their form more lupine than the bipedal shape that they preferred.

The Beringel roared, slamming one of the attacking Grimm into the ground, its spinal bones breaking under the sudden impact, the miasma starting to burn in the light of the sky. Jaune inhaled slowly, feeling the strength wash over his sore and tired muscles, even as the Beowolf turned into many small motes of energy, the rush of the energy returning as a little trickle of _Vitae Tenebris_ returned to the storage within him.

Another roar came from its mouth, gaping wounds upon its hide showing the strength that it had to keep on going. His mind was detached from the events that were going on as the three Beowolves that he had enslaved to his will continued to follow his orders. Her orders to hunt and destroy all human life were still tantamount to every creature of the Grimm that he could feel, yet his own orders trumped hers, at least for a little while whilst he was present. _That should be all that was needed. I do not think that I could ever match Her._ It was not humbleness that made him realize that, but the knowledge that he had gleaned from her mind during their tense moment.

" _Watch OUT!"_ His body flew through the air again as something hit him in the chest, his back slamming against one of the trees that'd fallen, the Beringel standing there before him, a single enemy with no other Grimm around. _"DO SOMETHING, JAUNE!"_ Summer's voice called, as she seemed helpless and unable to do more than watch.

Calling out for any of the Grimm in the direct vicinity, he could only detect the Beringel within the distance that his senses could easily sway the mind of the Grimm. _Maybe it only works within darkness?_ His thoughts were shut off as he could see another tree fly at him, the leaves that fell from the tree leaving a pattern as it flew towards him with deadly precision.

 _I am not going to die here due to some stupid ape!_ His mind opened up wide and the _vitae tenebris_ boiled within his gut. His reconstructed hand pressed against the ground and the warmth that surged through him banished the cold for a moment as he felt it pulse and surge.

Three Beowolves appeared before him, catching the force of the tree and only being bowled over, the weary sensation of his arm throbbing with a heat that was greater than the sun during a hot day, as the Beowolves threw the tree from them, their clumsy motions as expected. _"Life-Slayer, what is your command?"_ The voice of one of the Beowolves sounded in his mind, as he pointed at the Beringel. _**Slay it.**_ His voice was not audible, yet the Beowolves did as he inquired. With its arm still regenerating slowly, the Beringel had only one workable hand, the Beowolves approaching with a complete and utter lack of fear behind their motions.

Claws dug deep into the flesh, tearing out chunks that smoked and foamed, black ichorous fluids mingling with the air and dissipating slowly, the smell of the diluted _vitae tenebris_ invading his nostrils as he could feel the surging within his body, the wellspring of _Vitae Tenebris_ half-way dry. With the three Grimm that he had summoned from somewhere using the _Vitae Tenebris_ within him, it was only needed once. The slow trickle of the _vitae tenebris_ replenishing itself was a boon to him, even as the miasma in the space that he had to fight the Beringel seemed to clear away slowly.

The bleeding armoured shape of the Beringel gave another roar, as the Beowolves went in for another attack. Compared to the wilder, feral Beowolves, these were a lot more able to invent their own attack patterns, one leaping atop the beast's back whilst the others ducked in, swiping and cleaving at the delicate parts of the Beringel.

" _This is... pretty cool."_ Summer commented from within his mind, his mind's eye catching a glimpse of silver eyes that were widened. _"You can control the Grimm! You can make them into little attack puppies that scratch and crawl and make them all dance to your tune!"_ The enthusiasm within her voice was enough for him to feel like someone had punched him in the gut, even as he watched the Beowolves tear into the Beringel, its paw swiping at the Beowolves, not touching one of them due to them moving out, just in the same fashion as he would've.

* * *

 _I can control the Grimm, yes... But who would accept me if they knew that I could?_ The warmth of the light of his soul was not enough to heat him up as he realized the caveat at having such a Semblance. _They fear what they do not understand._

An image of Ozpin and Salem together came to his mind, decked out with the cloth that showed their station. Their faces happy and yet serious, with their eyes looking like they blazed with the power that they had trained for their entire life to obtain. _They fear what they would never get. The fear will beget envy and terror, and the cycle continues._

An image of his family appeared to his mind's eye. Fondness warred with minor frustration in his mind as he saw his eldest sister Rowan bend forwards, wrapping him in a hug and telling him that it would all be alright. _"Is she your sister?"_ Summer's voice asked, as her eyes appeared in the back, looking at her. " _Yeah, that's Rowan. She's the eldest. She's been a Huntress for nearly nine years._ "

Heather Arc wrapped herself around him as well, her smile warmer than her sister's. _"Heather Arc, the second eldest. She's got a Semblance that makes fire appear. It was really cool back when we were younger."_ He could detect something that passed for amusement on Summer's voice as she said. _"Fire and... was that water?"_ He would voice his assent, even as Bianca and Ashley hugged him close as well. _"They're cute! Are they twins? You got twins, Jaune!"_

The excitement in Summer's voice was bountiful, Jaune realizing that he was now delving into the subject of family with a woman who was the mother of one of his best friends. _"They are twins, yes. Ashley and Bianca." I hope they're all alright. I'll try to make it back, guys... You've always been a support for me_.

* * *

His eyes opened wide as he looked at the Beringel, the thoughts of his family banished, as he took direct action. His blade in both hands, he charged, as the Beringel swiped its paws to try and deal with the sudden attack of the Beowolves, Jaune's steps carrying him past the Beowolves, leaping into the air with a strength that he did not know that he had, his blade humming in his hands as he brought it down upon the beast, the blade carving through the fleshy hide of the ape-like Grimm with ease, the spark of Aura that covered the blade making it tear through the flesh, the beast groaning under the attack that he'd made.

He could feel something surging into him, as the Beowolves gave a mournful howl. The Beringel's body collapsed on top of him, as the dying Grimm tried its best to crush him. _Not again... Come on, is it always going to be things collapsing on top of me?!_

As the ichorous darkness that composed the Grimm's physical consistency seeped into his flesh, he could feel the _vitae tenebris_ within his body start to wake up, the pool that was half-way empty now starting to slowly fill up once more, the Grimm dissolving slowly in the background, leaving him with only the Beringel to slowly dissolve atop him. _This will take a while...I'm lucky that I don't feel any other wild Grimm around that I cannot control._

* * *

" _Sooooo... Family! Show me more!"_ The excitable woman in his mind continued, Jaune closing his eyes as he let the dissolving Grimm atop him be for the time, calling up that image again. The same group hug, Bianca and Ashley having been added to it, appeared to his mind again.

He could see Summer standing to the side, similar to the manner in which she appeared in his mind. With the hood of her cloak pulled up, she looked akin to a spectre that haunted the night. _"Ashley and Bianca. Twins that have technology as well as weaponry covered. I think that Ashley did something with the explosive dust rounds... but I'm not sure whether it's her or Bianca."_

He paused for a moment, as he realized that it would not make sense for Summer. " _I mean, I can tell them apart, it's just that on occasion they like to wear each other's clothes and try to make us guess."_ The giggle from Summer was really feminine, Jaune wondering whether Ruby had inherited it, or whether it was just something that silver-eyed women had as a defining trait. _"They look really cute like that, hugging their big brother."_

 _It would help if I was actually the big brother and not the youngest of mom's eight children._ He did not voice that thought to Summer, who was looking at the hug with amused eyes. Cremea and Saffron hugged him from the sides, slipping in between Rowan and Heather, holding tightly to him. _"You've got a big family. That's good."_ Summer's voice sounded faintly jealous, as she seemed to think it a great thing to have that many sisters.

 _If only..._ He looked at Summer, his eyes catching her silver gaze. _"Cremea and Saffron."_ He indicated them with a turn of the head, as he was physically immobilized by the sisterly hug that he was getting, the memory of that time being something that he had cherished for a while. Rowan had been only twenty-seven then, her smile having returned after a while of him trying to cheer her up. Azure added herself to the group hug then, holding tightly to him. _"And Azure. That's my older sister, two years my senior."_

Summer's eyes were wide and the smile definitely was Ruby's, those eyes sparkling almost as if he had just told that he had the secrets to life hidden within his mind. _"That's so oh-mi-gosh-darn cute! You've got cute sisters, Jaune! Ruby only has Yang... and even then, I was thinking about making her another one. Tai is cute when he snores, so you just cuddle up and then press yourse-"_ He held up a hand, totally seeing that conversation going into territories that he had not ever thought of. _"Hold up, I don't need to know what you and Mister Rose are going to go up to."_

Summer giggled broadly, the woman stepping forwards, the heels that she wore clicking on the floor of his memory. " _His name is Tai-Yang Xiao-Long... and he's Yang's dad and Ruby's dad! He didn't take my name, silly goose! I kept mine, because we were never really formallidoodly married!"_ He blinked. _"Oh."_ He wasn't sure what he could say about that, knowing that the woman was speaking from experience.

" _You've not seen the things that marriage brings to the table, have you?"_ She said, poking him in the nose, the frozen looks on the family members that had him in a hug adding a sense of weirdness to this situation. _"You've gotta get a ring, hire the performers and have a whole wedding according to the ceremony! Ensure that the brother of the bride doesn't drink all the alcohol and make out with the bridesmaids! Plus you've got to get her in a dress first, and chain her up so she cannot escape her eternal grisly fate of being chained to a man who's able to really make your eyes roll back as he gi-"_ He snapped his fingers. " _Enough, I don't think that I can suffer much more of this line of conversation."_

It wasn't that he was a prude, no. He just felt... a bit uncomfortable with Summer going on such a delicate topic as her husband, Ruby's father. _Mister Xiao-Long... I hope you're happy and that you won't kill me for being a guy-friend of Ruby's._ _"Aww, spoil-sport! How would you like it if I just gave you an image of what it would be like, huh? You've kissed girls, right?"_

 _Ruby, your mother is bad. She's so bad that this topic will never get referenced again. Unless she asks...and even then, it will be nothing said about thi-_ The images hit him like a truck, the soft lips pressed against his own, red eyes meeting his own as he could feel the hands against his bosom, the soft shuddering breath that came from her mouth as her hands tried to push him away. The fact that the Beacon Academy girl's uniform looked so good on the woman was something that seemed to be a mere afterthought to his addled mind.

"Rae Rae, be a good girl and stop resisting. We're a TEAM. We're supposed to be kick-ass and awesome and cool and super-duper Grimm slayers! None of that 'gloomy-doomy woe is me!' brooding!" He could hear his own voice speak in that tone of Summer Rose, knowing that the sight of a young woman before him was burnt onto his mind's eye now. "A-ah? Bwuh?"

"Silly Rae Rae... It's only natural that you should want to protest! I mean... I would, if you had- Ooh, you're getting handsy!"The broad smile on his face was something that he didn't want to really feel, as the hands of the raven-haired young woman tried to push him away. "Raven, you in here?" The door opened up and he could feel a mix of embarrassment and irritation go through him as the fingers froze. "G-get off!" Raven mumbled, Summer rolling off the brunette, giving a soft sniff. "Qrow! Your sister won't be nice and hug! Tell her to be nice and give her leader a hug!"

The young man's mouth had fallen half-way open as he looked at him, the dark red of his gaze drawn to his face. "Now now... Flies will go in if you keep your mouth open like that!" A snicker from behind him came, as Raven's voice added to that comment. "You should keep doing it. It'll make you look more attractive to the next bird that'll be snatched off to get herself ruined by your devilishly good looks... right?"

"Ehh..." The heat on the young man's cheeks was enough, Jaune slammed back into his own memory. The faint touch of lips against his own was still felt, Summer Rose grinning impishly at him. _"Ehehehe, it is best to show you! My team, STRQ! Raven was a real tough nut to crack... but I eventually got Rae Rae to hug! Sure, we were eighteen back then and hadn't been on a team for longer than a year... But she was so COLD! So like 'we have to focus! Summer, stop being distracting!'"_

 _She sounds like Ruby does when she talks about Weiss._ The thought of the white-haired heiress put a smile on his lips as he tried to imagine the Heiress as she'd go through a similar situation. _I imagine that she'd go-_ The image of Weiss and Ruby sharing a kiss definitely did cause a physical reaction. _"Ooh! Someone's thinking naaaauuuughty thoughts!"_ That she'd kissed him to transfer those memories was just… something.

" _S-stop it! I was just… Your daughter is much like you."_ Summer Rose nodded her head, definitely understanding it in that fashion. _"Of course! She's my little angel! She should be bright and cheery and destroying the Grimm wherever she finds her! Tai will make sure that she grows up to be the best little doom-bringer!"_ The maternal pride he could hear, as the images of his sisters faded away, walking over to Summer, the woman looking up at him.

" _Oh… Did I do that thing again when I'm not being correct?"_ She asked, looking at his face. For a woman who was so short, Summer Rose did seem to have some presence that made her look wiser and older than him… which likely was the case at any rate. " _No, no… I was just thinking about her and her partner."_

" _Ooh, tell me about her! I want to know!"_ The thought rose in his mind that Summer Rose was someone who was just possessed of a scatter-brained disposition, yet the image of the woman doing a little bounce in place whilst she seemed hyped for the knowledge. _"Well, her partner is called Weiss Schnee and she is the most gorgeous girl in the whole world."_

" _Oooooh! Oooh!"_ An excited girlish squeal came from her as she did a little dance. _"Jaune likes a girl! This is just like when Qrow did that little thing for Fuchsia and she threw her tray at him and he was all mopey like 'why did this have to happen, I always have bad luck!' and Raven went and beat her ass up for dissing her little brother."_ The events no doubt happened before his time, yet it was comforting to know that Summer Rose was a woman who didn't care too greatly about being seen as weird. _Just a bit like Ruby… but more mature._

" _And then, when we finally had her together with him in the room, he was all red in the face and Tai just went 'Just do it, you stingy bastard!' and he kissed her right on the lips and said 'I like you!' and Raven was SO mad that she turned red and started to just get herself into a mood._ " The topic of conversation had drifted, Summer starting to tell some tale from her school days. As the Beringel slowly evaporated into miasma, the weight lessened upon him, his body feeling freed from the weight, as the _vitae tenebris_ within his body was replenished slightly.

" _Think about the benefits, Jaune! You can create Grimm and recover the essence that they leave behind to make MORE!"_ Summer's excitement seemed to be of the type that one would get when discovering a new skill, gruesome though it might be, yet useful in situations. _I wonder if there's some sort of karmic retribution waiting for me for wielding the darkness in the way that She does._

The knowledge that She held within her mind about mutating the Grimm to her specifications was something that he faintly remembered. Sleep seemed to have wiped out a large part of the memories, the freshness of the morning allowing only for the brief realization that he would be a little more lost now than before. _"I'm not sure whether it's a good idea to let people know that I have these powers."_

" _Of course not. First rule of being a huntsman: Hide your skills well. You don't know when someone is going to stab you in the back, after all."_ Summer's voice was light and cheerful in tone as she said that, making him wonder whether she had some different rules for her own behaviour or not. _"Would you tell me everything about yourself?"_ he asked her suddenly, Summer's confused silver eyes meeting his own in his mindscape.

He slowly got himself out from under the dissipating body of the Beringel, just languishing within the dark emanations of the decomposing Grimm, awaiting her answer. _"Asking such a question just like that... You're an awfully bold one, are you? My... You'd have to buy me dinner first, fight off my husba- oh, I suppose he'd be my EX husband now... Dead girls can't have a husband, after all."_

The prospect of fighting off someone who had been an active Huntsman for nineteen-plus years was not something that really was high on his list of future things to do. He would rather have a casual chat with the man than to fight him for the favour of his wife... _What is it with these quirky girls that have their mind in the clouds and seem to defy common sense?_

" _But I'll say something, yes..."_ She started, his attention perking up. Around him, the creatures of Grimm could be picked up as they moved with no guidance from her, their animalistic instincts driving them ever onward. The Grimm would continue to roam around in search of humans to kill.

" _The name's Summer Rose, I'm 38 and eh... I'm Ruby's mom."_ The woman's depiction in his mind was younger than that, the image of her mutilated body from the cylinder coming to his mind then and the utter wrongness of those eyes flashed. _"Greetings, Summer Rose. Jaune Arc, hero in training and huntsman to be."_ The giggle that she gave. _"You've said that already, silly boy. I was just trying to do what you've done, now you're making me laugh again."_

 _Not a bad thing to hear her laugh. It would always be an issue if we had some sort of gloomy depressive funk going on._ The negative emotions would empower him, yet it would also make him a beacon to whatever Grimm were around… had not he had the powers that She cultivated for millennia.

" _Gee, I'm sorry for making you laugh. Should I just remain silent and mute?"_ The snicker that came from that question was definitely intentionally audible. _"Why, yes… Now, tell me about that Weiss girl."_ The Beringel's body was completely gone now, the surrounding area nearly devoid of Grimm presence. Only the sun bore down on him, the wind whistling through the trees, Jaune allowing a long yawn to come from his mouth.

" _Not too much to say…"_ He did not voice his words, knowing that it would do little good for Summer. _She's fabulous. Such a cute face, with those eyes just_ _holding all that drive and dedication… "She's seventeen, comes from Atlas and is some sort of hot-shot heiress to some Dust company. She is a really good singer, though."_ As he walked along, Summer's voice seemed to be more amused.

" _So, what makes you like her?"_ The question was a little surprising to hear. _Why would she ask that?_ He thought about it for a moment. What made him like Weiss Schnee? Was it her attitude and her skill at being a Huntress? _The look she has on her face when she excels in something is really eyes just start to light up and she'll turn her nose up just right._

" _She's pretty to look at, plus she's just got that glow of 'I did something right, and nobody can stop me!' when she's succeeding at something. She's warming up a little to Ruby now, too. They used to be a little tense."_ He had heard about the little kerfluffle that Weiss and Ruby had earlier about leadership, Weiss' words having gone unheard by him, yet Ruby had told him about it anyways, because 'that's just what huntsmen do, Jaune. We talk and work things out to make the world right again!'.

 _Pyrrha had looked really sad that one time when I said that I liked Weiss. Perhaps she'd have some sort of advice for me, if she were here?_ A Beowolf approached, Jaune's gaze going over its bone-white mask, his hand reaching out and feeling the tug on the _vitae tenebris_ inside him, his body absorbed the Grimm, his strength increasing slowly with the Grimm that he had absorbed.

 _Now… What's this?_ The feeling of something burning inside of him brought him to full awareness as he looked at the arm that had been constructed from the _vitae tenebris,_ the veins throbbing as the black ichorous _vitae tenebris_ surged through it. The arm he flexed once, seeing the fingernails turn slowly into claws, shifting back with just a thought. _This is... new?_

It wasn't that he minded it too much that he could have something in hand to gouge out something. The pun that could be made with it was no doubt something Yang-worthy, even if she wasn't present right now. _"You've got it all in hand, haven't you?"_

* * *

 _Now I know where she got the puns from._ The groan that came from his mouth was something that was not even the slightest bit restrained by his mouth, his feet carrying him back towards the village, the approaching Grimm avoiding him, his mental touch to their minds telling them to avoid him. The sword laid in his hand, the damage done to his outfit mended with an application of the _vitae tenebris_ and some willpower. _It has its uses… but mostly it is just creepy._

The gate loomed before him, Jaune coughing once. "Eh… can I be let in?" The sound of his voice bouncing back from the gate was enough to give him the image that he was not that welcome here, his gaze going to the space between the gate and the closest mountain, mostly empty of any large trees, the bushes not allowing for anything greater than a boar to hide in them.

"Done with hunting the Beringel, sonny boy?" One of the villagers asked, Jaune putting a smile to his face. "Yeah, easy. He was like toast getting sliced up." He looked at the sword, noticing the large crack that had been made on the blade, forgotten in the rush. _"Inferior quality… You need to get a blacksmith to forge you something that'll cut through the hide of a Grimm with ease… not this bad quality knock-off."_

"That blade looks like it's half-way finished." The man said, scratching the scruff on his chin, Jaune giving a nod. "Blocked one of its strikes and then dealt it the finishing blow before it could balance itself again." _Let's hope they don't see through_ _the lie._ An impressed whistle came from the man. "Guess we'll have to get Sha-Tong now…" The sigh that the man heaved was something that indicated a distaste for speaking to the man.

Jaune sat down on a bench near the village well, enjoying the sun bearing down on him. His pale hands brushed over the cracked blade, feeling the crack widen just a little bit. _That isn't going to last longer than a few more strikes… if it doesn't break with the first._ The sobering thought of his blade breaking was something that drew his attention, even as his senses stretched out towards the Grimm in the area.

Several Beowolves and Ursa were gathering to the north of the village, their miasma-clad forms looking like they were getting ready. Several spawning pools had erupted from the ground, to bring in more of the Grimm for an assault. _She's going to wipe this village out._

He realized that he could just leave now, citing the need to continue on his way to get back to Mistral and forget all about the people of this village. _It would be so easy._ His mismatched eyes wandered over the people that did their daily duties for the village, the cheerful faces of the children as they played, the adults looking like they were wary, yet content with the lifestyle that they led. _Would I be wrong in avoiding Her stare on me?_

The thought of it was something that he did not wish to fathom, knowing what her attention would likely bring. He could control the Beowolves, often thought of as the lowest lifeform of the Grimm, yet he knew that with more training, he could control them all. _The skill is like a muscle which needs to flex. With more training, I can improve._

" Mister, are you thirsty?" A young girl asked, holding out a cup of water for him. He smiled at her, reminded of Azure for a moment. Being the youngest of his sisters, he had spent the most time with her due to their closeness in age. "Yes… Is that for me?" He asked, the girl nodding at him enthusiastically. "Mama helped me pull water up from the well."

He could see the mother standing a short while away, a bright red apron worn, her hands crossed as she fondly smiled at her daughter. _I wouldn't want to forsake these people._ The thought of it was suddenly ludicrous. Where there had been a minute surge of doubt for a moment, he found the sudden strength inside him, taking the cup from the girl's hand and drinking slowly from it, without hurry.

The water was cool and went down gently, the taste not too dissimilar from the water that he tasted in Vale, the water purification plant giving it a bit of a taste that was not present within this water. " Thank you." He said, gratefully. He handed the girl the cup back, watching as she returned to her mother, her steps hurried and nearly skipping, saying something cheerfully to the woman.

He looked at the arm that had been totally built up from the _vitae tenebris_ , the pale flesh looking a shade paler than the skin colouration of his own body's skin. _I should not have done that._ The thought was sudden as he turned the arm around, looking at the pallid flesh that sat there, so much akin to Hers that it was like she had given him a permanent reminder of her presence, the veins that had distended as the black _vitae tenebris_ raced through it to be pushed through his body to reinforce and strengthen, now looking like they carried mere blood through his body.

"You're looking awfully pale there, kid." The voice of Shats reached his ears, even as he looked up, the sun still warming his body, the chill going through his body not wholly natural as he could feel the presence of a Seer in the area. _Lie._ "Y-yeah. It wasn't that great, fighting the Beringel."

The man nodded, sitting himself down on the bench beside him, giving a look at the sword. "We've got some metal left-over… So if ya want, we can forge you a weapon to last you until you get back to Haven." The offer was generous, for the task that he'd done for them. "How do you know that I've done what you've asked?"

The man snorted, shaking his head, his hand patting his knee. "We heard the roars, boy. John, you don't know the least about how annoying it is to hear that thing roaring like a sick animal at the night-times. Scared a lot of people the first time they heard it, y'know?"

"Earplugs are a good suggestion for that…" He said, his voice sounding more or less content with that answer. His frown was noticeable, Shats shifting a little. "Something the matter, boy?" The question was voiced in a dubious manner, Jaune recognizing the look on the man's face as suspicion. "Just…"

 _Should I tell them? Yes, I think I 's the right thing to do._ The decision was not that hard to make for him, his hand brushing through his hair. "Just be prepared for Grimm tonight." The warning would be spread either way. _I can feel them… Their orders have been given and the assault will come in the darkness._ The thickness of the miasma would spread soon enough, giving him warning of the impending tide of Grimm. Already the Nevermores were starting to swarm, giving the aerial view for Her to coordinate the assault.

The man leaned towards him, his face serious-looking, eyes hardening. "Why'd you say that?" The man's tone was brusque, as Jaune sought the proper words, his mind halting for a moment.

"Because it was too quiet. I only encountered like… seven Beowolves. There should be more around." The man's face turned grimmer by the moment as Jaune relayed that information. "There ought to be more, yeah. We don't have the lien to hire a full-time huntsman… but the Grimm leave the fields alone if there's nobody there, so we can only work them for a few hours a day."

"I'll pass the warning along, though." _That's a blessing for them, at least._ The man got up slowly, Jaune following suit. "Maiko'll have something for your lunch. See if you can help out a bit, John." That he was called John didn't really make too much of a difference to Jaune, as it was similar to his own name. "I'll try to help out."

Going to the house next to the barn and knocking on the door, he waited for Maiko or Liren to come, the door opening up and revealing the woman standing there, a broom in hand. "You're back." The broom was thrust into his hand. "Start sweeping the floors here. You can work for something to eat." _This woman really doesn't stop with issuing demands…_

The sweeping of the floor was not a task that was too hard for him to do, Maiko's gaze looking in his direction every once in a while. "You killed it, didn't you?" She asked, to which he merely nodded, the sweeping continuing on, the pile of dirt and dust growing larger. "You have a dustpan here?" He asked, the woman shrugging her shoulders briefly. "Just get it all out the house. It'll get dirty anyways, but we'll have an easier time with getting the rooms swept than to have to buy some of those technical gadgets."

 _I wouldn't be able to imagine doing something like this without a good cleaner._ The sweeping of the floors was something that he wouldn't have imagined to be easy to do. He did some of the housework around the mansion, yet it was still done through the use of technology. Cooking on a stove that did not have an automatic temperature indicator was still not a skill that he had fully mastered, yet he knew from Nora that Ren was a very apt cook. _I wonder how those three are doing without me._

Pyrrha's face appeared in his mind's eye, her smile radiant as she praised him. _I wonder how she feels about me being gone._ "You've been sweeping that spot for nearly ten minutes, John." The voice of Maiko cut through his musing, as he flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, just thinking about some of the members of my team." The woman gave little but a snort in her return, turning around and pulling something out from one of the closets. "Here." The woman said, holding out a set of clothing for him, folded like the way a mother would fold them.

"Why are you giving me this?" He asked, the woman's eyes looking him over. "You look like a fancy rich boy, John. This is just to give you a more rural feel. Plus… you didn't bring a change of clothes." _That's actually pretty sound logic. I mean… I don't smell, do I? "You smell peachy, Jaune! I don't smell anything."_ Summer put in, a mental version of a groan coming from his mouth. _"You don't have a nose there, do you?"_

"Thanks… but is it okay if I just take them?" Maiko's eyes narrowed, her lips pressing together. _She looks like mom does when she wants Heather to clean out her room… if she's around, that is._ The better part of valour was often knowing when to retreat, his gaze going around the modest home, looking for a part where he could change. "You can use the bedroom. Liren is out in the field, working."

As he found himself in the couple's bedroom, he could spot several pictures framed on one of the closets, a younger Maiko and Liren standing together in some ceremony, obviously for a wedding. The woman's face had not been scarred, the look on her face young and vibrant. _Vitae tenebris_ slid off his body like a vile slime, absorbed into his skin and body, filling the wellspring up once more with the dark ichors. It was about three-quarters full, the Grimm that he had conjured having taken up half of it. _I should learn to use it more efficiently. She does barely lose any of the vitae tenebris when she uses it, and it replenishes much more swiftly within the Evernight region…_

He pulled on the pants, feeling the rough cloth touch against his bare skin. The door opened up, right at the moment that he was busy with tightening the pants a little, Maiko entering and giving him a passing glance. "Here's some underwear as well." The woman said, her gaze not lingering on him. "Do you wish to wash your clothes?"

"No, that won't be necessary." He said, trying to affect a casual attitude about it, the woman's gaze going to his body, an eyebrow raised. "Oh… You've had some damage to your arm?" The question came, Jaune raising the arm constructed out of _vitae tenebris,_ the arm feeling just fine, turning it over. "Bit of a hassle during an earlier mission." The woman took that answer at face value, putting some underwear on the bed for him to take.

Getting out of the pants after he had just put them on was a little more frustrating than he'd thought. _"You've got nothing that I haven't seen before, Jaune! Don't you worry!"_ Summer chirped, even as he pulled the underwear on, feeling a little tight around his rump. _"That's why I'm worried!"_ He sent back at her, the humour within her voice sounding more like she was definitely entertained by the thought of him dressing himself again.

" _Aww, is the little huntsman embarrassed from the big bad huntress making a little joke?"_ That tone of voice that she used was playful yet dangerous, her voice holding that breathy tone of amusement that only a woman who was well-aware of her potential as a warrior could use. He'd heard it before, generally before some smack-down would be delivered to the fool whoever had done such a thing as to evoke that tone. _"No, but you're married! You're my best friend's mother! You shouldn't be_..."

" _Wondering about you? Geez, Jaune... We're stuck together! For the rest of eternity, or as long as you manage to cling to life! You've got to see it in the best way possible! I've got skills! I can teach you all you need to be to become a successful huntsman and then get you a girl!"_ Surprise came from his mind as she said that. _She can do that?_

" _You can do that?"_ He asked her, the grin nearly visible in her words. _"Sure thing! I'm a girl too, you know! I know what girls like and what they don't like! Consider me like… a superhero's aide! Making Jaune Arc into a ladies man!"_ The Yang-like personality would definitely sell it, as she seemed to get excited about the prospect of helping him with his lady issues. Whether it was something exclusive to Summer or whether most adult Huntsmen had some sort of quirk that prevented them from being as sane as they should be, it was still a thing that he might… need a bit of help with.

" _First... We've got to get you something nice to wear. These clothes will do for now... But an eye patch will just make them go a little less 'eww!' and more like 'Yum, that guy looks like he'd be fun to chat with!"_ As he fastened the pants around his waist with a belt, he could feel a little more secure in his manner of dress. It wasn't the armour that he had worn during his time at Beacon, that sadly was lost somewhere along the way, but this would at least be a good base until he could go and get some armour made for his body type. _I wonder if I could just grow armour like an Ursa..._

The _vitae tenebris_ that made up his arm seemed to quiver, the skin turning into bony plates that would most definitely be able to block a single strike of an aura-enhanced weapon, his eyes watching how the arm turned back to its original state, a low whistle coming from his mouth as he got the shirt on, the feeling of rough cloth against his skin something new. _"We have to get you training to look better, Jaune. Your movements were crap."_

Ruby's mother seemed to be egging him on to continue to work on his physique, her telling him off for being too lacking in his training working out once more. _I'll never be as good as the others were, due to never going to a combat school._

The brief bout of darkness that surged through his body was enough to warn him that his thoughts veered to depression again, the sensitivity to the emotions of others around him heightening once again. Emotions were flaring all around him. Sadness came from his northern direction, a girl whose toy had been broken, her blubbering and crying not assuaged by her parents, who tried to cheer her up.

Irritation from the ones around the wall as Shats gave the order to shore up the guard. Anger in some that flared because they would have to spend another night shift guarding the walls. _You'll need it._ The thought rose to his mind as he could feel the massing Grimm already coming closer, the Beowolves already ranging out to discover whether anything had changed, the nevermores holding their vigil over the countryside.

 _She will not discover me if I do not use the vitae tenebris. She can see through their eyes, yet She would not be able to find out all that I know._ He looked at himself for a long while in the mirror. The dark green shirt that he wore was rough-spun, showing the pale skin of his collarbone from the loose cut, the legs fittin in awkwardly, a little bit too short for his tastes, yet fitting decently within the theme. _Not as if I will run into a fashion critic anytime soon._

Somewhere in Beacon, a young Huntress with a set of sunglasses sneezed, her teammate looking up from her camera, wondering whether she should go for a tissue.

His pale features were still Jaune Arc, his eyes a different tale already. One of them was still the blue that he remembered, whilst the other held Her colouration, showing the corruption that he had undergone and had triumphed over. _If I had both of my eyes corrupted, would I become such a hateful figure?_

The question was not answered anytime soon, as Maiko pushed open the door again. "You look decent in some of Liren's old stuff."The woman said, poking him in the side with the broomstick, his hand grabbing it before it could poke him again. "Thank you for this." He said, humbly trying to convey his thanks by giving the awkward bow that Ren had shown once, Nora having said that it was to show gratitude.

"No need to bow that deep. We need stuff to do during the winters, so we make clothes. It isn't like you're taking stuff that we need, boy." Jaune smiled softly at the woman, understanding where she was coming from.

 _I'd done a service and she would feel bad if she did not reward me for it. A Beringel can usually ram straight through a village wall if they're given time to charge up a little._ The other Grimm that could do such a task were not local to this area, though it was not a guarantee for they could always be transported through the transferral process...

 _I wouldn't do such a thing if I were Her. It would cost too much time to gather the Grimm and no sensible huntsman would allow Grimm to gather for longer periods of time._ The tales that his father had told of stopping a herd of Grimm were like cherished memories. "Your kindness is most welcome, honoured maiden."

The woman snorted, his head still bent in that respectful manner, as she tapped the back of his head lightly with a finger. "That's a bit too much of a bow, boy. But thanks, either way." The woman's face showed a difficult expression, as she pointed to the floor. "There's sweeping to be done! Get to it."

That evening, he could feel the impending rush in the air as he sat at the dinner table with Liren and Maiko. The man was mostly silent, offering only the lightest greeting to him before starting on his dinner, eating methodically and mostly silently, whilst Maiko seemed to consider the situation a little more than her husband did.

"Do you like studying to become a Huntsman, John?" She asked, pouring some more steamed rice into his bowl. The implements with which they ate were little more than some sticks of shaped wood, Jaune struggling a little to eat the traditional Mistrali rice dish, yet clumping together the rice and then picking it up seemed to work. "It's what I've always wanted to be. My father was a Huntsman, my grandfather was a Huntsman... even my great-great-grandfather was one, though he fought in the war."

Liren smiled faintly. "We have some people whose family fought in the Great War as well. It is our family's name, Xue. It means Snow in the common tongue, though I suppose that you'd know where it comes from." _I better nod. Mistralian customs was never really a focus back in school._

"You would not find it outside of Mistral easily. The northern provinces used to have a lot of people with my surname, yet we have all perished one after the other to the ravages of time." Liren's voice was calm as he spoke, lifting his chopsticks to his mouth and tasting the rice, some of the dark sauce spread over the rice. _That stuff burns if you eat too much of it quickly. I wonder how he can eat it._

"Yes, I would imagine that." He didn't know too much. The drollness of education had always been a barrier against learning more, the ancient history never being too great to his mind. _Didn't Doctor Oobleck say something about some General Lapine or something who got eaten by the Faunus?_

" _General Lagune. Don't you worry, it's a mistake that is easy to make."_ Summer spoke up, adding her two lien to the discussion in his mind. "Where does your name hail from?" Liren asked, Jaune feeling a little caught on the back foot.

"Eh, it's Arcadia, usually shortened to Arc." _Arcadia? Why did I use the name of that old country?_ The man nodded. "Valean?" He asked as he pulled up another clump of rice, his tongue licking his lips. "Yes, sir. I've lived there for most of my life... but I wanted to become a hero."

"A hero, eh?" Maiko said, her voice sounding amused at the thought. "Perhaps you can be a hero then, Mister Arcadia." The wry tone in her voice showed. "You'll have to come and visit again then, when you've become a hero." The woman's tone was threatening with something that she would do if he did not visit them again, her eyes meeting his own. "Ah... alright. I'll see whether we can come by, maybe with my team present as well... You can see them for yourself and find out whether I'm the hero you'd have wanted." _Who would ever want to be around someone who can create Grimm?_

She smiled then, patting his shoulder in familiarity. "That's the spirit, boy. You've got to make the best out of life, even if it kicks you down and knocks you out." The look on her face was spirited, the scars showing a little less prominently on her face as if she had her burden lightened a little.

A sound of a bell ringing drew their attention next, Jaune's gaze going to his sword. The presence of the Grimm increased in his mind, searching for those minds that he could influence. Their primal rage and anger washed over him, his body freezing in his seat, yet he knew that he should push it away. His mind pulled back, the Grimm continuing their advance.

"The Grimm alarm." She said, her voice growing more serious. Immediately her husband got up, Jaune on his feet as well, the presence of the tide of Grimm surging towards them pulling at his mind. _Shit._

* * *

" _Don't think about it. Think about fighting."_ Summer's voice offered some comfort, as he looked at the two-handed blade that he had at his disposal. The crack still ran through it, Shats not having turned up after he'd ran into the man earlier at the well, Jaune's eyes going to the gun that Maiko pulled off the shelf, the gun looking like the rifle that she'd wielded earlier, yet holding a revolving chamber. "You got your sword, right?" She asked, her voice sounding stressed and snappish, her eyes looking to her husband, who was strapping on some armour. "I should be alright."

He didn't feel alright, but he could not let his nervousness show to these people. They had been nice enough to host him for a night, even if things were to be grim in their near future. As he emerged into the night, his gaze went to the sky, the moonlight illuminating the village square. People were busy with torches, the light casting a show of their worried faces. The emotions of distress that came from them were like a veritable buffet as he swallowed the emotions.

"You look like you've gained some colour. Excited to defend the village against the creatures of the Grimm, sonny boy?" An old man said as he pushed a small cart along, the stack of cartridges of ammunition clearly outlining what they were good for. "Just getting ready for the fight, Sir." He said, the man cackling lightly at his answer. "When you've survived for nearly seventy years such as this old man, you'll know that you've got to hold the line. I can't do much but help with getting you boys some ammunition, but know that I've got faith in the people. Over the past five years we've only lost five villagers to the darned beasts... Let's not lose more."

 _I'll try not to make anyone lose their life tonight._ He thought whilst he got himself ready to fight. The crack in the blade would have to hold out, or he would have to get creative. With his body being in the state that it was, it would be hard for him to hold out for a long while, yet it would be something that a hero did. _I've got to protect the people here. Even if it will hurt in the morning._

As he got on the fortified wall, he looked over at the swarming Grimm in the distance, their gait loping, approaching with speed. "Ready to fight, boy?" One of the villagers said, Jaune's hands raising his sword. "I should be alright, yeah." _Liar. You're not going to be alright._ _She is watching, undoubtedly. I cannot use the vitae tenebris._

The dark substance inside him felt like it was boiling, the presence of so many Grimm allowing him to feel the substance within them as well, the _vitae_ _tenebris_ that clung to their innards something that he could use. His red eye looked at the mass of Grimm, a film of redness covering his gaze, lighting up the darkness with no difficulty at all, the darkness that stretched out above him lending him vision throughout the night-time landscape.

There easily were ninety Grimm coming their way, the frontal assault force that he could feel consisting of mostly Beowolves with a few alphas thrown in to offer guidance to the lesser creatures. _Distract the defenders..._ The other group that would penetrate the village wall was crawling around the perimeter, just out of sight of the people on the wall. They would only be noticed when it would be time for the final push to come, the fear rapidly swelling if the wall was breached being like a buffet for the Grimm and Her.

The Seer would conduct this assault, given limited options for the control of the Grimm by Her. He could feel it float above the masses of Grimm, held aloft by its own buoyancy, its orders to the Grimm precise and tailored to the defence. _Pick out the primary targets of resistance. Swarm them. Destroy or maim them. Reap the seeds of fear that have been sown._

"Boy, what're you doing there, dreaming about? We've got Grimm to kill! It's a massive wave!" Someone shouted at him, as the Beowolves came ever closer. The guns that the villagers used were of a cruder make than the ones that he'd seen at Beacon, less finesse in the design and the Dust-powder-infused bullets only slaying several Grimm. "I'm heading out!" He said, leaping from the wall. "BOY! GET BACK HERE! YOU'LL GET KILLED!" Shats shouted, yet Jaune did not pay attention to him, his blade held in both hands, charging at the Grimm.

 _You are going to save them all. You are going to make sure that nobody will die!_ He turned his head to the men and women at the wall. "Guard the wall well! I'll stop them here!" Muscles that had not exercised such agility before strained under the stress of the moving that he did, as the first Beowolf reached him.

The void of emotions that he could feel from them only confirmed to him that She was watching, every glint of those crimson eyes looking at him enough to inform him. He shut the eye that looked much like Hers, his blade arcing in a swing, the flesh cleaved through with superior strength, Beowolf body thrown back by the force of the swing, his next movement sending a wave of force from the blade as he moved, another Beowolf being felled. Rolling to the side to dodge another lunging Beowolf, he allowed himself a moment to gather himself, his blade looking worse, the crack had widened with the impact. His body moved, the two hands, Grimm-infused and regular flesh holding tight to that blade.

" _Duck!"_ Summer's voice reached his ears and he ducked, the form of a Beowolf sailing over his body, his blade thrust upwards into its belly, the dark ichors turning to smoky miasma as the blade gored the creature of darkness, the _vitae tenebris_ replenishing slightly, as he swung his blade again, the claws of one of the Beowolves fracturing once they met with the blade, the roar of the creatures something that blocked out all the sounds in his ears, as he began to swing his blade with wild arcs, dealing with the creatures as they came.

 _I am JAUNE ARC. I am a HERO! I will stand tall, so others will not fall!_ The words were poetic, heroic and brave, as he tried to channel the spirit of his ancestors, standing tall against the darkness. His hands were in motion, as Grimm after Grimm fell to his blade. Twenty Beowolves had been shattered already, the rest nervously moving around him, their hesitation enough to clue him in that the unexpected warrior had caught them off their guard. _Is She still watching? Can She see me?_ A glance up at the Seer saw no connection with Her, not a single twitch. _Safe, for now. Time to be a hero._

The claws nicked his flesh, drawing blood from the wound as they tore through his shoulder, his blade hacking into the Beowolf a moment later, as the other Beowolves pounced, smelling the blood in the air. His body twisted and turned, the blade cracking even more. _"Roll! To the right! Get up!"_ Summer's constant commands were on the mark, as he rolled to the right, getting up and decapitating a Beowolf with his blade before thrusting it into the hide of another, the blade creaking before it snapped. _This isn't good._

The blade was now only a quarter of its length, barely suitable as a dagger and looking like it would fragment even more with the next strike that he did, discarding it and grabbing one of the spikes of the Beowolf that he'd downed a moment ago, feeling the bone under his fingers and thrusting it into the Beowolf. _YOU!_

A whirl around, his legs kicking off one of the Beowolves' masked face, the spike within his hands moving as he did a somersault, driving the bone spike into the beast, the body slamming against the ground as the miasma started to rise from the dead creature. He was dimly aware that he could feel nothing from the faux arm that he had constructed out of _vitae tenebris_ , his eyes looking at the Beowolves around him, his face drained of colour. _WILL!_

The surge of emotions was raw as rage filled his body, his gaze going to the soulless creatures as they gathered there, his eyes brimming with the bloody fury that rose within his chest, his breathing growing more intense as he took deep breaths, sucking in the air as if he were drowning, the spike starting to corrode due to exposure on the air, unable to sustain its existence. _DIE!_

The red haze throbbed as his eyes opened, the crimson one glowing faintly in the light as he reached out with his senses, the white-hot anger surging in his mind like a volcano erupting, its burning haze making his mind shut off. A flash of claws and the tearing apart of a Beowolf, his monstrously deformed hand seizing one of the creatures and crushing it, bony growths turning into a shield as he threw the sword, the arm blocking the strike without an issue, his body moving forwards, flipping over one of the Beowolves, the shield-plates turning into what would amount to a bony scythe-like sword.

" _JAUNE! JAUNE! Oum damnit, JAUNE!"_ The voice of Summer Rose reached his ears as the haze seemed to lift, his body quivering a little as he could feel the burn within his body increase, sweat matting his hair, the battle-thirst starting to slowly fade. His hand ran through his hair, feeling the sweat clinging to the white strands of hair, looking at the shade of his hair as he breathed in and out, the heat of battle flaring within his chest still. His eyes burned with the fury of battle still, as the test of fighting the Grimm without allowing the _vitae tenebris_ to aid him was still there. The Seer floated over the battlefield, its gaze resting upon him. " _ **Come."**_

The command he spoke vocally, voice warping from its regular boyish tone to something darker, haughtier and stronger-sounding than he had ever felt. The Seer shuddered, and the connection was forged. _She was not watching._ The confidence flooded back into him as he could feel no shard of connection to Her mind from the Seer. _Independent action… Not unfeasible for when an assault goes. She must have other assaults in place at the same time, dividing Her attention between them after setting them up._

The Seer reflected his own face back at him as it subduedly hovered before him, its tendrils dancing over the ground. Jaune could see the strands of white hair fall in his face, one eye the merciless crimson that She had, whilst the other was slowly lightening once again to the blue colour from the merciless crimson that it had been. His arm was back to normal again, the presence of the woman felt through the system of relays, her attention directed entirely elsewhere, as he had suspected.

 _ **Beacon. Gather. Crush. Destroy.**_

The commands that She spoke through the link that she had with every Grimm on Remnant were unified in that singular desire. He could feel pity for the woman, the emotion rising up from his heart as he remembered that which she had once been. _I wonder if I would become like her as well if I had the power like She…_

The thoughts stalled as the last part registered in his mind. _But I DO have the power She has… The Grimm obey my command, just as they obey Hers…_

An image of himself, pale-faced and white-haired, seated on a throne with the Grimm massing around him at his whim, human attendants cowering in mortal terror before their sovereign came before him. Red eyes that had any semblance of human emotion save anger and wrath and hatred washed from them peered out over the subjects that supplicated themselves before his majesty, as he spoke the words that would damn the world to being flooded by the Grimm. His edict, the death warrant of humanity on Remnant.

 _That's not going to happen. I'm going to be a Hero! I'm NOT going to turn into Her!_ The Seer's surface reflected his face, still pale, mud-splattered, the veins on his skin distended as the _vitae tenebris_ flowed through his mind. Curiosity began to bubble in his mind, as he pulled the Seer towards his face, his face's reflection within the imaging orb, his mouth opening and pressing his lips against it. _What am I doing?_

The sucking sensation that he felt as he began to absorb the Seer was something strange, the creature giving a whimper under the stress that he made it undergo, his body surging with the _vitae tenebris_ as he absorbed it from the Seer. _It should just…_

 _ **Obey.**_ The emotion within him stilled as he directed that order to the Seer, feeling how a sudden surge of individual thoughts blurred through his mind.

* * *

 _A rushed wedding. Raven's spot empty as only a crow's feather fell. The look on little Ruby's face as she held her precious daughter for the first time. Tai-Yang's face showing gladness as he held his daughter. Raven's face as she looked at her, a shake of her head and words that went_ _unheard through the tears that blinded her vision. She was special? Her eyes were silver. Silver eyes. Grimm-Slayer. Always on the move, always on the hunt. The mission came first. She would complete it at all costs. Summer Rose. Ozpin._

* * *

The disconnection from the memories of Summer Rose was something that startled him, his eyes wide-open as the shrivelled up husk of the Seer dropped and evaporated into nothingness, his eyes looking at the village, watching how the Grimm continued their assault. A new fortitude seemed to grow within him, as the overseer of the attack had been slain and dominated by his own will. _**Come.**_

His _vitae tenebris_ -infused hand moved into the standard position for someone of his skills, his aura coating the hand. He would be able to deal with the creatures as they came. The Beowolves and the Ursa would fall before his hands, even as their minds would be dominated by his will. _They are as flies compared to_ _ **Our**_ _Majesty._

The nevermores overhead did not attack at all, their observing eyes just there to observe, even as the emotions swelled within his chest. He did not remember the shout of anger that he let loose, yet the steps of the Grimm increased, the ground quivering as they stampeded towards him.

Dawn broke as he stood on the field, the remnants of decaying Grimm around him, his gaze drawn to the village that he had protected for the entire night. The ground was marred by the scars of battle, his fist bloodied and bruised from the punches that he had done, the arm that had been crafted from the dark ichors of _vitae tenebris_ still throbbing with the darkness that lingered due to the intensive fighting that he had done.

His hair slowly returned to its golden colour, save for the strand that hung on the side of his hair, a bony white colour, as the gate opened, Shats making his way to him in a run. "Are you alright, boy?" The man's face was drawn and weary, his eyes looking around for more of the Grimm.

"Just... tired." He got out, as he pulled back the darkness inside him, his hand shuddering once, as the mouldable essence of darkness returned to a dormant state that could pass for a regular hand. "A bit of a mess, though." He shuffled forwards, Shats reaching him and Jaune's body just feeling the wear and tear of a night of fighting. _At least She does not know. That's all I can hope for, for now._

His aura burned still within him, like a fire that had been lit and never extinguished. He could feel it sear through the weary parts of his body, the muscles feeling the burn rush through them, strengthening and burning. _I never felt like this when training by myself._

"You hurt?" Shats asked, the man offered him an arm to lean on, Jaune gratefully being supported, taking a few shaky steps. "Not really. Nothing that'll stick, though." The village's leader seemed to have some concern, as he guided him towards the village. "Come, we need to get you laying down for a bit." The stumbling steps nearly unbalanced them, as Jaune's feet carried him further, towards the village of Kuromasu again.

As he came through the village, he could see the hurt people laying on stretchers. The men who clutched injured arms seemed to be best off, several of them covered in sheets, showing their fate to any who glanced in that direction. As he was led towards the bedroom in Maiko and Liren's house, he could see that the woman was not present, Liren seating in the chair. "What happened to Maiko?" He asked, the man looking up. "Helping with the injured. I'm not..." The man lifted his arm up, the large bandage that was wrapped around it showing off the damage that he'd taken during the fight. "Able to make much of myself with this arm."

 _They were hurt because of me not being able to draw the Grimm away._ The guilt gnawed at him as he realized that there was enough to worry about, Shats sitting him down on the bed. "You need something, kid?" The man's voice was incessant, Jaune blinking once. "Sleep." He muttered, laying back on the bed. _I'm so tired._ The last thoughts drained from his mind as he could feel his body being moved about, laying comfortably on the bed. _I wonder if they'll chase me out tomorrow or something. I brought death to their doorstep._

He did not notice the hand that had been his own originally stretching out and the drain on his Aura, the shadows writhing in the darkened corner as he was put on the bed by Shats, the man looking at the worn-down form of Jaune for a moment. "The kid took on a whole horde of Grimm and kept them distracted for long enough to get us to protect the south side..." The man whistled softly, Liren giving a tired sigh at the situation.

"If he hadn't... We probably wouldn't be talking anymore." Liren said, his good hand brushing through his hair. "We'll need your help when it comes to getting everyone taken care of, Liren. Let's have the kid rest for a bit. Haven's got a good one, in that one."

Liren smiled, stroking a hand through the blonde's hair, putting the arm that'd shifted a little to point to the darkened corner of the room back onto the teenager's chest. "I've seen him beat Beowolves to a pulp with his fists... Aura and huntsmen really are something, aren't they?" The look Jaune's face had was tired, as sweat stood out on his brow, the man shaking his head, conscious of the situation. "Rest on, John. You've helped us save the day."

* * *

 _As the petals fall_

* * *

The shadows fell away as she stepped forth into the room, the smell of sweat clinging to her nostrils, her silver eyes looking at the form on the bed as it laid there. Her steps were delicate, the bare feet that moved over the ground, her being present in this room akin to a miracle.

Inhaling the air deeply, Summer Rose looked at the body of the young man whose mind she had inhabited for nearly a full day, her silver eyes sliding up and down his body, a frown appearing on her face. Her hand reached to his forehead, coming away damp with his sweat, the bare skin showing enough frailty for her to be so easily allowed to just... do as she wished.

A soft smile came to her face as she laid a hand to his forehead, feeling the warmth of life once more, her eyes burning lightly as they fell upon the arm that had been constructed from _vitae tenebris_. The corruptive liquid had been where she had been dipped in for nearly twelve years, according to the date and the time.

Looking down at Jaune's face, she could not help but give a shudder, her face looking serious all of a sudden, her eyes sparkling with the loathing of what that face could look like in a few years' time. Her hands wrapped around his neck, wrapping around the throat to close it off. The soft rattle that he gave startled her, his mouth opening softly and a soft whisper escaping his mouth.

Her eyes moistened and she exhaled slowly, a shudder going through her body, a silvery tear from those silver eyes sliding down her cheeks, falling onto his forehead, glistening in the light that fell in through the window. Her head shook repeatedly as her hands let go of his throat as if burned by an intense heat. "I'm not a murderer. I... I'm not like Raven. Even if the mission is the most important... I won't kill someone who wants to do good."

The woman took a step back, seating herself after some deliberation on the bed, her fingers threading through his hair as a sorrowful look came to her face, her silver eyes captivated by that restful face, as she looked at his face as he slept his exhaustion off.

When Liren returned to the room to find Jaune, there was only silence and the slumbering form of Jaune laying on the bed, his hair carefully smoothed out, the soft snoresof Jaune remaining as the only sound in the room. The man sighed and got a washcloth out to clean the young Huntsman-in-training up a little.

"You're definitely going to need your sleep, John. You've done well." The man said, his good arm dipping the cloth in the water, scrubbing the grime from the young huntsman's face. Silvery tear smudged on his forehead, leaving a streak over the forehead that was wiped away with the washcloth.

* * *

 **Another chapter is done for the crowd of ravenous literature enthusiasts to read(and send me snarky reviews.). I'll be going back to chapter 1, 2 and 3 to make them a little more readable for people.**

 **For the next chapter... We'll have WEAPONS! (Since he's just broken his sword and he'll need something else to defend himself with.). There'll also be a few more insights into the things happening in the world. Have faith(And abandon all hope). This may be A Grimm Tale, but it will not mean that there will be no amusing situations in it! (And for those who asked for a pairing... Well, I'm not going to lift the veil off what I've got planned, but there definitely is some Ozpin x Salem history there. Whether they get paired off though... Eh, I doubt it.)**

 **The next chapter will probably arrive sometime around next Friday. Expect weapons.**


	7. Shadows Gather

**Chapter 7: _Shadows gather_**

 **This is in no way owned by me. Nope. I just try to write a tale that will entertain people. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The shadowed rewards_

* * *

There was nothing that could be done about it. Her forces were insurmountable in their ability to destroy and kill, their legions unending and swelling with every moment that she remained on Remnant, her will guiding them towards their eventual fate. **How you have fallen, Ozpin… The power that is rightfully yours, bestowed to mere children?**

The mortal ones would simply not understand how she viewed the world. Her eyes were cast upon that brilliant globe, only the minor twitch of some sort of disturbance caused in the Mistralian wilds alerting her to what was wrong, the sight of a young huntsman tearing through the ranks of the Grimm with just his aura. **Futile and without worth… Yet another soul damned by your simpering pride. Have you really no shame to enlist such younglings, guarding the Relics with mere fools that believe I can be stopped?**

The Grimm moved to her will, without any reserve or stopping them, her commands sliding through the network like a slick ooze would slide through delicate machinery, her gaze encompassing a thousand scenes at once. A village, ravaged and torn apart by her creatures. A young woman holding out a gun, letting loose a few rounds that made the vision flicker out as the dust rounds ignited, slaying the one that granted her vision.

 **As if they would be able to stop what I am.** There were no challengers to her dominion, save for Ozpin. The thought on her ancient nemesis brought a flare of irritation to her mind, as she remembered those brief moments when the human emotions had still troubled her.

 **In the end… all will serve or be destroyed.** The words were never as easy to say as now, as she swelled with the power that the _vitae tenebris_ granted her, the ancient ritual having done enough to imbue her with the forces that could only be called divine.

It was the benefit of being the most intelligent, after all.

* * *

 _The blushing rose_

* * *

She looked up at the ceiling, aware of the things going on around her barely, as she mused on the meanings of things. Weiss was telling her something, something no doubt important, yet she could not muster the care to think about it.

"You should always be careful with that." The heiress finished up, her hands on her hips, looking satisfied with herself. Blake looked a little confused, her face showing a frown as she'd obviously been listening to the Heiress give her little speech. "Sorry Weiss, I wasn't fully listening." She apologized, her pajama's moving a little as she got up. "Come and sit here with me, alright?" The Heiress sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, yet getting up again.

"Are you sad again, you dolt?" Ruby heard Weiss ask, Yang perking up a little as she heard that. "Don't be sad, lil' sis!" The affection within her elder sister's tone brought a smile to the teenage leader of team RWBY. "I'm fine now, Weiss… I was just thinking about how things have gone."

The heiress gave a soft sigh, as she patted Ruby's shoulder, the reaper giving a tender smile. "With school? It is never too late to think seriously about education. Team PRWN is going through a reorganization as well, we should not cast judgment too early because of the adjustments they are going through."

She'd TRIED to like the young man that they'd gotten to replace Jaune, yet she just couldn't… LIKE the guy. She tried, yes… But every flippant comment that he made about her growing a little more before he'd take her seriously just made her feel so ANGRY.

That he kept looking at Yang's chest was beside that, Weiss giving the young man a scathing lecture on appropriateness and conduct, only to have it be laughed off and Pyrrha involved in it again as a mediator.

"So, how about you and me make some sparks fly, blondie?" The come-on line had been usual, as Yang's witty retort seemed to be prepped and ready to fly the moment that the brown-haired teen had appeared before her, an uncomfortable look on team PRN's face as they waited for their newest member to finish with his introduction. "Nope. Not interested in something that'll be able to give me a little yang." The confused look on the brunette's face was enough to draw a grin from Yang's lips. "The name's Yang Xiao-Long, member of team RWBY." The introduction was swift and snappy.

"Uh-huh." The young man's gaze was drawn to the mounds upon her chest, enough to really distract him from her introduction. "I'm Viridian Wisteria, a pleasure to meet with you, gorgeous." The blonde gave him a raised eyebrow, about to say something when Weiss appeared at her side. "Your attitude is disgusting! How can you keep on staring at her like she is a piece of meat?"

"And who's the utterly ravishing-looking snow angel, hmmm?" A look of irritation came onto Weiss' face, Ruby tugging her sleeve a little as the Heiress seemed to work up steam. "Weiss Schnee." The curt tone that she took had been definitely something that could cut through steel, Weiss' tone frigid and frosty, the grin that had appeared on Viridian's face coy and casual. "How about I go and make sure that your dust mine gets explored, eh? Just you and me, getting to know each other?"

"Weissssss!~" Ruby's voice cut through the astonished look on the Heiress' face. "I'll even let you take the little cutie with the hood with you. You two are partners, yes? She looks a bit young though..." The look on Yang's face was something that could be called dreadful in most terms of the word, the anger rising within her.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I was accepted to Beacon early!" Ruby puffed her chest out, her self-satisfied statement drawing the attention of her partner and her sister. "Yeah, she's our team leader." A nod, the hood bobbing a little. "Ruby Rose of team RWBY!"

"Pleasure to meet ya, kid. Skedaddle whilst I'm putting my A-game on these two beauties, will you?" The look on Yang's face turned a little darker, as Weiss' mouth seemed to open even wider, her gaping unbecoming of the heiress, just surprise warring with utter astonishment that he'd even go so far. "But..." She said, her lower lip quivering.

"You little b- aaaddd guy, yes..." The blonde's hand grabbed Viridian's shoulder, the other arm cocked back, ready to demolish his face. "Ooh, getting handsy? Plenty of Viridian to go around, don't you worry... Your team leader will have you back soon enough... I can do that bit of rough-housing, you know blondes are pretty feisty."

"Please..." The plea from Pyrrha as she jerked Viridian out of Yang's grip, the redhead giving a look that pleaded with them to not do something harsh, her green eyes conflicted. She dragged him along back into the room that they had, the look on Ruby's face unreadable.

"What a..." The Heiress said, her voice sounding more or less convinced already of the new member to team PRWN's guilt for being a lecher. "He's a meanie." Ruby said, her lips pressed tightly together, silver eyes narrowed as she looked at the door that held team PRWN's members behind it.

"He's Viridick Bitchteria." Yang mumbled, not too audible for Ruby's ears. Weiss gave a faint smirk, as she patted Ruby on the shoulder. "I will still prefer your company over his." The look that Ruby gave Weiss made the Heiress take a step back, her eyes doubtful. "Weeeiiiiissss! You do love me!"

"L-love?" The white-haired Schnee heiress eeped, her hands up in a warding gesture as the crimson-cloaked reaper flew at her, trailing small rose petals after her. "D-don't get the wrong idea! I simply appreciate your co-company! You're a decent leader... who should study more! R-ruby, no! No hugs!" The squeal blocked out all the sounds as Weiss felt arms wrap around her and a silver-eyed gaze looking up at her.

"Weeiiisssss! You're my best friend forever!" The heiress' cheeks were dusted a faint crimson. "F-fool. I... I am..." She couldn't finish her sentence as Ruby squealed loudly again, nuzzling her head against Weiss' chest. "I mean..." She coughed, as Ruby gave another squeal. "You're not half-bad. Not up to standard yet, but growing."

"I drink MILK! You should too! You'll be looking like Yang in no time! Ever since she's been drinking milk, a lot of guys have been talking about her milk-bags... Whatever that is." The blonde blinked once... then twice, and then peered inquisitively at her. "Ruby... You are not making sense." Yang said, her voice trying to steer the topic of discussion back to good grounds.

"I mean, they started to talk about how much of a pity it was that I wasn't getting them either... I drink two bottles of milk a day!"The reaper continued, her hand making a motion. "Yaaaang! You're distracting me." The blonde's hand ruffled her sister's hair.

"Just making sure you're distracted, little sis." The brawler's fingers ruffled the hair on her scalp, the hood sliding back, a grin on her lips. "Take care of my little sis, Ice Queen. You've got to keep her safe whilst you're dating." The crimson on Weiss' cheeks drained as she gave the blonde a withering look.

"I am not dating my team leader!" She hissed at the blonde, who moved out of swiping range, a grin on her face. "It would be uncouth! It would be a sore breach of protocol!" A soft sound came from below, making Weiss look down.

Silver eyes met her own. "Does that mean that you don't want to be my friend?" The voice was quiet, Weiss' eyes looking a little watery. "N-no... I mean... I..." Ruby's eyes looked into hers. "I want to be your friend, Weiss. We're partners."The heiress took a deep breath.

"But... You are my friend." The blonde coughed. "I'll leave you two to make up. Blake! We're going out!" The cat Faunus dropped down from the bed, a soft whisper of 'Take good care of her.' To Weiss making the white-haired young woman splutter softly.

That had been a fun afternoon. Weiss had done her hair and she's been combing it, just like besties were supposed to do. _She may say that she doesn't care, but she giggled when we were talking about some of Yang's adventures._ The sight of Weiss' face relaxing and those eyes warmly smiling brought a heat to her heart, knowing that her BFF was feeling good and relaxed. _Now, if only we could get her to smile a little more..._

She just MISSED Jaune a little. _He was always good for some goofy comment or trying to hit on Weiss. She would not have LIKED it... but to be treated like... like...that... Nope. Not gonna happen! I'll defend Weiss' body with Crescent Rose!_ And of course, she would make sure that those little attachments got paid for as well.

* * *

 _Forged from a single piece_

* * *

The look at the blacksmith's face was comical as he looked at the sketchings that were put in front of him. "These are unworkable. What did you think I was, a professional forger of weapons?" The man said, his gaze looking at the schematics for the new blade that he'd drawn up during the morning hours. _Oh well... so much for subtlety._

"They should be good though... Just the big sword bit. I can get it enhanced later on." Jaune said, trying to turn this bit of disappointment into something positive, the blacksmith giving a soft sound in the back of his throat, his gaze looking at the outline of the blade. "This looks like a decent shape though... I guess I can give it a try."

 _"I used a set of blades. Dual-wielding is much fun if you've got the agility for it."_ Summer added, her voice showing her own amusement and interest in the art of forging, her gaze looking at the patterns that outlined. " _Here..."_

He could see the patterns before his eyes, as he grabbed the pen that he'd discarded before, drawing out the patterns for the blades that Summer had wielded. "Oh, these don't look that bad! Single style, right?" He heard the blacksmith ask, as his hand finished some of the details on the guard. "Yes, they are the weapons that the mother of a friend used." He said, the blacksmith looking at the weapon make.

"You want them as a bit of extra insurance? The blades can be pretty brittle, so you'd best carry them with you if you go elsewhere." The blacksmith cautioned, Jaune looking at the man's smithy and giving a nod. _It wouldn't be wrong to take his advice._

"You're moving along later on, right?" The blacksmith asked whilst he looked at the blueprints for the blades, giving a soft nod. "I've got a few bars left-over after I forge that sword for you, but don't go expecting any sort of fancy-smith stuff. I'm more apt at fixing the ploughs than at making Grimm-slayers." The smith's hand ran through the short brown hair that grew atop his head, the apron in front of his chest moving a little with the motion.

"Good job though, kid. The world needs more people like you, ready to charge into the fray and make the Grimm die like you did. It was real brave." The news of Jaune's charge and stand-off to the Grimm had spread through the small town, the news spreading whilst he enjoyed his sleep.

It had been a coarse morning that he woke on, his throat feeling awfully scratchy and hoarse, getting out of the bed after a moment's repose of realizing that he was still alive and functioning. Maiko had made him something to eat, the woman's attitude warmer to him than before as he ate it gratefully.

"I just did what I thought would be necessary, sir." Jaune said, embarrassment creeping into his voice. _Was it really that special, to defend a town under siege by Grimm?_

"You're a good lad." The blacksmith said, as he looked at the forge, like he was calculating something. "I'll make your swords as a quick order, give them a bit of a polish. You've helped us out, now it's time to help you out. Go to Haven and save more people, Johnny boy."

"Thank you, sir." He said, his eyes cast down. "Your kindness will not be forgotten." The man patted his shoulder, Jaune feeling the brush run through his _vitae tenebris-_ made arm, the fingers twitching slightly as he could feel the jolt of instincts to retaliate being suppressed, the well of _vitae tenebris_ inside him bubbling slightly with the fluid.

 _Why does it do that? Does human touch matter so much?_ The question arose in his mind, as he could feel something inside him yawn, a chasm of darkness stretching out around him, his eyes closing for a moment. _"You are alright, Summer?"_

She had been rather silent for the majority of the time that he'd spent awake, only answering in short tense sentences, as if something seemed to have been put up between the two of them, akin to a wall that guarded her against decisions that she did not like to make.

" _Eh? I'm fine, I'm fine… just, thoughtful."_ Her voice sounded distracted as if she were thinking about something that was more important than talking to her. _Whatever it is, it'll be no doubt something that isn't related to me._

He walked from the blacksmith's smithy towards the well, watching the people of the town move with their daily burdens, several of them still carrying the wounds that'd been inflicted by the Grimm horde. The pain that they felt was like a faint prick on his consciousness, the dark emotions that swirled being like a brush of thunder in the vicinity something that empowered him. He leaned against the well, looking up at the sky, the blue colour showing only the emptiness of it all.

"Tired, sonny boy?" The old man who'd been pushing the cart with ammunition during the assault spoke up, walking with a cane. "No, just thinking." He pushed away from the well, the man allowing him some space. "Think you can help with some stacking, sonny boy?"

"Sure." He didn't think that it would be that much work to help a man stack something.

It'd be something to do in the meanwhile.

* * *

 _The issue withlapines_

* * *

His hands lost their grip on the mace as he swung it, the weapon skidding along the floor, his hand going to brush through his hair. Watching the mace's dust crystal spark a little inside it, he could feel the electricity go through his body still as he looked at Sky, who had just ignited his weapon with lightning dust, the energy still crackling over the blade's edge.

"Do it again." Dove said, his voice sharper, as Cardin stood at attention, mace in hand again. With the introduction of Dove as the team leader, there was no more slacking off in training sessions, the rigid order by which Dove expected them to act and work having been a change from the 'do it or don't it' style that he had once favoured as a team leader. _All it took was one guy to die and the whole world changes._

The smile that Dove had on his face was one of the few things that had been appearing more often in the view of his teammates, the power invested within Dove as the team leader of team DLCR allowing him to rearrange the schedule of their training.

 _Come on Cardin, you've got to show what you've got._ A glance at his scroll for his aura readout, before he firmed his stance. He could see that there was something already changing in the dynamic, as the young man opposite of him seemed more flippant in his manner of standing, the crackle of lightning sliding from the tip to the end of the edge of his weapon. "Heeyah! "

 _Block._ The mace blocked the first strike, the crystal flaring up with the light of the ignition, a gust of heat buffeting Sky's face, which moved back. _Strike._ The mace swung then, the longer reach of Sky's weapon allowing him to counter-attack, yet the armour absorbed the blow, mace smashing into Sky's side, sending the other teen to the ground. "I give! Good strike, Cardin." Offering a hand to get him up, Cardin found that it was easier to do so than it had been before, when he'd just been the leader.

"Try and make sure that you guard your flank better, Sky. He got you there with an ignition, where you could've toughened it out and struck then." Dove's voice was loud in his ears as he spoke on the faults that had been made, his scroll beeping once, signalling that a new message had arrived.

Opening it up, he could see the picture of her face, the casually written – ' _Want to have lunch together?' –_ bringing a smile to his lips. _She's nicer to me than she should be._

"Is that a message from the carrot-muncher?" The rather brusque interruption made him pack away his scroll, looking up at his team leader and giving a nod. "Yeah, and I'd like it if you didn't call her that." _Was I that much of an asshole before?_

"You know that that sort isn't up to anything good, Cardin." Dove said, his hand on the pommel of his sword, looking at him. "You'll just be moping about it afterwards when she finally goes and breeds with another of the freaks."

 _She's not like that._ Her face came to his mind, the smile on her lips something that was warmer than it should have been. "I'll take that in mind." He said, his voice soft as he spoke, yet with his own mind made up. _If I'd have to pick, I'd choose Velvet over Dove._

Russel took his position, stance low as he flipped his daggers in his hands, ready to make a good attempt. "Alright, Russel, you're up against me." As he sat down on the bench to watch the fight, Sky popped down next to him. "You real serious about dating miss Ears?"

 _As if she'd date me! She's just a friend._ His gaze was at the scroll, not on his team, the message half-way typed. _'Training with the team. I'll be there for lunch.'_ "She ain't your sort, Cardin." Sky added, his hands pulling out the dust crystal from the slot in his weapon.

"I'm going to have lunch with her. She's a friend, not..." He didn't finish the sentence as he tapped away, calling up the schedule for the day. _Free around lunch, yes._ The roster of students flashed before him as he called up the schedule to class.

 _Viridian Wisteria, eh?_ The face that peered up at him from the slot that Arc had taken up in team JNPR's space was something that still weirded him out a little. _We'll see if you've got what it takes._ The thought was not unkind, as the weakness of Arc had been a thing, something that he could remember from the first day of classes.

"If you say so, Card." Sky said, pulling up some other files on his scroll, absently watching the fight between Dove and Russel. Dove definitely was someone who had more talent than Russel did, showing it in the manner of his deflection of the strikes and jabs that the daggers did.

During lunchtime, he sat down next to her after arriving about ten minutes before his team, their preparation taking much more time due to the general attitude that they mostly held about anything besides being the 'kick-ass cool dudes'. The bunny eared Faunus perked up as she heard him approach and an easy smile came to her lips. "Hey there Cardin! How was your training?" She smiled up at him, the question making him momentarily blank out as those eyes of hers met his own.

 _Is it hot in here?_ Cardin's smile was shyer than it should be, the blonde bombshell three tables down jumping up and doing a fist-pump, shouting something about how this was all going to be kick-ass and super-duper awesome.

"Yeah, we've worked on new team formations, Velvet." She smiled at him and exhaled slowly, her eyes closing again with her mouth speaking. "Are you adapting well to your new Team leader?" The question was spoken softly and gently, as timid as she usually did, yet he could feel an edge in it. _Is she... trying to make me admit something?_

"It goes, y'know? We're getting used to the new dynamics."He couldn't say much about things, her shoulder brushing against his own, worried eyes looking into his. "You should sleep more. I always sleep when I can. Coco can be a horrible snorer when she has had her coffee, so I try to do little naps." _Oh... Too close._

He could smell the faint perfume that she'd had sprinkled on, her nose close enough for him to touch, yet with the softness that was looming before him, he could not help but feel awkward with his feelings. "I-I'll try?" She smiled and patted his shoulder. "I know you will." _So trusting. I killed someone and yet she offers advice._

"I like to listen to some music sometimes if I find it hard to fall asleep. Yatsu's got a whole collection of that meditation music that he likes to listen to." Her scroll was in her hand, the display image of her and her team disappearing with a slide of the finger, pulling up the music player and the transfer.

He barely noticed that he'd pulled out his own Scroll and linked it up with hers, the transfer of music starting up from her.

 _Why is she so nice to me? Shouldn't she be like, disgusted?_ The question arose again as she pulled her Scroll from his own when the transfer was completed, her eyes meeting his own again. He could not look away from them. "Sleep well, Cardin. It's more important than you think."

 _All I can dream about is His face staring at me, the words repeating over and over that I'd killed him._ He wanted to shout those words at her, to banish that hopeful glint within her eyes, yet he could not. His lips pressed together, even as she smiled again. "And you know..." She moved her head close, the scent of coffee and perfume definitely lingering in her hair. "If you ever need some help training, I'll help you out. I'll borrow Yatsu's sword and we can get some practice in, alright?"

She leaned back then, an innocent smile on her face, something inside her eyes twinkling with mirth. _I suppose it couldn't hurt..._ "Sure, I'll take you up on that offer." The brilliant smile appeared on her lips again as she continued eating her lunch, the food being nearly exclusively vegan, save for the milk that she had in a small bottle next to her meal.

"You're a vegetarian, right?" He asked, her eyebrow rising curiously. _Oh, I shouldn't have asked._ The giggle she gave and the slight nod that followed made his heart feel a lot lighter than before, her eyes twinkling once more. "I like some pieces of meat, though." She giggled again, shaking her head, ears moving with the motion, twitching a little. "But I'm a very picky eater."

That she didn't give him any sort of comment about the stereotyping was a relief, even as he sagged in his seat a little, looking at the rather meaty dishes that he'd gotten for himself. _Meat's good for the blood. It'll make you strong._ His father's words came to his mind and he moved the sausage around a little, hitting the mashed potatoes, the few slices of melon that he'd put next to it for his dessert just about being the only fruit option that he'd went for.

 _Perhaps I should try out that vegetarian thing myself._ He glanced at her meal, seeing the fork spear a carrot and bringing it to her lips, his gaze shifting swiftly from those lips to something up in the distance, catching a glimpse of Viridian Wisteria sitting over there. "Oh, it's the new member of team JNPR." He said, in order to put the conversation along.

 _Good save..._ The thought was battered aside as the reason for a replacement became clear. _Nikos looks like she hasn't had a good night's sleep. The little ginger hammer-fiend is looking like she wants to hurt someone too... Looks like someone isn't settling in very well._

"He doesn't look very much like a good student. His shirt's sloppy and messy." His companion said, Velvet's eyes looking Viridian over a few times, her nose sniffing a little. "Too strong cologne." _She's got a heightened sense of smell as well?_ She shook her head. "No. I don't think he'll be a good fit."

She turned to him, her eyes searching his own for something. "You've got Grimm Studies in the mornings, right?" She asked, her hand moving the fork back to the side of her plate, her gaze flickering down to see whether she'd done so correctly. "Yes." He said, not sure where she was getting at. "I'll meet you afterwards. I've got about two free hours, so we can get some training in."

That wasn't a bad thing to him. Some more training would mean that he'd be a bit more able to defend his teammates in case something dangerous happened... even though they could take care of themselves. _And it doesn't help that she's offered to help out._

Perhaps... he might just be getting his own redemption back on track. _But you're still responsible, Cardin Winchester. You were responsible for ruining the lives of a family. You took away their son._

The faces of the Arc family stood out to his mind, as he realized that he'd just taken their heir away. Seven women could not birth a scion of the line that was trueborn, unless they would be willing to have their husband take the name. Hereditary semblances would be wasted with enough dilution of the blood. _You've been taught better, Cardin. Always ensure the bloodline continues. That is your duty as a Winchester._

The morose look on his face was noticed by Velvet immediately, her hand laying on his shoulder in a flash. He could see team DLCR's remaining members appear, Dove's face showing some concern or something like it. "I should get going to sit with my team." The sausages on his plate were now dipped in the mashed potatoes as he lifted his tray up. As she gave him a sad look, he knew that he should obey the orders that he had been given. As a teammate should do. A leader decided what the course was, and they followed it.

 _You're still a killer. You caused his death. You are responsible._ The flames consuming the arm, all that was left of him. Jaune Arc's grave would forever be unknown to him, as the majority of his body had been devoured by some Grimm. As he sat down next to Russel, he caught the eye of the sad Faunus, her ears lowered a little. His food just didn't seem to taste like anything anymore, as he ate slowly.

* * *

 _The terror within_

* * *

His fingers held the grip of the blade, swinging it experimentally for the first time, his eyes following the arc that it made, with the discerning gaze of someone who knew the worth of their swings. _"Just a bit to the right..."_ Summer's voice spoke to him, as she looked at him swinging the blade, the blacksmith standing a small distance away. Dust covered his form, the stacks that the old man had been referring to having been stacks of books in the town library, the works of the ancient poets having been a generous source of dust and sneeze-worthy events.

"Does it look balanced?" The blacksmith asked, as Jaune swung the blade again. "Looks like it, sir." He said, his voice oddly high in his own ears. The mixture of uncertainty from the blacksmith was odd, as the man looked at the blade that he'd made. "I got your swords just about ready in three hours, John. I just figured that you might wish to train for a bit to get used to the new blade.

 _It'll be better than just using my aura and my fists on the Grimm, at least._ The thought comforted him not, as he felt the weight drag his arms down a little, his eyes looking at the sharp blade as it cut through the air.

" _It'll be enough until you can get to Mistral city. There's a forge there that I remember doing good service._ " The woman in his head said, even as he looked at the blade, giving it a few swings, cutting through the air in a moment's notice. "You're a huntsman, aren't you?" One of the young children asked, Jaune's lips forming a smile.

"Huntsman in training, actually... But I am here to help, yes." The young boy looked at his blade, Jaune's eyes watching the look of awe on the kid's face increase, as he put the blade on the side. He'd have to improvise a sheath for it sometime, or he'd have to put it outside of easy reach in order to avoid cutting himself on his own sword.

"Can I touch your sword?" The kid asked, Jaune looking at the child, possibly around six or seven years of age with a full head of dark hair, combed back in the style of the people here. "As long as you keep away from the edge. It's sharp." The blade he put in front of the kid, placing his hand on the grip, allowing the kid to take a hold of it and try to lift it.

With some effort, the child managed to lift the blade, Jaune's smile widening a little. "Just like that." He said, getting behind the child and adjusting his grip. The Arc style of fighting had been mostly around sword and shield for the times of their past, Crocea Mors being the master-crafted shield and sword that had served them in the battle of Vacuo.

"I wanna see you do some cool moves!" The child cried, as Jaune felt the weight of the blade settle in his hands again, standing up straight and taking his position, both hands on the grip of the blade, his mind feeling remarkably tranquil. _You can do this. You can show off for a little kid._

The first strike was impressive, hewing down, Summer's critique of it growing pervasive, as the follow-up thrust was no less, her commentary raining down on the somewhat clumsy strikes that he, in her opinion, was making. _"Your position is off. Steady on the ground, then swing. Minimal movement, maximum punch! Do you think a Beowolf is going to just come up to you to give you a hug?" "I could make it give me a hug?"_

Summer's face was momentarily blank in her expression as he'd imagined it, the silence stretching, even as he set the blade's tip into the dirt. "That was so cool!" Jaune gave a soft sound in the back of his throat, as the child's mother came and retrieved them, having bore witness to the showing of his skills. "Just try to do your best." He said, his advice feeling feeble and not like how a huntsman should act. _You should show them the hero that the world needs, not the Jaune that it currently has._

"That was cute, y'know?" A young woman, possibly around twenty-one or thereabouts walked up to him, heat flushing his cheeks. The emotions that he could detect from her were not negative in nature, messing up his internal mechanics, his eyes closing for a moment. "Eh, really?" He could see the kid run back to its mother, saying something about how good it was to hold a sword and how he'll be defending them from big bad Grimm attacks.

Her hand found his, her dark blue hair a shade that he hadn't seen much of. "How's your body holding out, hero?" She asked, leaning close to him. Her perfume was a fragrance that he could faintly identify as having roses as one of the dominant scents within its composition. _"Jaune?"_ The voice of Summer Rose sounded in his mind, as he pulled the blade to his side, the tip digging a groove through the dirt.

"I'm fine, it was just tiredness making me need some extra sleep." The fingers pressing against his shirt were pleasant, as her face came closer. " A hero like you... definitely needs his sleep, yes?" She said, her voice sounding sultry and low. _"Is she... seducing you? Oh Oum, Jaune..." "I don't need this right now! Summer, what do I do?"_ The finger traced over his chest, making a little circle. "I should probably be going tomorrow. Haven waits for me." The young woman's lower lip was caught by her teeth, a look shared between her and him, her head moving aside a little, her hair loose and long. "Won't you stay for a bit?" Her voice was definitely huskier than before.

 _Now I know how a woman would act if she saw something that she desired._ He mused, as her fingers slid up, tracing over the _vitae tenebris_ -crafted arm, the feeling of that sensation bringing an odd warmth to his chest, as some of her emotion felt leeched by the substance. "I really..." Her fingers traced upwards, to his collarbone. "I'll make it worth your while... You're what, eighteen?"

 _Oh._ The sudden sound of someone coming towards the two of them made his weapon be drawn, his attention going to the older man who came straight at him. "Rosalina, don't you dare sink your claws into John! Your ways aren't to make men like him be swayed." The woman smiled, a smile that he could see as being confident in herself. "Does the hero not have to get the reward of a maiden that he saved?"

The man stopped before her, Jaune adjusting his stance, knowing that with just the shirt that he wore, he was unprotected for the most parts of his time. Liren's shirt was nice and comfortable to the skin though... but that did mean that it didn't offer him much in the way of protection. "Sir, I'm not sure whether..." The man gave him a look, apologetic. "My daughter gets ahead of herself. She has a fancy for men who have earned their place, you see."The woman pouted, her lips pressing together.

"But daddy, you always do that. How am I supposed to get a nice man to wed me if you always intrude?" _This is bad news._ He took a step back, not sure how to deal with this. "He saved us all, daddy!" The attention that this was gathering was not a good kind of attention, even as he realized that the people of the town knew of this girl. _"She wants you for the prestige."_ Summer added in his mind, Jaune turning around awkwardly. "I'll go and check... eh... the wall. Yes. The wall." He nodded to himself, as that seemed like the logical thing to do.

He stepped up onto the ladder that allowed him to get onto the wall, the town more fortified than many of the ill-fated attempts at expansion had been, looking out over the space that was between the town and the nearby countryside.

He could sense the Grimm, lurking in the distance. They did not stray too close to the town, their intelligence telling them that it would be an unwise move, the feral minds that he briefly touched against being full of that primal frenzy, aware of the humans that dwelled within. _They are starving for the emotions._

" _You should watch out more, Jaune."_ Summer spoke to him in his mind, a spectral outline of her seating herself against one of the crates that were stacked up at the wall. The woman's silver eyes burned as he looked into them, the look of careful deliberation on her face showing that she was thinking of something. _"It is not the best of choices to make to immediately settle down. We should get those weapons, just in case."_ She looked translucent and nearly physical, as he looked out over the distance.

A nevermore moved slowly through the background, its mind fragile to his touch as he reached out and took from it, that which animated it. A moment later and the Nevermore dropped, the link between the two of them snapped, its existence ended, the smoky haze of it corroding into nothingness in the sunlight adding a special haze there. _These powers... They work better in darkness than in light. I could barely snap the thread that connected it..._

The feeling of power that he could feel within him was warped and wrong, something against the nature of humanity and all that lived. The bubbling _Vitae Tenebris_ within him was a wellspring of power. With a mere thought, Grimm could spring forth from the darkness, created by his own will and to follow whatever command he had.

His aura welled up inside, the comfortable light of his soul banishing the darkness slowly from his body, even as the _vitae tenebris_ seemed to shiver in that glorious light. _She has Her aura, she uses it too..._

His eyes looked at a far-off Beowolf, trying to reach out with his mind. The connection was forged almost immediately, seeing what it saw, its lumbering gait slower than it had been. _The connection is near-instantaneous._ The image of the singular Beowolf under his control transmitted right to his mind.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Summer shift a little, a discomforted look on her face as she seemed to feel some discomfort due to something or the other, her teeth biting into her lower lip. "You should be better aware of your surroundings, kid." Shats said as he got up, the man's face looking a little weathered. "Yes, sir." He said, scratching his chin, his gaze still lingering on the Beowolf in the distance, commanding it to go from him.

"Now... You'll be leaving tomorrow?" The man asked, leaning against the crates, Summer winking out of view, the man's face showing his attention being solely focused on Jaune. "Probably. I have to make it to Mistral, you see." The man nodded. "We'll be giving you some food, as well as the weapons that you've requested. Haven students aren't often dropped off around here, but you should not worry. For the boon you've been, we can miss a few bars of iron and some food. We grow all of it ourselves, y'know?"

That much was obvious, Jaune's gaze going to their surroundings once more. "The people are friendly here, at least."He said, his voice sounding more forlorn than before, his gaze attentive to the skies. There was no more Nevermore to be seen around the skies, thus the lack of vision that he could achieve was limited."We've been seeing bandits around this place... but I don't think that they'll be a bother. You've lit a fire in us, sonny boy." The man's hand patted him on the shoulder, Jaune's body rocking a little with the sudden touch.

"I'll try my best, sir." He said, Shats giving a grin. "That's the spirit, boy. You'll be having a good night's sleep first, before you'll be sent off. We don't mistreat people who've saved our bacon!" The grin that came to his lips was as natural as they came. _This is what it's like to be a hero! You were right Ruby, it feels good being the protector of the people!_

* * *

 _Schnee-rious business_

* * *

The Mistrali fashion season was just about to open in a day's time as she stepped from the metal plate of the transport that'd carried her from Atlas to Mistral, the smells of spicy cooking and exhaust hitting her dainty nose. The fashionable dress that she wore was something that she had plucked from the wardrobe on-board, a thing to tide her over until she could buy something truly befitting of her own station in life.

"Miss Schnee?" A polite voice spoke in the Mistrali accent, her head dipping once, a strand of hair falling over her face. Cool eyes looked at the young man as he stood there, the SDC emblem upon his chest speaking volumes about who he was and why he was here. "Your personal limousine has been prepared." The man's voice was curt and polite, not even a hint of emotion given as she responded, as was cordial."Thank you."

 _You're a Schnee. You are supposed to be the one who can lord over the lesser people and cut off their supply of Dust._ The words were faint in her remembrance, one of the times that Jacques had raged against her. As she sat herself down in the cool seat of the limousine, only thirty meters away from the landing strip, she knew that she would have some thinking to do.

The Scroll she pulled up again, the schedule for the fashion week appearing on the screen. Not a singular moment where there would not be an over-indulgence on fashion to be found. The light lit up her elegant features, even as she looked through the events of the day, the scheduled list of attendees blinking before her eyes. "Would you like some refreshment, Lady Schnee?" The dry voice of the attendant asked, her attention going to the bar, well-stocked with a bevvy of alcoholic drinks.

 _Should I take a little glass to take the edge off?_ The trip here had been woefully understocked for alcoholic drinks, the rations that had been stocked being a bit better than the average, yet the liquor that she had abandoned once before had been... curiously absent. It might have been the standard for the Atlesian air traffic to never hold much in the way of alcohol, yet she was not going to be going dry.

"No, that will not be necessary." There'd be plenty of time to get herself situated properly in the bars in the hotel, after all. One single bottle of alcohol never really soothed her when she was feeling the grump coming on.

The call took her by surprise, the appearance of an incoming call nearly taking her by surprise. She opened the call. "Princess!" The older male voice spoke with the dignity that came from his age, voice scratchy and wheezy, like the sixty-five-year-old man that he was. "Daddy!" She said, delight filling her voice.

"How is my darling?" The voice of Nicholas Schnee spoke, the warmth in his voice like the comfortable heat of her surroundings, her eyes warm as she tapped the video communication function. "Fine, I'm in Mistral for the Mistrali Fashion Week." She knew that she shouldn't have kept her father in the dark about her travel plans, but Jacques had been too nosy for his own good.

"That's wonderful. I am currently enjoying a relaxing trip to Vacuo." The image on his side of the connection appeared, showing the pale white hair that was a hallmark of their side of the family, a nurse standing at his side, entering another IV bag onto the drip. "You know, with my health, a bit of warmth would do me good." _It certainly wouldn't be as cold as the climate in Atlas._ She smiled nevertheless at her father.

"My little snowflake... You have to take good care of yourself." The man said, his face serious, the beard that had been gaining in shape moving a little with every word he spoke. "You've not been taking good care of yourself either. I don't seem to remember you being anything but smooth-shaven the last time we met."

The man chuckled, brushing a hand over his chin. "Mauve, we should shave!" The nurse gave him a cool look. "After we have changed your supplements, Master Schnee." The man grinned back at the camera. _He usually doesn't act so chipper. It must be because I'm not around the mansion._ "Do you plan on emptying the bank accounts again?"

 _I could theoretically buy every dress I saw that lo_ _oks good. The funds of the SDC are not infinite, yet this does not put much of a dent in my personal slice of the company._ The smile she put on was warm _He_ er than she felt, her eyes going to the nurse, who was busy with rearranging the bags. "Of course. I'll make sure to ruin everything that you've built, daddy."

A laugh that was nearly a cough came from his mouth, his grin roguish, as it had been before when she had been just a girl growing up, joining her father on expeditions. "Now now... Wouldn't want to let Jack Géle get ALL of the bill." The snicker of the man was rough, as she fought to keep a smile from planting itself on her face permanently.

"I wouldn't say that Jacques fully approves of some of my fashion choices." _He didn't enjoy the summer dress I wore during the summer in which Winter was three._ The lamentable thought that her eldest would be third in her husband's eye, past Whitley and Weiss, was something that brought gloom to her face.

"Don't be making those thunderclouds, princess... You should let your eye go around a few times when you can! You're forty-one. You should look around and find yourself a hot man and just get some fun in your schedule instead of just looking at boring dresses and skinny models."

 _I should, probably. Winter is twenty-one now, the proper age for most women to have been snagged by a man already. I'm still in the prime of my life... even if there was not a single spark that lit my fire for a while._ The thoughts brought a faint smile to her face as she looked at the man who had been responsible for teaching her all that she knew about dust and the crystals. "Daddy, don't be silly! I'm married." The wedding ring on her finger was a stark reminder of that, knowing that Jacques never would dispense with her until she became 'less valuable' than the name.

"You're married to a bag of wind who knows how to treat people like they're made out of money." The sharp reply from her father was clear to show his disapproval of the man who had been her husband for nearly twenty-two years. _Daddy started disliking him after he'd seen Whitley. They had words, I remember... But I stuck with Jacques, because I thought he loved me._

She didn't respond, her father's face concerned. Her reflection in the scroll's camera showed her own face, expressionless for a moment before she smiled again. "I love you, daddy." She said at barely higher than a whisper, her own features, much akin to Winter's in their manner of shape, though her chin was a little rounder thanks to the years of marriage.

 _Who still acts like a little girl around their father at forty-one?_ The question arose in her mind for a moment, her father's dark blue eyes twinkling a little as he gave her a roguish grin. "I love you too, my little snowflake. I'll see whether Winter's able to take my call next, I just had to get some contact with the family."

A rattling cough came from the man, phlegm coming to his lips, dutifully wiped off by the nurse. _His sickness is getting worse. He fears that he won't have long._ "Do you want me to come to Vacuo?" She asked, her voice sounding concerned, the man's head shaking lightly. "I'll be visiting Weiss when I come through Valean airspace again. The poor girl's been at Beacon for a month and some change, so it's best that I personally go to inspect the place!"

 _He would do something like that._ The smile was warm and pleasant on her lips, a far cry from the regular look of sour morosity that infected her whilst she was at the manor. "I love you." She said, simply, her eyes looking at the man who'd guided her during her youth. "I know." The man said, the call shutting off.

 _He'll call Winter, undoubtedly having more luck than I ever will._ The thought was sobering, as her gaze went down to the scroll and then set it aside. She could feel the frustration within her building as she peered outside of the tinted windows.

Faunus and humans seemed to live their lives in the way that they wanted, without the care for the representation of the company that she did. If she strayed once from the path of a dutiful wife, she would smear both her father's legacy as well as her daughter's careers.

 _It's easy for you to say, daddy. Find another man and have some life in the bedroom sometime... and then poof, see everything disappear._ There would be no chance of it ever being kept silent. She was the only child of Nicholas Schnee after all, mother to the next heir to the Schnee Dust Company. _Perhaps it'll be good for me to see what is out there on the stage. There can't only be dresses, right?_

* * *

 _The start of the end_

* * *

Roiling clouds of darkness seemed to cover the skies as he laid in his bed, the bed feeling like the solid ground upon which he could rest for a while, the stresses of the day slowly starting to fade away with that soft buzzing sensation of the creatures around him.

 _Anger._ A sound of someone cussing someone else out reached his ears. _Despair._ One of the houses had been darkened according to the traditions, the people having time for their vigil, their eldest son having died in the Grimm attack earlier. _Wrath._ There was someone shooting on the wall, the target being the Grimm that massed outside, the darkness not allowing for great shots, yet every spark of Grimm that died, more of his strength built up.

" _Jaune?"_ Summer's voice sounded in his ear. _"What do you want?"_ She asked then, her voice soft and gentle. The twin swords that had been crafted by the blacksmith stood leaned against the wall, his own broader blade laying there like a testament to his skill.

" _What do I want?"_ He asked her back, not sure whether she wanted to know whether he was interested in something or not. The darkened shadows of the room seemed to find his gaze, Maiko and Liren having retaken their bedroom, the guest room feeling oddly comfortable. He could smell the faint smell of polish in the air, as he wondered about Summer's question.

 _What do I want? To be a hero? Or to be like Her?_ The question was strange to him, for he had not thought much on such heavy things. _"I'll be the hero that people can depend on."_ The feeling that there was something that she was aiming for was prevalent, as she seemed to be satisfied with that answer.

" _Good. I became a huntress to make the world a better place too, you know?"_ The fact that she was so enthusiastic about it was something that seemed to have only brought itself to the fore when he was the focus of her thoughts. _"That's a noble goal. I just want everyone to be happier."_

Something inside him told him that it would not be so. It would be harsher than he would have ever imagined. Images of times when there had been something akin to peace in the land came to his mind.

A singular beauty standing atop a hill, looking out over an idyllic village, walled by a wall furnished with wooden spikes tipped with metal. A festival to celebrate the rise of the king, and the fireworks that flashed in the light. Her gaze at the village as the defenders came to its aid, the Grimm coming to its gates and being repelled. Thunder and lightning booming, as a hand was stretched out and the forces of nature were wrought against the creatures of darkness. The hat and the robes that she wore to identify her as the Grand Witch, her dark hair bound back with the trinkets of her village, elegant and with a lustre that was hard to capture elsehow.

" _That's good! I make myself happy with chocolate chip cookies sometimes... Well, when I did have the capacity to eat. Not so much right now."_ His stomach grumbled a little as she began to talk about cookies, the excited voice that she used being so like Ruby's that it was not hard to imagine the short fifteen-year-old standing there in the room with him, nattering on about how a certain brand of cookies was the devil, and that only freshly-baked cookies would be satisfying by the cookie god.

" _Jaune... You'll never turn bad, will you?"_ The question came, and he was pulled back to that image once more, that image of being akin to Her as he sat on a throne. _Never._ The thought rose so abruptly in his mind that it was almost a foregone conclusion. _"Never. Jaune Arc has sworn to be a hero... and an Arc always keeps a promise."_

That was how a hero should be. How a hero would need to be. Something in the shadows of the room seemed to move, a minor drain on his Aura registering faintly as he could feel his consciousness fade. _"Not every hero is good, Jaune."_ Her voice sounded almost as if it were in the room with him, as he could feel a gentle hand move through his hair. He was asleep a moment later, feeling the tiredness catch up to him in a flash.

* * *

 _The fading rose_

* * *

As he fell asleep, Summer Rose moved from the shadows, her hand reaching out to brush through his hair, her gaze upon his face. "We can't all be the heroes we want, Jaune." She said, her fingers stroking through that blonde hair of his, the white streak through it drawing her attention, as her fingers brushed against it.

The touch was human, yet she could not help but shudder as she realized just what she was touching. The body might be human, the responses might be humane... but the workings... _Such terrible darkness, lurking below the skin._

Her teammates would have no problem with ending his life right now. _Tai would smash his head in during his sleep. Raven and Qrow would not even pause for an instant before letting the butcher's blade descend._ The look on his face was something that a child would have, innocent and yet fragile.

 _Like Yang when she had a nightmare._ The feeling of warmth and motherhood surged, as she leaned down, pushing the strands of hair out of his face, looking at that sleeping face. "You don't know that I can do this." She said, her voice soft, as the tether between the two of them felt real.

 _And the better that he does not, for it would be hard to explain why I would be around him._ The reality of that aspect was something that was too tough to deny. People who could summon the dead were far and few between, able to influence the course of nature by their very presence. She had heard about an Atlesian family who had the ability to summon fallen foes to their aid in combat. A handy skill to have, if one were swarmed by people with hostile intent. Other than that... it wasn't that handy for the majority.

The threat was still real. The threat was forever. Ozpin had told her so, that all the Grimm and those who held the powers of Grimm were the enemy, mere channels for her will. _Even if the spooky lady doesn't want to... She's got to die._ Her fingers traced over Jaune's cheek, a sorrow-filled look appearing on her face.

 _So innocent when he sleeps. It is hard to imagine that he can control the Grimm... as well as being the one who wants to be a hero._ The image of a young woman with a broad grin on her face appeared in her mind, as she turned away from her. _Raven, you coward... You could have DONE something..._

Her gaze went to that face, young and boyish, not like the face that she had loved waking up next to. _But still... You want to be a good boy. A good hero. A huntsman who can shoulder the burden._ _What will become of me, once I finally end your existence?_

She dissipated into shadows once more, curling around him and entering his mindscape once more, the comfortable surroundings being akin to a home for her, as the weight of the corporeal form fell off her. _Perhaps it is for the best that I do not linger. I have died... somehow. Should I really have the time for my own sorrow, whilst the world still needs Summer Rose?_

Images of the happy family that they had been once, flashed before her mind. Yang looking up at her from the crib, calling her mommy, even as Tai-Yang gave a shudder, the raw hurt still there. Reaching out to little Ruby as she laid there, wrapping her in the red cloak that she kept as a spare, just so that her little girl would be warm and protected.

 _I'm crying._ The tears started to come, as the raw loss just seemed so visceral. _I should hold out until I am reunited with them... Even if Jaune seems trustworthy in the way that he acts... Raven also did._

* * *

 _The ticking clock_

* * *

The headmaster's gaze was pensive as he looked at the map of Remnant, the marks of Salem's forces showing up on the borders. The sightings were growing more and more, the further complacency set into the people's hearts.

"Oz, we've got a problem." The voice of Qrow reached his ears, as the call connected, the audio feed of his prized operative static for a moment. "It's Amber, she's been attacked."

The headmaster's face showed a minute trace of concern. "Is she alive?" The voice sounded so distant to the headmaster's ears as he looked at the forces that battered the walls of Vale, their representations showing only the slightest change. "Barely. I'll bring her back to Beacon ASAP. You better get stuff ready."

The headmaster's nod was not witnessed by the operative, but his voice barely quivered as he spoke. "Proceed as planned. I will ensure that everything goes according to standard procedure." The call disconnected, and the headmaster's hand pulled up the calls. The sound of the connection being made was loud in the otherwise silent headmaster's room, the man standing there in silence.

"Headmaster?" Glynda's voice came from the speaker, the headmaster grave in his expression. "Please be at the bullhead landing pad in three hours."The deputy's eyes narrowed, her mouth about to open. "A little bird will be flying in a special trinket that's been damaged." The deputy's head nodded once, understanding the code for what was being said.

When the communications shut off, it was a solemn headmaster who stared at the screen. His eyes looked at the representation of Remnant, the news of Amber's fate bringing a frown to his face. "What are you up to?" He mused out loud, looking at the representation of her forces.

* * *

 _Departures_

* * *

It was the early morning that roused him from his sleep, his eyes opening up and coming to see the light shining in through the window, the sound of birds in the air, his body shifting to the side to see nothing but the disturbed sheets around him. Pulling off the sheets, he stood to his full height, the bare chest that he showed showing some of the hallmarks of his training.

The arm that had been crafted from the _vitae tenebris_ twitched and ached, the feeling of having to do something with the dark ichorous fluids pumping through his body like a vile blood. _I've got to use it... somehow._

"Are you awake?" Maiko's voice came from outside the door, his attention going back to where he was right at this moment. "Yes, give me a moment! I'm getting dressed!" The chuckle from the woman reminded him of his mother. "Take your time. We've packed a bag for you, so you can carry food with you. Don't ever think we aren't grateful for a kid like you helping us out."

The simple praise was enough to warm his cheeks, leaving him to feel the heat there, as the emotions within him warred. _"You can feel happy! You can do it, Jaune!"_ Summer's chipper voice spoke in his mind as he dressed and emerged, the two-handed blade standing against the wall next to the two swords. _That'll be hard to carry._

He could feel the anticipation build up within him, as he entered the living room. Maiko's relaxed posture showed that there was nothing really to worry about, whilst Liren's fingers were tapping against the table, the man leaning half-way against the table. "Ah, John." Jaune didn't even correct them anymore, the pronunciation of Jaune already sunk in as John to the people's minds, the Valean accent something that they'd probably never ever decipher. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you." He said, humble in his expression. _You should give them the benediction._ The words rose to his mind, as his lips were about to form the first benediction of Spring, to bless the household with ever-growing fertility, before they stopped. _No. That has no time or place here. They do not believe in the Two Brothers._

Breakfast was not a rushed affair, Liren's questions about the path that he'd take being answered, as well as the questions that he had about the general geography of the region. Retrieving his swords from the guestroom, he gave the room one last look before he turned around to face the couple. "Thank you for everything. May the blessing of the seasons be upon your hearth and home." He said, bowing to them. _Why'd you have to say it like that? You'll look like you're some sort of sage._

"It is our duty to provide the lodgings for one who defends our hearth and home." The response from Liren was traditional, as he bent in the way that it would have been, those years ago. "My father was a believer. For Maiko, I cast away the faith, yet I still know the ritual greetings." The surprise was visible on Jaune's face as he looked at the man, whose face was serious as he rose once more.

"Then I will pray for your hearth to never fall dark." The traditional send-off was something that he spoke without hesitation, the man nodding, Maiko raising an eyebrow at the happenings, but letting it proceed without remark. A bag was in her hand, weathered and a little used, yet still functional, a canteen put in one of the mesh pockets, filled obviously from the sloshing sound that it made as he took it. "This'll cover you for a few days." She said, her face serious. "If you get to become a huntsman, come and see us sometime. We'll be happy to host you again." The woman's smile was a touch sad, as she looked at him.

Whatever respect he had managed to gather with the people in these short few days, he had still managed to be a hero. Shats and the other members of the town militia stood at the exit to the town. "Here's a map of the surroundings. It's a little weathered, but it shows the way to Mistral." He folded it, tucking it into his pack, the feeling of being cared for, as the two swords were put into the pack, fitting through the loops with little discomfort for him. He wasn't sure how he was going to use them yet... but Summer had been using a set that was similar to these. _Perhaps she'll teach me?_

"And here's a leather strap for your sword. I hope you make it to Mistral, son." The blacksmith said, offering the leather strap to him, the pack set on the ground as he wrapped it around his waist, putting the hilt of the blade through, the weight settling in well. With the dark colour of his shirt, he looked no different than any regular villager, yet that was a good thing. _The Vitae Tenebris would not hold up during my slumber. It's a miracle that my arm stays attached as it is..._

He could feel the Grimm beyond the walls, awaiting his presence. As they moved through the surroundings, he knew that he would have to be on his top game. He could not dominate their minds well enough in the light, yet with enough focus, he could force them to obey. _Jaune Arc, hero. Grimm Master Jaune... No, that sounds too much like one of those rap artists that Bianca listens to. It's accurate, though..._

As he left the village of Kuromasu behind, he couldn't help but snort at that thought, as the villagers waved him goodbye. The pack sat on his shoulders, nestled there with the straps holding him, the long blade moving with his steps along the way as the sun slowly rose into its daily arc.

" _Hey Jaune?"_ Summer's voice came to his mind, as she spoke with perfect clarity. _"I'm going to work you into the ground. You will be better than what you've been. Summer Rose... is on the case."_

Those words filled him with a dread, as well as a satisfied feeling. _"I'll do my best to become the hero that I am supposed to be."_ The optimism was something that was strange, as the determination flashed in his mind. He could be the best that he wanted to be... for everyone.

 _Now... If only I could get Her out of my thoughts._ The face flashed before his mind, the corpse-pale skin with its bulging veins defining it, those crimson eyes looking at him with the eternal hatred for what had been done to her, her mouth speaking those words a thousand times in his recollection, from whence he had heard them be spoken in that memory.

* * *

 **Another chapter, another week done. Still on schedule for next week, despite some ill health things cropping up (Losing your voice and having to have a meeting is not recommended.)**

 **So, Jaune's got a weapon! Whoo. (It'll be something that he can use until he's found a real Huntsman weaponsmith.) We've gotten some more insight into the happenings at Beacon. The story is right at about the point where Qrow informs Ozpin of the Fall maiden getting maimed by Cinder. We've also gotten more insight into the team dynamics of team DLCR.**

 **As your glorious teller of tales... Please, review! Tell me your thoughts on how the tale is unfolding. Your reviews fuel the fire to ignite the lamps to shine a light within the darkness that is shrouding this tale!**

 **I will however say: Something's been hinted in the previous chapter that will feature in the next!**


	8. The Darker walks of Life

**Chapter 8: The Darker walks of Life**

 **This is a disclaimer of ownership. I don't own RWBY, except my own twists and turns to the plot. As a small warning... There will be some pretty darn horrendous stuff coming up. If you're against bodily injuries and torture, I definitely recommend skipping the part afterwards. Skip ahead to the 'Nightfall' section if you wish to skip it. This is a Grimm tale. There's bound to be wickedness within.**

* * *

 _Obscured mornings,_

* * *

The throbbing headache that he woke up to was not normal for him. Jaune Arc roused himself to awareness, becoming acutely aware that his arms were tied behind his back and that there was a decidedly uncomfortable surface that he was laying on, the shifting balance that he felt making his head twist in different manners. The rumble of an engine was enough to clue him in that he was on a vehicle. _I hate moving vehicles._

The urge to vomit welled up and he groaned, turning away from the ground so as to prevent himself from laying in a pile of his own vomit, the heaving emptying his stomach of anything that resembled food. Coming to awareness of his surroundings, the cage that he found himself in being constructed of firm wooden poles, tough enough to withstand the blows of a regular untrained human, the smell of his bile and vomit reaching his nostrils as a loud 'yuck!' reached his ears.

His eyes met a set of green eyes, a young man similarly shackled as he was, sitting against one of the walls of the cage. "Welcome to the land of the living, blondie." The man's voice showed the rougher accent of the people of the farmsteads around Anima, turning around, something poking Jaune in the side. "You've made a mess, blondie." The rough voice spoke, a man wearing a dark blue shirt with armour covering the front, a large emblem like the head of an Ursa with a slash through it on the left breast of the man. The man was rather voluminous in size. _Just like Professor Port... but more like a blob._

"Who are you?" Jaune said whilst he struggled to get up, his arms tied behind him, his clothes feeling the mess seep into them. "Just a friendly fellow who saw you laying there in camp, all lazy and the like... Should've made sure to get a friend to guard ya, little blondie... Now your ass is ours." The man said, pulling the stick back and beside him. "The name's Bear. I'm part of the Beornir."

 _That name sounds a little familiar._ He thought whilst he tried to think back to where he'd heard of it before. "They're bandits around this place." His fellow captive said, Bear giving a nod as if to confirm that fact. "Yep. Born in the tribe, raised in the tribe, knowing how to get lazy little cretins like you to work for the tribe. I'll be getting good lien for you guys."

Jaune sat up straight, as he looked at the man's face. The short beard that he wore in the style of a bear definitely lending credence to his name, whether it was just a nickname or his full formal name. "You can't do this! We've got rights!" A bark of laughter came from the man as he regarded Jaune with a look as if he were barking mad. "You don't get it, do you kid? Your rights are gone. We nabbed you, we own you!"

The man pulled out one of the swords, looking at it. "Some nifty swords you got there. Nothing professional, so you ain't a huntsman... but you got some decent stuff there with you. Did your mom pack your bag for you too?" Anger flashed onto his face, as he tried to get up, the low ceiling of the cage preventing that, his butt coming back down into the vomit that he sat in. "Hey! They were good and nice people!"

"Yeah, but they ain't here to save your bacon, blondie." The man retorted, shaking his head. With that said, he turned his attention back to whatever he was doing.

"It's no use, they run an operation that preys on travellers such as you." The man beside him said. "My name is Tesho Guriin, but you can call me Tetch." The man now identified as Tetch moved out of the vicinity of the vomit, even as Jaune adjusted his manner of seating a little. "It's not going to be a good future for us."

That he seemed to be so defeated was just something of an anathema to him. _Why would he be so defeated? They didn't kill us, did they? I'm sure that we can do something to get ourselves loose._ The thought kept him in good spirits, even as he tugged on the binds that held him. "It's no use. They made sure to use the good rope for us to keep us here."

He tried a little more, even as Bear steered the vehicle over the road, the rumble enough for him to be thankful of having emptied his stomach, as queasiness seemed to be the general feeling. _**"**_ _You're not in a good situation, Jaune."_ Summer commented in his mind, her voice sounding still somewhat chipper as if this could be conquered in one swoop. _For an experienced huntress, this would be a cinch._

" _They haven't shot me yet, you mean."_ He responded to her acerbically, his gaze going up to the sky, feeling his muscles twitch a little as he loosened them. _"You should be lucky that they didn't shoot you and take your stuff."_ Summer commented, her voice serious now. _"They do that, from time to time."_ How she knew that, he didn't dare guess at, her voice sounding sad for a moment during that second sentence.

He looked around, spotting trees coming by, their branches invading his vision, his eyes catching a wooden gate-like structure as they pulled into something, the engine rumbling ceasing as the vehicle stopped. "Lookit you guys... You look a mess!" The voice of Bear shouted, as Jaune became acutely aware that the cage he was in was getting lifted up, a fork of sorts under the wooden top, lifting it up. "Time for us to get to hear what they'll be doing with us." Tetch muttered, his face showing only a grim resolve as if he'd been through this sort of thing before.

The cage was set on the ground, the vehicle that they'd been transported in having only space for one of the wooden cages to sit at the back, mud splattered up the sides that'd once been painted a bright red colour long ago. "The blonde one was sick, let's get em out." Bear's voice spoke with some authority to it, Jaune looking around his surroundings whilst he tried to get up, the height of the cage not conducive towards actually getting up beyond a crouch. The wood was locked with a single rope that'd been looped and tied in a knot, a bandit getting up front. "Sure, sure..."The young woman mumbled, her fingers deftly undoing the knots, her gaze peering up for a moment. A set of goggles appeared to be fitted over her eyes, as her fingers worked, the gloves that half-way covered the arms showing an expanse of dark skin, the top that she wore outlining her femininity, the hood that she wore hiding most of her hair, even though it looked to be a dark colour from her eyebrows, which were a deep red colour.

"What'chu looking at, Blondie?" The woman said, as she pulled the knot out, the armour that she wore having more coverage around the legs, the top more of a mish-mash of cloth and leather wrapped around the upper body, the gloves accentuating her looks. The symbol of the Ursa was displayed on her upper shoulder, a dark purple colour used for it. _She doesn't quite look like a bandit. More like a huntress who's out and about. Guess it takes all types to rob people of their livelihood._ "Just wondering why you're doing this." The woman spat in front of her, her phlegm hitting the dusty ground with a soft splat.

"Same thing as we always do, blondie. We survive off the labour you guys do. We're the Beornir." The words were somehow as if it meant everything. "You, local fella. Get out."She commanded, her hands on her hips, the gloves creasing. "What about my lien, Ame?"

She looked at Bear and growled, her throat sounding like a beowolf trying to clear a blockage, her eyes flashing with irritation. "Why's it always got to be cash with you, Bear? It's just cuz you're my uncle that I tolerate ya, ya fat blob."

Jaune couldn't help himself, snickering lightly at the same thought that he'd had, the woman, known as Topaz, giving him a look. "Somethin' ya find funny, blondie?" The woman's hands reached behind her back, a white-metal dagger flashing in front of his face, aimed right at his nose. "Ya best be talkin'... or you'll be known as one-eye after I cut it out and feed it to ya." The threat wasn't important to him at this moment, as his gaze was locked on the knife. _She's got a solid grip on that. I don't have any hand space to move. Time to try diplomacy._

"I just thought that he looked a bit like a blob, Miss." The woman snickered, the knife disappearing, her chuckles to the detriment of her uncle, whose face looked like it was going to puff up. The knee in his groin he did not expect, her body whipping forward like a snake. "That's me uncle yer talking about, blondie." Her knee ground against parts that by nature, were sensitive and rather much unmolested by any knees in recent history, a low groan coming from his mouth. "But fuck if you didn't make me grin a bit." He dropped to his knees, face hitting the ground as her knee was removed from his groin, her hand grabbing his hair and jerking him up, her blade in his face.

"Y'know... I'm gonna work ya real hard."The woman said with a savage grin, her tongue licking over her lips before she let go of his head, the edge of the blade caressing his cheek, drawing a fresh streak of blood. As his face hit the dust, he could only feel the dull ache of his lower body, the new cut just having been something that added onto the pain, as dust and dirt dug into it.

" _That hurts a lot, doesn't it?"_ Summer commented, her voice sounding sympathetic to his plight, even as he could only give a soft groan of contemplation, his body not recovered yet with the pain searing through his whole body like a wave of white-hot pain. _"It hurts..."_

"Hey!" Tetch's voice reached his ears, as the woman grabbed him and inspected him. "This one's yours to sell off, Bear. I've taken dad's tithe. You go and get your lien off this one and we can put him to use in the mine." He could hear Tetch being pushed away, his voice sounding like it was affronted, the sound of it bringing enough awareness to his mind to try and get up again, no matter how much he hurt.

 _Gotta make sure that he's alright._ Nobody deserved to be held captive by some bandits who'd do all sorts of horrid things to them. "Now, blondie... Ya look like a mess. SAPPHIRE!" The shout the woman gave called forth another woman, whose tread was lighter than Bear's as he lumbered after Tetch.

"Yes, sis?" The light voice was definitely kinder-sounding than Ame's as she jogged to them, as he could see a set of boots stopping before him. "This blondie here threw up all over himself. I intend to have him be a little pet... So he'll be of some use for us." That did not bode well for him, even as he could see the boots turn to his direction, a strong arm pulling him up to his feet.

His first impression was that the girl looked a little different than the norm, the long blue hair braided and slung over the shoulder, a set of fierce red eyes peering at him from behind a set of spectacles with darker lenses, her eyes looking him over once and then nodding. "I'll get him to the pump and hose him down."

He groaned a little as he could feel his sore groin react to the feeling of not being kneed, the feeling of having the ability to walk again something that he tried to keep at. "Why'd he get down at the ground? Did you do something again?" The elder sister snorted. "Just a bit of the ol' nutcracker, what's it to you?" The blue-haired girl grinned, showing a set of teeth that definitely saw frequent usage of a toothbrush with how white they were.

"Don't be putting your knees near the merchandise. You know, he might fetch a pretty price at the market, if we sell him as some sort of pleasure slave." _Oum save me. They're treating me as if I'm mere chattel._ The two bandit sisters looked at him, the taller one, Ame, giving him a once-over. "Too scrawny. Doesn't look like he's worked a day in his life. He'll do better as a pet."

"Hey! I take offence to that!" He said, not able to stop himself. The blue-haired girl snorted, as Ame hit him in his stomach. "Don't be talking to me, ya fuckwit. If I tell you to bark, you better fucking bark. If I tell you to fuck Sapphire here in front of me like you're bloody Don Veruccino, I'd better be hearing her moan my fucking name."

He couldn't help but flush, imagining the blue-haired woman, darker slightly in skin tone than her sister, with him. He hadn't even kissed a girl yet! _You did kiss Her on the lips. Passionately too. She couldn't get enough of you._ Something dark inside his mind seemed to whisper at him, as he remembered that one momentous moment, as he connected with Her as it should be. _The Vitae Tenebris inside me is still enough... If I could get my hands free, I could perhaps... But what of Tetch? What'll they do with him?_

"Now, Amethyst... Don't be so rough on the blonde..." Her fingers touched his cheek, her face close to his own, those eyes looking right into his, yet straying towards the red one.

"He's got a bit of fire in him... You know that Ruby would like that. A bit of fire..."Sapphire spoke and Amethyst snorted in return. "That little firebug wouldn't know what to fucking do with a guy if she finally GOT one in her bed. Ever since Emmy went off and disappeared to that fucking red-wearing tart's camp, it's been all 'Oh no, we must guard widdle Ruubee from da big bawd wowwd!' for dad. Hell, she'll probably blow us all sky-high with her experiments if left alone!" Sapphire's hand touched his chin, brushing over the scruff that was growing there.

"How 'bout I show you how to wash yourself, blondie?" The disgusted look on Sapphire's face was something, as he smelled quite dreadful at this moment, grabbing him by the shirt that he'd gotten from Liren, feeling how the woman tugged him along. "Don't fucking LOSE him. If I don't get a target to scream at me when I'm practising my moves, I'll be fucking cross with you, Sapph!" Amethyst growled, before she stomped off, her shout reaching his ears as she delivered a verbal barrage of insults and other remarks to some guy named 'Murky'.

"She's really the most uncouth of the six of us." Sapphire said, seemingly for his benefit as she pushed him along. The camp, more of a small settlement of sorts that'd been erected from wood and spare sections of wall that'd been scavenged from other places, was more of a dwelling of the people, a small mountain standing to the side, with a construction against it, leading inwards.

"That's the mine. You'll probably be sent to work there after Amethyst's had her fun." _That doesn't look like a very good job._ The faces of the men that worked there were covered in black smears, as they continued to work along to their taskmaster's whims, the grim-faced bandit that oversaw the line wielding a cruel-looking whip with flaying hooks upon one of its ends, cracking it once to make the people move faster.

"So... What's going to happen?" He dared to ask, Sapphire giving a soft grin, shaking her head. "You're so naive, silly blondie... What's going to happen is that your life's gonna be ours... That we'll be using you for a while and then discarding you like the little silly toy that you will be." Her hand reached to touch his upper arm, giving it a squeeze.

"Some muscle... Not so bad as to not give a challenge to Amethyst." The bandit commented, her fingers touching the flesh, squeezing and feeling it up. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, his voice trying to grasp at any reason or motivation that she could have to be like this, the woman's lips curling into a grin that was mocking and amused at the same time.

"Because we can. We, the Beornir, are the best bandits around. Not even the Branwen dare to try and intrude on our territory, because we've got the best people around. Mining the dust isn't just for the benefit of the tribe, after all." The woman's confidence was something that seemed to be present throughout her whole body, the look on her face pitiless, as she looked him over. "Don't you worry... If you're still functional after Amethyst's left you bloodied, we'll find some spot for you to do your duty as a man."

" _What does she mean?"_ He asked Summer, whose response was slow in the coming. Sapphire dragged him to a public pump, grabbing the bucket of water that sat next to it and then splashing the water over him, the feeling of stickiness replaced with the cold sensation of the water washing him clean.

"That's a bit better..." The woman muttered, her hand tugging the braid back behind her, the blue hair shimmering in the light. She adjusted her glasses a little, her eyes roving over his form. _"She means that she'll use you for her pleasure."_ The words made him go paler than he already was. "Losing your colour, boy?" Sapphire purred, as she traced a finger over his wet cheek, his hair pushed out of his face, the white strands and the blonde mingling. "Oh... mama's gonna make some blondie boy love her good... if he isn't gelded by Amethyst toniiiiight~." The purr that came from her throat was nothing if not savage, her eyes holding only the greed within them.

"Sapphire!" A rough male voice sounded from the side, a sigh of relief coming through him as the woman was distracted. To his estimation, Sapphire was around twenty-four or twenty-five, with Amethyst being about the age of his sister Heather.

"What're you doing with the merchandise! Don't be flirting with the guys who'll be making us rich by their own labour!" The man that walked forward looked like a bear in his appearance. Dark skin, a massive beard that was bushy and uncombed, a few loose smears of some food left behind in it, as well as massive arms that had armoured plating on the sides, a set of fist weapons that looked like a bear's claws at his sides, menacing and cruel-looking. Armour that was like a solid steel plate was up front, the same Ursa skull emblem boldly blazing upon the front, gothic style **BEORNIR** etched upon the front of the plate.

 _Why does this have to happen to me! Why do I always get to meet with the people who are so dangerous that even their beard looks like it'd chew me up and spit me out?_ Jaune's face showed his consternation, fear warring with a faint hope that she would be distracted. "But daddy... This one is the one Amethyst likes... She's gonna cut him up and slice him up... Can't I just let him have a little moment of joy?"

The girlish act that she put on seemed to be well-practised, the man's red eyes looking at his daughter, even as he looked up. A massive hand reached out, grabbing his chin. "Blue eye, red eye... Mixed breed or Faunus, boy?" The man's hand let go of his chin, Sapphire giving a cocky grin. "If he's a Faunus, bet he'll be working harder in the mines."

"No, I'm not a Faunus, sir." He said, trying to be as formal to the man as he could. The man who was called 'daddy' by this woman was no doubt someone who could sentence him to death if the weapons were any indication. "You don't look it. But if Amethyst wants to have some fun... You a virgin, blondie?"

 _Why are they asking whether I'm a virgin? I haven't even seen a woman's breasts yet!_ An image of a pale chest appeared before his mind, of silver eyes peering into his own, a gasping mouth without a tongue trying to formulate the words. Another flash and firmer breasts, clad within the dress that denoted her as the wielder of the forces of Creation and Destruction, the orbs captive, colour still held by the flesh, before it would have been corrupted utterly by the _vitae tenebris_.

"I am... But what's that got to do with it?" The man frowned, looking at Sapphire. "Your little sister needs a bit of a hand with her stuff. I'll be taking him off your hands for now. If Ruby doesn't want him, you can have him. The lad looks like he's got bad skills at digging anyways." The man's weight as her father seemed to overrule whatever desires she had, the man's hand on his shoulder like steel.

"Kid, I don't know what you've done or where you've come from, but your luck just ran out." The man pushed him along, not even introducing himself besides 'Amethyst, Sapphire and Ruby's dad', the man continuing on his route, several of the bandits giving some sort of salute, the credentials of the man clearly greater than what he'd thought before. "Sir, I'm just trying to make my way to Mistral, if you could please..." The man's grip tightened on his shoulder. "If I could please? You think you're at some sort of fairyland resort where you can 'please'?" The man snarled, pushing him along. "RUBY! COME HERE! I GOT SOMETHING FOR YA!"

A large hut of some sort, fashioned from a large dust-powered camper with several wooden planks hammered onto the side to attach another section of it too, stood there at one of the sides, a lazy-looking dog looking up at the bear-like man's shout. A small metal-like hut stood nearby, looking like some sort of shed where you'd store your tools.

"Fuck off, dad!" A shout came back from an opened door in the hut, a young woman appearing from the opening, only a set of leggings on and what would pass for a bikini if she were a bit more modest, her dark skin looking like it was somewhat lighter than her eldest sister's. "I'm here, now what? You got me a blondie bitch to care for me?" The tone she took with her father showed a complete lack of care, even as she shook her head in denial.

"Princess, you know that I try to make sure that you get nothing but the best..." The man said, his tone trying to salvage his daughter's mood, the young woman, who could be hardly older than his elder sister Azure, giving a scowl.

"That's what you said to lil' sis as well and now she's no doubt licking some fire-dust crotch like some sort of fucking drag queen no doubt!" The sharp retort came, as the man sighed deeply. "Your younger sister may be gone, but your elder sisters still remain..." The man said, Ruby looking at him with a look that spoke of her not being impressed in the least. "Oi, bitch blonde. You able to cook worth a damn?"

 _Is she talking to me?_ He wondered as she turned to him, her eyes sharp and feral as if she were gauging his worth. "You able to cook? I ain't asking for much, but ever since Amethyst gutted the last cook, I've been living off Yu-mah Noodles. You able to cook, you're gonna be able to hold onto your guts." The weapon appeared in her hands a moment later, the curved sword looking like something that an ancient warrior would use, the woman's fingers letting the blade dance through the air. It was clear that only the sickle-like blade's edge had been sharpened, the tip glistening faintly with what seemed to be minor dust crystals embedded within the metal. _Come on Jaune, you need to tell her yes._ "Y-yes." He said.

The woman grinned, looking at her father. "Princess... You know that Amethyst has those moods, yet..." He tried to soothe his daughter, who stepped forward. "Oi, blondie bitch... I think I like you. Daddy?"

The man made a sound in acknowledgement, not speaking yet. "Kill the top ten slaves for me, will ya? They need to know what fear is..." Cold fear shot through him, as she grabbed his shirt, her head nearly a head lower than his own. "And if I hear one little bitch-mewl out of your throat about me... I will fucking put this thing..." The weapon's tip pressed against his nose. "In your fucking nostril and do down until you've got that thing to the hilt."

The threat worked, as he could feel the fear go through him. His stomach rumbled, even as he tried to force the willpower to conform to his wants, the desire to be the hero suppressed by the primal urge to eat. _Don't give in._ A wicked grin came to her lips as she came close. "First order of business, blondie..." Pushing him towards the hut, she grinned in that cocky manner. "Cook me something neat." Turning back to her father, she looked at him. "Oi, dad. You gonna do that or what?" The man nodded, sighing. "We're down to thirty now, princess."

"Then make em work harder! We need that dust to be a good band of bandits, aye? If they ain't willing to fucking work, we make em work harder by chopping off their little sausages!" The lack of care just froze his blood a little, his hands trying to jiggle at the bonds that bound them together. _I could disintegrate the arm and reabsorb some of the vitae tenebris... But what of the others?_

"Princess, I've got the tribe to lead, you can't just..." The man said, the young woman's eyes narrowing. "No, you will. Get them motivated! I need that bloody Dust!" The man sighed. "I'll see whether I can get Broon to motivate them. You should come tonight though."

The young woman's face did not change much, as she turned around and grabbed Jaune's hands. "Oi, Blondie! You're getting untied now." Fingers flipped the knots loose with a dexterous manner, her fingers easily wriggling through the knots and freeing him up.

"Ruby, don't make this difficult... Your sisters and I would like to have you appear at the dinner table at least once."The daughter's gaze to her father was scorching. "I need more research! It still needs a little more Dust, no matter the..." The woman's attention came back to Jaune. "Oi, blonde! Stop." Jaune, who'd just been in the process of stepping into the hut, froze mid-step.

"Get me that fucking dust and we'll off all of the ones who won't be able to keep up. We need to get stuff moving again before they'll be on our trail." The woman's voice was sharp to his ears, as he felt her hands grab the back of his shirt, the sword moving in front of him. "And you, blondie..." She pressed against him, her body against his back as her arms wrapped around him, her nose touching against his back. "Are gonna cook me something filling."

The hut was decorated in much the same way as the bedroom of one of his sisters was, a mess of things that were strewn around, laundry that'd been unwashed and uncleaned for a while. He grimaced a little at some of the smells, but knew that he shouldn't make it too much of a deal. _What else can I do but obey? I don't have a weapon. I don't WANT to use the power of Her..._

" _You should focus on surviving."_ Summer said, her voice soft in his ear. The cooking stove that sat before him was something of an older model, still powered by some finely powdered fire dust, the ignition bringing up a blazing flame, turning to her. "What does the lady wish to eat?" He tried his best to affect a casual air about his voice, as if he were some chef who had been hired to cook something for the lady of the house, turning around in the process to see the response from the woman herself.

The cloth that'd covered her breasts was gone and he received an unabashed view of the bare bosom of the bandit's frontal bumpers, her gaze holding some amusement as she scratched under an armpit. "Well, blondie... I've got some milk that hasn't gone bad, some eggs that've been scavenged from one of the villages nearby, a few bits and bobs else and some meat to go with it... so how about you get creative, huh?" _She'd look much nicer if she wasn't such a bandit._ The thought was strange, as her enthusiasm seemed to burn brightly for the prospect of food that was edible. The pile of cup noodles that were stacked beside the garbage bin was nearly a mountain now, the smell something atrocious.

Whipping up some pancakes took little time, the mixture mixed within a bowl that he'd have to rinse off, the water that he could find in the jerrycan a little warm due to being unchilled, the stirring done with a spoon that he'd managed to find still unused. The other dishes were still set there to be cleaned, even as he flipped the pancake in the pan, some of the meat having been put in another pan to be grilled. His stomach churned with the pain of having had no breakfast, even as he worked for his new 'owner' of sorts.

"Smells pretty good." Ruby complimented, her voice sharper than it was before. She'd covered herself up with a simple jacket, something that fit over her bare bosom the moment that she'd noticed that he'd been a little uncomfortable around her bared upper chest. _She didn't have to start laughing at me for being a virgin. A lot of men have that issue when someone is flashing them, right?_

" _She's trying to provoke you into doing something that she can punish you for."_ Summer's voice sounded in his mind, her voice soothing compared to the rougher voices of the bandit siblings, the scruffy sound of Ruby moving behind him. _"I've seen the type. Cocky, callous with life and with people, assured of their own strength."_ A stab of pain in his back brought him to awareness, as the tip of a blade pressed against the small of his back.

"I said... Smells pretty good. I want an answer, blondie." The voice of Ruby threatened, and he could feel the rising fear within him. _I shouldn't be afraid. She's a bandit, I'm trying to become a huntsman._ "Y-yes. It'll be ready soon." Jaune's voice betrayed him, as he spoke with a stutter, the tip digging into his flesh, drawing some blood.

"Good little bitch." The bandit said, her sword pulled back. "You're a newling, so let me put some things into perspective for ya..." He pulled the meat out of the plan, putting it on a plate. "Your place here... Less than the crap we find on our boots when you little bitches come mewling about the work being too hard." The red hair fell into her face, her finger mussing it up, red eyes meeting his own blue and red ones.

"If ya fuck up on the cooking, ya fuck up your life." The threat was direct, as he set the plate before her. She took a look at it, poking with a finger at one of the pancakes before pulling it off the plate and then taking a bite from it. "Hmmm, tastes good."

Hope blossomed in his heart, hope that there might be something coming from this rough woman. He didn't even see the blow coming as she whipped forward with her leg, slamming right into his gut with an agile move. "You were fucking smiling at me. Don't fucking smile or I will fucking carve your fucking dick with a smiley face, you little blonde fuckwit."

The pain was too much for him, low moans coming from his throat as he tried to find some reason to keep on going, a shudder going through his body as he could feel the pain welling up. _It would be so easy..._ The thought was strange, as he could feel the negative emotions work through the place, like a ripe haven for fear and terror and pain. _So easy to just... let go of it all._

"Fuck, did that hurt yer fee-fees?" She said, crouching next to him, her face cast in shadows, her grin something fierce and predatory, her hand grabbing his head. "What's yer name, Bitch?" Ruby spoke the question, her hand on his head firm with its grip, the look on her face something that seemed to hold only the pitiless look of a woman who had been taught that she was precious. "J-Jaune."

His face hit the ground as she forced it against it. "Fucking last name too, Bitch." He groaned, his nose definitely feeling like it was raw and pained, his hands being free, yet without the support that he could use to get a hold on her. "Jaune Arcadia!" The name was different from his usual one, yet he was not going to lead the people to his family if he could help it.

"Gee, the bitch has a surname... What's yer age, John?" The snarky tone with which she spoke was rough to his ears as she pulled up his head again. "S-seventeen!" His face didn't meet the ground again, as she looked at him with a grin that was unpleasant for most cases in which it'd be spotted. "Aww... A wee little lad... No wonder Sapph wanted to fuck you. She likes the young ones best, y'know?"

The thought of the blue-haired girl trying to do such things with him brought a blush to his face, even though it no doubt would be punished by the redheaded sister, whose eyebrows rose a little. "Ah, y'want her? Want to put some blonde seeds in her garden? Ya fucking bitch!" His face smacked against the ground again, the feeling of his lips swelling up and splitting, as blood leaked from the busted lip, the taste of copper in his mouth starting to become something familiar now.

"Ain't I fucking pretty?" She growled, a pained moan coming from his mouth, the jacket shifted off her frame. "Come on! Who's the fucking prettiest girl in the fucking bandit camp, eh?" He could only open his mouth and mumble. "You are!" The grin on her lips was broad. "If I want you to fuck me, will you do it?"

 _Oh hell no!_ His better instincts told him that to answer yes to that question would be to immediately assume the position of the slaughtered calf, as her eyes glinted dangerously. "No." He said, those eyes darkening, anger and hate bleeding off her like waves. He could feel it wrapping around him, taking relief from those emotions as he felt them radiate from her. "Ya fucking bitch!" His face was slammed against the ground again, the feeling of his nose breaking under that face-plant not being pleasant at all.

"How'd you deny me? None of the bandits want to fuck because they're all afraid of the fucking wrath of dad, and then when I finally decide to hand out a fucking slice of my pie for you, because you look a bit like a fella who'd be all man and put a good bit of joy in me... and you deny me?" The rambling didn't make much sense to him, her grip on his head something that was stronger than his ability to get back up again.

" _She's definitely not right in the mind."_ Summer commented to him. _"Has to be asked to come to dinner with her family, exploring radical dust things..."_ His head was raised once more, the eyes that were tear-filled looking at him with malice shining in em. "You should be fucking happy, Jauney... Sapph can have you. You can have her fucking crotch-rot too. Wouldn't you want to fucking like that?"

 _No!_ He wasn't aware that he'd uttered it aloud, save for the look on her face changing to surprise. "Y-you'd want to do things with me?" She muttered, her eyes wide and a sheen of madness shimmering within. It unsettled him even more than Her gaze, even if She only held the deep loathing for the grand plan that Ozpin had in store for his side. "Yes!" He said, his voice sounding stern.

Redness bloomed on her cheeks, making them darker, her breathing growing a little heavier. _Is this going to be how I lose my virginity? In a dirty hut, surrounded by filth and with a woman who probably only sees me as someone who is fit to be a slave?_ "Ruby!"

A blonde-haired bandit, obviously a sister to her, popped in, her nose missing it's tip, a long scar on her cheek going further than the temple and cutting right into her hairline, where a streak was missing due to whatever had caused it to be so mangled. "You forgot that we've got a meeting, you little fuzzy." The blonde's grin was warmer than Sapphire, Amethyst and Ruby's had been, a light playing within those red eyes that was not like the thirst for blood that Amethyst held, or the need within Sapphire's or just the plain unpredictability of Ruby's.

"And you're the new meat, right?" She said, looking at him with a look that seemed to warp and change, the gaze growing more distant. "Lil' sis, let go of the meat. He would be of better use in the mine. You want your project to be completed, right?" The redheaded woman grinned, nodding. "Jauney here is gonna help me! He cooks GOOD food, Toppy."

The woman looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Clean her hut up, would you? Little bitches like you aren't fully grown enough to work the mines, but y'know... Touch her and you fucking WISH that I wasn't grilling your sausage and meatballs in front of you. I will do that, buddy." The threat was clear, Ruby pouting a little, the childish manner that she adopted towards her sister a rapid change.

" _This is messed up."_ Summer commented in his mind. He could not agree with it more. His body smarted from the repeated smacks his face had made into the floor, as the woman looked at him with a look that was fit to kill. _"Why does it always have to be me who runs into women who can maul me with a flight of fancy?"_

"But... If I wanted it, he would give it to me. He is just a slave, a toy for me to use, right?" The hope in Ruby's voice was something that seemed to send chills down his spine, the dissonance that she showed in her mood when dealing with him, her father or her elder sister something that was just deeply disturbing. "No. Papa's said that you're to remain chaste until marriage. After Sapphire's third abortion, we don't let the family go through that again." Ruby's head nodded. "Can I use him for practice?" The blonde woman shrugged. "Feel free. You got him, you own him. Uncle Bear's going to be practising again tonight... How about you come around, eh?"

Ruby's lips firmly pressed together, her hand pulling the shirt over her bosom, tidying herself up a little. "No. I won't be going to meet with daddy until my research is complete!" The switch in personalities seemed to catch the elder sister aback as well, as she waved at the mess around them. "Clean that up, slave boy." The command was clear, as he got himself up on his feet again, the stickiness of his clothing slowly starting to be no longer any problem of his, his hands moving the stack of cup noodles towards one of the garbage bags, packing it up and setting it outside.

 _It's the routine of cleaning._ He thought to himself, as he forced himself to ignore the two sisters as they started to talk, Ruby's lighter voice contrasting with the deeper voice that 'Toppy' used, the blonde definitely being saner than her younger sister. The dishes were a harder thing to do, pouring some of the water into the sink and then starting with the scrub, grime and remnants of dinner long-since consumed washing off with some of the soap that he'd spotted lying about.

It was nearly evening by the time that he'd had the hut in any sort of serviceable condition, the ground still bearing the stains where there'd once been the stack of cup noodles, yet the floor remarkably clean. Only through one of the doors had he not been, Ruby having poked him in the side with the flat of her blade the moment that he'd gone towards that door, saying 'That ain't for you to see, Jauney.' and left it at that.

"Done with the work, bitch?" Ruby asked, startling him as she had appeared behind him, the tip of her blade digging into his back, a favourite trick of hers, it seemed. "Good, good. We've got some festivities lined up and Topaz's been nagging at me to go and be a fucking social butterfly... so we're going to fire off some fireworks!"

The door that he'd been forbidden from accessing was pushed open by the redhead, her grin being as endearing as a shark's, as she strolled into what looked to be a much more sterile environment than anything she kept in her living space. Without anything for him to do, he could only watch as she pulled out three vials of Dust from a rack, the emblems upon the dust looking like ice and fire dust, as well as electrical dust.

 _Nora used electrical and fire dust to make sure that her grenades would detonate when she wanted to._ The thought of the ginger girl brought a wetness to his eyes, as Ruby clapped him on the shoulder. "Eyes up front, Jauney. You're going to be watching a widdle show!" The cheer in her voice was obvious as she pulled a massive gun from a space that he could not see, with her hand reaching behind the wall that obscured his view and pulling the massive gun from there, loading up one of the cartridges of dust into it.

"No words, eh? Good... looks like you're learning, like a good dog should." She seemed to be in higher spirits as she pushed him along, several of the bandits giving her some greetings, the ensemble of a bikini top and her jeans making her look decidedly more 'normal' than the sisters that he'd seen. Topaz seemed to favour a more casual style of dress, form-fitting leather pants and a shirt that'd had sheaths on it, obviously for holding weapons in place. Amethyst was more aggressive in her manner, with Sapphire holding more of the sensual appearance that'd be expected with her personality.

 _There are six sisters, I have met four. That means that there is one here that I have not seen... or one that is dead._ The reasonable sum that he came to with his mental work wasn't a bad one, Summer remaining oddly quiet throughout it all. _My body still aches a little, but I can still walk._

The ramshackle wall had been something that'd been in his sight, the wood and metal that'd been raised up standing there like a beacon to most people that this was like a small fortification. _It wouldn't hold up to a fully grown Beowolf pack._

"Alright, boys and girls... Ruby's here." The redhead said, laying her hand on Jaune's shoulder, the gesture a little odd, for she was shorter than he was. "With my lovely assistant Mr Bitch here... Let's have the games begin!" The bandits moved, pushing three people forward. Jaune could see an old man, a woman with a set of rabbit feet and Tetch, who was looking nervously at the way that the bandits had been gathering them.

"Tonight, we've come for entertainment! We are the Beornir, and we are family!" The father of Ruby, Topaz, Amethys and Sapphire spoke, a short-haired woman with pale white hair standing at his side, a sword that looked like it had a shotgun built into it at her hip. "My lovely daughter Ruby shall be the first to send these brave maggots into the wastes, where they can bargain for their freedom! Let it be known that I am a generous man!"

The laughter that followed from the bandits around brought no relief to Jaune's mind, as he looked at the faces, seeing the drawn manner of them and knowing that the bandit chief's statement was something that he could only have as a warning. "Watch this, bitch." Ruby said, her voice soft as she whipped the gun out. "Alright, you snivelling bitches... You get ten seconds to fucking run for your life, right out the gate!"

Tetch's face seemed to brighten, as if he were to be getting that break that he'd been wanting. Jaune did not know really well what sort of person Tetch was, but his mind was readily made-up about the bandits. As the three scrambled for the gate, the count-down started.

"Ten!" The woman seemed to find her pace the fastest. Jaune could feel something within the forests around them, the path that led towards the camp something that had been made by the repeated passage of the bandits, the presence of Grimm standing out to him like lights in a pitch-black darkness.

"Nine!" The old man stumbled and fell, scrabbling along as he tried to get his footing once more, sagging to the ground for a moment as his feet lost purchase, Tetch jumping over him in the mad dash to get away. _He's not going to make it._

"Eight!" _No, they're not going to make it._ The Grimm could feel the terror and cruelty from a distance, drawing closer to them. Jaune could feel how the need within him seemed to burn to help, to be the hero. The faces of Maiko and Liren flashed before his eyes as he watched the old man get up again. _I should help them!_

"Seven!" The voice of the red-haired bandit sounded loudly, as the lapine Faunus seemed to have found her stride, moving swift and with the speed that would be expected of any trainee huntsmen, the stamina that she seemed to pull out of nowhere aiding in her flight.

"Six!" The old man got back into a sprint, trying to push his bones to the limit to escape. If the bandits were serious about chasing after them, they would have need of the little interruption that this boon was giving them.

"Five!" The gun in her hands moved, as she looked through the sights, aiming it at the Faunus.

"FOUR!" A hint of glee entered her voice as she took careful aim, Jaune watching how those red eyes seemed to glimmer with a hint of mad enjoyment, as her aim seemed to find its mark.

"THREE!" _She's going to shoot!_ As she took the position of a markswoman, she firmly grounded herself on the ground below her, her feet disturbing the dirt and dust below.

"TWO!" The finger hovered near the trigger, the female Faunus leaping over a small ditch, the aim solidly on the woman's back. The old man was in the process of trying to leap over a similar ditch, a while back. It was not the road that was travelled by the bandits, yet Jaune could see that the man was getting ready to make a run for it.

"ONE!" Tetch leapt, even as Ruby took aim. Her eyes closed for a moment as her lips ghosted in what might be a prayer or something, as the recoil of the gun firing rocked her frame.

 _Shit!_ He cursed, as the Faunus woman was hit right in the back, a scream coming from her throat as her body quivered and pulsed under a current of electricity, her legs kicking, even as the bullet shattered against her spinal chord. He could see her go down and try to crawl, her legs useless for the purpose.

" _She's a cruel one… Giving them a little fragment of hope of getting away and then mangling them bad enough so that they'll die either way._ " The look on Ruby's face was bright, a mirthful, cheery smile that seemed to rest on her lips as she loaded the next cartridge of dust, the old man the target now.

"Now, for the old guy! Daddy! Watch me shoot him into little grisly bits!" The cheerful tone of voice was something that a little girl would use towards her father, the bandit chief looking paternally at Ruby. Her sisters were giving her varying looks, from pity (Topaz) to outright approval (Amethyst). _The Grimm... They're coming._

His mind reached out to the minds of the Grimm, even as several of them started their way towards the maimed Faunus, whose fear and terror was felt by him, even with such a distance between her.

The old man screamed as his body was suddenly hit by a bullet of frost dust, the man's body growing stiff and brittle, dropping to the ground a moment afterwards due to the momentum, shattering into thousands of pieces in the mere fragment of time after that happened, blood and ice forming a slushy mixture as the flash-frozen body had grown so brittle that it did. "Ice-cream! Daddy, did you see the ice-cream man?"

The next cartridge would no doubt hit the fleeing Tetch. As he assumed control over the Beowolves that were bearing down on Tetch, his fright and terror being the prime attraction for the Grimm, he could see Ruby's gun take aim. _Ruby explained to me something about the barrel of the gun and long-distance travel of the bullet._

Memories of a long-forgotten conversation between him and Ruby Rose surfaced, as she had gone into the technical details of her 'precious baby' if you could call the sniper-rifle with scythe blade attached a 'precious baby'.

"Juuuust... We're going to have a barbecue!" The cheerful tone she took made him know that he would need to take action now. _You have to be the hero, Jaune! Even if you've only met him in the morning, you should make sure that someone lives to fight another day!_ His hands reached out and grabbed the barrel of the gun, pushing it upwards, the recoil rocking both him as well as Ruby, the red-haired bandit dropping to the ground together with him.

A moment did he look into those red eyes, her eyes wide as they met his mismatched eyes, before someone's foot slammed right into his head, the audible CRACK of his neck going in a direction that it shouldn't go heard by the people around him. _I need to live!_ The thought overwhelmed him, as he aligned his neck properly once more, how it should be, the _vitae tenebris_ pushing it back into the proper position.

He could see a downright angry white-haired sibling, feeling how he was dragged off Ruby by the angry hands of Amethyst and Topaz, manhandling him even harder than he'd ever wanted. _I was a fucking hero and I made sure that SOMEONE escaped your clutches._

"Give the guy a moment, guys..." The voice of the leader of the Beornir was loud, even as the bandits drew their weapons. Jaune was distantly aware that the Beowolves were getting to the wounded Faunus, the shrill shriek that she gave loud in his ears. "You're gonna die real slow for ruining my little girl's fun, blondie."

The smell hit him first, as the man's face came close, the beard definitely needing a wash, the man's face looking swollen and angry, like a rabid Ursa on the prowl. _Yeah, there's not much of a difference between you and an Ursa. You've got daughters who are crazy!_

"You fucked up my daughter's shot. Now one of them's gotten away." A thick hand slammed against his chin, his teeth rattling in his mouth as Topaz and Amethyst held him up, making him take the punishment that was to be heaped upon him. "Daddy!" Ruby's voice cut through his skull trying to get another fistful of paternal punishment, as Ruby appeared, her cheeks flush. "Can I have him? I've got some niiiiice thoughts! Don't be mad about me missing the shot..."

Her hand touched his cheek, the smile on her lips something that looked more at place with women who were actually wholesome. "I'm gonna make him my little test puppet!" _That doesn't sound good to me._

"Are you sure you want to do this, princess? There's other maggots that we can fetch from the mines who'd be just as handy for that." The man said, Ruby's eyes sparkling a little as she looked at him. His gut felt pain go through it, as her eyes seemed to shimmer. "No! I want this one! He's got a fire! He thinks he can be helping people... And he can cook. You won't deny me the ability to eat good food, right daddy? I promise to have him be fed and cleaned if he's being a good boy!"

 _I'm like a pet to her. A pet that she can exploit and use, to her desires and whims._ The thought was not a wholesome one, nor was it something that he could rationally think about. Within a day, he seemed to have been subjected to things that he'd not known about before.

 _Cremea always said that bandits were degenerate scum, but I didn't think it would be this bad._ The look on Ruby's face was dangerous and vile, as if she had seen something that interested her and that she wished to dissect it to see what worked with the treatments that she was proposing. "Also... bring me some more Dust! I've used some of my precious dust to shoot down that rabble! Daddy... You want us to be good bandits, don't you?"

The man quivered a little, shaking his head. "Of course, princess. Ask Pearl if you need something, you know I don't have the mind for numbers." The woman nodded. "If you would tell me what you would need, I shall arrange to have it sent to your dwelling, dearest sister." The formal manner in which Pearl spoke seemed to be at odds with her skills in the manner of a professional bandit, the blade at her side looking sharp and ready to be of use immediately.

"Good, good... Jauney-boy... We're going to be the BEST of friends!" The cheerful tone that she took did nothing to hide the looks of disconcert upon the faces of the bandits that were not related to her. "Daddy... Please ignore the screamsies. Jauney here needs to be domesticated."

Her fist met his face then, the blackness of unconsciousness greeting him as he was dragged into that oblivion without even wanting to. It would be the last respite that he would get, a worried Summer Rose left to wonder what was going on, the sensory input shut off with that lack of consciousness.

* * *

 _Falling night. (The next section will involve some torture. You are warned.)_

* * *

The night was greeted with a groan, as he could feel another wave of nausea come from his throat. The soft snore of Ruby Beornir sounded through the room, even as he felt the ache of his muscles and wounds. _"Are you alright, Jaune?"_ Summer's voice was soft and gentle, a constant companion within his torment.

" _I... I am alive."_ He answered back, his gaze cast through the room that had been his personal hell for the past day, Ruby Beornir having guided him to it with the assistance of several of the men that she had personally conscripted with a glare and a twitch of the finger. He had not been roughed up before she had been with him, the door slamming shut a moment later to allow only her breathing to remain audible in the room.

"You've been a baaaaad boy, Jauney... A veeeerrry bad boy." The sword pressed against his throat at that moment, as she pointed towards a bed that had shackles attached to the metal spine, something clearly used for activities that were not as loving as they should be.

"Lie on the bed, blonde bitch." She hissed, her eyes darkening, a twitch of anger coming from her gaze as he did as she ordered, laying there, his clothing still feeling like a hindrance. "Nowsies..." Her sword ripped through the clothing like a hot knife did through butter, not nicking the skin in the least, unveiling the pale expanse of his chest, the veins that were visible there pulsating with the dark _vitae tenebris_ that flowed through his body.

She leaned over the bed then, pressing her soft body against his, her chest at his face's height, yet he was frozen, her fingers pressing the wrist into the shackle and closing it with a click, the restraint good enough for her. "I don't like it when my little toys get uppity." Her voice was like the hoarse whisper, as her chest pressed against his face.

 _This is going to hurt._ There was no physical response to the arguably attractive girl's chest hugging his face, the awkward manner that she was straddling him allowing only for the briefest touch, as his other wrist was shackled. _You've got no weapons, no ability to conjure up anything or anything that you can do, save to let the Grimm come... You're fucked, Jaune... and not in a good way._

"Now for the legsies..." She said, turning and putting them properly in their place, the bare feet easily shackled into the leg shackles, as she got off him again. A bare-chested Jaune looked back at her as she seemed to raise her sword, seemingly for the strike that'd inflict that perilous death upon him, her blade flashing through the air as she slashed down. His pants went with it, cut off his legs. "Ooh... This is a man's thingy!" Her exultant cheer was something that sent chills through his body, as something metallic touched against his body, the feeling of flesh brushing against metal something that he'd rather not experience.

"Do you want to be a girly girl, Jauney?" Her voice was teasingly soft, as her blade patted against his groin, a whine of pain coming from his mouth. "DO YOU?"She shrieked, a squeak coming from his mouth. "No! By Oum, no!" Her grin was dark and dangerous, those eyes of hers looking right into his, as if something had been answered for her, her tongue sliding over her lips with a slow and languid motion. "Aww... They always say that I'm not stable, little Jauney..." Her blade traced a little circle, his thighs starting to bleed as the sharp blade of that sickle-like sword cut over his flesh.

"They say I should wait until marriage..." Her voice was soft, as she spoke, her red eyes looking at him with the rage and anger burning into them. "WELL, DO YOU THINK I SHOULD SAVE MYSELF FOR MARRIAGE TO BE PUMPED FULL OF YOUR FUCKING REFUSE, JAUNEY?"

He hoped that this place had some good isolation. He'd seen it beside the hut when he'd first arrived here, the sunlight having illuminated what was basically a shack, the smell of coppery blood invading his nostrils, as the blade of the sword appeared at his throat. "DO YOU, you little fucking bitch?"

"You should do what you think is best!" He said, pleading for mercy with his tone, his voice higher than it had been before. _She's going to kill me! Or she's going to chop off my little Crocea Mors! "Jaune, she doesn't have the ability to save you after that. It is a major blood vessel that runs through there, she cannot hack it off without killing you. Her emotions are running high."_ Summer's tone was solid, as she spoke. _"It's not uncommon for such emotional personalities to propagate with bandits."_

He didn't dare ask her how she knew that, as Ruby's face was in his own, her eyes peering into his. "Come on, Jauney! Tell me... Am I sexy?" The question was something that she spoke at a normal tone, barely heard beside his ear. "Kiss me, you little gormless maggot!" He didn't do so, as fear gripped him. His mind was starting to realize that with the different shades of her, she might just be so unbalanced that she'd go from happy to sad in a mere fragment of an instant, as if the doors of hell had been loosened for her to escape.

It was an awkward kiss, as her tongue forced itself into his mouth, the lips smacking together with the need of the bandit, the tongue trying to probe wherever it could. Bile welled up in his stomach as he could feel her press against his uvula with her tongue, the gag reflex making his forehead meet hers, the 'oww!' from her not as loud, yet even more terrifying when those eyes met his again. _She might be creepy as hell... but this girl's got more screws loose than a scrapped Bullhead._

"Aww... Didn't the widdle fuck LIKE a kiss from the gorgeous me?" The blade raised high and then slashed down over his skin, the lash of white-hot pain flaring in his body, the heat wracking his body as his aura tried to protect him from the hit. It was only a glancing blow then, barely drawing blood, the woman looking at the lack of marks that she'd made. "Aww… You heal fast…" Her voice was akin to a disappointed child.

"TIME TO TEST THE DUST!"A vial of dust was spread over his body, her fingers pressing it tightly in a pattern against the skin and then pulling a small lighter out and flicking it on. White-hot pain seared over his body, even as his Aura fought to protect him from that chill that seeped into his body. "Is the widdle blondie not wanting to play with big Ruby? Aww…" She cooed, her fingers touching the frosted patch on his chest, his eyes watching as the skin was raw and cracked, yet still intact. Little bits of skin stuck to her fingers, her red eyes going between the patches of skin and his, a heavy look that contained her irritation and frustrations as if he were the sole one responsible for them.

The first hour had been hell, even as his skin regenerated, the dregs of his aura dragged out to mend the damage. A fresh pinkish coat of skin covered the ravaged front of his body, the wounds that she had inflicted with the dust luckily having not strayed elsewhere. _I don't think I'd be able to ever look at myself in the mirror again if she'd really made good on her threat to make me a real girl._

Ruby had collapsed during one of her exultant moments on the bed beside him, her head laying on his raw and sensitive chest, the feeling of her weight on the raw skin enough to make him ache. As darkness wrapped around them, he could feel Her touches upon the Grimm throughout Remnant, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him quivering in anticipation as he could feel that shift inside, working to burn through the pain and relieve his woes for a fragment of time.

As he closed his eyes, another part of him drifted through the countryside, feeling the minds of the Grimm, connecting with them for a fragment of a sliver of time and seeing as they saw. He could feel the brush of their primitive minds against his own, guiding them without their awareness being conscious, Her mind touching his own for a moment.

 _She… She is connected._ Flashes of images came to his mind. A village besieged by Grimm. Huntsmen coming to their death as the Grimm tore through them like tissue paper. Her own plans, featuring with the power of Him. _And She is loose once more._ The connection cut out then, as Her attention was drawn to other places.

The flash of pain on his back was something that was not new to him. Throughout the day, he had barely been fed, kept restrained by Ruby's desire to keep him as a toy, only forced to drink several times when his throat had been too parched to produce anything but squeaks. The screams had rendered his throat hoarse, even with the torments that she had inflicted upon him.

His aura, worn and battered from the constant healing that it was forced to give him, felt like a finely coiled spool of energy, wrapping around him and ensuring that his pain was lessened, without even the barest fragment of time remaining there to caress him. His mind felt the weariness inside it as she stirred once more beside him. "Jauney... Time for play!"

The sharp carving of his flesh continued once more, the depraved and sick mind of Ruby Beornir working a madwoman's path over his flesh. _She hasn't castrated me yet. Oum, she is... Not good. I don't like her."Summer?"_ He responded to her query, feeling the tension within him start.

 _Life is a struggle. I want to be the hero. I must be the hero. I have to._ Ruby Beornir pulled something into the room then, a large mirror that viewed the body. Being on his front this time, he could only see it slide in front of him as she worked with the old wooden standard to get it there. "So... Now you can see what brilliant art you've made, Jauney!"Her voice was cheerful and girlish, with the smile beautiful on any other woman's face.

To him... it was like a death sentence, of another row of torments and terror, of near-scrapes with that sword straying too close to the vital parts. _Pyrrha said that I had a lot of aura... Please be enough to let me get through today... Maybe someone will come and save me? Please?_

The sight of his face, his hair matted to his flesh by the sweat and the blood that'd mingled with it, the white streak starting to grow more and more pronounced by the moment that he looked at it, was a startling change. He still looked so innocent to his own eyes, as if his face had been something that was worth saving.

His front would heal up, she had gotten bored with testing the dust there. "It isn't fun to see your nipples grow back, Jauney... now... your back... Allll of that back..." The fingers had touched there, gently, before the nails had dug into the flesh, drawing long lines of blood, the pain having been a shade softer than before.

His back looked like a mess. Wounds riddled it, as Ruby's blade had carved out small gashes and niches, working into the skin with a delicate efficiency that he would never have assumed her capable of. She often went without clothing, figuring that it would be best to not let 'icky sticky slave blood' touch it, her eyes looking calm and placid, as if it were just another Tuesday for her.

RUBY had been written on his lower back in big bloodied marks that had crusted over due to the blood clotting, the look on her face as she adored her work, her fingers sliding over the pale skin, her darker skin lending a good contrast to it, her breathing giving a soft shudder. "Oi, Ruby!" The sound of Sapphire speaking up came to her ears, as her head turned. "Come in, Sapphire. I've got my boy here... He's so cute when he whimpers and screams." The reflection showed Sapphire entering, her face showing disgust with the smell of blood, a forced smile on her lips, her distaste for the smell visible. "Dad wants to know when you'll be coming to join us again today." The look that she gave at him was one of pity, mingling with disgust and a grossed-out look that lingered on her face for a moment.

"Is he even still alive?" She asked, Ruby giving the brightest of smiles in return. "Of course! The first few hours, I played juuuuust a little with his chest. Would you know that the ice dust only flash-freezes until you light it on fire? My, Dust chemistry is fun!" Detailing what had been done every hour of her ownership was something that she did meticulously to her sister, Sapphire turning a little paler in the face, her dark skin showing her queasiness. "I don't think dad wants you to stick around him for very long. He's been fearing for your chastity." The snicker that Ruby gave was cruel, devoid of any sort of emotion save for sadism.

"Oh, don't be silly! I'll show daddy how good Jauney's body has served SCIENCE! I'm a scientist, you know? He'll maybe last another day! But he'll make me smarter, yes!" Sapphire's smile was thin as she smiled at her little sister, her gaze meeting his own, the reflection in the mirror showing his mismatched eyes for a moment, as pain wracked his form.

 _She's more of a sadist than a scientist..._ His private thoughts confirmed, as his consciousness waned once more. Grimm around him he could feel, the throbbing _vitae tenebris_ that constructed his arm giving him the sensation of being connected to something larger, even as the pain seemed to fade from his whole self and be replaced with something else, something that was a shade cooler, colder and less emotionally comprised. _"You will be alright, Jaune. Do not give in. Hold out JUST a little you do... Don't give in!"_ Summer's voice reached him, as he tried hard not to give in to the darkness.

The _vitae tenebris_ in his body bubbled and boiled, every streak of pain that he felt only enhancing the need for that dark fluid to be unleashed. _Ruby will be the first. Then the other sisters. I will make them feel the blade of justice._

A flash of images came to his mind, of the Grimm tearing through the bandits, of how they would all bend to his will as he sat upon a throne made from their bones, with nobody about to hurt him anymore. A robe of darkness to clothe him and a crown of the faded bones of his enemies to crown him as the sovereign of the Grimm. _And in the darkness..._

" _Jaune! Pay attention, Jaune! Stay with me!_ " Summer's voice jolted him from his thoughts, as Ruby spoke up once more, Sapphire seemingly long-since gone. "And now, little widdle blondie... It's time for you to become a bitch." The feeling of something cold being smeared into the wounds, right where she had carved her name into his flesh, was disconcerting. White-hot flames seemed to lick over the wounds, even as the sharp snap-hiss of one of her tubes being broken was heard, the gel pressed against the Dust that she'd pressed to the wounds. "Cry for me, little Jaune... Cry for me like the cries you have denied me when your voice gave out!"

Pain flashed through his body as an explosion rocked it, his aura reinforcing the flesh. Where there should be a crater of busted-open flesh, the crystallized Dust usually tearing it open, there was only the brief burnt scab that had grown there, the letters proudly showing on his back. "Aww... it didn't work! You've got some good aura there, Jauney... But it won't work either to help you, widdle bitch." Her voice was mocking and cruel, as her fingers traced over the wound, red-hot pain flashing with every press of the fingers that she made, her whole body like a radiating zone of hate and terror and...

 _I can feel her emotions. I can feel her emotions!_ Hatred and anger swirled within her, yet a familiar emotion that he could also feel, her face coming close to him as she forced another kiss on his lips. It was a strange ritual that she had, kissing him after inflicting pain on him, yet it grounded him with the faint hope that there might be an end for him yet where he could walk away, shattered and busted up, yet alive. _I will be alive. I will be making sure to walk out of here with my head held high._

"Why do you make me hurt you so much?" She asked, the voice holding the question for a long while, her eyes flickering with that dark emotion within them. "You are nothing but an eager man, ready to plunder my secret cove... yet you respond not, even if I give you kissies..." The incomprehension on her face was stark, as she looked at him with a look that seemed not to comprehend that she was doing something wrong in most Kingdoms.

"Scream for me... Scream like all the other pretty boys did... Daddy was right, there's no good boy around for me..." The words didn't make sense, as he could feel the hunger within him gnaw, his eyes looking at her face as she laid beside him, his head sideways on the bed. Fingers stroked his back, allowing the wounds to start bleeding again.

 _I need to escape._ The thought was in his mind as red-hot tears welled up in his eyes, his mouth giving a pained gasp as those fingers dragged through the scabbed-over mess, tearing them open. "Hmmm... Your filthy blood smells like crap... But you've been a decent canvas. I better go and dress myself for daddy's little idea of a family gathering... perhaps we'll see each other again later today?" The threat was within that voice layered in so many layers of sugary sweetness that it reminded him faintly of the lure of the viper towards the hare.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said, his voice at barely higher than a whisper, the pain flashing through his body as he tried to work up something sensible in his mind. _"Don't you dare give in, Jaune! I know it's hard, but you need to keep on continuing to live! Just a little while longer!"_ The chatter from Summer did nothing to really enlighten him as to what she was saying. His aura felt like a dimming light, as he could feel the _vitae tenebris_ writhe, the hairs on the fake arm standing up. "No, you aren't! We'll play with fire dust tonight! Aren't you happy?" He could only groan, as he felt her leave, the door slamming shut.

As he laid in the darkened shack, only the faint luminescence of the lamp that'd been put in overhead to illuminate him, he could think on things. It was not to his benefit that his thoughts were straying to those dark thoughts, as he tried to cling to that spark of light within him. _She did it. He did it. With the Relics, anything is possible... What if..._

The thought halted at his mind, as he fought to bring himself back under control. He did not have the strength to get up again. He was tied tightly to the bed, with less nourishment than a gopher during a hunger strike, with no water and his back and front in a mess, with a sadistic woman about to come after him for a 'date'. _You've got yourself in a fine mess, Jaune. Dad would probably be able to spring you free. He's a well-trained huntsman, able to deal with whatever comes close in a swift and efficient fashion… but that doesn't mean that YOU are._

" _Jaune? Jaune, please?"_ Summer's voice was pleading, a vision of bright silver eyes coming to his mind. _"Don't do something stupid, Jaune! I don't want you to fall into the darkness! You've got a great strength inside you… Hold out! I'm going to help you get through this!"_ The hope was not there. He knew as much, right from the start. Shats had been honest in his words about this place being rife with bandits and other such scum. Ruby Beornir was just another sign of the land being corrupt and decayed, not worth saving.

The faces of Liren and Maiko appeared before his mind, as his mind reached out, the shimmering rays of sunlight harming his manipulation of the _vitae tenebris_ within him to cast his vision through the space in-between him and the nearest Grimm, vision of a stretch of land nearby coming through his eyes, as he looked around, the possession that he had of the Grimm's body lending him more mobility and grace. Looking around, he began to adjust his positioning towards the camp, sensing the concentration of fear, arrogance and hatred and pain there, and then started on the way towards it.

The shadows lengthened, as the Grimm that he possessed moved with the efficiency of a slug, moving towards the camp with jolted motions. It was a different sensation from governing his own body, as the _vitae tenebris_ inside it seemed to tremble at his will imposed upon it.

A sharp stab of pain reached his mind as his eyes opened once more, the feeling of the blade cutting into his upper torso bringing him to awareness. _It's so easy to just give in. So easy..._

 _Anger. Hate. Fear. Wrath. Brutality. Death. Despair. Death. Fear._ The feelings surged through his mind as he could feel the blade slowly work its way down into the R shape once more, Ruby humming something of a little ditty, her blade carving into his flesh.

" _JAUNE! STOP IT!"_ Summer's voice was loud in his ears, even as Ruby's voice carved itself into his mind, the U slowly being ripped into his skin once more. "The flesh must be marked, yes... You'll love me forever that way! Daddy's got his wedding ring from when mama was still alive... yes... You'll remember me forever!" _Fear. Hate. Anger. Fear. Hate. Anger. SALEM. ANGER. DESPAIR. RAGE. HATE! JAUNE!_

The B was a slow carve, as she let the blade stick for a moment. "Such a boy... So young... But you made me miss my shot. Naughty boys will be punished, widdle blondie." Her giggles were like the nail in the coffin, as he could feel his whole body tensing up. _HATE. PAIN. ANGER. HATE._ _ **DESPAIR. RAGE. DEATH. HATRED. JAUNE.**_

As the Y was finished on his back, Jaune could only hear the shrill sound of Ruby's laughter in his ears, as his consciousness submerged itself. The bubbling _vitae tenebris_ welcomed him like a lover's caress, that steaming hatred and frozen death wrapping around him as a shroud, his whole mind pulled into that vile pool.

Outwardly nothing changed, save for the breath stilling, his chest never rising more, as he hung there in the bed. "Jauney?" Ruby's voice tittered softly, as if he were a playtoy that had come to rest.

Jaune Arc... felt hate. He felt pure and unadulterated hatred, as his tormentor spoke to him, her wounds aching on his flesh as the hate wrapped around him, introducing him to that sensation. Right now, he did not hate anyone as much as he hated Ruby. _She did this to me! Even SHE does not do this meaningless cruelty unless it suits her master plan!_

He could faintly hear her ask him, as he submerged himself in that pool. _**ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.**_ A Seer in the vicinity he found, its squid-like appearance enough for his mind to grasp. As he could feel its resistance against his will, he dominated it with a sharp probe. _**I AM ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.**_

As one, the Grimm in a thirty-mile radius raised their heads as one, the Seer linked right to Jaune's consciousness, as the call came. The darkness gripped him, with the fading embers of the sun lighting up the sky. _**I WILL be free. COME!**_ The command rang out through the Seer's mental node, pulsing to the Grimm.

The Grimm were coming as they had been called, one will focusing their purpose. A shuddering breath came from that body, as the _vitae tenebris_ inside it reached a boiling point, the veins throbbing with that dark ichor, filling the wounds on his back with the dark ichors, Ruby nowhere to be in sight. A horn blared somewhere, as someone shouted 'THE GRIMM ARE COMING! TO ARMS!'.

* * *

 _Nightfall._

* * *

The first sighting of the Grimm massing was met with a horn blaring, as the veritable wall of Beowolves and Ursa and King Tajitu's and Boarbatusks came towards the ramshackle gates, the bandits getting ready to meet that charge.

"Don't give up! We can beat them off again!" The leader of the bandits, Bjorn Beornir shouted, as he stood upon the wall, looking at the horde of Grimm that he saw there. In his fifty years of life, he had seen many things, enough to know that such a Grimm horde was not easily fought off... yet the feeling of the Grimm brought home that old feeling of being a man of the world once more. "Pearl! Get your sister from her little shack! She's needed at the front line!" There was no need to tell which sister he needed, Sapphire already standing at the wall, her face looking serious.

"Sapphire, make sure that you hold it here with the guys. Ruby'll be coming right up." Sapphire nodded, her gaze uneasy at the Grimm. "It's so many..." She muttered, his hand patting her shoulder. "We'll be fighting them off. There's like... sixty or something. That's like two to each slave." The bandit chieftain grinned, his eyes meeting his daughter's. "If you're sure, daddy." She said, his nod firm and confident to her.

"It'll be fine. It'll be a cold day in Remnant when Bjorn Beornir gets done in by some smelly Grimm!" The confidence he felt was backed up by his prowess as one of the strongest that he knew, the painful process of working himself to the top of the tribe having been constant when he was younger, his daughters not yet born... Yet he had done it.

He wasn't going to let some Grimm take part of his camp out! They were just baseless mutts and mongrels anyways! They held no organisation whatsoever, after all.

 _What harm can they do with a few dedicated bandits standing in their path, eh? Huntsmen? Who needs a fucking huntsman if they can just shoot at them with the dust we mine, right?_

* * *

 **Well, before I get crucified for leaving it here at such an intense spot of action... I'd like to state that I've got more things planned! The torture and the like The name of the First Arc (No pun intended) of Jaune Arc is 'Red like Roses'. Why Red like Roses? Summer Rose, of course.**

 ** _Now, some people might go 'why did you leave it like that, Cyanide? Why did you write it like this and leave us going like 'rawr, we want to see epic combat!'... Well, it'll be mostly for next chapter, as the story moves onwards. I've been_ getting** _ **a neat pace with my writing (Although many people do not seem to like the style that I employ.) I hope to get chapter 10 out before the end of this month though, which will wrap up the** _RlR ** _arc!_**

 ** _Thank you for the support (Even if it's just a review with 'great chapter, looking forward to the next one!') through the first month-ish of me posting a tale that is rather_** grimm ** _. (I'll try to work on a better cover soonish.)_**

 ** _I hope that you've enjoyed it... and I might answer some reviews next time!_**

 ** _Next chapter will feature... Grimm Versus Bandits! (Among other things)_**

Also: We will get to see Summer's Point of View in the next chapter, explaining WHY she was so insistent on him trying to hold out. (I did some changes to the chapter about 9 hours after posting it, since I passed out right after posting it.) I also removed the Schnee PoV. I do take into account people's commentary (and should probably get a beta or something to look through things.) and well...

Emerald Beornir, Ruby Beornir, Topaz Beornir, Sapphire Beornir, Pearl Beornir, Amethyst Beornir - Their names refer to gemstones and colours associated with the gemstones. The Beornir tribe is one of those tribes that have a distinctly close family heritage. Ruby is the least stable individual, with Pearl one of the most. Topaz is the kindest out of them all. They mostly treat Ruby as the 'little sister to be protected' due to her fickle moods. (More to be unveiled later on.)

All I can say further though is: Things will be looking up for Jaune after this. Don't think that he's just getting tossed from one situation into the other without rhyme or reason. Chapter nine will show the way towards the light.

 ** _We'll get to see Summer Rose next in 'Summer is here'. (Which is the chapter title.)_**


	9. Summer is here

**Chapter 9: Summer is here**

 **To the question of 'is this merely a loose collection of points of view, coming to a conclusion eventually', I can safely say that I have everything planned up until the start of the Vytal festival (Which will see quite a few changes.) Do I deviate from the original storyline a lot? Yes. You'll just have to take my word for it that things WILL be better (and worse) in some places, but that there is a reason as to why Jaune just didn't summon the Grimm to cause mass slaughter once the first torture started. It has to do with Salem. That's all I am saying on that subject. Now, on with the story**!

* * *

 _Black roses_

* * *

 _This is not good._ Her thoughts warned her, as she could feel the burning around her, her whole body wrapped in the vile filth that was within Jaune's body. Ever since she had been locked within him, within that sphere that might be his consciousness, it had been something that she had dreaded. _To go into the darkness is to lose oneself. Ozpin always said that it was better to be consumed than to be something that aided the darkness._

Thoughts of the man who had taught her about being a huntress and a good team leader brought a warmth to her mind, even as the dusky-skinned woman applied the blade to his skin once more, sparing the flesh from another heat of pain, her gaze dispassionate, removed from the actions that she was doing, as if it were all just a game that she would have to play.

 _Mistral still lacks the huntsmen teams that Vale has._ The realisation was stark, yet she knew that she could not do anything about it. The darkness around her was sluggish and inviolable by her own energy, her body left to burn with that sensation if she would let it. Her silver gaze looked at the darkness around her, her sparks causing it to flinch away. _Damn right. You aren't taking me into your folds, icky-sticky darkness!_

" _Jaune... Please."_ Her voice tried to reach him, even as a hoarse cry of pain came from his mouth, her instincts telling her to wrap her arms around him to soothe him during his trials, a trial that brought out the best and the worst within a man. Around her little space within the sea of blackness that she had found herself in after her mysterious absorption by his will, she could see the dark liquid move.

 _He should see this. It is terrifying._ She had always been led to believe that the darkness would never be allowed to win, as long as there was a single flare of hope and light within the world to banish it. Throughout the years at Beacon and afterwards, she had held on to that hope, even as she held out her arm, a dark creeping mark working over it. _It's spreading._

The corruption had started before she had known it, during that first moment when she'd laid her hands around his throat, to choke the life out of him. The marks had appeared for the first time then, as her willpower had broken and she had realized that she was about to commit murder on someone who was innocent, save for the Grimm that he controlled, just like the woman whose power he had stolen.

 _This sadist is going too far. She's enjoying this way too much, without regard for something..._ The energy within her seemed to bristle and boil, granting her enough force to move out. _It drains me too much._ She knew that much, materializing in the physical realm brought with it also the strain of being around someone who literally gave you life and the ability to move.

 _He doesn't know just how connected we are._ Her hands were stained with blood, plenty of it. Her mind was at ease, as she had spilt it for a just cause. Bandits... They were easy. They didn't have the rigorous training in the arts of the Huntsman, nor did they have enough dust to put a few holes in a huntsman's hide before they would be dead.

" _Jaune... Hold out a little longer."_ The strength within her body was about to reach the apex, even as he seemed to grow dull from the sensation of being put into this precarious place, his whole body lighting up with the powers that he commanded. Around her, the world seemed to turn into a bubbling and boiling cauldron, the darkness threatening to ruin her little spark of light with its endless torrent of filth.

 _I can nearly... It's nearly the night-time, just enough force for me to materialize._ The dark liquid she pulled from the mass around her, the light of her silver eyes turning it into clear, white fluid, her fingers wrapped with the life-giving energy as she could feel the heat of his soul bear down upon him.

 _I'm sorry, Jaune. It has to be this way._ The leeching of his aura was merely to ensure that she would be able to materialize, his mind searching for an escape, as he seemed to find no solace. When the girl left the room to go meet with her father, she tried.

Rushing outwards and into the barrier, she tried to wrap herself in the white liquid, to force herself to materialize. Her body felt like it was jerked apart and then together again, as she bounced back. Around the bubble she was in, she could see the dark sea of liquid darkness tremble, as something seemed to happen. Her gaze expanded to fill hundreds of gazes, as she saw what he saw.

Terror rose within her as she realized just what he was doing. _"JAUNE, STOP! NO!"_ Her words were unheard, as the tide of Grimm moved to his command. His anger and fury resonated around her, the wrath that had been unleashed scaring her. _This is NOT good. Remember what happened to Raven? Remember how..._

The memories flashed to her again, the Branwen siblings having a heated argument, Raven striking out with a huff, her uniform fluttering, as she grabbed the blade that she had used for most of her career, to go off and finish their mission. She hadn't objected then, as she knew well the moods of her partner, who had been more stand-offish than her brother was.

To come across her with blood on her blade and her crimson eyes looking so self-satisfied, the men and women cut apart like they were mere puppets, red coating her uniform with that cold and callous look in her eyes... it had been a shock. She had been unable to look her partner in the eyes, even as Tai-Yang and Qrow tried to work some damage control, her whole day having been spent in her room just looking at Raven as if she were a murderous brute. _She'd had an excuse for that. She always had an excuse. 'They were just about to kill us.' 'The strong survive whilst the weak perish.' 'You don't understand, Summer. You haven't seen the world like I have.' Stupid! Why'd she have to go and be so STUPID!_

As the Grimm tide came towards the bandit camp, she firmed her mind again, as she worked herself up and then went for the barrier once more, feeling the freeing tug of something go through her whole sense of self and firm up around her as she hit the wall with a dull thud. "Jaune?" Her voice was desperate, as she looked at the injured form on the bed there; looking like it needed the assistance that she could provide.

 _Malnourished, ill-fed. Thirsty. Physical capacities are 30%._ Her mind immediately categorized the issues that were wrong with Jaune, as it made sense to her, kneeling next to him. His eyes were rolled back, a sign that his mind was busy guiding the doom towards the bandit camp. His stump was there, its arm gone and nowhere to be seen. _Did I... use that?_

The screams outside filtered in through the door, even as Summer Rose gently unshackled the arm that was bound there with the cuff, her eyes catching the injured flesh, her lips pressed together tightly. _Disgraceful. They would have been wiped out a long while ago if they didn't have the Dust they're mining._

The look on Jaune's face was one of rough terror, as he guided the Grimm through their assault, her fingers touching his forehead, letting her feel a strand of hope still to remain within him. _Don't you worry, Jaune. I'm here now... I'm not going to let you die._ The words were more comfort to herself than it would be to him, his body laying there like a doll, as her hands moved his hands to lay on the bed. _Something to close the biggest wounds with..._ Her gaze went towards that open and raw back, even as the sound of Dust explosions could be heard.

A shirt that she found discarded to the side had to do, dunking it into one of the buckets that stood by the side that looked like it contained water. _This better work..._ _Tai-Yang was more of a medic than I was._ The cloth brushed over his back, showing the opened wounds there. The smaller wounds were going to close up, as his aura brushed over them, mending them, yet the wounds that had been inflicted upon him by Ruby Beornir... they did not seem to close. Her mind was worried, as she watched the wounds fill with the dark liquid that she had seen before, searing shut the bleeding gashes with a cold heat, standing there as a realistic tattoo upon his back, the scar tissue slowly turning pinker, as the body regenerated slowly.

 _This better work..._ Her mind was in a buzz as she leaned forward, pressing one of her hands to his skin, trying to connect with him. _His mind... it's icky and sticky now..._ The flashes of sight from the Grimm that he controlled, the rage and anger with which he lashed out at the humans that had hurt him so... it was all so much to comprehend, the flashes of his mind exerting its will, whilst his body was a mangled mess. _Come on Jaune..._

A flash of brightness blinded her, as she found herself within the space where Jaune was at the time. Seeing the battle from above was enough for her mind to immediately see the tactical advances that he could get to. _Invade from the side that was least defended and press to the other side, so as to create disruption within the ranks. Ensure that they are feeling the fear rise within their ranks and consume and devour._ The look on his face was something that took her breath away, his internal representation showing only a full blonde head of hair and two blue eyes.

 _Boyish, yet not a bad look. He could grow into things. Tai always looked like he was just about to be off for a party as well._ The assessment as a woman was something strange, even as she focused on his gaze. Those sharp blue eyes looked at the battle with cautious eyes, his face set within a frown as his eyes blazed with indignation. _Definitely sheltered. Doesn't know how to make the world work with him yet._

She had been like that once. Innocent. Unused to the cruel nature of life. _I would hope that Ruby learns from my death. She doesn't need to suffer the way that I had._ The words halted her as she looked at Jaune's distant face, as he moved the Grimm according to his will.

 _He should be stopped from using the darkness too much..._ The words of Ozpin rose to her mind. _"Miss Rose, the darkness is not a toy to play with. It will corrupt and corrode the will of anyone who reaches for it. Remember that well. Raven was not a woman who would have fallen if her will had been strong enough._ " The old headmaster's words came, as she looked at Jaune's face, the blackness around him creeping up. _Soon, he will be like the spooky lady. Like the woman who had once been the cause of all the Grimm..._

Pulling away from him, she shuddered at the feeling of being suddenly cast adrift in the wild strange world once more, the surroundings around her bringing her back to awareness. _Alright, focus on the objective._ Looking down at her bare body, she could see that her body was wholly unclothed, like someone who'd just been born into the world through unnatural means would. _First, clothes._

Sneaking through the shadows at night-time was easier than she remembered, the general chaos of the Grimm attack leaving her with plenty of time to make sure to get to Ruby Beornir's hut, tearing through the small hut to find something that she could fit on. A set of underwear was not to be found, yet the leather pants that had been laying around would do, as well as the jacket that Ruby had worn yesterday. _This'll have to do until I can get something that'll be fitting a bit better._

As she emerged from the hut, Summer Rose cast a gaze upwards to the shattered moon, her gaze meeting with its brilliant luminescence. _Another moon that is dyed in the blood of people._ Her gaze slid to the defenders of the camp, her mind raced for a good weapon that she could use. Pushing herself into the shadows, she watched how two bandits came by, lugging a heavy chest with ammunition between them. "Boss wants this with him stat, you lunk! Put a move on!" one of them hissed at the other, who was struggling to keep a hold on the chest. Her body moved with a flash, her hand chopping at the bandit that spoke, her natural speed pushing her forward like a striking snake, her hand caving in the man's throat, whirling onto the other one and then kicking her foot into his gut, knocking him away.

The gagging and choking sound she ignored, as her focus went to the one who had been hissed at, crawling up to his feet once more. "You there."Her bare foot kicked him to the ground once more as she got ready for a bit of interrogation, his weapon laying on the ground, something that was a mix of a cutlass and something that was a little straighter. _Not really my preference. I prefer straight steel._

"Where's your armoury." The man looked up at her, his mouth opening up and she moved, her foot impacting with his nose in a flash. "Tell me, man." Her voice was colder than she regularly had it, infused with her anger for the situation that she had found herself in. The look on the man's face changed to pain, as she growled. "The armoury is to the right! I swear, I didn't mean anything with it, boss-lady." The comment didn't phase her, as her foot kicked down a little harder, the snap of a neck audible to her ears.

 _Sacrifices have to be made._ As she stepped towards the direction where the two bandits had come from, she cast a gaze back at the man whose throat she had collapsed. He was quiet and still, his hands grabbing at his throat still, legs no longer supporting it. _Have to keep in mind, ammunition is there._

Her gaze found a larger building with a door that'd been sturdier than most, a 'No smoking **AND WE MEAN IT! R.'** next to it, the door faintly ajar due to the situation.

 _No guard outside, likely all brought to the defence. It makes sense._ She pushed open the door slowly, letting her gaze slip into the room, finding the spots where she could definitely get something from. _Jaune's sword and the two swords that I got._

It was obvious that the bandits had looted that much from the campsite, even as the dart had hit Jaune in the side. _I wonder if he would've woken up either way if they knocked him out with a blow on the head. At least it wasn't a bullet._ Plucking her swords from the stand against which they'd been arranged, fashioned from an old crate on its side, enough to really hold a bag or two of grain, she tested the balance. _Unusable for a long while, yet good enough in a pinch._

The weight was something that she would get used to, with repeated usage. Screams of terror and pain reached her ears, as she began to worry about the dangers that lurked outside. She had left Jaune alone for too long, in her mind. _There's no telling what'll happen to me if he dies._ Trying to reach out through the connection to him, only gave her a garbled ' _ **Destroy them all!**_ _'_ from him, something to tell the Grimm, yet she was aware that the connection was there now.

 _That's good. Not good-good, but just good. Now, let's hope he doesn't fully corrupt himself._ The tale of corrupted warriors falling into the darkness due to the lure of it had been something that her mother had told her during her youth. _"Always remember... Man's fate is determined by his ability to resist the corrupting lure of darkness. You have a duty, Summer... Never forsake it. Your legacy will live on as we cast our lives into the darkness to kindle the ember to end this winter... The Winter will come... but you must oppose it, as Summer._ "

A cloak in the armoury caught her eye and she pulled it on, the green cloth fitting badly around her shoulders. _I like white better. I hope Ruby still has the red one that I once wore..._ The thought of her daughter brought warmth to her mind, even as she stepped out of the armoury, her gaze going towards the brutal melee fighting at the walls. _First Jaune... Then neutralising the bandits._

Her blades slid easily into her grip, a few experimental chops and slices to test their ability providing her with enough faith in their edges to make it through the night. Her cloak fluttered a little as she broke out in a jog, the hood up to shroud her identity. _With some luck, they'll not find the bodies of those two until I've gotten back to Jaune._

She reached the shack in which Jaune was kept, waiting for a moment at the door, only hearing the inhale and exhale of Jaune within the room, listening carefully for other signs, even as the bandits continued with the brutal defence of their own camp. _Time to get him out of here._

She entered, looking at the form on the bed, still insensate. _You can do this, Summer Rose._ The look of his bare body was something that she had seen before, in the mirror and when he was being under the care of Summer. With her skills at being a huntress, there was nothing that was going to come between her and his unconscious body.

The sounds outside turned more frantic, as the bandits seemed to realize that the ammunition was running out, the shouts reaching her ears for more ammo. _Good, that means that they won't be able to mount a good defence. That is important._

Bandits (or at least, according to Raven) were mostly unchallenged in this part of Mistral due to the large swaths of land that lay between the settlements and villages there. That the Beornir had been allowed to range free and wild for as long as they had had everything to do with the geography, the lack of funds that most villages had to hire a huntsman to deal with the problem, as well as the fact that these bandits seemed to have been mining their own Dust for their purposes.

Compared to regular rounds, dust-filled rounds could cause a lot more devastation, hence why they were mostly used by Huntsmen who fought against the creatures of Grimm. Some huntsmen who chose to enter a different line of business than the protection of humanity often held the access to the same rounds, the knowledge on how to make them taught in every Huntsman academy in the second year. It was an essential part of Huntsman curriculum that taught the skills to make it through nearly any encounter with your whole body mostly intact.

 _Now... to venture out and take them out or to leave him here and make sure that nobody comes and interferes with his mending process?_ The decision was not hard to make at this moment, as Jaune groaned softly, his body twitching. The blink of his aura popping back into the visible spectrum and covering his body was something that lent her some hope, with her body feeling lighter than it had been, the simple fact that he had his aura appearing once again showing her hope for the future. _You will make it through this, Jaune._

Her hand caressed his hair, his body giving a twitch, as his hand reached towards the metal of the bed where they'd been shackled to as if to grip it. She caught a glimpse of his stump trying to do the same, a flash of guilt going through her as she saw it. _It's all because of me. I didn't materialize because I didn't think I could make it... Now he's without an arm again._

The vile fluid that was within him had a thoroughly corrosive effect on his body, she had noticed. With her whole body apparently formed out of a mixture of his Aura and the liquid... how would it affect her? _My hands all made out of that stuff..._ Her fingers looked normal to her own eyes, the silver shimmer that filled her vision blasting the skin with the glare of her silver eyes.

 _Still intact. That means it's not Grimm-born. Thank the gods for small mercies._ The sound of Jaune taking a deep breath was something that startled her out of her reverie, grabbing the blade with her hand, ready to fight off whatever came at them. _Now is not the time to experiment, Summer Rose! You have a duty! You've got to defend this boy until he comes out of his fugue._

She had observed that during night-time, the powers that he held seemed to be at their strongest. The control of the Grimm seemed to come much easier to him during the night-time hours than the daytime hours, whereas the daytime seemed to be much more bothersome for him. _It is the darkness that drags people into the flow of corrupting others._

Her fingers brushed against his face, as she heard the screams pick up, even more, the sound of explosions slowly fading out as the melee started. "HOLD THE LINE!" The bellow from the bandit chieftain was heard even here within the hut, Summer's eyes going to the direction where that had come from. _He deserves the fate he is getting. The enemy has it easy with people like him and his tribe prowling around._

She allowed her mouth to curve into a faint little smile, her eyes closing for a moment as her fingers slid down over his back. "Rest, Jaune." Her voice was in that motherly tone, his body shifting a little. _Ruby always liked it when I did this..._ Her fingers touched the stump then, the flesh feeling smooth to her touch as if it had always been a stump, the patch of skin that'd once been in direct contact with the dark liquid being completely smooth and without any rough stretches. _It feels soft. Smooth. Not at all like something that's been touched by pure darkness._

Her senses snapped to attention as she caught the telltale sound of boots crunching onto the ground before the hut, a man pushing through the door and whirling around, his body clad in half-ragged armour, half of it torn off, a long scratch running along his upper chest, one of his arms not functioning at all, the muscle torn in some way that she could not see.

The man reeked of dust and sweat, as she got herself in the ready position, the rattling against the door bringing to her attention the fact that the man had obviously fled from something. "You ain't getting me! I'm safe here!" The man's voice was higher due to his obvious fear, even as Summer Rose readied herself. _Not safe enough._

She was like a shadow, whirling into action without as much as a hint of her presence, the man's back a free target for her blade, as she punctured straight through the flesh and bone with a thrust. The man died, her second blade chopping through the neck's artery. Bloody, yet she did not think that she would mind too much. In times such as this, another bandit dead would make no change at all.

The door was bashed down then, an Ursa looking into the hut, its bone-white faceplate turning to her, yet seemingly not going to attack her. She moved in front of the bed upon which Jaune rested. _You won't get through me. This huntress will not let you harm your own master._ The Ursa came closer, its body on all fours, claws digging into the floor, leaving marks as it pushed through the door opening. Its mouth was still closed whilst its gaze was directed to the unconscious Jaune, its head moving to rest against the worn-out teenager's back. The Ursa slowly started to smoke, its essence swirling into the air around Jaune's body. _It's like..._

The liquid dripped down from the Ursa's smoke, onto his bare back. Slithering like some living organism towards the stump at his shoulder, she could only watch with nervousness energy as the Ursa disintegrated. A small patch of white flesh had grown where the arm had been made, paler than the rest of it... yet more of an arm than it had been once. The skin that had been crisscrossed with pale skin and black veins looked to be healthier now that it had more of the black liquid on it. _If enough Grimm arrive his arm will be restored._ That made sense to her.

 _But it's evil... It's something that would kill and kill, like all of the Grimm and that spooky lady... She'd murder us all, without a care. Ozpin told me that she would not rest until everything in this world was dead... He told me that there was no redemption for those under Her sway..._ The thoughts were troublesome, even as the bust-down door gave her a wholly different view of what was happening.

Bedlam and chaos. The wall had been battered down as a King Tajitu slithered through, its two heads snapping at one of the bandits, slamming together as the bandit just managed to dodge. Grimm of all sizes and shapes were crawling through the breach made into the wall, the bandits managing to do a valiant defence... for bandits at least. Her gaze plucked out several of the sisters doing an impassioned defence, their father standing with them, his massive fists tearing through Grimm left and right.

The blonde-haired one swung her bladed staff with a precision that many would only get through the extreme manner of training, her skin flush with the sweat of a fight for her life, even as the red-haired mutilator continued to giggle, her sword and gun combination fending off two Beowolves. The one known as Amethyst moved with a steady tread, throwing knives flung and retrieved through the use of some semblance or wire, the darkness not allowing her to glean which method she used. The pale-haired one moved with peak efficiency, her weapon flashing as dust rounds found their targets, her gaze searching out the targets. _Two melees and one sniper, two hybrids and..._ The blue-haired one she tried to find, yet could not find a hint of. "FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES!" Their father roared, trying to give his forces a boost of vigour by shouting for them to fight for their lives.

 _Tactics would save them... if the Grimm were mindless beasts. Even the worst tactician can swarm an outpost with numbers._ The knowledge of tactics was something that every team leader was taught from year one in Beacon. Their tactics as a team, the tactics of a larger force and even the tactics of multiple groups, with the skills that they could bring to the table.

 _Qrow used to say that it was for fools, but Raven listened attentively..._ The thought of her partner was something that brought a frown to her face, as her eyes looked at the young women as they danced the dance of Death with the Grimm, their faces set within their own grim manner, Ruby Beornir's face looking exultant as she whooped with joy and happiness that was unbecoming of the situation. _They're trying to guard her from the reality of death._ _I've seen it before._

"Fight!" The blonde shouted, as she raised her weapon and shattered the mask of the Grimm, the vapours of dissolving Grimm starting to coalesce in the air above the battlefield unseen by any of the bandits, darkness keeping the fact obscured. _Is it because of Jaune that the liquid seems to gather, or is it because of the Grimm?_

The long days of holding the line against the Grimm had produced a similar effect, the smoky haze of the dissolving Grimm corpses having been a constant irritation to her when she had still taken missions, her eyes looking over the fighters again. The Grimm kept on pouring through the breech, their different species adding to the chaos on the battlefield.

 _They won't hold out long._ The fact that Jaune's presence deterred the Grimm from being near her and attacking her was something that she realized, her desire to help them out warring with the deeds that they had done. _They are guilty. They have done bad things; have killed men and women for sport. Jaune was pure and innocent, proud of his own heroism..._

The thought of that time when he went against Ruby's will and had actually interrupted the shot for the sake of Tetch, only a day ago, was something that warmed her heart. Such a selfless action, brought on by the empathy that he could feel for someone whose name he knew... was something that he should cherish... even if that would be hard after realizing that he had just consigned the death of an entire bandit camp. A king Tajitu slithered past the bandit family, a large blob of a man leaping upon its hide and stabbing a spike into the beast's back, the long rifle that was usually loaded with sleeping darts now containing live ammunition, the slugs that it shot blazing fire over the bone-like mask of the Grimm. "Ya ain't taking me out here! I'm BEAR!"

The man's rounds exploded once again, the King Tajitu starting to dissolve, the man climbing off it and giving a whoop. _Watch out for the Beowolves, silly man. Tajitu are easy to deal with, as you know their pattern. Beowolves are always around Tajitu._ The Beowolves pounced on the man, who gave a shrill cry, his blade cleaving through one of them, yet the others seizing him by the side. _And that one falls too._

The tense balance between the Grimm and the humans was shattered, even as the defence folded even further, her eyes watching carefully the changes that came with the death of the fat uncle of the sisters.

Ruby Beornir didn't seem to mind, yet Amethyst's mouth shouted something that was lost in the sudden explosion that happened, Summer's eyes dispassionately looking at the young woman as an Ursa batted her away, her body flying through the air and landing a distance off. _Once you are scattered, you are easy prey._ The scene was something that she'd seen time and time again, the defence of the outlying villages around Vale having been a ramshackle thing at times.

 _I don't think that he should be much longer unaware... The darkness will corrupt him, the longer he uses it._ The darkness around them was both comforting and disturbing, her own mind flashing with the images of the Grimm's vision, watching how those red eyes observed every little nook and cranny with inexorable scrutiny. _We can't have that. Ozpin was sure that it couldn't happen... but what if? I have my duty, don't I?_

Her gaze was drawn back to Jaune as he laid there on the bed, insensate to the world, unable to even comprehend the conundrum that she was in. Her body shuddered, as she looked at the blades in her hand. _For Remnant's sake... I should kill you. Something like you..._

Fear warred with something else in her mind, a maternal feeling that she could not easily squash. _But... You haven't used your power for bad yet. The only thing you did was to defend..._ The rationale of the twisted goals was something that she could hardly grip, her eyes watching carefully at that face, his red iris meeting her own silver. A burning sensation in her own eyes began to make itself known, even as another flash came from her gaze.

 _Shit._ She closed her eyes, turning back to the outside. Due to the huts being positioned mostly in the centre, she had a good view of what was happening. Amethyst Beornir had not gotten up again, her body laying there trampled, even as her father fought with an Ursa Major, his big fists smashing through its hide. _They will tire, eventually. Everyone gets tired after a while, even if you are a Huntsman with an unlocked aura._

"I don't..." Jaune's voice sounded hoarse and pinched. "I won't... No, no." Her gaze turned to the unconscious young man, flickering over the wounds of his back and seeing only the pale skin there, the darkness having wrapped around that back and moulded itself to the gaping wounds that she'd seen there. His arm was half-way recovered already, as his mouth formed words, his face still showing that he was out of it. His body jerked into the foetal position, her gaze shifting towards the front lines of the Bandits, watching several of the men and women break off, their fear palpable to her.

 _I can... I can feel their fear!_ Fear gripped her too at that moment, as she realized that she could feel the miasma of fear wrap around her too, her gaze at Jaune as he shuddered, his mind still in control over the Grimm. _He's..._ The arm that was half-way reformed seemed to wish to reach for something, the dark sludge oozing from the newly grown pores, adding another layer to it. _Am I Grimm now too?_

His voice did not reach her with commands as he did to the horde of Grimm, her gaze watching without any overt emotion as her mind roiled. _If I am Grimm, then does that make me something he owns?_ The thought was enough to make her worry, as another face flashed into her mind. _She might be able to control me as well..._ Her gaze was grim as she looked down at Jaune once again, his weakness in full view of her.

 _Your silly pride..._ A smile twisted her features despite her own mingling emotions, as the tears came. _You could have saved us all with the Grimm, yet you knew that it wouldn't help, so you tried to hold out..._ Her tears formed drops that fell onto his body, a sigh coming from his lips. Something hit the wall of the hut, her attention turning back to the entrance as she saw someone pick themselves up, groaning heavily. The pale-haired sister of the Beornir family seemed to have been battered away by a Grimm.

 _Suffering..._ Her blades were in her hands then as she slipped out of the hut, her blades angled in the proper position, as her eyes looked at that back of the woman, her garments dusty and dirty. The tip slid through the woman's side easily, as the other sword pushed in from the other side, a tricky little move, yet she could feel the insides being skewered by the blades, the shock and the shuddered gurgle of the woman dying, as anger flared within her mind.

Pulling the blades free with a flourish, crimson flew through the air as she flicked her blades, a red spray over the grounds, the body hitting the ground once more. _If they inspect her, they'll find that the blades will have been the cause. Better leave the Grimm to thin their ranks some more._

The leader of the bandits roared something as he mashed around him with his weapons, his bulk moving with surprising agility for one so round, as he continued to move, the attention moving towards the redheaded daughter. The gun she wielded blazed with Dust, every shot creating an explosion. _She'll be a bother if she keeps hanging around._ The sheer demolishing strength that she held with her weaponry was something that she would watch out for. Without dust rounds, it would be easy... yet wielding the explosive power of nature was something that would create a little bit of a hassle for the people. Tournament ammunition was less power in the shells so that Aura could be used to block it. These shells though... _She over-feeds the weapon with too much dust. It's going to wear out on her soon._

"No... I won't turn into what you are! I promised them that I would be the best huntsman ever and an Arc keeps his promises." His murmurs peaked her curiosity as she turned to him, the sweat on his forehead standing there, her hand going for the cloth and cleaning it off. The dark smudge on his face was nothing that couldn't be washed off. _His willpower is strong..._

"You will be the best huntsman the world will see, Jaune Arc." She whispered in his ear, kneeling next to the bed and giving his hair a gentle brush-through with her fingers. "You will be the best huntsman... Because I'm not going to stop until you have become something that you can look back on with pride. I won't let you fall to the darkness in the same way that the spooky lady has fallen."

 _Ozpin promised me..._

* * *

 _Winters turning to spring_

* * *

Disgraceful was a word for it. As she looked at the thin models as they made their way towards the end of the catwalk, the flicker-flash of the photography irritating her eye, she could only deny the reality of the current fashion season about to explode onto the scene of teenage girls and those who did not enter the career of huntsman.

 _Did I ever wear something so garish?_ The thought rose to her mind as a thin woman with a set of pronounced lips appeared onto the catwalk, modelling something that looked to be stitched together from the fur of animals into something workable, the workmanship primitive in appearance, yet the golden embroidery that stood upon the chest section showing that it had been made by one of the finer couturiers of the current day. _I am not fond of fur._

The girl gave her a passing look, haughty eyes looking down on her, the dress that she wore this evening having a few muted green accents to the blue motif that speckled through the fashion statement that she was making, the Schnee crest upon her chest furnished from the finest of silver that could be procured from the mines.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed her gaze to meet with the woman's, seeing the look on her face change to something else as her gaze slid to the next person in line. _Fashion is supposed to enhance the body, not to look like you just came slogging out of the woods! A lady has decorum!_

The etiquette lessons had been mandatory after her father had caught a hold of her swearing, one of the habits that she had picked up from the miners that they regularly hung out with whilst on an expedition. _I never really liked Miss Coralesque. She always insisted that a proper lady would never need to hold a rifle to fend off Grimm whilst out on a dig._ A fashionable leather ensemble that looked huntsman-esque appeared next, the feeling of wonderment rising within her.

 _Daddy was always the happiest when he was out exploring. That dust mine in Vacuo that we helped out in that summer when I was just fifteen... I still remember how badly I got choked up with the flu when we came back to Atlas._ The morose thoughts did not show on her face, as her hair was impeccably made. "Madame Schnee." One of the attendants asked, a formal smile on her lips. "Yes?" She inquired.

"There are some people here who wish to meet with you, if you can spare the time?" _I guess it can't hurt to socialize a little. I am here for holiday purposes, after all._ The short curt nod was something that she'd had to practice, her daughter the picture-perfect copy of her mannerisms at times. _It can't be as dreadfully boring as this. There's no creativity in this... I liked the season better three years ago when that Firebick guy came with his line of fashionable bowler hats and cloaks._ There was no speaking more than she had to, as she watched a young model with perfect proportions stroll by whilst wearing an impossible dress, nearly painted on her body, the fabric shifting colours slowly under the gaze.

"It is such an honour to meet you, Misses Schnee." The woman was around her age, somewhat familiar to her from the official functions that she had went to. The woman's hair was done up in a bun, as was the Schnee style, if one were going somewhere. The dark blonde hair was slowly whitening and greying. "Likewise, miss?" The woman smiled. "Sepertanea Naiad, the wife of counsellor Naiad."

 _Council wife. No doubt wishing to curry cheaper tariffs from the Schnee Dust Company._ The smile on her face was as real as she could make it, yet her eyes were colder now. "It is a pleasure indeed to meet with such an esteemed individual. Is your husband still well in his function as a council member?" The woman nodded, smiling. "He is as well as he can be. What about your husband?"

 _Probably gloating about how badly he wishes that I would kick the bucket so that he'll inherit my shares due to inheritance laws._ "I believe he is doing well. I thought 'I should go and watch the Mistralian Fashion Week, perhaps I can bring back some of the dresses to delight my friends.', so here I am."

 _As if I have friends. Everyone is just an acquaintance, with enough respect not to sneer in my face. Daddy said it before, that the world was a cruel place and I didn't rightfully believe him... But I can see it as the truth now._ "That's nice. You should see some of Heavenly Blue's collection, it's just to die for!" The woman's tone was praising, yet she did not seem to have a good grasp on whether the daughter of Nicholas Schnee was amused or not. "I'll be around for a few days more. Perhaps I'll get to see it."

 _Perhaps, perhaps not. I don't really like being given an option for what I should like. I can make my own decisions._ The polite smile on her lips remained, even as her internal thoughts continued. _You should try going out into the mines sometimes, in the heat and the sweat and the toiling. I've held a few mining picks and dug up some dust... what've you done to contribute to your family?_

It had been most of her youth, before the Schnee Dust Company had really taken off due to Jacques' interest, that she had roved around Remnant with her father, going from Dust mine to the fields to survey. She had seen nearly every type of Dust under the sun, with several ones that were still experimental in nature, combinations and fusions that were barely stable enough to be called Dust.

Turning her attention back to the catwalk, she saw a gaudy-looking woman stroll by, golden flakes adorning her upper arms in a vine-like pattern, a red dress that fit her like a glove, yet with the bronzed chest-protector looking a little odd in the whole mish-mash. _She's not filling them out well enough. The model's chest should have been bigger._

"Designed after our very own Pyrrha Nikos, four-time champion of the Mistral Tournament, we have the Flame and Fire collection! You might remember her as the beautiful young huntress that won four years of straight victories... but we will forever immortalize her with our fine couture!" The announcer's voice was excited, even as the models continued to stroll down the catwalk as they were paid to do so.

The blood-red accents to the dress were staggering, as the bronze-coloured garment flowed like the waterfall of martial might that it was supposed to resemble. The faint accents of gold that shimmered through the dress gave it an appeal to her that made her wonder whether she should inquire about the dress. "That one would look good on you." The woman said, looking at the model.

For a moment, she actually thought about it, with her thoughts going to herself, wearing the same dress. It would look rather well with her white hair, the trait that she'd inherited from her father, whose good mood was usually infecting other people around him. "I think it would, yes." She admitted, knowing that it would look nice with her hair loose. _How long has it been since I've worn anything besides blue?_

The dress would be hers. She might have some issue with fitting it, but that was where the tailor came into the picture. They would be able to adjust the dress to whatever measure that she'd wish for it. _At least I'm not fat, like some people._ The blunt truth was that many women these days seemed to let them go with their consumption, her gaze plucking several of the bejewelled women sitting at the catwalk, their glistening gems shimmering in the light as it fell upon them, their gazes full of envy at the models, wearing clothing that they would never be able to fit in.

 _I'm going to put in some extra effort at the gym facilities tonight. A fit body houses a fit mind. I should not drink today._ The reason for her not drinking was not that hard to fathom. Alcohol dulled the mind. In foreign places, a dulled mind was a dulled blade against the Grimm. _There's been no danger thus, but it never helps to be prepared._

"Would you like a drink, ma'am?" One of the servers said a smile put on her lips. "Some juice, please." She said, watching as the young man poured a glass for her, taking it without a word. Drinks were included in the show, though she would be able to pay for things if it came to it. Her card held enough Lien to buy a small village, the SDC's heir having a tenth of her own allowance at her disposal. _Money like water... yet it is not capable of buying me anything real like love, affection and companionship._

The thought went to renting a cute man for the night, as several of Mistral's escort services had already had their advertisements up on screen the morning before when she'd zapped through several channels. It would be so easy to just order some dark-skinned Vacuan for a night of amusement and to feel less empty... _It would not serve my need. Jacques would see it as a reason to take my assets due to infidelity._

The knowledge that her husband would take what he could, even if the majority of the stakes in the company still rested within her name with her father's retirement, was a grim reminder to her. The fruit juice tasted sweet to her as she drank from the glass, holding it delicately between her fingers in the way that she'd been taught.

 _Somehow... the loneliness here is like a reminder of my days with Jacques._ Her musings were solemn, as her gaze was on the beauties parading the newest couture over the catwalk, her face set in that interested way that women that lived for the social advancement often wore, her mind wandering. _Do I really wish to go back? To a house where I would be expected to languish, with a husband of twenty-two years? Is that really what I want?_

* * *

 _Black cats abroad._

* * *

"Ghiraaaa!" She called out, her voice holding the warmth of affection for her husband, her tone definitely a touch higher than it should. His fine hearing would pick it up anyways. He was bent over his desk, serious in his affairs, the tray with tea on it looking to be mostly done up. "Not now, Kali." He said.

 _Someone is a grumpy kitty..._ She didn't speak those words aloud, setting the tea on the table beside him, the pot and the tray set aside on one of the side-tables so as to give him space. "Awww, who's a bad widdle cat, hmmm? Got no time for your darling wife?" She teased, as she often did when Blake wasn't around to hear. Contrary to what some people would think, she was hardly SHY. _Ghira looks adorable when he's being all stern and silent._

"Do you want me to send the guards out for a little tour of the gardens... so we can get ourselves some little private time?" Her voice held the inflexion of her desires, as she leaned against him, brushing over that strong manly frame of his. _Hmmmhmmm... Mine._

"Kali... I have to focus on this. I will be meeting with the High Leader in a week's time... I can't just..." Her fingers grabbed the paperwork and shoved it aside. "Ghira Belladonna..." Her voice was husky and womanly, her tongue sliding over her lips. "If you aren't putting work aside right now, I will personally make sure that you put it aside." The man's face was stern, his beard bristling.

 _He still hasn't forgiven me for just intruding and giving him a little smooch... Aww, is the widdle big panther all upset?_ She smiled at him, rubbing her head against his bare chest, smelling his scent with her well-developed nose. _Blake should be found soon... We've got Sienna aiding us._

The knowledge that Blake had lost touch with the White Fang was something that weighed on the two of them, her actions of two months earlier under her mentor Adam's guidance mystifying the pair of them. _Why would she not do as she asked? Did she not trust him to help with that rally?_

"Kali, I should focus." Her hand reached into his shirt and grabbed solid man-muscle, her smile warm. "How about I focus on my big strong panther, hmmm?" She purred, placing a gentle kiss on his chest. "Does my strong man not wish to play with his playful little pussycat?" Her voice was sultry and seductive, a tone that she often used to get what she wanted. He seemed to look between his work and her, his eyes already telling the tale that he had given up already to resist her. _Another score for Team Kali!_

"I suppose it isn't a bad time..." He said, the incoming call giving a loud beeping sound in the room. He pulled the scroll from the desk, Kali pulling away from him. _High Leader Belladonna time..._ Her fingers slid under her dress, straightening it out a little. She sauntered over to the seat opposite of him, arranging her feet upon the seat with her legs half-way parted, her fingers tapping against the chin as she used the armrest to prop her head up.

"High Leader Belladonna." The voice of Sienna Khan came from the speakers on the scroll, as Ghira gave one of his smiles that straddled the border of scowl and manly smile. "High Leader Khan, I hope you are well... but please, refer to me as Ghira. I am no longer the High Leader of the White Fang." _You always say that... The girl's as sharp as the tiger from which she hails her ancestry from... Sharp claws and a sharp mind, to bring the world towards equality between humanity and Faunus._

"I respect you too much to not call you by your proper title, High Leader Belladonna." The voice of Sienna Khan continued, her voice lacking some of the fire that she had held when she was younger. _But age and leadership have changed her. I still remember the bright-eyed girl who came to serve under Ghira when he had just assumed the mantle of High Leader._

"Be as it may, this is about the meeting, correct?" He wasn't one to mince words, Kali knew, and she could hear Sienna's voice change. "Indeed. Personally, I would preach my vision for the White Fang, yet with your status as Chieftain, it is imperative that you show your dedication to the Faunus." _He's getting annoyed._

"You know that I cannot reconcile the White Fang of my time with the one that you lead now, Sienna." The anger in his voice bled through, her gaze showing clearly the irritation within them. _Sienna does what she thinks is best for the Faunus. It is a pity that her vision and ours does not align for the majority._

"Fear IS the way to make them give us RESPECT, Ghira. I have told you time and time again... Only through the fear of the Faunus will they ever grow to respect us." The Bengal tiger Faunus spoke with the passion that had led her to do as she had. Ghira's face darkened, his voice barely raised, sternness and serious warring on his bearded face. "Don't you REMEMBER that affair, five years ago?"

"Of course I do! The girl was mostly unharmed." Anger flashed in those eyes, his body language shifting. She could see that he was going to shout. _He's going to blow up on her._ "Ghira." She said, warning him with her tone of voice. Too late to stop him, though, his arms hitting the table. "Sienna! That was the REASON why I stepped down. I cannot reconcile the actions of the White Fang with what they DID."

 _He cried for a day. Blake didn't understand what was going on at all. That poor girl..._ She laid a hand on his shoulder, looking at the displayed image of Sienna Khan, her face unadorned with the jewellery that she so favoured, save for the rings in her Faunus ears. "The humans knew. They punished our brothers and sisters!"

 _Come on Ghira... Calm yourself._ "They were guilty of what they did, Sienna... You..." His anger showed in the way that his teeth gritted, exposing the canine teeth to her. "Sienna, please..." She said, her voice soft and pleading. "Don't make this into another argument." Normally, she could get along with Sienna well. _She used to be so happy when she could play with Blake when she was little. The High Leader's Ba'Ghira Belladonna's faithful bodyguard, Sienna Khan. I still have the pictures of when she let Blake ride on her shoulders and play with her ears._

"I apologize." The High Leader of the White Fang mumbled softly, cowed by the manner that Kali addressed her with such a plea. "I just... We deserve respect, even if we have to make the humans fear our power. I didn't mean to..." The introspective side of Sienna was one that not many people got to see.

"You were there too, Sienna. From what my husband has told me, it was a messy affair. That man was never the same again afterwards. He never came back." The tigress Faunus gave a soft grimace, the remembrance something that never sat well with her.

"I'll be seeing you in a week's time, Ghira." Her voice was business-like again, as she raised her chin. "Let us ensure that the Faunus live in prosperity, both in Menagerie as well as throughout Remnant." The woman's voice was softer as she spoke on that topic, the sincerity of her goal shining through in her eyes. "I shall meet with you in a week's time. Kali might enjoy seeing some of the Fashion shows in Mistral." Ghira confirmed, Sienna's face nodding once in acceptance.

 _Fashion? Ooh!_ She perked up, nuzzling against him. "I am going with you?" She inquired as Sienna shut down the call. _She really needs a man to care for her. It didn't work out with that boy before... but perhaps I should do some networking. A leader needs some time to unwind, after all. A good boy might just be what she'd need._ "Yes, I had hoped to keep it a secret... But you are one of the people I do not want to travel without." His anger seemed to bleed away when faced with his wife. She had been doing this ever since they had been married, nearly twenty-two years ago.

 _Awwwwwwwww!_ Her smile was bright, as she nestled her head against his fuzzy chest hair. "I love you, my strong panther." Her voice was soft, as his hand brushed over her head gently. "I love you too, Kali." He said to her. "Go and pack your bags."

As she let go of him, her hands slid down and gave a little pat. "Perhaps you should help your wife pack, hmmm?" The playful smile was on her face, even as he turned red in the face. "K-Kali!" Her smile broadened, as another pat was carefully delivered to the same area, lingering a little while longer. "Now... Should I wear the dress... Or should I buy something new?"

He followed after her, even as she led the way towards the bedroom. _Hmmhmmm... This kitty's lucky that she's got a big strong man around._ The guards she winked at, the two giving a look. "Time for our patrol, Chieftain." One of them said, as the other one already started walking. "We'll be back in... forty-five minutes?" He looked at her for a moment and she grinned cattily. "Make it an hour... There'll be a lot of packing." Her smile broadened as the guard flushed once, patting Ghira on the arm. "We're going to Mistral!"

"I hope you'll enjoy your trip, Ma'am." The guard said as he followed after his fellow. _Ahh... I wonder whether we can go to Haven Academy to check whether Blake has been enrolled there... She's not spoken to us in ages... But the headmaster should know something, right? All promising Huntsmen are to be known to the Headmasters of the huntsmen schools. That's how it works, right?_

The lack of communication between Blake and them solely rested on the fact that there was no CCT tower on Menagerie, the last letter that she'd read had been about Blake's excitement to go on a mission with Adam. The months in-between had been rife with the hints that Blake had been on the run from Adam, who had only tried to do what's right.

 _I'll ask Ghira whether we can go and skip by Haven Academy._ The fact that she was the chieftain's wife and that he was considered on equal terms to a council was something that granted them more freedom of movement than most Faunus, with their diplomatic immunity granted by the councils of each kingdom upon the assumption of the status of Chieftain. _Perhaps I should call him my King? Ooh, there's a thought!_

She was lifted up then and tossed onto the bed, shrieking in delight as he joined her, pressing her against the bed and kissing her neck. _But first... Time to pay tribute to His Majesty. Kali Belladonna is not a woman to deny her slice of beefcake and her cream, nope!_

As she laid beside her husband almost fifty minutes later, she could only feel the burn of her muscles after that bit of strenuous exercise. Stretching slowly and feeling her back sigh in relief, she licked his cheek. "Ghira?" She asked, her voice soft in the room. "Yes?" came the answer, as he spoke to her. "Do you think we can go to Haven Academy and inquire whether they've admitted Blake? I'm worried about her."

His smile was something wonderful to behold, even as he kissed her cheek in return. "We'll go together. Sienna wants me to give a speech to the Mistral division of the White Fang, in order to inspire them." _You are more popular than you know, Ghira. They want her to lead them to war and you to lead them to peace._

Her fingers traced through his chest hair, another short kiss given to the wonderfully defined muscles there. "I want to see her too." He admitted then as if she had been waiting for that. _I know. She is our daughter... but she is much like you. Quiet and serious, with too much drive inside her to be bottled up. She needs someone who is able to peel away the shell that she builds around herself._

 _Now... to go get a shower or not?_ She sniffed herself, giving a small wince. _Shower._ "Oh Ghiraaa... Be a dear and carry me to the shower, will you?" He got up a little looking at her, raising an eyebrow slowly. "I feel too worn out to move." A snort came from his mouth. "That's because you made me worn out, Kali." He replied, as his arms wrapped around her and she crawled up against him. Skin rubbed against skin. "Come on... let's get to the shower."

It didn't surprise her that he didn't even bother to get dressed beyond getting a towel for her to wear, as he walked into the shower that had been built into their bedroom. Blake's room had one too, as well as the guest room. The climate would not allow for people to go without a bath or shower once a day. _Mistral was much nicer on the skin too... but Menagerie is our home now._

* * *

 _The Raven's Call_

* * *

Her gaze rested on the map that lay on her table, the silent form of her adjutant standing there at the entrance to her tent. "Vernal, you may leave." The words were spoken warmly, as the cup of tea sat steaming at her side. Her fingers touched over the map as she looked over the strategic scribbles that had been made upon the map. With as little sound as possible, her adjutant left.

The look on her face was stern as she looked at the representations of the four tribes that held dominion over Anima, their symbols made into stylized little emblems. _Beornir, Branwen, Fenris, Xiao-Shan._ The map held the locations of the last time that the members of those tribes were spotted, with her own camp represented with her own stylized B, a raven's feather with it.

"What to do..." Her gaze looked at the geographical locations where the camps should be, upon last spotting. _Ensuring that they won't be able to mount a strike against us will require a firm handle. Shay and Vernal should be able to handle the different directions. If Shay fails to live up to his promise... So be it._

A small pin she pricked into the direction of the Beornir, the small settlement that sat in-between having enough goodwill towards them to not wish to offend them. _Burn them all for being so weak... They have no right to remain in this world if all they can do is mewl about the world being unfair. I am not to be denied so easily..._

As she laid out the plans for the spread of her forces, her crimson eyes looked over the map. The little dots that were laid out showed the average forces that she could commit. _Only fifty... We may be one of the biggest tribes that are out there... yet that doesn't mean that the others won't capitalize upon it._

A small sheaf of paper she plucked, looking through the last reports that she'd gotten. _We know how to write, at least. The Fenris never really got beyond the invention of their little silly enclave._

 _Beornir_

The list of known members stretched out before her, her gaze scanning the list. _Thirty-seven members, if we include the siblings._ That alone would be a daunting task unless they would be able to take out several of the sub-leaders. _They've always had the benefit of their little Dust genius... I hear she's touched in the head, yet a veritable maniac with the shells that she makes._

A sigh came from her lips, as her fingers moved three more pins towards that direction. _You don't mess with Bjorn without being prepared. He's mired in that mountain region like a bear in the swamp..._

A savage smile appeared on her face as she pulled up the next piece of paper.

 _Fenris_

Their members were fewer, yet their efficiency in raiding the frozen parts of Anima's northern provinces was well-known. _Twenty-five members. A smaller clan, yet one that has existed since the Great War._ Her gaze looked at the allocation of her forces, her teeth biting down on her lower lip. _Personal touch. Better give them a reason to scatter unless I want to have to lose some men during the raids there. Aethulf wasn't raised an idiot to become the chieftain of his tribe, after all._

 _Xiao-Shan_

The paper was by far the lengthiest, counting near to ninety names. The amalgamation of the Xiao and the Shan clans of bandits due to the marriage of their leaders was something that had been unprecedented. _As long as they stay in the south, we won't raise a fuss. If they get uppity and decide that they want our piece of land..._

Her power boiled and swirled within her, the incomprehensible forces that she contained now being something that she took pride in. _They will know that Raven Branwen will defend what is hers until there is nothing of them left but ash._

Pinning three more pins on the map, she left it as-is. It would do for now. The cup of tea had grown colder now. Her hand wrapped around it, lifting it up and trying to focus on the powers within, wrapping it with the energy and heating it up once again.

Emerging from her tent, she came to look down upon her adjutant, who was busy with getting her argumentations off with Shay, the cocky man once again making a comment about something that he liked about her. Vernal's swift response to strike him down didn't phase him too much. "Shay, Vernal."The curt voice that she used made the two stiffen. "Yes?"

"Come with me." Her voice brooked no objection, holding open the tent flap for the two of them to enter. _The fear is still with him, I see._ The look on her face was something that would scare many lesser mortals out of their wits, even as she let the two into her tent. "Your orders, leader?" Vernal, ever the perfect little soldier, spoke without reserve, Raven's head nodding once. "You will go to this place." Tapping the map on her table once, right at the point where the Beornir were located.

"Is this going to be one of those assignments where we'll have no time to go pick up girls?" Raven's snort was audible, as Vernal smacked him on the head. "Not everything has to be about girls, you idiot! Listen to our leader and keep your mouth shut!"

 _They bicker so much. Adversity will make him stronger, whilst it will temper her will._ A cough that she gave silenced all argumentations. "The Beornir have claimed a mine of Dust for their own. Investigate the surroundings and be ready to inform me when you need to. You will hold the beacon, Vernal." Her hands pulled out one of the beads on her necklace, infused with her own Aura. It was a trinket that could focus her ability to create a portal to a certain individual.

 _Nobody needs to know the other requirements besides me._ Her necklaces, five in all that was currently worn around her neck, were the crucial bit to allow her to hone in on a certain beacon. When it was crushed, she could sense the emanation of her own aura from that spot and make a portal towards its location. _It's saved them more than once. Vernal knows when to call for aid._

"B-boss?" The wavering voice of Shay came from her side, her gaze sweeping up to meet with his. "You want us to just go and keep an eye on things?" The nod was enough for them, as her attention shifted to the map. Her mouth issued the orders, the command that would see the Branwen tribe flourish. _All the competitors must be disabled or destroyed. If they cannot grant us that wish, what else are they but mere hopeless souls cast adrift?_

That evening, she could feel the loneliness tug on her as she looked at the mask in her hands, the carved Grimm mask holding significance to her for the monster that she purported herself to be. _Summer... It's been a while._ The picture that she pulled from the pouch from the inner folds of her dress was faded from the years, yet she remembered it well.

Summer Rose and herself, Summer initiating a hug whilst she merely looked terrified of it, the two of them dressed in their Beacon Academy uniforms with Summer's hood framing her face, the warm smile on her lips as she restrained her for the picture-taker to take the picture. _I looked so stiff back then. Tai always said that that was the first time he'd ever thought of me as a woman._

The look of half-terror and surprise on her face was something that she recalled every time that she looked at the picture. _I was so stand-offish back then. The tribe goes above everything... yet I followed her commands to the letter until I had given everything that I could give and more._

The surprise she had was something that she'd remembered, as Summer had initiated the sudden hug with a 'TAKE OUR PICTURE, TAI!' and her own struggles to fight her off, the awkward sensation of the shorter teenager hugging her something that had both inflamed her mortification as well as her surprise emotions, her body going slack under the softness of her leader's hug. _I sometimes wish that..._

She realized that her eyes were misty, inhaling deeply and feeling how the gloominess wormed its way into her heart. _It's been nearly fourteen years since you left us, Summer._ Her eyes looked at the face of the clock, noticing that the hour was nearing eleven. _I should see Yang._

Her blade was in her hand, the hilt glowing for a moment as she sliced the cut into the very fabric of space and time, shifting into her raven form in a flash.

Appearing high above Beacon Academy, she could see the lights in the building below, as she swooped down, coming to rest on the windowsill of the room that held the daughter that she abandoned. "So, I was like... 'I'm gonna smash you up, buddy!' and he was like 'But Yang, noooo!'." The giggle of Summer's daughter was something that brought the memories to the fore again.

"What use is it if you threaten your own classmates, Yang?" The pale-haired girl said, Raven's eyes looking at her face and focusing for a moment. "I'm just getting to that part, Weiss! Eesh, do let a girl tell a story, will you?" _Cocky..._ The thought warmed her heart a little, even as she watched the proceedings.

"So I was like 'Yeah! I'm gonna beat your ass so hard that you'll be feeling like you survived the Big Bang-a-Yang!" The giggling of Summer's daughter was something that was enough to make the pale-haired girl give her a frustrated look. "This is... This is..." Raven's eyes could pick out a small smile on her face, as she sighed deeply. "It seems we have a guest."

Her head swivelled around to see the dark-haired girl sit on the windowsill, having appeared there, silently like a cat. "It's a birdy!" Summer's daughter looked at her with wide eyes, those silver eyes giving her memories of that one time when she'd had the opportunity to look into a set of similar eyes.

"It's a crow! Crowing about how awesome I am!" Raven would have rolled her eyes at her daughter's mannerisms if she could, her gaze looking at the blonde that bustled with confidence and life. _You are the daughter I love, even if I could not tell you so myself._ The harsh reality of the life of a bandit... Yang would thrive there with her easy smile and her strength... yet she would not smile as readily as she did with these girls.

 _The strong live whilst the weak perish. You are not weak, Yang._ A sudden piece of bread was put against her beak, a surprised caw coming from her mouth, stuffed with the offending piece of bread immediately. "Have some bread, birdy! Our uncle Qrow says that you should always feed a bird if it's around! Funny enough, he's never around when the crow comes to have some food... Are you that same crow, birdy? Do you know our uncle?"

 _Honey bread._ The taste was not disagreeable to her stomach, even as she flew up, carrying the piece in her beak, turning around and disappearing into the shadows. "You've scared it away, you dolt!" The voice of the white-haired girl reached her ears. "Aww... It couldn't withstand the Yang! I'll have to be even cooler next time!" "It was just startled because you forced some bread into its beak, Ruby... It'll come back, eventually."

The portal carried her back to camp, her human form stepping through in a flash, her mouth stuffed full of bread. Her hand went up and brushed over her lips, some of the crumbs coming with it. "Boss, did you require my aid?" Vernal questioned her pack already half-way filled with the things she needed. "I won't. Tonight, relax. You will need your strength to travel tomorrow. It is only three days away, Shay's motorcycle will make the trip a lot faster."

She could hear a soft 'Was she eating bread or something? Did she eat today?' from her adjutant to one of the other bandits, even as she walked into her tent, not even questioning Vernal as she brought something for her to eat. _A bit of lamb with some spices works as much as a bit of a late snack._

Food was plentiful if you travelled a lot. Nature would replenish what had been taken eventually. That was the style of the life of a bandit. _Now... I suppose it is time for sleep._ The alarm clock beside the bed that she had to her own was already primed for seven hours later.

 _Summer Rose, Tai-Yang, Qrow... and me. One is dead, the other two are still alive and miserable..._ The image of the man who she had once loved and cherished as much as she cherished her daughter sprang to her mind, even as she slipped below the covers of her bed, feeling the cool sheets wrap around her. "Sometimes... I miss you, Tai." She mumbled as she tried to get some sleep.

It was not to come easily for her that night.

* * *

 _Red roses_

* * *

The sounds had mostly stopped by now, as the morning light came once again, Summer Rose's eyes still looking out over the remnants of the bandit camp. The metal and wood structures that they had made their home, for the time being, were shattered in places, bodies littering the ground and flames consuming one of the huts, no doubt from a stray round that'd hit something that ignited.

Grimm moved through the wreckage, sniffing for the essence of despair and fear that they thrived on, her eyes catching a King Tajitu slowly pushing one of the trailers over, not even caring for what it did, in search of something to kill. Behind her, Jaune seemed to be coming back to himself, his shudders having long-since stopped. His back held the faint outline of the scar tissue there, with his body looking like it had been put through the wringer still, an arm that looked like it was pallid and dead at his stump grown from the dark liquid that raged within him. The misty haze of darkness settled over the battlefield, even as she could not detect anything else from the vicinity.

 _All the bandits have either fled or have died._ The bodies of the Beornir family had been mostly laid together. Sapphire Beornir, half-way ripped apart by a Beowolf, laid a little ways off, their father's body laid beside her, his face half-busted up, an eye loosely dangling from the socket. He had given it his all, to fight for his life. Pearl Beornir had been dragged over by a Tajitu, who had put it on the large pile there. All of the bodies had been gathered, the will that he had imposed over the Grimm making them work to his exact specification.

 _It is a pity that he did not distinguish between friend and foe._ The bodies of several of the miners were dragged over there as well. Pearl Beornir laid next to Amethyst, whose body was as dead as a doornail, having had something happen to her lower body, enough to cause death. _No sign of the blonde one, or the redhead._ The blob of an uncle of theirs laid there as well, the Grimm looking up from their work, as the last body was dragged there. _There are about sixty people...Thirty-five-ish bandits and the rest casualties._

Her mind rationalized that at least they were free, yet her gaze was cautious, as she could see the dark miasma swirl, as the sunlight started to appear to redden the skies once again. One by one, the Grimm exploded into clouds of the smoke, crawling over the ground towards him like he was a big vacuum. His body seemed to have an irresistible pull, as the smoke entered it through the pores, the whole bed covered in a haze that seemed to be sucked in in a single moment, his eyes opening wide and searching around, his gaze finding hers and with a start, he got up, headbutting her in the face.

"OW!" She cussed, the pain feeling like she'd been hit in the head with a hammer, his eyes picking her out. "Summer? What're you doing outside of my head?" He asked, even as she rubbed her forehead. That'd HURT. "Jaune..." She laid a hand on his shoulder, hoping that it would be enough to keep him calm. _He needs to be told, gently._ "You summoned me into being. _" Not exactly a lie, but not exactly the truth either. That icky-sticky stuff... I know that it's been purified or something... but I tried my best. I really tried._

A look of horror came over his face as the colour drained from it. "Oh... I'm so sorry." She laid the other hand on his shoulder. "I'm here, Jaune." He tried to retch, yet nothing would come out. Her fingers firmly held his shoulders, even as he seemed to go through the shock of what he'd just done. "I just wanted her to stop... I didn't mean to... This isn't how..." She smiled, sadly.

"A huntsman has to do what a huntsman has in order to protect the people." The words were something that she had heard Raven say more than once, her wording being more akin to 'A huntress has to do what a huntress should in order to protect my people.'. It hadn't made much sense then, besides giving her a rush of euphoria and a 'YOU DO CARE FOR ME, RAVEN!' squeal and hug.

His pride in his own morals had made him fall to those dark impulses. The blame was written all over his face, as her hands slid further and touched the back, trying to rub some comfort into the emotional teenager, like a mother should. The raw red wounds met her fingers, even as he gave a shuddering breath. "It hurts..." He murmured.

"I'm here now. I won't let you be alone ever again." If she lasted throughout the day, she would be able to make good on that promise. Summer Rose was not a woman who reneged on her promises!

* * *

 **Another chapter is done (written within a flash of inspiration.) The whole barrage of reviews that say 'How sudden the mood shifts' is wholly justified. I've put in some extra gas into writing this all out so that you can have some of the answers that you might seek. Summer Rose, Misses Schnee, Kali Belladonna and Raven Branwen as the points of view for this chapter. Some people might think 'Why doesn't Mistral hire a huntsman or something to wipe out the bandits?' and go like that.**

 **The problem is: We've seen the Branwen Tribe. Raven Branwen is one scary-ass bitch if she's able to go toe-to-toe with Cinder Fall. Do you REALLY want to send good huntsmen against a woman who can just kill you in the easiest way possible? She's infamous for a reason. Also, in her scene, there's some information on the other tribes of Mistral. Since the camp looks fairly well-ordered and she's given the order to move out after Cinder and her little tag-team of people visit, I have assumed that it would be like a nomadic lifestyle that she favoured, in order to both move swiftly as well as keep the authorities off their back. Qrow himself said that he and his sister 'grew up with a bunch of murderers and thieves', and well...**

 **Ruby** **Beornir drew out his torment, mostly for 'the amusement' instead of 'the exploration of dust'. She likes that. She likes the feeling of power and the ability to make the world turn to her in a whim. She's got some good points... but a lot of bad points too.**

(And a funny thing that I noticed now that I was writing this small Author Note - Ruby's mom, Weiss's mom, Blake's mom and Yang's mom, right in the RWBY format. Totally didn't plan on it.)

 **I hope to have assuaged some fears and the like, and now introduce Party member No. 1: Summer Rose!**

 **It's Mother's day today (13-5-2018) so I hope that you've enjoyed the mother's perspective on things. (I thought it rather fitting to do a mom-perspective on the day that mothers are supposedly given praise.)**

 **Please review if you've enjoyed the story up until now. The prologue should take about... 3 more chapters!**


	10. Crimson sorrows run dark and deep

**Chapter 10: Crimson sorrows run dark and deep**

 **AN: Summer's a babe to write. So is Kali. That's all.**

* * *

 _Realizing one's competence_

* * *

It had been so very easy. So easy to just give into the feelings. During that night-time realm of power, he had led the Grimm like the wolf pack towards the sheep that had been the bandits. _I'm a monster._ His mind whirled with the implications of that thought, as he got an image of Her face beaming at him. _Good job, Jaune... Now you've started a whole new thought towards your own villainy. So much for being anything but 'goofy, unskilled Jaune'._

Looking at Summer Rose whilst she held her head, the hit that he'd given her already fading away on her skin as if it were healed immediately, those silver eyes of hers so intriguing for his gaze, even as she smiled at him with that same smile that Ruby had, was something that both calmed as well as made him fearful. Those eyes, they were the catalyst. They could... _Why should that apply to me? I am nothing like Her or Professor Oz..._

"Jaune?" Her voice called to his attention, her eyes holding a look of care in their depths. "You are not to blame for this." Her words were meaningless. He had seen every single face of the bandits and the innocent women and men that he had torn apart, mangled, broken... It was the single most defining thing of his day, as he realized that he would never be called human again.

 _I AM to blame for this. I could have held out a little longer so that they didn't have to die_. A cynical part of his brain whispered at that moment. _Wouldn't they have died otherwise? Would they not have been a hindrance to everyone else around you, had you made an escape and freed the slaves?_

The inner voice seemed to hint at darker things, as he could feel the tears starting to come. Agony and pain, he could bear. He could bear the senseless cruelty of a woman whose mind was half-blasted to Dust... But the rationalisation that it was a choice between his life and the others... was a harder pill to swallow. _I chose for my own survival. I am a monster._

 _It would be so easy, Jaune. You can feel the connection between you and Summer, right?_ The voice continued, even with that whisper continuing along in his mind, feeling the sudden hug. "I'm not going to let you fall into the darkness, Jaune." The older woman whispered in his ear, her arms wrapped tightly around him suddenly, an image coming to his mind.

His eyes were crimson, as he sat upon that throne, the Grimm obeying his every move and whim. The heads of Her and Ozpin were impaled upon pikes set at the foot of his throne, forever casting their gaze upon whichever unworthy supplicant came before him to execute his whims and will. _This could be you, if you would just let go of your moral grounding. Ultimate power, ultimate control... Nobody would be able to hurt you anymore, even not dare to think it._

His strength in the control of the Grimm had grown, his body feeling the burning of that _vitae tenebris_ within it, even as he could feel the tether that connected Summer and his body, the tether invisible to everyone else, his mind told him. "I promise..." Her hands went through his hair, as her fingers combed through the messy strands. "I will help you out."

The sunlight started to filter through the entrance to the shack, a long line of light visible onto the wall, slowly crawling down. He nearly forgot that it seemed to be morning, as Ruby's mother held him in an embrace that could be called motherly. _I miss mom. She gave the best hugs._ He hugged her back, instinctively. Her body was ice-cold to the touch, the wrongness that was within her feeling both strange as well as familiar. _She made herself from the vitae tenebris, though I feel some measure..._

 _I can control her._ His gaze met hers for a moment, her head rising up, those lips of hers pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I promise you, sweetie... I won't let anyone do something like that again." Images of Ruby Beornir's 'treatment' came back to him, the look on her face bringing a whole new surge of wrath to his mind. _If she isn't dead, she will wish she was._

He was barely aware that Summer seemed to stiffen, looking at his face as if it were something that brought out a feeling of distaste inside her, her body shuddering for a moment as she began to say something, his ears not able to hear it. "They won't do that to me again." He said, his voice confident and stern in that conviction to never let that happen to him again. "Ever."

 _If the world has these types of people in it... I will not be as meek as before. Sis was right when she said that the world was a cruel and cold place, even if she does not remember it._

The memory of his sister Heather, half-way sunk over the couch, a bottle in her hands that was mostly empty, sprang to mind. "Heather, are you okay?" He had asked, her head swirling up and looking at him, her lips pressed together tightly. "No, I'm not. You sheee... They're dead ta meehhh." The woman's words were harsh, as she gestured with the bottle. "Them fucking pusshies. They got out and left me... Jaune... The world ish cruel!" A shuddering breath from her lips as she groaned, rubbing her head. "The world ish cold! You should know that before you go out and get to be the fuckin' hero." Her head dropped down onto the couch once more and her sobs started to come.

He had covered her up with a blanket and made sure to put a pillow under her head, taking the bottle away and putting it on the table. If she'd wanted more, she could reach for it when she was feeling a little better. At that time, he had figured that it must have been an alcoholic mood swing that she was under... but evidence told him other things. _Her words... She had a team once, didn't she?_ Their names he had forgotten, too long since she'd spoken of them. She was eleven years older than him, after all. Even Rowan, who was twelve years older than him, had been out into the world long before he had even been able to ride a bicycle.

 _What have I missed by being naive?_ The question came to him as he felt the sun rise in the skies, his power waning inside him. From the brutal strength and knowledge that came from the darkness around him, there was nothing left now but the faint memory of how it felt to be in CONTROL.

As the sun hit Summer Rose's body, she seemed to shimmer for a moment, her body starting to fade out of existence. "Jaune?" Her questioning voice was hurt and surprised, as he reached for her. She turned into wisps of smoke as he touched her, the void within him filled with Her presence again. _"Jaune, what happened?"_ Her voice asked, the blades hitting the ground a moment later with a clattering sound.

 _It doesn't tolerate the light of day._ The realisation was something that was obvious at least to him, his eyes looking at the space where she had been. _"You can exist... But not during daytime."_ The knowledge that he could summon her from inside of him was something worth at least some consideration. With her skills, she would be able to do whatever she pleased if she was left alone. _I feel bad for her, being only able to walk around during the nights._

" _At least I can do something to help you, even if it's only for a few hours every day."_ The upbeat manner with which she spoke was at odds with how he felt. The pain stung him badly, as he began to feel his aching muscles protest the movements. Around him he could barely feel the Grimm present, even as he got up from the bed fully, his back on fire. With the wounds that Ruby had inflicted upon him, he didn't think that he'd have it in him to really move around too much. _It smells like death here._

Emerging from the shack, he came to see the devastation that he had wrought first-hand. The corpses were piled up in a stack, done so by the Grimm at his insistence. The creatures had been like putty in his hand, their work done with the guidance of the Seer, whose final death he had caused only a moment before severing the connection once more.

 _It's something else, to control them all..._ His thoughts were hardly benign at this point as he remembered the power that he had controlled, for a brief night. _I..._ The thought started and he didn't dare finish it, a complicated expression on his face, even as he could see the faces of the people that laid there, stacked together like some sort of macabre molehill. "I'm a murderer..." He said out loud. _It's true. What sort of inhuman monster drives the Grimm to attack a settlement? They were bandits... yet they also had hopes and dreams._

" _Jaune... Everyone kills in the line of duty."_ Summer spoke, her voice like the beacon of hope that welled up inside him, the feeling of that passion flaring once more, the burning within his body to just go and be the hero again... clashing against the realisation that he had killed. He had not personally wielded the knife, yet he had led the Grimm here. _"It gets easier. Sometimes, people have to die for the good of all."_ The words did not comfort him.

' _The greater good for all is to have the silence of death.'_ The words were something from Her memories, even as those grew awfully vague and faint at this point in time. He could see the men and women whose names he did not even know lay there as if there was no reason to their death. _Senseless, stupid death..._

He grimly pressed his lips together, his throat feeling dry, stomach rumbling as it announced that there was a desire for food once more to be found. _I'm not going to break down. I'm going to find something to eat, I'm going to find something to drink and then I'll go and find a weapon..._

Stepping into the light of the early morning, he could feel the coldness of the air around him, the chill that came with the morning's lack of warmth seeping through his body. With hunger driving his body onwards, he found that he could take some steps. _She didn't start to work on my legs yet. Thank Oum for small mercies._

Anger flared within his mind, even as he stepped through the dust, small pits made into the earth where a round had exploded, the Grimm's devastation having worked greatly to ensure that there would be no more bandits using this mine. _I hope that they'll rot wherever their souls go to._

Anger suffused his being as he pushed open one of the hut doors, coming face to face with a messy space, leftover beer cans left all around. The smell was horrible to his nose, yet he did not pay it much heed as he hurried towards the jerry can that sat next to a cooking stove. Filling a cup with the water, he smelled it, just to make sure that it wasn't fuel or something like that before he sipped some of the water.

It was lukewarm thanks to being stored outside of a cooler, yet it felt like his throat came alive once more. His body felt like it needed the water to soothe the woes that it had experienced, with enough of the strength building up inside him to allow him to continue. Rooting through the bandit's closet, he found a set of pants that looked reasonably clean, getting into them without an issue. The _vitae tenebris_ would recede into his body if he clad himself in it during the daytime, leaving awkward conversations for any people that came upon him, so he was glad for the physical clothes.

A picture of a young man with a tattoo on his cheek was pinned to the wall, his hair gelled up in a Mohawk, a foot upon the back of someone. **First kill.** The red writing underneath was done in ink that had a surprising blood-like tint to it, his eyes looking over the clothing that'd belonged to the bandit. _There should be a mirror here somewhere if he had time to do his hair._

Rummaging through the messy shack, he found what resembled a small grooming mirror, looking at his features for a moment, seeing the lines on his face. Sweat had mixed with his blood to form a grimy crust, even as Summer had apparently protected him. _"Thank you for protecting me."_ His gratitude was real, even if she would not be able to comprehend the full depth of it yet. She was but a woman whose presence with him was both soothing as well as disconcerting. _I know what she is. Does she know what she is?_

The silver eyes haunted his gaze once more, his throat feeling awfully dry all of a sudden. He could feel the heat in the air, as he grabbed another cup and poured it full, drinking greedily and starting to cough. "Something to eat…" He mumbled, rummaging around. He found a chewy nut-bar somewhere tucked away between a pack of cigarettes, with just enough time left on the expiration date that it wouldn't be awkward eating it. "This'll do."

He could scavenge more from the other huts if he needed to. _These bandits have been stealing things for a while now..._ He would probably feel guilty about it if he was in any right frame of mind but at this moment... The right frame of mind did not feel like it was right for him. _They steal, so they should be prepared to be stolen from._ The reality of things was much different, no doubt.

He was raised to be always respectful of people, to leave their possessions alone and to be able to help people. His elder sisters had been raised with much the same in mind, although they did it in their own way. _Mother always has a huff about Bianca when she acts out again. The no cussing rule was invented for her... but every sister I have seems to swear after a few years of service as a Huntsman._

 _That is because the reality of life is not as you think it is._ A dark voice inside him whispered, his hands moving through the closet, selecting a shirt at random. It looked intact and washed, at least, so it would not be a problem to wear it, yet as he thought about wearing a shirt, his back ached. _I should see what the damage was._

Ruby Beornir had been unkind to him with her switching moods. Without the help that he had requisitioned from the Grimm in the area, he would likely have died in the next day or so, his body no longer able to endure. Summer's insistence upon holding out...

 _Why did she insist? Is she working against me? Is it because I am able to command the Grimm?_ Suspicion bloomed within his mind, as he could see the image of Summer there with Her jacket on to cover her nudity, the image of Ruby Beornir seared into his mind. The face that had been twisted and joyful at the sight of his pain.

He found the full-length mirror again in her hut, standing at the space where he'd cleared away the noodle stacks the previous day, looking at himself with a look that tried to appraise what would need to be done. _Upper body is mostly intact. A few marks here and there..._

The upper body's front had been mostly unmarked by the blade. A few slashes here and there, already starting to mend, his Aura pumping through the skin, fixing what had once been unable to be fixed due to exhaustion. _I feel better now that I've released that tension. Using my powers..._ The thought cut off then, as he looked at his back, seeing the red words carved into his flesh stand out. The skin was mending around them, save for the marks that she had so delicately carved into his flesh without a care, as if it would only matter for her.

 _She really did a number on me._ The sight of RUBY etched into his skin was something that brought great anger into his chest, burning and bursting without ever seeming to stop. Her actions had made him lose control! She was the reason that everyone was dead! _You're blaming her for your own actions, Jaune. You were the one that called the Grimm here, you controlled their actions. They were all your will made flesh._

The hate and spite that rose up within him made his face twist in a way that the mirror reflected. His blue eye seemed to grow even darker, crimson seeping into the iris, giving it a purplish sheen. He looked at it change, coming closer to the mirror until he was nearly up against it with his nose, the eye slowly fading back to its regular colour. "I should do something about my eyes." He mumbled, catching sight of the crimson colour that his abnormal eye held. Closing his blue one, he peered back at the reflection, a pale-faced Jaune staring back at him, the veins crisscrossing his body still. His pale flesh would need more sunshine to really look healthy, yet the _vitae tenebris_ inside him seemed to feed him enough energy to conjure up a few Grimm. _I wonder if creating Grimm and summoning Summer are the same thing..._

He could see Her in his reflection. With more distended veins around his face, his and her face would be akin to siblings, perhaps more than that. Mother and child, if one would believe in such things. The blonde hair alone was enough to distinguish him from her, as hers had lost its colour upon the time that she had been fully cognizant of her position in the larger scheme of things.

 _If only she had not..._ The thought faltered, as the crimson eye looked to change, the sclera lightening a little, the _vitae tenebris_ slowly receding through his veins. _Does it... work? Can I change my eyes back to how they were?_ The thought brought him hope, the crimson of his iris returning in full force, the _vitae tenebris_ pumping through his body once more.

 _Seems not._ He knew that he should focus on something more to eat. His hands rummaged through Ruby's cabinet, working to find something edible. It was lucky that the Grimm did not ruin much more than the humans in this battle, or scavenging something edible might be too much for him to do.

I won't be a fool like that ever again. He promised himself, his lips pressed tightly together. "Summer?" He asked her directly. "Yes Jaune?" She replied immediately. "You're going to train with me tonight. You will keep vigil over my sleeping form." It was not a request at all, an order that was phrased so roughly, even as he began to feel the strength that he'd scrounged start to fade.

" _Of course. I won't let anyone tranquilise you again whilst you sleep."_ The words seemed to be genuine and true, her voice sounding much firmer to him than before. She seemed to be convinced that she would do her task and duty without fail. _"And Summer... Please... Don't hold back."_ A smile, he could imagine her having, as she responded in return. _"The best huntsmen learn through pain, Jaune. I will make sure that you are capable of fighting off whatever comes at us."_

His hands manipulated the skillet as he flipped the egg up, the smell of the grease in the air. _"You should eat and then start to move. There is no telling whether they've sent out a few scouts or not."_ The advice was sensible, even as his stomach rumbled. The pain inside him felt duller, as he could feel the burning within start to fade, the food filling his stomach with the pleasant sensation of warmth and the spices and some of the dried herbs that he'd used to make it a 'special herb-filled egg'. _Cremea liked it when I made her eggs. She could always ask me to make some and I would... If there were eggs, of course. Mom sometimes forgot to get some and we'd have to eat noodles._

The sterile look of the laboratory that was attached to the hut in which Ruby lived was something that surprised him. The vials of Dust that he could see were stacked up together were something to be wary of. He still remembered that time when Ruby had seemingly caused an explosion, maybe a month or so ago... _That's when I met her, laying on the path and staring up at the heavens._

Gobbling the egg down without reserve, he looked at his inventory of things that he'd scrounged up from the camp. A shaving razor, for the hairs that would eventually start growing again, something that would last the road, a jerry can that he had found in another hut, three energy bars that he'd found in a box that'd once packed 20.

" _They have an armoury somewhere to store their weapons when they need to rush to a defence."_ Summer said, her voice sounding direct to his ears, her tone lighter than it had been before, more of a gentleness in it than there had been before. _"Jaune... It's okay."_ The attempt to assure him of something was met with incomprehension. _What is okay? Why is it okay?_

He got himself into the armoury, looking around for something that he could use to clothe himself. A jacket hung from one of the pegs, leather in appearance with a patch of the Beornir sewn onto it. He could see the blade that he had gotten from the blacksmith laying on the rack, his hand grabbing a hold of it. The weight felt comfortable in his hands, even as he looked at it. _Fat lot of good you did me there, buddy. I got darted by a fat bastard who's dead now... I need a ranged weapon._

" _Grab a map!"_ Summer called out in his mind, his attention going from the sword to the wall, where a large map hung, Summer's call for him to fetch a map something that he could understand. Pulling out a map, he unfolded it and checked it against the larger map, seeing the small pinprick that held the location of the camp. _Alright... So if we are here..._

The route towards Mistral carried him past several settlements that had been marked on the map. Shion, Kuroyuri... And Higanbana? I'll need to pass through Higanbana and Kuroyuri to reach Kuchinashi and then straight to Mistral city... The map's topography did not take into account the terrain, the map more of a make that was generally sold for people that wished to have a view of Anima and make sure that they'd get what they were owed.

 _I should also take the Lien. Not like they'll have a use for it anyways..._ The thought of being a robber was grim, yet he found himself beyond caring at this point in time. It was stolen money either way, as the bandits no doubt had to take the money from hard-working people who earned it.

Rummaging through the armoury, a strongbox that contained nearly thirty thousand Lien in it was busted open and the cards put into a sack that he figured he could use for the keeping of his money. Thirty thousand would be enough for him to be able to live for a year, provided that he didn't need to buy any other necessities. _A good weapon is better for my style. I should at least keep half of that within my budget for a good weapon. I cannot rely on other people's charity anymore._

He emerged from the armoury with a rifle slung over his shoulder and the bag with his ill-gained goods in his human hand, the sunlight hitting his pale face. He could feel a sudden burst of something reach his senses, something that seemed to disturb the natural order of things for a brief instant before fizzling out. _Something is here._

Fine-tuning his senses to sense what had been felt for a brief moment, he let go of the bag of Lien, feeling for the hint of something. His eyes closed, leaving him to feel only the faint hints of what he had glimpsed only briefly. Solely following that thread of life, he could feel the _vitae tenebris_ inside him move, even as images of the Grimm came to his mind once more. _The greater whole..._ The link with the Seer had been shattered once he had consumed it, Her touch not lingering upon the massive network that was the Grimm.

Coming to a halt at a barrel that had been stacked against one of the walls of the biggest hut in the bandit camp, the lid shut with signs of it being rapidly jerked open, he could feel the emanations of emotion from within. His hand rested on his blade, putting the tip into the slit between the cover and the barrel and then pushing it upwards. The wrenching sound of the blade pushing the lid up and releasing whoever was within was heard, even as he pushed the lid off. "I can feel you are still alive." His voice was rough, still hoarse from the screaming that he had done under the guidance.

A frightened whimper came from the barrel, familiar in tone to something that he had heard. _I've heard that voice before._ The whimpering seemed to increase even more. "The Grimm are gone." _In the physical sense, yes._ He could feel the whimpering person's emotions, a blonde head peering out. Dark skin was pale and the red eyes looked hesitantly at him.

"H-hey." Topaz Beornir said, her voice hesitant as she looked at him. _She deserves to die! All of them should just DIE!_ The thought rose in his mind like a haze, as his eyes met hers, the blonde woman's face paler than it had been before. "I surrender! I'll do whatever you want!"

The emotions that showed through her body were fear, frustration and terror, waging war upon the body's ability to feel, as her eyes looked at him as if he were a fearful creature that was worthy of the fear that she felt. _You should fear me. Your sister is a monster._ "You've done enough." He said, his body showing the marks of Ruby still left upon it. _It would be so easy to just kill her here and now..._

The thought rose unbiddenly as those features looked at him with the terror that seemed to have come from witnessing the power that the Grimm held. _Frail and innocent. So much like Malerry, before He twisted her into his acolyte. Such a promise... such a skill that we could have used._ The thoughts were strange and warped, as his eyes looked her over as she got up from the barrel, having folded herself up.

"I'll... I'll do whatever you want me to! I'll suck your dick every morning, make you food! Ruby's never been the nicest, so I'll just do whatever you want. Please don't kill me!" Her voice pleaded with him. _"She's sincere. Her eyes are so wide that I can feel her fear."_ The comment from Summer only ignited his anger even more. _"Her sister did this to me! She deserves to pay for not stopping it."_

The thought rose to his mind, as her face looked at him with fear, her hands held up in surrender. _If I kill her, will I be any worse off? She is a bandit, yes... She's no doubt killed people._ "You, what's your name?" The fear in her mind seemed to be the dominant trait, replaced swiftly with something that could be felt as relief, warring with worry. "Topaz! Topaz Senna Beornir!"

 _She would never follow my lead. Her loyalties are to herself, like a thief._ The thought was strange, even as he reached out to caress her chin, a gesture that seemed to be anathema to how he regularly behaved. _"Jaune?"_ Summer's voice sounded worried, even as his fingers caressed over her cheek, the shudder going through her body betraying just how she felt about his touch. _A girl who has bitten off too much will choke upon it._ "Kneel." His voice was strict, as she stepped out of the barrel. The shadows fell onto her as she knelt before him, her knees hitting the dust in a moment's time.

Her red eyes looked up at him, her fingers on her knees. "Y'know... I was just joking about that grilling comment. Right boss?" Her voice was casual as she looked up, a hint of something that could be called mortal fear rising through her voice. His face was expressionless as he looked down at her. "Boss?" She asked, her voice sounding hesitant. "I've got a job for you, Topaz."

" _Jaune! You are not going to let her stab you in the back, right?"_ The thought of that was something that he could not shake. _She would rather betray me than to suffer under my hands._ He could feel the fear being shaken, as her confidence seemed to return. _Like Yang, she's got a protective streak towards her little sister... but she's more vile than Yang ever could be._

Her answer was a swallow, her gaze meeting his own as her hands hesitated for a moment, going towards his pants, laying upon the front. "If ya want, boss. Spit or swallow?" _Swallow this._

His left arm moved before she could get an answer, the vitae tenebris within it bubbling to the surface, forming what he wished. _**Become what I wish you to be.**_ The woman's mouth was suddenly filled with his finger, the droplet sliding off the finger and mingling with her saliva. "Swallow." He said, his voice soft.

The woman did so without question, the finger in her mouth sucked on with no regard for how it would appear to outside eyes. The sensation of feelings was odd, even as he felt the anger and disgust well up through him. Her face might be saying one thing, yet the disgust that she felt was another. _Another lie. This bandit knows what to do..._

His gaze went over her body, a faint smile on his face. He pulled his finger from her mouth, only to get a saucy grin in return. "Ya like it when you get your finger sucked on, big boy?" Her voice purred. _Lies._ The feeling that she gave off was one of frustration and of desperation, the fear working around her body like a miasma that only he could see. _Just a little bit longer..._

Her eyes widened for a moment, as she felt her chest for a moment. "I feel... hot inside?" She said out loud, surprise warring with the fear, as the sensation slowly spread throughout her body. He could FEEL it spread, as the dark ichors of the _vitae tenebris_ spread around her heart. "I guess I'm sticking around for a while, big boy!" The cheerful tone that she gave was definitely not meant.

 _You think me some man that can be beguiled by a simple smile, girl?_ The thought was cold and distant, his face showing that at least, his frown looking at her giving her face a brief expression of fear. "Would you rather be called lover-boy? Master? I dunno how to address you." _You can start by being honest with me, for once._

The spread of the _vitae tenebris_ was already beginning. It pulsated inside her, around her heart wrapped like the tendrils of a vine, ready to bring forth the darkness that it contained, the slimy liquid working through her body. "Just call me Mister Arcadia." He said, turning around and looking at the bag of Lien that he had left behind. "Get that bag for me. We're looting your former camp, Topaz." Topaz did so without a word of protest, walking to the bag and then picking it up. It made sense that she would be able to shove her own feelings and emotions aside in order to accomplish what she wished, the feelings never interfering with a job. _She's a bandit's daughter. She's been taught how to murder, steal and rob since she was young. No matter how much she tries to appeal to you sexually... You'll never get to see her true self until she plunges the knife into your back._

The thought of that happening brought a flash of Ruby to his mind, the raw tissue on his back aching. His eyes met hers as she handed the bag to him, taking it roughly and slinging it over a shoulder. "Do you still have your weapon?" He asked, Topaz shaking her head. "I threw it away and hid. I... I'm not alone, am I?"

He glanced in the direction of the pile of corpses, as he wondered about that. "Your little sister Ruby might still be alive." He said, his voice holding a dangerous inflexion as he spoke, his eyes closing for a moment. _If she is, I'm going to kill her. If she escaped and I run into her... There'll be nothing left of her._

Hope blossomed within the sister's heart, his eyes meeting hers, narrowing slightly. He took a deep breath, turning around and walking towards the shack again. His tread was slow, the lack of shoes not a bother, even as his feet found their path. It was not good to go without shoes, yet he knew that if he had to cross some space without shoe wear that absolutely required shoes, the _vitae tenebris_ would be enough for him to cover his feet. _Why don't I use it for that purpose?_

The supply within him seemed to be nearly full, the energy contained within it foul and dark, like the liquid that it was. Summer's little space inside him seemed to tremble at the encroaching liquid, as he focused his will on it for a moment.

"She's... not really that bad, you know." Topaz said. _She IS. You've never BEEN to that place where she straps you to a bed and puts experiments with dust on your skin!_ The anger and fury boiled inside him, his gaze sharp as it met her. "She used to be the good kid out of all of us. Amethyst had her angry spells, Sapphire was a nympho and fucked three guys into a coma once, Emerald used to nick every shiny little trinket that wasn't nailed down... Hell, even I know a bit about how to steal the deal, so to say." The woman's voice was a little more upbeat, as she looked at him. _False loyalty. Trying to lull me into a false comfort, before she'll strike._

The fear inside her was still pervading her body. "So... Ruby was the good kid out of us. We were still small for a tribe when Ruby showed an interest in the Dust... Blew half her trailer up too, but the spark was lit." The grimace on her lips was something that was genuine, the fear fading slowly to something more moderate, as the woman looked up to him. "It's not that we were bad bandits... I mean, Dad's always had his values. He warred with the Fennies a few times. Cold sons of bitches, they are."

 _She's distracting you. Do not buy into her lies._ The thoughts seemed to turn darker as he hummed something of an acceptance, his right hand putting the blade's tip into the ground. _She's trying to disturb your thoughts with her own family, so that she could get an advantage. "Jaune? Jaune?!"_ Summer's voice broke through his thoughts, his attention turning away.

" _Promise me that you'll do what is right, Jaune. A huntsman should always do what is right."_ The words were something that he had heard more than once. 'A huntsman always does that which is right. The council's will, the huntsmen kill.' The cynical statement had been one that he had heard Heather mutter, the introductory slogan to the training program having been something that'd made her outright reject his application.

Why didn't mom and dad make me attend the preparatory schools? Why would they make me not go through the training in order to become a hero? He thought, even as Topaz shifted before him, her hand reaching for something in her pocket. "Y-you want something to drink, Mister Arcadia?" The question was softly spoken, gentler than the tone that she'd taken before. Calm seemed to have come to her again, her body feeling barely present as if her mind had finally quietened down a little. It's strange... I cannot fully sense her presence.

"I wouldn't mind a drink." He said, watching her carefully. A hesitant smile blossomed onto her face as she stepped toward him, pulling the small key out of her pocket. "I've got my own hut. Every one of us does." She said, leading the way to the hut. "Always lock my door too. Sapphire's crashed a few times and left a condom on the door handle a few times... used too, ech." The thought that flickered in his mind was composed of emotion, unpronounceable, even as he watched her pull the door open. A room filled with leftovers, a set of cloth undergarments laying upon one of the tables, half-folded. Cigarette smoke seemed to have permanently stained the interior a dark yellow colour, the wallpaper fading and peeling away.

He watched her enter, getting in after waiting a moment. He could see her bend over for a moment, her fingers grabbing something. _I knew it._ His suspicions were confirmed as he looked at the firearm that was in her hand, her eyes sharp. "You really are a naive fuckwit, aren't you?"

Jaune simply smiled at her, his left arm giving a twitch. "Thought you could make me into your little pet, like some sort of depraved macho man, eh?" The woman spat, keeping the gun trained on his torso, her eyes blazing with that indignant anger of hers. "Thought you'd be able to keep me as your little bitch, ya little blonde fuck-wit? Ruby didn't fucking teach you how the fuck you treat people, ya blonde bastard. You men are such wusses, always moaning about this and that. Dad's like that too... well, he used to be, if the bastard's still living. Which I fucking doubt, since the Grimm did him in."

" _Jaune..."_ Summer's voice spoke. _"I can materialize here."_ The thought was nice, yet he knew that she'd hardly be able to do much besides manifest. _A bullet might hurt me more than I would be able to block with my aura._ "You know what's so funny, Topaz?"

A dark humour settled over his face, his eyes burning with anger. In his reflection in one of the small mirrors in the trailer he could see that his blue eye was slowly shifting to crimson. _The vitae tenebris inside her..._

"No, ya bitch. I don't know what's so funny." She feels confident that she'll be able to do as she wants. Like any over-confident bandit. _"I can take her! She'll be taken care of before she'll be able to hurt you!"_ Summer's voice insisted once more, as he came closer. "Don't come closer!" Her voice was harsh and shrill, nearly shouting at him.

"You're making the assumption that you've got any power, Topaz." His voice spoke with a confidence that he had never felt before as if he were bestowed a boon of strength that seemed to wrench open the doors to his inner self. "You're assuming that because you've got a gun, you are the one in control." His _vitae tenebris-_ created hand squeezed, her face turning paler by the second as she gasped. _Geist._

A shudder went through her body, as the tendrils of _vitae tenebris_ slithered through her heart, desiring to consume and tear apart with his will. _You will join your family soon, Topaz. "Jaune, what did you do? Jaune!"_ Summer shouted in his mind, as Topaz's face turned an ashen pale colour, the dusky skin tone starting to turn paler than parchment. Dark tendrils of the _vitae tenebris_ worked their way through her body, his hand reaching out to pull the gun from her nerveless fingers.

" _I gave her justice."_ The words were not heavy to speak at all, as his finger caressed Topaz' cheek, pressing against those lips. "What did you do?" Her voice spoke with a wheeze, her eyes meeting his own with desperation in them, her breathing growing heavier as she struggled for breath.

 _Ba-bump._

 _Her heartbeat is slowing down... Come on..._ The fingers pushed into her mouth. Tendrils of the _vitae tenebris_ clung to that finger, slithering into the skin. "I suppose I could just as well tell you, Topaz." _You are going to die here. "Jaune! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"_ Summer's voice was full of horror and consternation.

" _I made sure that she would not be able to go against my will. Summer, I will NEVER let anyone treat me like this ever again! I only held out because I know my fate does not allow me to die over here."_ He did not know that for certain. He had no knowledge of his own fate or what the grand design was. All that he knew was that in order for him to be entered into the annals of history as a legendary figure... his tale would not end here. _How selfish..._ " _I am bruised, beaten and scarred! I was bled for the whims of a madwoman and I have suffered... I condemned these people to DEATH."_

His face could show his emotions, anger and indignation working through his body as they showed on his face, his eyes burning with that righteous fire for justice. "You're going to die." He said simply, a smile on his lips that was as unfriendly as it could ever be. His eyes met hers for the longest of moments, his tongue sliding over his lips. "You poisoned me, you fucking limp-dicked blonde crotch-dropping." The curse came from her mouth, even as his finger pressed against her nose.

"I did not." He said, his voice serious in its vocalisation. _"Jaune... Please... Forgiveness is something that you should practice... You do not want to become like the spooky lady." I've seen my flaws. I will never be as she is. All I need now is to know more..._

" _I'll never become like her. I may have some of her skills and powers, yet the sheer difference between us..."_ He tried to imagine himself in comparison between Her. A droplet compared to an ocean. A mere grain of sand in the desert. Her power is insurmountable by my own… yet she cannot move around, whereas I can. The shattering of her domain has made her immobile, yet her influence would not lessen easily _."You don't know what it's like. I cannot become like her, because I lack the-"_ He cut off that, afraid to even THINK about it. _I need to do something to increase my own strength. A customized weapon… I cannot be taken off my guard and then merely treated as a slave for the whims of some cruel mad genius._

"Jaune… I don't mean to say that I know what you mean but please… Don't become cruel." The words were a platitude, as a face appeared before his mind _. Cardin was cruel… But he is still a thousand times better than me._ His gaze went to Topaz her wide eyed gaze, looking into them. "What?" She said in a soft whisper, her throat nearly fully closed by the pulsating liquid.

"I put a Grimm inside you."That's as good an explanation as anything. Explaining the differences between what I did and what a Geist does is not going to save her life. Those eyes widened and he revelled in the primal fear that he saw in them. His mind would normally never enjoy such a sight, too focused on being a hero, yet the day had already been something of a downer from the very start of it. _"You put a Grimm inside her?!"_ Summer's voice reached a new octave, even as he immediately returned to their dialogue. " _It was insurance. If she had no bad intentions, I would have removed it in due time."_ His sister Ashley had held more sway with the creative arts than most of his other sisters.

She'd detailed to him how some things just work together if you put them together. Her drawings had been life-like enough to be included in several official depictions, crediting her to the creation. It drew some funds for her from that pool, to better support her when she was out with Bianca, Saffron and Cremea. _She'd draw this like a warning, I suppose._

His mind was in a strange place as his eyes looked into those red eyes of hers, the darkness creeping through her veins like a liquid flame, the sensation of strength that emanated from her something that he could only feel. _"Jaune… You are treading on a dark path."_ Summer's warning was enough, as he shook himself from his worries. " _I'll never be like Her and Ozpin! They are so wrapped in their little game that they would never look out for the people like you and me as if we are people, Summer!"_

 _At the best, She would see me as another convert, ready to take Her will to the people. Great power could be mine… at the cost of what makes me human._ The bubbling sensation inside him told him that much.

"Now, Topaz… Please die for me, will you?" He said, his hands grabbing her head in a gentle embrace and he _pulled_ on the _vitae tenebris_. A shriek of pain came from her mouth, her body still frozen where it stood, the skin bursting open as the _vitae tenebris_ returned to his body, the soothing feeling of his body being once more fed with that flow of darkness being strange, yet Topaz's screams lent the feeling inside him strength. It was not just him, Jaune Arc, standing there, yet there was also Summer, who would be here with him at all times.

The woman's throat was raw by the time that the _vitae tenebris_ had fully poured out of her body and into his own, his hands letting go of her. Her body was a ravaged one now, holes the size of lien cents in her flesh where the ichors had flowed out of her and into him.

"Rest in the eternal embrace of the Gods, Topaz." He said, smiling at her and then giving a final pull. Her flesh withered and turned to dust, even as the vital essences seeped in through the connection that he still held with her. Looking at his reflection for a moment, he could see the colour having returned to his features once more, the blonde hair looking like it had only a faint streak of the white remaining. His left arm was pale as the deathly colour that She had, the veins running through it. _At least I look somewhat normal now..._

" _You cou..."_ Summer's voice tapered off. _"No... you couldn't let her live. She was a threat to you."_ The resignation in her voice was heavier, as she materialized, his _vitae tenebris_ -infused arm stretched out, the aura loss hardly felt by him. She stood opposite of him, the skull of Topaz still in his hands. He looked at the features that had once been there on the pale bone, the hair having turned into dust as well due to his own infusion of the _vitae tenebris_ throughout her whole body.

"Jaune..." Her arms wrapped around him in a hug, like Ruby used to do when she was cheerful and excited. He could only feel the sorrow from her as she pressed against him, her body cool to the touch. "Please..." her eyes looked up at him, the silver sparkling with a light that made the _vitae tenebris_ tremble inside him. "Please don't murder people. It is not right. You could have let her go... Not done... that."

 _Ruby is much the same. Always wanting to be the hero, make sure that everyone lives and comes through the day alive and intact._ How such a woman had ever been a part of a team at Beacon was something of a mystery to him, yet he could see where the appeal laid. _She must know that sometimes, you have to make choices._ "Summer... She was threatening my life. Did you want me to die here?"

Her eyes blinked once, her eyelids flashing over those silver orbs, the oppressive weight coming from her fading for a moment, as she exhaled. "No. I just..." Her hands let go of him then, turning away, the hood falling over her face. _Just like Ruby does when she's trying to explain herself, if she feels embarrassed or something._ "I want to see you smile again. To be without worry and be free. Not... Grimm." The last part she obviously hadn't meant to say it in such a fashion, as she verbally backpedalled. "Not that there's something wrong with you being Grimm and able to make them do as you command, I mean... It's a handy thing, yes!" She turned to him, the woman looking at him with a gaze that could render most people mute with their teary emotion.

"But it is WRONG. I can feel it around me... I can feel it touching me in places where I don't want icky-sticky feelings!" _She can feel the Vitae Tenebris... And it does not settle well with her._ Sadness blossomed, as he let go of the skull. It dropped down to the other bones of Topaz, his gaze cast down to the ground. _Does she think I want to be like this? The vitae tenebris... it responds to my will. I make it do and shape it as I command. I am nothing like Ozpin, like Her! I have my own will and I... I want..._

"I want to protect people too." He said aloud, the hope inside him that he could be that hero for someone rising still. "I want to be there to fight against whatever comes at me, to stand with my team and to KNOW that we can have a brighter future for the next day." The words were perhaps too childish to be true, his gaze returning to the skull as it sat there. "Jaune?"

Summer's voice was soft as she came close once again, wrapping him in another embrace. "I'll help you be that hero that you want to be. I became a huntress in order to help people. You may think you are doing a bad thing, but I have faith in you. _" There are many things that I could say and do to prove to you that I am the monster that you would never wish to see._

The dark thoughts rose again in his mind. Her influence, the dark designs that he had glimpsed only briefly... They were all but fading nightmares. _The things I can do, if I let go of myself..._

Terror flashed through his mind then, his face showing it as well. The high of emotions was slowly fading again, as he looked at his hands. One of them was normal coloured, whilst the other looked like Hers. _These hands... I've spilt so much blood... I've killed innocents._ Liquid dripped from his eyes, even as Summer tightened the hug. She could not see his face, yet he started to sob nevertheless. "It's okay, Jaune..." She murmured softly, like a mother would. Her body's grip on him was strong, even as he began to feel the pressure on him. "I've killed people as well."

 _She tells the she like it? Did her thoughts go to that point of no return as well?_ The flashes of assaulting the encampment with the force of the Grimm were coming again. The wall succumbed to the flood of Grimm, his will directing them instead of hers. Tactics that he had used in several of the real-time-strategy games that he had played worked out now, as his pawns had simply changed.

His mind linked through the Seer, he could see every little nook of the battlefield that the Grimm laid eyes on, the direct strike against the bandits fulfilled with his own will. _I'm a savage murderer. Who would want to be around someone like me? I bring death with me._

He felt a solemnity within him, as he started to break down. _Why me? I held out for so long... Yet why do I have to do this?_ The question was senseless, as inside him, another side answered. _Because if you did not do it, you would be dead. Power only corrupts if you allow it to corrupt you. A strong will, a strong heart... You know that from the teachings. She was taught. He was taught. They taught. You were taught._

It was a tension that bled out of him, as Summer hugged him ever tighter, his ribs creaking under the heavy squeeze that she gave him. "Thank you, Summer." He said, feeling relief. Right now, he felt like the burden was shared, at least a little bit. "Killing in the line of duty is something we do. It was all for the greater good of mankind." She tried to reassure him, his gaze returning to Topaz Beornir's bones. _No greater good would accept this kind of monster within their ranks._

"Now… Let's get going, shall we?" She suggested, giving him another squeeze. In the darkness of the trailer, she seemed to be stronger than him in her manner of standing and behaviour, her eyes meeting his own with a silver lustre as she looked at him with a gaze filled with hope. _It's time that we leave this place. Let's hope that the jacket will be good enough for my back to heal._ His wounds felt sore, still fresh as they were. He moved through the trailer, past Summer. Rummaging around in another's belongings did not feel as bad anymore, now that he had personally extinguished that spark.

 _It was like the snuffing of a candle that had been lit for only a minute... It shouldn't be this easy to do so._ The reality of it was though… it WAS easy to do so.

Coming to see a picture that'd been framed, he could see the faces that were familiar peer back at him. Amethyst Beornir leaned against her father's side, her knives in hand with a cocky smirk on her lips. Bjorn Beornir was in the process of looking fierce at the wielder of the camera, no doubt telling them to keep the image steady. Pearl Beornir looked bored, yet with a faint smile playing on her lips, as if the entire circumstance was something special. Topaz was showing an athletic trick, using her bladed staff to push herself up, feet dangling in the air, whilst Ruby Beornir held the pole, her gaze up looking like it was carefully judging whether Topaz was doing the right thing.

Sapphire Beornir stood to the side, her braided hair undone, the picture obviously having been taken a few years ago. A summer dress was worn by the woman, whose stomach was a little rounder than it had been when he'd first seen her. _She was pregnant, that time._ Guilt welled up and was ruthlessly squashed. _They were bandits. They were BAD. You did the world a favour, Jaune._

The new face of the Beornir family was surprisingly young. _She looks about my age._ The dark green tresses that framed her face were cut in a short cut, the set of kama blades that seemed to have a gun implanted in them looking rather fierce, even as she held up a wallet with something in it, Sapphire's raised eyebrow curious, as she seemed to look at what the girl had in her hands. He turned the picture over to check whether the names were represented.

 _Dad, Ruby, me and Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald and Pearl. Summer VAC 78._

The date was nearly two year ago. He turned it over again, marking the faces in his mind with little crosses, denoting their confirmed deaths. _You'll never know if they made it out unless you personally destroy them._ The dark thought rose in his mind, even as he tried to ignore that advice.

 _You're going to be a hero, Jaune… Even if you have powers that control the Grimm. You have to be a hero… Because you won't become a villain._ The thought was something that he clung to. His desire to become a huntsman and a hero like his father and grandfather had been strong ever since he had been a child, his mood always improving when his mother read him some of the tales about his grandfather.

 _And if I must..._ He did not finish that thought, as he knew that it would be something that would betray his own moral code. Somewhere in his deepest, darkest depths, his own voice of reason spoke back to him with that answer that he did not wish to hear.

 _You will be._

* * *

 _Fashionable meetings_

* * *

The morning was announced by the blaring alarm that flashed and flickered on the bedside table, her head rising from her pillow as her finger found the off button. The smell of the perfume hit her nose, allowing her to feel the brief moment of consciousness fade, as the white lily and rose perfume did a good way in waking her up pleasantly. _Today... is the third day._

Getting out of the comfortable bed and pulling the sheets close, she ambled towards the shower, turning it on and feeling the warmth cascade over her body. Baring herself to the mirror, she struck a pose, her hair a mess of strands, even as the beauty of her body became visible to her. _You look like a mess, sweetheart... Better hop in the shower and hope that there'll be something that you can do today. Maybe a sauna treatment? Hot air might be good enough to loosen the muscles a little._

The warmth of the water flowed through her body as she washed herself, the herbal shampoo bottle costing enough to be able to put a family through the week, her fingers generously delivering the shampoo to her luxurious white hair, the genetic marker of her family going through the hair first. _Jacques always had such dark hair, he looked like a piece of coal compared to me._

Vanity was not one of her biggest since, yet she combed her hair smooth, leaving it to dry slowly with the warmth of the hairdryer to heat it up. _Now... makeup? Light coating with perhaps something else to make a bit of a blush. Contact the bodyguards and have them escort me through the city._

The stresses of the day certainly were a little bit lesser than at her own mansion. The Schnee mansion was something that was well-stocked at most days, with Klein ensuring that everything worked to perfection, in order to protect the interests of the family. _I wish sometimes that he would not be bound by his loyalty. The man deserves better than to be bossed around by a fading alcoholic like me._

The alcohol she had not touched for nearly two weeks now, her last bottle having been finished at the mansion, yet it was a freeing experience for her nevertheless, the sensation of being wholly unchained from the stresses of the day working through her body like a cleansing rain.

"Miss Schnee?" The voice of one of her bodyguards sounded through the intercom, the hairdryer shutting off a moment afterwards. "Yes?" She replied, even as she pulled the towel around her in order to grant her some more modesty. "Have you decided where you wish to go today?"

"Yes. I think a visit to the spa would be in order. I heard that they have a sauna there as well... It might be good for my skin to have a little day of luxury." The bodyguard muttered something to his companion, even as the Schnee matriarch finished tidying her face up, getting into a comfortable dress for the time being. Not one of the new ones, yet something that could suffice for the time being. She was after all, here on a trip to unwind and relax, after all.

"We're ready, Ma'am." The bodyguard said through the intercom, even as she smiled faintly to herself. "So am I." _A good massage might do me a world of good._

* * *

 _A cat in Mistral_

* * *

"I want to go to a fashion show!" Kali's first command came when she had just gotten off the transport that'd flown them from Menagerie towards the Mistralian capital, her eyes meeting her husband's. The chieftain of Menagerie gave a sigh, as he offered her his hand. "I said that you'd be able to go when we were here... but I didn't mean immediately."

She smirked at him cattily. "Does my little panther have a bit of a fear of dresses?" She questioned, even as a Faunus bodyguard pulled her luggage out of the luggage compartment. "We'll take care of the luggage, Misses Belladonna. Enjoy your time." Ghira's face was unusually drawn, as his hand threaded through his hair.

"No, it's just..." She nudged him in the side, her laugh tinkling like bells. "Let's go, you silly husband of mine." Her voice urged him, as he nodded. "Very well."

Thirty minutes later, they were at one of the fashion shows, directed by a helpful native whose advice had been to go 'straight ahead, until you see the sign.' She bounced a little on her feet, her excitement rising at the thought of the gorgeous dresses. _Blake and Ghira always complain that I like to look at dresses too much... But is it any problem for them if I want to look pretty and desirable?_ Her hand clutched Ghira's a little tighter, even as they purchased a ticket. _He's such a sweetheart. I wonder if the hotel also has those fluffy towels?_

The show was already ongoing when they moved into the crowd of people looking at the dresses. They drew some looks, what with her husband being the imposing man that he was, but nobody seemed to be willing to take offence to their presence being there. _It's good to see that the Faunus are getting slightly more accepted here in Mistral._

The models up on the catwalk continued their walk, showing off the garments. She oohed and awed at several combinations. "Ghira, look! She's got fake cat ears, ooh!" _The look on his face was worth it. He always looks like such a grumpy cat when he's uncomfortable._

"That style is..." he left it at that, but she could see his disapproval. _Aww, grumpy cat is grumpy!_ The girl really did look nice with the fake cat ears and the fur. _I'd buy it, just to see whether he'd like it if I 'played with his little mouse'._

"You're thinking about something inappropriate again, Kali." His voice rumbled in her ear, her smirk broadening even more. _Damn right I am. Having a daughter who is nearly adult means that we can get right back to the love-making! I'm not going to stop loving you until you're old and grey and you need those pills to rise to the occasion!_

Had her husband heard her internal monologue, he would have shaken his head and merely sighed, understanding his wife's moods when she was like this. Her gaze was drawn to a beautiful green and red ensemble, wrapped around a petite body with a delicate flourish of feathers to accentuate it. "Ooh, we've got a bird like that at Menagerie. We do, right Ghira?" Her husband was solid, dependable and utterly silent as he merely nodded, humouring his wife.

 _Grumpy husband! Grrr!_ She pressed against him, allowing the closeness to let her hand dip low and give a little pinch to his rump. He merely looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, her hand pinching again, her teeth visible as she did that, smirking up at him. "Stop that."

"I don't want to." She said, honestly. Her eyes twinkled, as she met his gaze, her tongue sliding over her lips. _He needs a bit of a challenge. He'd get all grumpy if his sexy, cool and hip wife was not around._

"Kali, we have other people around us." He said, his voice not loud enough to be overheard. _And? It's two people in love! Who'd want to stop love?_ "We're going to buy a looooot of things, Ghira." She said, her tongue flicking over her lips. "And I'm going to make sure you get that thing out of the way in four days. Who knows? We might make another trip here soon."

Her attention was drawn to a silver and gold-bedecked woman, whose skin was covered with linen embroidered with golden scales. Essentially, it was just a silver and gold top with something to guard the feminine modesty, much like a bikini. _The silver and gold fish dress looks nice... Perhaps Ghira would like it?_ Her hand motioned for one of the salespeople. "How much for that dress?" The woman wearing the official uniform gave her a once-over and then said in a polite tone. "Three-thousand Lien."

"I want it. Ghira honey..." She pleaded with her husband, who nodded. "Very well..." His hand produced the Lien card that was required for such purchases. "Put it on this." The seller nodded, sliding it through the slot and looking at the credit score. "Of course, sir. I had no idea that you would be... Well..." Ghira waved it off. "Money is money. If my wife wants something nice then she can have it."

 _Someone is getting SO lucky tonight. Ooh... I think I remembered the tuna oil..._

Someone wasn't getting any SLEEP tonight either. Kali Belladonna was on the prowl for panther-man.

* * *

 _White dresses, ebony tresses_

* * *

Her hands pressed together for a moment, the fifth day of her little sojourn in Mistral having arrived. The spa had been refreshing, the skin peel being something that'd done wonders for her facial features. _I think I even gained a little bit of a tan, just to make myself look a little healthier. Atlesian technology can be wonderful, if applied properly._

She stood in front of the next fashion show, the tickets already in hand for the next showing of high fashion. The people that were entering were checked for weaponry, as was the natural order of things within the world. "Miss Schnee, let's go inside." She smiled at her bodyguard, a young man who answered to Henri Gelb, whose body was a veritable wall of muscle. "Very well." Her fingers pulled the tickets out to hand them to the guard, who verified the authenticity of the tickets, the steps that carried her through the entrance, her bodyguards filtering in afterwards without a care, the tickets enough to buy them passage as well.

This fashion show was a little more high-end than the rest, with the presentable members of society already gathering to show their own devotion to being the rich and idle. _As if many of these people have ever spent a day long outside in the hot weather, toiling at a mine where there might be a yield of Dust crystals..._ The thought was darker than before, as she looked at the exultant faces, her seat on one of the upper rows. A grumpy-looking Faunus man with some of the most impressive chest hair that she'd ever seen sat next to a woman who must be his wife, the similarities in their manner of dress easily caught.

 _Nice ear piercings on the ears._ She thought, even as the woman leaned over to her, a smile on her lips. "Ah, you're here for the dresses as well." _Polite appearance, calmness... You should be calm today, you're a Schnee._ "Yes, I am." She said to the Faunus woman. A face flashed before her eyes. _Nicollo._ The man's death was still something of a sore subject. "They've got some wonderful dresses here. I bought one which looked like a fish's scales in gold and silver." The grin on the woman's face was warm and friendly, camaraderie seemingly in its depths.

"Kali..." Her husband said, her hand patting his leg. "Just talking, dear... The show won't start yet, they're still sitting up. I'm getting to know..." _You're being a bothering cat, that's what you are._

"Miss Schnee wishes to not be disturbed, Miss." One of her bodyguards answered for her, a raised eyebrow coming from her in response to him answering for her. _Now I've got to smoothen things over. No wonder that the Schnee Dust Company has such a reputation if we're going around bullying poor Faunus who just want to make some conversation._ "I'm Nicholas Schnee's daughter." She said, extending a hand.

"Kali Belladonna. This grumpy cat is my husband, Ghira." _The name is familiar, though I can't place where exactly I've heard of it before..._ She had never really paid much attention to the events in Remnant's further reaches. Atlas had been the place where most of the news she watched came from, so other kingdoms did not really feature into things. "A pleasure to meet you two." She extended a dainty hand to the woman, who enthusiastically shook it. "See! She's not so bad!"

Ghira's hand was a lot larger, wrapping around hers in that manner that one would wrap a glove around it. _Intimidating._ The man's eyes met hers and she could feel her breath hitch for a moment. _My... Impressive eyes._ The look was broken a moment later as she continued onwards, her attention going back to the short-haired Faunus woman.

"So, here for the fashion too? My husband's got something to do with one of his old bodyguards... He used to be really famous, once upon a time." She smirked, jabbing her husband in the side. _No clue what she's talking about. I should nod and smile._ "So... how's it like being one of the most powerful women in the world?"

 _I could tell the truth... Or I could say that it is wonderful to have so much power at my fingertips._ "Boring." The answer slipped out without a moment's thought, Kali's eyes blinking once before she smiled again. "And now you're here, buying dresses. I like buying dresses. They make me look good and sexy. Not boring."

 _As if I had a need to buy a dress to look 'good and sexy'. Every man who looks at me sees only the Lien that I make annually._ Her eyes met with Kali's, whose gaze held that spark of excitement that seemed to be ramping up. "I'm here to check out some of the Mistralian styles." The Faunus woman nodded as if she could understand that.

"We used to be from Mistral, you know. Ghira was the... ah, I don't think it's polite to talk about his job. I don't think you'd like to talk about your own husband's job... unless you do." _Only if I have to dreadfully bore someone with my tale._ The knowledge that the marriage between the two of them was mostly based upon his own greed had shattered much of her willpower to keep on going. Whilst Jacques raked in the money, she had been left to her own devices. _I would go mad, if I had to keep track of money all the time._

"No, please... Don't let that interfere." She found herself leaning forwards, a smile twitching at her lips. "Please... Tell me more about yourself." The woman grinned boldly, her eyes lighting up. "Ghira?" Her husband gave a sound in the back of his throat that was assumed to be acknowledgement from him. "I like her."

His head turned to her and those eyes looked at her once again, burning with their own intense light, showing her that she was a fool for not thinking carefully about her safety. To this man, his might was unquestioned. _I could just imagine him reaching out and pulverizing me with a hand._

It both inspired terror inside her as well as some sort of comfort. _A man who could be a protector as well as a warrior._ Those eyes moved away from her again. "I don't." He said, his opinion on the matter clear.

"Do you have something to do after the show?" The woman, Kali, leaned forward, her hand resting on the armrest to her chair. She supposed that the Faunus woman was excitable about some things. _Not really. I was going to have something to eat and then check out some of the sights._ "No. Are you suggesting that we do something together?"

"Miss Schnee, I am not sure whether this is..." The bodyguard's voice stalled as she held up a hand, her head turning to his direction. "I can decide whether I go with a friend or not." Her tone was frosty and cold, just as befitted a Schnee. _Now, let's hope that I judged her correctly._

"Oh gosh, Ghira... She called me a friend and we've just known each other for about ten minutes. Aww, she's so precious." _I'm probably older than you, woman. How can you assume something like that from a mere statement of mine._

Those eyes met hers again, the quiver going through her body as they judged and seemed to find her appraised with the care that was natural for a man about his wife's safety. _It seems that the big cat has allowed me to stay around its mate._ A cruel thing to think about a Faunus in such a fashion, yet she knew that some Faunus showed more traits of their animal than was good for them. "I am a Schnee. I am bound to be precious."

She watched Kali giggle, the woman patting her hand. "We're going to be friends, you and I. Schnee and Belladonna. Yes." It didn't feel so wrong to feel the other woman's hand on hers either. _I guess I could see whether this friendship can actually work out. It's not like I have anything to lose from someone who should by all rights, dislike me._

It spoke more of hope in her heart that the woman seemed to have no issue with her status as the wife of the current head and the daughter of the SDC's previous head, whilst her husband seemed to be far less trusting and more serious in his dealings. _That man has a serious attitude, which contrasts with her bolder and more sociable nature. Clearly, they were made to complement each other._ The wedding rings that they wore showed as much.

She found herself smiling a little as she looked at Kali, her... friend. _This might take some time to get used to. At least she doesn't seem to plan to kill me._

The uncertainty that she could feel was not quickly banished, the imposing man that sat beside her new friend definitely looking like he could hurt someone if he wished to. _It wouldn't hurt to show them that a Schnee can be sociable as well._

* * *

 _The feline friend_

* * *

 _This is just GREAT!_ The excitement bounced inside her as she looked at her new friend. With her hair done up loosely in a bun, the elegant woman looked like the picture-perfect image of a Schnee, with her eyes glinting with that faint hint of mysterious intent.

 _Even if Ghira growls at me later on... I don't mind having a new friend. Just having Faunus as friends is so limiting... Oh, Blake... You should be making human friends too. Mother worries about you, little kitten._ Her thoughts were full of excitement, as the first models started to make their way over the catwalk, their dresses elegantly arranged over their features.

"Ooh, that one would look nice on you, miss Schnee." The woman faintly smiled, those blue eyes looking over the model. _She's a bit too stiff and formal... but I don't think that she's all that bad. I mean, Ghira can look like he's about to rip the bed apart when he gets in those grumpy cat moods... but Kali's always around to cheer her grumpy widdle panther up, yes!_

The woman leaned towards her. "Just call me Es." _Ooh! That's short for Schnee, isn't it? I know things!_ The smile was barely restrained. "Kali..." Her husband's voice was warning, her gaze looking up. "Aww, Ghira... She's smiling!" The cheerful nature that had taken a hold of her was something that she could hardly stop.

The bodyguards that sat behind her and next to her looked like they were ill at ease, Kali's sharp ears detecting the faint beeps of their equipment. _Those are awfully serious looks on their face. Let's see if I cannot reschedule their day a little._ "How about you and me go to the hair salon together? We can bond through getting a new hairstyle!" The excited voice of hers was barely at a tone louder than speaking, yet a few shushes were given from around them.

"A new hairstyle?" The woman pulled one of her white locks out in front of her, looking at the hair for a moment. Kali saw this as her chance. "Ghira, the old grumpy cat, doesn't like it when he's forced to sit and wait whilst I get my hair done. No offense, but sometimes hairdressers do not manage to quite skim the ears." _Now THAT is a smile._

Misses Schnee smiled faintly. "I would imagine that it would be a little different for the Faunus, yes." She said, polite and cool. _I just want to take her home and show her all the different styles that we've come up with in Menagerie._ "Kali, you've got that look on your face again." The man said to her, her gaze looking back at him and giving a devious grin. "Now now, I don't think that I'm planning something wicked..."

"She's planning something. Be on your guard." Her husband's voice cautioned Miss Schnee, who raised a delicate eyebrow. _Aww, spoilsport. I never get to invite girlfriends around the house because 'it is our home, not a tea salon'. I always have to go out to visit them... but I guess that is the fate of the Chieftain's wife._ "Whatever she is planning, the Schnee are well-prepared for all eventualities."

She couldn't help herself, giggling softly at the way that the woman had delivered that, so stiff and formal that expression that the giggles just kept on coming. _Prepared for everything, eh?_ The thoughts rampaged through her mind as she laid a hand on the Schnee's, giving a soft squeeze. "We're going to make you bad-ass, Miss S." The woman's smile was genuine, that much she could see.

 _Sometimes, you need a friend who doesn't judge you for what you are or who you are._ The woman's eyes, which had been calm and collected before, seemed to have a warmth in them now that was hard to banish from them, the smile that lingered on those lips soft and womanly, without even the mere hint that it was fake. _It must be lonely when you've got that much money… And a husband who leads the company._

There was a spark inside her now, a spark of friendship and something more that welled up. _Aww, she just needs a friend!_ The smile she had on her face was genuine as well. The more friends she had, the closer that they could get to all living in harmony together. _This is the world you'd want, Ghira. Humans and Faunus working together in harmony, against the Grimm._

They got up at the same time when the show was done, the Schnee matriarch purchasing two dresses for her own to wear, generously suggested by Kali. _And she even bought me one! She's such a sweetheart._ "Kali?" Her husband's voice reached her ears as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Yes, darling?" She murmured, her voice soft, near-inaudible for most human ears. "I've got to leave. That appointment is scheduled after the show here was done. Will you be alright with her?" The care that he showed her was one of his best parts, as she pressed herself against his larger body. "Of course, honey. I'll be getting my hair done. Why don't you let Artoni guard me? With him and the Schnee bodyguards, there'll be nothing that could happen to us." The man motioned for the bodyguard to come close. "Guard her with your life."

"Of course, Chieftain Belladonna." The young man said, his weapons holstered, yet there was no sign of him not being the professional man that he was. "Shall we be off?" She asked the Schnee Matriarch, who got her bag, the bodyguards around her sharing a look. "Miss Belladonna, I'm afraid that-" One of the bodyguards started, yet the woman raised a hand. "Indeed, let's be off. I'm curious as to what you might have in mind."

 _Yes! She's going for it!_ The bright grin on her face was something that seemed to never be far off, her teeth showing, the little mental cheer that she did not being something that she showed too vocally. _This is going to be GREAT._

Her daughter and husband were such sourpusses when it came to shopping. Blake was interested in dresses for a while when she was younger, yet she started thinking more about Faunus Rights after witnessing a rally led by her father. _She never really did go dress shopping with me. Let's change that. Mommy is gonna make you get a LOT of dresses, Blake. My kitten should not be wearing the same outfit for the rest of her days unless it is armour._

Tai-Fun Shan's hair boutique was the place where they had their next destination. Having hooked her arm through the Schnee's, she had nearly dragged the woman over in her exuberance, Kali's good mood showing through in the chatter that she made. "And we all went and had a picnic. Little Blake was so precious, looking at the tuna sandwiches as if they were all made out of gold and went 'Mama, give me the holy sandwich!'."

The woman smiled at that, her eyes showing her amusement. "My eldest was trouble when she was young in equal measure. She was so worried about going to school for the first time that she said 'Can't I stay home? Weiss needs me to care for her.'. Why, seeing a four-year-old look at me with such a look... It was truly adorable." _She sounds like she's a good mother, at least._

The news about the Schnee Dust Company's matriarch had been sparse, yet Kali knew at least from the tabloids that there had been some incident involving alcohol in the woman's recent history, the woman who she was walking with right now not having a single hint of liquor remaining in her scent. _Sometimes, the news exaggerates things a little too much._

"Tai-fuuuun! It's meeeee!" She shouted, a bear Faunus poking his head up. "Kali Belladonna! Why, I haven't seen you in six years!" The man moved faster than his girth would show to be possible, the Schnee matriarch letting go of her arm, turning to one of her bodyguards. "Get me something to drink. Light on the stomach." The man nodded and jogged off to one of the nearby street markets, no doubt to fulfil his mistress' command. _They must be used to following her orders._

"So, who's your friend?" The bear Faunus asked, the Schnee Matriarch stiffening a little. "White. White Snow." The burly man nodded, offering his hand. "Atlesian, eh? Welcome to my boutique. Kali's been a firm customer for over thirty years now! Cut her hair the first time myself, she was looking like a little jungle cat back then." The Schnee matriarch shook the hand politely, retracting it. "So, new friend?" He asked her then, eyes flickering to the woman who straightened herself out a little.

"Yes. We met today and we hit it off well. She even bought me two dresses!" The excitement bubbled out from her, as the bear Faunus nodded. "Guess that it'll be a good treatment for the two of you! Alright, get yourself seated, Miss Snow." The bear Faunus pointed to one of the chairs, the woman striding over. "And who're the gentlemen?"

"We are bodyguards for Miss Belladonna and her guest." Artoni spoke, Kali hearing a hint of distrust through it. "Another of Miss Snow's bodyguards is fetching her something to drink." The bodyguard chose that moment to return, giving the bear Faunus a look. The ears atop his head twitched for a moment, as the man met that gaze before turning to the Schnee Matriarch again.

"So, Miss Snow, eh? What'd you want to have me do to your hair?" The man's hands immediately went to work, loosening the bun and letting the hair go free. _That's a lot of hair she's got there. No wonder she wears it in a bun._ Kali settled herself into one of the other chairs, just watching for a moment. "You could colour her hair? Maybe make a few stylistic changes?"

"My hairdresser back in Atlas would never even suggest such a thing, you know?" The Schnee matriarch, under her assumed name of 'White Snow', which seemed to be something of a joke with her, spoke up, the bear Faunus giving a soft bark of laughter. "Atlesians are so stuffy at times! You've got to change with the fashion, give your hair a new look! How'd you like to have auburn red hair, Miss Snow? I've got a good hair dye that'll last you a while. Easy to apply too." The man's fingers brushed through that mass of hair. _Red would look a little different on her. But maybe..._

The woman's lips formed an enigmatic smile. "Perhaps it would be for the best if I strayed from the usual white... But red is not really my colour." The bear Faunus gave a sound in the back of his throat as he combed through it. "White lily extract shampoo?"

"You would be right, it is that." A whistle came from the bear Faunus' mouth as he combed through the hair. "Expensive. Rich and famous girl, aren't you?" _She's pretty much one of the richest people in Remnant. You don't know whose hair you are combing, Tai-Fun... But I guess it's okay. Customers are customers._

"I'm pretty sure that my daughters would be horrified to hear me being called a girl." The response from the women was calm and delivered well, the bear Faunus giving a sound that seemed half-caught between a growl and a laugh. "Forgive me, I thought you would be like Little Kali over here. She's only f-" Kali's voice cut through his next words. _Oh no, he's not going to spoil my age to her! A lady's got to make sure that she looks her youngest until the hair grows grey!_ "Eternally eighteen, thank you."

"Eighteen, yes." The man corrected, giving a fond smile at her. _You've known me since I was eight, Tai-Fun._ The man's hands wove through the long strands for a moment, looking at the hair. "How old do you think I am?" The Schnee matriarch asked, her voice sounding curious as to the answer. "Thirty-five?" The eyebrows went up. "Oh my... I guess I must have left a few years behind..."

 _She's totally smiling! Yes!_ Kali's happiness was something that bounced and bubbled, her eyes twinkling like little stars as she could feel the burning need to hug her new friend. _This is great! One small step for Faunuskind, one big step for Schnee! Wait, does that make sense?_

"How about... black?" The suggestion slipped from her mouth before she'd get herself under control again. "I mean, you've got white hair, so you might wish to switch to the opposite." The woman's head turned to her direction, a delicate white eyebrow raised, even as she smiled. "I guess black is a good colour. It'll be less noticeable than white, at least... and you can always wash it out, right?"

"Of course. Every dye that we use here is washable with the proper wash." Tai-Fun said, his hands moving through the matriarch's hair gently. _Oh yes, I've heard about that. Some kids who like to colour their hair differently once a week use that to return to their natural colour._

Today was shaping up to be awesome! There were just three days until that speech. "So, how long are you going to be staying in Mistral, White?" She asked conversationally, the woman's mouth opening for a brief moment to answer. _Ooh, I bet she's just here for the fashion... so that means that she'll be leaving in a few days._

* * *

 _Black snow_

* * *

The question was a little sudden, even as the Faunus woman asked it. _Do I really have a reason to stay here much longer? She's a nice woman, fit and with a good sense of humour. I didn't expect that I'd be telling her about Winny's little outburst when I first met her..._

"In two to three days. The fashion week was the original reason why I came here." The Faunus hairdresser made a soft sound. "Black is certainly a colour that I would not mind having, for a short while. White is certainly... conspicuous." _Next to nobody has white as a hair colour in Atlas unless they are advanced in years. It marks me as a Schnee. She might be a Faunus that I enjoy the company of, but what of the others?_

The face of her uncle flashed through her mind, a casualty in the fight against the terrorists. _Blown apart by a bomb... and nothing really left to bury._ The shudder she couldn't repress, taking a quick sip of her drink to mask it. "Yeah, you'd look like one of those Schnee's. An awful lot, they are." The bear Faunus said, even as she stiffened even further. _Jacques does not treat his labour well. Am I blamed for that as well? What would this man say if he knew who I was?_

"Now, don't go and combing them all to one side. The current CEO is not worth much if we can believe the rumours." Kali's voice intruded once more, the feline woman looking at her with a look that cared, as she shifted in her seat. "But Nicholas Schnee was a good man when he was still in control of the company." The hairdresser combed through her hair slowly.

"It just isn't the same anymore. Our brothers brought to heel by such repressive labour practices... I mean... Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to offend." _My face obviously showed something distasteful._ Looking into the mirror's depths, she could see her face, calm and cool and in control, as a Schnee should look. "It is alright. What Jacques Schnee does, is what he does." The use of his name filled her mouth with the taste of vileness, as she sighed deeply. _I suppose that I couldn't avoid thinking of him._

"Yeah, and his daughters..." The bear Faunus sighed, shaking his head. "You look a tad like em, though. Haven't seen a picture of ol' Nicholas' daughter on the broadcasts before, but if you'd be a bit older you'd probably resemble her a lot." _That's probably because I am the Schnee you are looking for. Daddy never really liked the publicity, so Jacques handled that side of the equation for the most part. The world knows Weiss and Jacques the best. My little girl's singing is wonderful... I should've gone to the concert when I had the chance, instead of wasting away._

"Something bothering you?" Her mind snapped back to the happenings right as of this moment, her gaze turning to Kali, who had asked the question. _Yes, I want to see my daughters and give them a hug._ "Just reminded of my daughters. One of them had a concert to sing at nearly a month ago."

 _No recognition._ "Oh, that's fun! Is she able to sing well on her own, or did she have a lot of other singers with her?" Kali's upbeat questions were something that brought a smile to her face. _I can imagine Weiss' look if she was ordered to sing with others. 'Mother, how dare you suggest I need backup vocals! I can do it on my own!'._

Sadness rose to her mind then. _The scar was something that I didn't count on. She had a lot of things to do before Jacques even allowed her to go to Beacon Academy… and I was too wasted to really watch her go. With Winter as well… Missed opportunities._ The thoughts were morose, even as her hair was dampened and some sort of oily thing applied to it. "Now… let's see about you." The hairdresser said, even as she brought the drink to her lips again and drank some more. _Pineapple with a hint of lemon. Not too unpleasant._

Watching Kali's hair get a trimming and a brushing was something that was pretty interesting to see. The audible purring that the feline Faunus did was a curious fact, the bodyguards conversing amongst each other for a moment, the Faunus bodyguard and her own talking about something that she couldn't quite pick up.

As the hair was pulled loose and she could feel the warmth of the hairdryer on her scalp, she looked in the mirror, seeing the once-white hair look a luxurious black shade, falling down her back. "The eyebrows, miss." The hairdresser said, applying a gentle brush of a pencil over the eyebrow and then rubbing the colouring agent into it. _Hmmm, it doesn't sting that badly._ "Why is it that this doesn't sting, Mister Tai?"

"We use all-natural elements to create the dye. It's something that we Faunus make with the aid of some of our traits." The man's ears wiggled a little. "Some Faunus have an ink sac which allows for the production of the traditional dark colour that we have for our dye. _So I've basically had Faunus spit rubbed into my scalp. How marvellous…_

She couldn't feel too upset about it though, as she realized that it would probably be something else, harvested from an entirely more unpleasant source that she'd use daily, without knowing where it came from. _It looks nice, though. Nobody would really recognize me if I wore my hair loose either._ The bun was something to use with her long hair, or else it would get in the way. Hair in her food was one of the things that she personally disliked.

As she left the boutique with her new friend, they could pass for sisters. Her own hair, cut a little shorter than before, falling onto her back now with a shake of the head, looked like a mass of dark ebony wood, Kali's own hair cut in the same style as she'd worn it before, her ears twitching once every while as the woman continued to speak about the things that interested her. _She's a sociable cat. I'd like to meet her daughter sometimes, I'm sure that she'd become great friends with Weiss._

As she laid down on her bed, she laid the scroll beside her, looking at the number that'd been put into it. _She had insisted that I have her number. At least, it isn't like she'd go so far as to-_ A small beeping sound appeared, Kali's face appearing in the icon, with 'ONE NEW MESSAGE' appearing in it.

 _W.E. Schnee, do you wish to open this file?_

She selected the green 'Yes' without really thinking about it, curious as to what she'd get from the Faunus woman. An unsteady camera image appeared before her eyes, Kali's face looking amused as she held it up. "Kali, what are you doing?" _Her husband's voice._ An arm that was pretty hairy and fuzzy laid at her side. "Just sending a good night to my new friend."

The woman turned to the camera again, boldly smiling. The camera seemed to slip from her fingers, a hand grabbing it in a moment. She caught a close-up of a hairy palm, the camera halfway covered, handed back to her. "Thank you." The woman said, giving her husband a smile. _She doesn't really wear much to bed, does she? My..._ Her gaze went down to her own nightclothes. A finely woven thin gown that outlined her body perfectly.

"White Schnee, have a very good evening! Me and Ghira are-" Her husband grumbled something about it being 'Ghira and I', her hand smacking him audibly. "Grumpy cats should be grumpy alone! I'm talking to my friend." A good-natured sound came from the man as she turned back. "Tomorrow will be busy for my husband, so do you want to meet with me at Haven Academy around... say, ten? I've got a few questions to ask, so I would like it if you came with me. We can go and have lunch sometime afterwards if you'd like. Good niiiight!" The camera image faded, even as she seemed to press something on the scroll. "Ghira, move over! I can't snuggle you if you're acting like that. Let me put the scroll aside." There was a pause, as the Scroll was set down apparently. "You've still got the recording button on." The man said, the file stopping after that. _That's awfully sweet of her to do so._

She pulled the menu up with a flick of the fingers, putting the record button on. "Thank you for your message, Kali. I hope you'll have a great night tonight and I will see you tomorrow at ten." _That works well enough._ "Thank you also for... today. It was fun getting to know you." She closed the recording and pressed the SEND button, seeing the twirling symbol of the Schnee family as it was sent and received by her scroll.

It was only as her mind switched towards the sleep mode that she realized that she'd stopped being lonely after meeting with the two Faunus. _It had been fun, talking with someone else who didn't expect me to be a Schnee all the time._

 _The Beast_

"Are the preparations ready?" The voice spoke, darkness shrouding most of his features. "Of course, commander. We have prepared all according to your standards, briefed the recruits on their mission and how to accomplish it." The lieutenant said, his bulky frame holding the sign of his ancestry, a pig's tail sticking out from his pants.

"Good. Make sure that it is completed without fail. It is crucial for our cause that we succeed." The words were spoken with a directness that would stalwartly cause worry within most natural speakers, as the blade was pulled out of its sheath, red and glistening in the light that fell onto it from the lighting above them.

"Your will shall be done, Commander." The pig Faunus said as he ambled back towards the recruits, starting to bark orders at them. The man in the shadows grinned, as his blade was put back into its sheath, a picture pulled out from his pocket, taken a while ago. A brunette Faunus stood leaning against one of the walls, her hands on her weapon, the summer dress that she wore looking innocent.

"You'll be mine. All of you will be mine." His voice was softer than a whisper, his mouth moving according to the words, yet the intent behind it was there. _Nothing can stop me from taking you back, Blake. Not your parents, not your friends... You will know why you were mine from the day that you became my student._

Adam Taurus grinned in the shadows, his mask hiding his eyes from sight. _All mine..._ The picture merely stared back at him with the innocent sweet smile that Blake had when it was taken. Before him, the recruits lined up to take their weapons.

* * *

 **So... We've got some more plot lined up for you all to enjoy. A meeting between Schnee and Belladonna. Kali being adorable. Lady Schnee being... sort of defrosting.**

 **I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think of it.**


	11. The Carmine Attainment

**Chapter 11: The Carmine Attainment**

 **Author's Note: People seem to be confused as to whether Jaune is the main character. He is. The other perspectives and people are there to outline that the world of Remnant does not move around the characters of team RWBY and JNPR. Please keep in mind that because we don't see certain characters, that they do nothing. Team PRWN will be featured in the next chapter.**

* * *

 _The bloodied and battered hero_

* * *

The camp laid behind him, the bag slung over his shoulder carrying the scraps that he had scavenged from the camp. His mood was better now, even though his body still ached. _"You will feel better soon. Your aura is like a formless ocean of strength that you can pull from."_ Summer's voice spoke up, her words not registering properly to his mind.

 _That doesn't mean that I'll feel better now._ He thought as he shifted the bag a little on his back. A loose shirt that he'd scavenged from one of the bandits' homes had been worn, a set of spares brought as well. _I should've gotten some underwear as well._ The normal thought was not so normal to him now as he recalled those flashes of memory connected to the deaths he had caused. _They were so terrified as they fought for their life. They had no chance to make it out alive._

He had seen the devastation that HIS Grimm had caused in the mine. The people that the bandits had mining the Dust had been torn apart, nature's wrath condensed in crystal form shimmering still from the way that they had it stacked up, their deaths being mostly by being torn apart. It was not something that he had been able to keep his stomach's contents safe inside his stomach about. _Another atrocity that I've caused. As if the bandits weren't enough._

The road that he travelled along would lead him towards one of the villages nearly six days out, he'd roughly calculated. With some of the vehicles that had been left in the bandit camp, he undoubtedly would have been there faster, yet he knew that he would likely be unable to bear the motion sickness if he went faster than the average pace. Most of them had been ruined in the attack anyways, the Grim merciless in their rampage through the settlement. _I never really liked the way that they make things go so fast..._

His back held two backpacks, one containing the goods that he'd pilfered, a fresh change of shirt and pants, just in case that he'd have to switch, as well as some painkillers that he could use to pepper himself up a little.

 _"Jaune, I want you to know that no matter what... I'll always be there."_ Summer's voice continued to try to reassure him, even though he felt it differently than she did. _"I don't know, Summer. I am... wrong."_ The assumption was something that he could only feel was just. _I'm something that shouldn't exist. I can control the Grimm... give them flesh by using the Vitae Tenebris._

Patterns and designs for Grimm flashed before his mind, moulds that had been crafted by Her for maximum potency, varied through their various evolutions that Her will had brought. _A menagerie of monsters, all unveiled before me._ The species of Grimm that he knew about were more than would be known by any scholar of the Grimm. Several species had never ventured out of Her domain, their existence layered by their subterranean life, where their bodies would never ever find the light of the surface world, continuing to move and aid the forces that She deployed. _A terrible army, ever-shifting... ever evolving._

The terror that he could feel in the souls of people was just the first of the traits of the Grimm that he had adopted, as if by the design of the will of Her. _Am I Grimm or am I Jaune?_ The question came, yet his answer was immediate - _I am Jaune._

There was no doubt about it. He could remember when he had broken his leg after falling from a tree, the worries of his family having been high at that time, the cast having been something marked down by everyone. It had been a moment when he had felt small, like he was but a baby bird that had a need to fly out into the wild world, yet had not grown fully to spread his wings. _Those memories cannot be fake. I have lost an arm._

His gaze went to the arm that had been constructed out of _vitae tenebris_. Lacerations that Ruby Beornir had layered upon it had faded as if they had never been after he had come to his mind again after that night. _Summer would no doubt think of me as a greater monster if she knew that I thought like this._

As the sun bore down on his head, he could see the mountainous terrain change a little, as the trees grew sparser. With where the camp had been built, it was no surprise that the terrain would change rapidly afterwards. The mountains that were around the vicinity offered enough shade and comfort for bandits to roam without the prying eyes of whatever airship came over. _There was a good reason why they've bunkered down there. The Dust was one, but the location also allowed them to have a greater range._

Thinking about bandits and their habits left him with a bad taste in his mouth, even as the song of birds came ever louder. _Another three hundred miles until the next settlement... If I do about 50 miles in a day, I should be able to get there in six days._

 _"You are sure about walking, are you?"_ Summer's voice piped up once again, her tone rather amused, as if he had done something funny for her. _"I have horrible motion sickness. Dad's got it worse. He gets sick if he travels so badly that there's no reason for him to ever wake up during one of the drop-offs that he has."_

 _"If we find someone who has a vehicle and who is willing to give you a ride... Would you take that offer?"_ She asked suddenly, the question sounding quite strident. _Why is she asking me this? "I'm decent if other people drive and I've not eaten much... But I did throw up over Yang's shoes on the airship to Beacon."_ A giggle came from the woman, as if everything were alright. _"I don't think she liked that very much."_

The face that Yang had made had been one of ill tidings for him, even as she'd gone to clean her shoes up. It had been his fault for forgetting that he was bad with transportation, the excitement had been too much for him to realize that he would need a ride on an airship in order to get to the school. _I probably made a mess, both literal as well as figuratively, of my chances. Pyrrha at least was a nice girl who doesn't blame me for my weaknesses._

The thought of Pyrrha brought a watery smile to his lips, even as he continued along. Her training regimen was something that he had tried to emulate, in order to ensure that he would improve. _Goodwitch never did have much of a kind word to say about it. It was as if she knew that I'd forged my credentials to get into Beacon._

Beacon Academy students were allowed to maintain their own weaponry, paid for by the school's budget. As long as it was not too outlandish in cost, the weapon could be fixed with an expert's guidance. _Ruby always suggested that I look into getting a ranged weapon. Crocea Mors was just stab-slice and block._

His thoughts were lighter now than before, the heavy burden gone from his shoulders as if he had been cleansed of them, his guilt pushed away by the thoughts that were happier in nature. _Now... In order to return to Vale, I will need to travel to Haven._ _"Summer?"_ He asked the woman, whose voice replied immediately. _"Yes?"_

 _She's really Ruby's mother. She even sounds the same as her daughter. "First to Haven, then to Vale, right?"_ The sound of acknowledgement in a _"Yup!"_ came from the woman. _I should rationalize this._ He continued along the path, leading towards the closest settlement, his steps feeling a little lighter. _Whatever I am... I'll be alright. I've got to do what is right..._ The thought warred inside him, as his mood sank.

 _Even if I have to kill every obstacle in my path._ The images of carnage flashed before his mind, the people who he had slain appearing there, as the Grimm had been without pity and mercy for them. _Sometimes... Sometimes you have to kill in order to live._ His wounds were the proof of the fact that not everyone could be trusted, that there were bad people out there who would do anything to hurt him.

His mind touched the primitive minds of several of the Grimm around him, ensuring that he would have some company in the background, even if they were not in sight. _I won't ever be caught unaware again. Even if I have to keep a guard of Grimm around me... I won't be stopped._

* * *

 _The fading fury_

* * *

Summer Rose appeared in the shadows that were cast from the campfire that he had built, the roasting rabbit that hung on a stick having been gutted and prepared according to her instructions. _Silly boy, not really knowing how to tough it out... I guess that's why he's just a first-year student. They aren't supposed to know about that yet, I believe._

She sat down opposite of him, the scandalous clothing that she wore were a terrible mismatch, yet she knew that it would not really matter much in the scheme of things. _It's better than being naked. Not that I've got much shame left, mind you... but I just don't want people to see me who know me._ "Jaune?" She spoke up, her silver eyes meeting with his red and blue ones, his gaze lifting up from the roasting rabbit.

"Yes?" His voice came and she suppressed a shudder. _Tough it out, Summer. It's time that you bring him up to speed with his body._ The smile on her lips was half-fake, half-real. "We should train after you've eaten."

He held up the skewer that he'd made from a sharpened twig, as she'd instructed him to. "You want something?" _Aww, he has some manners._ "I'm summoned by you, Jaune. I don't think I need to eat anything." _I haven't felt hungry ever since he took me in. It is..._

She sighed deeply, shaking her head. Thinking about some things hurt her mind, as if the thought seemed to be forbidden by her mind from fully realizing into being. "Indeed, we should train afterwards." He got up slowly, letting her get a good look at his build. _Muscles are still a little faint in definition, needing more definition._ Her gaze was not like most women though, as she merely looked at the shell of what she had to work with.

 _Less definition than Tai-Yang when he started, yet with a solid build. A weapon that is able to utilize his strength would suit him, the two-handed sword he wields a temporary measure at best._ Her interest in weaponry was as much as she needed in order to ensure that the weapons would be of use to the wielder, the rigorous training that she and Team STRQ had been doing having been a mix of her and Tai's exercise programs.

Standing opposite of him, she took his measure, her swords held in the simplest of striking positions. "Jaune, the first thing that you need to remember is the centre of your mass." She said as she swung her swords clumsily, overextending herself a little in order to show him. Only through her rigorous training did she keep her balance, even as he would have tripped before long.

"There is no such thing as a perfect strike, a perfect stab or a perfect slice. Put those thoughts out of your mind immediately." Her voice was strict as she spoke, returning to the default position, one blade raised with the other pulled back, a style that utilized the dexterity of the wielder to stab and parry. _'You look like a pirate, mommy!'_ Little Yang's voice came to her remembrance, as she thought back to the last time that she'd been able to take this stance, in the evening before she went on her mission.

 _Mommy is training another now, Yang. It will be a while before you can see her again._ She wanted to see her daughter and her stepdaughter at least once. _I want to see how much you've grown, Yang. I want to see how you and your sister are becoming the huntresses that your mother and I were... and to succeed us as even better huntsmen._

He stood before her with his sword raised in the manner that he had been coached in, her gaze looking at the way that he gripped the blade. A Beowolf moved around their camp, one of their silent accompanying bodyguards. _Their presence still gives me the creeps. It's just not natural._

"Take a step forward and raise the blade." She said, her voice snapping to his mind. He took a step forward and raised the blade. "Not too much! You're giving the enemy a chance to stab you in the front. A little. Try again." Her eyes followed him as he took another step, his blade raising once again. "That's enough. Take another step. Chop down." He did as asked, the blade dipping a little lower than before.

"Bit too far. You need to make sure that you can sweep it up." The commentary seemed to frustrate him, his face showing that emotion, even as she could feel it. _He's upset that he doesn't manage to do that, despite my instructions._ Her eyes took in his form and she spoke. "Again. Step forwards, lift. Then step forwards and chop. Another step and raise.

It would seem clumsy to the people who watched it from a distance, yet she knew that with a solid grounding in the basics, he could be improvising on the fly. _His power over the Grimm allows him to call for reinforcements wherever he is in the wilds. If that spooky lady finds out that he can, he will be hunted... but only if she finds him._

The knowledge of the lady who controlled the Grimm had been sparse, Ozpin only alluding to her presence, even as he had been instrumental in sending her out to that fateful mission. Huntsmen died a lot when defending the innocents from the Grimm, yet she had been the cream of the crop, one of the best, as well as the one who could be utilized against the horde of Grimm with the power of her silver eyes.

 _A lot of good they did when that bastard amputated my arms and legs._ Her anger rose in her gut, as she remembered being locked in that cylinder. _How did I survive? I should not have survived, yet I did..._ The thought was chilling, yet she thought not too much on that subject. Whatever dark sorcery had been used... she was free of that now. _Or at least, I hope that I have not slid from one situation into the other._

Her stance changed once again, for his benefit. "Like this." She grabbed one of the blades with both hands, doing the same motions as he had, the blade cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter, a visible trail of energy left behind, as the blade raised once more, in order to block. "Repeat after me." She said, her voice demanding nothing but that her command would be followed.

He followed after her in the movements, his blade chopping through the air, working through the pattern. With his bigger blade, his motions were a little clumsier, even as the steel in her hands weaved like a baton through the air, as light as a feather to her as she wove the motions together into the dance that she had practised a thousand times. Qrow had been fond of using his Scythe's blade modus in order to keep his opponents on their toes, so she had practised against him a lot. The unfortunate happenings that continued to happen had been something that she had accepted because he could not help it. _It sucks to have a semblance that causes bad luck._

The moon rose slowly in the sky as the young man trained under her supervision, the red eyes of the Grimm lighting up in the vicinity around them. With their dark pelts, they were hardly noticed in the darkness, their bodies moving without much sound accompanying it. _Beowolves, Ursa..._ The range of creatures that he could control seemed to be limited, yet that might grow with time.

 _There should be something of a system to his abilities. Whether it is merely to obtain their loyalty through some trick or to merely suffuse them with his will..._ The thoughts on Semblances was starting to let her mind drift to the one that she was supposed to have. _I never found out what mine was. Years of searching, from when they unlocked my Aura to the moment when I was captured... and nothing really happened._

It was a personal slight that she had never been too content with. Out of every member of her team, she had been the one that excelled in martial might, able to fight everyone to a standstill, even if they came at her with their best skills. _Even Raven quaked when I said that we were going to do team exercises._

She was unaware of it but a savage smile appeared on her lips, something that would never be at home on the kind woman's face, her gaze drifting to Jaune once again. _This one seems to have a semblance around his Aura... Possibly with the Grimm as a summoning mechanism._

"Try and summon a Grimm." She said suddenly, his eyes looking at her with doubt and confusion. "Are you sure that you want me to do that?" He asked, his voice doubtful as he looked around uncertainly. A Beowolf poked its head out of one of the bushes, looking at her with a look that was decidedly less healthy for her continued existence, should he give the order to attack. _He's got them obeying his commands. Jaune... If I..._

"No, not one of those present... Try and make some Grimm appear from thin air. Use that black stuff." The 'black stuff' that she spoke of sent shudders through her body, that ever-bubbling mass of liquid leaving filthy traces in her mind. _That's the spookiest and creepiest stuff that I've ever seen..._

A moment later, his inhuman arm rose and a Grimm rose from the ground, created from shadows itself, the Beowolf raising its head and looking right at the two of them. The spines that grew from its body held curved hook-like ends, made to rip and tear with just a simple pass-by, its bone-white mask holding its twin eyes, a symbol etched upon it that seemed to be like twin arcs, a dull golden colour on it. _Is that a personal crest?_ The thought was banished as he panted, his eyes looking at his creation. _Is he exhausted?_

"That took out a bit more than I thought." The Beowolf looked curiously at him for a moment, Summer's gaze burning. "Try summoning three more." She said, his head nodding. The veins on his arm bulged, as they seemed to engorge with that black blood flowing through it, a vile creation wrapping from the ground's shadows into reality, splitting into two. _They seem to come from shadows... so that means that he is using the darkness around him to control the Grimm..._

Her tactical acumen was one of the reasons why she had been selected as a leader for her team, her eyes looking over Jaune as he stood there, his face looking a little drawn, his eyes meeting hers. "Jaune, you've got nothing to worry about." She tried to comfort him, as he seemed to take her compliment at face-value, her eyes meeting his own, doubt and something that she thought seemed to be pride appearing in them.

"You control these Grimm." Her eyes went to the four Grimm that he had conjured. From their appearance, she could figure out that they were the heavy melee type, enough for most seasoned Huntsmen to take on with some difficulty. _Those muscles look like they'd block small arms fire... and the bony plates that grow seem to cover the vital points well. What sorts of horror have you crafted, Spooky lady... if this is what he can conjure up?_

"I just made them. I mean... I took the template and altered it a little." The sheepish laugh that he gave was something that only lent more confusion to her feelings, as whatever passed for her blood ran cold. _This is his own imagination?_ The look of horror in her silver eyes was no doubt picked up by him, as he came closer. She shrank away as if he were a particularly venomous Grimm that held contact poison to its skin. "Don't be afraid..." He said, voice sounding hurt, his hand grabbing her shoulder. Warmth flooded her body as she realized that indeed, she felt fear.

 _A huntress should not feel fear..._ The thought cut off, as she looked into his eyes. The red eye seemed merciless, pitiless and without any sort of emotion to guide it, his eyes holding only the warmth for it there. "I'm not afraid." _I am. By the Gods, I am afraid of what you can do if you go bad._ The admitting of that took some time, as she no doubt showed her fear.

"You are... I can feel it." _He can feel it?_ The look of the Grimm evoked within her that primal fear of being so close to such a dangerous threat, without being able to defend herself against its attack.

"You are terrifying." She said at barely higher than a whisper, her voice sounding fragile. Those eyes did not seem to comprehend why her fear was so high, even as the creatures stood there, like remnants of the past that had come to life. A shudder wracked her form, as he seemed not to understand the wrongness of the situation. _Please... Please..._

"Ah... I'm sorry." He turned towards the Grimm and in a flash, they turned into shadows and smoke, returning to his body. _So easy..._ The voice inside her mind said, as she looked at the smoke curling around him, his body untarnished by the way that he seemed to be. His eyes held nothing but that warm amusement in them, as she could feel only the trembling go through her body, the feeling not ceasing, even with his dismissal of the Grimm.

"To control them..." He seemed to speak fondly as if it were merely a memory of happier times, revelling in that power of his. _Who would not be entranced with that power to control the bodies of the Grimm? It is a power beyond what humans are able to take..._ The thought darkened her mind as she looked into his eyes, her silver eyes burning with the need to burst into flame, to stop his dark machinations and to plunge the sword into his heart. _It is evil what he is doing... The tales always told of that dark shadow that lurked in the background, ever shadowing the world... but I know..._

"Jaune, you want to be a hero, right?" She said, her voice sounding pinched and tiny, as if her breath was only at the faltering point, her eyes meeting with his own. The feeling of dissent within her mind was there, with her body frozen as it was, his shoulder-grip loose, not threatening at all, yet Jaune Arc seemed not to notice the effect that he had on her. _With his will, he led a horde of Grimm to the camp of the bandits and massacred them all..._

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, feeling the warmth of his skin against hers, holding onto him in that emotional impulse. "Of course. No matter what people will say, I will make sure that as many people will make it to the end of their days. I became a huntsman in order to become a hero."

 _Then be the hero that you can be and kill yourself._ The dark thought rose in her mind as she looked up, silver meeting crimson and blue yet again. "Then be the best hero that you can be and only use your powers to protect the innocent, yes?" _I cannot materialize during the daytime... Yet I know that he will fight during the daytime._

The thought of him summoning Grimm in order to defend himself was something that brought distaste to her mind at the mere concept, the innocent people that died every day due to the Grimm attacks at the walls of Vale having been a driving force of her own decision to become a Huntress. _Jaune... You are a problem to me._

"Summon three more Grimm." She said, girding her heart for the inevitable rush of vileness. His hand spread out, the veins surging once more with the icky ichors that he held within him, three Beowolves appearing, different once again. Their spines formed a mesh of rows, like interlocking armour that was able to move. "I did a bit of variation with their spines. They can unfold and be able to snare things, y'see." As if to demonstrate, the Grimm's spines shot up, wriggling around like demented eels, a shudder going through her body. _With just some creativity, he could be a real threat towards the world._

"How is the feeling? Does it hurt you to summon them?" _It should hurt. He doesn't look so good._ The look on his face was a little doubtful, as he looked at the Grimm that he created, his evil arm giving a twitch. Three more Beowolves sprouted from the shadows, their spines in the regular Beowolf configuration.

"It feels..." He trailed off, his eyes growing clouded as his gaze rested on the Beowolves that he had created. _Please..._ Her hopes felt like they were going to plummet as his face looked at his creations and a nod came. "It feels easier to create them now, even though the drain is the same. As if I just needed a little push." _Oh no..._

The hope plummeted into the pit of her stomach, her eyes watching as he turned to her. "Thank you for trying this out with me. I know that it doesn't look good right now... But I swear that I will make sure that they will only find the bad guys." _That doesn't fill me with hope and confidence, Jaune... It takes but one little push to draw you over the edge, to make you sink into that pit of despair..._

 _I'll try my best._ "Dispel them all. Create an Ursa." _Even if I am teaching you the skills to ruin this world forevermore..._ A grim look came over her face as he stretched his hand out and an Ursa rose from the shadows, sweat appearing on his face. _I will make you into a Huntsman, even if I have to end you myself as you stand upon that dangerous precipe when the spooky lady is finally defeated._

* * *

 _The white queen_

* * *

 _I should definitely have packed a set of shades when I decided to come here._ She thought as she stood at one of the booths in front of Haven Academy, her fingers perusing a magazine that she'd bought. The latest trends in Huntsman fashion did not really bring much to her mind, save for the styles in fashion. _Weiss is a huntress in training now... I wonder if she would mind getting something that I ordered for her._

The wait for Kali was something that she had only borne with because of her own sensibilities. "Ma'am, are you sure it is wise for you to wait for... one of those?" One of her bodyguards said, trying to appeal to her sensibilities. She sniffed, her eyes meeting with her bodyguard's shades. "I do not seem to recall ever being at odds with the Faunus, save for the fact that some of them would rather see me in the grave than hale and healthy." _I don't have a problem with the Faunus. Jacques created this situation himself by paying for Faunus labour under the going price... and locking them into servitude and debt._

"Whiiiiite!" The shout from the excitable Faunus woman came loudly as she approached, the good cheer in which the woman seemed to be definitely hinting at something good having happened. "Sorry that I'm late, there was a bit of traffic in the pathways leading up." _I can imagine. I got up at seven for once in order to make it on time._ The dark hair definitely gave her the appearance of being somewhat different. Of course, with the proper skill at hairdressing, her hair would be pristinely white again, yet... To go back to the white colour that had been through her family line for generations was to once again acknowledge that she was a Schnee.

"No problem, I wasn't waiting for a long while anyways." She folded the magazine, tucking it into her bag and then giving the Faunus woman a smile. "So, off to Haven Academy. Did you ever have training in how to become a Huntsman, Kali?" She tried to be conversational, like how regular people were. It did not sit well with her to use such... common language.

 _I don't think she ever received instruction but with some people, you don't see it from their outward appearance._ Kali smiled gently. "No, I never really had to go and learn how to fight. I was born in a small village in Mistral, you see..." Her own smile was definitely more radiant than most smiles she gave to her 'friends' back in Atlas, as she walked with the Faunus woman, who started to tell the tale of how she grew up in the frontier, going to Mistral city at age five and running into Ghira at age twelve. _If only I had been so lucky. I could have had friends, compared to travelling with daddy to every damn Dust mine that the company found._

She didn't hold it against her father at all. He was a man who held some values in high regard, mainly dealing with the exploitation of the mines, ensuring that the workers got their rest and their health and safety gear. Often, in the low-light conditions, Faunus workers had gotten paid more than the average humans, due to their night-vision. It was one of the first things that her husband had axed when he had been installed as the corporate executive officer of the Schnee Dust Company, after which the wages went down slightly to adjust to the budget. It had been a good move, yet it had not endeared him to the company at all.

"So, what about you?" Kali asked, grinning at her newly made friend. Without any reason for it, she started to speak about her personal life. "I was raised around Remnant's Dust mines. My father, Nicholas Schnee, pioneered the Dust Fracking Technique, which is still in use by the Schnee Dust Company, to hit the Dust and ensure that it can safely be transported towards a processing facility."

"Ah, the life of a traveller." Kali said as if that was something to be proud of. _It's a lot of dusty mines and constant swearing around you._ She smiled softly. "Not so much a traveller as merely being mired in Dust, dust and itching over your whole body. You wouldn't believe how good a shower felt after you got back to civilisation."

Kali smiled brightly, her bodyguard for the day being the same young man that had accompanied her, Art-something. _I never really remember the names of bodyguards. They change so often..._ "I can imagine. Even in Kuo Kuana we have sandstorms. Menagerie is two-thirds desert, you know." _I've never been to Menagerie but I can believe it._

The Faunus-dominated continent was taboo for the Schnee Dust Company after Jacques had taken the helm. The shipments of Dust were accepted for the defence of the land, yet the Faunus were ill-trusting of the containers that bore the Schnee crest. _Such a shame that it has come to this._

As they walked through the grounds of Haven Academy, they met with several students rushing from class to another, their strides quick, barely giving a glance at the two women as they made their way across the quad and towards the Headmaster's office, housed in the grand hall. The statue that stood before the stairs leading upwards received an appreciative glance from Kali. "Is the statue something you know of?" She inquired, the Faunus woman smiling faintly. "It just looks pretty. A woman holding up the weight of the world... It's almost poetic in how it reflects motherhood." The woman sighed softly, shaking her head. "But I don't think you'd like to be bored by a worrisome tale from a lady such as myself."

 _Come on, you're basically goading me now._ She shook her head. "You have a tale to tell, don't you?"She said with that amused tone showing through her voice. "Yes. Will you listen after we're done with Professor Lionheart?" _It can't hurt. Who knows, it might be something interesting. There is a lot that we in Atlas do not get to hear thanks to the Council's interference._

"Miss Belladonna, it is a pleasure to see you." The headmaster stood up from his desk, the lion tail swishing a little as he stepped, the formal suit that he wore something fashionable... if one were to go back in time ten years or more. _He needs someone to teach him that it isn't a good colour to wear if you're starting to show some grey in your hair._ "Ah, Professor Lionheart, I am truly sorry to interfere with your schedule." The man's jovial attitude seemed to be bright and optimistic, as he brushed it away. "Nonsense, it isn't every day that the Chieftain of Menagerie inquires whether his wife could tour the Academy. We make allowances for those who hold an interest."

 _His words are truthful, yet his face does not seem to be as confident as he shows._ The minute expressions on the man's face were an interesting conundrum, the Feline Faunus giving a warm motherly smile. "Of course, I have not been to Haven Academy myself, so I would not know yet where everything is... Now..." The man guided them to seats in front of his desk, seating himself again, the stacks of paperwork looking as massive as the bookcases that he held at his room's sides. "My daughter, Blake, is missing. I was hoping that you'd have some more information, Headmaster Lionheart." The man gave a kind smile that did not reach his eyes much. "Miss Belladonna, please... It is not the worst thing to be concerned for a daughter. Not at all! Please, call me Leonardo. And you, madam, who might you be?"

"A friend of hers. Esmeralda Snow." Her second name would be useful for this, even though the man's intentions were nebulous. The leverage that could be gained from the wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie and the daughter of Nicholas Schnee being friends was something tremendous. It would upset the political landscape, as far as she knew about politics. _I don't think he'd recognise me without my hair being white, but I am not going to leave it to chance._

"Blake Belladonna, yes?" The man said, as he looked through the papers, scanning the list of names without even a hint of concern. "No student by that name has been admitted to Haven Academy, miss Belladonna." The man seemed to be truly regretful of that fact, even as she herself shifted a little in her seat. "Could you inquire with the other Academies?"

 _She sounds genuinely worried._ The tone that Kali Belladonna took was one that she recognized as the 'worried mother' tone that she had taken herself a few times during those years when there had still been happiness in the household when she had still thought her husband desired and loved her. _Winter was such a tomboy, before the etiquette lessons. 'I don't wanna wear a silly dress! I wanna play with Klein!' She'd always been such a lovely young girl... a woman now._

"Of course I can, Miss Belladonna." The man said, his voice sounding more confident, as this was indeed something that he was capable of. "Would you be willing to have some tea whilst you wait?" The man walked over to the tea set, his tail swishing behind him, his hands pouring out some tea, still hot from the container, the teapot steaming afterwards as he set it down once again. "A cup for you..." The man set a cup in front of her, the smell of cinnamon and jasmine coming from the cup, as he set another before Kali. "And one for you." The man finished, even with his own desk decorated with another cup. "Please, excuse me." The man said as he strode into a side-room, the sound of the door shutting behind him something that was loud in the room. "He's acting a little off." Kali said, her voice sounding a little louder than before.

"I suppose we do look rather intimidating. The great Kali Belladonna, Faunus of renown." She said coyly, giving Kali a smile. The feline Faunus smiled graciously. "There to bedevil and beguile, like the great Ghira Belladonna had once stated." There wasn't much that seemed to slip by the Faunus woman, as she raised the cup of tea. _She knows how to drink in the good style. It seems she's had etiquette lessons._

"What are you planning on doing tomorrow? I was thinking, perhaps we can have dinner together. A bit of a send-off, of eh..." She saw the Faunus think, her eyes twinkling a little, the grooves on her face furrowing a little, as if the cat had gotten an idea. "Faunus and human cooperation, yes." The terms weren't as glowing as they should be, but Kali knew that she would have to leave, so there was that.

"We're leaving in a day's time as well. Ooh, are you heading back to Atlas?" She shrugged. It wasn't like it was a secret. _Of course, this cat seems to have grown attached to me. I simply must invite her to our home. It would be a good PR stunt for the company to have the wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie over for a visit in order to explore the bonds of friendship._ The company would be able to suffer some distaste over the affairs of the Schnee Family's treatment of Faunus, yet it would not do for her to let her family name be smeared by her husband's business practices.

"Likely. Are you going deeper into Mistral?" Kali nodded. "We're stopping by the southern part first. Hey... if you'd like to, perhaps we can go and travel together. It's not like you're readily expected back, right?" _To travel together with the Faunus? Preposterous, under other circumstances._ "If you can personally guarantee my safety."

The other woman smiled cattily. "I'll be scratching my big panther tonight... See whether he's able to arrange for a bit of an escort of us. You've got an escort as well, right? " _Two gunships loaded up with more shells and Dust ammunition than it takes to cull a horde of Grimm. Bodyguards that're outside the room as we speak, with the ability to rise to protect me at a moment's notice._ "Of course. Who do you think I am?"

"My friend, of course!" Came the response. _Don't start to tear up. That's got to be one of the most honest compliments that you've ever received._ She dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief, trying to not mess up her makeup. _Strange, how talking with someone who isn't like the Atlesian noblewomen and businesspeople, could make you feel such emotions. I hope Weiss has friends like Kali, to get her out of her little cage of gilded feelings._

The headmaster returned then, his face bearing a joyous look. His beard looked like it had been freshly combed, his smile showing that he might've found what Kali was looking for. "I've been in contact with Ozpin, despite the late hour over there. I inquired about your daughter, Miss Belladonna. She is safe and sound at Beacon, a member of Team RWBY."

Seeing Kali break out into a smile was worth it, her radiant eyes glowing a little in the manner that feline Faunus did, as she nodded her head. "Thank you, Headmaster Lionheart." The man smiled. "Call me Leonardo. I am not so old as to be referred to merely as a title." His insistence on the usage of his first name was something to put people at ease. _A politician who holds the hearts of the people, dispensing alms to ensure that they will be re-elected._

Her fingers tapped on the desk lightly, the cup set back there after she'd had a taste. "A tour of the academy is still something of a must-see, Miss Belladonna." The man said, a genial smile on his lips. "One does not visit Haven Academy every day, so allow me to be your host for the morning. It will be good to be out of the office for a while."

What followed was a tour of the facilities. Compared to Atlas Academy, with its marble facade and strict dress code, it was more moderate, the grey and dark tones of the uniform looking like it would perfectly match with the style that the place offered. A haven for those who wished to change the world for the better. As they emerged from the entrance and out into the Mistral city life once again, it was Kali who spoke first. "Something to eat, yes. Are you partial to noodles?"

 _I've never had noodles._ "It would be a novel experience, yes." The Faunus woman linked arms with her, dragging her along immediately, leading her towards one of the stalls. _It seems I will have these 'noodles' that she spoke of now._

* * *

 _The shadow games_

* * *

Kali's lips curled back as she laughed, nudging her husband in the side. "Ghira, you absolutely MUST accept her invitation." The woman had been with her new friend for a while, the name that she used frequently seeming to change. _Whether it's White, Esmeralda or whatever, she's still a nice lady! I don't think my people skills are anything less, nope._

The man grumped, his face looking serious once again. "To collude with the Schnee Dust Company in such a manner... It would be seen in a bad light, either way." _So grumpy, so serious... Can't you lighten up and see that it might be for the good if the Schnee comes and escorts us? Schnee and Belladonna working together, without a problem._

"It might be good as well. Two Atlesian gunships as our escort. Sienna couldn't have arranged it any better if she tried." Her voice was sensible as it always was, her eyes pleading with him to take the advice that she offered as if it were the advice that would save his life. _Puppy dog eyes... or rather, cat eyes. One does not mess with Kali Belladonna._

"Alright... If you think it will be beneficial to the Faunus, then I don't see why we should not allow for one of the gunships to accompany us and Lady Schnee towards our first destination." The man's voice was something that held the sternness of his station, even as she melted against him. "My big panther seems decisive." She purred into his ear, her arms wrapping around him.

"I'm just doing what I can to make you happy." He said, even as he looked at the Scroll in his hand. The ringtone started, the icon reflecting the caller's face. "Sienna?" He mumbled, even as Kali peered at the Scroll. "Come on, put that away... I don't want to-" A poke in the side by his hand, a gesture that she was to be quiet. She closed her mouth, pouting a little. _Business is business..._

"Yes, Sienna?" The man asked, even as the camera turned on, reflecting the yellow eyes of the tiger Faunus, her eyes alight under the glow from the scroll. "I will be arriving in Mistral tomorrow. We will travel towards our southern enclave first." The curt words of the woman were enough to make Ghira jolt up, his face looking at her with a look that meant that he had just realized something. "The plan has changed, Sienna." He said, even as she peered at the Scroll.

"Heeeyyy Sienna!" She cheerfully greeted, the tiger Faunus' lips twitching faintly into a smile. _I knew she couldn't resist smiling._ The smile disappeared again after that, as she watched the woman's face change as her husband delivered the news. "We'll have an Atlesian gunship accompanying us, as well as a single airship."

"What is this, Ghira?" The hurt in Sienna's voice seemed real, even as the tiger Faunus' eyes flickered. "I am calling you on my private line, and now you are informing of a change in schedule?" The man looked at his wife, telling her to do some work in convincing the High Leader of the White Fang. "I made a friend, Sienna." The Faunus gave a blank look. _She's getting into a mood again._ "So, she's going to accompany us for a little bit, then continue to Atlas. Don't worry, she's a good person!" _I better not tell her just WHO we will be speaking with. There's a good and solid chance that she'll flip her lid._

The thought of Sienna and White meeting up was something that both was fantastical as well as too fanciful to ever come true. The White Fang, especially their radical component, held no love for humans and especially not the Schnee Family. _The hair dye might have been a better idea than I had thought. Not that it doesn't look good on her, but also to hide her status as the primary heir to Nicholas Schnee._ "And who might that friend of yours be, Kali?" The tiger Faunus was rubbing the bridge of her nose, her eyes closed.

"Esmeralda Snow!" She cheerfully announced, the sound of Ghira smacking his forehead somewhat loud in the room, as she took the Scroll from the man's hand. "She's been with me for a while. We are even having dinner tomorrow in order to seal our friendship! She's this fashionable high-status lady that you'd probably find to be terribly annoying, though." _She always dresses like she's ready for a ball, or some other fashionable event. Her children must be similar in style, though they have more liberties than she does._

"If you are willing to vouch for the fact that we will not get shot down…" The threat hung in the air, the airship that would ferry them to their destination having no armaments, save for some light anti-Grimm defences. Their escorts would be accompanying them from a set distance, yet the terrain was gorgeous. "I promise. Esmeralda is a good woman! I never consort with bad people, you know that, Sienna."

 _Of course, she knows as much. Ghira knows most of my friends and approves of them. Even of the Schnee he will approve, given time._ "If this is what you wish, then I suppose I have no issue with it." Sienna said, clearly mustering the willpower not to give in to her prejudices. _If she could settle down and get herself back on track and together, she would make a wonderful wife to some lucky Faunus man._ The fact that she was close to thirty was enough for Kali to worry a little about her husband's former bodyguard, the way that she continued to live her life as if it were merely something to spend for the rights of Faunus everywhere… it wasn't healthy in the slightest.

"I will see you tomorrow evening at the loading docks for Mistral city." The curt tone of the High Leader spoke, as Sienna was pushed to the background again and the business-like persona came to the front again.

"Until then. I will be there after dinner is concluded." Ghira said, the call shutting down. "Did you really have to do that, Kali?" He said, his eyes looking at her accusingly. She rubbed her fingers over his chest, brushing her fingernails over the flesh. _Mine… All mine._ The selfish little smirk on her face was enough, as she crawled atop him, her lips brushing against his in form of her answer.

The next morning, a shower was definitely required. _I don't know how other women do it, merely having relations with their husband once a month or some-such. I should ask Esmeralda how often she does it with her husband_. _Girl talk. Totally normal._ The way that she continued onward with her thoughts, as the shower pumped out hot water for her to wash herself with, was definitely unique to her.

"You are going to be the death of me sometime, Kali." He said with a growl in his voice, even as he brushed up against her in the shower. "I live to annoy His Grumpiness." She said, turning around and boldly kissing him on the lips. "And I know that the widdle grumpy panther loves his little Kali a lot." The soap was brought over, her fingers brushing it over his body, washing him. _There's no time really for some more entertainment, or else..._ The hot shower was a luxury that she enjoyed, even with the cost of such a high-class hotel associated with it.

"We should get ready for the day. Sienna will be here tonight." _No doubt to go on a little rant about how we are talking to the enemy when a Schnee gunship follows after us._ "Of course, dear." She spoke softly, as she washed him, the spray of the showerhead going through his manly hair. _I'm pretty content with my big cat._

* * *

 _The last supper_

* * *

The evening dress that she wore was like a golden array of straps, covering her body with the rustic pattern of the ancient Mistrali culture, her fingers done in silken gloves that reached up to her elbows, a set of diamond and ruby earrings decorating her ears. Striding comfortably from the limousine, she waited for the bodyguards to catch up, catching the attention of the Maitre d'. "I am looking for the Belladonna reservation?"The man checked the list, as he looked at the names. "I will guide you towards the seat, ma'am." The man was curt and polite, her bodyguards looking suitably irked with the happenstance of their client being in such a venue.

The large form of Ghira Belladonna sat there easily leaning against the back of his chair, his hands resting on his knees, Kali in the process of saying something before her ears twitched and she turned to her. "Whiiiiite. Hi! Come, sit down!" The exuberance of the woman seemed to be more animated than her husband's, whose face seemed to be more grumpy than relaxed at the time being. _He must live a stressed life with such a wife. She seems to have a boundless well of energy inside her._

The man would no doubt be considered an apt leader if he had the patience to bear with his wife's excited antics. "Mister Belladonna, Kali." She said as she sat down, her bodyguards being assigned a table a way's away, their gazes going suspiciously towards the Faunus couple and then to the other patrons of the restaurant, as good members of the bodyguard community ought to.

"It is a pleasure for you to join us." Ghira said politically, his wife nudging his side. "You should go and just say that you're happy you grumpy cat." He gave her a look that seemed to be filled with the emotions that she seemed to have evoked, her smile warm and friendly as she looked at her. "It's a good pleasure for you to join us. You'll be leaving us again soon, but I will try to make it to Atlas when I can." Her gaze went to her husband. "We've got the money for it, yes?" She asked, her husband nodding once. "Of course."

 _They must be some of the richest Faunus on Remnant, with how he is the leader of the Faunus of Menagerie, as well as having some pull with the White Fang._ The news that he was one of the former leaders of the White Fang was nothing too stark for her to believe. The man held a natural charisma of sorts inside him that pulled at people to do as he wished, the man's serious behaviour at odds with his wife's cheerful sociability. _Like a cat and its mate, one aloof and serious whilst the other one merely wants to play and have fun._

"My father often spoke of Menagerie." She opened up, as the first appetizers were served, the Belladonna's already having ordered for her. Kali looked at them, then at her, as if asking whether it had been alright. She took one of them and crunched it between her teeth. _Interesting taste._ They were little folded squares that had a filling of fruit and berry and something else that held a touch more heartiness.

" He has been there a few times, I heard. You would probably know best, but there have been a lot of rumours about the time that you were with him as his daughter." _Curiosity and the cat... My..._ The smile on her lips was warm, as she picked the item from the menu and informed the waiter, the young gentleman nodding once. "I've been pretty much everywhere. Da- Ahem, Father's skills at making sure that his mines were running in the best manner that could be humanly possible ensured that nobody went underpaid." The husband of Kali leaned forwards, leaning against the table.

"Much good has been spoken of Nicholas Schnee." He said, his voice rumbling a little with that manly tone. "As his daughter, you are not regarded as fondly, yet the practices of your husband..." the man trailed off, as she opened her mouth. "Are the practices of my husband. We do not deserve to be hunted down like animals, because some people think we are the root of all evil." The fierceness of her statement was there, as the face of the family that she had lost flashed before her mind.

She was aware that she'd clutched the table sheet a little hard, Kali's eyes going to her and patting her hand gently, in a comforting manner. "We don't think that, dear. An old friend of us is going to be coming with us. Ghira is going to give a speech, to show the Faunus that working together for peace is still the best way." The man looked a little uncomfortable, as he seemed to be embarrassed by his wife's forward admission of what he was going to do. With his eyes meeting hers, she could see his sincerity.

"It gets galling from time to time. My family is already not as big as I would have liked." _A brother and sister would have been nice..._ The thought of her daughters growing up without a mother was a chilling one. _Weiss would suffer the most. Whitley is at least independent enough to know how to survive in the harsh world of business... and Winter is fully grown now._

As the dinner progressed, the Belladonna's having some light wine in order to toast to their friendship, she wondered why she stuck to the juice that she had taken on a whim, her glass still mostly full. _Was it really a conscious choice to forego alcohol? Did I... turn another leaf because I wish to have those days when my mind is not clogged by the thrum of alcohol?_

It was friendly and companionable between her and these two Faunus. There was no social division, no huge overlapping ploy to gain favour. Just an honest feline Faunus, her husband and the cold Atlesian wife of one of the most influential men in Remnant. _I would almost wish that I could... Don't finish that thought. You know what thinking about such things would cause._ The look of Ghira Belladonna was solid, dependable. His eyes showed the love that he held for his wife, even as she seemed absorbed by the way that she thought.

 _Things like this... You aren't eighteen anymore, you cannot engage with a married couple in such a fashion._ The traitorous thought in her mind continued, as it whispered to her. _But what if you offered? What's an evening, hmmm? Wouldn't it be fun?_ Her leg trembled a little at the thought, her mouth dry as she let her tongue scrape over her lips.

"D-do you have anything more to do, tonight?" She inquired, her voice shaking a little. Her gaze went to Kali, then to Ghira. The man shifted a little in his seat, his gaze looking into hers. _Oof, this dress feels a little tighter now._ "I have to meet with an associate, in order to finalize the plans we have for tomorrow's departure. Are you still planning on accompanying us tomorrow?"

"S-sure." She mumbled, her voice sounding like a blushing schoolgirl. Kali's eyes went wide as the smile on her face seemed to broaden incrementally. _Oh... She saw it._ "You can keep Kali company." He said, totally not getting what she was referring to. Kali's eyes went to her husband with a look that was universally known as 'You silly fool!' and then shared a look. "Oh no... I don't think that there is an issue with her accompanying us, I mean..." she said, her teeth visible. "Think of the f-"

"No, Kali. When I meet with our mutual acquaintance, I do not think her temper will be soothed if a human comes along. No offence intended." The man said, his voice stern. "Well... I guess me and her will have to have some fun together, then!" Kali said in a catty manner, her voice carrying a hint of irritation in it. _She wasn't going to be upset? But..._

"Allow me to pay for our meal." She said, her voice sounding solid and steady, nearly an hour later. The warmth in her body had not stopped, even as the husband of her friend continued to speak about such topics. "And go to the ladies' room for a moment. A lady must do her makeup." Kali grinned. "I shall join as well. I've got to help her with her makeup."

The heels she wore clicked on the marble floor as she made her way towards the ladies' room, entering the bathroom and finding not a single hint of another woman, Kali entering after her. "You were hitting on my husband." The woman accused in a serious, deadly tone. _I never knew that she could sound so scary._

Her reflection in the mirror told her of her own face, showing that shocked look, the dark hair that fell sleekly over her shoulder making her look like one of the Dust-mine princesses, women who worked in the Gravity Dust mines often having a deep dark colour in their hair, much like her own.

"Kali, I'm so-" The woman's body moved swiftly and cat-like, her Faunus traits coming through definitely in her agile motions, even as she stepped in close, her arm wrapping around her waist, the woman's lips pressing against her own, surprise running through her as if she had touched a live wire. _What? Is she..._

The kiss was broken a moment later, the woman's Cheshire smirk looking like it would fit her face perfectly. "If you go for the husband, you get the wife for free with it."

 _What? Eh?_ Thought wasn't really a major function as it ran through her mind, the Faunus woman giving her a wink. It was clear that she was in a good mood, for the woman's grin could be called infectious as her own started to grow as well. "I... see." Kali's face flashed with a hint of annoyance. "Now, I may be all for that sort of thing... But my husband is more puritan in his relations."

 _I would imagine that he would be. He does not seem like the person to enjoy having relations with another man's wife... Even though my own seems to have pretty much abandoned the thought of sleeping with me._ The look on her face was telling, her face frowning a little at herself in the reflection of the mirror. "My husband... well, we haven't done it for nearly nine years."

 _Why am I telling her this? Am I that deprived for company that I'm just going to blurt out personal secrets to every Faunus woman there is?_ The look on Kali's face was one of pity and understanding, the woman touching her shoulder. "That's rough. Come, let's 'freshen you up' a bit." The makeup kit was out in a flash, and the Faunus woman started to apply some to her own face before starting to work on her own. _It's a wonder how swiftly this woman can switch between moods._

Emerging from the ladies' room with a fresh coating of powder and lipstick on, she felt more confident and in control, seating herself again with Kali's husband. "I hope your evening will be more than satisfactory, Ghira." Her voice did not quiver, as Kali gave an encouraging smile. "It is a pity that you would not be able to join us, but business always goes first." The polite manner of speech was something that she had used before, the Faunus man nodding once, his understanding of the way of the world different, in the ways of hers. _With age comes understanding, a twisting of the values that we once held to be the truth when we were younger. We weather the storm of our own inexperience and replace it with the bedrock of skill._

As the Chieftain of Menagerie departed, Kali gave him a peck on the lips. "Say Hi to her from me, Ghira." She spoke softly, as he embraced her. _They are so close._ She tried to recall when it had been the last time someone had hugged her, without being prompted to. It was only the remembrance of the hug that she had received from her father at his fifty-fifth birthday, that really sprang to mind. _I haven't hugged my children in years..._ _I must be a failure of a mother._

* * *

 _The fierce feline_

* * *

 _Such a silly grumpy cat._ Kali mused as she saw her husband depart, the bodyguards falling into line as the limousine belonging to the Schnee Dust Company rolled up. With its white exterior and luxurious interior, it would not do for anything but the cream of the crop to be seated within, yet her friend opened the door. "Get in." The woman said as she held the door open. The chauffeur looked a little startled, not expecting the woman to do his job for him. "As you wish." She said, knowing not to argue.

 _I normally wouldn't go for such things like a bit of fun with another woman... Yet she just needs to be wormed out of that shell of hers. It's like shrimp. Hmm... Schnee shrimp. I might have to buy some shrimp for dinner when we get back to Menagerie._ The Schnee sat down next to her, the elegant evening dress that she wore looking as pristine as it ever did, not a single sign of what had been an issue. "Would you like a drink?" The woman asked, indicating the mini bar that was set in the limousine's side, filled with several expensive brands of liquor. _A little catnip never hurt a Faunus, nope..._

Her glass filled and raised to White, who raised a glass of some fancy brand of bubbly soda to her, they clinked glasses, the engine starting up with a purr. _This car's got a purr like a famished tiger... not unpleasant._ "I apologize for the offer, I did not mean to cause a rift between you and your husband."

 _Oh, she's taken his gruffness as a sign that he would not be up for it? The grumpy panther doesn't know what a woman wants, at times._ She was open enough with her own sexual liberties, her body feeling the stresses of the day. _Whoever said that at around forty, you'd be sexually exhausted? If Kali doesn't get her loving, she's going to be a baaaaad kitty._

A giggle came from her lips as she downed the glass, the pleasant rush of the alcohol burning through whatever inhibitions were running through her mind, her giggling increasing as the glass was drained, a soft hiccup coming from her mouth. _Aww, I guess I'm a wee little drunk._

Alcohol was not often drunk in Menagerie, mainly because of the hard time that they had growing anything near the desert, the climate requiring more water than they could safely get to. _The last drink I had before coming here was... a year ago?_

"Whiiiiite?" She said, the Schnee raising an eyebrow. "You can call me by my proper first name, you know." _What?_ The woman smiled a teasing grin. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten already, hmmm? Silly cat." The snicker came from her lips, as she nudged against the woman, the prim and proper woman rocking a little, as the glass barely quivered in her hands. "You know I get silly, Schnee." Kali said, her voice lacking any heat of anger.

"It's Whi-" _Woah, dizzy._ She steadied herself again, her head spinning a little, her ears clogged with sudden vertigo that she felt. "Esmeralda Schnee. My friends can call me Es, though. My father preferred to call me his little Es as well…" A wistful look came to the woman's face, as Kali felt guilty for a moment for trying to seduce the woman. _A marriage that is pretty much dead, a woman's sexuality just brimming under the surface… If we didn't have to go, I would have worked on Ghira a little more, just to get her some positive memories. She's much like Sienna, all desire yet not enough time or ability to express it._

Her thoughts went to the High Leader of the White Fang then, her gaze cast out onto the streets through the darkened window, the bulletproof glass allowing her a glance through the busy streets, still at this late hour. _This city never sleeps. I can only wonder what Atlas is like._

"I have a friend, y'know. She's much like you, repressed and frustrated." The gamble was worth it, as Esmeralda leaned back against the cushions, her dark hair laying there like a glistening sheet of shadow, her gaze directed at her, those blue eyes meeting hers. "Hmm?" The question came. "She's driven, focused, unafraid to speak her mind, opinionated and yet with the compassion to lead."

A smile played on the Atlesian woman's lips as she heard of the description. "She sounds like a certain friend of mine, hm?" The look that Kali got meant clearly that she was being referred to, warmth blossoming in her body. _Aww, the frosty Schnee is thawing. This is great!_ The personal side of the Schnee had been a refreshing look at how different people could be. She had expected a distant demeanour, with business at the forefront and a serious look at everything around her, with nothing able to touch that spire of ice that she sat upon.

What she had gotten was a woman who was companionable, able to smile and joke around a little, the neediness that she showed perfectly reflected in her own compassion. _Sometimes, all you need is a friend, indeed._

Sharing Ghira with this woman for a night was not TOO great an issue for her. It was not that she just hopped into bed with everyone that caught her eyes, though. _She has to be nice and able to make me laugh, as well as being sociable_...

The image of Esmeralda Schnee being sociable was laughable at best, as the woman seemed to hold her own views. When she let her guard down, she was sociable, yet when it was up, like the moments she was in a public location, she was like a stern noblewoman, possessing of that frosty demeanour that Atlesians seemed to be known for. _At least we know that Blake is at Beacon now... So we can go there next. It's not like we'll be expecting something to happen in Menagerie for a while. The Faunus as a whole need my husband's guidance... from time to time._

The fancy hotel that they stopped before was something that she'd seen a few times, a little different from the one that they stayed in. _Fancy._ As the chauffeur opened up the door for them, Kali stepped out first, her feet a little shaky, the heels that she wore keeping her upright. _The balance as usual, is perfect._

As her companion led her inside towards the bar, it was like a world opening before her, the wealth of the Schnee definitely paying it forwards, as the platinum Lien card was flashed before the bartender's eyes and the drinks just kept on coming. _Let's get drunk!_

* * *

 _She stalks the humans,_

* * *

As she stepped off the transport that had brought her here, swathed in the garments that hid most of her tattoos, she could only look at the people moving around in disgust. None of the reverence that would be given to them for their lineage, their pride and their pedigree... only mere dismissal and irritation that mere animals were left to move around.

The bodyguards moved into position behind her, her arm moving through her hair, the evening night bringing with it the smell of cooking, of exhaust fumes mingling with the scent of whatever pollution came with the usage of the city's restaurants and waste facilities. _Sickening._ The sensitive noses of several of the Faunus that accompanied her could pick out the different kinds of meat that were used, her eyes finding the Faunus standing at the dock, waiting for her.

Ghira Belladonna was a broad man, tall as a veritable giant compared to her own lithe stature, her body feeling smaller than it was by mere presence, yet her own fire lit her up like a radiant bonfire. Straightening out, she bowed respectfully before the former High Leader of the White Fang. _You have not lost any of your regal demeanour, Ba'Ghira Belladonna._

"A pleasure to meet with you again, High Leader Khan." He said, mimicking the bow that she gave him. "Dispense with the formalities, Ghira." The curt business-like tone that she gave was enough, as she let her gaze slip through the airship docking station. _I don't like it. Too many humans._

"Tomorrow, we will go. My wife is out with her new friend, who has graciously let her escort of gunships accompany us for a while whilst we fly to the southern haven." The man's voice was low, low enough for her Faunus ears to pick up, the softer tones that only a Faunus throat could produce being enough for her. _A friend? Can she be trusted? Does she have some sway? What is their plan?_

"I assure you, Sienna." He said as she came closer, his hand on her shoulder. "Tomorrow will go as smooth as possible." The hope that he held for a peaceful resolution between humanity and the Faunus would be a false one. _You cannot trust the humans to know that the Faunus should be feared, Ghira. You do not know that they will merely lay down their arms because we come with the extended hand of friendship._

Her vision, where her people would no longer be subject to the discrimination that they suffered even now, was one where the Faunus would be given the respect that they were due. The fear of Faunus retribution would have to seat within the root of humanity's consciousness, if only to deter the humans from containing them to Menagerie once again. _If I have to bring that fear to humanity's doorstep myself, I will do so._ The thought was not sane or rational, yet it defined her.

"I'll have to take the word of you and your 'friend' for it, then." She said though she did not show her outward frustration, knowing that the man would talk in riddles until he was satisfied that she understood. _The peaceful protests did nothing. The way that you wished to speak to the world to show that we Faunus were merely people on a similar level to them... Was that really the right way? You have been shot at, Ghira... You still did nothing to pay them back for that._

She was a patriot, inasmuch as the Faunus could be called their own Kingdom as a species. It would not do for her to sit idly by whilst the Faunus continued to live their lives in squalor and discrimination. _Adam Taurus has been advocating for a harsher hand against the human suppression of our people..._ The thought on the Bull Faunus' proposal set her face grimly. _All-out warfare is not an option. We would lose more than we would stand to gain._

"Are you alright, Sienna?" Ghira asked as she snapped back to attention, a smile on her face again, as if she had been listening. "Just a little distracted. Tomorrow is the day where we'll have to travel, after all. Your 'friend' seems to have upset the plan a little." _The escort would not be happy to have an additional gunship so close. The humans were already nervous around Faunus in these parts... Faunus with gunships would make them even more paranoid._

The thoughts of the business were from her mind then, as she entered one of the rented cars, Ghira seated beside her after a moment. "Tell me all about this woman that Kali has met." She said, feeling that the smile on the man's face something that was linked to the woman.

"She has to be one of the more intriguing women that I have met thus far. An Atlesian noblewoman by birth, I believe." _He's hiding something. Is she related to the Schnee Dust Company?_ Her suspicion flared up immediately, her eyebrow rising up as she looked at him with a stern look. "Is she related to the Schnee's?" The question was spoken harshly, as she straightened out. _Schnee or anything... I suppose an extra gunship can't do any harm. Kali is good with people._ _She could coax a human Faunusphobe into a pleasant lunch with her if she's left to her own devices._

It was pretty magical to see Kali Belladonna able to worm her way into every social sphere, just by the sheer magnitude of her personality. Sienna herself had been the primary bodyguard of the Belladonna family for nearly five years before ascending to the position of High Leader upon High Leader Belladonna's resignation from the post, the woman's tone had been friendly when she had just been shipped off to the headquarters, a new recruit at only fourteen. _"Oh, are you lost? My name is Kali, please... Follow me."_ The conversation that she'd had with the woman at that first posting had been something that'd surprised her, as she'd spoken of how her views on the White Fang's meaning and aims differed from the current High Leader's. _"I'm sure that he'll be amenable to listen to your points. The High Leader is a very sensible man, after all."_

 _It'd only been at the official meeting where I was appointed to the High Leader's guard detail that I found out that she had been the wife of the High Leader._ She couldn't stop the smile from playing along her lips. _Damn her for being so nice._ The reasonable thing would have been to dismiss her from service immediately, as her views did not line up with the High Leader's, yet she had been allowed to spend time around the family of the High Leader, standing guard together with several of the other bodyguards and chasing after young Blake. _A good recruit, able to work in stealth ops with Taurus... I've taught her some skills indeed._

"So, your thoughts?" He asked her, her mind snapping back to the present. _Damn you, Sienna, you've let your mind wander off._ "Another gunship is never an issue, as long as it can be assured that we will not come to harm." The words were sharp, even as she spoke, the spite that she felt for humanity showing through. "She can be trusted. Anyone who spends time with Kali for a longer while than a day is generally a good person." The confidence that he had in his wife... she shared as well.

"Yes, she knows how to pick the people who would fit the best with her. She doesn't judge anyone based on some standings." Sienna wondered briefly whether she could become such a woman. _Blake was a handful when she was young... but she grew up into a beautiful girl._ "I'll trust your word for it, sir." She said, the gruff laugh that emerged from the man's mouth warm and friendly, as his hand patted her shoulder. "You're still the same Sienna who came stumbling in with her shirt unbuttoned and her pants half-up, shouting about how sorry you were for sleeping in."

She flushed, her face showing her displeasure at the memory. "High Leader..." She mumbled, the embarrassment creeping onto her head. He smiled and rubbed that shoulder. "You're the High Leader now, Sienna. Don't let an old panther stop you from being the jungle tiger that you can be." _I wish that I could be like him. No ruling through the mere investiture of his resignation, but to be chosen by the people. Not many follow my vision for the Faunus getting the respect that they deserve through fear._

 _But if fear is all we can cause... Then we will have their respect._

* * *

 _Red Snow_

* * *

She awoke to the feeling of someone being atop her, her body feeling sluggish as she drew the covers over her a little more, blocking out the sound of the alarm clock beeping, banging on her head like a drum that had been emptied of everything and continued to make an infernal noise that continued to bang around her skull. _I drank._

The realisation that she'd succumbed to her own nemesis once again, brought on by the feelings that had sprung from the fact that she'd basically been denied an evening of guilty pleasures, her eyes looking for Kali, the Faunus snoring softly, her face pressed up against the pillow as she laid half-way over her. _Someone's got a habit of crawling all over me, it seems._ The lack of wearing anything up top was easily explained by the constrictive feelings that the bra usually gave her, as she glanced in the mirror, wondering just how much of a mess that she had made of the bar area.

 _I had a Schnee and Tonic... and then it just started to fade when Kali started telling stories about how she had the cutest crush on some boy back when she was five._ The alcohol had dulled the memories, even as she rushed into the bathroom, finding the toilet and putting a finger down her throat, the rising vomit something that she induced whenever she could. _No use in keeping it all in if I'm going to be eating breakfast anyways..._

Her finger pulled out just before she emptied the contents of her stomach, the smell horrendous to her nose, even as she flushed the toilet. Perfume and soap scents filled her nostrils, even as she glanced at the clock. _Didn't Kali say something about leaving at three?_ Nine o'clock it was at the clock in the bathroom, her body feeling the urge to be showered. "Kali!" She hissed at the sleeping Faunus, a lazy hand rising from the bed sheets. "Five more minutes, honey. Momma cat wants to sleep in today." The Schnee snorted, as she looked for the dress that Kali had worn before. The elegant thing seemed to have been discarded somewhere on the ground, laying there in a heap. "Get your ass out of bed, you lazy cat!" She snapped, Kali's head peeking up. "Oh, it's you." Getting out of the bed with a sinuous agility, the woman smirked. "Looks like we..." She bent over and sniffed the bed in a feline manner, giving a frown at her. "Haven't been busy."

Heat flooded her cheeks as she looked at the woman, who had so blatantly mentioned such a thing to her, her pale cheeks looking more alive than they'd been for a while. "I'll go run the shower. You can get in afterwards." She disappeared into the shower stall then, the warm water emerging from the showerhead after a moment. The warmth was good for her, she told herself, her hair feeling wonderful as she rubbed the conditioner through the mass of hair.

"Hmmm, smells good." Kali's voice reached her ear as the Faunus woman reached for the soap, joining her under the shower. "Let me." The woman said, brushing her fingers over the pale skin and starting to work on the scalp. "You can do my hair next, 'girlfriend'." The giggles that the woman made did not comfort her in the least, as she looked impish and like a mischievous cat, her ears twitching a little, the piercings that hung in them shining in the light from the overhead lighting.

"S-sure." She mumbled. _This has got to be both the most embarrassing as well as the closest contact with another naked person that I've had in the past five years._ She had been raised properly, with the skills to survive in the wild as according to her father's outlines. The man took her protection seriously, teaching her how to fire a dust-cartridge rifle and ensuring that she was in good shape for most of her teens.

As they emerged from the bathroom, Kali bent low and picked up her underwear again. "Thank you." The woman said softly, her voice sounding grateful, as she seemed to muse on something. "For what?" She said, her voice calm and cool, despite her body feeling hot and flushed. _First getting attracted to her husband, now she is doing a good job of flustering me. Is it the Schnee curse to be attracted to people that hold a certain sway over themselves?_ _Jacques was certainly confident, the first time he took me out on a date._

"Being a friend. I've got some friends back in Menagerie... but it's hard to be a friend to the Chieftain's wife, you know. I had fun with you. Doing our hair, going out to dinner, even drinking with you until we were totally drunk." The bodyguards would have done their best to herd them back to her room.

Pressing the button on her scroll, she heard the beep click and the door opened up to admit one of her bodyguards. The shirt that she had on was loose around her upper body, her leggings fitting just right as she sat on the bed. "You rang, Miss Schnee?" The question came from the bodyguard, as she nodded. "I did. What happened last night, after we started to drink?"

The bodyguard straightened out. "The conversation that you two had was uninterrupted by the other patrons, as Miss Belladonna continued to talk about the difficulty that she had with labour and her daughter, whilst you merely kept silent. At eleven at night, we escorted you towards your room, after which you dismissed us for the evening. We have been keeping a vigil before your door, as our duty dictates." The man's voice was business-like, calm and able to explain things perfectly, even as he continued to speak. "No incident has occurred."

Relief flooded her body as she sighed with relief, her mind a lot easier now that it was apparent that she had not made a fool out of herself or anything like that. "That is a load off my mind. Please, ensure that the car is up front. I will have to drive Miss Belladonna towards her husband's hotel." Kali emerged from the bathroom, dressed once again in her dress, a brilliant smile on her lips. "Thank you for taking care of two older ladies, boy." The bodyguard blinked, not commenting on it at all, Kali giving her a surprise hug. "You should be careful with this one. She's able to drink a looooot!" The teasing tone would have flustered her otherwise, yet the calm Schnee composure was back in full force. "No breakfast for you if you act like this, you silly cat." Kali grinned at her. "Aww, does widdle White not want to have her Faunus friend eating with her? Is she shy?"

"The car will be up front in ten minutes, Miss Schnee." The bodyguard said and left. "Propriety must be observed, Kali."She said to her friend, even as the other woman stuck her tongue out. "Live a little. I like you, Es. You're a nice person, even if you have to act like you're frozen on the outside."

Thirty minutes later and with some breakfast in their stomachs, they were on their way to the hotel that Kali and her husband were staying at. _I don't feel like this trip was wasted. I made a friend. She's a little different, yet she does care._

As she stood before the transport that would guide her back to Atlas once more, her bags already being loaded onto it, she wondered briefly when the Belladonna's would be arriving. Several of the containers were already being loaded on the cargo transports, ready to ship out to wherever they were needed. _So much Dust, needed to safeguard the world._

Her bodyguards were nervous, their gazes looking between the posts and trying to make sense of things, their tense expressions growing ever tenser as a car stopped. A Faunus wearing the emblem of the White Fang emerged, the bodyguards pulling out their weapons immediately, as the protection of the client was paramount. "Madam, please get behind us."

Kali Belladonna stepped out next, her face all smiles as she saw the three of them standing there. "White! Our friend will be a little delayed, she's had some issues with getting things set up here in Mistral city." The woman rushed over excitedly, dressed in her regular combination of dresses, the Mistrali style pervading every facet of it. _She looks pretty in whatever she wears._

She was not regularly thinking about the beauty of other women, but she had to admit that Kali Belladonna struck an impressive figure, as she wrapped her arms around her, the hug feeling somewhat warmer than it had ever felt. _Oh. This is nice._ Ghira Belladonna arrived then, a set of reading glasses on his nose, his eyes looking her over with a look that seemed to threaten her for getting hugged by his wife. _He looks like a grumpy cat, like she's continuously saying._

The man was beckoned by Kali to join them for the hug, the man standing stock-still as his wife motioned, finally getting fed up with his waiting and just hugging her tightly. "Ghira is being a wuss again." Esmeralda smiled faintly. "You are the more sociable one, you silly cat." Kali grinned. "You're only allowed to call me that because we are around the same age, Es." _How sweet. Is this what it means to be friends? Daddy always had to keep separate from the workers after the work was done because he was their boss._

The hand that she shook was solid, capable of being a great danger to the health of anyone, yet she shook it unafraid of anything that might happen. _This is how it should be. Faunus and human, able to shake hands without fear._

"Have a nice trip, Es." Kali said, her voice cheerful and with warm and happy emotions surging through it. "You'll have to come visit sometime. I'll show you the ice lilies." The smile on Kali's face was definitely a bit brighter now. "I'll be sure to come visit, once we are done with the whole business in Mistral." She nudged her husband, who was merely looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Kali... I wasn't serious about tha-" She watched the feline Faunus put her hands on her hips. "I was serious. She's my friend. We drank together. We slept in the same bed together. We're going to be like sisters, yes."

 _That's perhaps going a little too far..._ The thought wasn't too unappealing, yet she doubted whether she could grow cat ears. _Maybe a little hair band..._ the thought of herself with cat ears was something that brought a genuine smile to her lips, the years feeling a lot less all of a sudden. _If I had followed daddy's footsteps, perhaps I would have been a Huntress now._

As she got into the transport, she could feel how the warmth seemed to continue. "Have a good trip, Es!" Kali's voice shouted clearly, excitement tinting her voice. "We'll come and visit soon!" Her husband's voice, more serious than hers. "We will see you at the earliest opportunity." The man clearly had given up the fight against his more hyperactive wife, who seemed to have been smug at winning that fight, his eyes looking at her with warmth. A larger car arrived, the White Fang emblem on the side clearly visible, as she stepped up on the ramp, throwing a last gaze at the Belladonna's. _Whatever they are going to do, I hope that they'll have a great time with it._

* * *

 _Revolutionary animals_

* * *

They were aware, awake and ready. As the sun crept ever further towards the horizon, the creeping shadows of the forest that they had taken up position would lend them the perfect cover. "Do you see them yet?" One of the recruits asked as the lieutenant looked at the horizon, waiting for the time when they would be ready to strike.

"No, shut up. According to the flight plan and Brother Jemma, they will pass by here soon." The man said, his hands on the rocket launcher that he had received from HQ. "Will this laud in the new era, Sir?" One of the recruits asked, the lieutenant smacking the young man's shoulder. "This will change everything! Don't you worry, the traitors will be dealt with as it should be."

The rumours of the men and women who had been devoted to the cause were increasing, even as their positions were taken up. A clear space that held little shade, enough for them to be able to scatter along the trees if things got hairy, not a Grimm in sight. "Check your weapons! I won't have us dying due to Grimm attacks because someone got sloppy with their dust cartridges! You are the White Fang's future!" The men and women did as instructed, the rocket launchers fully prepped to be fired.

"Sir, ready and willing to deal with the traitors." The sub-lieutenant said, his horns curving behind the mask again, his head looking to the skies. The man's binoculars spotted the sign of oncoming transports. "One Atlas gunship, two of Type Three's... And two transports? Did they switch transports out of safety concerns?" The man asked himself aloud, his eyes looking at the two transports for a moment before he shook his head. "Does everyone have their rocket launcher?" He asked as he went into the military mode.

"Aye aye, Sir." Came the response, even as he raised his binoculars again. "Aim for the exhaust on the transports and the engine compartment. A good hit will blow their Dust reservoir up so that it will blow up." The man's confidence in the implements of war that he had been handed was well-suited. With the six guards in each cardinal direction, they could easily sweep the perimeter of Grimm that came for them. Raising his own SCH-N33 rocket launcher, he thought it a cruel irony that the Atlesian gunship would be taken down by something that had been made by the Schnee company.

"Ready!" The man shouted, his voice heard by the recruits. The targeting reticule laid upon the engines, a zoom screen informing him that the target was locked, red radiation showing where the most Dust was contained. "Hold steady..."

The two transport ships came closer, the loading bay of one opening up. Whatever madness that was, it was certainly not something that he would discount. "FIRE! TAKE THE GUNSHIPS DOWN AND MAKE SURE TO HIT THE TRANSPORTS!" The order was shouted, as the men took aim like they had been trained to.

Thirty flares of heat came from the tubes as the rockets sped off towards their targets, several impacting the same target, the gunship blazing in an explosion, as the transports were hit. For a moment, the rush of adrenaline surged through the man's body as he watched one of the transports sag, going down a moment later. The emblem of the Schnee Dust Company was boldly emblazoned upon it, whilst the other transport continued, smoke billowing from one of the sides, the internal stabilizers keeping it aloft still. "Another round!"

The rockets blazed once more and the transport went down, the explosion rippling even now."Come on! We've got to inspect whether they've lived through the job! Adam won't be happy if we've let traitors live! He's been in a foul mood ever since his partner left the Fang." The man urged them on, and the recruits moved to his orders.

The birth of a revolution was such a harsh thing, that it necessitated shedding the blood of a few good people.

* * *

 _Edelweiss torn asunder_

* * *

"Thirty more minutes until we reach the destination where we depart from the Faunus, Ma'am." The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom as she sat there, one of the crew of the transport pouring a glass of fine berry juice for her from a bottle. The alcohol had gone untouched, her head still throbbing a little from the pain of consuming so much alcohol last night. _It wasn't a good night to drink._

The crew was distant, as was usually the case. The Schnee Dust Company prided itself on service for those who hired its services in some capacity, so there would be that layer of respect in them. The full complement of Atlesian crew was both a comfort as well as a strange sense of returning to the status quo that she had escaped for a moment. "Coming up on a particularly scenic place, ma'am." One of the attendants said, even as she looked out of the small window, the larger vista that would accommodate most public means of transport not used for this model. There were no large windows where someone could look out over the world. _The world is pretty, even if the people in it are not._

"Oh?" Her voice spoke softly, her eyes meeting with the young man's. She leaned towards the window, seeing the trees below stretch out, a path carved through the hills without a care for the straight lines that were used mostly in Atlas. _Everything ordered and neat, just as the council dictates._

"We're lowering the ramp, so that you may be able to get a better view." The servant said, his voice sounding rather insistent. _Why would I want to look at beautiful scenery?_ The man turned to her, a small gun having appeared in his left hand. _Oh. Not good._

"It would be best if you went and looked at the view, Miss Schnee." The man said, his voice sounding particularly interested in that. "What is this?!" She said, mustering all the indignation that she could find. _This trip was a bad idea._

"Get up, Miss Schnee." The man said, motioning with his gun. The other crew that appeared were carrying small arms, obviously meant to ensure her cooperation. _They'd have poisoned my drink if the objective was to kill me._ "How much are they paying you?" She asked, her voice sounding steadier than she imagined it. _Don't show your fear, they will capitalize on it and make you die that much quicker._

"Walk, Miss Schnee." The man said, his dark blonde hair combed over the side, dark green eyes looking at her, the Schnee Dust Company staff uniform fitted perfectly for his size and height. She moved, the white dress that she'd picked out for the day having little in the way of hiding her figure.

Winds whipped along her dark hair as she moved through the ship, the crew looking at her from their jobs, unconcerned with the state that she was in, or the gun that poked against her back. _Whatever they want... they'll do it anyways._ The thought was glum. "Move faster, Miss Schnee." The man said. She didn't even know his name, as he hadn't introduced himself. Decorum did not require servants to identify themselves, so she had never thought to inquire about it. As she stood there on the ramp, she could feel the rushing winds, see the forested glade below.

"Your husband sends his regards. You'll probably break your neck or legs when you crash down there... So I'd say... 'Lady Schnee wished to see the scenery, got caught by the whipping winds and fell off the ramp. Sadly, she was attacked by Grimm before we could land.'." _The fall would likely kill me, if I hit the ground. I don't have my aura unlocked, so it'll likely be my funeral after a brief career as a free-falling woman._

The heels she wore tapped onto the ground once even whilst she could feel the sudden push against her back. For a moment, she felt weightless, her body jolted forwards by that push, her gaze catching sight of something that seemed to be heading right for the transport. _That's NOT good._

"Oh, fuck." She swore, right before the missiles hit and the concussive force of an explosion hit her.

* * *

 **Another chapter for A Grimm Tale. Yay. Kali Belladonna writes herself, most of the time. The typical social butterfly in comparison to her husband Ghira, who is more of the serious type in most dealings. Miss Schnee was also a delight to write. Things are getting grimmer for the cast. Jaune's gone, Lady Schnee and the Belladonna's got caught up in a White Fang ambush with the intent to assassinate the High Leader and her company... and team RWBY is probably better called 'Team Orphan' now.**

 **Tell me what you think of it, please. Read, Review and Revel! (The next chapter will probably be out next week on Friday as well. I'm trying to commit time to get an update out every Friday.)**


	12. A Stark Hero Comes

**Chapter 12: A Stark Hero Comes**

 **This is a tale I write. People were upset that there was less focus on Jaune and more on Schnee and Kali… well, deal with that. They're an important side to the RWBY characters. Without Kali, no Blake. Without lady Schnee, no Weiss. Don't discount the importance of mothers and parental figures in the story of RWBY. They have a reason for being a character whose point of view is written, even if they die messily and horribly.**

* * *

 _The fallen princess,_

* * *

 _This is going to be the end for me._ Her mind was strangely calm as the wind rushed past her, her eyes seeing the trees come ever closer, even with her body flailing, the sudden buffeting in her back from the explosion sending her careening down to the ground even more than the momentum had allowed for.

 _I lived a decent life. I have three children, a husband who does not care for me and condemned me to death, wealth that will go stale and a family that will mourn me._ The tranquillity that she could feel creeping over her was something that she had heard about, even as the trees came ever closer. Her mouth was screaming, sounds that'd never be uttered from a lady's mouth coming there in the panic that gripped her body, even with the fall continuing onwards.

 _If I had access to my Aura, perhaps I could use glyphs to slow down my fall, maybe land without incident._ It was a lamentation that brought with it the feeling of loss, even as her father had said something about Aura, the words coming to her mind again. _"To have Aura is to call the Grimm towards you. Even as they are born of deepest darkness, they will yearn to go towards the light."_ The advice had been mostly useless, with how the world functioned, she could have an army of bodyguards with the snap of a finger, to guard her life with theirs.

Suddenly, she could feel arms wrap around her, a face close to her own as she was steadied in a strong grip. "Now for a landing strategy." A young voice said, even as gravity continued, her movement arrested only for a moment, as she could feel the weight of gravity press upon her once more afterwards, the brush of the forest around her rustling, even as her saviour crashed through the trees again.

She felt the impact, his grip on her strong, both arms steady on her like a comforting grip. "Could you stop screaming? We've landed." The young man's voice sounded as if this was completely normal, a strange look crossing his face, as his eyes met hers for a moment. Her own blue met with his abnormal red eye, feeling how something of fear bubbled in the pit of her stomach, the other eye having a blue colour that was not too shabby, in her opinion as a woman. "S-sure." She said, trying to calm herself down, her heartbeat still in the top state, her breathing coming in ragged gasps, as she fought to keep herself under control, to submerge herself into the ice once more to ensure that the Schnee name was not sullied further by her own actions. "I… Ahem."

"I found some survivors!" Someone shouted, her head going to the direction where the voice had come from, only to see a masked Faunus bearing the emblem of the White Fang upon the front of their clothes. _Oh no._ "Humans! Kill them! The Lieutenant said that we should not let anyone live!"

 _Run, you fool! Run! It's them against us!_ He turned around then, as she'd seemingly begged him to mentally, the forest floor below him moving, as she was put on his shoulder. _Not a comfortable position at all, but it beats having to run in heels._

The raised guns delivered a barrage of bullets towards them, the rain of bullets hitting the trees, even as her mysterious and unknown captor seemed to find a burst of speed, letting them harmlessly pass by, not a single one scoring a hit. A rocket launcher was aimed at them, the switch pulled and the barrel belching smoke as the rocket was fired, the White Fang grunt that shot the rocket at them knocked back from the shot. "Watch out!" She called out, even as a form ripped itself from the darkness of the shadows, a Grimm standing broad and tall before the explosion engulfed it, nothing but the smoky fading remnants left.

As she watched the White Fang chase after them, she let her other senses explore this strange young man's, a sense of curiosity warring with the mortal fear for her life, her fingers touching over his body gently, to try and get a grip on how he was.

Muscle was definitely found there, as the shifting of his clothes did allow her to touch, her gaze at the White Fang that chased after them, her fingers running over his neck, the awkward manner that she had been carried not really serving her well with the exploratory purpose. _If he's a huntsman, I am going to bribe him to keep me safe whilst we get back to civilisation. I will NOT be assassinated by that husband of mine without at least having the ability to fight back!_

* * *

 _Tyrant of terrors_

* * *

The first clue that something was wrong was when he felt the presence of the people ahead of him, the forest that he was travelling through holding a swath of anger, frustration and rage within. The simple hate that he could feel bubbling in the souls of the people was like a lure, as his mind continued to absorb those feelings. _I can feel their hate... Do they really have something against me?_

The paranoia had been something that he had been working on, after an evening of nervousness, Summer's voice having been a constant as she trained him in the style to use with the two-handed blade. Her own dual-bladed style was somewhat different from the ones that he'd seen at Beacon, the agile swift strikes and cuts that she made faster than the eye could see... yet it was not something that he would miss easily.

The sound of engines above made him look up, seeing two transport airships fly past, one of the loading ramps opened up, two figures standing there, one looking to be dressed in some kind of uniform, the other dressed in a dress. They seemed to say something, the man pushing the woman's back, sending her stumbling off the ramp. _"You should do something!"_ Summer's voice shouted in his ears, even as he sprang into action.

The forest floor under his feet was only the hindrance that kept his speed from accelerating, weariness and tired muscles suddenly feeling better than they had been, thanks to the effect of adrenaline surging through his system. His eyes closed, a low breath taken slowly, as he watched the woman flail, right as explosions rippled through the craft, a billowing fireball seen. _"Type five rockets? They're trying to destroy the airship! You must catch her, Jaune!"_ Summer's voice impressed upon him once again, even as he felt the burning need in him.

 _This is just like that time during Initiation! I'm going to make sure that I have a landing strategy done now!_ With his legs pushing off from the ground, he gained height, kicking off one of the trees, the whole tree quivering under the strength of his feet, as he reached an even greater height. With his body fierce and firm into hero mode, he could see the woman fall, flailing and screaming. _Just going to make it..._ Her body smacked against his, his arms wrapping around her, carrying her with his movement forward, even as he muttered out loud –"Now for a landing strategy."

His feet hit the ground HARD, his legs turning into jelly for a moment, as he weathered the impact, getting right back up again. _You are a hero, Jaune. You rescued the fair maiden, without any sort of fuss._ The screaming was loud still, as the woman seemed to not have seized control back from her own terror, her eyes wide as she looked at him with that look of indeterminate terror, still visible on her features."Could you stop screaming? We've landed." _Not the best delivery, Jaune. You should've said something like 'I have saved you, my lady.'._ The look on her face was mystified, terror and another emotion making its way over her face, her heart beating fast. _I can hear her heartbeat, I can feel her fear._

Looking at the facial features of the woman, he would have to admit that it was a very good-looking woman. _She looks to be younger than mom, so I'd guess... thirty-five?_ Her lips opened softly, as she spoke a soft "S-sure" in response to his query. Her breathing was still rushed and heavy, yet there was calm to be found inside her. _"Jaune! Watch out!"_ The woman's lips still moved though, as she seemed to start to say something before a shout of "I found some survivors!" came through.

 _Anger and hate, rage and loathing... A cocktail of emotions that hold nothing good for the people they do not like._ He could see them skulking closer, their weapons glistening in the shadows. The Grimm under his command were ready to strike, his paranoia having risen even more, the dark _vitae tenebris_ surging in his veins. "Humans! Kill them! The lieutenant said that we should let nobody live!"

 _If you wish to die... then I will grant your wish._ The dark thought was not one that he would normally have, even as he turned around, spotting the rifles that they held, ready to be used. _I don't think I'm bulletproof just yet._ He pulled the woman onto his shoulder, the good one, as he started to run, towards the other mass of jumbled emotions, the loud crashing sound of earlier having been one of the things that he'd registered in the passing, as merely another statistic that was added to the list of things that were happening.

" _Run Jaune!"_ A burst of gunfire sounded, even as the sound of rounds hitting the trees appeared. Shadows blinked with eyes as he let their vision in, looking at the pursuers, the Grimm in the shadows starting to move to his commands, his body feeling the men's anger. _White Fang. Not the best type of people to be around when you are human... Even if I still am not human in the least._

The acceptance that he was something less than human and more than Grimm was a hard thing for him. Over the days that he had travelled with Summer, there had been talks between the two of them. It was hard not to talk to her, as she was the only living creature that he could communicate with who could articulate things. _Sometimes, I wonder whether she really is as benign as she seems to be. She seems to be restraining herself... but why? Why would she do this?_

The smell of the woman that he'd got slung over his shoulder was something that was similar to what Weiss would've worn, the smell calling back memories of the first time that he'd seen that brilliant girl's face. _Snow Angel doesn't do her justice. She's got that style, that wonderful air of being like the snow that caps the peaks of the mountains._

 _Rocket launcher!_ The thought surfaced, as the Grimm eyes came to view the grunt holding the rocket launcher, clearly aiming at the two of them. With a pulse of the _vitae tenebris_ through his body, he created an Ursa in order to block the rocket, the sound of the explosion reverberating through his ear, with the darker emotions surging through his whole form.

 _No... I wouldn't do this... but if they threaten me... then I must._ His hand throbbed with an ache as the Grimm received his command, their forms pulling from the shadows and tearing towards the White Fang. From their shared gazes, he could see the startled looks on the White Fang members as the Grim raced towards them, a tree knocked over by a Beowolf's leap, the creature moving with the speed that it'd been built for, as bullets rained down upon it. It dissipated into dark smoky ruins a moment later, as the _vitae tenebris_ slowly started to leak into the ground, the Beowolves continuing on their dash, as his load seemed to shift a little, her hand tracing over his skin. _I'm sorry lady, but we're not out of the woods yet._

"My friend! She was in the other transport! The White Fang will try to kill her and her husband too!" The genuine concern in the woman's voice was enough for him to decide that it would be in his best interests to go towards where that friend might be, the pain and hurt coming from that direction showing a great deal of the negativity that would pull the Grimm towards it, without any sort of influence that he would need to muster. _I must prevent the Grimm from tearing through them before her friend is killed._

This was what a hero should do. As the Grimm tore into the White Fang troops that came after him, he sprinted towards where the trees had been flattened by the falling craft, fire and smoke reaching towards the skies. The smell of Dust-powered fuel was heavy in the air, as he could feel nothing but the anticipation thrum in his veins like a drum.

"What does your friend look like?" He asked, the woman on his shoulder pulled off, set on the ground. Her heels dug into the dirt, her balance shifting for a moment, his arms pulling her close again. "Careful! The ground isn't made for heels here." _Heels are annoying to wear on soil._ Cremea had been instrumental in him learning that fact of wearing heels. "She's a cat Faunus. Her husband is a panther Faunus, so please..." He looked at her, the dependable look never failing. _Be the hero you want to be, Jaune. Assure her that it will be fine._

"I'll go in and see whether they are still alive. Do you want to wait here?" _I can summon a Grimm or two to keep watch on her._ The expenditure of _vitae tenebris_ wouldn't even be that much, he had calculated. It grew easier to use with every use that he did, with every moment that he spent controlling the Grimm with his will.

"I'll come with you. Please... don't leave me alone." _Like a princess asking a hero to guard her._ The thought was not strange, for the dress made her look like a high-standing lady, her hair a mess, yet her eyes bearing that regal command like she was born for it. _Definitely someone of a higher status than me._

"Kali. That's her name. Kali and her husband, Ghira." The woman's voice spoke in a rush, her gaze turning to the White Fang grunts in the distance, the gunfire that continued to come from that direction loud enough. "Alright, come with me." _I imagined that it would be harder... but I don't think she's got any options. If they threw her off the transport, no doubt she's someone who isn't wanted... perhaps some sort of organisation that she had been a part of once?_

The spectre of Ruby Beornir appeared before his mind's eye, yet he shook his mental head at that. _No way that a bandit would be able to afford a transport. I think I even saw a gunship included in the escort... the White Fang blew that one out the air as well._

The anger that he found blossoming inside him was strange, as he would have preferred to avoid a situation like this if he had still been just Jaune... yet the heat of that frustration and anger continued to sharpen inside his body like a blade's edge. _I must do something... Even if it'll end up blowing up in my face. I must make sure that her friends are alright. That's what a hero would do._

The Grimm obeyed his command, his eyes filled with the images that they held, the faint recollection of that past only allowing the present to shine through even more, the burden that he felt like a flash of annoyance, as he controlled the Grimm.

 _They must not find out about my powers. They would hate me for it._

* * *

 _The fallen feline_

* * *

The impact of the rockets tilted the airship to the side, even as the flight systems went down. She could remember only a flash of pain through her body, as she laid against one of the walls, a heavy crashing sound filling her ears, pain a constant companion through the crash.

 _I... I'm alive._ She could think as she looked up, hearing the groan of her husband. Given that their species had perfect night vision, it was only by that virtue that the darkness that'd fallen over the passenger section of the airship was in sight. _Sienna's getting up again, that wound on her head can't be healthy, poor dear..._

 _But where is Ghira?_ The sight of a large hole in the wall when she looked at it, answered that question. A leg was half-way torn off, dressed in the White Fang's colours. _Oh no, the guards that came with Sienna..._ A look around found them, one of the men halfway torn apart, the attack having been enough to end his time on Remnant. _May the peace of death grant you the tranquillity that you seek._

 _Ghira... Where is my Ghira?_ The sound of Sienna speaking to her drew her out of her musings. "We've been attacked!" Her voice was shrill and shrieking to her sensitive ears, even as Kali felt an odd calm about her mind, as she looked at the proud woman, her eyes looking around for the danger. "I can see that, dear. Can you help me find Ghira?" The staff in Sienna's hands was fully extended, the bladed edges flickering in the emergency light. "We must get out of here."

 _She's pushy when she's upset._ She allowed herself to climb out. "Ghira?!" She called out, her voice holding a shriller note, as she searched for her husband, her gaze going over the stretch of the forest that she could see. The bodies of two of their guards laid there, the one who'd lost his leg face-down in the dirt, his body not moving anymore. "Kali?" Sienna's voice was soft, even as she spoke. Her ears twitched a little before she turned to the direction that Sienna had come from, her gaze meeting with Sienna's. "Yes?" She said, her eyes still searching for her husband. _Come on, grumpy cat... Don't hide from your wife. It isn't time to play._

A finger pointed, a large purple shape laying there on its side, at the base of one of the trees. _Ghira!_ She was over in a flash, rolling her husband's body to the side. The man's breathing was laboured, as his gaze went for her. "K'li." He gurgled; the tree branch that penetrated from his chest thick and pointy, his voice coming like a groan would, heavy in its sound.

"I l've you." _Oh no. No! NO!_ The tears came to her eyes as she sank to her knees, her fingers grabbing the tree branch, trying to pull it out. "K'li." He tried again, one of his hands grabbing her own. _No, don't do this to me. Don't do this, Ghira._ "Find... Blake."The man's breathing was harsh, the branch making it hard for him to speak. Sienna knelt next to the man in the customary style for those direct subordinates to the High Leader. "This one awaits her orders, High Leader Belladonna. Your order is this one's command, whatever it may be." Sienna's voice spoke softly, with the reverence that she'd held before, her eyes looking at the man with respect, moisture gathering at the tear ducts, Kali's tears coming even faster, as she knew that her husband wouldn't be able to live much longer.

 _No... This shouldn't happen... This should not have happened! We should have gotten to our destination, held that speech and then be on our trip back to Menagerie, not... This._ The thought of it was horrendous to her mind, even with the horror working to create that deflection in her mind, the thought refusing to accept that her husband was dying. "Guard m' Kali with your..."A pained groan, even as the man raised his other hand, Sienna kneeling beside his other side, her voice soft. "I will." She said, her voice sounding choked up.

His golden eyes met her own for a moment, a watery look in them. "I love you." He said softly, as his fingers gripped her own. Tears flooded from her eyes, falling onto his chest. "I love you too, my Ba'Ghira." She leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips, tasting only blood on his lips, even as his eyes met hers. _I love you so much that it hurts._

His grip tightened a little, as the kiss lasted for about thirty seconds, her lips pulling away. "Find our daughter. Live your life and love again, my black cat." _No..._ The words were enough to hang in the air for a while, as his gaze met her own, his smile something that she had so enjoyed looking at, the grip on her hand slowly fading. "I love you." She said, as her body shuddered, the tears trailing down her cheeks, the man's hand starting to fade.

His mouth uttered a hoarse shudder, his whole body quivering for a moment as he mustered the willpower to meet her gaze and utter a soft "I love you."His hand fell from her grip then, landing on the forest floor, her eyes losing focus. _No..._

Her mind HURT, as her eyes did not stop their leaking, her face close to his own as another soul-rending "NO!"came from her lips, her voice holding the pain of a wife who had just lost her husband. _No, no, no no, no..._ She shuddered and started to sob, her gaze trained on the body of her husband. _No... No... No... Ghira..._

"Kali... We must go. There'll be people coming for us; if they've shot us out of the sky like they did." Sienna's voice broke through the haze of clouded emotions, trying to instil in her that courage to continue, to be the woman who had wed the representative of the White Fang again... Yet she felt nothing but numb as she looked at her husband. "I've found survivors!" Someone shouted, and she was dimly aware that Sienna was getting to the bushes nearby, her training taking over from her emotional state.

 _Ghira... You silly, grumpy cat..._ The thoughts were not reasonable, as her hand gently pressed to his cheek, the warmth of his body still present, as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, a final send-off to her husband. _Now... What do I do now?_ The words that he'd spoken, to find Blake again, roamed around her mind, telling her that she should be a good mother. _I should be... a good mother._

Her gaze was on his face as she could feel the sudden shift, a bullet whizzing past her head as the sound of combat reached her ears. _Should get to safety..._ Her emotions pressed down on her, as she continued to kneel. _Or I should just let them shoot me. The light of my life has died... What else is there to do but follow after him?_

"Kali, get out of the firing line!" Sienna's voice shut through her thoughts, as she moved in the direction of the woman, whose staff was held as if it were a rifle, her stance as solid as she could make it, the bladed staff looking like it would be able to stand up to the fighting for a long while. _Why should I continue to live, whilst my husband is dead?_

The negativity around her clouded her vision, as she could only feel those negative emotions press against her, her mind feeling worn-down, as her gaze strayed to her husband's corpse, the look on his face oddly peaceful. "Come on, Kali. No time to daydream! We have to move again!" Sienna jerked her along, her own steps faltering a few times, as she tried to keep going, to keep herself in the state of activity. _Ghira._

She didn't even feel the need to get moving, as her gaze rested on her husband's corpse, the soul that'd brightened her life for all these years gone. _My Ghira..._

* * *

 _The fire lit, the vestige is burnt_

* * *

The impact had caught her off guard, immediately slamming her against one of the walls before she'd had time to land properly. Her eyes caught sight of Ghira, the man's face showing the shock as the decompression sucked him out of the hole. _Fuck._

The impact of the airship hitting the ground was rough, knocking her mind senseless for a moment, her eyes trying to gather back that intelligent thought before she could no longer think, the pain going through her body as she laid there, her weapon at her side. _I'm glad that I at least brought my weapon. A bodyguard is never caught without their weapon._

The blood in her mouth tasted as it usually did, her body getting up again, the feline grace that she had trained for years on aiding her in getting up to her feet once more. Spotting Kali getting up, she mentally heaved a sigh of relief. "We've been attacked!" The woman's gaze looked at her as if she were a particularly funny thing, a strange look to see on Kali's face. "I can see that, dear. Can you help me find Ghira?"

 _Oh no. Shock._ The older woman must've seen her husband getting sucked out of the hole, or at the very least been partially aware that he was no longer with them. _And Termin and Funtza are dead too... This is just fucking GREAT._ The staff extended fully, the blades that adorned it allowing for a wider sweep. _I guess it's just you and me now until we find Ghira._

"Ghira?!" Kali's voice held a tone to it that was desperate, Sienna's face set in the grim manner of one who understood the direness of the situation. _If she doesn't find him, she will be upset._ The sight of the bodies of her bodyguard was enough to clue her in about the situation as it was, her staff put in the position of easy guard or assault.

 _I've not trained to be a Huntsman, but if the Grimm come… I'll do my best. Whatever happened… whoever did this… They're going to pay._ The pain that she could feel from the injuries that she had sustained was enough to keep her focused, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings, the trees that'd been savagely bent by the falling airship enough. _If he was sucked out, then he should be…_

Spotting the purple cloak that he had worn on the side of one of the trees, she took a deep breath. "Kali?" _My voice sounds like it's about to break down. I will not break down. I will not! I am Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang. I will not be broken by anyone or anything until I have done my duty!_

She pointed a finger at the form that laid at the base of the tree, seeing how the older woman's eyes widened, a scream that was emotional coming from her throat, as she rushed over to her husband. _Oh no._

Making her way over to the body, she could see that there was a branch poking right through the chest. _Hit the internal organs, punctured a lung. Lethal._ The basic anatomy classes she had followed whilst training to be a bodyguard had told her enough, even as the husband looked at his wife and they shared a moment.

 _You will not cry. You will NOT cry, Sienna. You're stronger than this! You are the High Leader, you will NOT cry!_ The tears tried to come, even as she fought to keep herself under control. Striding up to the man, she bent to the knee, to show her devotion. "This one awaits her orders, High Leader Belladonna. Your order is this one's command, whatever it may be." The words she had spoken so often, the traditional announcing of one's desire to commit one's life for the cause of the Faunus.

 _Loyalty. No matter our differences, I still owe him my loyalty._ The realisation was something that she could feel warm her, as she heard his last command. _Guard Kali with my life. I will extend that to Blake as well._ The rigid code of conduct that every bodyguard worth their salt knew was to fulfil the orders of their charge unless it harmed their physical or mental well-being, to ensure that there would be no danger to their charge and to fulfil the mission until new orders were given. _If it is the safety of your wife that you wish, then I shall guarantee it, until she no longer needs it._

"I will." She said, her voice holding a sentimental note. _The face that he made when he called me into his office upon the first day as the bodyguard to his family, telling me of my duties. To ensure that his wife and daughter were kept safe, that they would not suffer an assassin's blade or bullet. That was the time when my respect for his person rose, though our ideology contrasts._

Stepping away to let the husband and wife hold their final moments together, she let her gaze search for any of their mysterious attackers. _Missiles with enough punch to chew through armour in one go. Definitely shoulder-mounted for ease of carrying, with the forest letting them have the benefit of hiding until it was time to get to firing._

She could hear the forest around her, the gentle humming of birds and such, as well as the creak of the woods that had been shattered, her eyes searching for the danger.

 _They would have to know our flight plan beforehand, so they would know where to strike. This is not a passage that is usually taken, and to take out a gunship one would need some decent firepower prepared... So it is either a traitor to the White Fang or an insurgency._ Her mind was in business-mode, even as Kali seemed to start to break down beside her, her duty compelling her now. "Kali... We must go. There'll be people coming for us if they've shot us out of the sky like they did."

"I've found survivors!" Someone shouted, Sienna's eyes taking in the White Fang uniform that the man wore, the horns that curved upwards working with the mask. _Rifle in hand, obviously ready to commit to fighting. Enemy._ The staff in her hand moved immediately, as she pulled a cartridge from her thigh, slotting it in and taking aim. The tip of her staff blossomed with a plume of Dust as a dart filled with flame dust shot out, the next one already slotted into it, her eyes looking at the flames that blasted through the White Fang grunt's upper body, her eyes catching sight of the ruination that she had caused, even as she used bushes for cover, spotting Kali still there.

 _More of them._ _They were prepared to deal with us when we crashed if there were survivors._ _Whoever is behind this, won't be taking prisoners._ That meant that it was someone willing to advance through the ranks without caring for the casualties, meaning that they would be more able to deal with whatever came to them. _I bet it's one of the other leaders, seeing the weakness in Belladonna and trying to take us two out because of our presence being required._

Another dart flew, as she looked at Kali and shouted – "Kali, get out of the firing line!" – watching the feline Faunus merely stare at her husband, as if it were nothing that bothered her. _She's given up. She's no longer looking out for herself. I've got to retrieve her myself._

The steps were easily made, training urging her onwards as she seized the older woman, her voice sounding urgent to her own ears. "Come on, Kali! No time to daydream! We have to move again!" _How cruel am I, to speak in such a manner to a woman who has just lost her husband? We have to keep on moving!_

Pushing Kali into the bushes and taking a ready stance, she ducked to the side as the White Fang came towards them. Easily spotting several of them with machine guns, she rationalized that it would be a fight that would be somewhat hairy for everyone involved. _I can probably take one or two bullets, yet I'll have to make sure that Kali does not get hit. Her aura is not unlocked, so it would be a shame if she got hurt._

Leaping out of the bushes towards one of the White Fang grunts and swinging her staff's bladed section first, she tore through the thin armour that the grunt wore, slicing open a deep cut into the man's stomach, her foot kicking him away, as she whirled the staff around. "There!" Someone shouted, yet she was in motion again, as she ducked to the side, the combat roll executed perfectly, as bullets hit the space which she had occupied moments before, her staff raised up. She needed no scope, taking aim at one of the shooters and then pressing the trigger, the dart exploding in a frozen flurry of snow. _I should've kept the dust uniform... but I had to get the cartridges that do the special stuff instead of the regular flame dust. Sometimes, I really doubt whether I've got a lick of sense in my brain when selecting dust... But it should've only been Grimm that we would have been facing, if at all._

Anti-personnel darts were much more useful in a fight against people wearing armour than the general-use Dust rounds that she used now. _I should've managed to at least snag a few... Stupid! They're always in the case and I forgot to take it with me._

Her staff moved in an arc, the blood coating the bladed edges flung off with the swift motion, her body twisting as she cut another White Fang traitor, knowing that it would be time for her to duck again if they got a good shot at her. _I'm lucky that I've received training in the art of dodging. Which idiot would stand there and hope that the target doesn't move?_

The sound of someone shouting something brought her out of her musings, as she flattened herself against a tree, using that as cover. _Better hope that that's one of the crews of that friend of Kali's._ A glance back at the woman found that the Faunus was just sitting there, her gaze definitely showing no real emotional response. _Shit, that's the numb look. It'll be a tricky thing to shake her out of it._

She wasn't a psychologist or really around people that did not have the same martial backing as she did. A bodyguard, even one for dignitaries of the White Fang, was trained in the style of unarmed martial arts and the style of the weapon that they picked. _A dart-staff works just as well as a sword and gun._

 _These guys aren't trained in the art of stalking their prey... but I have to remember Ghira's last order. It's the least that I should do for him. I will not let his wife suffer the same fate as he did!_ With that, she moved towards the woman, her staff held in aim as she fired another dart, a plume of red flames erupting from one of the trees.

"What the f-" The curse was cut off immediately as a large Beowolf tore from the shadows and bit down on one of the White Fang grunts. _Never thought that I'd ever be happy to see a Beowolf... But Kali is no doubt attracting them like a bleeding hand in a fishpond full of piranha's..._

* * *

 _The hero comes_

* * *

 _I'll make it!_ He could see the flare of Fire Dust from a distance, even with the woman on his shoulder. Images of blood and flesh being torn were visible in his mind's eye, even whilst he manoeuvred through the terrain, his feet carrying him onward to the goal in mind. "How are you going to fight them?" The woman asked, yet he did not answer it. _Cardio is definitely something that I need to do more._

His breath was growing deeper, his lungs gulping air every time that he could feel the strain go up. _You can't give up, Jaune. You've got this woman depending on you._ He pushed himself to go even faster, even as the Beowolves that he controlled assaulted the White Fang. _They don't know how to deal with Grimm in a panicked situation._

With only twenty Grimm under his control, he knew that his forces would have to be used sparingly, lest the woman notice that he was almost literally creating the Grimm. "Hide here." He said, letting her down from his shoulder, his feet feeling the burn of the additional weight on his body, as he shoved her into the bushes. "Stay there until I come back. Cat Faunus, right?" The woman nodded, her eyes holding fear, her blue eyes meeting his own with that hope mingling with them. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" She said in a voice that begged him to confirm her hopes. "I will be. I'm a huntsman." He wasn't one, yet... but that didn't mean that he didn't know how to wield a weapon.

" _Assure her even more. She cannot go into despair. It will lure the Grimm to this spot."_ Summer's voice added in his mind's decor, even with her voice sounding like it was far away. "I'll be fine. I'm going to make sure that you, your friend and her husband will be alright. What sort of clothing are they wearing?" _Better make sure to put it on a safer topic._ "Dark black, for Kali. Her husband prefers to wear purple, he's this massive man."

"Alright, eh... You stay here. We'll introduce each other after I'm done saving your friends." _I will make sure that nobody harms you._ Three Grimm, Beowolves to be exact, fell into position around the spot where they were. With the shadows of the forest, it was easy to have Grimm hide, their bone-white masks only blending in with the splashes of light still falling in from the canopy above. "Good luck." The woman said, his lips flashing a smile that he didn't feel.

He was off then, towards the sound of another shout, gunfire loud in the air as he charged in that direction, blade already in the process of being drawn from his side. The jacket felt uncomfortable against the wounds on his back, yet he ignored that in order to get himself to the proper mindset for fighting off people.

 _I will save them. I will not be responsible for more people dying. If they die, it is because you failed in your duty as a huntsman._ The harsh thought steadied him as he could feel the Grimm around the crash site reach out for his guidance, feeling the connection slide into place, as their vision became his. Disoriented for a moment, he checked how many people were present, giving only a soft sound in the back of his throat as he counted a good seven people still standing, a shadow moving through the brush and dealing with the White Fang members that were attacking them. _**Go and kill one of them.**_

The order was given so casually that he didn't even think about it, one of the Beowolves tearing from the shadows and rushing at one of the White Fang, the beast moving like a well-oiled machine rolling down the hill with full speed, the flesh of the grunt torn by the Beowolf's maw, ripped off from the body, as the creature dealt with the Faunus in due time. _Another death... yet this one was worth it. "Summer?"_ He asked her, as he looked at the six figures that remained, dealing with the Grimm that had appeared in their midst. Their machine guns blazed with the bullets shot at the Beowolf, the creature turned into evaporating smoke only a moment later, before the crowd of people started to search for their targets once more. _"Charge at them and make sure that your first strike strikes terror in their hearts. Once they witness a sudden gruesome death, the enemy is more likely to make mistakes."_ Summer's voice was calm and collected, at odds with how her warm motherly personality had been. _I guess this is the difference between work mode and mother-mode... Mom always said that every stranger is another friend that you hadn't met before... but I don't think these people are friendly in the least._

He could see them focus on something before them, getting closer to them before he could see the first one turn around. _Heroes cry out a battle cry before coming to their foes, yet what hero am I?_ "HEE-YAH!" The shout came from his mouth as his blade cut through the air, catching the White Fang recruit in the side, slicing right through the armour and embedding itself into the body, the resistance somewhat heavier than it had been. Seeing the carnage that such a blade could do up-close was something that made his stomach roil, even as he saw the mask fall away, a pale-faced woman looking up at him with eyes that were quickly clouding over, the grip of death coming through the woman's body. He pulled his blade free with a wet soggy sound as he held it up, Faunus blood dripping from the edge. "I've had a bad week... So who's going to be the next one up, eh?" _Was that too cocky?_

His favourite Spruce Willis movie was not without its one-liners, even with his eyes looking at the Faunus' reactions, their faces showing surprise at the sudden interruption. His body moved in a startling manner, even as one of his Beowolves shot from the shadows, slamming into one of the slack-jawed Faunus, starting to tear it apart. The flow of emotions cut off, the moment death occurred. His body felt hot as he moved, his melee skills not too impressive compared to a fully-trained huntsman, yet the White Fang were like wheat, one of them bringing their gun up in order to fight him off, his knee lashing out and then pushing the Faunus aside, the gun clattering to the floor. His head turned, seeing the guns aimed at him. Three left for him to take care of.

A woman leapt from the bushes, her bladed staff cutting into the stomach of one of the grunts, her face flushed with fury as she moved, her bladed staff cutting through the armour easily, as the guns blazed with their flaming expulsions. His arm he put in front of him, even as a Beowolf leapt in front of him, taking the barrage of bullets in order to let him survive. _No matter the cost, I will be remaining in this world for a long while. I will not submit to the cruel fate that these people have in store for me._ "You filthy human scum are all that is wrong with the world!" One of the Faunus said, even whilst another clip was put into the rifle, the rifle looking like it would be better off with just a few extra bits and bobs attached, his eyes catching a glimpse of his co-combatant freezing up for a moment, the Beowolf's shadowy essence adding to his own as he leapt over its body.

"You should hate the Grimm instead of humans!" He shouted, as he brought his blade down on the man, whose gun was raised in order to shoot at him. A flash of heat was felt, even as the blade's edge cut straight through the man's shoulder, gravity adding the downward effect onto his slash, with the weight of the blade pressing it down into the man's chest. "You killed Kenneth! You human bastard!" The remaining White Fang grunt shouted, her own gun ready to fire, the trigger pulled, even as he moved again, putting the body of 'Kenneth' in front of him, hoping that it'd catch the bullets, like in the movies. He could feel the pain of something hitting his Aura though, even as he continued, the body tossed aside as he brought the blade forwards in a stabbing motion, the tip sinking into the woman's gut, her fingers grabbing the blade. She seemed to wish to pull it out again, even as the dark emotions surged.

 _You are afraid of me..._ His mind's darker thoughts formed, as the woman looked up at him, trying to press against the blade, which had buried itself into the gut, his hands pulling back. The wound was wide enough for the guts to come pushing out, the woman's grip on them starting to be frantic, as she tried to push the ropes back into her abdomen again, trying to ensure that they'd no longer push outward.

"Are you Kali?" He asked, his voice sharper than he'd intended towards the tiger Faunus, the woman taking his measure with cool eyes, sharply looking over his form. "I am not. I am her bodyguard." The look on the woman's face, as well as the manner in which she dressed, showed that she was serious about her task. _Better not tangle with her. There are still others, coming right at us._

The command was given then, for the Grimm to move. The Ursa and three Beowolves appeared before the approaching White Fang, the sound of more gunfire erupting from the direction that he'd just come from. _Better hope that this woman's willing to listen to me... She's older than me, but she knows that I've come here to help if killing them was no great issue._

"I'm here for Kali and her husband Ghira. Her friend told me to come and retrieve them." _Simple, isn't it?_ The woman narrowed her eyes, looking at him with suspicion in her gaze. "Why should I trust the words of a human? You slew our Faunus brothers and sisters without remorse." _I did it so that they would not harm you people! I did what I HAD to._

Something inside his mind continued to tell him that it had been the logical choice, for those who wished to raise arms against him. _It would be my death or theirs._ The logic behind that was simple, to him… yet he knew that to be a hero, he would need to keep the casualty rate lower… _But does that mean that I'll die?_

"Kali!" The woman called, a woman seated about twenty meters away, close to the crash site of the transport, looked up in their direction. Her fingers were clutching her dress, one of her ears bleeding, if the thick red mark seemed to be any indication. _She radiates more sadness and despair than most people ever could produce in mortal terror_ _._ He didn't know how he knew that, but the thought struck him, as she looked at him. "Is he one of your friends, dear?" The woman said in a tone that was light, as if it were only the weather that they were talking about, not at all as if they were in a life-threatening situation.

"He says he's sent by your friend." The woman said, her staff still aimed in his direction. _She looks well-trained. Huntsman perhaps?_ His thoughts went back to the woman who he'd caught, his mind picking up the jumble of emotions that she felt, the fear and disturbed state of her mind dominating that in the greatest quality. _I'm like a mood ring… but even more sensitive._

"Oh, he looks nice. Did Esmeralda send you?" The woman asked as she got up, walking towards him without any seeming rush. _Another Grimm down. Only the Ursa left._ His mind caught the feedback from the death of the Grimm, feeling how the _vitae tenebris_ that made them dispersed again. "If you mean the dark-haired woman who came falling out of the air, then yes." He said. The Faunus woman smiled, laying a hand on the tiger Faunus' shoulder. "See? He's a friend of Esmeralda's! You can trust him, Sienna." The woman's eyes were shrouded with irritation and anger, her gaze going towards the direction where the White Fang should be coming from, if he had not sent the Grimm to 'impede' their progress.

The sound of gunfire came from that direction, even as he looked over to it, seeing a few of the White Fang make it towards them. "We must complete our mission!" One of them shouted, even as he noticed that the bush where he had left the woman was close by the White Fang's position. He was in motion a moment later. _I'm not going to let innocent people die._

He could feel the muscles in his body protest as he moved, not even considering his own health. He sprinted to the best of his ability, his blade held at his side in his right hand, feeling how the Grimm around the area coiled their will around his own. _Another three came into range._ The bush was still as intact as it was, smelling only a faint perfume. "Are you still there?" He asked, a soft –"Yes."- coming from the woman, his eyes matching to one of the Grimm. One of the benefits of controlling the Grimm was that they would be able to distract the enemy for long enough for his retreat to be made.

The tiger Faunus looked like she was getting ready to fight again, even as he pulled the dark-haired woman onto his shoulder in much the same fashion. He did not stumble, nor did his feet buckle again, as he ran back towards the Faunus duo.

"Esmeralda!" The cheerful voice of the woman known as Kali to him came, as she got up and smiled. "Are you alright, Kali?" The woman asked as she was set down. _Another two down. They seem to have gotten a good fighter with them._ The sound of what seemed to be a chainsaw was louder in the background, the White Fang members that were gathering up there looking at them, seemingly waiting for their leader.

" _Watch out for the shots. They'd need to line up a clear line of view with their targets, with the trees making it more difficult to find a proper target."_ Summer's voice cut in. "Talk later, find something to hide behind in case they start shooting." He was sure that this would be another rough time, as a flashback came to the Beornir camp. _I don't want to do this..._

Even as he pressed himself against a tree, the fire within his left arm started to grow, the blood pumping through his body stilling for a moment, as the black ichors rose. Grimm slithered from the shadows around him, as the darkness lent it shape and size. "Lieutenant, the Grimm are attacking us!" One of the White Fang grunts said loudly, his ears catching the sentence, even as the Beowolves tore through the bushes, one leaping at the White Fang member. A chainsword tore through the Beowolf's body then, a large bulky man standing there like he deserved to. "Grimm are weak! Only the Faunus are strong!"

Jaune watched as his newly created Grimm died, his eyes looking at the lieutenant, then back to the women. _This is like one of the stories, save for the fact that it's a man and a woman fighting against Faunus._

"Come on, survivors... Time for you to meet your fate!" The chainsword roared as the man revved the engine, the round manner of his belly showing that the man was overweight, the porcine tail that Jaune could see fitting the general look of the man. "Make sure that he's distracted. I'll deal with him." The tiger Faunus said, as her voice was sharp and business-like. _She still radiates hatred and anger towards me, yet it does not bother her functioning._

"I'll try and take some of his blows then. Just be ready." He said, their conversation muted, the woman nodding once. She moved with a feline grace though, her staff looking still as deadly as before.

"I don't need a pig like you to tell me what to do!" He said, stepping into view. _This better not end up with me being riddled with bullets. Aura might be a force-field but I don't think it'll be able to block bullets for a long while._ The man's mask quivered, as he raised the chainsword with both hands. "A human! Are you not afraid of our might?" _I'm more afraid of Her than I am of you._

Jaune's face showed not a single shred of doubt as he moved, the jacket pulled a little tighter, his body feeling the fabric rub against the wounds on his back, still slowly closing up with the stress of the day adding to it. _"You must hold out, Jaune. If that bodyguard will come and aid you, it'll be to your benefit._ " The blood that he had spilt was not inconsequential, even with his body moving towards the man, his blade raised. _This might ruin the blade, I don't think someone really uses a chainsword... Well..._

"Scared, little human? You've grown silent." The porcine Faunus leader said, as he gave a mow with the chainsword, his eyes looking into Jaune's. "Just deliberating whether to grill you like bacon or whether to really make sure that your pork chops get smoked." _Bad analogy, Jaune. You need to sound like you're Jamie Bundt, instead of some bumbling idiot who gets called out by girls for being clumsy._

"You'll pay for that comment, human! I am perfectly fine as I am!" The man was in motion. _He moves slower than expected._ The blade raised up and he blocked, the teeth of the chainsword digging into the metal, starting to chew through the toughened blade immediately, with no time wasted. He became aware of the man's scent as he was up close, struggling against the weight of the blow. "You know how to block, little human. Are you afraid yet?"

He was aware that the tigress Faunus was moving, stalking through the shadows, her body moving with the grace of a stalking predator, without making much sound. _The Grimm are continuing to be a nuisance towards the White Fang. If I can just fight this guy, I will make it out alive._

"I don't think you're anything resembling fearful, fat piggy." He retorted as he pushed against the chainblade with all of his strength, pushing the man away, the chainsword swiping at him. His left arm raised, grabbing the blade and blocking the strike, the man pulling back, the chainsword roaring still, dust particles in the air as the teeth ignited. "Silly little human, your end is near. We were just going to deal with the Belladonna's and that other blasted woman, but I guess having a bit of human blood before the main event was just something that we have to add to the tally."

"Don't think that you'll be making it out alive." The voice of the tiger Faunus spoke casually, as her bladed staff sliced right through the armour, the gut of the man starting to bleed. A snort came from the man, as he rolled his bulk around. "You can't hurt me, Khan. You are not able to cut through my body with your flimsy blades!"

"Double-team the guy?" He suggested to the woman, who joined him at his side. _I could summon Grimm to take care of him from the back, yet that would not endear me to these people._ The thought to summon Grimm was something that came to him more often. If he had a problem, he could summon the Grimm to take care of it. "Emergency alliances do often form, yes. You take his left and I will take his right. Let's flay the little piggy." The woman's voice was commanding and confident, even as the staff she wielded seemed to shift to a sturdier shape, the mecha-shifting mechanism working without a flaw in the gears. _Crocea Mors' shield only got bigger when it shifted. I wonder if the material is light enough to carry on her._

"Working together with a human, Khan? That doesn't sound like something someone like you would do." The woman growled, an animalistic sound that rumbled through her throat. "Don't you know that the best allies are the ones who share a similar enemy?" The woman said, as she slashed with the bladed end of her staff, trying to slice at the porcine Faunus. Jaune followed right after her, his blade attacking from the other side. The woman's slice was dodged, yet his was met head-on. _His weakness probably is in his ability to take heavier blow. Many small ones would be bearable, yet a big blow would render him unable to fight back._

"Who'd want to work together with a pig like you, huh?" He challenged, even as the Faunus pulled back his chainsword, the tiger Faunus moving into striking range and slamming the business end of her staff into his gut and ripping it out. Blood gushed from the wound, the scent making his nose freeze up with the coppery scent filling it completely. "When the commander announces your death, ours will be vindicated!"

He attacked then, his blade slicing through the air, blocked after a moment. With blood streaming out of the wound like a leaky faucet, it was a small miracle that the wound hadn't stopped the movements of the pig Faunus yet, but he did not spend much thought to it. It had been barely a minute since they'd engaged in combat, the tiger Faunus slicing once more, a long cut over the man's flabby belly, the armour barely stopping the staff's weapon. _"He has been taught how to use his Aura to reinforce himself with stamina and vitality. You're going to have to keep working to down him."_ Summer's voice was like a breath of fresh air in his mind as he pulled back, a large rent showing in the blade where it'd met with the chainsword once again, not even stopping to think about how this was going to go down.

 _To be a hero... is to save the day and keep on standing!_ The thought spurred him on as he raised his blade high in the typical chopping position, some of Summer's coaching brought to the fore as he slashed down, his exposed chest allowing for an easy strike, yet his own strike was blocked by the chainsword once more, his eyes catching a glimpse of the man's eyes, a dark colour that was shrouded by the shadows. The woman 'Khan' or something, moved into the gap that he had created, spearing the man through the wound in the gut and twisting the blades inside the innards, the man's grip slackening, the chainsword fuming a little as the trigger was released, the chain slowly coming to a halt as the weapon deactivated. _I don't like that sort. Too loud for my tastes. It'd give me an ear-ache just by wielding it._

The thought of replacing his weapon was something that played in his mind, yet he did not think that it would be wise to just pick up another's weapon if he had no knowledge of how to repair it. _Ruby wouldn't want anyone else touching Crescent Rose either._

"He slew the lieutenant!" One of the White Fang members shouted, even as the Grimm burst out of the woodwork, the Beowolf taking the lead tearing into them. _**Destroy them and all who wear a similar mask.**_ The order rang through the network that he had established, the Grimm turning its head to look at them before continuing onwards. _At least we'll have a moment to ourselves now._

"So... Your name is Khan?" He asked, his voice sounding a little more confident, as the tiger Faunus looked at him with a baleful look. "Yes. Sienna Khan." _Don't know her._

"Am I supposed to know you, or anything?" He asked, trying to guess at her reason for saying it in such a fashion as if it were expected. _Weiss was like that as well, with her whole family business being with the Dust. I never really got why that's supposed to be a big deal, though._ "Eh... Yes?" She said, as if she could not believe that he didn't know of her. The expression on her face told volumes of what she thought about his lack of knowing her.

"Still not really ringing any bells..." He said, trying to think about whether he'd seen any Faunus in the news lately. _Nothing but the White Fang protests... I don't think she's one of those protesters..._ The woman looked too well-put-together for protesting in the streets, her whole demeanour something that one could see in leaders of people. "But that doesn't matter. Are you alright?" He inquired, the woman's face darkening with emotions that were hardly benign. "I'm fine. A few scrapes and scratches will not kill me." Her gaze drew back to the White Fang, one of the bodies laying there, still twitching a little.

"We should move back to the others." He said, trying to get the situation under control. _Think Jaune, you need to do what a huntsman should do._ "Yes, we should. We should also make sure that we have weapons available for usage by the others." Working together with him seemed to be something that her mind could fathom only barely, with her whole body straight and at attention, her gaze meeting his own in that unique manner of sharp feral awareness, as if she were the prowling tiger in the jungle and he the explorer that she was stalking.

"Are you alright?" He asked the dark-haired woman, whose face was showing a mix of different emotions. "I am... alright, I suppose. I don't think I introduced myself, did I?" The dubious manner in which she spoke told of her emotions, as she looked at him. "Esmeralda Géle, at your service, Mister Huntsman." The little curtsy that she did was enough to clue him in that this woman was of a similar calibre as Weiss was.

"Any relation to Jacques Schnee? " Sienna's voice held a cutting edge to it, the look of disgust on the woman's face something that she could not hide before his eyes. "Regrettably so. I was out in Mistral on a little shopping expedition when this unfortunate affair happened." The Faunus woman standing to the side smiled at the introduction, speaking up with an airy tone. "Hello there, mister Huntsman."

 _Gee, this is looking like it'll be out of something of a romance novel. Three ladies, all older than me, looking towards me with something that passes for respect. "Do not let it get to your head. Respect is important, yet you need not to grow a big head and to let those emotions rule your life."_ Summer's voice cautioned him, as he straightened out. "My name's Jaune Arcadia, at your service." _Why don't I call myself Jaune Arc? Why do I use the name of the kingdom?_ He made a little flourish as if he were pulling off his hat for the ladies, a giggle coming from the Faunus woman's mouth. "Kali Belladonna." The smile on her lips was brittle though, as she seemed to put on the mask of being a woman of good cheer.

Sienna and Esmeralda shared a look, as if to gauge the trustworthiness of each other before unifying. "Did Ghira..." Esmeralda started, Jaune's eyes looking between the two of them, Sienna's ears drooping a little. "My husband is resting over there." Kali pointed over towards a tree, where he could see a man laying, the piece of wood that protruded from his chest pointing easily towards a cause of death. _Oh dear... That's the reason why she's radiating more depression than anything else._

"He's..." The woman spoke, her voice sharp. "Just resting, dear. No need to wake him up." The insistence that her husband was 'just resting' was strong, even as those eyes of hers teared up. The emotions that were bottled up inside her were like a physical tide that wrapped around him. _"Ask whether they have Aura."_ Summer spoke, her voice holding a measure of urgency in it.

"Do you have your Aura unlocked?" He inquired, his voice calmer than he probably should be, the fear of the Grimm not driving his mood. _They will obey before my will, or they will be destroyed._ "No. My father never wished for me to have it unlocked." The dark-haired woman said, her statuesque features looking untarnished by anything that had occurred, her face looking sharp, much akin to Weiss' when she was feeling in a certain mood to be snappy. "I never had it unlocked. Ghira does not, either." Kali said, her smile soft. "It's okay... You can let it out." Esmeralda said, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. _I guess they're fairly close then if they're willing to be so touchy. My sisters hated it when my female friends touched me... said it was 'bad for my cuteness', whatever that meant._

"I'm just..." The tears came then, even as Jaune heard the snapping of bones audibly in the distance, a scream heard, before the silence came. _That's the last one I could find. If someone survived it... they've got the luck of the devil. Thirty-one people, slain by my will and order._ The thought would have startled him even more, yet when he looked at the women as they stood side to side, he could feel empathy for them. They were attacked by the White Fang, treated as if they were mere garbage... He could relate to such feelings, with his own lack of training having spurred him on to better himself.

 _It's not as if there'd be a problem with us travelling together, right? "Summer, do you think I should offer to guard them whilst we travel towards civilisation?"_ He asked, just to see her opinion on things. A flash of silver eyes reached his mind's eyes, pale and shimmering, a strange sensation going through the _vitae tenebris_ inside him, as her voice came through loud and clear. _"There is strength in numbers, Jaune. Together, you'll be with four people... That's more than enough to guarantee that most bandits will not easily attempt to attack you. Huntsmen teams work in pairs of four, so if you can pull it off... You might be able to skirt by bandits."_ The thought of bandits like the Beornir tribe ravaging the countryside was something that he felt was wrong to the core.

 _If they are like the Beornir, then I will stop them._

* * *

 _The frolick,_

* * *

 _This is starting to be a good week._ The dreams had been mostly gone now, with only the irregular moment when the face of Jaune flashed into his mind again. It had been nearly two weeks now since the dreams had started to lessen, Velvet's little coaching on how to get rid o bad dreams working wonders. "Going to your bunny again, Cardin?" Dove said, his voice sounding loud in the room that he shared.

"As a matter of fact… Yeah. I don't need your approval to meet up with a friend, do I?" He pulled the jacket a little tighter, the beacon uniform feeling as it always did, his eyes glinting a little in the light that fell from the window, his team leader looking at him with eyes that were hard to read. "Tell the guys I'll be back around one, 'Team Leader'." It was only ten now, with the trip to Forever Fall in the background. It would be something that would be memorable, for the tales that had been told about the beautiful scenery.

 _I don't know why she hangs around me…_ He thought as he went to the place that they had decided to meet at, spotting her leaning against one of the walls, her hands in her pockets. _Like she's just casually here._ _Not waiting for a guy like me, who's killed someone. A sinner._

"Cardin!"She said, her voice sounding light and friendly, with that cheerful tone only working to enchant him. She moved from the wall, a small jump in her step as she moved, the camera she wore around her neck bobbing against her chest, his attention drawn to the front. _Yeah, that's a nice pair._

He watched her come to a stop before him, her ears twitching a little as she looked up at him. "Had a nice sleep?" _No Arc accusing me…_ He nodded in response, letting her smile come out in full force. "Good, good. Let's head to the training room then! There are a few things Coco has taught me that I'd like to try out." The eagerness in her voice was endearing, even with her eyes meeting his own.

Thirty minutes later, armoured up and with his mace in hand, he knew that the Lapine Faunus was definitely something of a sadist towards humans, as she bounced a little on her heels, her eyes brimming as the thin sword that she had created had buzzed into view. "Cardin! Try and dodge this!" The cheer in her voice was secondary to the way that he dodged, the blade missing his side, his mace swinging in a wild arc as he tried to hit her, with the Faunus girl dodging backwards, a little roll to the front and hopping right back onto her feet in a display of agility. With no moment spared for her recovery, he moved forward, thrusting the mace against her, hitting her in the stomach. The 'Oof!' told him that he had hit his target, the girl bending over, even as she moved forwards, her fingers holding onto the light-forged weapon, slashing at him.

His aura blocked the strike, though it hit the red line, breaking almost. Sweat dripped down his face, as he held up his hands. "I give, I give. You've beaten me." He smiled at her, her hand brushing over her cheek, a smile on her lips. _She's got a pretty smile on her lips. I wouldn't mind it if..._ The thought wasn't finished, as she moved up to him, adjusting his grip a little on his weapon. "Bit lower. You lose strength with the grip like that, and you'll want to really leave a dent in the Grimm that you hit with that mace." _Her deodorant smells a little like cherries. Or perhaps it is her shampoo?_

The thought of being so close to a girl, even if she were older, was something that pulled at him, his eyes catching a glimpse of Arc's replacement sneaking up on them, the weapons that he held in his hand clearly ready to be used. Nikos was strolling in front of him, her steps as light as a feather, with her body moving with that practised warrior's stride, her steps as easy as if she were just making her way across the dance floor, her weapons shifting to a more comfortable form.

The spear and shield combination was one of those that the Mistrali people held in high regard over the ages, apparently, Velvet giving a little squeal of 'It's Pyrrha Nikos!' and he laid a hand on her head, patting it absent-mindedly. _Nikos looks steamed._

"Time for me to score some booty!" The proud peacock that was that Viridian fellow said, as he pulled out the rocket-spear that he held in his hand, clearly intending to take on the spartan leader of team PRWN, the cocky look on his face something that Cardin found particularly annoying.

"He's a dick." He muttered out loud, even as Nikos got into a ready stance, her body angling a little forward, feet planted solidly on the ground, one of the stances that she'd shown before in the sparring ring under Goodwitch's observance. _You can bet that she'll make mincemeat out of the guy when he's got his spear in her proximity._ The soft mutter below him was something that he only noticed then, his fingers touching the soft bunny ears on top of Velvet's head, his hand pulled off them as if burned. "Ah, I'm sorry." Her head turned and she did that smile again. _Don't turn red. You know that you're turning red._ "I don't mind if you pet my head." She said, her teeth so white that they looked right out of an advertisement for good toothpaste, her eyes meeting his own.

"Take my spear!" The war cry from Wisteria sounded loud through the training room, as the rockets on the spear ignited, adding some thrust behind the thrust that he gave, the metal tip blocked by Nikos' shield, her spear coming up in a jab in return, scoring a hit on the aura. A beep sounded, as his Scroll found the statistics for the match between Nikos and Wisteria, the cocky spear-wielder at around 90% of his aura, with Nikos guarding herself once more, her eyes careful and alert. "Guard your flank better!" Her response came, colder than it had been before with Arc. _She's still hurting inside. Losing your partner... I should say something but..._ His hand rubbed over Velvet's hair again, a soft contented sound coming from her mouth.

"He's not working hard enough to fight against her." Velvet said, her voice sounding a little disappointed. "She's in top fighting form, but he..." The slam of a body hitting the floor was audible where they were standing, the champion bending over to offer her team member a hand to get up. _At least Arc knew how to learn from his partner's coaching. All that he's been doing is doing the same trick... though he is better in shape than Arc was._

"I'm not done yet!" He heard the guy say, getting back to his feet again and charging at Nikos again, the woman blocking with the shield again. _She's got you because you use the same tactics all the time._ The kick to his gut sent the guy careening into the ground, his aura dropping another ten percent. "She's got him on the ropes. The skill he has is good against Grimm. Most don't have the intelligence to deal with his style... but against people? Even Coco could floor the guy with her handbag... though she does not shift it to its gun form." Velvet said, leaning against him, her back pressed there, as if he were the solid wall holding her up. It felt good, he had to admit. _I'll have to ask her about the shampoo she's using. She smells amazing._

The sight of Viridian once again hitting the ground with a smack was audible, as he got up again, the aura meter in the red. "Improvement, but you still need to learn how to not over-extend." The frosty tone that Nikos used was strict, reminiscent of Goodwitch. "She's really laying on the Goodwitch there." He muttered, Velvet giggling a little. "That's because she's the champion, silly."

 _I'm not silly._ He looked down at her, to find her looking up at him, a smile playing on her lips. "But I'll say that you're showing some improvement as well. You've managed to keep up with me for a while." The smile that she showed was radiant, to his eyes. That little quirk of her lips, those eyes meeting his own with that warmth infused in them. _Damn, I... It's hot in here. That must be it._

He could feel her shift a little, the faint smile on her lips visible. "Only because you helped me out. My teammates... they're a little slow." _It's true. Dove is the fastest, but Russel and Sky... they can't keep up at times._ She giggled, shaking her head. "Your words, not mine."

"Nah, it's true though." He could see Wisteria getting to his feet again, a confident grin on his lips. _Sleazebag._ The spear-thrust that he made was telegraphed to Nikos' acute senses, her shield up to block in a flash, the hand that held her spear dropping it, grabbing the front of his clothing and then throwing him to the ground, as easy as that was. _Total wuss._

"Hmmm." Velvet murmured, his hands stopping for a moment, as she looked at the sight of Wisteria getting up again, his aura in the red. "He's not exactly learning how to deal with her. Coco would've tried something else. She's flexible because she's the leader." _Now that I think of it, she's never really introduced me to her team before._ "Do you want me to meet with them?"

The sound of surprise from her mouth was sweet, as she looked up at him. "No, not yet. I'm not ready for that yet." _Ready for what? What is she planning?_

* * *

 _Affairs of state,_

* * *

 _Well, this is at least something that I can work with._ He looked at the three women, the look on their face different for each. The tallest Faunus, Kali, seemed to half-way be torn into her own mind, her gaze absent as she stroked over Sienna's head, the latter grumbling a little whilst giving him a death glare. The taller human brunette stood there, dressed in an elegant dress, something unsuitable for fighting and combat, looking like she had just come from the highest of fashion shows before.

" _They don't exactly look like they can fight."_ Summer added, even as he began to tally up the things that they'd need to get. _Three packs that can carry some stuff that we can get from the crash sites, maybe a weapon or two..._ He could see the staff weapon that the tiger Faunus wielded, easily moving in her grip whilst her ears were being toyed with by Kali, the woman's smile faint. A little different than the earliest meeting, when the fighting had only been done for about a minute or so. He could not feel any rampant emotions from the direct vicinity, so he was pretty sure that he could at the very least, find no sight of any survivors. Kali, the Faunus woman, had grabbed him by the hand and led him over to the body that lay next to the tree, eyes glazed over in death.

"This is my husband, Ghira. He's just... a little silent now." Kali's introduction to the body of her husband had been... disturbing. The sad smile on her lips was enough to clue him in that the maelstrom of feelings inside her seemed to be like the torrential rain outpouring over the dried gulch, the woman appearing to be brave. "Was he a good husband for you?" He said, not sure on how to deal with the way that the woman introduced him to her husband.

He could see the other Faunus woman, Sienna, he believed her name to be, shake her head, telling him not to rip open the wound. "He was... Is, the best husband a woman could wish for. Brave, kind and willing to go the extra mile to protect his family." Her eyes were sad, as she looked at her husband's face. He laid a hand on her shoulder, feeling the raw emotions slowly pull out of her body and shivering the _vitae tenebris_ inside him. "Shall we bury him?" He asked. The woman looked at the body, her eyes welling up with tears once more. He could see the look of despair on her face, as the raw emotions surged once more.

"Let me..." She gently reached for the man's hand, pulling the wedding ring from his finger, putting it on her other hand's ring finger, her soft sigh something that she could only bear. "I love you, my Ba'Ghira." She whispered softly, placing a tender kiss on the man's dead lips. _That is kind of gross, but I don't really fault her for doing this._

The explosion in the far-off distance was loud, as flames seemed to rise up, smoke curling up from the explosion, his head turning in that direction. "Schnee Dust Company gunships carry enough Dust to ignite when the proper ignition is supplied. Once a fire starts in the primary chamber, it detonates unless around one of the inhibitors that the Schnee Dust Company has set up around every major transportation hub on Remnant." The brunette woman spoke in an educative manner as if she knew a lot about the transport of Dust.

"Oh, so we won't be able to get a weapon from there..." He muttered aloud, as he looked between the women, Kali still kneeling next to her husband, her fingers gently closing his eyes. "Can we start digging a hole?" Sienna muttered, her eyes resting on the man's corpse. Her bladed staff was out, and she looked at the ground, looking for a proper spot to start digging. _I could use an Ursa for the digging. It would make it a lot quicker than manually digging a hole... but I wouldn't want to frighten them into thinking I am a threat._

The frightened faces at the assembly, as He presented his grand thesis to the universe. The moment upon completion of the final grand circle, as He channelled the force through the Relics. _The right was MINE._ _ **All mine! I should have had the power!**_ The thoughts and memory fragments vanished, as he looked at his weapon's blade.

The crack that ran through it was already large enough to show that the blade would probably not stand up to another chain-saw-like weapon, with the impact where it'd hit the blade having a large rent in the blade's core structure. _It won't last much longer in a fight against a human opponent. I should get it checked out at a blacksmith._

Darkness fell as the body was finally lowered into the ground, a pack scavenged from one of the wreckages of the transport ships, filled with some of the emergency rations packed away carefully, a few bottles of water already finished by the people, the hole dug mostly with his efforts. He used his _vitae tenebris-_ infused arm to do the majority of the digging, using his blade as an improvised shovel. _One of the benefits of the vitae tenebris is that it doesn't let me get tired. The arm feels as fine as it is... though my real one doesn't._

The face of the dead man looked at ease, even as his wife stood there above the hole. A flashlight had been scavenged in order to make light fall onto the body, with Kali wielding the flashlight in accordance to the rituals that she knew. _I never really went to any funerals. Uncle Aurum died when I was three..._

"We have gathered here to shed the final light upon the life of Ghira Belladonna, beloved husband of Kali Belladonna, father to Blake Belladonna." The words of the woman were formal, even as he heard the name of Ruby's teammate. _So this is her dad? Was, her dad._ The look of grave formality was on the woman's face, as she produced a flower that she'd gathered from the surroundings from her pocket, gently laying it on his chest. "As the flowers of our love have wilted, the body is consecrated to the earth. Know that the one known as Ba'Ghira Belladonna rests here, the flower of his love to wither within the grave, to feed the next generation of flowers left to blossom."

The woman stood straight, the light falling onto the man's features shut off with a click, the ceremony silent, as the woman gathered herself again. "It is time to cast off the mortal shell, my beloved. May your soul find true peace in the hereafter, by the Two Brothers' grace." Tears leaked from her eyes as she gently shovelled some dirt onto the body of her husband, trails over her cheeks making her look even grimmer in the darkening world, the fading light enough for him to know.

"We should get going soon." He said, as he pushed the last bit of dirt into the hole, having done his job without complaint or worry, his eyes looking at the patch where he'd buried the body. "They will be after us soon." Sienna said, her suspicious eyes looking between the two of them, the woman, Esmeralda, pulling herself up to her full height. She'd scavenged one of Kali's dresses, the Mistralian style looking quite decent on her, in Jaune's humble opinion.

"The White Fang will be investigating this." Sienna said, even as she stalked towards the packs that had been set up. The look on the woman's face was grave, even as the flames licked onto the transports, with the sky filling with the smoke that had come from the burning craft. "We'd best be gone, keeping under the radar."

The conversation that had taken place was still in his mind, the Faunus woman having spoken the most out of all three women. "We must not be known to have survived. The White Fang would do anything to ensure that Kali would die."The woman's eyes were worried, as the woman looked at the body of her late husband, still with the mournful look on her face.

"We can cause a general ignition of the wreckage by pulling three Dust vials from their fuses and leaving the resulting failure to ignite the storage." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding confident on that aspect of the Dust usage. _She's got some knowledge on how to make use of Dust, at least._

They'd have to travel by night. Ever since he'd met with them, nearly five hours before, there had been something that spurred him on to move, something that told him to get out of this place. _I wonder whether it is the veritable whirlpool of negativity that Kali is creating, or whether it is that impending sense of doom that I feel..._

" _Jaune? It's dark enough to let me come out. Do you want me to... come out?"_ Summer's voice was soft as she spoke, the thought of summoning the woman to his side being good for some brief relief, yet he was still not sure whether he would wish for their scorn if it came out that he knew how to create Grimm. _"No, I don't think that it would be a good thing, right now."_

 _This day's gotten worse... First, a lady falls out of the sky, then I've got into a life-and-death match with the White Fang... and it finally finished off with a funeral and three more people that'll be travelling with me._ He could only sigh, as he went for his pack again, finding it still in the same spot where he'd left it. _I guess that it'll be better to have someone else to talk to... No sense in travelling alone when there are people in need of a hero to guard them._

That was what a hero did. A huntsman would protect those who would need protecting.

* * *

 **Another chapter for A Grimm Tale done! We've only got Cardin's perspective on Team PRWN to deal with for now, since I didn't think team RWBY would be a very good fit for the personal view on how Team PRWN works. They've got less interaction with team PRWN due to Jaune being out of the picture. They may be friendly with Team PRWN but it was mostly Jaune being Ruby's friend that really spurred on the companionship that JNPR and RWBY had.**

 **Since we've gotten the first Arc of the story out of the way with this chapter and some of the main changes have shown some of their effects already... We can safely head into even grimmer tales. I hope you will enjoy the coming chapters. We'll get to see Jaune's interaction with Lady Schnee, Sienna and Kali. The timeline that we all know and are familiar with, has shifted.**

 **Description will be updated for Chapter 13. Will Jaune return to Beacon anytime soon? No. Some people may be like 'Oh, I won't read it until he returns to Beacon!'... But then you'll be missing some kick-ass twists that I'll be throwing at you. Also: The titles of the chapters are allusions to colours. It's a neat little thing that you'll see will make more sense about 20 chapters in.**

 **We've got the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the Ex-High Leader of the White Fang, the wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie and one Jaune Arc together now, in the same place. I should probably rename him Mowgli. Also: Expect interaction between Lady Schnee, Kali and Sienna and Jaune in the next chapter. Kali is a delight to write, even if she's a bit shell-shocked at this point in time due to losing a husband.**

 **And for all the people who go on about how they want to see the reaction of team RWBY, well... I let you down, yet the tale would not be served with them popping up. As for the general timeline... It's around the Forever Fall Forest trip.**

 **By all means, leave me a review! I like to hear people's thoughts on how the story is, even if this chapter was mainly just Jaune and the ladies.**

 **I'll be along next week with another update for you to read! (If I do not get hospitalized again.)**


	13. Worrisome White Woes

**Chapter 13: Worrisome White Woes**

 **Why do people seem to be automatically convinced that if the husband of one character dies, that it'll automatically be lesbians? Are they writing the story for me? (Please don't. I've got a whole plot laid out already.) Still, that miss Schnee and Kali got talking and actually get along pretty well is NOT a sign that they're going to be lesbians in the future. If we go by that logic, the entirety of team RWBY is in a committed lesbian relationship. (They aren't, as far as I'm aware.) If there will be any lesbians popping out of the woodwork that is not Ilia or some other hinted gay character... You will know. I mostly let the characters write themselves.**

* * *

 _The frequent fear_

* * *

Jaune felt ill at ease during the bright and early morning, the depressive feelings that wrapped around the two Faunus women like a brightly lit torch during the darkness, the tiger Faunus supporting Kali, whose hand was entangled with her own. It was only through their night vision that they were able to travel, leaving behind the wreckages that they had to abandon. _Whatever is hunting them, whoever is hunting them..._

They were fugitives now. With the bags slung over their shoulders, their hurry would not make them any less apt at avoiding the search parties... if there ever were any. _As if they would search for the four of us..._ A yawn came from his mouth as he looked around the forest, their feet dragging onwards, soft springy moss under his feet dampening his feet, even whilst the Faunus women continued onwards, the skies above already showing the way of brightening, even as they had stumbled throughout the night.

" _You should rest for an hour or two. Recover your strength, then continue onward."_ Summer said to him as he caught a glimpse of the dark-haired woman who had come from Atlas, according to her own words. She certainly sounded like she knew a lot about Dust, so it wasn't that odd to see her stumbling a few times, his arm having steadied her before she would hurt herself, the dress looking like it would be more of a hindrance than a strength.

"Are you alright?" He asked, the woman giving an affirming nod, her face looking a little drawn. If it hadn't been for the smeared makeup and the sweat that'd dripped down it, she would look at the very least like a model, able to bedazzle anyone who she encountered. "I am fine, Mister Arcadia." She said, her tone prim and proper, as Sienna turned her head to look at the two of them coming up in the rear. "Less chatter, humans! We've got to move!"

" _She's an awfully bossy individual."_ He thought, as he let his gaze slide over their surroundings. They had managed to pass through one more valley, finding no traces of civilisation yet, the two Faunus leading the way with their night vision. _Good thing that Professor Oobleck taught about that in the day before I had my little send-off. I would've suggested that we'd stay there and camp for a while._

" _She's used to command. She's like you, able to command forces by shutting off her feelings and focusing on the task. My husband was the least serious out of all of us, back when we were team STRQ._ " Summer spoke, her voice sounding odd in his ears. There was a grudging respect and a strange yearning in her voice as if she seemed convinced that there was something in her words that he could draw value from. She's been acting odd, ever since she has materialized in the physical world.

"Think we can take a break for an hour or two?" He asked, walking up to the shorter tiger Faunus, whose eyes looked at him with a challenge, her teeth bared for a moment before she spoke. "Can't the silly humans keep up with the Faunus, huh?" She said, her voice bearing the hints of suspicion and irritation at his question. Her silent Faunus companion merely looked saddened for a moment, as she opened her mouth and then closed it once again, her head moving softly in a shake. "We should stop for a while. A night without sleep isn't good for any of us." The woman said, her voice soft in its tone. Depressive energy swirled around her head, as her gaze was drawn to the ground.

Sienna's ears twitched, her gaze fierce and angry towards him, even as he stopped with directing his energy towards such things, putting his pack on the ground and rummaging around it, pulling a water bottle out of it. The jacket that he wore was still fitting him perfectly, the wounds on his back aching still yet with the skill that he had at ignoring that pain, he could manage. _I should never have opted for a jacket..._

He pulled it off, feeling the cool morning air hit his exposed back, turning to face the women, Esmeralda's body leaning against one of the trees as well, her face weary and tired. _Luckily, they aren't paying too much attention to me._ "Would you like a drink?" He asked, offering her the water bottle, feeling how his own throat was parched by the lack of time to get a drink, his eyes meeting with the older woman's who took the bottle and drank greedily, her chin dripping with a few droplets of water. "Thank you." She said, her voice sounding a little deeper, grateful in intonation and she ran a hand through her hair afterwards after brushing it over her chin, the moisture straightening her hair out a bit.

"How long have you been a huntsman, Mister Arcadia?" Her voice sounded curious, even as the back of her hand rubbed her face, wiping some of the makeup off, the sweat making it look worse than it already did. _She needs to reapply it or get rid of it entirely. Pyrrha never really wore that much makeup anyways, saying that a good kill record was better than looking pretty. She was wise._

"Ah, about that..." He said, trying to come up with a believable excuse. He didn't expect that they'd be questioning him that quickly. S _hould I lie? Should I tell them that I've been a huntsman for a while? "Summer?"_ He questioned, his plea obvious to her. _"You should state that you've been a huntsman apprentice. They can't check that easily, yet you will lose your bargaining power if you say you are merely a huntsman in training at one of the Academies. It matters, trust me."_ The voice of the woman was cool and collected, mature and wise, a contrast to the warmer tone of comfort that she had regularly taken.

"I've been an apprentice huntsman for a while... I used to be a student at Beacon before..."He paused then, looking down at the ground. Is _it alright to lie to these people? They've been through a crash, I've killed people and one has even lost her husband..._ "Ah, I see. Beacon students occasionally have to apprentice with an experienced huntsman." She seemed to take his words at face-value as if he had not hidden the truth from her.

"We don't have that in Atlas." She said as she stretched slowly, her eyes closing as she rubbed against her temples, her lips pressed together tightly as a pain seemed to flicker onto her face. "It's a lot of ice and frost and the military controls the majority of all combat-capable forces." _That makes sense. Weiss did say once that she came here in order to be freed from the obligations that she had to follow for the Atlesian government._

"Does that mean you're also someone who was in the military before?" He asked, his hand taking the bottle back as she offered it to him again, the woman giving a polite smile. "No. I was married young. My husband is in the business of Dust." Her face seemed not to hold the years, as she relaxed seemingly.

"We should plan our next move." Sienna said as she sat down in front of them, Kali looking still out of it. The maelstrom of negativity continued to swirl around her like a veritable feast for the Grimm to enjoy. _My will dominates them as soon as they come into range. It would be different otherwise._ "Kali, are you alright?" The woman asked, even as she gave a suspicious look at the two humans, the Faunus' sharp eyes meeting his own. _Anger and hate and frustration, she clearly does not enjoy the company of humans much._

"I'm... fine." The woman's voice was frail, her eyes still red from the tears, their dullness showing clearly that the woman was not in the brightest of moods at this moment, with how her gaze seemed to shift between the members of their little gathering and the direction where her husband was buried. "You're not, but please... try to keep yourself together." The naked concern on the younger Faunus woman's face was real as she wrapped her arms around Kali, no doubt to comfort the woman, whose face showed the strain once again.

He caught Esmeralda also trying to come to Kali's side, the two definitely friends on some level that he could not find any justification for. "I'm heading towards the city to the east. I've got to go to Mistral." He did not unveil the reasons for going towards Mistral, nor his plans afterwards, Sienna giving him a look that clearly told him that she did not trust him as far as she could throw him. "I will be accompanying you as well, Mister Arcadia." Esmeralda's voice spoke, confident in some manner that he did not get.

"I think we are headed there as well." Kali said, her voice sounding still heavy with her emotions, her eyes going to his own, their yellow lustre looking as faded as her own spirit seemed to be. "I think it would be best if we went back to civilisation, yes." Sienna said, her voice holding a grudging manner about it, her gaze meeting with his. "Your skills, Mister Arcadia... May we know of them?"

The explanation of what I can do... I guess that I owe them at least that much. That's what huntsmen do towards their client, right? To treat the woman as if she were just a client might be something that he could use in order to prepare for when he was a real Huntsman. "I've got a sword, as you've no doubt seen. I also... eh..." He paused for a moment, Sienna's glare increasing in strength as she looked at him as if he had pulled the last cookie from the jar in front of her. "I've got a semblance that allows me to eh... I don't really know. My former partner said that I had a lot of Aura, so I think it may have something to do with that? She was kind of impressed with it."

"How curious. Do you have more of it than the average person?" Esmeralda inquired, leaning to him, her fingers brushing over her cheek, seemingly lost in thought. With her clothes being what they were, it was not that hard to really imagine her as a mature older woman showing an interest. _Don't react, don't react. This is a situation where we have to find out what the issue is, not when my hormones start working up._

"Apparently? I sort of..."He paused, glancing at the members of his little group and then down to the ground. He didn't know what to say to that. "Well... They aren't around. I'm alone, well... I was alone, until I met you." He chose to leave it at that, even as his mind drowned in the feeling of the _vitae tenebris_ trying to reach out and tear the sadness from Kali's body. It was strange that it would respond in such a fashion, a hand on his shoulder coming as a surprise. "We've lost people as well, Mister Arcadia." Esmeralda said, as she tried to offer comfort. A tense smile came to his lips. "We're not... Well, they are alive, as far as I know."

He hoped they were still alive. Beacon wasn't a place where people could just die that easily...

* * *

 _The chills_

* * *

 _It is a change._ The calm assessment of the situation that she found herself in was something that she prided herself on. With the young man who had caught her seated at her side, she knew that she was at least with one ally against the Faunus woman who accompanied Kali. _Sienna Khan, leader of the White Fang. Responsible for the murders on my family, or at least inspiring the murderers into doing what they did._

The knowledge of just who the woman was as she sat there was enough to turn her stomach, yet it was enough for her to know also that the woman was driven to achieve her goal in the manner that she had chosen. _It is a disgraceful thing to see... Yet the transports were shot down for a reason. Some people do not agree with her stance on things. Kali though..._

The look on the Faunus woman's face was off in the distance, the hurt in her gaze still strong. She let her fingers trace over the young man's shoulder, her thoughts musing on the results that she could achieve in the short time period that she'd had to herself. _If I ingratiate myself to him, then I may be able to make it through this without a problem. Surviving is infinitely more desirable than dying due to someone not liking my ancestry and doing something about it._ "Sienna?" She asked softly, the High Leader of the White Fang looking up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you think that we can travel together for a while?" She asked softly. _I'm handing you this on a platter. You would be able to make it alone, I imagine, yet with Kali being in such a state... I don't think you would be able to keep her sane for the duration of the trip towards civilisation._ Her memories told her of times when things went south due to the loss of one of the bastions of civilisation.

A mine that had its foreman crushed by unstable conditions, much-beloved and cared for by his workers. The dread that such a thing would happen again, the despair of having to bury one of their friends and colleagues... It all drew the Grimm towards them. Fighting for her life together with her father, the rifle in her hand blazing as dust rounds hit the Grimm, blasting them apart, putting another round in the gun by sheer repetitive habit. _That had been a close shave. If they hadn't picked us up before the next wave had arrived, I wouldn't have been able to be a mother to Winter, Weiss and Whitley_.

"Miss Gele, I would not mind accompanying you and mister Arcadia. It would be in our best interests to work together." The words were something formal on the surface, the woman's eyes blazing at the thought of working together with them as humans. _As if she would ever give up on her pride. I cannot understand why a woman like Kali would ever be friendly towards a woman like her._

The tension that was between the two of them seemed to be fine-tuned to razor sharpness, her own cool blue eyes looking straight into those heated orange orbs of the Faunus woman, the sharpness of that gaze something that could take the edge off anything around them. _You have a will that is like steel but I will not allow you to lay a hand on me or on Mister Arcadia._

The thought of the young huntsman apprentice being harmed sent a cold shiver through her frame, her mind already conjuring up an image of the young man's lifeless eyes gazing up at her, with his killer standing above him, her face twisted in that proud animalistic snarl that would show the pride she took in killing humans. _I won't let you. I could have fallen and broken my legs, executed by the Grimm or White Fang for simply being born human and a Schnee._

"Indeed. We would have to work together to ensure our safe passage. We can split up once we reach Mistral." The plan made sense to her. _I would miss Kali, at least a little bit... but Sienna Khan would kill me if she knew who I was._ The practices of her husband in the employment of Faunus in the mines were blamed on her and her family. _I would never allow your kind to lay a hand on my daughters and son if I can help it._

"Possibly, yes." Sienna's calm answer belied the irritation in her eyes, the roiling anger that seemed to lurk below the surface of the tiger Faunus' appearance, her ears twitching a little, sounds caught by their sensitive ears. "Esmeralda... Are you alright?" Kali asked then, the warmth of feelings coming back to her. _I don't think I should treat Kali any differently. She has nothing to do with the current White Fang's stance against humanity._ "I'm... a little shocked." She said, admitting that much. She could see the blonde man's gaze draw to her, his eyes, mismatched and with a curious glint in the red iris that peered at her, those eyes holding secrets that she could only guess at. _Is he a Faunus? He looks human enough to me, save for that one eye..._

"I'd be shocked as well, getting to fall out of an airship." He said, his voice sounding like it could understand where she was coming from. "Not just that... My... brother, Jacques Gele, has apparently decided that he would like to become an only child." _Doctor the truth to become like the cloak that blocks the lie from escaping._

"That's rough. I've got a lot of sisters but they wouldn't do such a thing." He seemed genuine in his worry, his blue eye meeting her own, the warmth that flooded her heart at the honesty that shone in those eyes. "You were talking about Aura earlier, right?" She said, her heartbeat picking up a little. _My semblance is well-known... but I suppose that getting mine unlocked would allow me some more ability in the art of combat._

"Yes. I can unlock yours, if you wish." The offer was something that seemed like a good idea on the surface. _Even a huntsman-in-training is better than a woman like me. My own training amounts to shooting Grimm and the occasional rat from a distance. With the Glyphs that daddy used... I suppose I can work with them to accentuate my own style of fighting._ "Please. I do not like to feel helpless."

He stood up and laid a hand on her shoulder, his face showing some doubt for a moment, as he closed his eyes. "How did it go again?" He muttered to himself, the words showing that the young man's confidence in his own memory was not too great. _He knows how to fight at least. If not for his talent in the art of fighting, I would have been dead._

"By the grace of Arcadia, I crown thee my faithful servant." The words came from his mouth, even as a glow suffused his body. His hand, tanned by the sun's light, shifted a little as his other hand came to rest on her other shoulder. It was an icy cold hand that touched her other shoulder, something that seeped through her body. "Your eternal creed, to serve with my will to guide your blade." The fingernails pressed against her shoulder, a stab of pain going through her whole body. _Is this what it feels like to be infused with someone's aura?_

"A warrior, bound by flesh and will, against darkness' tide." The glow reached her then as suddenly, she could feel something blossom inside her deepest depths, a white glow caressing her skin, as she was suddenly suffused with something greater than her. "And with my immortal soul to guide you, forever stand at my side." She was lost then, as she felt something inside her expand.

Her eyes could see nothing but white as the glow radiated from her inner depths, her eyes seeing nothing but the endless space that had been inside her always, only the cold frozen landscape around her glowing with the Glyphs that suddenly shot up from the ground. Radiating her own power, she knew that she could use them in the ways that her father had, to make them follow her will with just a simple tap of her fingers. _Speed, strength, propulsion, repulsion, solidity..._

None of the summons that she could achieve had been present though, even as the emptiness was filled with her Glyphs. _Not a single Grimm that I have slain ever since the awakening of my aura by hi-_

Something caught her gaze, her eyes looking upwards to see a massive shadowed shape bearing down on her, a vile ichor burning through his veins like a sickness. Snow-white hair hung in his face as his burning red eyes gazed at her with a pitiless mercy, the gaze locked with her. The snowy field around her suddenly was disturbed, Grimm rising from the white snow to leer at her with their bone-white masks and their red gazes. The figure above her seemed to loom, gazing down at her with its merciless gaze, the red gaze so pervasive that it seemed to tear through her like she were only clad in the thinnest of clothing. The Grimm came ever closer, even as the light of her soul seemed to dim...

A woman flashed into being beside her. "You there! Don't just stand there looking like you're going to be lunch! We've got to do something!" Silver eyes met her own as she gaped, her mouth half-way open, amazed at the sudden interruption from the woman who'd just appeared out of nowhere, a set of twin blades in her grip, a cloak that she wore trailing behind her as she swung her blades, moving in the way of an experienced huntress. "Imagine your weapon!" The woman shouted at her. _What weapon would I use? Why would I?_

A rifle appeared to her mind, one that she'd used before. It materialized in her grip, as the Glyphs faded out of existence, the brilliant working of the rifle that she had constructed to her own specification holding a specialized clip of Dust rounds. "Alright!" She replied, the woman slicing her way through the Grimm, even as her body flickered from time to time, the dangerous smile on her lips somehow encouraging her, as the round was loaded and she took aim. Glyph wrapped around the barrel, she could feel the power of her Semblance shift, the round loaded and loosed. The time dilation effect flashed, the bullet slamming into one of the Grimm and exploding, a swath of disturbed snow behind the explosion showing the force that a bullet had, even as she aimed once more, the buffeting effect of her own Aura bringing her towards a soft manner, the figure that loomed over her still, as if watching her carefully. The unnamed woman came to her side. "Aim at the Beringels! They're the ones who'll really mess us up!" The monkey-like Grimm were next in her sights, a bullet slamming into one of them in the chest, the explosion of fire dust causing an inferno to rain down around it, her skill at using her Glyphs something that she recalled from her father's time at her side.

 _Aim, properly enhance the glyph... then let it go._ The bullets started to click, as she fired one after the other. A clip of dust spent and discarded into the snow, another pulled right from her hip, created as if by magic, the buffer of her Aura starting to shrink slowly, her companion flickering into movement, her silver eyes flashing with a bright light, the Grimm freezing every once in a while. "Hold out!" The woman shouted at her, as the blades slashed through the underside of a massive elephantine Grimm, the figure that loomed above her and conjured up these Grimm becoming more visible, the darkness of his pale features drawing away to show her the face of her saviour.

"Who are you? What is this place?" She asked, as the woman appeared at her side, her eyes looking around for more targets that wished to meet with her blades. "Summer. Summer Rose, at your service! I'm just... eh..."She seemed to think for a moment, to find the best solution. "You may call me one of Jaune's friends! I'm here to make sure that you don't get overwhelmed by the dark emotions inside you! Also... Why is your hair white if you're in here? You obviously have dark hair outside."

 _I've got the weirdest imagination if a woman I've never met before is here to help me out against my own negativity._ She did not think about it though, as she continued to shoot, her bullets impacting with an explosion, her eyes witnessing the effects, a confident grin on her face. _This is what a Huntress should be. Calm, collected and in control!_ The Grimm would come and she would slay them.

"What semblance could he have, in order to have such an effect upon my own body?" She asked herself, Summer appearing to think for a moment, her eyes wide and full of hope. "The best. He's..." She paused for a moment, to think on what answer she would give. _Easily excitable. Friendly. No doubt she is some sort of representation... Daddy never told me about how it feels to have your Aura unlocked._ "He's a bit funny at times. He's been through a lot too, so that's definitely something to keep in mind. I mean, not to tell about his secrets, but he's just... He tries hard to do the most he can. Yep. He's the bestie you'll always want guarding your back!"

The woman giggled a little, her reddish hair shaken loose, her hands sliding through her hair. "You did not answer my question." Her voice accused, Summer's laugh sounding somewhat unstable. "Why should I?" The giggles that came from her lips were enough to tell anyone of the instability of her nature. "It's... aura! He can transfer it!" Another set of giggles came from the woman, silver eyes looking at her with their gaze looking worrisome to her analytical mind.

"Aura transfer?" That makes some sense... But why do I have the representation of Grimm for my negative emotions? The thought of getting Aura from him to bolster her own was comforting, in a manner. It shows that he's able to be caring for others... "Yes! If he's giving you some of his, you will feel the power that he has." _She's... some odd representation of him._

She found herself surrounded then, as the Grimm had advanced without her noticing. Their leering faces looked at her with the lack of care for her survival, a Beowolf springing forward to seize her within its gaping maw, teeth already covered in foul saliva. Summer's body disappeared, the woman's swords cutting through the body of the Beowolf in a simple slice, her other sword plunging into the chest of one of the Beringels, her head turning to look at her. "Come on, lady! Join me!" More giggles came from her mouth as she continued to slash and dash, light strikes delivering crippling blows to the Grimm around her.

 _I don't have to join you, I just have to survive!_ The exultant look on Summer Rose's face was something that seemed to hold the darkness at bay, her eyes glinting with the thirst for slaughter. _Definitely not messing with her, if she's got any ways of harming me._

She found herself kneeling then, the air around her warmer than it had been before, the glowing light of her Aura accompanying her awareness once again. She could see his face look worried. "Eh, did I do alright?" _I'd say so..._ The pulse of her Aura comforted her, the darkness banished from inside her. "I can feel it." She said, her voice sounding breathier than she'd imagine it to be.

 _You can do this._ The slow rise to her full height once more was something that felt more fluid and easy, as if her body had been reborn. _This feels..._ Her fingers glowed with a pale light, as if there had been a light source inside of herself. _I feel better than I've felt before._ She looked at him, a strange warmth invading her chest. _No matter what happened, it feels... pleasant._

It was not just the way that he behaved, but in the way that he appeared. His face was young and held a hint of boyish charm, enough to show that he would be growing into a man in a short while. Her fingers reached out to touch his chin, a soft murmur coming from her lips that she could barely hear, the fingers glowing lightly as her fingers touched against his skin. _I'm..._ Her heartbeat skyrocketed, as her heart started to pump more blood through her body, her Semblance appearing before her mind's eye, the positions where she could place Glyphs, where she could work her Aura and ensure that victory would be hers.

"You're touching me." He said, his voice jolting her out of her thoughts. Heat flooded her cheeks, even as she pulled her hand back as if she'd been caressing a venomous viper. "Ah, I apologize. You have had a bit of an effect on my system." _That's the best excuse I can manage. Whatever he did..._ Her heartbeat slowed down again after a short while, her breathing still sounding louder than it had been before, her eyes taking in every little inch of his body. _This is annoying._

"Yeah, that's what my ex-partner said too." He said, his eyes cast down. _How could someone not? It was like..._ She put a confident, well-practised smile on her face, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Now, don't think it's a failing of yours. You've apparently got a lot of Aura." The little by-play with her fingers touching his shoulder was enough to send a flush through his features, his cheeks holding a creeping red tone. _Oho! He seems to respond well. This might be something that I can make use of._

The touch lingered for a moment, his eyes flickering between her hand, down at her attire, then up at her face immediately, the red colour growing in intensity. "See something you like... Mister Arcadia?" _Let's see how far I can... test._

Hardly would she be thought of as a creature that held sexual needs, least of all by the Atlesian people. She was a Schnee, possessing the inheritance of her father, Nicholas, and the husband who had streamlined the Dust mining processes at the expense of the Faunus labourers, her bearing as regal as any queen would've been able to have. _I am Schnee and I am Dust._ The words had been something that her father had once said, as she looked at the young man, his eyes never really straying from hers. _Oh, but I might like to tease this young man for a bit._

Her fingers stroked over his shoulder, sliding up to trace against his neck, a heavy swallow coming from his mouth. "Should I..." She gave a soft sound in the back of her throat, an affable sound that would give the image of her hesitating as if the thought were something that caused her pause. "Have you receive some comfort, my hero?" Her lips parted as she leaned close, watching how his face turned crimson and he pulled away with a startled sound. _This IS kind of fun. The romance novels always make it out to be some inestimable appeal from an older woman..._

"You're teasing him a bit too much, Es." Kali's voice reached her ears, as she became aware that they'd had an audience. _Oh well, more chances to get to tease him a little later. He should be around the age that Winter is if I've got my eye right for ages. I should vet him... yes, vetting him for marriage to my little Winny. She needs a man in her life, besides General Ironwood._

"I suppose so." She said, her eyes looking up at the skies, a faint sound drawing her attention. The sound of engines brought with it a spark of fear, her gaze searching for the location. "Flatten yourself against a tree, in the shade." The hiss from Sienna's lips was enough to spur her into action, pressing against the closest tree, the young man doing the same.

 _Perhaps grooming him to be a husband to the Schnee might be paying off. It might be for the best..._ The thought of Jacques' disapproval of the suggestion that she'd make was something that brought a spark of vindictive amusement to her mind. _Even if I'm going to have to suffer for a while, Jacques... I'll come home and make sure that you're removed from your position. A Schnee does not forget the debts that they have accrued... Nor do they forget to collect on those that they are owed._

The smouldering anger that welled up inside her was only a comfort, as she could feel the burning anger rise inside her at the thought of her husband. _Even if it takes me ten years... I will see this score settled, husband of mine._

* * *

 _The mourning after_

* * *

 _Ghira..._ Her thoughts were a mess, even as Sienna led her along. Her mind was replaying those last moments of her husband constantly, even with her body feeling as lead parts strung together in a haphazard manner. The feeling of being unable to change the fate that her husband had held was something that weighed on her, even as the darkness fell over the world.

 _My dearest beloved Ghira..._ The thought of leaving his body still filled her with grief, a roiling cloud of darkness inside her chest, like a shadow that had been cast by the mere thought of him left forever to languish in the earth, without her accompaniment.

As they stumbled through the darkness, the night-vision granted by her Faunus heritage lending not only the brightness of day to their night, it was only by her hand that she had prevented her friend from stumbling. The young man who had accompanied her friend through the fighting was something of an odd character, in his mannerisms at least.

 _He is not one who knows how to hide his emotions well._ That thought was not the worst that surfaced in her mind, as she watched him stumble along, the trees around them giving them trouble, even as her feet were light in their steps. _But that can be interesting as well. Ghira... How would you do this? Would you speak to Sienna about your worries, or would you bottle them up?_ "Sienna?" She said in a voice that would be better picked up by the Faunus' ears.

"Yes?" The concern in her voice was strong, even as Kali stepped around a tree root that was half-raised from the soil, a soft 'Watch out for the root here.' to the humans that followed after them. "Can you..." She paused. _What to ask? Do I really want to trust her with guiding us?_ The look back at the young blonde man that had been a rescuer during their time of need brought a small thought to mind. "Can you make sure that we get back to Mistral safely?" Sienna's face seemed a little thoughtful at that, her gaze cast back at the blonde, growling loudly. "Watch out, blondie!" Her voice was snappish and cold, simmering with the contempt that she held for humanity as a whole.

 _I can't say that I blame her, given that they still discriminate against Faunus... But there's more to it than just hating humans. I get along with Esmeralda decently... Well, actually pretty fabulously._ "You should be kinder." She said softly, Sienna's face scrunching up in distaste, her eyes meeting hers. "He's a human, Kali. He would never be able to understand us."

 _Ghira always advocated for a peaceful solution. Sienna, just casting anger and frustration at them only makes the differences worse..._ She thought back to one of her husband's speeches, during one of the formative periods of the White Fang, faced with the worries that he would not be able to accomplish the intended goal. _He was such a gentle man, always worrying about how he would be seen by the people..._ The thought back to the still features that he held was something that scorched her very core, freezing her emotions in that starkness.

 _Ghira..._ The thought was cold, as her eyes started to water again. Her ears twitched, feeling the change in the air. "They might. He helped my friend." She could not help but care for the other woman. Whether she was Schnee or some average peasant from a small village, she was still someone who seemed to have gotten the thought to her mind that she could be of aid to the people, to have the pride to stand up straight and to bear the resentment of the people, no matter the cost and the burden. _It was a very interesting talk that we had whilst drunk._

She had of course maintained most of her consciousness throughout the drinking. The Schnee matriarch had drunk like she was a fish returning back to the stream, the drinks downed like a flash, the uncontrollable babbling that ensued warming both her spirits as well as her thoughts. _She gets a little loose when she's had something to drink... But when she's sober, she is more capable of expressing the finer cultural traits. It must have been years since she was able to just be herself, rather than the woman who was married to Jacques Schnee._

Her own life had been somewhat happy for the majority of Blake's childhood. The White Fang had still been about peaceful protest against the status quo, with the marches and the protests conducted with the facilities available to them, hired and properly permitted by the local governments. _For a dream of peace, Ghira..._

She shut her thoughts off at that time, as she imagined him peering from the window once more, his face looking weathered. _You held my heart, Ghira..._ "Who do you think is responsible for this?" She asked Kali, whose face showed a sudden shock as if the question had come out of the blue.

 _I will not let this rest._ She looked at the Schnee as she moved together with their saviour, mister Arcadia, the young man lifting her over one of the fallen trees. _He isn't as rough as some of the other huntsmen that I've seen before. That's a good thing._ "I think it's one of the other factions in the White Fang." Sienna said at barely a whisper, moving her lips in order to convey the words.

"They've been grumbling about not being aggressive enough." It made sense to Kali that it would be something like that. _Assassinating a popular figure and the current High Leader would allow for an outpouring of support for the White Fang's retribution. Especially if the Schnee Dust Company was involved._

Such a thing could easily lead towards a more hostile environment for the Faunus, misled into thinking that they should need to take up arms to retake what was thought of as theirs. _The world suffers enough from the Grimm, yet people wish to cause even more strife and pain... Ghira... You've gone and left me alone in this cruel world..._

The thought of having to weather out the world's cruelty was not a pleasant one. Her daughter's face emerged in her mind's eye, the look in her eyes as delicate and fragile as the hope that had been squashed upon that moment of Ghira's last exhale. _My sweet daughter needs a mother... I do not think that she would be able to survive without my guidance and care._ It was perhaps a little silly to think in such a manner, as her daughter was a well-trained young woman, able to fight off several of the White Fang's combat instructors, according to Sienna's words, yet she could not hope but have the thought of mothering her. _I want to know what she's doing, what boys she likes and what else she has going on at Beacon. I want to be... in her life. I promised my husband that I would take care of her._

"We will avenge your husband, Kali." Sienna's words were whispered, yet their meaning was not lost on her. _She would do everything that was asked of her, no matter how bloody it would be. She would murder a thousand huntsmen if it were ordered, just to prove the devotion to the cause that she had._

"We should hold his memory of peace in our minds, Sienna." She said, trying to moderate Sienna's mood of vengeance. _Even if I want to agree with you there, Sienna. Ghira would not want to be avenged... But if I could..._

As they rested in the early morning, the ceremony that the huntsman apprentice did with Esmeralda drew her attention. _His face is serious, as if he is going to commit an arduous it that hard?_

His words seemed to draw out the ceremonial aspect, every syllable that slipped from his lips resonating with the strength of his Aura. _It's like a glow that reaches from him to her._ The hand that laid on the opposite shoulder seemed to glow, the pale skin of it starting to fade, as blood flowed through the veins, bulging slightly. _This is... How someone's aura gets unlocked?_

The words varied, from person to person, yet the glow of Aura was enough to indicate that indeed it was the ritual that she had only faint knowledge of. Esmeralda's body seemed to glow for a moment, her eyes locked with the huntsman's apprentice, a soft shudder going through her body as she inhaled and exhaled, as if something had been pulled out of the depths of her very soul. _Ghira..._

The thought of sharing with another the innermost depths of her soul was frightening. With her body being untrained in the arts of the Huntsman, she had no doubt that anyone with enough training could take her down... but Aura... it might just equalize things. _There is much that I can do... With just a bit more power._

As she looked at the strength that Esmeralda had gained, her sharp blue eyes flashing with a renewed purpose, something inside her seemed to awaken. _I'm sorry Ghira..._

Her mood, glum and dark and volatile, did nothing to soothe her feelings, as she wrapped her arms around her knees ten minutes later, her eyes watching how the young man moved through their little resting spot, the eyes that watched her showing concern and care for someone like her, like he was caring for her in some measure.

"Hey, do you want a drink? I've got some spare, so if you want something to just..." He offered, the bottle half-way full of water still. She took it without saying a word, the depression starting to peak once more. His concerned look was really poignant at that time, even as she unscrewed the cap and put it to her lips, drinking some of the lukewarm water. "Thank you." She said, looking at Esmeralda and Sienna, who were currently engaged in a staring match. Sienna's fierce look was something that she had seen coming, the suspicious look that she adopted just for the humans something that she knew well enough. It would not do for her to attack them during their period of rest.

"Esmeralda, dear?" She asked, getting up from her seated position and walking over to the woman, who was straightening out her dress. The look of concern and worry that came from the woman, even as the huntsman apprentice went and sat next to Sienna, trying to strike up a conversation with her, was something that she could expect. _I knew that marrying Ghira would eventually see me widowed..._

The thought back to that moment when she saw the life fade from her eyes, from the time when she had been briefly able to connect with the man whose life she had been a part of for so long, her whole body having had that final connection with the man who she loved whole-heartedly.

"Kali?" The woman said, her voice sounding a little oppressed. She reached out and touched the woman's hand, feeling the warmth of it, as their fingers interlocked. _Why?_ The question arose in her mind, even as blue eyes met hers. Concern, raw concern and care were reflected in those eyes, as the woman leaned forward and then embraced her.

 _This feels awkward._ "Your husband died." She said, even as the woman pulled her close into a hug, the warmth of the Schnee at odds with the chilly image that they held. "It's okay, sweetheart." _Such friendly language..._ The tears came again, even as she pulled the other woman closer. "I'm a little lost, Es." She whispered into her friend's ear. _It feels... right. To have a friend. Even if Sienna should be..._

The thought of the hard-line Faunus advocate that was Sienna embracing her and telling her that things were to be alright in the world again was both something laugh-worthy as well as oddly satisfying. _I know her well enough that she'd find some reason to try to make me into the martyr for the cause that she could use... She always was a political animal that made use of all the methods that were in the book. Ghira chose his successor well... even if he did not agree with what Sienna preached._

When the first sob came, she was almost unaware that her grip had tightened on the other woman, her fingers pulling the woman close. _I never had a sister._ The grip was reciprocated, as a softly murmured – "It's alright, just... let go. My family..." The woman gave a soft sound to soothe, the tears coming from her eyes in a faster manner, as the hot warmth of their liquid trailed down her cheeks.

 _I want the world to make sense again. Why did I have to be left alone? What IS there in this world, if not the cruel justice of being a widow? I should have died with him..._

* * *

 _The faith_

* * *

 _It will end in blood. I swear it._ The thought of vengeance drove her, the wrath and anger inside her boiling and steaming as she moved through the forest, heedless of the humans behind her. Violent cruel impulses rocketed through her form, the anger burning and bubbling to the fore, her orange eyes glinting in the light of the shattered moon, as the sounds of the nightly forest came to her sensitive ears.

Her gaze was cast to the humans as they followed after her, the human huntsman who had come to their rescue not only working with the other one to keep her in a state that could pass for 'reasonably able to navigate through darkness' as well as not giving her the satisfaction of being able to see him stumble and fall. _Why does he give me the impression that he's got eyes on everything around him? He is no Faunus. I would have smelled it if he was._

The loathing that she held for humans was simple. They did not see the power of the Faunus as it was, did not fear and respect the truth that Faunus were superior, in many aspects. _The revolution had only been the start of our dominion. Why should we be caged like animals, if the humans are able to be free?_

The surroundings were quiet, not even a Grimm stirring in the darkness. _If it had been up to me, I would have taken Kali and made a break for it. Whoever organized this assassination has no doubt spent time and effort to ensure that I would not make it out of the crash alive._

The thoughts in her mind were dark, as the names that popped up in her mind were stark and core in their convictions. _The Albain brothers. Adam Taurus. Jennifer Sylver. Harmony Tallow._ The names were enough to cause a shudder of revulsion to go through her, unnoticed due to the manner in which they travelled. She could see Kali look at her with concern, her heart bleeding a little with emotion. _The High Leader has perished... All that I can do is to keep his wife safe until I can re-establish control._

She had given her word to the dying High Leader. _For the Faunus and for their rightful place in this world. If I cannot keep my word, then I am like the humans._ The sight of the young man as he pushed through the bush, allowing the other woman to go past unmolested by any branches turned her mood even grimmer.

 _Humans, fancying themselves heroes. Where was that heroism when our brothers and sisters were hunted simply for our inhuman ancestry? Where was that chivalry when our sisters were raped and our brothers put to work in the dark mines?_ The human huntsman seemed to hold the comfort of their whole group in his mind. _Not yet tainted by the vile filth that humanity belches... Or perhaps waiting for the proper moment to suggest 'comfort'._

She could see it. The soft words leading to harsh insistence, hearing his voice in her ear, telling her about how worthless she was as a Faunus, how she was nothing but a comfort to take and to use. _Humans are all the same. We, the Faunus, are more than them! Do they have night vision? Do they have the ability to fly with wings given to us by our creators?_

She turned her head to Kali again, the look of glumness visible on her face. _I will not let you be used as a comfort woman, Kali. You are a sister, the widow of the former High Leader, a person that I once looked up to._ Her hand pushed one of the tree branches out of the way, watching it whip back into shape. "Sienna?"

Her ears perked as she could hear Kali speak at that whisper, her sharper Faunus ears picking up the minute sound that the woman spoke with. _Is she hurt? Is there something that ails her?_ The worry appeared on her face, as she looked at the other woman, whose face showed her sadness. _Hesitation, worry, sadness... Not emotions that you'd like to have around you in the wilderness._

The question that Kali asked was enough for her to become even firmer in her resolution. _Mistral is on the same continent. We can do that. I can do that. Even if I have to carry her the whole way, I can make it to Mistral with her._ Her assent was given, immediately and without a care for how it would appear to anyone else.

The next question though, it froze her inside. _Can I be a little bit kinder?_ _I told the kid to watch out, it's not like I told him to fuck his sister or something... Though with how he acts, you'd wonder if he could get laid if the woman just stripped and said 'Take me!'._ "He's a human, Kali. He would never be able to understand us." _How could he, with his whole naive look? He hasn't seen true darkness like I have, like how all my brothers and sisters have in our year-long struggle against the human oppression._

The dark thoughts lingered, yet she squished them aside, coming to a rest a while later, as she watched the two humans get together. The ceremony of unlocking the aura was something that she remembered from back in the day that it had been done to her as well. _She always told me that I was like a blazing bonfire in the storm... But I don't think that I'd ever want to be without my aura._ She knew that Kali would have to have her aura unlocked sometime as well. _The Grimm would not easily be attracted to one who knew not how to manipulate their aura... But the ones that do, need to be trained._

The knife she held in one of the folds of her clothing would prove useful for that, at least enough to make sure that she could teach Kali some of the knife-fighting moves that she had learned during basic training. _The other human looks to be taken aback by the ceremony. The words... they are unique for every huntsman that unlocks aura, are they not?_ _The hubris though... to use such terms as 'crowning' and his own name, as if it means something more than just being a name._

As the woman's aura was unlocked, Sienna could feel the ease slip into her. _Untrained yet with aura unlocked... That'll give her a fighting chance at least. Better than just meat for the grinder._ The empathy that she had for a fellow woman was much greater than for a man. _I can still remember that day when Ba'Ghira resigned, a day after the cell had been disbanded forcibly. By the brothers, that was a storm._

The event had certainly caused a rift, even though most people had never become aware of it even having happened. _Animals, they had been called. They were. They were NOT behaving as the proper White Fang should have._ The remembrance of those blue eyes looking up at her with fear and pain, pleading for the –

 _No, that time was then. The White Fang is better now... though how much better, I don't know. They did try to assassinate me, no doubt one of their plans to further lead them to glory._ The look on her face was no doubt impressively moody, as she looked at the blonde going over to Kali and offering her a drink, seeing Kali on the verge of another spell of crying. _The human plays with how he sees her._

He sat down next to her then, looking at the two women as they embraced. _She didn't come to me... Why? Why would she want to be with a human for comfort, rather than... with me?_ The bond that they had was good, yet... _You know what you would do, Sienna... You would capitalize on her weakness. She can be the catalyst that could cause the Faunus to rise up against the oppressors..._

The face of Ghira appeared in front of her again, the man's last moments spent in the company of his wife. _I would shame the man's trust in me if I led his wife to seek vengeance against those who killed him... be they Faunus or human._ "So..." He said, his clumsy manner of acting no doubt some front that he put on to put her at ease.

"What do you want?" She bit at him, her voice near-snarling, her eyes meeting his. The mismatched blue and red looked back at her, his face taken aback. "I thought that you'd like to talk for a bit. Get to know me a bit. My mother always said that strangers are friends you haven't met yet... So I'd like to become a friend." _Become a 'friend' and then discard me, no doubt. I bet you have some sick thoughts in that head of yours... All humans are the same._

It was obviously written on her face what she thought of such a thing, as his gaze went down and he sighed. The soft sobbing from Kali was audible now, as she quivered a little in the dark-haired human's embrace, the woman stroking over the feline Faunus' back in an effort to calm her down. _I should hug her as well... It might soothe her._

"I don't feel like talking." She said, her voice sharp and curt, as if she wished to cut off that avenue of chatter. Her eyes met with his own, seeing the friendly smile on his face, as he seemed to gather himself again. "Now, don't think that this will be something of a bother. I'd just like to get to know you." _The look on his face is hopeful as if he still has the faith that I will be a friend._ "No. You humans are not kind to us Faunus."

"Don't be like that... I know that your mood might be a little down due to the loss of your friend's husband, but that isn't a good reason to take it out on us." The way that he said it as if it would all be alright with a bit of talking, infuriated her. _Who does he think he is? A man who can boss women around like puppets in order to ensure that he gets what he wants? A cretin that can just beguile the women he enjoys the presence of, with simple words and other such things?_

She huffed, her eyes meeting his, anger flashing in them. "You'll take first watch tonight, Mister Arcadia." _Business-like, calm and to the point. Remember your training... You have to guard the client. You are Sienna Khan, bodyguard. Her life is worth yours._

"Of course. You should get some sleep. I haven't really had the need to sleep much." _Lies. He looks like he's about to fall over._ The look on her face was sceptical enough to draw the attention from him, even as his mouth curved into a gentle smile. His hand patted her shoulder in a familiar manner. _Don't touch me, filthy human._ She hissed angrily at him, the hand gone in a flash off her shoulder. "Don't touch me." She said, her voice holding her anger and irritation at the unwanted touch.

"Sure, I was just... hoping that we could be friends." He said, his eyes cast down. _As if the pity play is going to work. He'll just wait until I am asleep and then do wicked things to us. He has no doubt scoped out his prey already, that's just how humans are._

* * *

 _The nightfall,_

* * *

The night fell slowly as they settled down once again to rest. The stuff that he had taken along from the Beornir camp actually came in handy, as some pressed cans yielded a bounty of salted meat, fit enough for a meal that would soothe their hungry stomachs.

" _You should sleep more, Jaune."_ Summer spoke to him in his mind as he looked at the fading embers of the fire that he'd made with some of the tools, the pot that they had cooked the meat in having been emptied and cleaned in one of the nearby streams. _"But that won't be safe. Sienna seems to dislike me."_ The giggle that Summer gave was so similar to Ruby's that it was strange. _"Silly boy, you should know that I would be watching over you if anyone wanted to harm you. You can control the Grimm, right?"_

He knew that she would have hammered on to that point if he let her, his eyes looking at the sleeping form of Kali, who was snugly wrapped in a blanket, laying in the shade of a tree. The faint creak of the trees around them provided a sense of belonging, even with how the world seemed to have gone so strange. _I can barely believe that I've got company now... and they don't even seem to notice my awkwardness._

The hope had sprung inside him, upon that first moment when he had awakened the woman's Aura, that they could be friends. _Mom always wanted me to make friends... Rowan always said that I had a good charm with me, though why Ashley and Bianca always dated those losers..._

The dark-haired woman looked at him, her face showing her emotions well as she got up and walked over to him. Her steps made the ears of the Faunus perk up. He would have been amused if the orange-eyed tiger Faunus did not crack her eyes open and followed the motion before closing once more. "Hey, Jaune?"

The camaraderie that came from being the only humans in the area was something hard to deny. _Sienna puts up barriers in front of herself. I don't know what she's so afraid of, after all... I'm just silly old Jaune. Silly murderous Jaune._

"Do you want me to keep you company?" The request seemed to be natural, as she sat down next to him, the warmth of her presence a stark contrast to the cold that he felt around him. _The Grimm are warmer than how I feel right now. "Well, you at least have the company of a pretty lady."_ Summer commented, even as the dark-haired woman sat placidly beside him.

"I don't mind." He said, the woman's smile gentle, as she seemed to take his answer as confirmation of his acceptance of her presence. _Grimm are less complicated than people._ "Do you..." She paused for a moment, looking at the two slumbering Faunuses, Jaune's gaze following hers. "Do you think we'll be safe?"

 _From them? Kali seems to be a friendly woman, despite her emotional state being like a swirling maelstrom... but Sienna... She's definitely someone to watch out for. She gives me the same feeling as Cardin did, in the reverse._ The woman seemed to have an armour out of thorns around her, with enough strength to keep him at bay. It was not that he would ever consider bullying the woman just because she was a Faunus. _Oum, she looks like she wants to tear me in half and let me rot away somewhere dark and damp._

"I'll make sure you are safe." He said, his voice mimicking the serious expression that he had seen on his father's face so often, the man's countenance had been stern and serious during his younger years only a few times that he could recall. "An Arc does not go back on his word."

 _Why am I referring to myself as Arc now, and Arcadian at other times?_ The question rose to his mind, even as the woman smiled and laid a hand on his thigh. The warmth was something that seemed to ease him along, her fingers trailing up and down his thigh gently. "You're a good man, Jaune."

"I try to be." He said, pulling the jacket a little closer. The wounds still ached a little, the shirt that he'd got from the bandit camp wrapped tightly around a few of the water bottles. It'd keep them cool at the very least, until they were needed. His patchwork fixing up of the wounds had been enough to keep him 'somewhat' comfortable. "Are you..." Her voice sounded dubious, her lips looking a little glossy, as her tongue caressed them, leaving a trail of saliva over them. "Are you seeing someone?"

 _Me? With a girlfriend?_ The thought was strange. _Weiss is pretty... but I can't call her my girlfriend yet._ The fingers of the woman trailed a little higher, as he could feel the warmth creeping up. "No, not really. There's this girl that I fancy though..." The woman raised an eyebrow, the hand raising from his thigh to lay on his shoulder. "Oh?" Her voice sounded a little higher suddenly. Her arm wrapped around him, her body pressing close. "Tell me about her." The other hand rested on his thigh then, fingers tapping a soft little rhythm onto his flesh. "She's the coolest girl I've ever seen. Precision, skill... finesse. Always ready to help her team." A sad smile came to her face as she nodded. "Sounds like she's got good people looking out for her."

 _Yeah, Weiss has plenty people looking out for her. Ruby's her bestie, even if she denies it out loud._ The thought of Weiss made a smile slip onto his lips, even with the sensibility that he had gained over the years of suffering under the attention of his sisters, with how they had continued to teach him 'a man's essential skills'. _I love them, but did they have to teach me how to braid flowers through hair?_

The fingers stopped mid-hip, as she looked at him. "I guess... I guess I'll go sleep now. Do join me when it's your time to rest up." She said, taking a deep breath. _She sounds a little out of it, better to let her sleep it off. It must've been a stressful day for her._ The woman glanced back at him, as she gave him an odd look. She must've been feeling a little under the weather, because it looked like one of those looks that his mother gave his father on the times when they had spent an evening out on the town together. _I must be getting addled in the mind if a woman would ever give me such a look._

" _You silly, silly boy."_ Summer's voice sounded endearingly in his ear, as she seemed to find some amusement in his predicament. " _What? Why am I silly?"_ He questioned, even as her giggling got louder. He caught an image of her just sitting there, giggling, the smile on her lips something radiant and warm, as darkness wrapped around her, the silver eyes filling him with a sensation of dread. _"You silly boy... If you don't know, I'm not going to teeeeellll you!"_

" _Hey!"_ He called out to her, another louder round of giggles coming from her mouth.

* * *

 _The frosty receptions_

* * *

 _Time to do this... Alright._ The nervousness inside her continued to build as she stepped towards the young man currently seated on a comfortable spot near the fire, their Faunus companions trying to get some sleep. _You can do this, you know..._ The self-assurance that she tried to boost her confidence with were enough to at least let her attempt this method.

 _If he protects me, then I won't be dying anytime soon. Remember, men are always desiring the company of women._ The reasoning for her actions was simply her own protection, even as she called out to him. The positive response put her heartbeat into a swifter pace, thumping in her chest as she sat down next to him. _He smells like blood and sweat._ "Do you want me to keep you company?" _My voice didn't shake. That's good._

She felt extremely nervous about doing this, the act of seduction something that she'd never had much experience with, his face open and bold, the streak of white hair that mingled with the blonde strands helping to put him down as an exotic man. "I don't mind." _He's open to it._ The smile she put on her face was gentle, as if she were looking at someone that she adored.

 _He could be your son, if he's around Weiss' age. He has to be nineteen to twenty... maybe he's even Winter's age._ She seated herself comfortably, her body feeling the pang of nervousness go through it as she tried to focus on the task at hand. "Do you..." _I've got to ask. I won't be able to sleep if I don't get confirmation._ "Do you think we'll be safe?" _Safe to do our business, safe to get back to Mistral..._ She paid close attention to his face, watching every little minute twitch of his facial features, as if she could read the future from them.

The fact that he didn't look like the typical muscle-bound man who could carry her off into the jungle to make her his love-slave was... a little disappointing. _There is no such thing as such a man right now... But he is a man. I've got to make sure that he protects me._ _If that Khan woman gets a hint about who I am..._ The fear spurred her on to come a little closer to the young man. She could see his face blossom with a warmth. "I'll make sure you are safe."

Her heartbeat picked up, the genuine honesty in his voice and that stern manly demeanour lighting a small flame inside her. _Oh._ _Oh my._ She could feel her heartbeat quicken a little, as the blue eye looked into hers, a steel-like glint in them. "An Arc always keeps his word."

She had to glance down for a moment, a deeper inhale than she regularly would. _I... I can believe it._ Her smile, genuine and truthful, was enough, as she laid a hand on his thigh. The intimate contact sent a little thrill through her body, as the image of his face so close to hers became a poignant reminder of what she had seen when she had awakened her Aura with his aid. She only became aware that her fingers were tracing up and down his thigh when she spoke. "You're a good man, Jaune." She inflected her voice with that warm affection that she truly felt.

For a moment, she could see him looking out over the world like a proud man, his hand on her shoulder, her arms holding her rifle as she took aim, a soft whisper from him sending shivers of power through her very soul, as his red eye met with hers. The power that she had within her, the Semblance of Glyphs... it would be hers to control, with an infusion of his aura. _Is this the power that daddy said would be mine? Would I have the same power..._ She turned her gaze back to the man whose hand was on her shoulder, the face of her father, tall and proud and masculine, staring out over the distance.

Shaking herself out of the memory, she could hear his answer. Her fingers were drumming on his inner thigh, her breathing coming a little quicker. _Come on... You can do it. You can be the bold noble lady who seduces her bodyguard._ "Are you..." She could not finish the sentence, swallowing heavily, her eyes watching his face as he stared back at her. Her tongue flashed swiftly over her lips, moistening them. "Are you seeing someone?"

The look on his face was doubting as if the thought had jarred something loose from his memory. _What a horrible person you are, trying to steal away someone's man._ The scolding that she gave herself was not enough, hanging on his every word for the answer that could dash her plans. Her hand trailed a little higher, fingers closer towards his groin. _He's no doubt attached. Who wouldn't want some gallant white knight to save them?_ _I bet even Weiss would make eyes at him, I mean... just look at that._ The jacket was not to her liking, obviously gotten from somewhere... but the upper body was shaping up nicely to her eyes. A bit of work would still be needed, but the muscles looked just about right to shape up into what could be a pretty attractive young man.

 _As if I need a strong muscle-man..._ "No, not really..." She could hear his pause, her heartbeat increasing, as she realized that she had a chance. _This is your time to strike._ "There's this girl I fancy, though." Her hand was half-way on his shoulder, ready to pull him closer. _Of course. He'd have a girl that he likes. Why can't it be easy and have him be sexually frustrated from a lack of ability to get off, eh?_ "Oh?" Her voice was a little higher, the surprise and odd relief that warred inside her at her plan getting dashed, as she pressed against him, trying to get him the comfort of a woman's feature. _If you play your cards right... You can still get him to protect you._

"Tell me about her." _Let's see what his type is._ The thought was devious, as she pressed against him. She knew that it would be different at this point if he HADN'T had his eyes on someone. _I'm not so wicked as to steal a man from the girl that he has his eyes on._ Her hand laid itself back on his thigh, the feeling of strong muscle below her fingertips something of a comfort. As her fingers drummed a little rhythm onto his flesh, she looked carefully at his face, checking for any signs of being led astray. _I have to check..._

"She's the coolest girl I've ever seen. Precision, skill... finesse. Always ready to help her team." _Sounds like she's a very well-raised girl. I hope Weiss would be just as well-spoken and elegant at Beacon as that girl that he is talking about._ She couldn't help but smile sadly. _I don't want my children to grow up without a mother. Even if Jacques needs to be dealt with... I am still their mother._ "Sounds like she has good people looking out for her." She couldn't help but appropriate the common speech, her whole body feeling tired, resting against him for a moment.

The smile on his face was beautiful. The carefree smile that seemed to speak of the love that he held for the girl, regardless of who or what she was... _If a man would look at me in such a fashion, there is no way that I would have let him go out of my sight until I would have staked my claim._ The emotions inside her bubbled, her breath escaping her lips. _You aren't a stealer of men, girl. You aren't going to be a cruel woman who dashes the hope of a relationship from a young man who has the kindness in his heart to ensure the safety..._

The treacherous part of her mind whispered softly at her. _But what if he would?_ The shudder that went through her could easily be played off as having been due to the cooling air around them, as the sudden throb inside her body made her feel aware of the reality. "I guess..." _Speak, be plain. You need to be in control._ "I guess I'll go sleep now." _Come on... You can do it._ A flirtatious look on her face. "Do join me when it is time to rest up." _Get up and don't look back._

She made the first few steps with the poise and grace that was expected, yet her curiosity caught the better of her, her head turning and the sultriest look she could give him appeared on her face, the look of worry and thoughtfulness on his face meeting hers, as she turned to the spot where she'd put the blankets to sleep in. _You're a weak woman. You should learn how to..._ Her thighs rubbed together and she slid down to the bed, the distinctly uncomfortable sensation giving her something to think of. _Sleep. Time for sleep, not for dreams._

* * *

 _The paranoia_

* * *

She couldn't sleep. Her nerves were high-strung, as she realized that she was giving herself over to the human who was supposed to keep watch. Her eyes were shut, as she gave the appearance of sleeping, yet when the friend of Kali strolled over to the Huntsman, she was aware of every step, of every move that the woman made. Her nose could catch the faint scent of perspiration, every little step that the woman made filled with a nervous anticipation. _She's going to conspire against us. I know that she will be the one to drive the blade into my heart, then go on to slay Kali._

Her body tensed, her grip on her staff ready to be springing up. _I am no child that will get ambushed in their sleep._ The nervousness inside her body bunched up, even as the conversation between the two seemed to come on. _Interesting._ The news that the woman was asking for her own protection was only the sanest thing to do in the way that they had been bunched together. With how the world was a cruel mistress, it would not be out of the expectations for the woman to suggest that he end their lives here and now, to go along with their trip towards human civilisation.

 _As if you could ever trust the humans to know what use Faunus have... Our great race, chained by their cruel whims and their shackles to bind us._ Her eyes caught a glimpse of the face of the young man. She could practically hear the increasing heartbeat of the woman as she flattered herself against him like a willowy woman, to seduce the manly protector that guarded their rest. _I would do the same... By the brothers, it has been nearly four years since I last had sex. So many meetings, so much planning to do._

She had not shied away from the biological urges that came with being a Faunus. With the stresses of her job, she enjoyed the moments when she could just be freed for a time, to let herself languish in the stress-less surroundings with a cold drink, something to ease the burden off her shoulders and maybe... some company. _Something tells me that I'll be near-sisters with Kali before this entire ordeal is over._

The thought was not too insane to fathom. They were intricately bound by the duties that the White Fang had snapped around their necks, the yoke of leading the one movement for the betterment of the Faunus on Remnant being a heavy burden on both their backs. Kali was the former High Leader's wife, bearing the burden of assuaging his stresses in the personal space, whilst she had been the High Leader's prime bodyguard, trusted with the protection of his daughter and his wife when he was not in attendance at their home. When the White Fang had come under her control, she knew that the first change should have been to wipe the slate clean... Yet she had accepted Blake as a recruit, regardless. _She was a damn good one too. Taurus always spoke highly of her skills in the art of stealth and sabotage._ The way that the woman strode away was alike to a dog with its tail between the legs, the failure to seduce the young man bringing a vindictive sense of pride to her mind. _Let's see what you'll do, Mister Arcadia._

The young man's eyes closed, his head resting between his hands, the young man's ears no doubt pointed towards the sounds of nature around him, his body restful in its posture, as he seemed to listen and wait. There were no other sounds, save for Kali's soft breathing and the other woman going to sleep, the final accompaniment offer no doubt not taken by the man. _He's got standards... or he's serious about the girl he liked._ She could respect that. Marriage was a sacred thing between two people, after all.

She roused herself up to full awareness when the time came, her eyes flickering open as she realized that she had drifted off to sleep. Watching the young man sitting there, hearing the breathing that he made and realizing that it was deeper and more restful than before, the startling thought that he'd just fallen asleep whilst on watch rankling her. She approached him, his eyes flickering open and meeting hers. _Fierce._ The red pupils met hers like a ravenous animal, even as the singular blue eye turned back to its original colour, the colour slowly fading back to the blue that it held. "Ah, it's time for you to take over?" He asked, even as he got up slowly, the audible creak of his body something that she could hear.

 _For such a tall man, he's got some flaws in his stance._ The training that he did, she had observed when she had the time, the swipes of his blade going according to a stance that she was unfamiliar with. _My own staff holds only a few stances that I can use with absolute certainty. I should commission an upgrade whilst I am in Mistral... if I'm not hunted._

"Obviously." She said, her voice containing the chill of her own feelings towards his kind. He seemed to think better about replying, only saying a muted - "Have a nice night." He got himself into his blankets and curled up, the other human wakening for a moment, her eyes flickering open in half-sleep, her arm pulling him close as she murmured something about a 'Winny' in her sleep. He awkwardly shifted a little as he got comfortable, the woman giving a snore as she fell into a deeper slumber once more.

The night stretched on, as she could see the stars slowly move above her, the fading light of the moon starting to give way to the morning. _At least he did not betray our trust yet..._ She thought as she could hear him mutter something about 'The grand spire', or whatever it was, her mind half-way gone and distracted by the pretty night sky.

' _Sienna... sometimes you have to see the best in the people around you. Human or Faunus, it doesn't matter as long as we stand together. We are all the same in the core values of wanting a safe haven for our friends and family.'_ The words of her late father came back to her, as she remembered that last meeting, nearly fifteen years ago. It had been a time of darkness and rebellion in her when she had only just turned of age to join the White Fang, to join the ranks of those who would defend the Faunus until their last dying breath. With her father seeing her off at the docks, it had been only the tearful look back at him that she remembered. His death through an accident had shocked her to the core when she had received it, only freshly seventeen, at an age when she had been in need of some guidance for what to do.

 _I should not think on the past but focus on the future that lays before me. I will not bend before the humans, nor will I break my vows._ The anger suffused her once more, even as the huntsman awoke, his eyes wide and a curse on his lips. _Curious. I wonder what he was dreaming about._

* * *

 _Shadow of the past_

* * *

The crown laid heavy on his head as he looked at his faithful subjects, the guards standing at attention being the finest of the finest, gilded armour holding the strength to defend him from all who would dare harm him. With the golden arches that decorated the breastplates, it was true that the kingdom that his father had founded, Arcadia, would be forever a bastion of hope and tranquillity in the world.

"The Grand Wizard approaches!" A herald announced, the man stepping aside to admit the Grand Wizard, whose elegant style of dress was as provocative to the couture of the court as it was functional. The long garb that he wore was a status symbol, the marks of time upon his features not yet fully advanced. For a man in his late forties, he looked like one who had suffered through a great deal more than one would regularly encounter. The short glasses that sat upon his nose, bright green against the man's pale skin, looked like they belonged there, the man's sharp eyes meeting with his own as he stopped before the throne, a formal bow done, the staff with the personal emblem of the Grand Wizard in his right hand. "Your Majesty." The voice of the man was gentle and soft, as if he were speaking with silk in his mouth to honey his words.

"Oz, you have taught me how to read... There is no need for formality here between friends." The man's lips twitched into a small smile, as the man straightened again. "Be as it may, Your Majesty, I would not have the impudence to merely refer to you by your given name." The man straightened out, as he snapped his fingers. "The Great Sorceress approaches!"

The doors opened for an elegant woman, her skin luminescent in the lighting of the dust crystal lamps, the woman's steps as calm and collected as before. Her flimsy orange-coloured gown was decorated with the crystals that would be the basis of her style of fighting, burning brightly with the dedication to the craft that she had, magical prowess aside, her eyes meeting his own for a flicker of a moment. He shifted a little on the throne, well-aware that the eyes of the people were on him.

"My apprentice, currently at the level of Great Sorceress." The Grand Wizard spoke, taking her by the hand and guiding her towards the throne, her body kneeling in a flash. He could see mountains for a moment, pressed in the dress. "Your Majesty..." Her voice was a little lower than he would have anticipated, as she bent her head like a devoted subject would, her gaze cast down. "I am your humble servant."

Her voice held within it implications, even as he shifted a little, the armour that he wore mostly ceremonial in nature. "Rise, Great Sorceress. Has Oz- Ahem. Has the Grand Wizard taught you parts of his craft, so that the void may be filled?" The woman looked at him, her eyes a deep dark green colour as they met with his. "Of course, Your Majesty. It is an honour to be summoned to meet with you." The respectful voice that she used was perfectly suitable for the time that she spoke, the advisor stepping to the fore, as was his role. "The Grand Wizard and Great Sorceress have come before our Majesty to speak on the Grimm incursions."

The interesting bits did nothing to really draw out his interest, as he began to take note of how the other members of court behaved whilst the Great Sorceress and the Grand Wizard continued to elaborate on their grandiose scheme to add more to the defences of Arcadia. "So, the grand spire will have to be repurposed to be a beacon towards the empowerment of humanity..." He muttered.

A sudden jolt and he felt his consciousness fade once more, only to look at the tree canopy above him, the feeling of being in close proximity to someone awakening him. Another elbow hit him in the gut and he cursed, the sound rough from his throat as he tried to keep himself aware of where he was. _That was a strange dream_.

Jaune shook himself a little, as images of Her and the Grand Wizard faded from his mind slowly, looking at Sienna, whose face bore a slight smirk. "Slept well?" She said cattily, her gaze resting on him and who was beside him. The look on the older woman's face was peaceful as she snuggled up to him, her legs wrapping around his own. His heartbeat got a little faster as he saw her lips partially open, a soft murmur coming from her lips as she held his arm in a grip that made it feel numb. _She must've crawled up against me because I was warm enough during the night._

It was enough to lightly shake her, the woman's arms disappearing in a flicker of movement from him. "Sorry! I just..." She coughed, a loud yawn coming from Kali interrupting the two of them. "I... I suppose it's breakfast time now, right?" He said, voice sounding a little off his guard.

 _Why was I dreaming about that? Why was I a king? Is it the fragment of Her memory?_ The Grimm outside the camp could feel his touch on their primitive minds, the defensive barrier that he had set up to safeguard them from danger not having been breached yet. _Better make sure to keep the women safe... That's what a hero would do, right?_

* * *

 _The old miner_

* * *

The old man's fingers touched the Scroll, the connection that was established with the Schnee household firm and without any data loss. The worried-looking face of Klein Sieben, butler to the Schnee family for years, looked back at him. "Master Schnee." He leaned forward a little, immediately inquiring of the butler. "Is something the matter?"

The butler composed himself, taking a deep breath as he seemed to fight back tears. "Master Schnee, I have... Bad news." The look on the man's face was close enough to start crying, the emotional display making the man's eyes switch colours for a moment. The old man gripped his chair a little tighter. "Klein... What is it?" The worry in his voice was strong, as he could feel the dread building in his stomach. _The man wouldn't call me unless it was critically important._

"Sir, your daughter... She is..." The butler paused, looking at his former master, dread swelling even more in the pit of his stomach. _That bastard finally did it._ The shares that had been hers by right as the prime inheritor of the company and his heir were under lock and key, the investment by Jacques only allowing him a 20% share in the company that Nicholas had founded.

"Dead?" The fear in his heart seemed to solidify, his eyes looking at the butler, who nodded once. _Then the bastard has finally done it. He's finally decided to put the axe in the relationship that would land him riches and fame_.

The thirty percent of stocks that he still had under his personal management was enough to ensure that the company would not be radically altered without his input. Together with his daughter, a good sixty percent of the company was owned. _As the widower, he would be entitled to half of her shares by law... although with how we have arranged it, I am still the prime manager of her shares. He does not know about the contract that she signed, decreeing that her thirty percent was to be spread to her daughters and son._

The ten percent that Weiss, Winter and Whitley would get was definitely enough to land them comfortable lifestyles for the rest of their lifetimes, should they spend frugally and not too lavishly. _Winter would hand hers to Weiss in a flash. Whitley would just make sure that he'd have some measure of control... that kid is so much like his father that it sometimes looks like he'll be the successor simply out of sheer cunning. Weiss... Well, she's her own girl._ "It appears so, sir. The transports bound for the southern air route were shot down with missiles and the escort gunship taken down." _Another thing to worry about..._

"Thank you for informing me, Klein." He said, his voice sounding wearier than before. His nurse gave a clear indication that she wished to aid, the little nuance in her voice enough to warn him. "Please, something to drink..." The butler looked a little queasy, even as the old patriarch of the Schnee family looked at his former butler. "I suppose Jacques would have informed me the moment that the news would be announced... Very well..."

The butler gave a short nod. "I thought the Master would like to know. The young Miss was the apple of his eye, after all." The old man looked worse than his years, his gaze resting on the weathered hand that had once held pick and gun, ready to fight for the Dust that had finally carried him along the road to riches. "Thank you, Klein." The gratitude in the man's voice was enough, even as the connection shut off, the butler about to continue his tasks in attending to the family's needs.

A heavy sigh came from the man's lips as he looked at the Scroll contact list that popped up, selecting the name that stood at the head. The sight of a female Schnee Dust Company operator appeared on the scroll, awaiting his command. "With what can I be of assistance?" The former Dust miner gritted his teeth, even as he straightened up. "Connect me to Jacques Schnee." The man's voice was as frosty as the Atlesian winter, as he looked at the operator, who was taken aback by the frosty tone. "I am sorry, but Mister Schnee is not going to ha-." His hand impacted the chair's armrest as he sat. "Connect me to Jacques Schnee or I will have you find out what happens when you cross paths with someone who's worked in the mines for most of his early days." The nurse spoke up. "Master Nicholas wishes to speak with his son-in-law. Please make the connection." The identification chip that she held up to the scanner in the Scroll was enough for most SDC protocols to verify his identity, his facial features turning to ice as the operator made haste.

The screen blinked twice, before Jacques Schnee appeared on the screen, his moustache groomed perfectly to specifications, his face cool and passive. "You have heard the news, Nicholas?" The calm and cool voice that the man used was enough to incite the old man's irritation. _You are damn right that I've heard the news. You're a vulture, Jacques._ "It seems Whitney has met with an untimely end."

The CEO of the Schnee Dust empire looked back at him, those cold eyes expressionless. "As I was just informing young Whitley, it is pointless to mourn what has been torn from me by cruel beasts." The view of the Scroll shifted to reveal Whitley, whose face was as cool as his father's face. Not a single hint of tears or emotion could be determined from the face of the young man. "It is simply the best choice to focus on the achievable solutions to the current Dust shortages, rather than to mourn mother's passing."

 _By the brother gods..._ The man's fingers felt nerveless as he nearly let the glass of water slip from them, his eyes switching between Jacques and Whitley, the coolness with how the father and son worked together something that was shared and no doubt inherited. _They are... unaffected. Was it all a lie, to care for her? Was he really... Was it all just a ploy to gather riches?_

"I feel sorry for you, grandfather." Whitley continued, his tone sounding empathic as if he could understand what he was going through. _You don't understand at all._ The thought rose in his mind, embarrassment and shame filling him for a moment as he thought in such a negative fashion about his own grandchild, yet when Jacques appeared before the screen again, it was ruthlessly squashed. "My condolences with the loss of your wife, Jacques." The CEO of the Schnee Dust Company smiled.

"Will her inheritance be released swiftly?" The man asked, another flash of anger going through the old man's body, though his face was composed. Only a gritting of the teeth and the lines on his face becoming longer was a sign of it even happening. "Once six months have passed, will the inheritance be freed up. Should I come to pass away in those six months, the eldest of my grandchildren will inherit full stewardship of the shares." _Let's see how you deal with that, Jacques. No matter the cause of death, all inheritances are released after six months in order to allow the bereaved to be of sound mind and consciousness to receive it._

"She is in the MILITARY, Nicholas. You know as well as I that those in the military cannot access their personal assets unless given permission by the Council or by the General himself." The man slammed his hands onto the desk, the rattling of a cup of tea bringing a perverse enjoyment in Nicholas' chest.

 _Willow, you would have kicked the shit out of Jacques if he'd spoken to you about his own daughters like that. You always hated the thought of people doing everything for money._ The fond memory of the woman who he had shared a life with until her passing brought a terse smile to his face. "Then it can be Weiss. She is studying to be a Huntress at Beacon... So what harm could she do with the inheritance, hmm? As far as I know, she is still the Heiress to the company."

The man in charge of the business frowned. "She is." The words seemed to be spoken grudgingly. "No matter how much I have told her to cease her foolish dreams of becoming a Huntress." The way that Jacques growled about it brought a small spark of hope to his heart. "I presume that you have already recovered her body?"He did not let his voice tremble, even as the emotion raged inside him.

"The team that was on-site has managed to recover a few bodies, yet the flames and the other damage that has been done has made identification rather difficult." The casual way in which the man spoke about such a grave affair made Nicholas uncomfortable, even though he had seen some shark-like behaviour in the past. "Thus far, three women and seventeen men have been identified as belonging to the company, with several identifications to be made still pending the official manifest."

Hope blossomed in his heart, the hope that his daughter was still alive. _Perhaps..._ "Do you think she's still alive?" The question was asked before he could stop himself, his son-in-law's face carefully placid. "No. It would be hard for a single woman to survive. According to what I have heard from the people on-site, there was a fight between the White Fang and Company officers, with bladed weaponry and Grimm interaction. Several of the bodies were eviscerated by Beowolves, and undoubtedly, there were several of the Faunus fighting against the Grimm that came to investigate the crash site." _Whitney was a lot of things, yet she was not a fighter. I remember how her eyes would widen when she was first offered a rifle. The first shooting lesson, involving a target that was set aside on a small wooden block, was a 's hat was the first victim._

"I guess we'll see each other at the funeral." The old man said to his son, Whitley's voice coming softly. "I hope to see you again soon, grandfather." A smile couldn't help but tug on the corners of his lips. "I hope so too, Whitley."

The connection faded after a moment, pulling up the next contact information on his list. Weiss would have to know of the death of her mother. _Whitney, wherever you are now... if you are still alive or whether you've been made into Grimm chow... I will not let your daughters be left in this world without proper guidance._

Tapping the call button, the miniaturized picture of Weiss enlarged, appearing on the screen as the connection was made to the Scroll, audibly beeping a few times. The man inhaled sharply, as he could already feel the dread building inside him at the thought of informing Weiss that her mother had died. _I never get used to informing people that their loved one has perished._

He had done so for every member of his company that perished in an accident, due to his own personal creed. When the call connected finally, he was greeted by a young girl's face, a red hood half-way covering her head. "Ah, hello! Are you Weiss' dad? She's currently taking a shower, so I figured 'Let's answer her scroll!'." He sighed deeply, the girl's intentions being good... though her manners clearly were not.

* * *

 _The rose's petals_

* * *

The trip to Forever Fall had been amaaaaaazing! As she sat on the bed, reading one of her favourite comic magazines, she could just remember the glorious amount of bottles that they had filled with the sap. _It's a pity that we weren't able to taste any! Professor Goodwitch said that the sap would be considered as a... processable good?_

"I'm going for the shower. Do NOT disturb me, Ruby." Weiss said, as she gathered her shower goods and her conditioner. "Sure thing Weiss!" _As if I'd want to bother her when she's doing the icky conditioner stuff in her hair! The last time that I used that, she went and raged at me as if I had killed her pet! It made my hair all dry and pointy too!_

She wasn't thinking much about personal care. Who cared if you looked like a pristine princess with perfect white hair, right? _It's all about huntsmanship! We'll be slicing and dicing and chopping up Grimm and making sure that the bad guys are locked away for good! Who knows, we might even get a statue made with us! Team RWBY, immortalized in stone, YES!_

"I'm going out with Blake, Ruby." Yang said as she tapped her younger sister's kneed with hers, the grin on her elder sister's face showing the need that Yang had to go out into the world once more. Blake's face was slightly more expressionless, though a light smile teased her lips. "I'll make sure to keep her out of trouble." Their quieter Faunus teammate said, as she followed after Yang. "Come back safely!" Yang gave a soft 'tssk' sound that was lost as the door opened for her, her head tossed back. "I'm always going to come back safely, Ruby! You know me!"

 _Yeah, you apparently wrecked a club! That's what I'm worried about... but if you're just going out with Blake, I guess we don't need to worry about getting a club all fixed up again. Dad was a little upset when she got home too._

The sound of a scroll ringing came to her ears, her eyes finding Weiss' Scroll laying on top of her pillow, the call icon flashing for a moment, the ringtone playing once again. _Weiss has a call? But she's never been called before! As a responsible team leader, I should take the call and inquire whether they can call her back! I'm sure that she'll be happy to hear that I've been a good team leader and not be snippy with me._

It was only a brief hop down and a grabbing of the Scroll, clicking the accept call old man's face came to her view, the holiday clothing that he wore definitely looking out of place. _He looks like he's on holiday. Is this what all the old people wear? I hope Uncle Qrow doesn't start wearing something like that, he'd totally look yuck with a bright shirt. Do your best, Ruby! You've only got one shot at impressing her dad!_ "Ah, hello! Are you Weiss' dad? She's currently taking a shower, so I figured 'let's answer her scroll!'." The man's deep sigh was enough to clue her in that she MIGHT have missed the clue right.

"Not to mean that I'm bullying her, no. I'm her team leader! It is my duty to be here to answer any questions and that icky-stuffy formal thing." _Oh no, he's going to think I'm some sort of ditz! Think, Ruby! You know how to act polite._ "I see, well... Could you tell Weiss that she has a call?" The man asked. _I can do that!_ She was off to the bathroom in a flash, her body zipping up to the door with the liberal use of her semblance. "Weiss! Your dad is calling!"

Something could be heard dropping to the floor, as well as something that sounded like a very nasty four-letter word that started with an F and was in those songs that Yang occasionally kept signing after she's had a few nights out on the town. "I'm not here!" Weiss' voice came from the shower, sounding a pitch higher than before. "But... he's your dad!" _I can't understand why she'd not want to talk to her dad._

The door opened, a wet Weiss looking at her with her eyes holding nothing but the frosty fury of Weiss in them. "Let me finish up here. We'll be having a chat about answering people's calls afterwards." _Uh-oh, Weiss is angry again..._

She sat herself down on Weiss' bed again, picking up the scroll. Whilst Weiss was getting ready, she could at least talk to the man. "So, ummm, Hi." She started, putting her best 'I am nothing but a cute girl' smile on, her eyes sparkly and bright in her own image on the Scroll's camera feed. "Greetings again, young lady." The man's voice sounded tired, as he rubbed his cheeks with his bony fingers, a glass of water handed to him. "My name is Ruby. So... You're Weiss' dad, right?"

"Grandfather, to be exact." _Ooh! Grandfathers are like a dad, plus one!_ The man's eyes were a little emotional, as he leaned forward in his chair and set the glass. "I am Nicholas Schnee, founder of the Schnee Dust Company." The man said, obviously expecting some reaction. _That's... Obviously Dust, right?_ "I see. Well, I am Ruby Rose, team leader of Team RWBY! Weiss is my BFF!" The girl might object to that for a while, but she was nothing if not able to adjust a little! _She'll come around! Soon, we'll be going out on weapon shopping trips, shooting nevermores and having those funnel cake things that dad always said was a waste! Just a bestie and her bestie going out on a trip, yay!_

The man's smile was faint, as he nodded his head. "Mister Schnee, your medication." The woman beside him said, handing him a few pills. "Forgive me, Miss Rose, for not being in the best of moods." She could understand that. People who were sick were often not in a good mood. "I hope you will get better, sir!" The man smiled thinly, even as Weiss came from the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel. "Give me that, Ruby." She barked, her voice sounding snappish, her pale face looking oddly flushed.

"Sure-kidoki, Weiss!" Her partner plucked the Scroll from her grip, composing herself a moment later as she saw her grandfather. "Grandpapa?" The tone of voice shifted to tenderness immediately, as she sat down next to Ruby on the bed. "Hello there, little snow." The man's voice was full of warmth, like a grandfather should have. _Yang always said that kindly grandmothers and grandfathers were the best. I'm happy for Weiss._ The joy that shone in the eyes of Weiss was something that she cherished, even with that spark continuing to flame there.

"Why do you call, I don't..." She said, watching the man through the video feed. Ruby could see how the man spontaneously aged a few years, as the grave mood suddenly appeared to weigh heavily on his shoulders. "Did something happen?" Weiss' voice showed her distress, her eyes looking at the image of her grandfather. "Are you going to die?"

The man looked up at her for a moment and swallowed. "I am not going to die, Weiss." The sigh of relief from Weiss was very human, as she seemed to relax from the tension that she'd suffered under. "Your mother has..." A swallow, heavy as if it were something to be worried of.

"Has she done something again to shame the name of Schnee?" Weiss' tone grew angry, upset with her mother. _That's silly. Mothers are the best ever! They're supposed to care for you, bake cookies and to love you!_ "She's gotten drunk again and spent a lot of the family money again on something silly, hasn't she?" Weiss' tone grew angry and frustrated, something that seemed to lend her the appearance of the spoiled girl that she had ran into at her first day at Beacon. _Weiss isn't like this normally._

"Weiss, please..." She said before she could stop herself, Weiss' eyes looking at her. "You don't know what it's like, Ruby. To always watch how she just lays there, drinking from the bottle, the smell of her like an acrid wall of vile vapours." The harshness in Weiss' voice was sharp, as she looked at Ruby. "She's still your mother, you know. She might have her faults... My uncle drinks a lot, but that's because he can't function without it." The grandfather of Weiss gave a cough, to pull to their attention once more.

"You don't understand what it's like. Every time since my tenth birthday, she's been drunk! Every time I wanted to spend time with her, it was always 'Weiss, go away. Mommy's feeling a headache!' and she'd down another bottle of vodka. Sometimes... sometimes I wish that she'd die, just so that I could hold her in my memory as the mother that I loved once." The angry tone in Weiss' voice was telling, as Ruby heard the man on the Scroll call once again try to draw their attention.

"Weiss, listen to me." The voice of her grandfather was sharp and commanding, Weiss' head turning to the man, a flush on her cheeks. "Sorry, grandpapa. I apologize, I should not have vented." The switch to polite behaviour was jarring, even though Ruby could see the logic behind it, Weiss flushed with embarrassment, her cheeks unusually hot.

"Weiss... Your mother has died." Weiss' eyes went wide, the colour draining from her face. _Oh no._ The lower lip quivered, Weiss' face showing the tremors of emotion. "But... but..." The girl's emotional state was read on her face, as Ruby wrapped an arm around her. "Mama died?" She said, her voice small and tiny.

"The White Fang was apparently responsible." The voice of the old man sounded dead, as he looked at his granddaughter. Ruby could see the tears coming from her eyes, leaking down her cheeks, her whole body shuddering at the sensations that welled up inside her. "Weiss... I'm sorry. My daughter... Your mother, was a flawed person... But I don't want you to think that she hated you."

The shudder that went through Weiss' body was strong, as her arm wrapped closer around Ruby's waist, pulling her close. "I... I see." The man's face was showing his sadness and his regret, Ruby could read the expression well. "She loved you three with all her heart. Even if she drank a lot, she never would want you to turn out like she did."

 _Oh Weiss..._ The soft shaking increased, as Weiss looked at her grandfather. "Grandpapa... Did you speak to father?" The man nodded once. "Your father was... not concerned." _How horrible! That's your wife! Oh no, why does Weiss have to have a dad that is evil?! She can have mine! Yang wouldn't mind!_ "And Whitley?" She asked, the old man looking downcast for what seemed to be a while. "He is your father's son."

 _I didn't know that she had a brother._ The man on the screen looked torn, as he looked at Weiss. "I love you, my little snow." The man's voice sounded choked up, as he looked at his granddaughter. "Will..." Weiss seemed to have difficulty speaking, as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that her mother had died. "Will mama be buried?" The question was soft, even as Nicholas looked pensive. "Her remains were burnt to a crisp, apparently. It'll be an empty grave." The man's eyes were dark, as he looked sad.

"My condolences, Mister Schnee." Ruby said, as she hugged Weiss tighter. The man's face seemed to lighten a little, a smile coming to his face. "If your mother could have had a friend such as your team leader... Perhaps things might've been different. I raised my girl to be a good woman... Even though her marriage was not as it could have been." The man looked at Weiss, who pressed herself closer to Ruby, the instinctual hug close to the touch. "I love you, Weiss." The man said again, as Weiss took a deep breath. "I love you too, grandpapa." The man looked solemn. "Try to sleep... I'll... I'll be in Vale in about three to four weeks. Let's... Let's do something together." The offer no doubt was to assure Weiss, as she sniffled a little. "Let's... do something together, Grandpapa." The man waved at her gently, Weiss giving a small wave back, the call disconnecting.

 _Weiss needs the support she can get..._ The white-haired heiress hugged Ruby tighter, as she buried her head in Ruby's chest, modest as it was. The sobs began to come louder, as the girl broke down, the soft 'mama!' and 'waahhh' coming from the Atlas-born heiress breaking Ruby's heart a little, as she rubbed over Weiss' head.

Around eleven the door opened once again, Ruby looking at Yang and Blake, the latter clean whilst Yang was covered in what seemed to be a bright yellow paint. "Did ya sleep with Weiss?" Yang said, Ruby's glare silencing her sister, the 'shh' that she gave enough to silence even Yang. Weiss had a death grip on her right now, laying snuggled against her, Weiss' hair loose and unbound. "I'll tell you tomorrow, if she doesn't tell you right now." Blake looked grim, as she had no doubt guessed that something bad had happened. _She's a Faunus, after all. If she's anything like Zwei, she'll know whether someone is sad or not immediately!_

"Alright, sis." Yang said, her voice sounding a little softer, as she got herself comfortably situated on her bed, Blake giving a soft sigh as she got ready for bed. _Weiss, please be okay... I know how much it hurts to have to lose a mother._

* * *

 **Well, that's one chapter out of the way. Chapter 13, right and ready to read. I'm pretty sure that people will be turning into seers instantly, capable of telling the future of this story, totally predicting some of the things that I'm going to be writing in the next chapters. (That was sarcasm.)**

 **We learned Miss Schnee's first name too. Whitney Esmeralda Schnee. I've actually had to do some research on proper female names that crop up, and going with the actual meaning of the Schnee family theme (White), I decided on Whitney. Whitley and Whitney share a similar root, and Weiss is White, whilst Winter evokes that feeling of frost and snow. (A lot of people just call her Willow, but I figured that going thematically with the Schnee family for white... Well. Nicholas means 'Victor of the people', if I remember my Greek well enough, and he was born around... 15-20 years after the Great War. So, Nicholas Schnee.)**

 **Whitney Schnee, I have to state... Will not be getting with Kali Belladonna at any serious level. Mostly, they get along very well due to Kali's openness. Hardly an indication that they'll be lesbian together. That'd be the same as saying that lizard people are invading through the use of tinfoil hats.**

 **Now, to address some further worries – Arcadia, and all things associated with that name... Well, Jaune is starting to doubt his memory. It's been hinted at, here.**

 **Ozpin will feature in the Beacon Arc more than in the Mistral Arc. This is officially called the 'Snow White' Arc. Because... yeah. You'll see. First we had Summer Rose, now we've got Whitney Schnee.**

 **I hope you're all still entertained enough to stick with the story. I've got a few things planned that I don't think I've ever seen used in the RWBY stuff that I've read... or at least, I don't THINK I've seen before. Thank you for sticking with me for the first two months of writing this, guys, girls and Grimm.**

 **Read and Review! I like seeing people review, because it fires up my drive to write more.**


	14. Alabaster worries with women

**Chapter 14: Alabaster worries with women.**

 **People seem to labour under the idea that a long story is too much to read. If you want a short story, don't look at me. I'm just in it for the telling of a tale that is full of woes and work.**

* * *

 _The scorned ones_

* * *

 _I should never have left home._ The thought was in her mind, even as she began to feel the strain of the walk, her feet sore and her eyes feeling heavy, as if the sleep was only moments away. The stress that she was under was enough to make her baulk, her whole body aflame, even as she put one foot in front of the other, walking alongside of Jaune. _It's… tough._

Travelling with a group of three others was straining, even when you had a perfectly air-conditioned vehicle with you, yet to remain in the warmth was something that only seemed to draw out the excess water from her body. _I'll look like a dried-out prune if this keeps out. The weather shouldn't be this hot… Atlesian summers are not this warm._ The look on Kali and Sienna's face was moderate, no doubt due to the two of them being used to the warmth, Mistral and Menagerie-native that they were, yet she sweated more than she'd allowed herself to.

 _At least he is suffering similarly._ The look on Jaune's face was harried, as sweat dripped down his face. It was three days in since they had rested for the first time, the gait that they had taken bringing them along with slow strides towards their goal, the burning of the feet only a welcome reminder of the fact that she had dodged death. _Nothing like this._

Ingratiating herself with the young man had not really borne fruit. Either he was too thoughtful of his own sweetheart, or her tactics were not working. Kali had noticed as well, her smile a little warmer than the sorrowful look that she'd held on her face, the mourning process probably different for Faunus than it was for humans. _I wonder if we are really all that different, save for the animal traits?_ The thought wasn't uncommon in her mind, as she'd spent time with the miners, who were of human and Faunus descent, their traits occasionally coming in handy, even with the mines being cramped, damp environments.

With how her Semblance worked, she could see the Glyphs everywhere. Her father had once gone into detail about how the Glyphs worked. _"Imagine how the world is to be manipulated. Want to stop a cave-in? Apply a glyph with repellant force and keep it up. Wish to block a Grimm from passing? Ensure that it isn't able to pass by using a physical Glyph to block its way. When you awaken your Aura, you will be able to do so as well."_ The lesson had been something instructive, back when she had only been twelve. The man had always been protective of her, as she was the only daughter that he had, his coaching letting her work through the physical aspects of the life of a miner. _We only struck it big when we unearthed that massive deposit of Dust in the Vacuan desert. It would've been a wholly different tale if I hadn't been propelled onto the global stage as Whitney Schnee, Daughter of the CEO of Schnee Dust._

She looked at the blonde teenager, her tongue slithering over her lips. _Sometimes, I really wish that I had something to take the ache off._ It was torment to be around a young man who wasn't that bad on the eyes, was able to save a woman in need... _Those arms around me for that one moment, leaping to my rescue._ Another groan came from her mouth, his attention going to her immediately. "Esmeralda, is something the matter?" He asked, his voice concerned. Another shudder went through her body. _You're sexually frustrated. Any man would do, right at this moment, but you've got to go for the one that's here, who's caring for you and who is present. You're a dirty woman, Essy._

"Just a little bit of irritation." She kept her voice grounded and level, her eyes looking over the shirt-wearing man, the jacket half-slung over his shoulder. Without saying, he had donned the shirt, after wearing only a jacket for the first and second days, the young man's looks were far easier on the eye than before. _It wasn't a bad look. Growing muscles, a bit of a hand-hold. Not the most handsome of men..._ Her tongue stroked over her lips again. _There I go again. I need to get some space for myself. Some time to just relax a bit..._

It wasn't to say that she regularly felt like this. When the buzz of alcohol allowed not a single thought to come through, it was only enough for her to merely observe and watch, her gaze never straying to the men dressed up for the social events that she was obligated to attend as the wife of the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. A dalliance with a particularly strapping young man might have been fun, had the thought surfaced, yet with enough alcohol in her system, such thoughts would never have leaked past the surface. As she thought of it, a crude smile came to her lips. _The scandal alone would have made Jacques blow up. It would not have been wrong to have had a taste of Ghira..._

"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" He asked, the concern showing in his face. _Those strange mismatched eyes catch everything._ The dreams that she'd had in the nights after had been full of a set of mismatched eyes watching her. Her dreams had turned from fleeing from a Grimm horde to trying to fight them off, his gaze ever-burning on her, with those eyes scrutinizing her, judging her and cautiously measuring her worth for... something.

She did sleep well, though, despite the restless dreams. With her mind in a whirl, it was only the sane thoughts that continued to bounce around, her eyes regarding Jaune with a new view. "Yes... I guess I'm alright." There was no need to confront him with her troubled dreams. _It might just be remnants from getting your Aura unlocked._ "Just some blisters." He gave a sympathetic sound. "Would you like me to massage your feet? My sisters always liked it when I did that, they do a lot of walking. Comes with being Huntresses, I guess." She smiled. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Thank you for the kind offer." _He can even do foot massages?_

"Finding no luck in seducing our fearless leader?" Kali whispered to her as she got beside her, Sienna and Jaune taking the front, the former starting to talk to Jaune about something, her body language screaming irritation and frustration. "No... Not that I'm trying, honestly." _You would jump his bones at the first opportunity. You're just a horrible person, Es. So selfish, just because you see someone who is 'available' and 'hot' doesn't make it alright to snatch him away from the girl he likes._

Kali patted her shoulder, the muted smile something that seemed to have become a permanent fixture on her lips. "You'll get there." She said, her voice sounding a little more aggrieved than before. "You're not missing the light of your life." She couldn't help it, her arms wrapping around Kali, giving the other woman a big hug. "Don't you think like that, Kali. There's still more to be done in the world." The reality of the world seemed to have hit Kali hard, as her eyes met with hers. "You at least do not overly care for your husband." The Faunus woman whispered. They held each other for a moment, the other woman giving a shuddering breath. "He was my everything, next to Blake. My support. My pillar." The woman's voice seemed to contain an emotional load that was hard to banish from her voice, as the tears came again. "You'll find something to hold you standing. You're a strong woman, Kali." She muttered in the woman's ear, the feline Faunus giving a soft sigh, as she squeezed her a bit. "You'll have to excuse me if everything seems to be darkened in shades of grey for now."

 _I feel for her._ The woman's nature was to be open and sociable, not like herself. She was noticeably less open than the Faunus woman, whose extraverted sociability seemed to have been a driving factor in their friendship. _I would've never entered a hair salon and dyed my hair._ The thought of doing so hadn't even figured in her mind, even with how the world seemed to have been turned upside-down. _It would've been a horrible thing if Sienna found out who I was by merely the colour of my hair._

The High Leader of the White Fang had a grudge against all humans. Kali's friendship guaranteed her immunity at least, so the Faunus woman had turned her arrows towards Jaune, observing him most times from the corner of her eye, like a wild tiger about to strike for its meal. _That woman is obsessed with the Faunus and their role in the world._ The way that she had described her vision for the Faunus, was one of the manners that had led to greater conflict with the Schnee Dust Company, the vision of respect through fear having been one of the leading causes of the increased Faunus agitation towards humanity.

It was natural to see some resentment come from the Faunus towards their human oppressors. They had been dealt a bad hand, even she herself could not see it in any different light. Confined to the continent of Menagerie, they would not have been able to flourish with the climate over there, had they not rebelled against the status quo.

Sienna Khan was a driven woman, she would admit, even with her own hang-ups about how things were done in the kingdoms around the world. _With her political acumen, she could be a Council member without peer. It is a shame that she seems to be so ill-tempered towards humans._ Admiration and worry warred inside her, as she looked at the man converse with the tiger Faunus, whose eyes were shrouded in a haze of irritation and frustration.

"It'll be alright." She said, trying to offer strength to Kali. "It's not alright if I lose sight of what is most important." The woman muttered, seemingly to herself. Whitney didn't know what to think of that statement, as the Faunus woman's eyes rested on Sienna and on Jaune, currently engaged in conversation.

* * *

 _The fight_

* * *

Her irritation with the human seemed to grow by the day. With every mile that they walked, her frustration kept on building, even with the other human holding conversation after conversation with him, ignoring her. _And rightfully she should! The Faunus are to be feared, not to be given some commands to as if we are mere dogs and cats to boss around._

She could see it in his eyes, the pity, the look of 'I am a human, superior to you, let me guide you towards greatness' and that smug superiority in which he affected an air of unknowing kindness, as if it would all be alright to have no set goal in life save to survive. _The struggle that we know, he will NEVER know._ The heat of her glare had been boring into him ever since that first night had passed, the human woman having tried to ingratiate herself in his good graces, though the flirtation had gone over his head entirely.

 _Naivety, or just something that he holds as a principle?_ Her own thoughts were not as organized as before, even as she let her gaze search for the Grimm that she was expecting at any time. Kali's mental state bothered her, even with the way that the woman had sought for approval. _To train a woman..._

The pause that they had the next night had been something that was needed. She had been in the process of using one of the whetstones to sharpen the edges of her staff when Kali approached, her offer of taking the first watch something that she had insisted on, to give the human a chance to show his true nature.

"Sienna..." The Faunus woman spoke in low tones, her gaze looking at the two humans that laid in their slumber, her sharp eyes looking out over the sleeping form of Jaune, who seemed to mutter something under his breath about roses, the thought no doubt surfacing in the woman's mind how someone could think about such things. "I want to learn how to fight." The words brought pride and joy to her eyes, as she pulled out the blade that she'd hidden in one of her sleeves. "Why?" She said, as she arranged the blade in her grip, holding it out for the woman to take. Kali's hands grabbed it, both wrapping around the hilt. "I don't want to be useless."

The look on her face was stern and decisive, enough that it made her harken back to the day when Ghira had exploded. _So much anger and frustration at those fools... Yet the decision was made. There was nothing that we could have done about the mistakes of a few._ The look of determination on Kali's face was cold. _Like Blake's when she was on a mission, ready to go and do the right thing._

The knowledge that this woman had been an ardent supporter of the peaceful negotiation between humans and Faunus was something that made this all the more pressing, her eyes meeting with those that sat in hers, seeing the determined glint in them. "This is a dagger." She said, though TECHNICALLY it was more of a stabbing knife if you REALLY wanted to have to define it. "You should familiarize yourself with the grip. It's not a stabbing motion that you'll want to get, because..."

The details of how to wield a knife in a fight was something that she knew from her basic training. With the skill that she had at wielding her chosen weapon, the bladed staff, she knew that knife-fighting was just another way to fight in order to kill. _To see her willing to take up arms to protect herself..._

The thought was nothing that she could stop, her eyes watching as the woman stabbed at empty air, a little while away from the camp that they had made. Her eyes could follow every twist of the knife that Kali made. "Stop." She said, getting behind the woman. She moved to adjust the grip on the blade's hilt. "Stab. Flow with the motion. Try to keep calm and collected." The woman's grip changed, as she continued to flow into the next motion, not stopping for an instant, moving to the stab that'd follow it up. _A longer blade would suit her well. She's got the reach for them, with her body and agility._

Feline Faunus were considerably more agile than a lot of the other Faunus' species, with their agility being one of their best traits, compared to the way that several of the more avian-featured Faunus would have more affinity with greater heights.

A snapping twig was heard, and her head turned, coming face-to-face with a Beowolf, the bone-white mask looking at her with an expression of countless hatred upon it. She could feel the fear snag around her heart, pulling that heartbeat into overdrive. Her staff moved into the guard position, ready to strike, if the Beowolf moved. It regarded her for a moment before turning around, Sienna's grip on the staff whitening her knuckles, her eyes looking with amazement as the creature turned away, as if she were not worthy of the effort of slaying.

"Do they regularly do that?" Kali asked, her voice a frightened whimper, loud enough to draw her attention. _I don't know. I wasn't trained to be a huntsman!_ "I don't know." She said, as she looked back at the camp. "We'll.. go back." The admission that a professional huntsman would be a bit better at dealing with the Grimm than she was, was galling. _No matter the circumstances, it is still my right to be independent of any human kindness. Faunus can take care of themselves!_

"Thank you, Sienna." Kali whispered softly to her, once they were in the camp's confines once more, her voice sounding softer than before, as she looked up at the moon peering through the trees, the shattered orb reflecting the light of the sub back at them. "If you want to defend yourself..." She started, knowing that it would be opening a dangerous field of exploration.

"I just don't want to be useless. Even Esmeralda has Aura now." The woman said, her gaze looking at Sienna's. _The human does have enough aura to unlock the aura of another. It was not unthinkable that he would fail in that._ "She is a human, Kali. She would stand with her kind, as we would stand with ours. I swore to protect you."

Kali's head turned to her, as she looked straight into those eyes. "We need to work together, Sienna. Don't you see that it would only work against the Faunus as a whole if we solely focus on our own supremacy? With Jaune, we'll be able to forge a new alliance, to work TOGETHER." The argument faded for a moment as she remembered the meetings that she had sat through only months ago. Humans were not all bad yet a lot of them were still judgmental against the Faunus, the backdraft of the war that they had fought and ended what seemed to have been yesterday something that would not come away easily. _The Humans have us penned up in Menagerie for too long... If we did not fight, we would not be able to move elsewhere._

"Why with him? Why do you think that a human could do what I can as well? I was trained to protect people, to protect the Faunus!" _She is in her right... To make an alliance with the huntsman who guards us against the Grimm would be beneficial._ The thought nagged at her, her gaze resting at the ground. _She would be right at the point where she could choose her own destiny. I have already assumed enough to keep her..._ The face of Ghira appeared before her mind's eye, asking her to keep his wife safe. _I will train her, Ghira. I will train her until she is able to defend herself._ The determination flashed in her eyes.

"Because Esmeralda has nobody else. You would not defend her, if she was in danger. He would." The answer surprised her, Sienna's gaze going to the sleeping woman, her face looking peaceful in her sleep, nestled against a soft surface, the faint inhale and exhale of her breathing bringing with it only the peace of sleep. "And I..." Here the older woman paused, a look in her eyes that seemed to sharpen. "I heard that once you awaken someone's Aura, you feel how another's soul is. If he was a bad person, he would have made her recoil... yet she seemed to have been entranced, as if she had seen something beautiful." The excuse was enough to bring a glower to her eyes.

 _All that I saw was a woman who had an itch that she needed to scratch. All the humans are the same, animals within the skin of humans._ The audible growl that came from her mouth was a deep and dark sound, Kali looking at her with a look that reminded her much of a mother. "Sienna, stop it." She could feel her mouth shutting and her eyes looking at her. "I care for you, Sienna. You are a good woman at the core. The only thing that you care for is the Faunus and ensuring that we are done right." The careful way to phrase it would not have been out of the ordinary for Ghira, as the older woman laid a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you think would have happened if Adam Taurus were to take over the White Fang?" _Madness. That young man has so much spite and hatred inside him that it is like an explosion._ "It would ruin people. Remember Ilia?" _Chameleon Faunus, Infiltration and Assassination expert._ The face came to her mind and she nodded. "She was a really kind girl, I only met her a few times... but she was a good girl. Now... Blake sent me a video, nearly two years ago. It was a training video, with Ilia extolling the need for an increased presence in order to 'repel the human threat to our safety'. Would you have done the same? Would you have led the people of a cell into terrorism, because of a grudge against humanity?"

 _I'd..._ She looked at Kali, knowing that she would be admitting something personal, the thought about how she would go about her own leadership of a small organisation bringing another thought to her mind. _Would a Kali Belladonna who was like me, not be a boon to the Faunus?_ Actually thinking about it brought an image to the forefront of her mind.

Strength in a set of burning golden eyes, lines on the face that were of stress. The sharp cut of her uniform telling of the position that she held in society, that she was the ruler of the Faunus. A crown atop her head, as she spoke with charisma and with the strength to back it up. Her own body, kneeling behind her, a grand general compared to the charisma that Kali Belladonna, widow of the former High Leader, held. Thousands of young White Fang army soldiers shouting in greeting to their grand leader.

The image was stark at odds with the warm and personable woman that was Kali Belladonna. Who always had been a personable sort, not the cold and calculated leader that would be needed to lead the Faunus towards true greatness and respect. _Even if it would be the best for the Faunus… I would not damn someone to such a fate._ _I may be a lot of things that would be thought of as bad, but I am not going to destroy someone's personality like that._

"I'm sorry." She muttered, her voice sounding genuine, even to her ears. Kali looked at her and smiled. " There was a moment when I craved vengeance. I wanted to hunt down every single person who killed my Ghira." The smile looked natural on the woman's face, as she looked into the eyes of the other women, a faint brush of her fingers enough to let her know that the reality of the world was not as grim as she'd thought.

"You are a leader, Sienna." The woman said, as her fingers locked with Sienna's. "You are able to keep a calm head in a situation where there is a crisis. You can calm the mood of people with but a single command, because you have been taught how to wield the blade of authority." The praise that Kali sang about her was enough to bring a small smile to her lips, even with the circumstances not being as optimal as they were at the moment. "Put yourself to the ground level, for once. These people we have to work with. Me, a mother of one, sociable and able to organize, an apprentice huntsman who has skill in the art of fighting, a woman who knows something about Dust... and you, a bodyguard turned great leader." _It is time to think about what we can do. We have followed the lead of the human for a while... but he has not led us astray yet. I do not know his objectives yet, or whether he was merely a passerby... but he would be needed to survive for a while longer._

"I will follow his command, because you ask me to." She allowed herself to say, her voice sounding grudging in the manner in which she said it, her voice not showing the inner dialogue that she had just had with herself, her body feeling the need inside it for a moment, as the woman patted her shoulder. "Sienna dear, you know that I make the right calls on people."

 _If you did not have that gift, I would likely not have been selected to become a bodyguard for your family._ The memory of having spoken badly about Ghira's policies to his wife's face still popped up once in a while when she spoke with the woman. _You know I didn't agree with your husband, yet you still trusted me with your child._

* * *

 _The blackened widow_

* * *

She sat calmly in the early morning's glow, looking up at the skies slowly turning to dawn, the sun rising in nearly twenty minutes from now, according to her own estimation. With Jaune standing guard over them, there had been no issue that they could not tackle with enough teamwork. _I wonder sometimes whether he even has the ability to not care for people._

Her initial appraisal of him had been of a similar type as several of the bodyguards that had guarded her family over the years. Friendly and warm, yet with a protective streak. With every day that she spent in his company, the gloomy mood of her husband's death seemed to dissipate just a bit. _You are a horrible woman for trying to remain cheerful, Kali Belladonna... But you know that continuing to mourn would not help a thing. There have been no Grimm attacks in days... yet we saw one only the previous day, just observing us._

The happy thoughts would not come easily. _You have to think positive, Kali. You have to stop thinking about..._ The face of her husband, calm and placid in his death, came to her mind and the tears nearly came again, her mind refusing to make the connection once more. She had tried to give Sienna the fortitude to carry on, yet her own mind was a messy affair. Worry and concern and fear drove the reins of her consciousness, as she tried to put the mask of an affable woman on once more, instead of the frightened, depressed woman that she could only be at the loss of her husband.

Small things set her off, even though she gave no outward appearance of it happening. Jaune's voice, masculine in its own way, speaking to Esmeralda, their conversation mostly about random things, volunteering entirely too much information about himself. His openness, his willingness to ensure that his companions were well-cared for. Trying to make conversation with Sienna, even with her hostile attitude towards him, when the failure was all-but-guaranteed. The fierce yet confused look that Sienna gave him after that failed attempt had been heartening to see, to see her hate and anger turn to something that was... amusing. The thought of ever letting someone into her heart no doubt had never featured into Sienna's mind, used to control and to be able to tell people what to do. _She fails to realize that he is genuinely good, not out of some human supremacist view... but because he was raised to do good._

"He's quite a man, isn't he?" She said in a low tone to Esmeralda as they travelled once again, the woman giving a soft exhale. "Indeed." The admission of such things was something that the woman seemed to have done without a problem, her gaze drawn to the young man walking up ahead of them. The blade that Sienna had given her was in one of the folds of her kimono, easily accessible with a simple motion. "Why do you like him so much?" She queried.

The pale-faced Atlas native gave a faint smile. "At first, it was because I was afraid." _Anyone would be if you've been the subject of an assassination attempt._ "Then... well..." She coughed, her hand rubbing her stomach in an absent manner. "Sometimes, you've got to see whether there's grass growing on another lawn, you know?" The cheeks of the woman grew a little hotter, as she let her gaze go to the young man. _Oho! Intrigue!_

"Did you offer him a chance to grab your melons? Do a bit of ploughing in your garden?" She whispered teasingly in her friend's ear, her mood not at all like the teasing tone would suggest, the feeling of being empty on the inside not stopping her natural inclination to enjoy the reactions of the people around her. "Kali! Not like that." She smiled though. _She's definitely given it thought... My... Miss Schnee, you are a devious woman._ "I tried it, you know. Seductive. Sat next to him, requested some time. Placed my hand on his thigh, suggesting that he join me."

It would be a lie to say that Kali was not listening intently. Her eyebrows raised at the thought of the Schnee woman doing such a bold thing, yet she knew also that this one was not like how the Schnee were purported to be. "And he went on about the girl he fancied. Imagine that, being barricaded by some girl who's half my age and no doubt worthier of him." The woman shook her head, the dark hair falling straight behind her. "It sucks." She muttered. _Oh, it does. I couldn't imagine what it'd feel if I did not have my Ghira with me during the long..._

The tears leaked from her eyes, Esmeralda noticing immediately and giving her a hug. "It'll be alright, Kali. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken about a guy whilst you are still suffering." _It's alright... I just don't know how to handle this... this... void._ "It is... It's okay. I am..." She sighed deeply. Sienna glanced back at them, Esmeralda giving a shake of the head, seemingly to warn the woman off from interfering.

"Every time I try to get with a guy, he turns out to be unsuitable for me." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding rough. "Every time I think 'I am going to be happy', they tend to hurt me." The personal details of the Schnee marriage were not well-known to the tabloids. Jacques Schnee had been a very proactive person at the field of his own family's privacy. No scandal had ever been leaked about the Lady of the house, nor had the lady of the house ever given an interview.

"It's tough on you." She could not help but empathize, as Esmeralda gritted her teeth. "Sometimes, I just get that need, when I want to feel a strong man's arms around me and tell me in private that it will be okay." The worries were clear from her tone, as she looked at the young man once again. _I know the feeling. There are moments when I want to have my husband's arms wrapped around me too..._

She could see the twist inside the woman, that moment where the doubt would come heavy and hard on her system, even with her current state of being enamoured with her saviour. _The need hits us hard... The feeling of being with a man, with ANY man will just drive you wild... leave you empty for a while too._ The thought of sharing such thoughts with the other woman was immediately dismissed. It would only serve to alienate her. _Let her have her fancies. If she burns with the fires of desire, I do not wish to quench it with the milk of despair._

Men such as their young Huntsman were not often seen. An innocence clung to him, as his mismatched eyes showed the innocence of his creed, of his manner of being, his eyes meeting hers and impressing upon her just the naivety that he seemed to live and breathe. _With his guileless self, he could he become someone worthy of following? He has not the manner of Ghira, nor does he hold the decisiveness of Sienna. Yet... We have to trust him in his judgements._

She could not help but admit that the thought of having such a man guiding her was enough to send a shiver through her whole body, the lesser worry in her mind being about whether he would treat them right... which he HAD, as far as she knew. _No worries about him trying to go for any liberties with us women around._

Sienna had confided during a moment when there had been slumbering humans, that she had feared for her body. It was a silly worry, to Kali's experienced eyes. The young man's gaze was neutral as he looked over their bodies, more of a business-like gaze than anything in which the nudity of the body was noticed and worked with. _It would be a shame if there was some sort of issue between the four of us. He is the only one of us equipped to deal with the Grimm. Sienna has experience with human fighters, Esmeralda and I only know how to hide._

"Kali?" Esmeralda asked again, her voice questioning, letting Kali know that she must've not heard the words of the other woman. "You should take heart." The woman said, as she wrapped an arm around her, giving a half-embrace. "And you should know that we will get back to civilisation." The confidence that the woman had in their destination being reached without any rips and tears was something that made her wonder, whether the woman had some precognitive ability. "Why do you think so?" She asked, nevertheless.

"Because he made a promise. And I think he will keep it." The woman 's voice seemed to be fully convinced that he would keep it, her eyes looking at his back, the way that he walked being completely at ease, as if the threat of the Grimm in the wilds was a negligible one. _Let's hope that you're right, Esmeralda. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer..._

* * *

 _The Heiress_

* * *

She got up slowly, the morning alarm blaring a cheerful tune. Already her internal combustion engine was telling her that it was time for breakfast, her eyes popping open as she pulled the face-mask off, taking a deep breath and then remembering where she was, getting down and looking at her partner.

Weiss was hugging the pillow, her face pale and unhealthy-looking. She had been cooped up in bed for the past day, given dispensation to not attend classes due to the emotional disturbance of losing one's mother. _Beacon protocol for grief is something special. It is almost as if they want us to be feeling the best we can, all the time... Dad never said anything about it... but I don't really know much about people who lost a mother... Well, besides Yang and I. Or is that Yang and me?_

"Weiss?" She asked, her voice sounding a little shrill to her own ears, as she reached for the heiress. Blue eyes cracked open, the red-rimmed eyes looking up at her. "Ruby. " The young woman said, her voice sounding strained. "Do you want me to go get you something to eat?" She asked, her mind immediately skipping to what she would fetch for her poor teammate.

Blake's scroll beeped, their Faunus teammate startling awake, her gaze going to the bed above her, where Yang was still passed out, the soft snores sounding like the opening chorus to a pop song. _She's always had those funny snores._ "Please do, Ruby." Weiss said, her voice soft. It was not a good moment to speak for the young woman, even as the Scroll beeped next to Weiss. Ruby glanced at it for a moment, seeing the strange man's face on the caller list. "Is that your dad?"

Weiss looked at the Scroll and nodded, pushing the call away. "I don't want to talk to him." She muttered softly, her legs hugged, her pale arms standing out. "I don't want to do anything." She seemed to be glum and sullen, her eyes looking up at Yang as she slung herself off the bed. "Get better in the mood soon, Weiss."Yang said, as she landed on her feet. "I'm going to the docks." Blake said, her voice sounding a little out of it, her eyes watching her Scroll intensely. "Are you going with me, Yang?" Yang said, trying to mimic Blake's tone. The bow twitched a little, an unemotional face staring back at Yang, who grinned. "Why yes Blake, I will go with you. Ruby! Pack up Weiss and get her in a bag! We're going into Vale, looking for something good to do! It's Friday! We need to go hit up a few bars and dance!"

Ruby looked at Weiss, whose gaze was resting on Yang, the look on her face somewhat torn between the sadness that had been there and the incredulousness that she had been conscripted to go into Vale. "It's the Vytal festival soon, Weiss! Professor Goodwitch said something about that a day or so ago! We can go and look at the sights!" The small smile that teased on Weiss' lips was just the prelude to another of her grandiose statements, Ruby feeling a sliver of hope go through her as she saw her bestie give a faint smile. "It is only natural that those who have the power to lead, are allowed to show the world the best that they can be." Weiss' voice was grandiose, even as she got up slowly. "I will need some makeup, though. A moment, no matter Xiao-Long it would take, for this one to grace you."

The silence that fell as Weiss walked into the bathroom to do her makeup was something that was poignant. "Did... Did she just mak-" Yang started, her mouth half-opened. "I must be still asleep. Pinch me, Blake." Their Faunus teammate looked at her partner and did just that. "Oww! That hurt! Geez, I guess the Weiss must've been thawing out of her sad ice." As Weiss emerged once again, her face perfectly done up, Ruby could only feel the small spark inside her light up. _Now that Weiss is with us again, we can face ANYTHING in the world!_

Blake's face was hesitant, as they boarded the transport towards the lower part of Vale. "What's the matter, Blake?" She asked, leaning towards the Faunus teammate. "I have been... asked to attend something." The soft tone of voice that the dark-haired teammate took meant that it was something that she did not speak about easily, her eyes meeting with Ruby's. "It is nothing for you to really worry about, I mean..." She started to babble, something that was unusual for the young woman.

"If it's something we can help with..." Ruby said, looking into Blake's eyes. Yang looked concerned as well, though her face did not show it, her confident grin set on her face. "No, humans are not welcome there..."

"Is this about the White Fang?" Weiss said, her voice sounding tiny. Since they were in the transport in one of the cabins, they were not easily disturbed, Weiss' voice sounding loud, even as Blake nodded. "A friend of mine said that some 'great news' was to be shown to the faithful." Weiss frowned, her lips pressed tightly together. "The White Fang was responsible for my mother's death." The tense look on Blake's face showed her features, even as Ruby sat between the two.

"I don't know." Blake said, her voice holding a sad tone. "All I got was the message that it was important. It could be the announcing of a new High Leader, or something about the goals of Faunus liberation... I have to check, either way." The news that the Schnee matriarch had died no doubt would have spread to people now, several of the pitying looks given towards their team no doubt indicating their compassion for the loss of Weiss' mother, the Schnee family having given a curt statement that there had been a funeral for the matriarch of the family planned.

"Mother died. There is no reason why they should not celebrate it." The voice of Weiss spoke harshly, even as Ruby flinched. _She's still upset._ "But imagine the students from the other countries! They'll be even more interesting, right?" _A bad attempt, Ruby. They're both looking at you now as if you are mad._

"Of course. They would be the best and brightest." Weiss said, distracted. Blake said nothing, her gaze still resting on Ruby, as if she had done something wrong. _Come on Blake, don't let it hold you back._ "We should go have lunch! No, breakfast! Lunch and breakfast! Yay!" Yang grinned and ruffled her hair. "That's my little sis. Come on Blakey. Let's get you introduced to some of the best coffee that Lien can buy!" Blake groaned as Yang pressed her face against her impressive bust, mumbling something that sounded like a 'let me go!' but came out as a 'lemmyghoo', the bow twitching a bit, Yang's other arm pumping in the air. "You bring Weiss as well! I want to see Weiss Cream get her super-duper dark espresso shots with extra syrup."

"That is highly fattening, Yang Xiao-Long! You should not be telling others to drink something that is near-guaranteed to have a high chance to give me cavities!" The scolding was enough to make her giggle. _Oh, but you WOULD drink it if it was put in front of you._

Thirty minutes later, Weiss finished her Super-duper dark espresso with extra syrup, her cheeks heated and her eyes meeting with Yang's, whose grin was as broad as it could be. "This proves nothing, Yang." She said, even as she was hugged by Ruby. _Aww, Weiss is being sociable!_ "You drank it all! Now... the STRAWBERRY ESPRESSO!" _I love strawberries. Ooh, do you think they'll have cookies with it as well?_ _Coffee with a cookie would be awesome!_

* * *

 _I burn,_

* * *

 _Well, shit's just hit the fan._ The burning wreckage that had been one of the Bullheads that'd been beam-sliced by Ruby's new friend hit the ground with a thud, the burning remnants of the White Fang that had been cut into little gritty bitty barbecue pieces being an uncomfortable sight, yet she tried to put her brave face on. "BLAKE!" She called out.

 _Be strong, Yang. You've got to find your mother, ask her why she left you... Why she set you here on this world to be left alone and..._ She didn't dare finish the thought, one of the White Fang members coming out of the warehouse, holding a sword. Ember Cecilia's click brought a joyous surge to her mood as she immediately snapped into action. Seeing her partner whip around, the blade of Gambol Shroud flashing through the air, the wire between the blade and the gun part taut, as she used it to move out of the pathway of Torchwick's weapon's ignition, the bullet blazing as it ignited several crates of dust. The dull blast of heat washed over her face as she got into action-mode, her gauntlet slamming into the White Fang grunt's stomach, sending him skidding off over the pavement. Blood had smeared over the trail, yet she did not continue to think about it, moving with deliberate intent, even as Torchwick took careful aim. "BLAKE!" She shouted, as the bullet came ever closer.

 _If you're going to die, kid... You better die for someone else._ The words of her uncle came to her mind, as she threw herself into the fray, the feeling of a dust round hitting her in the stomach and then igniting, the hot blast washing over her body, her aura holding out against the oppressive force, even as her jacket was ruined, the feeling of chill that washed over her body negated by the flames of anger that rose inside her. "Don't you dare fucking TOUCH my partner, you ginger-haired reject of a fashion show!"

"YANG! BAD WORD!" Ruby's voice sounded somewhere in the distance, as the man's cane-gun pointed at her, the flames of her Semblance starting to rise, as the power fed itself into the loop of her Aura, strengthening her form. "My, it seems I've gotten myself in bed with a blonde... Had a bit of an explosive start to your lesbian career, blondie?" The man's smug tone was something confidence-filled, as he stood there like a man who had all the time in the world, his eyes looking into hers, the calm that he had only allowing him to show his superiority over her... or what he thought to be superior over her.

"I am NOT a lesbian, you ginger-haired bastard." She growled, her anger rising even more. She could feel the anger burn, as the aura around her seemed to scorch the asphalt, her eyes looking at the man, as he moved in a flash. Her stomach burned, even as her punch failed to connect, her whole body pushed back. "The kitty cat seems to have a fondness for me... perhaps it is her who enjoys the presence of men, rather than your hostility towards an earnest and hard-working crook like me." The cane whipped up, hitting her right under the jaw, her head cracking back, as his fist hit her in the stomach.

"YANG!" She could hear her sister scream, as red rose petals filled her vision, seeing her sister's scythe cleave through the air, the white-suited criminal barely managing to dodge the strike. "Woah, Red... I didn't think I'd be getting along with you today either! Isn't it around your bedtime by now, little girl?" The joking manner in which he said it was belied by the skill with which he parried the blows, the cane moving in the pattern to defend against the strikes, her body adjusting to the rattling of her brain a little.

 _Gotta get him before Ruby runs out of steam._ The thought rose to her mind and she threw herself forward, right as the weapon-cane discharged. A hot blast of dust-powered fire washed over her body, her aura definitely dropping down to a greater low, as she drove her fist into the man's gut, the 'OOF!' that came from him definitely enough, as he got up, knocked nearly fifty meters away by the massive punch.

"I'm sorry kids, but I can't be sticking around for much longer!" The man's hat was adjusted, a wave given to them, her own blood still burning. "Don't you dare run, you ginger bitch!" She was aware that Ruby shouted something about her language, yet she did not stop as she stomped over towards him. A ladder fell down in front of the man, the gunship that hovered in the air enough for him to escape with, his hands tangling in the rope ladder. "See you around, kiddos! Red, I'd say it was a pleasure running into you, but then I'd be lying!" The gunship's cannons took aim, the impact of rounds hitting the ground being akin to a beat, her gaze watching as the ground was chewed up by the rounds, her gaze meeting with Blake's for a moment, right in the path of the rounds. "Oh, no, you fucking won't!"

She moved faster than she had ever done before, her body moving as quickly as she could, the deer-in-headlights look on Blake's face something that she'd never forget, as the gunship pulled up, the rounds getting closer. _Why don't you move? Why don't you get out of here, Blake?_ The thought was so pervasive that she could only look over Blake's body, seeing the ankle that was twisted in a bad manner. _Fuck. This is going to hurt._

Her body moved as swiftly as she could, grabbing the Faunus by the waist and lifting her up, before the rounds of the gunship hit one of the containers. "Time to fucking rock and roll!" She did not get to say much more, even as PAIN hit her in the side, the explosion buffeting her back, as she could feel the ground coming ever closer. She hit the ground, back-first, her whole back feeling like it was in agony, Blake's face looking worried, even as she held her partner tight. "Yang? Yang?! Are you alright, Yang?" Worry streaked Blake's voice, as Yang cracked a grin. "Yer bow is on fire, Blakey." The fingers grabbed the ribbon and pulled it off, unveiling the cat ears. "You're bleeding! Hold still, Yang."

A glance down showed what she'd already feared. Her stomach had been hit by a bullet going through, out or in... and she was definitely bleeding. The amount of red blood that welled up from there was a good indicator. _This is the fucking worst. I didn't even get my first date... But I guess that Blake's safe now. Just gotta rest up a bit, let the Aura kick in._

"Yaaaang!" The worried voice of Ruby reached her ears, even as she raised her head a little, seeing her sister look worried, her silver eyes glinting in the lights of the police cars that came streaming towards the docks. "Hey Rube. I was a cool girl, wasn't I?" She grinned, no matter the fact that she looked like she'd just been through one hell of a fight. It was not just the fact that she'd just did some insane stunt, but also the fact that she'd managed to save her partner.

 _I'll be damned if I do what my mother did, abandoning my partner in their time of need._ The thought was firm, as Blake looked down at her with concerned eyes. "You look like heck, Yang." The heiress said, her voice even, as she stood there above them. The warmth of pain kept her aware, as her semblance activated, the heat working through her body. "I just feel like I've been through a barbecue, yeah... So I guess I'm a hot babe now."

"I would say you look in need of medical assistance, Miss Xiao-Long." The voice of Professor Ozpin drew her away from Weiss, the man walking towards her, the cup of whatever he drank in his hands, a sip taken once every while whilst he approached. "I take full responsibility, Sir." Blake said, her voice sounding desperate, the man's gaze resting on the injuries that she had. _He looks like he's got a rough night ahead of him. I wonder if..._ "What happened here was the White Fang's... initiative, I guess?" The man's voice was stern, as he looked at each member of her team, his gaze lingering for a while longer on her. _He seems really annoyed for some reason. They were the bad guys, right?_

Yang felt a little uncomfortable, the man's gaze seemingly peering right through her very soul. "But I do wish to say to you that you did admirably, given the circumstances. Miss Xiao-Long, medical assistance will be with you shortly. Miss Rose... We need to have a talk."

The man's hand on her sister's shoulder as he almost dragged her along did enough to make the mood of her little sister sullen, even as a medic came to the sight of her. "Get a stretcher here! Huntress-class." _Whatever that is, I hope that they've got some handsome male nurses... Yang's got a hankering for a good cup of coffee and some prime beefcake to go with it, yep!_

"Yaaaang! I'll see you soon!" Ruby said, even as the stretcher was pulled up, the feeling of being carried off something that she could only enjoy. _The warmth is starting to be so comfortable._ "She's bleeding! Get a medic here, specializing in huntsmen!" _Just a bit of a nap. I got shot, so I do deserve a nap, right?_ Her gaze went to Blake, a smile on her lips. The worry on her partner's face was enough to bring a soft laugh from her lips, even as she felt a little light-headed. "See ya soon, pussycat." She winked, before the sweet oblivion of unconsciousness came over her.

 _I should HOPE that there's some cute guy waiting for me to give me some physical therapy. It's always fun to tease guys._

* * *

 _The fragile peace_

* * *

" _Every step you take is another one that they will also make."_ Her words sounded through their connection, as the dark mass of vile ichors bubbled around her. In this state of being inside Jaune's consciousness, she could only think. Her mind was free to wonder about everything that had happened outside.

" _But what of them? I've been keeping the Grimm at bay."_ Jaune's response came, Summer's lips twitching into a soft smile. _Aww, he's such a sweetheart. I wish there were more guys out there like him, keeping us safe._ " _You're right to do so... But remember... You need to control the black goo."_ The goo had been keeping at bay ever since her silver eyes had flashed, the trembling fear that it seemed to have to the power of her eyes something that strengthened her in a fashion, with her whole body feeling the power as it surged through her. _I am strong. I, Summer Rose, will be the best huntress ever._

Her mind went to her darling daughters. _Yang would be bigger and stronger now... and Ruby, she's with Yang. Jaune has told me as much._ The thought of laying eyes on them once more filled her with a warmth that was hard to describe, her mind already starting to think about the shopping trips that she'd go on with them. _A nice red dress for Ruby, something yellow for Yang... Ooh, maybe some lacy lingerie for myself... Raven always preferred something a bit more covering, yet she didn't mind shopping for when she wanted to 'surprise' Tai._

She could see the weary faces on the women that accompanied Jaune, their eyes looking with the harrowing looks of the exhausted, their trip not going according to plan. It had been about a week now since they had actually encountered him, and Jaune was already starting to adjust his schedule to the protection of the women, like a knight should. _He is a true man, willing to go to any length to protect his people._

A little tingle inside her seemed to have awoken at the thought, her tongue sliding over her lips. The dark liquid came ever closer to her, creeping around her, a flash of her eyes warning it to stay away, to which it responded. _"Jaune... Are you planning on unlocking Kali's aura?"_

The Faunus woman seemed to have recovered a little from her emotional malaise, the mood starting to become brighter, Summer could feel the small hints of joy returning once again. She could feel his confusion, the question having come right out of the blue, unable to be answered in a swift fashion, as he seemed to contemplate it for a moment. _"I can do so, yes."_ He said to her through their link, the soft giggle that she gave in response, as she caught sight of Esmeralda making her way towards him.

 _She's got her eyes set on him. A gallant knight, saving the damsel in distress... And not a bad woman either, if she stopped dying her hair._ The look on the woman's face was warm as she tapped his shoulder. "Jaune, I was wondering if we could stop for a moment so we could have something to eat." She could see the dress slightly loosened at the front, giving a good view of what she had in store for any man who looked. "Sure thing, I'm a little hungry as well."

 _Silly Jaune, you don't know when a woman is flirting with you... She's obviously trying to get your attention with her looks._ The brief spell that she had spent inside the woman's Aura was something of a novel manner of existence, the Grimm that had come from the contamination of the _Vitae Tenebris_ having been enough to call her into being as well.

 _A semblance that can create Glyphs... She must be one of those... ehh..._ The name eluded her for a moment, as she looked at the women as they gathered together, Kali definitely the most social out of the three. _We've got grumpy tiger, lewd cougar and sad kitty... Now we just have to get..._

For a moment, she let her thoughts wander. _Jaune should really know how to notice the signals that a woman is giving off._ Her amusement was of only a moment's notice as she looked at the women as they pulled out the food, some bread that'd been scavenged from one of the crashed vehicles, as well as a small hunk of cheese, split into four parts.

 _It wouldn't be so bad if he let his desires out a little more... Such a young man needs to relieve tension, one way or the other. "When was the last time that you rubbed one out?"_ She inquired, her voice without any serious inflexion, her tone even, as if she were talking about the weather. _Summer, you naughty woman, asking one of those questions. The poor boy is choking..._

He choked on his food, heavily coughing afterwards. _"Wha-ah?"_ His articulate response was amusing to her, as she sent him an image of her face, her eyes carrying mirth. _"A boy's got needs. Whenever Qrow or Tai-Yang wanted to rub one out, they'd hang a sock on the door... or when they brought back a girl. Yes... Raven and I had to run into a lot of 'door-socks' during our time in Beacon."_ It had been so amusing to see the girls as they exited, running into the Team Leader of team STRQ and her partner, the latter holding nothing but a contemptuous sneer on her face, daring them to speak up about the performance of the guy she had the hots for. _She still loved him more passionately than anyone ever did. Wooh... That one moment when I kicked the door open and locked eyes with her as she was riding Tai... Oof, did she get steamed!_

The scene had been intolerably funny, with Tai-Yang giving a stammering apology whilst Raven flushed red for a moment, her bared breasts bouncing once and then continuing, to Tai-Yang's pleas of 'Raven, no, stop! Summer's watching!'

The hissed reply of 'Let her watch me claim your weak loins, manling.' Had been enough to send her giggling, as she picked some spare Dust cartridges off the shelf and got out of the room. The apology from Tai-Yang had been something that she had taken a perverse pleasure in taking, the way that he had stammered and stuttered about 'showing her something unworthy of being a team member' and 'it never will happen again'.

 _Three days later, Qrow saw them screwing like rabbits on his bed. Oh, I wonder if he ever caught on to the fact that they used his towels to towel off. Raven never really found her brother's personality that attractive._ _I wonder... Oh, I guess that'll explain something._

" _No, Summer… I haven't."_ She grinned mentally as he replied. _Ohh, time for a bit of..._ She let it go for now, even as the night came once more. According to the map that she had seen for a moment, they were about three more days travel away from the closest major village, the path that they travelled on being one of the straightest points available.

As he sat at watch, she started to transmit her image to his mind with a soft 'Here, watch this!'. She stretched visibly, transmitting the image to him through their shared link. The darkness around her coiled and throbbed like the boiling blood in her veins as she spread her legs, bending over to show that rear of hers. _"Are you sure you don't want to have a bit of relief, Jaune?"_ She purred, her voice sounding sultrier than before.

" _Summer!"_ Embarrassment tinted her voice, even as she showed the image of her hands going over her body. _Teasing a young man who could be my son is... wrong._ The thought was through her mind, even as her fingers rubbed over her breasts. _"Just relax, Jaune..."_ Her voice was heated and sultry, her body feeling frigid and cold, as she pulled the coat open, exposing the pale flesh of her body, bare as it could be, the jacket not covering a great deal. _"It's been a while... Boys your age need to unwind a little."_

Her fingers slid over her bare breasts, pushing them up, leaning forward in the manner that Raven would've, her face up close, silver eyes opened wide. _"Don't you trust me, Jaune?"_ The seductive purr of her voice was something that she normally would never have used, as the tone was more fit for a lover, a faint nagging doubt in her mind about the true purpose, even as the dark liquid slid around her, the clothing dragged off her.

 _Cold and icky._ The feeling of the dark liquid garbing her, tightening over her body to form a bodice that enhanced her shape to his desires was something that felt both awkward as well as wrong, her eyes flashing once, the brilliant silver shine of her gaze banishing the darkness, the darkness dissipating in a moment's notice. _Come on..._ He could feel discomfort, she could sense as much. _"Summer... You're going mad. This isn't like you!_ "

 _If I'm going mad, then I don't want to be normal._ The heat inside her seemed to fill herself, as she looked at him, the whole shape of him that was exposed before her mind's eye, the representation of the vile filth that coursed through his whole body something sickening to her, under normal circumstances. _There is..._ She smiled softly to him, her hands letting go of her bust. _"If I'm going mad... Then I don't think it would be that bad."_

She could feel his surprise, the face that he was making unseen to her, yet she did feel the sudden jerk of something happening, as he had gotten up and walked away. She felt the cool air of the night press onto her as she materialized, her clothing worn once again. "You're being a tease." He said, his voice stern. _Hmmmhmm... Ain't I a tease for a boy like you, huh?_

"I'm just trying to give you something positive, Jaune." She said, pressing herself against him. _I'm acting like I'm 18 again._ The look on his face was doubting, as he pushed her away. "Not like this, Summer."He said, voice sounding serious. The Grimm around them were only a presence in the surrounding for her, as she looked at him, his face set in the solemn look that was both masculine as well as boyish. _Like a pouting boy that doesn't want to get his evening meal despite it being his favourite._

"You need to release stress somehow, Jaune." She said, trying to play to his sensibilities. _Huntsmen training in the second year is mostly about getting comfortable with the body._ She pressed herself to him, as she could feel him tense up against her, his muscles strong. "Don't you think that it's been too long since you've had any action below, hmmm? If you want, Momma Summer can make you feel really good." _Oh, not good. This isn't..._

The mission flashed through her mind, even as she looked up at him. His hand was against her flesh, the burning of her body starting to increase, as if someone had touched the heating and turned it on to full. Her silver eyes could see the crimson iris slowly widen, as silver met red and the flash of Ozpin's face came to banish all the warmth from her mind. _The mission. I can't forget about the mission!_

Her hand moved behind her back, in search of a sword. _I have to complete the mission, I have to complete the mission-_ The embrace that wrapped around her was something that took her off her guard, as he pulled her in close, his forehead against hers. _He's warm and cold at the same time._ She could feel his arms around her, her heartbeat increasing. _No, please, don't... Don't do this to me, I'm the mother of your best friend, I don't..._

He patted her back. "Yang is just like you." He said, smiling at her. She could feel the blood drain from her face, if she still had blood. She could feel the hug pass as he looked at her, confusion warring with her own mind. _You need to gather your wits, Summer. You need to complete the mission, to end this one's life. You have to, for Remnant._

The voice insisted in her mind, the ancient voice of Professor Ozpin explaining her mission to her, as she had raised her blades in order to defend humanity. Looking up at the young man who looked at her with a look that was both yearning as well as familiar, she could not help but feel the warmth blossom inside her heart once more. _So much like Yang, am I?_ "O-oh?" She said, her voice sounding a little shocked, startled.

"You're just trying to tease me, aren't you? She did the same to me when I was with her and the others of team RWBY. Pyrrha got awfully irritated about it when she started to get 'comfortable' in just her sports bra." _Is he gay or something?_ The question rose to her mind and it obviously was written on her face, as she looked at him. She was smaller than most people, even though she hardly minded it. _Petite! Nice and compact and perfect!_ The way that he brushed his hand through his hair was particularly fetching, her earlier tease having been something that had been sprung from both boredom as well as... thoughts? _I can't remember why I did that? Why did I do that? I should have been..._

The look on his face was something that she could feel hitting the depths of her self, the core of her whole body felt hot as the feeling of her flesh crawling with the power that was within her, the dark ichors that pooled through his whole body something that made him a danger to her bodily integrity. _You should slay him... He is open and exposed, unable to attack me back with his sword at his side still. He trusts me... He doesn't suspect me._

The fingers, sheathed in Aura. A swift jab under the ribs and then to break his neck with a quick move. Easy for one with her capacities, yet she stayed her hand, looked at him. "You're just trying to do something about your boredom, yes?" He said, a smile on his lips, not even mad at her for basically trying to seduce him. His eyes were full of that life and joy, as if she were merely a valued person to him. _He thinks you're like Yang... Like a teasing elder sister, a mother of two... You're the mother of his best friend, the mother of her sister too, even if Raven has not had a hand in her rearing._ "Well..." She said, her gaze cast down. She didn't know why she was looking down, save for the feeling that she suddenly was at his attention, his eyes looking into hers. "It's okay. I should summon you outside during the guard. Have you get some fresh air." _You silly fool, you're playing with fire! You don't know ANYTHING about me, besides being Ruby's mother. How dare you assume that... That..._

She could feel it inside her, that warmth flowing. _Please don't make me start caring. Stop it._ "Oh, that would be nice." A shadow passed over his face, as his gaze went down. "I don't want them to know what I can do. I am a monster." _You're not! You're someone who's triumphed over an evil bitch that carved her name on your back! You're stronger, Jaune, than many! You protect these women, even though you could have left them alone and left them to die._

The beat of her heart was faster now, as she exhaled. "You're as much a monster as I am." She said, knowing that her own status as a monster was still in doubt, the vile darkness that she had felt wrapping around her being strange and evil, without a doubt. She knew that with his power at summoning her to the physical world, the laws of nature were being broken... yet she found herself not caring in the least.

 _Stupid boy._ She looked at him, her expression fierce. "Listen to me. You are not a monster." _Yet it is my mission to kill anyone like you. It is the duty, it is my right._ The heartbeat in her chest picked up. "You're Jaune Arc, a young man who is protecting a woman who has no training in the art of slaying Grimm, another who is a bodyguard and the third who is a woman who has some skill with a rifle." _That's as much as I gleaned from her skills before she pulled out of her inner world._

"You're going to be leading them, Jaune. You're going to be their team leader, you're going to bring them home safe and you're going to be the hero that you've always wanted to be." _Hope is needed to fight against the darkness. He tries so hard to cling to his ideal of heroism… I've heard it enough, bouncing around in his mind. Sooner or later…_

The image of Raven's face flashed before her mind, Jaune's body replaced with hers, leaning against one of the trees. _'It's over, Summer. I can't do it anymore, I can't just…'_ The dismissive gesture that her partner had done when she had said it was enough, her red eyes meeting hers.

' _He's WEAK, Summer. He is so captivated by his…'_ She had seen the look in Raven's eyes, that same look that had been there before, as she looked at her brother. _'That's why I'm leaving. You know that a Branwen does not forsake the laws of the tribe.'_ It had not made SENSE to her then… and it still didn't.

 _Every time I see Yang, it is like a small Raven looking up at me, looking at me with a question of 'why is mommy not here to care for me?' and I feel like a failure as a mother._ The thought of having to bear that same shame as Raven had was something that she would not allow. _Ruby, please... Don't go and do the same things that I did. I do not want you to feel my pain._

"But I'm just... me." He said, his voice sounding defeated, as if he had already given up. An echo of her own voice, right when she had been through her first week of being Team leader of team STRQ. _All we need is a bit of reinforcement._

The thought of him being in a mood about his own capacity. "Weren't you a team leader? You should walk with your back straight, Jaune. You should look at the members of your team and go 'Now, let's all survive together!' That's the best way to survive." She tried to put hope in his heart, even as his gaze was sceptical at the thought of that.

"What's the use? If I couldn't even stop Ruby from doing those things to me..." She hugged him then, her arms feeling the muscles below the clothes that he wore, her nose pressing against his chest. "Don't ever think like that!" Her heart beat a little faster, as she looked up, his face being something that increased her heartbeat with it's gaze. _You're getting distracted. Stop letting your emotions play havoc with you._ "You're good in the way that you are. What she did to you was NOT alright. You have to keep the hope inside of you, or you'll become just like her!"

The look of anger and disgust on his face was stark, even as he looked at her, the gaze that he gave her something filled with the recollection of the pain and torment that he had went through. Her fingers brushed over the healing wounds on his back, the soft grunt that he gave as her fingers traced over them something that she could only feel a burning sense of regret about. _I could have tried something, I could have done something, only if I had acted earlier. His fall into that deep dark pit of anger and hatred could have been prevented..._

A dark voice in her mind asked another question. _Or could it have been the start of something more? Could it have freed him from the shackles that bind him?_ The dark thoughts were banished quickly, as she tried to hold on to the idealism that she had seen inside him. "You're going to be fine, Jaune. Just do as you always have done... Be the good team leader. Have these women guided back to civilisation and then do what you must. You are a hero in my eyes, at least." _A hero who is going to die, once he embraces the darkness. The Mission comes first. The Mission is the most important, Ozpin always said that._

She could see the look on his face change a little, as he seemed to hear her words and process them. "P-perhaps you're right." He said, her arms wrapping just a little tighter around him. "I'm right, usually." She said in a perky tone of voice. "That's why I'm a mom." A laugh came from his mouth. "You're the mother of my best friend... well, and her sister." She nodded. "Yep. And I didn't skimp on the love with either of those either! I'm going to make sure that you get back to Beacon intact." _Don't make promises you can't keep._

* * *

 _The first steps_

* * *

 _Finally, civilisation!_ The thought was welcome, nearly two weeks after they had gotten together. Esmeralda's face was weathered, her dress looking a little more tattered than days before, Kali's looks having been somewhat tarnished by the way that they had travelled. It was only Sienna who had remained mostly unscathed from any branches snagging her clothes, Jaune had to admit that there was a certain gracefulness in the Faunus' manner of moving through the underbrush.

As they neared the edge of the village, he cast a gaze at the wall that had been erected to protect it. His mind registered some of the Beowolves that he had dominated coming closer, pushing them away and out of sight. _They haven't noticed the lack of Grimm attacks yet. It gets really hard at times when Kali is feeling the depression that she's battling... It's like the crimson flare during night-time to herald the forces of Arcadia._

The village looked reasonably well-off for most of its outward appearance. The wall was showing some wear from Grimm attack, yet it was not too damaged so as to lose its defensive value. _With a few huntsmen, they could hold out for a week or two..._ The gate stood before them, wood that had been reinforced with iron, sturdy enough to keep out the Grimm for a while. The doors were currently opened, allowing people through. He did not think that it'd be hard to shut it. The hinges looked solid enough, the beam that would be fitted into place probably enough to keep it out. _Until the fire-breathers come and set it alight._

The type of Grimm that breathed fire were not seen around Remnant. It was only through Her will that they were kept restrained in the lands that she called home, a trump card against the people who would know nothing. _She would just need to unleash them once, in order to swell the fear. She is waiting for the right time to do so... and that is not even counting the Wyverns._

"Travellers?" One of the members of the guard asked, as Jaune caught his attention. "Yes, we've just gotten back from Kuromasu... A bit of a trip, but we're alright." He grinned confidently, showing off his blade. He knew that it would probably need a blacksmith's hand, the guardsman looking it over. "You a huntsman, boy?" The man asked, Jaune nodding his head. "Why else would I be travelling with a sword, right?" He walked up to Sienna and pulled her close. "John's the name, and this is my partner Sierra. She and her sister've been travelling, whilst I've been given the task to escort this lovely lady to Mistral city."

The roughshod story that they had concocted was something that Sienna had only accepted after a few tweaks to the story. _I never really got why she was okay with being Kali's sister but not okay with being my partner._ The Tiger Faunus seemed to stiffen a little, giving a baleful look at the man, who looked at her and Kali with a look that mingled disgust. "Alright, I'll just be noting down your names then..." The man said, formal-like.

"John Arcadia." The name fit as well as it could, Sienna speaking up next. "Sierra Karna." Their names were a horrible pastiche of what they really were, but they did not really think that it'd be something to be overly worried about. "Esmé Green." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding a little lighter than before, Jaune letting go of Sienna, who retreated towards Kali. "Karlee Karna." The fake names would be on file for a while, until the next logbook was placed. "Alright, that's enough that we need to know... I don't reckon you've got your scroll with you for identification purposes, Mister Arcadia?" The man said, his voice sounding a little more respectful.

"Sadly, it got destroyed due to a scuffle with some bandits." The tension in his voice was enough, even as the guardsman looked at his jacket strangely. "Got the jacket off one of them, then?" The man asked, his wariness increasing. "Some bitch with a bloody flamethrower... Erghhh..." He groaned, remembering the Beornir family.

"Them's bad folk, alright." The guardsman said, his eyes still wary as they looked over him. "You best take care, Mister Arcadia. We ain't too fond of the Beornir people over here." The man's voice sounded like it had some personal slight against the Beornir family.

 _I can imagine why. Ruby Beornir is a menace to the people of this world._ "Do you know of any places where we could buy some clothing?" He asked, embarrassment tinting his voice. The guardsman snorted. "Yeah, you look a little ragged. Termine at the main street's got some clothes laying around for sale. We can't exactly spare much, but if you've got the lien to pay for them..." Jaune smiled in response. "That'd be lovely." He said, giving a look at Esmeralda and Kali, who looked worse-off than himself. _I might be able to get some underwear as well. No offence, but the chafing is just unreal._

"So..." Sienna said, her voice still bearing that hostile tone. "We need new clothes?" She said, her eyes narrowed at him, as if he had suggested something outlandish. "Well, I don't know about you, but seeing Esmé in the dress just brings to mind a vision of 'Unprepared and useless'." He knew that he was not being the kindest, the betrayed look that she sent at him something that made him feel bad about saying it. "But that doesn't mean that we should dress badly." He held up his hands to waylay the barrage of feminine indignation, only for Esmeralda to shake her head.

"A dress is not the most comfortable thing to walk in... So I would imagine that some pants might be the better option." The woman nodded, her serious face showing that hint of maturity that he had came to expect from her. Kali was like the warmth of sociability, Sienna the grumpy sour one who seemed suspicious of everything, whilst Esmeralda seemed to be all there in her mind, focusing on the job at hand. _She reminds me a little of Weiss, getting all fired up for some official thing or the other. I cannot see Blake taking after her mother much... but that might just be due to never getting to meet with Mister Belladonna._

"So, clothes-shopping it is." Kali said, a light smile on her face. _She still needs to have her aura unlocked. I can understand it if she'd like to wait a while when the emotions stabilize, but really... She needs to have a fighting chance if there are more bandits around._

He'd just have to make sure to guard them well until they all had their aura unlocked, then... He wouldn't fail in that duty. He had given his word.

He would KEEP his word.

* * *

 **Another chapter done, right at the Friday. Wooh. To the people who are complaining about it being too long... well, I'm sorry for trying to make things believable rather than just 'omg, he wtfrofflestomps everyone'.**

 **Now, Salem... She is FRIGHTENING in her powers. Jaune at the current moment... not-so-much. He's got some training to do, since he's only able to dominate Beowolves and Ursa at the moment. Over-Three-Thousand-Years-of-Experience trumps 'one month and a few days' any time of the day.**

 **Whitney Schnee is an interesting character to write. She's sort of like Winter and Weiss in personality. Driven, focused, yet not afraid to break the mould where it suits her and go for the things she wants. Nicholas, her father, kept her mostly safe during their expeditions, yet she knows decently how to wield a weapon. Her getting all heated and seductive has more to do with her lack of any 'action' for a while.**

 **Next chapter... We'll be getting to see the Arc family again! Some Beacon scenes as well! Jaune shopping with the ladies! Surprise meetings!**

 **As always: I like hearing YOUR thoughts on the story. Review! (Yes, they will get back to Beacon in due time. It'll probably take to the next Arc though.)**


	15. Chalking things up to chance

**Chapter 15: Chalking things up to chance**

 **Things go as they go. The story is told as it is told. Kali is fun. Sienna is suspicious. Esmeralda is growing used to travelling. Summer is being Summer.**

* * *

 _The exchange_

* * *

As she pushed open the door to the shop, she immediately let her gaze slide over the assorted racks of clothing that hung there, her lips pressed tightly together at the thought of having to pick something out. _It's not exactly the height of fashion... but I'll have to make do._

The shop attendant was a young man who wore his clothes loosely, her steps a little steadier, as she rapped her knuckles onto the counter. "The clothing here is sanitized, yes?" She snapped, drawing the young man out of his daze. The dark brown hair fell into his face, his hand scratching it once. "Yeah, sure." She narrowed her eyes, looking right at the young man's face. "Do you have any undergarments?" The young man nodded, pointing towards the back of the store. "Sure thing, Lady, largest bin in the back. Find what you want. We don't get shipments from Mistral often, Wind Path's got bigger stores than we do."

She could see that the young man no doubt held little joy in the way that he worked, his attire shabby, to her well-experienced eyes. She looked at Jaune, her heartbeat increasing for a moment. "Are you going to be getting something as well?" The embarrassed look on his face tugged on her heartstrings, her eyes looking at him, as he muttered something about underwear. _Is he not wearing underwear? What in the name of Mantle could have made THAT happen?_ She fought to contain her excitement, the thrill of knowing that the young man who had saved her from what undoubtedly would have been a grisly fate was going commando striking a darker impulse inside of her.

 _Now..._ She smiled, placing a hand on his chest. "Now, Jaune..." Her voice was a little sultrier than before, looking him in the eyes, the frosty tint of hers making his own to look remarkably exotic, the colour somewhat deeper. "You're not going to tell me that you've been going without..." The tone of her voice was something that she cultivated properly, the disapproval of a woman showing through. She could see Kali stifle a faint smile, as she shook her head. Sienna huffed and gave a little shake of her head, obviously not finding herself too pleased with being in a clothing store with a set of humans. _That woman's got a hang-up about Faunus and Humans..._

"Well... Eh..." He stammered, her fingers trailing up. _Little touches... Gentle touches... It's been too long since I was on the prowl for something that passes for entertainment._ Her eyes flared, as she leaned close. She didn't wear any perfume, yet she could smell his scent, the lack of any streams to really wash themselves in having been a little bit of a hindrance towards keeping perfectly clean. "You're going to take a shower, when we're settled in. You're also going to get a full set of underwear, young man." _Oh, I see..._ The way that he responded was more positive than expected. "Sure, I mean... there wasn't really much besides the jacket and pants that really fit me."

 _The story of why he decided not to wear underwear has to be something that'll be worth listening to._ She pushed him along, Kali giving another giggle, womanly aura dispersed immediately as she shook her head. "You've got him pretty whipped." She said, her voice teasing. Jaune seemed not to hear it, or not pay attention that much, as he walked towards the bin in the back, where the underwear was.

"Are you going to act like his mother, or like his wife?" Kali whispered, a teasing tone to her voice. Esmeralda could feel a hint of something that resembled warmth flood her body, as she saw him lean over, pulling out a frilly set of lingerie and tossing it back in, shaking his head. _Not even a blush... He's used to handling women's underwear, it seems._ "Oh... I'll settle for a combination of both." Sienna frowned, looking between the two of them. "I do not see why you would be thinking like that." She commented snippily, Esmeralda's eyes catching the flush on the woman's cheeks, the tattoos that decorated her body making her indeed look like the tiger that she held the heritage of.

"A bit of fun with a younger man often clears up the thoughts." Kali said, the scandalous thought bringing something to her mind about being entangled in the bedsheets with the younger man, having his gaze look at her like she were but prey to his dark desires. _Damn. You are going to control yourself. It's the frustration of not having any relief from a man for the past few years... You're not going to jump him._ "You're being out of line." She said, her voice not holding any fire, Kali giving her a nudge. "One cannot help one's nature, sweetie."

"Silly cat." She muttered, before she joined Jaune at the bin, brushing up against him, feeling the tension go through her body, the feeling of his presence lending her a sensation akin to being protected, the sensation comfort-inspiring, as she looked through the selection.

Dark underwear would probably suit his somewhat pale appearance. She had a moment of fancy as she imagined the look of the underwear on his body, as she held up a set of black underwear. "You should get this one. It'll go well with your skin colouration." The way she said it was more akin to an order than to a suggestion, Jaune looking at the underwear and shrugging. "If you think so." He said, putting it to the side. He searched around a bit more, a dark blue pair coming next to the first one. "You should have some spare. We have the Lien for it."

"Of course." He was well-off, with the amount of Lien that she had seen in his money bag. The way that the chips were stacked up was clumsy, yet the value of it did not change. _He's quite rich. Not as rich as I am, but he is up there for cash as far as Huntsmen goes. He must've had some sort of fortune that he stumbled across..._ The dark thought came to her immediately afterwards. _Or he must've gotten it from someone who perished._

She glanced back, spotting Kali holding up what seemed to be a casual kimono, the Mistralian style of dress suiting her shape particularly well, even though the colour would look a little off, red contrasting with her dark hair. _It would not look too out of place... yet the thing she wears now is well-coordinated as far as colour goes._

She moved over to the clothes section, deciding on a loose shirt that would fit her well, as well as a set of pants that would highlight her womanly features. _Vanity is not often useful... But I am not going to look like some homeless person who has not the lien to gather food._ The look in the mirror as she stood there showed her what she had already expected.

The dark red shirt and the black pants outlined her well, the dark hair colour something that really accentuated the look. She posed herself a little in front of the mirror, leaning forwards in order to check how well the cleavage was, her natural impulse to flaunt what she had been granted by nature's design something that she had suppressed for a while, as she looked in the mirror. "You look nice." Kali said, as she stood beside her, Esmeralda feeling more at ease than before, the Faunus woman dressed in the kimono as if it were natural. Sienna herself had come out as well, the Mistralian dress that she wore somewhat tighter around her body than the outfit had been, the sleeves enough to hide most of her tattoos. "You look nice, Sierra." She complimented.

The dour look she received in return was enough to cow her for the time being, the Faunus woman looking at her as if she had been at fault. The orange-theme of her outfit was rather fetching though, she had to admit. "Thanks." The woman said after Kali nudged her, the pouty look on her face fitting more to a child than to the mature woman who led the White Fang, her demeanour frosty towards them.

 _It's a start, at least._ She thought, even as she posed. "You should get something blue as well. It'll go well with your eyes." The comment from Jaune took her by surprise, blinking a few times as she saw the young man appear, a simple white shirt and a set of pants that actually looked like they fit him better than his previous pair, a set of sneakers that he had fished out of the bin rounding it out. "You will buy some socks." She said, her voice impressing clearly that refusal would not be an option.

"Yes, Esmé." He said, like the good man that he was. She could see several shoes that might fit her better, the lack of suitable footwear having been a figurative thorn in her side for a while now. As they walked towards the young man that was currently serving as the cashier, she caught a glimpse of Jaune's back, his thoughtful look as he gazed at something on the rack, pulling it off and then laying it on his shoulder. A red cloak, looking to be made of a soft fabric that was akin to silk.

"That'll be four-hundred Lien for your purchases, sir." The clerk said, Jaune pulling the bag of money out and then pulling out four one-hundred Lien chips. _That ought to take care of most of it. It isn't the priciest as far as clothing goes, especially for four people... But it would be enough to keep us from looking like a bunch of homeless nobodies._

"You're lucky with your wife, sir." Jaune's head tilted to the side as the clerk put the Lien chips in the till, his hands working next to package the clothing in one of the bags that came with their purchase. "Wife?" _Oh dear, someone seems to have gotten the wrong image... or perhaps, the right._

"Oh, she's just a friend. We're travelling together." _Sometimes..._ She didn't finish that thought, as she grabbed his arm. "We've been together due to necessity. My..." She paused, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Friend here, seems to have more skill in the art of ensuring the demise of Grimm than I do. He's a huntsman, you know?" The clerk looked between the two of them, his hand brushing through his brown hair. "If you say so, ma'am."

The thought of being with him was not an unwelcome one. "Oh, I can see why you would think that. He is a very strong man." She patted Jaune's shoulder, whose face seemed to redden. "Not that strong." She heard him say, the clerk giving a soft sound, as he continued to pack. "Do you happen to know any good hotels?" She asked. _I'm not asking for the Schneeton, but some quality might just be good for my back._

"There's an inn at the end of the street. You might wish to try there." The clerk's voice seemed to hold some sympathy, even as she tugged a little on Jaune's arm. "Don't forget that you've got to get rooms too, Es."Kali added, poking her in the side. She gave a mock-fierce look at the Faunus woman.

"Oh, I will be sharing a room with him alright." She said, her lips curling into the smile that some people would call 'shark-like'. She could already see how things would be going along. _There's no way that I'd sleep within the same room as Sienna Khan._

Their trip through the village did not go unnoticed. The locals paid attention to them, more than she would really like to have. With her keen eyesight, she could at least spot three people that had shown a lingering gaze, long enough for it to become suspicious. _I'm not going to get robbed here due to being a traveller. I am Whitney Schnee, I am not some common folk person who would settle for being robbed!_

"We just got one spare room. Take it or leave it." The innkeeper was a stern-faced woman, Jaune's face looking a little more weary than before, as if something were gnawing at him, the look on his face something that gnawed at her. _He should smile more._ "We'll take it. We'll be travelling further tomorrow anyways." The casual answer was enough, the innkeeper putting the key in front of him. "Forty Lien for a night." _That was a reasonable price, even if we have to double up in a bed. Higher than expected... But reasonable still._

"There's a bed and a futon that you can use to sleep on. One of you'll have to double up with another on the futon." The innkeeper said, her eyes going right to Kali, who seemed to be in a better mood, her eyes warmer and more open. "We'll make sure to keep warm." The innkeeper didn't say it, but her eyes told the story of Faunus dislike, as she looked between Kali and Sienna.

"That's a whole load of tripe." She muttered once they were in the room, Sienna setting the pack on the table that stood there and stretched. "People've got their own thoughts about Faunus." Kali said, trying to make light of it. Esmeralda could see just how the woman was affected, her nature a little off, as she glanced back at them. "I don't agree with it. Faunus should be able to function just as well as humans do."

"We're people too." Sienna said, her voice carrying the weight, with enough of the spite in her voice to really make an impact. "Of course you are." Jaune said, his voice sounding a little disturbed, as if the thought of them not being people was something that he didn't want to think about. "You're fully aware and capable of making your own decisions."

"I agree. Faunus may not be paid well in Atlas, but the basic human rights also apply to the Faunus." She said, Sienna's gaze hateful and fierce, her mouth opening, but Kali cut her off. "Of course. Menagerie has a more human-exclusive policy... but that doesn't stop them from being hired for the jobs that they are hired for. We don't discriminate on basis of genetics." The woman's voice was soft and more policing than before, as she sat down on the bed. The sheets were of a pinkish colour, with the wool that made the covers up being dyed in such a fashion that it looked even better to the eyes. _Odd choice... but it might just be something they picked out of tradition._

"Anyone who's willing to fight against the Grimm is good in my book." Esmeralda said, adding her voice to the discussion, giving a meaningful look to Jaune, who looked a little forlornly at his pack. It seemed that he was getting into a funk as if the thought of hunting the Grimm was something that he did not fully approve of.

"That was a compliment, Jaune." Kali said, nudging him a little, the young man looking morosely at his pack. "Yeah... A compliment." He seemed to be thoughtful, as if there was more to his thoughts than the surface would allow, his face showing the weariness that he felt, with her heart going out for him. _How much has he sacrificed, in order to keep an eye on us?_ The sleep that he must've lost, the protection that they needed against the Grimm...

"Get on the bed." She found herself saying, her hands onto his shoulders. "We'll wake you up when it's time for dinner." There had been no shower yet that she had seen, yet she knew that a brief nap would be more than alright for the young man. "My, how forceful..." Kali said, showing her teasing side. She looked at the Panther Faunus, giving her a sharp look. "Hush, Kali."

"Careful... He might start thinking that you have designs on him." Kali's grin was teasing, as Jaune gave a soft laugh. "Who'd want some fool of a Huntsman like me, huh?" _That's not a good way to think._ Sienna cleared her throat. "We shall go in search of some way to clean ourselves up. You need to rest." The woman's own tone was nervous and superior at the same time with that hint of being always prepared going through it, her eyes narrowing at him. "Sleep." She hissed, turning around and looking at Kali. "We're going to get cleaned up."

As the two Faunus women swept out of the room, she looked at the young man as she held his shoulders, his body moving as he had been directed, flopping down onto the bed. "You can go and wash up as well." He said, his voice sounding much akin to a boy who'd been naughty. "Don't think you're worth anything but our respect, Jaune." She said, laying a hand on his shoulder, from where he was laying. Just the very touch of his body sent a shudder of something through her body, a feeling of warmth heating up, as she could feel the glyphs warping into her sight, her Semblance feeling empowered simply by being close to his proximity.

"Sometimes..." He said, voice sounding mournful. "Sometimes, I wonder if it is all worth it, whether I have the ability to truly be a hero." He said, his eyes closed. _You are. You are without a doubt, more of a man than my husband ever was, for all his fancy words and false promises._ Her fingers stroked over his shoulders, feeling the skin below, the jacket that he still wore covering the majority of his upper body, the upper chest muscles starting to show some definition. "You might find it silly... But I have faith in you."

She stopped her fingers for a moment, looking at his face. His eyes, mismatched as they were, were looking at her. The crimson eye looked at her, its orb containing within it the gaze that was enough to chill her to the bone, the other being a comforting blue that reminded her a little of how her father looked at her, full of compassion and care. _A young man, who cares._

She moved herself closer, her breath coming a little faster from her lips, bending down her head, up until her head being so close to him that his eyes looked into hers. _You're going to kiss him. You're going to kiss a young man who could be your eldest daughter's age. You're going to press your lips to his and claim him._ "Esmeralda?"He asked, his voice sounding so lost and confused, her mouth opening and speaking. "Hold still for a moment, Jaune." She said, as her tongue licked her lips.

"There's a bathroom available for us!" Kali's voice cut through the tension and she pulled herself upright immediately, feeling a hint of something go through her, as she cleared her throat. Her hand ran through his hair. "I just saw something in your hair. Just a bug." She looked at Kali, whose smile was warm and motherly, like the daughter that had been caught kissing a boy by her mother. _I'm older... right? I shouldn't feel like this._

The look that the Faunus woman gave her changed a little, glancing at Jaune. "We'll take a shower and a bath first, we'll come and pick you up when we're done." Esmeralda shuddered, getting up again. _I'm just..._

She felt uncertain, more uncertain than she'd felt before. Her body tingled a little, even as they walked into the bathroom, Sienna already half-way discarding her clothing, sitting down onto a small stool. The inn wasn't that big, but it at least held two showerheads for the people needing a quick shower. "You're trying to seduce him." Kali said, her words sounding loud in the room.

Heat blossomed onto her cheeks. "I.. I'm not." She said, her voice trembling a little. _Am I? It feels so natural... I see something I like, I'll go for it._ Kali's eyes were mirthful as she started to get out of her clothes, exposing her body. The ear that'd gotten injured had been healing rather well, only a faint rip visible, her hand combing through her hair, with her bust moving slightly. _She's much better equipped than I am._ The breasts had been something that she had noticed growing after the birth of Winter, a point of pride that she had at least a cup size greater than her mother had. _Even Weiss would show a decent size when she's fully matured._

"Oh? It looks like you are... He's clueless, though." She saw Kali smile, even as she patted the space next to her. The clothing was off in a minute, Sienna's expression showing no emotion, as she ducked under the spray, her hair plastered to her face, her head angled so as to get the most out of the spray. "He is." She said, her voice sounding bitter. "Would you have liked him as much as you do, had he been aware?" _Probably not. I would have had my itch scratched, my protection guaranteed and just put out. My life is infinitely more valuable than just performing a few actions._

Her father had been a pragmatist, during his expeditions. _'Always remain calm. Use whatever you can to your advantage. If you have a gun, use it. If you see a fragile point in the mine and a horde of Grimm are closing in on you and you know of a way out... Collapse the mine. You need to do EVERYTHING to survive, Whitney.'_ She was a proud Schnee, the only daughter of Nicholas Schnee, founder of the Schnee Dust Company.

"No. He's just..." She could feel the blush heat her face, her dark hair falling loose as she ran a hand through the strands. "He's just..." She couldn't find the word. "You find him attractive because he radiates that masculinity that you crave." Sienna said, her voice cutting through the sudden silence, the shower still letting the water descend on the female Faunus. "You can see it in his body language. He knows not what attraction is, yet he aspires to be dependable."

"Oh? Did you see something that you liked? Did my little tiger get a crush?" Kali said, Esmeralda wondering just how irritated the High Leader of the White Fang would get, only for Sienna to bark a soft laugh. "He'd have to be a real monster of a human to appeal to my aesthetics. They are weak, Kali. They do not know yet the harshness of life... Even whilst they live, our brothers and sisters toil in the mines." Kali's face hardened as well, the lines on her face showing. "You know that a peaceful solution might be for the best." It was obviously something that the two women had talked about, Sienna seemingly opening up more, now that the topic had been broached.

"As long as humans look at us like we are filth, we will fight." Sienna's voice was heated, the woman's gaze at Kali fierce. "I know." Kali said, grabbing a sponge and starting to soap up, using some of the water to clean her body. "But I'm saying... He doesn't feel like that. Sienna... It's up to you two to defend us whilst we are travelling." _I should feel affronted for that comment, but I don't have a weapon right now so it IS true._ "And I will. I promised your husband that I would." The answer came, Kali giving a soft sigh, stepping under the showerhead and turning it on.

 _I should feel embarrassed, looking at them, but they are... Well, Kali is at the least, a good person._ She stepped up, feeling the air brush over her bared bosom. She had stacked the new clothes up for easy wearing, her fingers finding the knob. "Want me to soap up your back?" Kali asked. She still felt a little leery about letting another woman touch her, the thought of staying with the Belladonna's back at the hotel having been one of the thoughts that had sprung from her lack of association with anyone worth their salt, the feeling of being left alone something that had pressed upon her that desire, even with the way that she had tried. _What harm can it do?_ "Please." She said, turning her back towards Kali.

"Please..." She said, though what she was asking for was beyond her, as the woman scrubbed her back. "You should just tell us if you want to get a bit of a private moment. I know that Sienna likes to take her privacy a few times with her... 'books'." The squeak of indignation that the Tiger Faunus made was something that brought a giggle from her mouth. "It's literature! Ninja's of Love is LITERATURE! " Kali chuckled softly. "Oh, that's what it is, hmmm?" The woman teased. _If my cheeks aren't burning right now, I cannot imagine what hers would look like._

Embarrassment about being called out like this, with Kali acting as the experienced world-wise woman... definitely was one of the feelings felt. "Hmmm. Blake has half of the collection with her. It's nothing to be ashamed of, after all. Ghira always was more of a proactive lover." The mournful sigh that the woman gave was enough to clue the two of them in to the nature of her mood, the woman's heart still sore about the death of her husband.

"But weren't you always the one leaping at him?" Sienna said, the image of Kali doing just that making her giggle. She could imagine the woman grabbing her husband by the arm and saying – 'We're making love now!' at that adorable tone. "Now Sienna, that might be so, but he never complained. When you get your next boyfriend, make sure to use that trick with your tongue that I've told you about." _What trick with a tongue?_

She turned around, looking at Sienna, who was turning a shade darker, her eyes showing her embarrassment. "What's that trick with the tongue?" She couldn't help but ask, as she wondered, Kali's lips parting broadly. "Nothing for you to worry about." Sienna said, before Kali could answer. The woman turned around, handing the sponge to her. "Be a dear and do my back for me, please?"

It was strange, washing another woman's back, yet it was also humbling to an extent, where she could see the back of the woman, her body looking fit and in shape. _I always kept in shape as well. Only a bit of pudginess at the hips... nothing more._ "Hmm." She heard Kali moan, the muscles of the woman's back shifting a little, as the Faunus stretched a little. "You should let me do you too, Sienna." Kali muttered, Sienna's face turning Kali with a look of horror on her face.

"Not again! I am not doing that again." The sound of Kali's disapproval was soft, even as Esmeralda wondered about what the two were talking. "Sienna and Blake had been out and we had to wash Blake together... Well, it seems that Sienna is awfully ticklish right under the b-" Sienna cleared her throat audibly. "Go any further and I am running away." The woman's threat did not have the force that it held, the woman's words not as impactful due to her earlier statement of the mission.

"Now Sienna, dear... You know that running away won't solve it. I might just sign you up for some dates. There'll be some nice boy out there who will make you happy." The Ex-High Leader of the White Fang merely glowered, irritated by the way that Kali seemed to make light of her plight. "You have no authority to do something like that. I am a woman who is nearly thirty. You are not my mother."

"But I will act like a mother if you are going the wrong way. How long has it been since you've dated, Sienna?" The concern in Kali's voice was clear, even though the bathroom that they occupied was hardly private. "Four years." The woman muttered, a glum look entering her features and sticking, her gaze cast down. "And in those four years, have you searched?" The concern in Kali's voice was growing, as she moved under Sienna's spray, concernedly looking into Sienna's eyes. The younger woman seemed to be intimidated, Kali's hands on her hips.

"N-no? I've been busy." The answer did not soothe Kali's mood, as she reached out. "You are not going to be alone." The woman's hand grabbed Sienna's hand, laying it on her breast. Sienna's eyes widened, as she tried to pull her hand away. _Is this going to be the big reveal?_ "My heart still beats, even though my love is gone." The words were sad and bitter, Esmeralda not being able to see Kali's face, yet she could feel the tension that was in the Faunus woman's body. "But I still live... and I have a daughter that needs me." _I have daughters and a son who need me. I need to be a mother, as well as a woman._

The image of fighting against the hordes of Grimm inside her inner self came to her mind. "Kali..." She started, the Faunus woman turning around. "Yes?" _If I reach out a hand... perhaps..._ "We'll work together, all three of us." The concession to work together with Sienna Khan would have galled her in the time before, yet the situation that the woman currently was in showed that her stance was unstable and adrift. Uncertainty showed in those orange eyes, her gaze going to her. "Teamwork?" Kali said. Her head turned to Sienna. "I may not like you, Human... But I suppose that we should work together, for now. Our little human Huntsman... As long as he stays away from me..." The grudging admission of cooperation was something that could have only come due to her unsettlement at the actions of Kali.

 _At least she's willing to work together._

* * *

 _The terrible idea_

* * *

 _This is a horrible idea._ He thought whilst he stood at the bullhead landing pad, waiting for her to get back from the mission that she'd been scheduled to go on. After the debacle with team RWBY, he had spent more time in the practice sessions with Velvet, letting her work the kinks out of his flaws and make sure that his own Semblance would emerge. _Meeting with her team, even if she says no, what of it... Do they know that I've been getting training done with her? How would they react?_

It was a different feeling for him, as he realized that his own position in the world was now more tenuous, with his own team being... a bit more stagnant than he'd like to. They were alright guys, as far as their personality went. A bit rough around the edges, distrustful of Faunus, as he had been... but they didn't learn. They didn't seem to think beyond 'stab and kill'.

 _Not with how team RWBY seems to be going... I've heard rumours that the blonde died in an incident, but it was all hush-hush._ The bullhead that approached gave him a spark of hope, even as he watched it set down, its engines slowly losing the buzzing whine, the ramp descending, unveiling the team in all its glory. _That must be the leader, Coco._ The fashionably dressed girl looked as she should, barely flustered by returning to Beacon, her cool and in control attitude matching what Velvet had said about her being up to date. The big guy stood like a veritable wall of muscle, his large weapon having been wielded by Velvet in most of their spars, as the Semblance that she wielded would not allow her to keep using the same weapons for a long while.

She stood to the side, chatting with the other male member of team CFVY, the young man having some eye issues that she'd not elaborated upon, the twitching of her bunny ears enough, as her gaze turned to him. _I probably look silly, standing here with my back against the railing, dressed in my uniform._ The look on her face changed immediately as she spotted him, her mouth twitching into a smile. "Caaarddiiiinnnn!" She cheered, a bit of a skip in her step as she came to him, her eyes shimmering with enthusiasm. "You came for me!" The excitement was visible in her voice, her eyes nearly sparkling. He could see the Huntsman who accompanied the team during their mission, noticing with a stark realisation of guilt that it was one of the Arc siblings, the woman giving him a look that was dark and broody, her eyes holding the accusation. _You'll be the best huntsman that you can be, Cardin. You're going to make people look at you with pride, even if you've been the cause of the death of another._

"So this is your boy-toy, Velv?" Coco's voice purred, sensually shifting her stance a little. _And what of it?_ He gave her a look, his hand patting Velvet's head, as he had a habit of doing, due to the height difference. Velvet smiled at him, looking with those wonderful brown eyes of hers up at him. "Coco, he's not my boy-toy!" She said, her voice a bit higher in pitch. "Hmmm... You do go for the tall ones." The team leader said, voice sounding teasing. "Better watch out, boy-toy... She's a raving rabbit." She ruffled Velvet's hair, grinning. The giant of a team member looked him over and gave a nod, whilst the redhead seemed to merely gaze at him with the creepy eyes. "You came for me though, Cardin." She said happily.

"Do you... Are you free this weekend?" He asked, knowing that there would be some time for the two of them. A smattering of colour flushed her cheeks, her eyes looking down for a moment. "I should be, yes." She said, her voice hesitant, her team leader broadly grinning. "She's free, mister boy-toy." She said, her shades glimmering as the light caught it. "Do you want to go out into Vale with me?" The crimson colour crept up her cheeks, the soft exhale that she gave nearly dashing his hopes. _She'll have some boyfriend already. There's no way that she'd go out with me._ His heartbeat increased, as her gaze went up to him once more. "I'd love to, Cardin." She said, her voice small and tiny, even as she leaned up and gave him a hug. "I was thinking that we could go see a movie, maybe have some dinner... I'll be sure to bring you back before light's out." She looked a little flustered, her breathing a little deeper. "As friends, of course." _Stupid! Why did I say that? Why did I dash my own hopes?_

Coco seemed to give a sound in the back of her throat, Velvet turning even redder. "I mean... Well..." He couldn't find the words, even as she smiled up at him. "Sure. As friends." She seemed to turn inward for a moment, the shy smile on her lips something that made his heart beat a little faster. Coco made a motion with her hand, Velvet giving a little eep. "Off to the showers, honey bunny. Yatsu, Foxy, you reek. Off with ya!" The young woman motioned, the two men remaining silent, even whilst they moved, Velvet fell into line immediately, a soft 'Bye Cardin!' with a wave enough to leave him feeling a little abandoned.

The Arc woman was leaning against the bullhead, her weapon pulled out, clearly there for the ease of use, as if she had the intention to put it to good use. Her eyes were on him and the young stylishly dressed woman, as Coco looked him up and down. "I better not see her come home crying, mister boy-toy." The woman said, the handbag that she held on one arm grabbed with both hands, a flick of something and a massive minigun appearing to mecha-shift out of the handbag.

"Hurt her and I will make sure that you'll be unable to feel anything below the hips for a month, penalty on my record be damned." The threat hung in the air, even as the woman tapped him with the business end of the gun, her eyes narrowed beyond the glasses. _This is both strangely hot as well as terrifying as hell._ "S-sure." He said.

If he had been the racist Cardin Winchester of before, he would not ever have concluded that Velvet would be a good partner for a girlfriend, yet the coffee-themed woman looked at him. "Just friends. Don't lay a hand on her or we'll hunt you down." The thought was not a pleasant one, the power that the team of Velvet held being something that he could see from the way that she moved. Her agility was off the charts, as far as he was concerned. She could weave through strikes with just her skill at acrobatics, her eyes flashing with the desire to keep winning. "Got it." He said, the team leader giving a vicious grin. "Good boy-toy. I better not smell alcohol on her breath."

 _We're seventeen! Well, I'm seventeen. She's nineteen!_ "I was just going to spend time with her at the movies, maybe something nice to eat before that." He'd had the weekend off. Russel was spending time with his family in the weekend, Dove having cancelled the sessions of training for the weekend, so it was the perfect time to go out with Velvet. _I'm not going to let this chance slip._

"Remember, boy-toy..."The woman's minigun folded back into the handbag, her smug grin somewhat shark-like in nature, as she leaned. "I better not catch her crying... Or else..." She made a motion over her neck with a finger, giving him ample inspiration of what might happen. _She wouldn't kill me... but I'd be damn sure wishing that I'd have been killed by her._ "Ta-tah!" She said, patting his shoulder, leaving him standing there, awkwardly.

"You look like you have it rough." The Arc woman said, her fingers pulling out a small flacon of something that looked like alcohol, drinking a small swig of it, exhaling slowly. "Yeah, I asked someone out on a date." The woman gave him a frosty glare, the eyes meeting his own, so much like Jaune's that it almost was like a physical punch to the gut. _I haven't had a dream yet about him this month..._ The lips set into a smirk then. "You better treat her right. Ya helped ice my brother... Not sure I'm ready to forgive you yet... But you better treat the girl right. She's a good girl, according to what I saw." The woman brushed past him, muttering something about doing her reports, leaving him to watch her depart, her weapon put at her side. _Strange combination... But it looks..._

He didn't spend more time with it, as his Scroll beeped, showing that he had a message. _Let's see..._ Opening up the messaging program, he could see Velvet's icon blinking. **Should I wear anything special?** The question was pertinent to their date, he knew, yet she was asking him especially for his opinion on whether to wear something special. **Wear whatever is comfortable.**

 **I look forward to it.** She messaged back, his steps feeling a little lighter as he set off towards his team's room. It would be time to get himself ready for some additional training. _It's Tuesday, so I guess it will be... Yeah, I should definitely start on that new routine._

* * *

 _The blight upon the record_

* * *

The weight of the sins that he had committed were still resting heavily on his shoulders. He could feel every step that he took weigh even heavier, even whilst the women were busy getting themselves washed up. _What use does being a huntsman have, if you've been the murderer of many people?_

Summer had been talking to him nearly non-stop ever since they had entered the store to buy clothing, the way that she continued to talk reminding him much of Ruby. _She's definitely Ruby's mother, always capable of carrying on a conversation without stopping... But it must get boring, being inside my mindspace all the time._ " _Do you have to talk about everything?"_ He asked, Summer's voice halting after a moment. _"No. But I know that talking keeps us two occupied. The women are showering and bathing, so we have time to talk."_

He got up, feeling the strain of his body as he moved. The wounds on his body had nearly fully healed over the course of time, the pain that had once accompanied them having faded to a mere phantom pain, the rawness of the marks that Ruby Beornir had carved into his back still something of a sore point. _I'm not going to ever forget what she did to me._

He got off the bed, deciding to check out the inn's common room, as far as that went. People would be a welcome distraction, even though the emotions that he could feel around him were a jumbled mess, the pain and the terror not as prevalent here, yet the fear still thick. _Perhaps we will only stay here for a day... perhaps another, in order to orient ourselves through the art of getting things done._

He sat down at a table, letting his gaze go through the crowd of people seated. A man was busy telling a tale to another, his face looking haggard, as if he had escaped death before, his hands gesticulating wildly. With some effort, he could hear the man's words. "So, I was running for my life, right out of that camp. You've got to believe me, this idiot was there and he caused her to miss the shot." His companion snorted. "You've been drinking too much, Tesh." The familiar look of the man finally clicked in his mind, relief flooding his heart. _So he did get back safely._

He got up from his seat, walking over to the man. "Tetch?" He asked, the man turning his head and paling considerably, leaning away from him, as if he had contracted some disease. "John! Hey, buddy! I see you made it out of the Beornir camp." The man's voice was a little louder than was necessary, the man's eyes skittish. The effect of the name was enough on the people around to make them shy away a little, their gaze suspicious towards him. _As if people would respond normally once you are known to be affiliated with bandits._

He could see a blonde guy turn towards him, nudging a young woman in the side and saying something, the short cut of her hair giving her a boyish look, even as he grinned. "They weren't very hospitable." He said, leaving it at that. Tetch patted the seat next to him, waiting for Jaune to take a seat. "Give him a beer, on my dime. He's the guy that sprung me from the Beornir." The innkeeper gave a suspicious look at him, but Tetch seemed to have been known around the village, so it would be unlikely that there'd be any direct agitation against him. _But they might betray you if they think you are affiliated with them._

"So, how'd you gotten loose? Did they make you run as well?" The man asked, patting his back with a camaraderie-like air, the wince that he gave as the wounds were agitated once more. "I ran." He said. It wasn't a lie. He had run from the camp after he had signed its death warrant. It wasn't enough for him to ever come to terms. _I can see their faces. Their fear was like a drug. She would do so without mercy or pity... yet I feel conflicted._

"Good on ya." The man said, the beer put in front of him looking like regular drink. He picked up the beer can and then cracked it open, the fizz of the beer sounding loud in the room, as conversation around them seemed to have stalled for the time, drinking slowly from the can and setting it down. _Don't cough. The taste is horrible. How people can drink this stuff is beyond me._ The beer was half-way drained, his eyes looking at the can, as he rested his arms on the counter. "You've got a story to tell, haven't you? Tell old buddy Tetch how you got loose."

" _He's fishing for information."_ Summer said, her voice sounding like the betrayal had been already confirmed. Jaune was tempted to agree with her. _He ran away, treating his own life as if it were something important, instead of fighting against the bandits..._ "Just had the bad luck to find Ruby being fond of testing out the Dust." He shuddered, not faked in the least. During the night-time, he had roused himself from his slumber once, finding that he had been scratching at the wounds. It had been one of the first nights that he had suffered since the camp had been annihilated.

"So, you know about the Beornir, don't ya?" The voice of someone cutting in made him turn, the blonde man looking at him with a challenging look, hand already extended. "My name's Shay. Pleasure to meet ya, buddy." The hand he shook, the warmth of the man's hand something that was surprising, as his companion followed right after. "We're gonna be friends, you'n'me, buddy." The man's voice sounded slicker than most salesmen ever would, as he sat himself down, his companion frowning at him.

"This is my boo, Vernal. Say hi, Vernal." The short-haired woman frowned. "Hello." She said, voice sounding more sulky than Shay's. The weapons she had strapped to her belt were looking pretty impressive, Jaune's eyes looking over the sharp edges. _Are they huntsmen?_ Shay grinned. "Got a beer, haven't ya?" He grabbed the can and drank from it. Jaune gave a little mental sigh of relief, watching the man get smacked by his partner. _Someone at least has some common sense._ "Forgive my friend, for he is stupid and thinks with his dick."

"It's alright." He said, turning his gaze to Tetch. "We should catch up a bit later. I'm waiting for my company to be done washing up." He could see the time already passing swifter than he'd thought, knowing that the women would be done washing up. _I wonder what Esmeralda was all on about, when she was getting that bug out of my hair._

"Oh? You've got friends?" Tetch's face seemed a little frightened, as if the thought of him having more companions was something disturbing. _I don't know what he's on about. It's just three women down on their luck._ The man's gaze went for the door. "Yeah, I ran into a huntress with her sister, as well as someone that they were travelling with."He said, the man's face showing ill ease. "Guess that means you've got company and protection, right?"Shay said, leaning heavily against the counter. Tetch's first conversational partner had up and left, without even saying goodbye.

" _If you end up betrayed again... Use me."_ Summer's voice sounded sharp in his mind, the image of her face coming to his mind's eye, serious and true. She looked at him like she was trying to help him... and he felt like he should accept her offer. _"If they do that, I will."_ The Grimm were one thing... Yet Summer's aid was another. He didn't know why she had insisted that he take the red cloak as well, yet he was glad that he did indeed listen to her. "It's what a huntsman does." He said, trying to play it off. Shay raised an eyebrow, glancing back at his companion. "We got ourselves a huntsman, Vern."

The young woman scowled, her face showing her disdain for the shortening of her name. "He can be a huntsman if he wants to. That doesn't stop you from being an asshole." Shay's grin was still going strong, flashing a set of white teeth. "She's just jealous that she's spending time here with me, buddy." Jaune didn't know if the scowl on her face had been caused by her friend's comment or just by general nature, yet the fierce look she held on her face was something that intimidated even him.

"I better go look for a wash-up myself."He excused himself, getting up from his seat. _Why am I getting away? Do I need to?_ "See ya around, buddy." Shay said, his companion jabbing him in the side with a swift finger. "Oww, Vern, stop it!" Tetch looked uncomfortable, as he looked at him. "See ya later, John." The man said, getting up as well. "I'd best go get home. Things to do, arrange, that stuff." The man was out the door before Jaune could say goodbye, suspicion creeping into his voice. _If this goes south..._

He got up to the room that he shared in a moment, coming through the door just in time to see Kali in the process of lowering her shirt, the brief view of an expanse of skin that'd been cleaned enough to make a hot blush come to his cheeks. "See something you like?" She said in a teasing tone. _Just like Heather, when she was in one of those moods._ "Well, eh..." He stammered, Esmeralda getting up from her seat, already dressed. "I took the liberty of preparing your clothes." The stack of folded clothing was something that he saw on the bed, ready and made for him. _She's such a nice lady, concerned for me. "She's definitely able to perceive the needs of people."_ Summer's words were confusing, as he grabbed the clothing. Sienna was in the process of running her fingers over the mechanism of her staff, her eyes focusing on it, their orange gaze looking sharply at the mechanical part of the weapon, without even pausing for a moment to let her gaze slide up.

"Thank you." He said, Esmeralda giving a warm smile to him. "Have a nice shower." Kali nudged her a little, mouthing something to her. Esmeralda's scandalized look no doubt meant that it was something womanly. "Have a good time. I'll be back in twenty minutes." _That's about as long as it'd take to get clean._

Getting into the bathroom was an easy affair, the shower turned on, the water steaming already, the moisture in the air from the earlier shower that the women had taken still making him feel somewhat clammy, as he stepped under the hot spray of water, his head raised. He could feel the water hit his face, washing away the worry of the time, letting him focus on what became the truth of the matter. His whole body felt wrapped in the warmth, even as the outside impulses came. _"Want me to wash your back?"_ Summer's voice came, and he wordlessly nodded.

What shame was there in letting a woman wash your back, anyways? He knew that he should be having a bit more propriety, yet when the sponge rubbed over his back, he could feel the contentment that he felt, the connection between the two of them fitting perfectly. He could see his own back through her eyes, the raw letters that Ruby Beornir had carved into the flesh, still looking like they were freshly carved there. _I don't want the women to see me like this._

"You're still suffering from the creepy girl, aren't you?" Summer's voice was light, as her hands rubbed the sponge over the small of his back, the unusual feeling of her hands tickling over his side something that made him grow even more alert. She seemed to have some sort of plan in mind, at least, with washing his back. He leaned against the tiles of the wall, even as Summer hummed a soft tune under her breath. "I don't want to talk about it." He muttered to her, even as her sponge slid up again.

 _This is just like when Cremea and Azure bathed with me. Teasing, a bit of conversation._ The memory of his sisters brought the ache further up his mind, as he began to feel relaxed, whilst Summer's hands guided the sponge over his weary body. The arm that had been constructed from _Vitae Tenebris_ was avoided by Summer's hand, Jaune not turning around to take the sponge from her, her hands guiding the sponge over his body. "You can do your front on your own, right Jaune?" Summer asked, her tone sounding more innocent, maternal and free than he'd heard it before.

Taking the sponge from her grip, he could feel the sudden filling of the void inside him, as she appeared there once more, the image of Summer shaking her head and water dripping down from her moistened locks onto her body appearing to his mind's eyes.

" _You've got a broad back. My husband also does... if he's still alive."_ The thought of Ruby's and Yang's father dying was something that brought some sorrow to his heart. _Too early, some people are claimed by death's grip._ He suspected that the man was still among the living, if only going by Ruby's words. _"I think he's still alive. Yang mentioned her dad a few times, but I hadn't really had time to get to know her well."_

Summer smiled at him, wiping her fingers through her hair. _"If she's anything like Raven is, she'll be turning heads and making people wonder about their sexuality. Now, Rae Rae IS a pretty woman, but don't you ever think that she won't slam your face through a wall or three if she's properly annoyed."_ Summer seemed not to mind the latter, seemingly taking some amusement from the thought of riling up Yang's mother. He didn't think that the woman would find that too amusing, considering that Ruby's mother was a little odd, even by his standards.

 _We are who we are, thanks to our experiences._

* * *

 _The burden_

* * *

 _This is boring._ Her mind was made up, even as she sat in Professor Port's lesson, the man's exhorting about the Beowolf tide that he had stopped with only the aid of his trusty weapon something that would cause sleepiness in even the greatest of insomniacs, her gaze going towards Weiss, whose eyes were still a little red, the shock of her mother's death something that had upset her.

 _Blake looks really upset as well... I wonder what the problem is with her._ She didn't _like_ the thought of her teammates being left out due to their varying personal states, Weiss having stated more than once that she was used to a higher standard of living than what was personally available at Beacon.

"Blake?" She said quietly, drawing the girl from her daze, her sharp yellow eyes meeting hers, a feeling of fierceness shining through in them. _She looks so sad... I wonder if this is because of Yang._ The look on Blake's face was casually bored, yet within the depths of her eye, the true maelstrom of her feelings continued to roam and ravage, her eyes glancing at the spot beside her, where Yang should have been sitting. _Yang's still in the hospital..._

The thought of her sister dimmed her mood a little as well. She knew well the effects of the rounds that Yang had been hit with. _She'll have to make it... She's Yang, she's not someone who'll just falter and fall, just because she got hit once._ She moved a little, patting Blake on the back, like one would to a cat. Blake stiffened a little, as she was touched. "Yes, Ruby?" Blake said, her voice sounding weary. "We're here for you, you know. We're a team. Yang will be back soon." Blake sighed, looking at the professor as he made a broad gesture.

"I'll talk when we visit Yang. She deserves to hear it too." The true nature of why they had been at the docks still had eluded her. _Professor Ozpin was not too happy with us. It was a change from the first time... and there weren't even cookies._ _I wonder what she's going to tell us... Oh no! I hope she isn't going to be leaving the team! That would really really really be bad!_

The afternoon found them in the infirmary, Weiss closing the door to the room that Yang had to herself, the blonde looking up with a smile. "Heeeyyy gang! Did you all want to Yang out with poor old me?" The groan that Weiss gave lifted her spirits. "We are here to visit you, you blonde brute. The least you could do is to have the propriety not to make such horrid puns."

The challenge had been issued and Yang's grin increased in size, her mouth opening up. Blake sat down on the chair next to the bed, looking at Yang with a serious look on her face. Personally, Ruby thought that it was always a pretty serious look on Blake's face, whenever she was ready to divulge that she was something special. _I don't think that she's ever been able to smile... unless Yang did something really lame._

"Yang... Weiss, Ruby..." The Faunus started, her gaze cast down. "I'd like to apologize for dragging you into my business." The apology was something that they did not expect. _Why would we need to be apologized to? We helped her out because she was our Blakey, not because of us being obligated to! I mean, she's a friend, why should we not do that for our friends?_ The image of Jaune came to her mind, a dark thought sliding through the sea of general cheeriness that was her regular mindset. _If only..._

"Don't you dare blame yourself, pussycat. I would've rescued you any time of the day if you were in danger." Yang said, her voice sounding solid, even with the way that she was currently in the bed, the organs that had been damaged slowly regenerating thanks to the aura. _Her Semblance took the worst of the damage and buffered her enough to keep her from dying... But she'll have scars._

"It's NOT alright." Blake's voice rose, her voice sounding upset, her eyes looking at Yang. "You should be angry with me! You should scowl at me and tell me that it's my fate to cause bad luck!" _Aww, Blake... We would never do that._ "We won't, Blake." Weiss said, her voice sounding more put-together than before. "You're our teammate. We don't give up on our teammates that easily." _Good old Weiss, always a beacon of stability._

Blake looked up, uncertainty showing in her eyes. _Time to do leader-ly things, Ruby!_ "Yeah, you're our FRIEND, Blake. We don't give up on our friends!" She knew that she would hit the nail on the head, Yang giving her a beaming smile. "See Blake! Even Weiss has fond feelings about you! I don't have to Schnee it to believe it... But you won't be on thin Weiss here." The audible groan from Weiss was enough to make Blake giggle, a first in the time that she'd been in the room. "I received word that my parents had been assassinated." The news was out in a flash.

 _Assassinated? Whaaaaaat?!_ Weiss' face showed a confused look, whilst Yang's mouth hung open. "Assassinated? As in, killed?" _Yaaaannng, we know what assassination is! We're not babies!_ The thought of having someone killed in order to just... further something was anathema to her. _A huntress does not kill for the gain of someone. Unless they were baddies, you don't kill people!_

"My father, Ghira Belladonna, used to be High Leader of the White Fang. The transport that they were travelling with was assaulted by a gunship of the Schnee Dust Company, according to survivors of the fight." Weiss' face turned pale, her mouth open to refute it, but no sound coming out. "I can't believe it..." Yang said, her arm reaching out and pulling Blake close. "You aren't going to be alone, pussycat. You've got us, you hear. Big Sis Yang is here to make you feel right at home. Cry all you want... We're all here for you, even Weiss."

The soft 'Hey!' was only an afterthought in Ruby's mind, as a difficult expression came to Blake's face, her eyes cast down. "I already did the grieving process. You might find it strange, but ever since I was young... Mama always said that we should cherish the people whilst they live and honour them after they have died. My father... He was a peacemaker. A gentle man, who enjoyed to talk things out peacefully. Nothing like Adam..." _Oh no... She's reminiscing about the bad boyfriend. What a mean man, to have messed her up so much._

"You can forget about that loser. You've got us. You're my partner, and as far as that counts, I'll be with you until marriage." Ruby could see Blake turning a little red as Yang's prominent assets pressed against her face, the blonde's hair contrasting with Blake's own, Blake's gaze going up to her, as if seeking her approval. "We're all going to be together, forever and ever." Ruby said, smiling at Blake. "No matter if you're Faunus, human or otherwise... We're team RWBY. I'd like to see the person that can tear us apart try!"

Even Weiss cracked a smile with that statement. _Yes! I've made her smile!_ Blake's eyes looked up at her, mouth forming something that Ruby could see as 'thank you' when whispered. Yang let go of Blake's head. "I'll be stuck here for a few days more, the doctor says that I need to relax a little more before I'm free to go. Sooooo... What's new?"

"Winchester seems to have thrown himself into getting better at training." Weiss said, her voice lacking the negative emotion that usually was associated with the young man. _He must've felt terrible after being the cause of Jaune's death... and I still blame him a little... I mean, he could've just done it without sending Jaune that far away..._

"Oh? Has he finally decided to turn into a good guy?" Ruby would have to admit that Yang was pretty on the money with that comment. Team DLCR was composed of assholes, as far as Ruby counted them. _No teamwork can bring that bunch of useless cowards to heel. They were scared of an Ursa... An Ursa! If Pyrrha hadn't thrown her shield to distract it, it'd have been Cardin alone up against that beast._ She'd been witness to it, Pyrrha decimating the Ursa herself, her body flashing like a machine of Grimm-killing purpose. It had been an imposing sight, to say the least.

"He might've been changing due to... Jaune's death." The first death of the school year hung between the members of team RWBY, even with her saying it like that. "Pyrrha still seems to mope about that. I've caught her being teary-eyed in the bathroom a few times, even though she assured me that it was just allergies." _She feels guilty for not being able to die with him, as a partner should._ The romantic aspect of a partner in a huntsman's team was definitely in the fact that they lived and breathed together. _I wouldn't want to be without Weiss. Weiss is my bestie, she's got the glyphs that make the others as fast as me, and when she uses Myrtenaster with its lightning dust, it's like 'zippp, zapp, zavoom!'._

The thought of Weiss dying was not a pleasant one. Despite her initial crabbiness and desire to be the best, Ruby still thought of Weiss as her bestie. Because that's what a partner is supposed to be. Someone you can trust to guard your back, to defend you from any bad guys that come at you.

 _Weiss is my bestie and my partner and nobody is going to take her away from me. My baby will guard Weiss well. Crescent Rose will ALWAYS be ready to defend those that are my friends._

* * *

 _The stern facade_

* * *

She slid the jacket off as she sat down in the chair, waiting for the Headmaster to return. The office of the man was immaculate, always in the spotless state, the gears whirring slowly, their state changing ever more, without ever giving up their endless turning. _The man's office hasn't ever changed since I graduated._

The door slid open, admitting the headmaster to the room. The man's suit had the addition of a red pin, the man's fingers tugging it out and tucking it into his pocket. _He looks tired._ The man's lips showed a smile as he sat himself down. "Miss Arc, I trust the exercise has been beneficial to Team CFVY?" The report she had written on the return trip laid on the desk already, the headmaster's chair turning a little, as his eyes scanned the document. _That's some mighty speed reading there. Wish I had something like that._ "Would you be able to clarify what you mean with 'usage of explosive rounds', Miss Arc?"

The formal tone had been something that he used when briefing and dismissing the Huntsmen under his guidance, the man's eyes meeting hers, the glasses glinting a little, the green colour somewhat disturbing to her senses, with how the man's eyes seemed to hold only that determination. "The team leader, Coco Adel, used explosive rounds in order to stem the tide of Beowolves. Detailed within the report are the reasons for her usage of the rounds, sanctioned by my order." The chain of command was simple, though the man's status as one of the headmasters of a school for Huntsmen allowed him leeway with the proper authorities.

"And why did you not use your weapon, Miss Arc?" The man said, his eyes looking at her. _As if he's judging me on some standard that I could never hope to meet. What a hypocrite, in his ivory tower, gazing down on the lesser people._ "It was unfeasible. Team CFVY needed the experience in dealing with the Grimm horde." Her weapon was less than optimal for the fighting in flammable locales. "You could have used your weapon in order to ensure that they would not come to harm." The man's tone was strict, the man's eyes piercing into hers.

 _How would you like to be set on fire, Sir?_ She could not help the thought, her Semblance heating up, the air around her shimmering a little in response to her emotional outburst. "A flamethrower is not the best weapon to use in a forest, Sir." She spoke, answering the question. Technically, it was more of a fire-whip than a flamethrower, yet her Semblance allowed it to function just as well, after the loss of her halberd. _I'll never forget the look on Rowe's face when I came home with my new and improved fire whip._

"Understood." The man's face showed a smile, yet those eyes of his were unchanging. _You're a chess master, Ozpin. No matter the costs... You'd do whatever it takes to ensure the good guys win._ "Sir, if I may be candid with you..." The formalities rubbed her something fierce against her drive, as she leaned against the desk, the man's eyes looking at her with dispassionate eyes. "Yes, Miss Arc?" The tone of cool command brought back the time when she had been...

" _Run! RUN, damn it!" I can't breathe, I can't breathe. They're coming, they're coming. "Run, Heather! RUN!" Why can't I run? Why? Why are they hurting? Why? "COME ON, HEAT! RUN LIKE THE BITCH YOU ARE!" A gunshot? Why are they shooting at us? Why? Is this like with Rowan? Am I going to... "Run, you silly girl! You've got legs! Ru-" Oh shit, shit. He's bleeding. Shit, what do I? Why? Why? "R-run... You must..." Why? Why'd you have to do that? Why'd you have to go and leave me?_

She was crying again. She could feel the tears leak from her eyes, as she felt the hand of someone on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Miss Arc?" The voice of the headmaster came from her side, the man standing there. For a moment, she felt conflicted. _They are all dead._ "Just reminiscing about the mission, Sir." Her voice sounded tiny to her own ears, even as she looked up at the headmaster, whose face showed the empathy that he had lacked before. "They were innocent casualties." Hyperia's face, her pleas for mercy. The deafening sound of the gun. "They died too soon."

The man said, his voice heavy with the guilt that he bore as well. _You were the one who trained us. Didn't you say we would be like family, once?_ Salpeter's broken leg, the injury caused by the village militia. His eyes looking up at her, the wound from the blade that'd taken his life still oozing blood, despite the heartbeat stilling. _I miss you so much..._ "You made it out alive. Intact." The man said, as he laid a hand on her other shoulder, trying to channel the steadiness of will that he was infamous for.

 _As if I could hold within me the rage for much longer. They were all going to BURN for what they did._ Audernisse, pleading at her to end it. Her eyes so full of pain, so full of that horrible pain as the fire rose up around her, telling her to burn it all to a crisp.

 _Prosperity..._ The morning after, when her rage had finally bled dry. The corpses turning to ash, save for her friends. They were laid up in the village square as the burning inside her slowly subsided, the rage and hate and anger having balled up inside her once more, to grant them a modicum of peace. _I should have died with them. I should have been there with them, dying instead of remaining alive, even though they pleaded with me to go..._

The tears would not stop, sobs coming from her mouth, as her head was lowered. The headmaster's hand ran through her hair, offering the comfort that she craved, her sobs starting to come ever louder. _Every time that I sleep, I see their faces. Telling me that I was too slow, that I should have run away and not returned... That I should have reported it instead of burning it all to ashes._

A dark emotion inside her surged, as the Headmaster's hands kneaded her shoulders. _And now... Now we're just with seven. Seven sisters slaying monsters._ Jaune was no longer with them, consumed by the Grimm, torn apart in wicked fervour to serve the whims of some cruel deity. _Why can't I stop seeing their faces?_

"I have another mission for you, Miss Arc." The headmaster's calm voice spoke with reason, her ears twitching a little at the way that the man seemed to try to be as business-minded as necessary. "What is it?" She said brusquely, her voice sounding wearier than before.

"You are to go to Mistral and meet up with Leonardo Lionheart. At Haven Academy, you will be responsible for gathering the Vytal festival attendees." The man's voice was gentler than before, more of the man himself than the headmaster who had to order his subordinates around. "If that is your mission, I will accept." The Vytal festival was a pretty big thing, after all. "Afterwards, you are to return here with your sisters Rowan and Azure. I have a mission for the three of you." That was feasible. A quick two-week trip to Mistral, arranging for the transport from the capital to Vale, within the bounds of reality for her.

"I accept, Professor Ozpin." She said. The man patted her shoulder, like a proud parent would do to the prized heir. "I knew you would." The man's tone held no doubt that he had indeed thought about her accepting the offer, the knowledge that she would accept something that he had already ordained the moment that she set foot in his office. _One has to wonder how his schemes always come together. It is akin to magic._

"You remind me of a girl I once knew, Miss Arc..." The man's voice was her guiding light in the sudden darkness that welled up around her, her Semblance throbbing, as the man sat behind his desk once more. The weight of something pressed upon her back, her eyes looking at the man as he folded his hands in front of his face, leaning against it with his chin. "Do you believe in fairytales?"

 _Am I going to be told some story about the goodness of humanity?_ Her gaze rested on the man as the weight pressed against her back. "No. That Heather died with her team." She had once enjoyed fairytales, up until the time when it had cost her teammates their life. _Life is no fairytale. It does not come with a few boo-boo's and a nice mother to kiss them all better._ The pleading of her friends, their death throes something that she would never be able to wash off her mind's eyes. "It is sad to see that you have lost the ability to enjoy a good tale. I am personally fond of the tale of the Maidens.

 _Oh, I know that one. An old guy with his four love-slaves._ The giggling that they had done when Rowan had retold the tale in a more adult manner, just twenty-three years old. _She was so innocent back then... So full of life._ She couldn't help but mournfully smile. "That is all good and well, Sir. I personally do not hold much affection for it." _Jaune did. He liked listening to our stories, even if he had to wear the pretty princess dress. Mother always chastised him for wearing it, but I secretly think she enjoyed the sight of her only son in a dress from time to time._

"You would find that fairytales often bring some joy to the world. The imagination of the people to bring hope to the people... Is that not a wonderful thing?" The man looked at her, as if the words were supposed to cheer her up, her eyes narrowing. The heat of her Semblance dried the tears on her cheeks, as she looked at him. "I do not care much for fairytales."

"That is your opinion. Are you ready to depart for that mission?" _Am I?_ The man's eyes peered at her from above his glasses, his eyes looking sternly at her. _I guess I am._ "Of course, Sir." She said, her poise returning to the huntress which she was supposed to be. "A bullhead will ferry you towards the airport. You are to take the transport provided and make your way to Mistral." The man's voice was business-like again, the mask of the stern commander on once more, compared to the man who had told her about his love for fairytales.

 _I guess we're all pretty fucked if the man was more into the fairytales than the protection of humanity._ Her thoughts did not comfort her greatly, as the elevator beeped and Professor Goodwitch stepped through, carrying a stack of papers in her arms. "You are dismissed. I hope your trip is without any issues, Miss Arc."

 _I hope so. If I see another Nevermore trying to eat a bullhead, I'm going to go and fry it like barbecued chicken nuggets._

* * *

 _The nausea_

* * *

Sienna's eyes glinted in the moonlight as she peered out the window, looking at the shattered moon that floated high above the town. The peace and tranquillity of it was at odds with how the human population was flourishing, oppressing the Faunus without a fault. _Every day that the moon shines on a world where the Faunus are laughed at and discriminated against, is a day where I will fight for what is ours by right._

She cast a glance at the sleeping Kali, currently snuggled up against her, her arms wrapped around her in a manner that was entirely too close for comfort, her hand reaching out to stroke fingers through her hair, the conflict inside her starting to rage even more. Her gaze slid up from Kali's position on the futon to the bed, where the blonde huntsman lay, sleeping and snoring lightly, the dark-haired Atlesian woman pressed up tight to him. As they had no sleepwear, they slept in the clothes that they had bought earlier.

She could see the young man's face, illuminated by the night's glare, shrouded in shadows yet perfectly clear to her Faunus eyes. His nose seemed to twitch a few times, his hand brushing over it for a moment. _He has not decided to make us his pets yet._ She glanced down at Kali, who was busy with rubbing her head against her side, muttering something about good cookies. _I will keep you safe._ The paranoia that she held in high regard would keep them safe, as long as it was needed. She knew that the human would betray her eventually. _Humans always betray and cause harm to the Faunus._

She glanced through the room, letting her gaze rest onto the belongings that he had been carrying with him. A fresh bag of supplies, bought at one of the stores, enough for three weeks of travel, which would put them at Mistral or Wind Path if they had a good pace. The rifle that Esmeralda had bought at a weapons shop was standing against the wall, unloaded for the time being. _She was adamant about buying the rifle... Obviously to ensure that she would not be ambushed in the night._

She could hear movement outside, getting up and watching through the window several figures already creeping closer to the inn. _I don't like it. They are acting too suspiciously for my liking._

She nudged Jaune a little. "Wake up." Her voice said, even as she let her gaze slide over the people. _Moving with deliberate intent to keep stealthy. Weaponry... maybe? It isn't good if we are caught unaware._

Her gaze went back to Kali, who was snuggled up to the bed, her arm wrapped around the pillow, the warmth of her previous spot something that she could only hope to regain. _It would not be unfeasible for them to attack us. Someone seemed to know the symbol on Jaune's jacket._

When she had started to refer to him as Jaune she did not fully know, save for the fact that he was there and had not acted against them yet. _It is frightening how naive he seems to be. 'To be a hero worthy of respect'... pah. Real heroes die on the battlefield, fighting for their cause._

Her mind went back to Ghira, who had died thanks to the assassination attempt. Anger blossomed in her heart. _You are stupid for travelling in the same area as him. You could have known that some idiot would have the idea of assassinating you._

She had nobody else to blame but herself. "Wake up Kali." He said, his voice carrying an edge of steel, as if the switch had been flipped in him, his eyes looking alert. The crimson eye glowed a little in the darkness of the room, a tendril of fear worming its way into her heart. _What is that fear?_

She pressed the button for the staff, hearing the footsteps outside the door. "Kali? Wake up." She nudged the woman, whose eyes opened slowly. "It's still night, Si." The woman mumbled. "Danger." Sienna hissed, the woman's eyes opening up. Jaune gave Esmeralda a shake outside of her view, even as Kali got herself up in the ready position, getting out of the bed. _We should have a reasonably defensive line here, if we guard the door. They'd not be able to get through the door without getting slain._

"Oh?" Esmeralda said, her eyes fluttering open, Jaune's hand resting on her. _Curious._ The thought was starkly different to her mindset at the moment, as she watched Kali pull the blade from her kimono fold, her eyes looking at the blade and then at the door. A knock on the door sounded. "Sir?" The voice of the innkeeper came, Jaune's throat making a sound, as if he had just been startled out of his thoughts. "Yes?" He said, voice sounding a little hoarser. He adjusted the jacket a little, as he walked to the door, his footfalls heavier on the ground. The new shoes worked well to give the impression that he was at least moving. _Sometimes, when he tries, he can be silent._

He turned the key in the door, opening it slowly. "Is something the matter?" The tired tone of voice was not a bit of acting, his voice genuinely laden with that weariness. "Well... There's a few people here wanting to speak with you." The woman's voice sounded even, even though Sienna could detect the hint of distrust. Jaune put a smile on his lips though, as if he took the words at face-value. "I'll be right down." He said, shutting the door once more and going for his sword. _Is he going to go down alone?_

"It looks like they'll be waiting for you downstairs." She said, her voice lowered, so that they would not hear it outside. He nodded his head once, clearly already understanding the situation that he'd gotten into. "I'm sure that it won't be something bad." _What idealism..._

She could already smell the blood in the air, seeing his eyes fade away. _Another brilliant set of blue eyes dimming, to be filled with nothing but hate and anger..._ The light of the moon outside caught his face, an innocent look on it for a moment. _With just a bit of scruff and his hair..._

The familiarity was something that nagged at her, her lips pressed thinly together, as she tried to think about who she was reminded of. _Come on Sienna, you can do this..._ her hands adjusted her grip on the staff, the edges ready to cut through flesh. _None of them should have aura. Easy pickings, easy to disable._

She looked at Kali, watching as Jaune went for the door. "Be careful."Esmeralda said, her voice a little breathy. _She's got a vested interest in making sure that he makes it out alive. Every time he does something 'sweet', she's just smelling like she's just gone into heat._ He was out of the door in a moment, the tread of his feet on the floor loud to her sensitive ears. "We should wait for him to get back." Kali said, even as she shifted a little where she sat, her fingers pulling the blade out and practising a stab. _We should be prepared. I am not going to die due to some human's racist beliefs._

"We should be prepared." She found herself saying, as she straightened out. _Curse you short genes, I really wish that I wasn't born like this._ Her smaller stature meant that she would not be able to have the same striking power as others who were taller would have. She was definitely smaller than the majority of the men that she served with in the White Fang, her skills in the art of combat not neglected in the least, as she had risen through the ranks.

 _You are a proud woman. You can be a proud fighter, a proud Faunus and a proud person._ She psyched herself up, as she could hear the first smash come from below, the loud bellow of 'Get him!' sounding from below. "It seems there's a party going on below." Kali said, her voice light.

"We should see whether it's something that we'd like to go to." Esmeralda added, Sienna watching the two women as they held their respective weapons, three cartridges of ammunition put into the woman's pocket. _They're mad._ "You're planning on going down there with him?"

"Get HER!" Someone shouted, a loud crashing sound was heard then, as someone had been slammed into the liquor cabinet, if her ears pegged it right. "We're going to help our manly guide out, right?" Kali said to Esmeralda, who nodded at that. "I'm going to ensure that he is mostly physically intact." _You're going to make him get right back to proper health with your body, aren't you? I haven't really seen any women act THAT thirsty for male attention... ever._

She could feel a faint twitch inside her nethers as well, letting her know that the thought about a man being intact in most respects was NOT a bad thought. _Hush, hormones. It's all because of the crazy talk about getting some action that you're acting up._ She was Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang. She would rather die than to lay with any human. "And if you're lucky, you can get some action as well. By the brothers, you NEED it." _WHAT?_

Her face spoke volumes as she turned her gaze onto Kali, who was grinning like the feline she was. "You've been cooped up with stuffy men and anger and rage, Sienna. I'm not against a bit of play, you know..." Esmeralda coughed a little, Sienna's own heartbeat increasing even more, the feeling of being put in a corner by Kali something that pressed up against her. _I'm not... No, she must be joking._

"I'm joking, Sienna." She said, a sigh of relief escaping her mouth. _Not to say that she isn't attractive... but I am not into women._ "Now, for you..." The woman grinned at Esmeralda wickedly. "You've got some way to go before we can get some play in." The dark-haired woman's cool arched brow reminded Sienna of Nicholas Schnee's final speech as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, after the man had been requested to elaborate on the hiring practices that Jacques Gele had proposed before the board.

"You're a silly cat." The woman said, shaking her head. "Shall we?" She said, indicating the door. "The brunettes have to save the blonde... I guess you could call this a modern romance." The snicker came from her mouth, even as she remembered the final act of Ninja's of Love IV: Revisiting the Pussycat. _Anri really should have just said YES to his offer, rather than ensuring the safety of the village._

* * *

 _Ordering the chaos_

* * *

Jaune dodged the first punch, his hand already swinging out to knock its owner into the land of unconsciousness, the fast reflexes that he had trained with on his own having lent him the strength to back up the movements. _Every time I see people... they betray my faith in them._

" _Go Jaune! Watch your right! Big guy with a pole!"_ Summer's voice sounded through his ears, even as he caught sight of a red-faced man with a large metal pole in his hands, clearly intending to put it to use in beating him down. "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed the pole and tugged it out of the man's grip, throwing it aside and delivering a kick to the man's gut, sending him back. "I don't know what's going on, but it isn't nice if you attack someone who just wants to rest!"

Tetch stood behind the crowd, nervously looking at the proceedings. "He cut a deal with the Beornir! He would've been dead otherwise, he must've sold us out!" The man's words seemed to incite the crowd, Jaune's own heart sinking a little. _Vitae Tenebris_ coursed through his veins, the dark ichors swelling the veins on the arm that had been constructed solely from the dark matter, his body moving several times faster, grabbing one of the men and then throwing him towards the bar, the shattering of glass hardly a concern for him anymore.

"Need a hand?"Shay, the guy that he had been talking to earlier, said, getting up from his seat after a moment, his eyes looking at the gathered people, raising his fists. "You're always such a bother, Shay." Vernal said, as she raised her fists. _Not using their weapons... So they're likely not going to bother with remaining in the village either._

"It'd be appreciated." He said. _"They'll keep the majority off your back. I've got faith in your training... but you're not good without a blade. You could've put less force in the kick and went for a disabling kick instead of just sending the guy back."_ Summer's voice sounded like the chirp of a bird, even as he could see the people growing intimidated by having to face three fighters rather than two. "Get him!" Tetch shouted, emboldening the people with his words, and Jaune internally cursed.

 _Shit, if he riles them up enough..._ The image of summoning the Grimm to deal with his problem was coming harder to his mind, the image of creating a Horde big enough to topple the walls and devour everything inside the village was growing clearer. _I have the power to damn them all to death, fear and terror their only respite..._ He blocked one of the blows with his arm, his other fist driven into a man's stomach, pushing the man to the ground. Vernal was in a whirl of motion, her hands slamming into the guts of men twice her size, the young woman's body marked by a tattoo, boldly emblazoned on her shoulder. _"That looks a little familiar... Though I can't remember where I've seen it before."_ Summer commented, even as Jaune could feel something break on his head, liquid washing over his head, the anger inside him welling up.

 _Why do I always have to suffer through this shit? Isn't it enough that I would want to be treated like a decent human being should be treated?_ The anger and frustration welled up inside him as he jabbed his elbow into the gut of the man, a growl coming from his lips as he grabbed a fistful of the man's hair and brought his head down to meet his knee, the satisfying crunch stimulating something dark inside him. _A hero does not need to deal with this kind of shit. Why do I want to be a hero? Because I will defend those who care for me with my body and until my last breath. I will be remembered as Jaune Arc, Hero!_

It was his benefit that he had two others to help him fight, as the men surged forward in a wave, their eyes filled with fear and distrust. It was like a physical miasma around them, as they tried to hit him, the aura dulling the blows, as he flared it. He could feel the burning inside his body as the fear wrapped around him, the darkness inside him bubbling and boiling. _"Let me out."_ Summer growled, her eyes flashing before his vision, the urge to summon her rising in him, even with the sudden spark of darkness welling up in his depths. _"No! They'll notice that I can summon Grimm then. I won't let you ruin this... this good thing that we've got going on now."_

Not to be regarded as a monster, a freak, someone who should not exist... He was willing to sacrifice much for the ability to just be 'Jaune Arc' instead of 'that horrible monster'. _You will never be able to look them in the eye if they realize you're nothing but a man who can control merciless murderous monsters._

" _You might have to. We all have to face our demons sometime, Jaune."_ Summer's voice was clear, as he dodged a punch that might've hit him, his fist slamming to the man's nose, the clumsy jab aided by his aura's enhancement, as the man groaned, his nose leaking blood. _"I don't want them to hate me."_

As Shay kicked another of the men, he looked at his partner, Jaune's eyes going to the man as he beckoned for the aid of his partner. "Can't handle the steam?" The woman said, her fist lashing out. She didn't use her weapon for some reason, probably due to the casualty rate. Jaune did not either, as he knew that killing people would draw more Grimm towards the village by the negativity that it would create.

"Just lemme focus, Vern. You always interrupt me when I'm just getting into my jig." The man's body moved, his fist hitting the intended target. "They've got knives!" His partner warned. Jaune could see several people in the crowd of angry villagers hold knives, sharp and stabby-looking. _It wouldn't be a pleasant thing to get stabbed by those._

He caught sight of Sienna and Esmeralda and Kali appearing, the first holding her staff fully extended, her eyes glaring at the men and women who'd appeared to deal with them. "We just want the Beornir kid! We ain't got nothing to deal with you filthy Faunus!" Someone said, Sienna's eyes narrowing. _She doesn't like that... Then again, who would?_

"That's our guide you're threatening, mister." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding sharper, more in-command than her usual tone of voice. _She sounds a bit like Weiss does when she's trying to get Ruby to do something that she approves of. Gee, I wonder how they are. I bet they're better Huntsmen than silly stupid me._

"Yeah, let our blondie alone! We need to get him to take us through the land!" Kali added, Sienna remaining silent. Her ability to hold her tongue when pressed was something that she seemed to have cultivated to such an extent that it would be folly to imagine her as anything less than the in-control woman that she was, her staff still held before her. "They're helping him out! Soon, we'll be seeing the dust maniac and her family come for our homes!" Tetch shouted and Jaune could feel the ground below him almost literally crumble away. _Is that the thanks that I get, for suffering all of that?_

The melee was joined by Sienna, whilst Esmeralda kept her rifle trained at the mass of people, her eyes narrowed, as she looked at the people. With a single shot, there'd be casualties coming, something which hadn't occurred just yet. With her rifle, the lethality of the whole encounter had risen, yet her face was resolute, as if she had accepted her duty as one of the people that travelled with her. _"She's got decent aim. Not quite Huntsman-quality, but it isn't bad."_ Summer commented, making him wonder whether the woman had shown some indication for shooting, past the regular test that they'd done at the weapons shop.

A fist crashed into his ribs, the pain caught by his aura, even as he moved through the crowd. He could hear the screams, could feel the anger and frustration in the air. _A veritable banquet._ Allowing himself to wallow in those feelings, he moved with the grace that he could muster, blocking a blunt weapon with his _Vitae Tenebris-_ infused arm, the sensation of being hit dulled greatly by the liquid that had shaped that arm. _It still feels weird to know that my arm is gone._

"Kali!" Sienna's voice was shrill to his ears, even as he could feel the momentum stop, his gaze drawn to the direction where Sienna had screamed from, catching a glimpse of the feline dark-haired woman stumbling, her hand touching her side. "I got her! That's one more mutt put down for good, haha!" A woman cackled something, Sienna there in a flash, speed boosted by the aura that she held. He moved as swiftly as he could, holding on to Kali, the feeling of the woman's pain like a tonic to his weathered body. "Let me awaken your Aura." He said to Kali, who groaned something. He could see the red stain her clothing, glad for a moment that she had decided to wear the dark Mistralian outfit rather than the new one that they had bought today.

"By Arcadia's might, I bestow upon thee." The words came as if by memory, as he recalled another image. _His kneeling form, eyes looking up at him. A word was spoken, as the sword laid upon a shoulder._ "The power of my soul, to enlighten thee." _The woman had been kind, once before. Her heart had turned wicked and dark, as the flames licked and her words had been like thunder._ "With my strength to guide, your blade is mine and mine will commands thee." _The first of the order. The Grand Wizard had said it would be proper. To dispose of all who held darkness in their hearts._ "With thine flesh knitted, with thine mind repaired, thou shalt serve me, as I bestow a bond upon thee, eternally." _She looked upon him, as the ashes were swept away. Eyes full of doubt, full of fear. The Grand Wizard's hand upon his shoulder, the assurance that all would be well given._

And then... the world changed colours. A bright light lit up the Faunus woman's body, as he pushed his Aura into hers. The wound that had been inflicted had hit her in the guts, the sensation of coursing through her bloodstream in order to send his power through her something odd and unnatural, even as her eyes met with his, wide and terror-filled.

* * *

 _The umbral shade_

* * *

 _You're an idiot, Kali._ She cursed herself, the blade that she'd gotten from Sienna having fallen from her grip moments before. Pain lanced through her whole body as she could feel the burning pain from the wound go through her. She could feel her lung breathe in, only bubbling froth coming from her lips, the pain that she felt being beyond anything that she had ever felt before.

Every sound seemed to be dull, even as she could see the young man coming towards her. _I've probably sustained some grievous damage. He wouldn't be able to heal it, even if he had some healing semblance or the other._ She could feel her throat choking up, even as he laid his hands on her. She could only groan as he asked her a question, her groan taken as acceptance.

 _Ghira... at least we'll be together again. I'll have to ask Sienna... I've got to ask Sienna to take care of our little girl._ The woman's eyes met Jaune's, as he spoke to her, laying a hand against her and holding on tight. Everything seemed to freeze for a moment, as his lips formed words, the words unimportant to her, save for the feeling of something creeping inside her, beyond the pain, beyond the fear and the rattling pains that wracked her form.

Then... She was full of HIM.

Her whole body FLARED in pain as her lung knitted itself back together, her throat burning with bile that would not emerge, as her whole body felt like it had been born anew. With that pain raw in her mind's sensation, she could suddenly FEEL.

 _OH... OH!_ The darkness was all around her. She could see nothing save for the darkness that occluded her senses. Dark red pinpricks lit up around her, like the stars in the sky, yet without the sensation of comfort that they would lend to anyone watching them. A primal fear seized her heart, as the darkness faded and the red lights unveiled their true nature.

Grimm, as far as the eye could see, surrounding her completely. Beowolves and Ursae, different sizes and growths, yet Grimm still. Her gaze rose up, to see Jaune's face hovering over this dark and ominous plateau, the sight of his compassionless face looming over her bringing with it the tremors of shock and fear, as the Grimm looked at her. She could feel the haunting fear seep over her mind, numbing her with that cold shock and awe that she held. _Why? What is he? Is this because of the Aura? Is he..._

The Grimm stalked closer, the sight of new prey attracting their attention, their gazes upon her hungry and without pity. _Am I going to be torn apart?_ She was unarmed, without even the slightest ability to defend herself. She closed her eyes, resigning herself to dying in this place that was as strange as the life that she had found herself in, bereft of husband and stability. _Ghira... I wish you were here._ "Hello!" The cheerful voice of a woman reached her ears, opening her eyes to see a woman wearing a red cloak stand before her, a set of swords in her hands. "You must be another of Jaune's friends!" The Grimm closest to the woman seemed to freeze, as she sent a silver-eyed gaze over them, her lips quirking into a soft smile.

"I would think that I am more of an acquaintance than a friend." She said, trying to choose her words properly, her eyes looking at the woman's form, as the swords shifted a little in the woman's grip, the blades lowered. "The name's Summer Rose... and... Oh, he's not done that before."

Looking up at the visage of the young man, she could see immediately what the problem was. Gone was the blonde hair and the sun-kissed face, replaced with only bone-white skin, veins distending with a dark blood pumped through them, visibly writhing through the veins. The Grimm seemed to raise their heads in acceptance of him, as his gaze dispassionately peered down at them, without the mercy that she had ascribed to him, his eyes a dark red colour, like blood.

 _He's done something like it before? What sort of..._ Her mind refused to accept it, as she looked at the pale features of the man, his eyes looking at her as if she were a bug. One by one, the Grimm started to dissipate, only leaving her with the strange woman named Summer. "Eh... This'll be like with the other lady. Yeah, eh... You'll get out soon? I mean, I'm new to this whole 'sharing aura' thing. Jaune's usually a bit more on the mark with his stuff, but I don't want to say that he's..." She made a gesture with her hand.

"Young lady, what are you on about?" The young woman blinked. "Hey! I have a kid and a step-kid! I'm not a young lady!" She put her hands on her hips, even as suddenly, something seemed to fill her very core. A dark wave of liquid seemed to roll over her, filling her vision with a thick sludge-like oil, wrapping around her with an unnatural chill, her hands trying to push herself up, to get some fresh air. Her lungs felt like they were being compressed, the liquid wreathing her in that icy chill, not letting go of her even though she tried. She felt like drowning, even as she lost sight of the woman who'd joined her in this darkness.

The liquid evaporated in a flash as if magic itself had banished it away. She could see him standing there, only a short way's away, garbed in dark clothing. _He looks a little like Professor Ozpin, his white hair done up in a different style... and no glasses._ The crimson eyes met hers, as his blue eye colour was absent. _Kali, you can do this. If this is but a test for your own benefit, you can meet it._ She took a step further, her whole body feeling like it had been flash-frozen into inactivity, her whole mood shifting to something a bit more demure, as she took another step. Summer Rose stood at his side, dressed in the same outfit, the skirt looking pristine in its whitish-gray colour, her gaze meeting hers, the faint smile that twitched along her lips both comfortable as well as heinous, inspiring her to think of a beast about to strike its prey.

She finally reached the man, her mouth opening, only to see his face change, darkness wrapping around her suddenly and burning away all imagery of him and Summer from her vision, leaving her only surrounded by the Grimm, howling and growling like the beasts they were, there to defile and destroy, to ravage and to kill.

She startled aware, looking at his face, aghast at the sensation, his blue eye holding the care that he had shown, as she took a few steps back, the primal fear sending her heartbeat into the fastest pace that it'd ever beat. _What was that? Was that... Why? Why did I see that?_

"Are you alright?" He asked, even as her hand went for the wound, trying to feel where it was, in order to assess the damage that had been done. She could find nothing save for the wound where the blade had tried to get in, the blade that she had used laying on the ground. _He's a monster. He's a Grimm wearing human skin... A creature that has no soul, yet... Yet his Aura touched mine? What is this?_ Sienna looked worriedly at her, the villagers kept at bay by the weapon that she wielded, the Tiger Faunus impressive in her natural manner of ferociousness. "I'm... I'm fine." She glanced at Esmeralda, still holding the villagers under control with her weapon. _She'll know. She's had something similar happen, undoubtedly she would know._

Her heart beat a little faster as she laid eyes on him. _Why do I feel a shiver of fear as well as a tingle of loyalty towards him? Is it because he saved me from death? Is it the feeling of no longer being unable to protect myself, indebting myself to him due to that ancient creed? Am I going to be some experiment, to be sacrificed whenever he has his designs met? He doesn't feel like a bad person to me..._

She was filled with doubt, even as the melee seemed to come to a halt, the groaning bodies of the villagers laying there, Jaune and his three companions having whittled down the serious opposition enough to discourage the others from joining in, her eyes catching the people inching back. "We're leaving." Jaune said to them, his voice tired, as he seemed to have had too little sleep to function properly. Her own mind was awhirl, the silver eyes of the strange woman flashing in her mind, a feeling of fear clenching around her, like a living thing that wrapped around her. _The shadows... oh, by the brothers... The shadows._

The shadows seemed to jump out at her, like living serpent-beasts, the phantom-image of those red eyes peering at her, the Grimm just hiding in the shadows, even as she was ushered away by Sienna, whose hand seized her arm, pulling her along. The night outside was full of shadows, her primal fear enhancing them, as the moon stood above, looking like the bastion of light, of hope. _Everything is darkness._

Her eyes met with Jaune's, feeling a surge of hope well into her heart as the blue eye shone with that resolve that meant that she would be safe, that she would have a rock to cling to in this storm of confused emotions and the unjustified hatred that had been sent at them. "Come on! We've got a vehicle." The blonde man said as he led the way towards what seemed to be a motorcycle.

 _He looks uneasy._ Jaune's face was a little pale as he looked at the vehicle, then back at the village. Shadows seemed to shroud his face for a moment, her whole body freezing up as she could see the haunting familiarity, before his eyes were set in a determined fashion. "Let's go."

* * *

 _The requiem_

* * *

She did not let her mind wander as she moved through the halls of Beacon, her steps carrying her further with the tapping of her heels on the stone floor, students avoiding her presence. A hand rose to tuck the strand of blonde hair behind her ear once more, the levitating books beside her enough to impress many. _A calm and collected appearance creates order within the people around you._

The words had been something that she had learned during her final year of studying to become a teacher. _Those who are taught can teach what they know._ Setting her books on the desk, she allowed herself a sigh of relief, the weariness that worked through her body something that she had only to anticipate. _I would kill for a good massage. It feels like every day becomes even harder._

The tone of her personal Scroll sounded through the office, even as she pulled it out of the drawer she kept it in. _Unknown number._ The fingers tapped in the personal password for unlocking the device, opening the call. "This is Goodwitch." She said, her surname far easier to recognize for most than her first. She moved her feet into a comfortable position.

"Miss Goodwitch, this is councillor Maroon Syfres again. I trust that everything is going well with you this day?" The cool tone of the woman's voice was something that brought the feeling of distaste to the forefront again. "Everything goes as it should." The counsellor laughed, the sound robotic in nature. _As far as I know, that council of vultures seems to only convene for the pleasure of trying to run humanity into the ground._ "Have you given thought about our offer?"

 _The crux of the matter. The position of Headmaster of Beacon._ The thought had surfaced to her mind for a moment, the fall-out from the devastation of the docks having laid heavily at Beacon's headmaster's feet. _As if we could have done nothing. The people would fear the White Fang even more with dust under their control._ _Miss Xiao-Long still has a few days to recover from the wounds sustained._

She could feel a flash of empathy for the blonde, perhaps due to the shared hair colour or the spunk that the brawler showed against all the odds. It was perhaps that she saw herself, brash and young and sure that she could face any foe, only to get slammed down by the hand of fate. "The offer of funds for the Vytal organisation?" She tried to play it off as something related to that, though she knew well that the woman she spoke with was only after her taking the position of Beacon Headmaster. "Our offer of earlier to allow you the chance to assume the office of headmaster." The words were robotic and inflected with a tired tone, as she knew the crux of the matter.

"I am afraid that I have not given it much thought, with the current year still ongoing. I am afraid that I will have to pass up on the offer for now." The words were formal, spoken with that tone that she usually reserved for the diplomatic handlings between Beacon and the Valean supply chain. "The offer will not remain for a long while, Miss Goodwitch. You are, out of all the candidates, the best one to assume the mantle of Headmistress." The counsellor seemed to put it down to flattery, Glynda rubbing her temples at the thought of having more executive power.

 _They are blind if they think that merely the position of headmistress would be a lure for me. I am skilled, yes, yet Ozpin holds the majority of fighting force. Without him..._ The bleak thought did not warm her heart, even as she could feel the morose sensation work its way through her body. _You haven't come this far in order to give up now._ "There are others who could fill in the spot. Doctor Oobleck, Peter Port, Jeremiah Py-" A faint cough from the councillor interrupted. "None hold the qualifications that you do. Doctor Oobleck is not known for his diplomacy, nor his administrative skill. The man is an archaeologist, not a man who should oversee the rearing of the next generation of defenders of humanity. Peter Port is in his fading days. Retirement would be one of the choices that he would have to face in ten years. You are young, you have the ability to efficiently manage the budget and oversee the training of the next generation of huntsmen." _Sometimes, I feel old. I'll probably never have a chance at having a family, because work impedes my ability to date._

"I will keep it in consideration. After the Vytal festival, I will probably have more time to devote to such a step in my personal advancement." _A quiet refusal, once the Vytal is done. They would have no issue to deal with afterwards, even with Vale being the organizer this year._ "Thank you for your time, Glynda." The councillor disconnected the call a moment afterwards, only for her face to shift to that darker emotion that could be called frustration. Her hands went down, pulling her shoes off and letting her feet unwind a little from their confinement.

 _A quick shower might be necessary before turning in to bed._ The thought rose to her mind as she could feel the stress of the day sink in. Her eyes glanced at the clock, spotting the hour to be nearly seven. _First dinner, though._ The day started at six for her every morning, thus the need to go to bed early was there. _At least I never have to really do much in the fashion of makeup._

The face of the young man who had died this year flashed through her mind, the innocent eyes that had stared at her once during class, when she had made such a cruel jest. _Jaune Arc... Not the best example, yet willing to become a huntsman._ The Arc family was seen more around Beacon now, no doubt due to their youngest member passing away. _A pity. They had been good students._

She could still remember Rowan Arc from the first year that she had started to teach, the young woman having appeared with a dishevelled mop of hair, without even having combed it, a grin on her lips as she muttered some apologies and then thrashed her opponent, utterly dominating them in the fashion. _I watched the recordings of that year again. She had a talent for fighting._ The guilt suddenly gnawed at her again, even as she sought through the drawers for something that could provide nourishment. A small package of mints she pulled out, putting one in her mouth and feeling the chill of the menthol wash over her mouth. _No deaths this year... as of this moment._

She should not feel so concerned about someone who had passed away, as they were dead and gone, unable to make an impact on the world again. _If things had been different..._ She mused, leaning over her desk and sighing softly. Pulling out the picture from the drawer she kept it in, she looked at the happy faces that she had long-since seen committed to the flame. _Is it because of you? Did I do the right thing in ensuring my own life?_ The guilt gnawed at her again, as she let the tears come. _You're a sop, Glynda. You're old enough to have children of your own, yet you are touched by your own past? Are you a responsible teacher?_

She realized that she was crying the moment when the tears dripped down onto the desk, her body feeling the emotions drain from it, as she looked at the picture. "I miss you guys." She said at a tone that was barely louder than a soft whisper, her lips pressed tightly together, her hand brushing over her cheek, the tears and makeup wiped off. _First a stop by the mirror._

Appearances had to be maintained, after all. One could not look professional is one had smudged makeup.

* * *

 _The night starts_

* * *

 _I'm glad that is over._ The gate leading out of the village had been pulled open for them by a sleepy guard, the vehicle that Vernal and Shay had come in on resembling a bike that he'd seen in the Beornir camp, made for transportation of goods as well as people. The small platform that'd been welded on the frame with a good welding job had been stabilized with some technology that looked similar to the mechashift technology that was used in weaponry for huntsmen. _It looks unsteady, yet it will do the job it was built for._ Jaune could feel nausea writhe inside him, the sensation of the bile and vomit rising in his stomach enough to bring him that queasy feeling.

 _Another disappointment._ He glanced back at the village, Vernal the driver for this stretch, Shay seated on the seat behind her. "So, you've been with the Beornir, bud?" The man said, giving a grin, Jaune's face twisting into a snarl. "If you could call it 'being with', yes." He said, the jacket shifting a bit as he adjusted his manner of seating. The extra bit was not built to carry four people with it, the makeshift guard rail having some difficulty containing the legs. He was pressed up against Sienna, who seemed to be trying to keep her balance, Kali and Esmeralda looking at each other, the former still looking a little out of it. _I wonder what happened with her. Maybe it's still the shock from getting stabbed?_

"You're a bit too close." Sienna muttered, though her words held little fire for it. His wounds ached a little, the remembering of that time spent in the merciful hands of Ruby Beornir bringing another flare of anger inside his heart. _You should be killed. If you weren't dead... I would kill you myself. I would have shown you what it feels to be subject to experimentation._ The _vitae tenebris_ inside his arm twitched, as the dark emotions flowed through him. "Must've been rough. The Beornir are tough sons of bitches." The man's words seemed to hint at having met the Beornir family at some time in the past, suspicion flaring inside him like the ignition of a car. _I feel sick._ "I'm gonna hurl." He muttered, leaning over the railing and spewing his stomach's contents. The soft groan that he could hear Sienna give was nothing if not confirmation of her distaste for him having gained yet another notch, her voice definitely contemptuous as she spoke. "You are going to be sick for a while, aren't you?"

"Really bad with moving vehicles."He got out before more of the stomach acid came out. A hand rubbed over his back. "It happens sometimes with people. My uncle used to have it as well, before he was... well." Esmeralda's voice sounded soothing, even as her fingers rubbed over the wounds on his back. White-hot rage once more consumed him, even as the bile splattered onto the road they were using to travel. "You should feel better once you're all empty."She had the right idea, at least. His whole body felt like it was aflame, as he felt the puke come up even more.

"He looks really sick." Shay commented, Jaune's gaze going back to the direction of the village. He could feel the Grimm in the area come by, his mind already stretching out the tendrils of command to the Grimm that he could sense, the snap of his will dominating theirs like a familiar sensation. The Boarbatusks struggled to accept his command for a moment, yet it was of no issue to him now. _There will be no refusal to heed my orders._ The words were nothing aside from madness, as he assumed control in the fashion that She did, her will domineering the Grimm until his own forced itself into place to take control.

She was ever-present during the night-time, that moment when her mind fully expanded to encompass ALL of the Grimm, the darkness aiding her. _With the network of Seers that she has spread around the world, it is no wonder that there have not been any expansions for the cities for decades..._

Her methodical manner in eradicating the elements of human colonisation was something to be feared. Compared to her, who could summon the Grimm with but a thought, he still held the cost of the _vitae tenebris_ from his own personal wellspring. _It is like the cost of summoning the Grimm..._

 _First... We should get away. Then we can draw a plan._ "Would you two happen to be heading towards Wind Path?" He asked, once his stomach was sufficiently empty, his hand wiping along his mouth, the bile smelling bad to his own nose. _I can only imagine what the Faunus women are smelling._ He glanced at Sienna, whose face was set in a grimace that was half-way disgusted, half-way concerned. "Yeah, we'll be going that way, though we've got to stop about 200 miles before Wind Path. We've got business in that area."

 _Let's hope that this won't turn out badly... I mean, we've got to have some good luck for once, right?_ "Where do we stop first?" He asked, as he looked at the road ahead of them, the hobbles making his empty stomach burn and bubble some more.

"An old village called Kuroyuri." Shay said, his gaze going to follow Jaune's. "Should reach it within about eight hours, if we go with this speed. I hope you can get a bit of sleep."

 _So... Kuroyuri. Perhaps we'll find a warm welcome there._

* * *

 **Well... Another chapter done. For the reviewer who asked whether Jaune is known to have survived by anyone at Beacon: No. They have listed him as dead, so he is not expected to have survived.**

 **Also, we've got Shay D. Mann and Vernal! Branwen tribe members.**

 **I probably edit these author's notes too much. I'm glad that people are still happy to read the story and didn't give up after the first few bleak chapters. I have much more to tell you all. Jaune's story is only now starting to kick up speed.**

 **In the next chapter, Kuroyuri. Also some more RWBY and PRWN.**

 **I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and leave a review!**


	16. Lilies of the past

**Chapter 16: Lilies of the past**

 **People were talking about pairings! Match-ups! Eh... yeah. I've got several things planned out. Enjoy. Your guesses as to who might be ending up with who, will be appreciated and amusedly read.**

* * *

 _The bright servant_

* * *

It had not been hard to get a moment alone with Kali. Her eyes were still nervous, looking back in the direction where the village had been. As they rested for a short while after riding for nearly an hour, it was easy to pull her along a short distance, citing that they'd have to stretch their legs a bit. Sienna's complaining about the soreness of her legs had lent that some credence, as she pulled the Faunus woman along with her, the night still darkening the skies above them.

"You should watch out, there's a rock there." Her feet hit the rock, the brief pain making her grimace, as she turned to her friend. "Kali... What did you see? I'm worried for you." The look on her friend's face was difficult, as she seemed to think about what she was going to say, her lips pressed tightly together and the glow of her eyes looking troubled. "It was..."

She seemed to pause for a moment, looking at her with those eyes wide. "Darkness. So much darkness." Her eyes skittishly went towards the shadows around them, Esmeralda's head turning back to their companions, Shay having pulled out a small bottle and offered it to Jaune, who shook his head, refusing to drink whatever was in it. _I could use a good drink right now._

"Inside him?" She asked. _Just like the Grimm... That dark shape of him as he looked down at me, like I were but some small cog in the machine before him._ The image of her own trial came to her mind, as she looked back at Jaune, who seemed to be saying something, Vernal giving a laugh, her own head shaking a few times as she responded. "It's like a black mass, something that just... wraps around you." The Faunus woman's voice sounded frightened as if she had been spooked by the darkness, fear-filled by the recollection.

 _Could it be the Grimm?_ "Was there a person there too, as he loomed over you?" _She will know what that means, if we went through the same thing._ Recognition came from Kali's eyes, the hug that she suddenly found herself in making her feel some measure of comfort, even as her mind supplied the answer. _You would have done the same, had you felt that fear, Esmeralda._

"Summer Rose." Kali whispered. _Then we have met the same. An avatar of Jaune, it seems... Perhaps a young woman who has been close to him? She did seem to know an awful lot._ The rifle was still in the pack, ready to be used, yet she knew that when it would come to using it to defend herself and those she cared for, she would excel. "Short with reddish dark hair, a peculiar set of eyes?" She asked, Kali giving a wordless nod.

 _She seems to have had less contact with Summer than I have... Perhaps due to the way that he awoke her Aura._ She could feel the Glyphs inside her view expand, their properties shifting. With but a flicker of her power, they could materialize. _I had tried before, when they slept. It was not hard._ "She seemed to be a good woman." Kali shuddered a little. "But... He's so dark." The accusation was something that riled up the darkness inside her, leaving her to feel the sting of something welling up inside her.

"And even if he is..." Her hands brushed over the woman's back in order to assuage her fears, holding her in order to assure her that things would be alright, with the support that she'd give. They were no doubt looking awfully intimate right now, the manner in which she was embracing Kali holding some intimacy in the positioning. "He'll be there to help us. He's not a bad man." _My husband, that is a man who is bad. Jaune... he hasn't done anything to us._ The Schnee CEO had been somewhat cold to her during the first few years of their marriage issues, yet the manner that he had adopted was enough to leave her feeling like she was hardly worth a thing to the man save for the inheritance of her shares. _I bet he already is pressuring daddy about the shares. Jacques is always quick to assure his own wealth._

"Easy for you to say." Kali muttered, her voice soft. "I saw thousands upon thousands of Grimm. All around me in the shadows." The words were haunting, as she tried to imagine that. _And I have shot hundreds of Grimm, aided by that woman._ "A thousand Grimm surrounded me. I was alone with a gun and that woman. I could have died, yet with my will, I created a weapon and I fought." Her words were not inspiring in the least, yet she seemed to have no restraint, as she hugged Kali a little tighter.

"I can't..." Her voice was halting, Esmeralda noticed, as she looked at the Faunus woman. Kali's eyes were teary-eyed, as she sniffled a little. "Why do I have to see everything in shadows now?" The question was like a plea for mercy, as the woman's gaze ran through the darkened surroundings. "It's night. Perhaps it'll be easier during the daytime." The ceremony, inasmuch as it had been one, would not have done much, but it had spooked the Faunus woman. "Promise me that you'll be safe, White."

She should probably correct the woman that her name was not 'White' but 'Whitney' but it didn't really figure in too much in her mind, as she saw the look of seriousness on Kali's face. Her heart beat a little faster, as she looked at Jaune again, her gaze going over his form, the dark outline of shadows over his face creating an air of mystery. _With how he looks, I can imagine him as some dark figure... But I know for certain that he has good intentions._

Esmeralda leaned forward and gave Kali another hug. "We'll be safe together. We're friends, right?" The question was as much to affirm it to herself than it was to assure Kali that there would be no issue between the two of them. "Of course. We might not have known each other for more than three weeks, but you're a good and decent person." Kali's assurance seemed to push her mind to the mannerisms that had most impacted her. The social woman who could make a friend wherever she trod, without any sort of societal barrier stalling her progress to make friends.

 _It would take a really racist person to wish to hurt her._ She let go of her friend, a sigh coming from her lips. "You're a dear, Kali. Just..." Her gaze went back to the young man who felt so pleasant to be around. "Just give him a chance, alright? He's been through stuff... I can feel it."

 _The eyes tell a story that we don't wish to know. They have seen things..._ They were similar to how Winter's were, similar to Jacques' eyes, holding secrets. She had seen secrets, though people often would merely think that she was one of those women who was a mere lush, unaware of the world around her save the bottles that she consumed. _Most people in Atlas have never entered the mines._ The sweltering heat and the glow of the Dust crystals, the picks that chipped away at the rock around them gently, so as to not blow them all sky-high. _Or have seen the Grimm up close._

Not that she had ever been able to keep track of the brushes with death that she had narrowly avoided. Her father had been protective of her, the pale white hair that she had held tied back with a single ribbon having still been cut in a shorter manner in her youthful days than the bun style that she had preferred when she was still Whitney Schnee, instead of Esmeralda Gele, as her name was right of this moment. _You're an old bitch, but you've got some tricks that they don't know about._

The dust rounds that she'd bought at the store should be enough to deal with most approaching Grimm, provided that she use them sparingly. _There are no Dust stores around here, nor any dust mines that can be accessed for the raw product._

She wasn't aware that she'd gripped Kali tighter until the woman's hands pushed her away, the Faunus woman getting a catty look on her face, the narrowing of her eyes definitely feline in the gesture. "You were hugging a little bit too tight there." The woman said a little tersely, as her eyes met with hers. "That is not a good thing if you really wish to be friends."

An apology slipped from her lips before she'd known it, the quick 'I'm sorry!' making the woman's lips twitch into a faint approximation of her smile. "You are forgiven. I am a merciful friend, enabling a poor broken woman the chance to redeem herself before the Faunus goddess that is I." Her head tipped up, the smug grin on her lips still there, as she held it for a moment and then started to giggle. "But really... Something got you thinking?" She asked, and Esmeralda could only give a sound of acknowledgement.

"I have seventy rounds of ammunition." _Industrial standard, ten rounds per clip. Seven clips, or otherwise they would not be able to fit._ "Let's hope we don't run into too many Grimm. "The hope seemed to be something that the woman had, as she looked at her friend, the Faunus giving a little grin. "You just want to hug our little blonde hero, hmm?" The woman teased, her earlier unease shoved under the facade of friendliness, her eyes still showing the fear. "He's not like that..." She mumbled, though her own words were a little bashful, as she imagined hugging him. _Not a bad thought. He did bathe, so he would likely smell like soap._

Thinking back to the conversation that she'd had under the shower, she blushed a little, the darkness thankfully hiding it from three out of six people. _I should be getting myself a man of my own age, not..._ Her mind wandered for a moment, as she let her fancy take flight. _A nice cozy hotel room, plenty of sheets... Ooh, can't forget the alcohol. I bet that he's never had a lady drink a shot right from the- No, Whitney, you're going to stop those thoughts. You're not going to sleep with a young man who is Winter's age. Your daughter would not approve of you acting like a harridan._

She could already imagine what the reaction would be from Winter. A smile played along her lips, the cool narrowing of the eyes, the features that were so much like hers, like a younger copy of herself. _'Mother, I must request that you cease this foolishness! He is too young for you!'._ Winter had always been the proper one, in need of order and rhythm. _She would stand and look angry for a while._

Another thought entered her mind and she gave a soft chuckle. "My daughter would not approve. The eldest, that is." Weiss might, but she was one of the children that held the most variation in her behaviour. _Properly raised, the perfect heir to Jacques... yet with her own will. A bird trapped in the cage of lien, with not a single chance to stretch her wings._ "Oh? Are you considering a bit of 'nightly encouragement'?" Kali's voice held the teasing tone, her unnerved state slowly fading it seemed, as the woman gave her hand a little squeeze. When had she balled her fist like that? Was it because she was thinking about claiming him?

 _She's pretty astute._ The thought of just taking Jaune in the night let a rush of pleasure go through her body, the need to conquer rising, as her tongue slid over suddenly-dry lips. Her eyes roved over his form for a short moment as they approached their little group again. "I might." She said to Kali, who gave a wan smile. _I don't know what I would do. This is new to me to feel like this._

The burning desire within her loins was nothing really NEW to her, yet the intensity that she felt it was new. It was like a burning ache, something inside her swelling those emotions, as she reached Jaune and gave him a sudden embrace. His smell was enough to send a small tingle of joy through her body, a cloud of emotion flaring up in her brain as she smelled his scent for a moment. "Thank you." She said in the huskiest voice that she could manage, her mind adding a paler skin tone to his features, where the eyes were a deep sanguine colour, like the blood that she had seen before.

He gave her an awkward hug, no doubt spurred on by the manner that he had been hugged. _You should belong to me._ Her mind whispered to her, as her fingers stroked over the back of the young man, her tongue licking over her lips, a long exhale coming, letting go of him. "You're welcome." She heard him say, a smile on her lips, as if she were just a young woman getting praised by her man.

* * *

 _The prowling cat_

* * *

Kali's mood was glum, as she remembered what had occurred earlier. White did not understand how the fear was, as she knew it to be. The shadows continued to come at her, with their dangerous whispers, that fierce need inside her to do something about them, to banish them from her sight... yet she could not.

 _You're going mad, Kali Belladonna. You've finally had your brain rotted by those thoughts of your husband._ The accusation sounded in her head like a bouncing ball, as she looked at her friend, who had tried to assure her that it was but baseless paranoia. _You're starting to become as bad as Sienna, never able to trust anyone... Where has the Kali gone that was happy to mingle with everyone?_

 _She died together with her husband._ The dark thought unveiled itself to her mind, as she tried to fight back the tears, the knowledge that her soul-mate, the man who she had spent years with, was gone. _He would not want you to grieve, Kali. You should take heart in your own thirst for vengeance._

She could see White hug Jaune, stopping herself next to Sienna. "She's a randy one." Sienna muttered in that vocalisation that'd be barely audible for human ears. The disapproval in Sienna's eyes was thick as she looked at Esmeralda rubbing herself up to him in the manner that most Feline Faunus did to their intended partners.

 _Wouldn't that be nice? A set of strong arms around you again, touching you. His face up close to yours, delivering soft kisses to your skin. A father for Blake, a young man for you to enjoy._ The thoughts were strange and alien, fear working through her body as she realized their strangeness, her eyes looking at the woman and the young man hugging each other, a surge of something that she called jealousy working itself up from deep inside her.

 _You could always sneak up to him, press your lips to his and claim him. That is the way of the predator... You are a predator, aren't you, Kali?_ The way that her thoughts went were scaring her, as her eyes caught sight of the pale skin of White, who was just moving out from Jaune's presence. _A little mark there and then RIP open that neck and drink her blood... She's staking a claim on what has to be the most predatory man in the vicinity... You have but to grab the reins, Kali... He won't resist, for he is the light that guides._

"Is something the matter?" Sienna asked aloud, her face showing a difficult expression as if she had seen something that she did not quite know how to deal with properly. "Nothing is the matter." _She would be of use. With a few words and a few hints, you would have a champion... A safeguard against all that could be harming you._

"If you do have something... Please." _A few hints, a little careless whisper... She would fight like a tiger in dire straits, without care for her own health. Speak to her about your desires and she will gladly take the life of the usurper._ The thoughts curled around her, whispering to her of the things that she could do. She felt cold inside, even as the shadows crept around her. The darkness was no discomfort to her Faunus eyes, as she looked around. "I've just been thinking about things."

She sat down on the platform, pulling out the dagger that she'd gotten, looking at its edge in the light of the moon, wondering if she could perhaps make it a little handier to use. _It's not really good to wield in the case of a Grimm attack._ She could no longer feel the dark impulses, even as she looked at the blade. "That's a nice knife you got there." Shay said, his blonde hair pushed from his face, a full-toothed smile playing along his lips. "Ah yes, Shay was it?"

The man nodded. "Shay D. Mann, at your service. If you ever need a man, you can find me." The current that went through his manner of speaking was bold and sexual, with the insinuation that he would be more than willing to do such things with her. _You know that he would not be like Ghira, who knows your every spot that makes your spine tingle._ She smiled faintly, the blade pushed back into her clothing.

"I am afraid that Jaune is all that we need for now." Her gaze went to the young man, whose smile was radiant, his eyes twinkling a little in the darkness, as he spoke with Vernal. _You should stake your claim. He might be of the darkness, yet you are of the shadows. Not a single moment will be wasted, should you claim what is yours by right._

She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to focus her mind on the way that things were now. _Blake would not approve if I went for a man who was so young..._ the thought was sane and sobering, as she tried to imagine what her daughter would say if she had won the rights to Jaune. _She would likely stammer something about it being immoral... but she'd be curious._ The tingle of arousal that came through her was unexpected, her eyes widening. _Why did I think that? Are my thoughts influenced by something else? Is this all some ploy that he has come up to make us into his devoted servants?_

It was not something that she could imagine the young man to have done consciously. Paranoia inside her told her that it would be best for him to uphold such a deal until he could capitalize on it, to rip away that visage of kind clumsiness and awkwardness and then seize her, to fill her heart with his vile darkness and to make her into the monster that he himself was.

She could envision it already, her eyes glowing faintly with the power that was within her now, the burning shadows around her wrapped tight to make no light fall upon her. A stalking predator, ready to pounce upon the unwary. " Kill them all." She muttered, her voice so soft that she barely could hear it. " Kali?" Sienna's voice doubted, and she turned her gaze to her. _A perfect puppet, ready to be shown the right of way. A monster... perhaps. A monster needs a slayer._

" Nothing, Sienna." She said, her lips pressed into that smile again, her eyes showing the warmth that she felt, as she could feel the shadows pull at her. _You will never think of yourself as safe again. Not whilst the darkness still lives._ Her gaze fell on Jaune, watching how he stood there, moving to her. " Hey, I'm sorry." He said. _He lies. You will never know that feeling, Kali. To be safe and secure again and..._

His hand touched her shoulder and a warmth flowed through her body like a tidal wave washing over the beach, wiping away all of the darkness. Her mind felt as if she had only the briefest respite, the world engaging once more in colours and vibrant senses of self. "I shouldn't have done the aura thing before asking you, but you were stabbed." _Ah, I see._

She felt like she had been cut loose from the storm that tore at her, a smile on her lips again as she reached for him and wrapped her arms around him, taking delight in the way that a blush fell onto his face. Her lips pressed gently against his cheek, leaving only a faint dusting of lipstick onto his cheek. "Thank you for that. I was feeling a little… glum."

She let go, looking at the surprise on his face. Her eyes could see the shock on his features, the kiss having been nothing major to her. _You'd think that he'd never had a woman kiss him before._ The colour red showed deeply on his face as he took a few steps back. _Ooh, what's with this response..._ "Was that your first kiss by a woman you like?" She said, her voice taking on that naturally sultry tone that she knew would have driven her husband wild. "Or would you like one on the lips, Mister Huntsman?" She teased, feeling how the power inside her seemed to roil and bubble, the strength that she felt burning through her body something that she could not deny.

 _Whatever that was, it seems to have cleared away those thoughts._ Relief flooded her body, as she could feel the endorphins flooding her system. "Jaune?" She asked, a soft 'eep' coming from his mouth, her fingers placed on his chest. _Just an open jacket and no shirt underneath it and I'd be able to just run my fingers through whatever he has as chest hair. I don't think I've ever seen him without a shirt._ "S-sorry, I mean... I... eh..." His stammers were adorable as she turned around and walked to Sienna, a blinding headache suddenly crashing through her head, her hand going to support her forehead, as she shook her head, trying to clear it. "Stupid headache." She mumbled, Sienna giving a questioning sound as she looked worriedly at her friend and current objective of protection.

"Just... a bit of a mess." She muttered to Sienna, who demanded clarification through her body language alone. Relief seemed to flood Sienna, even as her headache seemed to increase in force. _This is annoying._ The pain seemed to throb between her eyes, as her world seemed to turn into monotone colours, dark and light fluctuating. "You should take a rest. Being stabbed and having your aura heal you... It isn't good for your mental state." Sienna's voice showed her concern, Kali smiling at the younger woman. "Perhaps." She said, as she tried to find the proper way to explain how she felt.

"Ready to go, ladies?" Shay said, his cocky attitude back in place. She could see his gaze go over her, Sienna giving him a scowl that fit her face. "I think we are, yes." She could feel a lot better now, with her whole body being refreshed, thanks to his touch. _Is this what huntsmen feel like when they have their Aura unlocked? This... energy?_

She'd leave it to chance. It wouldn't be something bad, right?

* * *

 _The blight on the world_

* * *

Jaune could feel the Grimm around them move, as his will dominated theirs. It was an automated process now, ensnaring the tendrils of their mind and binding them to him, at least until he was out of range. It was easier now than it had been, the Ursa and the Beowolves commanded with greater ease, as if they had always desired to be led and coaxed into the spots where he wished them. _It would be easier if I had the focus to do so without draining my own willpower._

The bumps under the wheel made him shake a little, the bag that held their ammunition and some of the clothes under his guard. Kali looked at him with eyes that seemed to have hidden depths. _Why did she kiss me?_ The thought ran through his mind a few times, as he could feel his heartbeat slow down. A strange effect, but not one that he would discount for anything but the affirmations of his beliefs.

"Eh, Kali... You kissed me earlier." The roar of the engine blocked out his voice for the most of it, Vernal upping the speed a little, the bumps on the road below him feeling rough, rocking him a little. "A man deserves a reward, does he not?" He could feel the frustration and irritation in Sienna, whose eyes looked at him. Esmeralda was seated against his back, her soft sigh heard only through proximity. Her emotions were confused and irritated in parts, his mind catching several urges of frustration, allowing them to feed thedarkness inside him.

"I suppose..." He said, unsure whether to feel anything about that. It was not something that he would be used to, with his own failure at finding some cute girl that he could do those things with. _Weiss was perfect. So in control, calm... unflappable even when Ruby pulled out those dust rounds and nearly blew team RWBY's room up._ "Don't be glum. If you want, I could kiss you again..."

"Kali!" "Kali!" came from two mouths, the woman behind him appearing in his vision, her dark blush looking like it'd just blossomed, which might very well be the case. "Why are you trying to kiss him? He's..." The woman's words seemed to falter, as she looked at Kali, whose smirk was even more cattily than it normally was. "Perhaps he would like that, Esmeralda... it's not like a bit of free love isn't encouraged?" Sienna hissed something. "You're in an addled state of mind! You should rest!" The woman seemed not to approve of the older woman's manner, Kali's soft giggle louder than before. "You should take a breather, Sienna... You know that we'll be safe around him."

 _Safe? Why would they be safe? I am just a huntsman in training, not someone who could fight for them like a champion of justice could._ He was reminded of his sisters, reminded of how Rowan had once challenged the others to a spar. The sight of them moving with the speed and grace that they had been taught in the preparatory academies and schools, their movements as fluid as any dancer or acrobat, was breathtaking.

"I don't trust him." She said. He looked aside, seeing that Shay was busy with peering at the scenery, his hand on his weapon, clearly something keeping him alert, whilst Vernal focused on the road. _Who does she trust beside Kali?_

As they continued on their way, he connected with a lot of the Grimm. With those connections, his knowledge expanded. Their eyes were his eyes for shards of time, red glimmering in the shadows as he watched the vehicle ride by, the Grimm not giving chase due to his will. _So many of them... it would have been inevitable for them to not attack the moving target._

Shay was definitely the lookout for trouble that would need to guard the people against an ambush, whilst Vernal was definitely the driver out of the two. _She looks like she knows her way around a weapon as well. That can be useful if we run into a Grimm I can't control._

" _Have you given it some thought?"_ Summer asked, as she appeared in his mind's eye, her voice soft, yet with that firmness that she showed still present. Her body seemed to light up to his eyes, the grisly manner of his gaze not even startling her. _"What?"_ He asked her in return, even as he felt the sensation of spectral arms wrapping around him. _"Whether we can give this partnership thing a try. You can summon me in shadows... But can we try that? Please?"_ The suggestion that she had given was something that he did not easily dare think about, his mind brought to worry, as his eyes closed and his head was bent. Without the worry burning through his body, he would have been freed from the oppressive thoughts, yet Summer seemed to think differently.

Those silver eyes looked at him with their baleful glare, their deathly nature frightening and comforting him at the same time. _The silver eyes would be a boon..._ The thought was not strange, as he wondered about the abilities that they had held. _They freeze me up when they gaze at me directly._ A weakness, one that was dictated by the balance of things. _"I suppose... Next time we get in a dangerous spot, I guess we can try."_

" _Yay!"_ Her voice was cheerful, even as she seemed to start a different train of thought. He caught sight of what seemed to be civilisation up ahead. "Look, it's a village!" Shay turned his head, looking up ahead. "Yeah, that's one of the villages that've been built and abandoned due to the Grimm. Kuroyuri is where we've got most of our stash of foodstuff for our trips outward." Vernal raised her head, giving the man what amounted to a scorching glare, Shay giving a mock 'oww' sound whilst shaking his own head.

"We should be good for a while though. Any of you hungry?" The man said, looking at the four of them. His gaze lingered on the patch on his shoulder for a moment, his tongue licking over his lower lip for a fraction before he yawned and gave a look. "Nobody? Guess we'll be getting our food at Kuroyuri then!" Jaune could feel Kali grab his hand, the warmth of the flesh making his cold _vitae-_ infused hand warmer, as some sort of link seemed to have become established, the heat making him comfortable, as he looked at the women that he was travelling with.

Esmeralda, with her appearance that seemed so well-cared for, her nature being a little stricter than before yet with her own warmth. Sienna, whose fierce desires to protect her friend Kali would no doubt bring him into conflict with her, who held the fierceness to protect them all in her heart. Kali, who had suffered a great deal and who he felt personally responsible for... was a tease. She seemed to be invested in ensuring that he suffered some embarrassment with her suggestions, her eyes holding the amusement that only a woman could hold towards a young man whose emotions she could play with.

He could feel uncertainty in Vernal's mannerisms, the emotions that she felt being at the back of his mind, the emotional drain that he could do with a thought something that he did not wish to use without reason. _It would be too easy to rely upon the emotions that they could feel... I don't want to do that to my friends._

They were older friends than his regular friends, but he would stick with them. Esmeralda, for all her wisdom, was someone who did not seem to have bad intentions when it came to him. Her mind was no doubt something that would be working to aid them in their trip. Kali and Sienna... well, they would either continue along to some other place or they would stick to him.

 _Working together as a four-man team might be for the best._ He turned his attention inwards. _"Summer, what do you think of our current team?"_ The woman's attention snapped to him instantly, her face showing a smile for once, as she slowly stretched, her tongue slithering over pale lips. Her skin was radiantly pale, as if she had shined it like a mirror, her silver eyes meeting his. _"Esmeralda is pretty cool, if you'd use those words. She's got that mature lady vibe that you'd want to keep around just for the wisdom... whilst Sienna looks like she's one of those types that really has a chip on her shoulder. I don't know who bit her in the rear and took her tail, but she's a ball of anger and frustration, if you couldn't feel that."_ Summer paused for a moment, her grin broad. _"And Kali... She kissed your cheek, so that's a good start! Does my Jaune want to have himself a slice of Faunus pie?"_ The teasing tone that Summer took was like that of his sisters, reminding him of the times that he'd spent with them before.

Rowan had been the most supportive, when he had been younger. Azure always had been there to look out for him during the time that he was growing up, the care for him being one of the tasks that she had taken upon her shoulder. Without a care, she had thrown away all her worries and sought to make his youth a happy one. _Had she really sacrificed so much for me?_ His mind worried, even with the pain that suddenly pierced through his heart in the metaphorical sense. _None of them have had boyfriends. Rowan tried dating once, but she stopped five years ago. Ashley and Bianca kept dating those assholes who just wanted to have the twins experience and..._

His face must've shown his consternation because Kali looked at him with a worried expression on her face. "Is something the matter?" He shook his head, moving his legs a little. "Just a bit of a cramp in my leg, heh."He laughed it off, his gaze going upwards to the skies, where the roaring of the engine would bleed away. _Have I ever seen my sisters be able to keep a relationship going? Rowan's not dated... But I can't remember whether Cremea did._ The worry for his sisters was something that occupied his mind, even as Summer called for his attention again. _"I was joking about that, Jaune. No need to make the sea of darkness churn around me."_ He calmed himself with force of will, the placidness of the _vitae tenebris_ with an application of his will something that strengthened his resolve, his companion looking at him with her silver eyes. _"Now… with Sienna we've got a good melee fighter, Esmeralda's up for taking the back line to defend us at ranger, whilst I'm more of a melee fighter… soooo, it'll be up to you and Kali to guard Esmeralda whilst taking down the Grimm or whatever comes at you."_

That made sense. Most teams had ranged attackers and melee focused partners, who could control the flow of Grimm with their bodies. _I'm more apt at tactics than that._ " _Would you say I've got the ability to be both?"_ The sound of Summer humming something in thought was loud. _"If we count your Grimm summoning as that, yes. Tactical importance of having disposable creatures that could do some damage or distract is something that you can have as your speciality. I am just the slicey-dicey-bloody type."_ He could not imagine the woman easily with her body clad in clothes soaked in the blood of her enemies.

" _The darkness is very strong around the place ahead of us."_ Summer said, his senses picking out the despair and hopelessness that surrounded the area where they were going to, the darkness of the sky starting to brighten a little, as night turned to day slowly, the sun's rays starting to illuminate the morning once more.

A village, obviously scarred by some sort of assault, stood there before them, the ruins looking to be touched by Grimm, crumbling away. Jaune could see several houses had collapsed as if something had hit them with extreme force. _The Grimm that could do such a thing are few._ The classification of Grimm would have to wait, as he looked through the mess of the village as Vernal shut off the engine, climbing off the back of the vehicle and giving a low groan. "I'll go and have a lie-down. Shay, you've got first watch." The man nodded, Vernal pushing open the ramshackle door towards one of the houses, obviously having been made into a temporary shelter by the woman or her compatriots.

"Now, listen here. You four can go and find someplace to take shelter. Me and Vernal have to go and discuss some things, but if you run into trouble..." The man looked at the packs that they had, Jaune's having the swords sticking out, whilst his own nicked blade looked like it would do decent damage. "Just deal with it, unless it's Old Screechy."

"What is 'Old Screechy'?" Esmeralda asked, Shay giving the woman a grin, flashing his teeth. _He tries too hard. Weiss would've chewed him up and spat him out if he tries to do such a smile._ She had rejected him more than a few times. "A big Grimm that'll be best avoided. It's a lethal son of a bitch. We lost several friends to that one when it came prowling around." The man's eyes were rough, as he glanced down. "But I won't let a beauty such as you die if I can help it."

"Shay!" Vernal's voice cut through his swagger, the man's look back at the door giving Jaune the impression that he wasn't too happy about being called out like that. "The lady calls for me. I must attend to her whims." The man gave a little wave, leaving the four of them standing there. "Shall we go and check the houses?" Kali suggested, looking at the houses that still stood, the look of the village still barely touched. _The darkness and pain is heavy here._

"Let's do that." He said, looking absently at the spot on the ground where the bodies must have lay, slaughtered by Her will and her minion's execution. He didn't really feel that comfortable in these surroundings, yet he knew that he would need to focus, if he were to make himself feel more at ease with the situation as it was.

* * *

 _Ignition_

* * *

 _Wooh!_ Her mental cheer as she got out of the bed, the faint ache of her wounds only a remembrance of the pain that she'd gone through, the skin still showing a few of the scars where the bullet had gone through, yet she had taken to the treatment admirably. _It's time to blow some stuff up! Yang is back in town with a BANG!_

She got out of the bed, the underwear that she wore fitting her decently, even though the nurse had offered to get her clothing, her hands moving to pluck one of her shirts out of the bundle that laid on the chair beside the bed, pulling it over her head and tugging it down. _Now to get to a mirror and see how I look!_ The pants were slipped on easily, her feet feeling the cold floor below, yet she paid it no attention. There was a time to be cold and there was a time to be kick-ass and the latter time had arrived right now!

She pushed open the door towards the Beacon Academy proper, giving a cheerful wave at the infirmary doctor, who gave a lazy wave back. It was good to be back in the swing of things, even if you had to take some armour-puncturing rounds to the side! _Yang is harmed, but she's now right and ready to blow up stuff and take names!_

It had been a miracle that her body hadn't suffered more damage from the military rounds, her Semblance having ensured that the majority of the damage had been contained to a few scars, her organs reinforced by the way that her Semblance worked. The metal had been the hardest to pull out for the staff, but once that was done, the Aura worked its magic in restoring her health to the optimum.

"Ah, Miss Xiao-Long, a pleasure to see you up and running." The voice of Professor Port drew her from her cheerful mood, befuddling her for a moment, as she looked at the man who stood there, dressed in the red jacket, his moustache bristling a little. "Ah, professor! How's your day been? Enjoyed the brief break from the kick-ass awesomeness that is ready to go with a Yang?" The good cheer she was in was magnified as the man gave one of his deep belly laughs, his head shaking. "Why, it is certainly good to see that your spirits are lifted. In my youth, when I was hunting one of the young Goliaths in the Vacuan Jungle..." the man's speech could go on for hours, she knew, but the good cheer which the man found himself with was something that she could appreciate. "Sorry Professor, I gotta check in with my team. I'd love to listen, but I've got to see whether lil' sis is doing alright without me."

The man smiled and nodded. "Have a good day, Miss Xiao-Long. Your presence has been missed." _Right... It's eh... six?_ A glance at the wall showed that there was no clock. _Time to do this by your eyes, Yang. If it's six in the evening, you should be able to find your team._ The thought of the schedule for the day was something that she had some difficulty with recalling. She caught a glimpse of Cardin standing there in one of the hallways, out of the regular uniform he wore and with a look on his face that showed nervousness. _What's he gonna do?_

"Hey, Winchester!" She called out to the young man, his head turning in her direction. She puffed up her chest a little, rolled her arms a little in that intimidating manner that Ruby found to be 'so darn cool', sauntering up to him. "What're you doing here, looking like you just rolled out of bed and are looking for some poor girl to bully?" The young man's aggressive behaviour of earlier in the year had bled out, without any sort of repercussion following his send-off of Jaune, whose body had been cremated... what was left of it, at least. _Poor blondie, at least he had something to be buried... They didn't find Summer at all..._

He flushed a little, his gaze going down. She raised an eyebrow, watching the young man's face change to a bit of a blush. _Oh? Was I right?_ "Hey, if you want to bully someone, I'm right and ready to go and bring the hurt onto you, buddy!" He looked up at her, shaking his head. "It's not that, Xiao-Long." His voice sounded tired, even as she heard a louder voice shout 'Caarddiiinnnn!' in a tone that was friendly and cheerful. Her gaze followed the direction the sound had originated from, seeing a Lapine Faunus that she could faintly recall the name of... _Velcro, was it?_ The young woman was dressed in a red dress that seemed to be fitted with several ornamental trinkets hanging from it, showing her body off to the people who looked at her.

She had to admit that the girl looked fancy with her dress. _Whoever did her fashion, I gotta ask for some tips. Can't go around looking like a hooligan. Ruby'd be aghast if her sis didn't do the cool thing and have the BEST STYLE EVER!_ She grinned broadly as the Faunus stopped before Cardin, giving her a look of confusion. "Oh, you're Ruby's sister, are you not?"

"Yep." She said, the P popping from her lips, the girl smiling brightly. _Oof, tone that smile down. The innocence is too much for me!_ "My name is Velvet Scarlatina." She said, extending a hand. Her bunny ears twitched a little, excitedly. Cardin looked a little uncomfortable, even as she gave the young woman a hand. "Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's sister. But you knew that, no doubt." The girl gave a soft 'uhuh', as she turned to Cardin. "Are you ready to go?" She asked the young man.

 _Oho! They're out on a date!_ The shit-eating grin on her lips clued the young man in to her thought process, and he opened his mouth, yet she beat him to the punch. "Ooh, are you two dating?" She inquired, her teeth broadly flashed, in a manner that could be called predatory. _Love and romance are such fun things to read... Especially when you're recovering from having a round or seven through your flesh. I'll have to give Blake some thanks for giving me the books._ "The big brute and the bunny... A couple worth the ages!" She knew that she probably shouldn't tease the two, Cardin's cheeks going as red as his date's dress. "We're... We're just going out as friends!"

She could see the Faunus girl's eyes shimmer as she nodded. "Just as friends! Cardin's been a good friend to me, Yang." _Suuuuuure. I'm pretty sure that he'd be a bit more interested in getting to see what's hiding in your dress, girl._ She could already see it. A dinner, a movie, a hotel room and some saucy regret in the morning. _Only needs an angry team to chase after them and it'd be right in with Broken in Vacuo as far as plot goes._ "We're expected back before curfew. We're just going to a nice place to eat and then a movie, taking the last transport back to Beacon. Coco said that I shouldn't stick around Vale for too long, what with White Fang sympathies being so low."

 _Ah, that makes sense. I guess there won't be any sort of steamy love-making in the future for these two._ She had to admit that they were adorable to see, though. _Just what I need too. A person that'll have my back, who'll pull my hair out of the way when I'm ready to throw up after a night of partying, who'll be able to go and keep up with me..._ She heard the two make their farewells to her, a soft 'See ya later' slipping from her lips, as she made her way towards the room that she shared with the rest of her team. "Hey there gorgeous, how's the wound?"

 _Fucking Bitchteria._ The nickname had stuck to her, as she ran a tongue over her lips, looking at the young man as he hefted his weapon over his shoulder, the tip pointing upwards. "How about you go and jump off Beacon's cliff, eh?" She grumbled, her words not as kind as before. Cardin and Velvet had been adorable. Anyone could see that the boy cared for the bunny, and that the bunny seemed to be thinking of him as a friend. _Oww, that's indeed the friend zone for that guy..._

"Don't be so coy, beautiful. There's a nice place for the two of us to be getting all sweaty together, and I know just the spear thrust to make sure that you'll explode with excitement." _Where did this guy learn how to pick up girls? Asshole school?_ She put her hands on her hips, her eyes looking at the teen that stood before her. "You just aren't my type, buddy." _That'd put most people off. A woman who doesn't know what she wants... well, she ain't called Yang Xiao-Long._

"How about I make myself your type?" He said, trying to appeal to her sensibilities, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the hope on his face. "Or should I go for that teammate of yours? I heard that the Schnee family's quite warm when you catch them alone with a bottle of liquid courage." _Does this guy even know that he's talking to someone who's a part of a team led by her own little sister?_

Her hand snapped out, grabbing something nice and tender, her face close. "Fucking try it and we'll be calling you Viridickless Castrato." Her voice growled, giving him the impression that she was not pleased... if the iron grip on his groin was any indication. _I need to wash my hands. A lot._ She let go and then drove her knee between his legs, her hand holding him up, fingers against his chest to keep him up. "And before you get any ideas about my little sister... She's fifteen. If you do something like talk to her with any hint of innuendo..." She paused for a moment, letting her knee grind in his groin for a moment. "Team PRWN is gonna lose another member. I'll borrow Weiss' Dust and make sure that they never find the body."

She pushed him away then, leaving him to hit the ground with a smack, shaking her head in disgust. As she headed towards the ladies' bathroom for a quick wash-up, her mind immediately went back to that fateful moment when she had been young. _I was a fool back then. Why should I have to find mom? Why did I have to take Ruby?_

Guilt went through her as she realized that she might be protecting her little sister a bit too much, as her fingers rubbed the soap into her skin, the rushing water that came from the tap washing away the suds, yet the feeling of being dirtied by something did not stop.

She could see the haunted look in her eyes as she looked in the mirror, hearing the door to the bathroom open up. "Yaaaang! You're out of the infirmary, how's your health?" Nora's voice blabbered immediately into her ears, as the ginger-haired girl appeared, her energy filling the bathroom with its vibrancy. She could feel the tension seep out of her as if someone had poked a hole in her, to let it all flow out.

She smiled, despite the feelings still rummaging around inside her. "Yeah, I thought I'd get freshened up." She lied, even as the girl nodded. "Were you the one who knocked out Viridian?" She asked. _Yeah._ "Yep. He was being a creep." The girl nodded. "Renny doesn't like it when he tries to hit on me. I mean, I totally don't MIND if he does, just to see Renny getting all jealous… But he needs to have standards. Pyrrha's been a little annoyed with him, just casual like 'Get away, Viridian', because he kept on suggesting that they take showers together."

 _Yep. Definitely keeping him away from Ruby._ She had been the barrier in-between Ruby and a lot of the negative experiences that she would have to suffer in her life. The guilt still gnawed at her, even as she tried to be the 'cool older sister' for the most part. _It's lucky that she's such a weapons dork, or I would've had to interfere much more._

Yang didn't see any problems in the near future for Ruby. She had her partner, who was a bit of a crabby girl in the morning with her prim and proper behaviour, her big sister and HER partner, Blake, who would be able to pull her out of danger. _Only Jaune had really been her friend, but he's gone now too._ The reason for keeping Ruby's innocence intact was mostly for her own state of mind. _I would be horrified if Ruby would go the way that I went._ The parties. The fights. Coming home after thrashing a bar and facing an angry dad. _I am Yang, I am not going to give up being a fun girl. I'll find myself a nice boyfriend who isn't too much of a dick and hopefully get together a wholesome family life..._

"Are you alright? You were kind of staring off into space, as Ren does too sometimes when he's not busy with something, trying that meditation thing. Well, as I was saying, we took our first shower together and he was sooooo cute." _Wha?_ Yang pulled her mind back together, looking at the ginger girl as she smiled. "And when he was all 'Nora, bend over', I was like 'Ooh, Renny!' and then he started to wash me. I mean, not to brag or anything but..." _You're totally bragging._ "He's just such a cutie, even if he's a bit different than Jaune used to be. Now there was a boy who was shy and..." The girl trailed off, her eyes going down to the ground. "Damn, now I've lost my mood." She muttered, Yang mustering a faint smile and patting Nora on the shoulder. "It'll come again. Now... you were telling about a shower?" Nora nodded. "Like... this big!" Her hands spread apart, Yang's soft whistle showing her response to that. The hands pulled a bit closer together. "Well, more like this. Renny doesn't like it when I brag. He says it's a bit too much."

 _You're bragging. None of team RWBY has a boyfriend or girlfriend..._ The thought returned back to Torchwick's words, about her being in a relationship with Blake. She could feel the shudder go down her spine at that line of thought, shaking her head. "Yes, like that! He was just like 'ggrrrr, Nora. Please make sure that you act responsibly.', so when Viridian was getting the smackdown by Pyrrha in the ring we snuck out and went to the bathroom and-" She tuned Nora out again as her speaking speed went up, the sordid details something that she didn't really need to hear much about.

She knew what sex was. She hadn't ever done it, finding it remarkably hard to land a boy who wasn't into 'blowing up on her balloons', but the thought did strike her during the lonely nights when she was all alone and awake. _What I wouldn't do for a young man to carry me off to dinner and eh... maybe a movie. Bumblebee would be able to carry us back and forth and perhaps he'll even get a fondle._ She grabbed her own breasts and adjusted them a little, Nora's chatter continuing. "So, when he was like 'no, Nora will take care of it.' I was like 'You bastard, take this! Nora Smash!' and then he bounced off the ground. Totally wiped out, Goodwitch said."The satisfied nod that Nora gave once more reinforced her manner of being Nora, as she held her head high.

"Have a good evening, Yang! I'm going to take a shower!" Nora smiled and was out of the bathroom, without even having used the bathroom, Yang looking at the door... which opened a moment later to admit her again. "I forgot to pee." She said, entering one of the stalls. That was the cue for Yang to leave, as she knew that her team would be waiting for her.

Opening the door, she saw the sudden rush of confetti come at her, the banner with 'WELCOME BACK YANG!' hanging from one of the bedposts to the other, Ruby having thrown the confetti at her, Weiss looking more amused. "We got a ring that you'd be on your way, Yang!" Her sister said, her tone chipper and cheerful. _She's such a sweetheart. I'm blessed with a little sister like that._

"I am grateful for your swift recovery. It has been... bothersome without you." Weiss said, her nose turned up, as if she had given such a boon to her with such a statement that it was almost too much for her. "No problem, Weiss. I live to make your life a mess." She said, her partner having been mostly silent. "Hey there, pussycat! I'm back, miss me?" Catlike eyes met hers, as Blake disappeared from her spot, her arms wrapping around her. "I missed you, Yang." Her voice was laden with emotions that could not be identified easily, as she looked up into her eyes. So close to her partner, she could almost feel the tension between the two of them. "I missed you too, Blake." She said, remarkably honest. _I did miss her._ "Thanks for the books. They were nice to read."

"I trust you have been keeping up with your coursework?" Weiss said, even as Ruby gave a squeak. "Weiss! We weren't going to pressure her! She just got out of the infirmary!" She could feel Blake give a little squeeze, Weiss' voice picking up. "Proper preparation plans perfect people. That's what I have been trying to instil in you, Ruby." Yang grinned, looking at her sister and her partner bicker. "It's good to be back." She said, ruffling Blake's head, scratching between the ears. She could feel the Faunus rub her head against her chest, the manner in which she did resembling a cat. _We never really had a cat at home. Zwei was enough for us._

"I'm... glad you are back." Those eyes peered up at her again and she winked. "There's a whole world that'd be waiting Xiao-Long for me to come back to it that I couldn't resist coming Blake to you." The groan of her partner into her shirt was to be expected, a laugh coming from her lips. "Hmmm... Mind letting go? I think I need to go and relax a bit before bed." It was early still, according to the clock. _A little nap won't hurt a darn thing._

"Yaaaang, we had stuff! The cafeteria was so nice to prepare it for us!" _Aww, ain't that a darling thing?_ She could see several of her favourite treats all stacked up, Weiss looking at it as if it were made out of Grimmspawn and vile things. _Oh yeah, she's not used to good food. It must be caviar and fancy-pantsy swordfish or something._

 _At least the mood's still good. Ruby didn't get depressive whilst I wasn't there to guard her._ That's what big sisters did to their little ones. They kept the big bad guys who just wanted to destroy their innocence away and made sure that there'd be nothing in the way of harming that brilliant niceness that made her Ruby.

* * *

 _Her desires,_

* * *

Sienna was many things. She was a leader of people, a warrior of her people, a planner of schemes in order to bolster their reputation and to create the peace that they yearned for, with blood and claw. She was a woman who was at the end of her twenties, grown to the role of guardian of the Faunus as a people, protector of the wife of the former guardian... and she was confused.

As she looked at the young man rummaging through the ruins for a good space to sit down, she was confused by the feelings that her companions felt for him. _Without him, Kali would be in a slump. Esmeralda would be... well, not so warmly received._ The warmth that Kali showed, as well as her reticence in engaging with the young man now, was mystifying. _Her mood shifts from hot to cold... from curiosity to fear and then to warmth and acceptance._

She had not seen the woman behave as such before, the rollercoaster of emotions that she had shown being something of a bad sort, the temptation to induce the same feelings that she felt towards the humans great, yet she knew her place. _You swore an oath. You will keep it._ The rigid adherence to her core values was one of her prides, as she knew that the character of a person could be determined by how they kept their word.

 _Even with the human here, he will not impact our ability to survive. The other ones, I am not so certain about, but him..._ The acceptance of their compatriot was something that she only begrudgingly did, as he looked up at her and smiled. "Want to sit down? I've cleared a spot."

 _As if I need to sit down. He's just trying to lure you into his proximity so that he could garner favour from Kali._ The woman smiled a little, as if encouraging her to sit down, her fingers tracing over the blade that she'd been given. _A good weapon should be made for her. I should have some money in my account... if she doesn't have money available._

Her fingers ached, as the staff was put back in its closed state, her eyes looking right at Jaune as he cleared a space for himself. The house was sparsely decorated, with only the smallest amount of furniture still left. _Like a ghost house, back at the festivals. A ghost just about to leap from the ceiling to scare the life out of you..._ The house looked perfectly ordinary, though.

"Hmmm..." She muttered, looking at the wall. _Mistralian for... hmmm 'Ren'?_ "Kali, how's your Mistralian?" She asked, her voice inquiring, as she looked at the wall. "Better than yours." Kali said, looking at the wall. "Ren Family. An, Li, Lie. Hmmm..." The sound that she made was something that wasn't unusual for her state of being, as she looked at the writing. _She must've had more diplomatic training than I have._

"Damn." Jaune said, his voice sounding downcast at hearing the names. "One moment, guys." He got up, Sienna's eyes following him as he walked up the stairs, no doubt having gotten a plan of some sort. His actions were strange, as he could be heard moving upstairs, the creak of a door opening up and something moving, as he pushed something away. "Ah, I'd better get this." His footfalls moved back, as he went and inspected another room it seemed. She remained seated, looking at Kali with a raised eyebrow, her lips forming 'looting?' as a question, Kali shrugging. Her response would have to wait, as Jaune emerged again, holding something in his hands. "I had to..." he held up a picture frame, half-crooked. "It's my friend, Ren. I saw the name and had to... had to check."

The picture was of a man with a goatee and a woman, smiling as they held a young child between them, taken before the house. The man's face was definitely somewhat handsome in the fashion of the Mistrali, whilst the woman gave Sienna the idea that she would be a mother who would care for her children and, if possible, fight like a lioness for them. _Admirable. He knows that this would no doubt mean much to his friend._

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of something in her heart, something that could be grudgingly called respect, her eyes looking at the young man as he wrapped the picture frame like it was made out of brittle sugar, trying to keep it intact. "You respect your friends. That is an admirable quality. Those in my line of business need to know the respect for their fellows as well." She was being as vague as possible, his head looking up, mismatched eyes looking at her and a genuine smile coming to his lips. "You must be a great leader if you've got such an attitude. My friend Ruby was chosen for her leadership qualities as well, so I can't imagine that it'd be much different than leading a team. You're the bodyguard of Kali though, so I don't really know that much about that line of work, but I hope that I can be of help to you." The smile that he gave her was silly, honest and most of all, genuine in his fervent wishes, her face showing her response with a slight frown. _He's not supposed to be supportive. He's a human. He should band together with his fellows and curse us for being born the way we are._

"I have always tried to impart respect within those that give us grief." Her nose turned up, she gazed at him. He nodded. "Respect is needed to do your job. I wouldn't want to be in the same line of business, I'm not a great leader or anything, although my mother said so once, when I was busy steering Cremea through the process of making breakfast... But I try, and you are someone who has dedication to their friends and your eh..." He trailed off, looking at Kali for a moment. "Target? Partner? I'm sorry, but I'm not sure how to refer to your clients."

"VIP." She said, stressing every letter. "Very Important Person." A sound was made in the back of his throat that would communicate understanding. "You're all pretty important people, as far as I'm concerned." _I shouldn't feel smug that a human feels that I hold some importance._ She did. The feeling warmed her and soothed her mind, as she let her gaze hold with his. He looked at her, guileless, like a man who merely did what he thought was best for all, instead of being selfish like the majority of humans. "You should mind yourself." She said, her voice sounding darker than before, her eyes meeting with his. She could feel the irritation with his nature starting to build. _He is but a teenager, thinking that the world is still filled with rainbows and unicorns._

"Why?" He asked, her lips pressing tighter together. _If he was anyone else, he would've been making assurances for himself to get a hold of some leverage. All humans are the same, all men are the same._ The look in the girl's eyes, dead as could be. The trip back, Ghira personally ensuring the safety of the young woman, trying to work the proper channels so as to ensure that there would be no fall-out. His eyes met hers then, her mind pulled from that dark time. _He would have done something to coax Kali into servitude. A woman like her, one like me..._

She was not a vain creature. Her clothing was comfortable and her skill was within reason for her occupation. She could fight with the best of it, yet the looks that men gave her still brought in her that dark urge to beat them up. _I am not some piece of meat to be put at a man's arm, a human's arm, to be shown off. 'Look at us, Sienna Khan and Jaune... whatever his name is.' He would seize the opportunity when it would emerge and I will be suffering the indignity of being used. I am Sienna Khan and no human will ever dominate me. Ever._

The smouldering anger in her eyes was visible to him, his eyes looking at her for a moment before he nodded. "You are showing your fire, Sienna." Kali said, her distraction working, her head turning to the woman. "You're looking at him as if you'd wish to eat him raw." _He isn't worth my time._

"I can disappear for a bit. You know, if I am not wanted." He said, her face showing a frown. Even the other human seemed to look at him as if he were mad. _That would impact our defensive capacity. The other human is not capable to fend off Grimm and Kali... Kali hasn't learned how to wield a blade against the Grimm._ "Stay." She said, no matter how much it galled her.

"We should rest. Sleep for a bit." She knew that it would be a sensible thing to do, in order to recuperate the strength that they had lost due to their interrupted sleeping, her paranoia in full force. "Take the first watch. I don't expect trouble, but you never know." She curled up in order to get some sleep, her eyes closing immediately, as she tried to find that sweet spot of slumber that she needed to be fresh. _I'll trust you this once, human._

* * *

 _The ravenous hunger_

* * *

He could feel how he became aware again, his eyes opening up. As he looked around the house that'd belonged to his friend and teammate in the past, he could notice the knick-knacks that showed that the house had been lived in by people who had loved him a lot. _I wonder how you are, Ren... I never knew that this had happened to you._

The picture had been the least that he could have recovered. If his friend had been forced to abandon the home that he had lived in before, it would be a good reminder to the young man about the family that he had lost. _I would be glad if someone gave me a picture of the whole family._ The love that his sisters and parents held for each other and him was something that supported him.

The _vitae tenebris_ in his arm pulsated, as he got up, spotting Esmeralda cleaning the barrel of her rifle with the kit that was bought with it, looking down the barrel and checking it, pulling the cloth out and then putting the rifle back together. _Ease of construction._

The Grimm outside were unified by his will, save for... _Not good._ The dark bundle of _vitae tenebris_ in the shape of a Grimm came ever closer to the village, his ears perking up. "Does anyone hear that?" He asked, Kali and Sienna turning their head to the direction where the sound came from. "It sounds like... a horse?" Kali mumbled, her frown looking natural on her face, as she glanced in the direction.

"Do they have horses here?" Sienna muttered. "It's a Grimm." Jaune said, surprising himself for the openness that he had. Every eye was on him now, as he recalled the specifics that went into the construction of that. _Three parts of horse, one of humanoid, and the lengthening grip in order to inflict as much damage as possible... Nuckelavee type-Five. Just my luck._ "I've heard about this type."

 _If She wanted something wiped off the map, she would use these. At least five-hundred years old. This'll be tough._ Touching its mind with his own, he found that he could not dominate it. Its primitive thought process was not there to be subjugated by his will, the cold voice speaking back to him. **'Do not interfere with my duties. You are not the Mistress. I shall spare you death.'** The offer was something that went against everything that he believed, his audible growl something that he could not stop. "I'm going out." He said, his hands grabbing his weapon and the two swords, putting the two swords under his arm whilst he carried his blade with the other.

" _Are you ready to fight?"_ Unveiling Summer to these people might not be the worst choice, the grin that he got as a response from the woman something predatory. _"Born and ready."_ She said, a hint of something in her voice that was as bloodthirsty as any Grimm. He emerged from the shadows into the village proper, the sun slowly coming to its descent. He could see the shadows lengthen, taking notice of where they were, as the women emerged from the building with him. "Where's that Grimm?" Esmeralda said, Jaune's eyes looking at the direction where the Grimm was. "We should warn Shay and Vernal." He encouraged, Sienna's sniff of disdain enough to clue him in that she wasn't a supporter of that plan. "You may not like them, but we won't let people die because of the stupid fancies that you have about humans and Faunus." He snapped, his voice stern. The woman's eyes smouldered, yet Kali put a hand on her shoulder to forestall any hostilities. "The Grimm are more important. We should cast aside all differences until the Grimm are dealt with."

 _I can feel that there is just one Grimm around. I wouldn't wish to have to do this... but I should not tarry._ The fight would be hard enough, even with the way that they were now forewarned. "Shay!" He called out, as he ran to the house where Vernal and Shay had set up their little resting spot. The door opened up, showing Vernal's irritated face. "What's the matter? We aren't ready to go yet."

She looked a little bleary-eyed as if she had just roused from her sleep. Shay looked a little irritated as he walked out. "Big Grimm, Nuckelavee." He said, glancing in the direction of the Grimm. "Fuck." Shay muttered, all sleep pushed from his eyes. "Vern, get the stuff ready. We should be getting the vehicle up and running so that we can outrun it." Vernal grunted, as she ducked back into the house, going for something. Jaune turned to his group, as the Nuckelavee trotted into view, the creature's visage making Esmeralda's face pale a little, as she looked uncertainly between him and the Grimm.

 _You've got to be the Huntsman here, Jaune. You have to, because you are the hero of your tale. If you cannot defend the people that depend on you, what sort of Huntsman are you?_ He moved towards the Nuckelavee, adjusting the swords in his grip. "Jaune, what are you doing?!" Esmeralda shouted, as she raised her weapon, aiming at the Grimm. He thought that he had seen her load a dust cartridge into the rifle, enough for a few shots, but he didn't know the effectiveness of the dust. _Better concentrate on the fighting now._

' **You will not stand in my way. The humans must die.'** The Grimm communicated with him through the link that was between them, the ghastly roar that it made sending a blast of air at its surroundings, the grass rustling a little, even as the sound carried for miles it seemed. He gritted his teeth. "I'll hold it off!" He shouted, as he looked back to see Vernal and Shay pull themselves out of the house, carrying a few bags. "Hurry, hurry!" Vernal shouted at Shay. "We have to get ready to leave before Old Screechy gets here!" The woman leapt onto the vehicle, the key put in the ignition, the engine roaring once before a loud BANG came from the engine, a gout of flames emerging from the side that disappeared after a moment. "FUCK. I TOLD you that we should have it checked out before we went. You forgot about that, didn't you?" Shay grunted, as he looked at the bag that he was holding. "Mustard said it'd hold out for another trip! You know how she gets when she's getting down and dirty with the engines. 'We don't have enough space for this, we have to move too much!', the Boss was all in a huff about it anyways."

Vernal growled, pulling something out of a pocket, something small. _Whatever it is, it won't help us much._ His attention was returned to the Grimm, as he neared it. "Take the bags and run!" He shouted, his blade held up in the typical guarding position. The swords stood only fifty yards away, within the shadows of one of the buildings, cast by the fading light. "I'll catch up!" He knew that it would sound hopeless, like the last charge to them, but he had a plan... He hoped.

 _If I'm left alone, I can probably bring it down._ The thought of utilizing the Grimm and Summer in this fashion was something that he had cooked up on the fly, the large Grimm standing before him, awaiting his move. _Intelligence is granted by the way that it does not blindly attack. The Type-Five is one of the more vicious types, focused on the eradication and destruction of towns._ "We won't leave you!" Esmeralda shouted, a note of concern and worry in her tone. He could feel the worries slide off him, as he turned his head. "Go! Get out of the village! Take the packs! I'll be handling this creature!" The bravado in his voice was enough to show that he had committed himself, to his own sense of theatrics.

"Damn it, Jaune." Sienna's harsh voice came as a surprise, his personal name used for once, instead of some derisive term as she seemed to heed his words. "Kali, Esmeralda, get your asses in gear. He's going to join us when he gets that Grimm taken care of, so get moving!" The way that she accepted his orders in order to get her friend to safety was one of the things that he could appreciate at this moment in time.

"We'll wait outside the village for you!" The shout from Shay came at the right moment, Vernal's face showing worry and a careful sense of scrutiny, as she looked at him with a sense of grudging respect. "I'll stay with you." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding like she had made up her mind. _Damn it._

The Nuckelavee's long arms moved swiftly, striking at him with increasing speed, his blade raised, blocking the strike. The crack of his sword slowly starting to break more at the weakened section was audible. _It won't last much longer._ The thought of having his sword break was something, even as the follow-up strike came at him. The boom of the rifle's discharge and a blast of flame washing over the Nuckelavee's upper body was heard, and he could hear Esmeralda mutter something under her breath as she joined with him. _"Let me do something!"_ Summer said, a strange burning sensation coming from his eye, as he could feel the prickling behind the retina, his gaze filled with silver light. The Grimm froze for a moment, right as another flaming bullet hit its horned head, another savage roar coming from its mouth then, as Jaune could feel the burning increase, the blood within his body starting to pump even fiercer than before, adrenaline making its way through his whole form.

 _It's now or never, Jaune._ He told himself, as he moved in to strike, the horse-like shape of the Grimm containing the most of its power. **'You will not slay me.'** The Grimm's voice telepathically said, as its arm whipped at him, the feeling of his ribs creaking under the blow something that he could hear, as his body was slammed aside, spinning a few times before hitting the pavement. _Ouch._

The Nuckelavee continued on its path, Jaune getting up to his feet again. "Run, Esmeralda! Run!" He said, as he grabbed his blade again. Another flash of silver filled his vision and the Grimm froze, whip-arm extended, claws moving. _One of the flaws of this Grimm is that it requires its focus to be on either moving ahead or attacking. The consciousness can only remain in one part of the body at the time._

He spat out the blood in his mouth advancing once more. Esmeralda had backed away, her steps hurried, as she turned around, breaking out into a run. "Alright you big ugly! You want a piece of me?" Another silver flash, the claws stopping before his body, dodging around them and then slicing through the extended arm, the _vitae tenebris_ inside him slowly increasing as he inhaled the dark vapours. _At least I won't be short of vitae tenebris... They are veritable hoards of it._ The construction of a Nuckelavee required a lot of _vitae tenebris_ due to the requirements for its body, its size greater than many average humans.

Another sonic boom rocked his ears, his body moving to dodge another swipe, the horse part of the Nuckelavee moving a little further, and his blade raised. He caught Esmeralda fleeing from the scent, the horse-body moving, the sudden whip of the long arms hitting him, the bone-white masks of the imp on the horse's back and the horse's mask glowing a little. **'It is futile. I do not wish to slay you. Let me do my mission and live.'** _Fat chance that I'll let you live! That's my friends you're going after!_

He glanced back, taking a little time to check whether he was truly alone. _"Jaune? What is happening, Jaune? Everything's going wild inside you!"_ Summer's voice was concerned, as he felt the power surge through his whole body.

 _Time to do this._ His hands raised up, the _vitae tenebris-crafted_ arm having the dark ichors flow through the veins, the pale skin showing the dark marks writhe as he created life where there had been none. The shadows suddenly found themselves filled with Beowolves, moving like the rabid hounds towards a fresh ham that had been laid out for them. Their growls were heavy in the air, as the Nuckelavee's arms moved. _Thirty._

One of the Beowolves managed to reach the Nuckelavee, driving its teeth into its flesh, Jaune walking towards the swords that he had discarded only a few moments away. _"If you would, Summer?"_ He asked, the bright flash of silver coming before his eyes for a moment as she appeared. The red cloak that she wore reminded him of Ruby so much that the similarity between her and her mother became really intense. _She'd grow into a very pretty girl, I'll have to admit._

If Summer Rose was what Ruby Rose would grow into... He would be very tempted. _Friends, and maybe something more._ The thought was not too unwelcome to his mind, as he began to wonder about the possibilities that could have been. He watched her pick up her swords and give him a grin. "Ready, Jaune?" She said, her voice chipper and so Ruby-esque that it pulled a smile from his lips. "Born ready to be awesome."

"Yaaayyy." She said as she turned to the Nuckelavee, which sported a few bleeding gashes. "Summon Beowolves when I say 'Now!'. I'll keep it distracted!" She was off in a flash, her speed greater than his ever had been. Her blades flashed as she slashed, meeting one of its arms head-first, a set of acrobatics used to dodge, her blades cleaving through the flesh and then slashing.

 _Silver!_ A blinding headache rammed into his brain as something seemed to go off, like a flashbang without the sound. "Now, Jaune!" She shouted, and he did as she asked. The darkness around him burst to life, Beowolves ripping themselves from the shadows, surging at the Nuckelavee. He could see them all rip into the body of the horse, tearing at it before the creature seemed to unfreeze, another loud mournful sound coming from its mouth that deafened him. The Beowolves turned into clouds of smoke, the _vitae tenebris_ slowly absorbed by him once more, mere tenths of the cost that had gone into creating them returned to him. _I've got about half left. If I'm all out..._ The thought did not soothe his mind, as he watched the effects of his assault.

The wounds bled dark ichors, filled with the _vitae tenebris_. Summer stood there, defiant and ready, her eyes glowing with that damnable silver glow. _Nuckelavees have superior stamina compared to most Grimm. Its weak spot is the 'horse' part, where it moves from. A solid sniper round could take care of the imp._ The knowledge on how to create a Nuckelavee was in his mind, yet his reserves would not be able to handle creating even a single one. The amount of _vitae tenebris_ that he held inside him was not enough to create a Nuckelavee... but a Deathstalker might be in the realm of possibilities. _If only I could increase the amount that I could have stored._

"Now!" The silver flashes weakened him, yet he created more Grimm to deal damage whilst the Nuckelavee was being stunned by whatever mumbo-jumbo Summer's semblance did, or whatever it was that she did. His body felt the strain go through it as he felt the wear of the _vitae_ _tenebris_ on his system.

 _I'll be useless for a few hours after I beat this thing._ He knew that much, from the way that his veins were engorged, his body moving to dodge one of the swiping arms, the claws ripping through the coat's side and tearing off half of it with a ripping sound, blood leaking from his side. _Damn, I liked that coat and the shirt..._

Summer's blades carved deep wounds into the flesh of the horse-like shape of the Grimm, the Imp trying to hit her with its whip-arms yet failing to do so due to the Beowolves trying to take a bite out of it. Every moment that it tried to deal with Summer, it would have to be aware of the Beowolves trying to take a bite out of it. Jaune knew that most normal Huntsmen would have succumbed to fatigue before long. _An enemy who can summon Grimm with but a mere thought... in large amounts, everything is prey to the desires of one who wields such power._

She had certainly done as much from the shadows, his eyes looking over the Nuckelavee, its bleeding wounds enhancing his own vigour a little by just sheer presence alone. He could see the shadows fill the entire street now, and he felt that it would be time for the masterstroke. "Get ready!"He called out to Summer, closing his eyes and then rushing forwards, the silver flash continuing, as the beast was stunned. His body leapt, his eyes opening and his blade slamming down onto the Imp-like growth off the horse. He could feel the power inside him surge, like a tidal wave of force that came into him, filling him up.

 _If you stand in my way, I will destroy you._ His hand reached for the Nuckelavee's arm and he tugged on it, seizing it and holding it, heedless of the pain. The _vitae tenebris_ flowed through it, the connection solidifying for a moment.

 _Time to end this._

* * *

 _The wilting_

* * *

Her blades scored hit after hit on the massive Grimm beast as she flickered back and forth, her agility aided by the strength that blossomed inside her. Without even stopping, her blades continued to chew through the tough hide of the Grimm, a glance back at Jaune finding that the corruptive effect of the dark icky stuff seemed to have worked its devilish magic upon his features.

Gone was the blonde hair and the kind expression on his face, replaced with something far more powerful and potent, a shudder going through her whole body as she recognized certain feelings inside her. _Blondes are too neat. I should be on my guard._ The red eyes reminded her so much of that spooky lady, as he worked with the dark fluid of evil to create more Grimm, his hair tousled by the wind, his eyes burning with that merciless nature that seemed to come so easily. He gripped the arm that came at him, holding it in place, her body moving swiftly up, landing on the back of the horse. _Balance, Summer. You know how to do this._

Her blades raised high, before she brought them down upon the imp's body, cleaving through its upper chest and piercing out through the front, her blades glistening with that ichorous fluid that it was composed off, beyond what passed for the skin. A decaying horse it may have looked to have been, there was still the bone plates to consider. She could feel the power inside the creature respond to the thing that she had been composed of, trying not to think of it. A flash of her silver eyes sent it stunned once more, as she pulled out her blades, side-ways. Brilliant arcs of ichor burst from the wounds that she had created, a gurgling roar coming from its mouth, as she could feel that the fight had been mostly completed by now.

She was not going to give up. She was going to complete her mission, do what she could in order to make sure that it would be done and beat down all the baddies who would hurt her family! _Tonight, I should talk to Jaune about what I did._ She knew that it might have been wrong for her to do so much, but she hadn't had another choice. It had been hard to keep up the strain, yet she had succeeded. _I won't let you down... I have to make you reach that end of the line and then do what I must._

The Nuckelavee roared once more, her blades stabbing once more into its humanoid body, the head turning around to regard her, the horns slamming into her face, faster than she could prevent. Her body was thrown through the air, landing on the ground with her elegance, yet she could see that the creature was mostly immobilized. _I've dealt with them before... No Qrow to help out... No Tai to restrain it... Jaune should be fine._

Her swords dropped to the ground as she felt the link to this conjured body falter, her whole body shuddering a little as she fought to maintain the link, to keep herself in the physical state that allowed her to interact with those around her. She could see the creature stand there, Jaune moving towards it, the immobilizing effect that had been caused by her silver eyes working through it still.

His hand reached out and touched it, that pale flesh surging with the darkness that flowed through his insides, coating everything with the dark icky sticky nature of it, her little safe space still pure, yet her whole body feeling like it was doused with a vile sludge when she emerged into the world. His white hair fell into his face, a sound coming from his mouth that was as loud as the roar that came from the Nuckelavee's mouths, the creature turning into mere smoke, wrapping around his body. Whatever he had done, a TWITCH went through her body, jerking her upright, his whole body radiating a certain sensation through her body, without any mercy attached for her body's integrity.

She could feel giddiness bubble inside her as she skipped towards him, a sudden burst of vigour and vitality surging through him. He was holding his arm, the veins physically bulging in her sight, enough for her to really see them work and throb with the vile liquid that formed one of the sources of his strength. "Jaune!" She said, her voice cheerful. "Here!"

What inspired her to do it, she couldn't really recall. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she clambered onto him, the scent of sweat and manly pheromones in her nostrils, that indescribable sensation of being close to a man something that she had knowledge of, her body leaping onto him, like a damsel scared of a mouse. Her lips pressed to his cheek, the kiss rough, angled away from his lips, his eyes confused, crimson in their nature. "Thank you for helping me out." She said earnestly. Inside her, the conflicted feelings about the mission and the task that she had been put up to, warred. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers, that comforting feeling of humanity, wrapped around the vile darkness that she combated every time she was inside him... caring for her was not needed, as she was only an existence that clung to life with him as her vessel... of sorts... yet still.

 _He's not... that bad._ She exhaled, another kiss given to his cheek. "Jaune." She said, voice sounding a little breathier, as she looked at his face. Silver eyes met crimson, inhuman sclera peering back at her, the crimson irises slowly burning, like the embers of a fading civilisation. As he held her, she could feel the power flow into her, the renewed strength inside him... somehow larger.

 _It wouldn't be so bad if I helped him..._ The thought welled up inside her, as another kiss was delivered to his cheek, the sensation sending tremors of pleasure through her body, as the other eye turned back to its blue colour. "What... what does this mean?" He asked. She giggled, a girlish giggle that seemed to linger around her lips. "That was a thank you for killing your first big Grimm, silly!" _You're such a liar, Summer._ She could feel her body dematerializing as she slipped back into him, allowing the warmth to feel like a comfort, as she found herself back in her space.

 _The mission... What's up with the mission? If it feels good, and he doesn't turn all evil-spooky like that spooky woman... What harm could it do if I let him live a little longer?_ She was not going to end something that could lead to a better life, a bastion against something that could fight against the evil forces.

Summer Rose was a woman who did what she thought was right. She owed that much to her ex-husband, to her daughters and to her team. _The mission is the mission, Ozpin said that it was the highest measure... and I will keep my word... but later. He can still do good in the world... I know he can do it._

* * *

 _The feral force_

* * *

As she hurried along with Sienna, the bag on her shoulder bumping against her back, she could feel the unease grow inside her. Worry and doubt flared, as she glanced back over her shoulder, seeing Jaune stand there, like a brave warrior about to face the greatest monster of them all. _Blake would have loved to hear the tale of a warrior against the biggest Grimm that her mother'd ever seen..._

She could see Shay and Vernal gather, her eyes catching the glance that the two gave to each other, even as they seemed to worry about their current predicament. "We should do something." She found herself saying, as she looked at the two. A casual look between Shay and Vernal passed, visibly. "You can't fight against Old Screech that easily, lady. If it'd be possible to hunt it down, we'd have done it, but fuck if that thing isn't a lethal murder-machine. It's wiped out several villages already!"

The man's voice was harsh, as he looked back at the village, where the majority of their bags were still located. They couldn't chance going back, Kali's eyes looking for Esmeralda, only to find that she was nowhere in sight. Her lips pressed tightly together, as she could hear the sound of an explosion, then another, a flash of light illuminating the darkness, her sharp eyes giving her enough shadows to see them writhe once more, beckoning her to come closer, to touch them and to wrap around her form. _Whatever's causing this, it has to do with shadows..._

"We've got to do something!" Esmeralda shouted, as she hurried to them, her rifle awkwardly carried in one hand, the bag with rounds banging against her hip with every rushed step that she took. "He's going to die!" Shay spat on the ground, a look at Vernal given, before she nodded, turning away. "People die, princess." The man said, his voice sounding not too regretful. "We just gotta continue on our way, make sure that there's something to be done about that big creature once we've got the forces to deal with that." She knew that it would be the wisest thing to do in this situation. Another roar came from the direction of the village, her whole body shuddering.

"I don't feel so good." Esmeralda said, her hand going to her stomach, the feeling of nausea creeping up on her as well, as if something had hit her in a physical manner. She groaned, feeling how bile welled up inside her, the pain in her innards something that she had never felt before, pain akin to living fire creeping through her whole body, towards her inner core. From the outside, forcing its way in. Esmeralda was the first to start throwing up, what remained of the food that she'd eaten the day before splattering into the grass, her own enactment of a similar ritual following. "Are you alright, Kali?" She could hear Sienna ask, even as the stress on her stomach seemed to work like a vomit-induction aide, her whole throat filled with a sickening taste, as she threw up. "I'm fine. I must've had... stress." That's what she'd put it down as. She wasn't a doctor. Perhaps it was the stress of knowing that Jaune would no longer be as hale and healthy as before.

 _This is just like with Ghira. One moment, he is alright... the next, he's broken and bleeding and dead._ A roar mingled with the sound of a scream came from that direction, her head raising just in time to see a flicker of dark red light, a woman stepping forth from what seemed to be a portal. "Four, boss." The woman's face was covered with a mask, her mane of hair long and bound together in a crude ponytail. "The Huntsman is facing off with Old Screechy in the ruins." The woman nodded, pushing her weapon aside and moving faster than she'd ever seen, Sienna giving a soft 'Urghkkk' as the woman hit her in the stomach, the tiger Faunus bending forwards before the woman's other hand slammed her head to the ground. _Shit, shit! Not good!_

Her hands fiddled with the dagger, trying to get it. "Afraid it's the end of the line for you, missy." The man, Shay, said, his hands up in a boxing stance, right before something hit her against the back of the head, blackness filling her vision as she felt herself fall forwards. _Sorry Blake, looks like Mama isn't coming to meet you._

* * *

 _The standards that we keep_

* * *

 _What... what was that about?_ He asked himself, the fingers touching the spot where Summer's lips had been a moment before after she had faded out of sight. He could not feel anything but that spot, the confusion roiling inside him, even as he looked at the spot where the Nuckelavee had finally collapsed.

The power inside him swelled, his eyes closing for a moment as he let it flow, the whole breadth of his force brought to bear, the sizzling strength that scorched through his whole body enhancing himself to such a level that it felt like he had been infused with the might to slay gods and villains. _I am going to be a hero. I am going to save the world, even if people stand against me._

The thought warmed him, as he let his eyes search through the empty expanse. He gathered Summer's swords, without a word. He knew that she would be using them again, clots of _vitae tenebris_ absorbed into his own skin. As he walked back to the Ren house, he could see one of the packs that they had left behind sitting there. It took only a moment to pick it up, leaving himself unaware of his surroundings.

The caw of a raven reached his ears, catching a glimpse of the corvid as it sat upon one of the posts that had been put in the ground by the previous occupants of the village, his eyes looking at those crimson eyes for a length of time, before his attention went elsewhere. He sought the emotions of his fellows, finding only two conscious people there, the wonder about what had happened to them rising in his mind.

 _They wouldn't have happened upon Grimm, would they?_ The moment that he disconnected from the Nuckelavee, he had dealt the death blow, his own mind connected to the whole. She was elsewhere with her attention, yet the _vitae tenebris_ that surged through his body was strong in its power. _I feel stronger now... Able to take on anyone and anything._ The thought of taking on Her was briefly entertained, yet he knew that the difference between the two of them was insurmountable. _She would have thousands of years on me... I need to think positive. Think, Jaune, think..._

As he pulled the pack onto a shoulder, he thought, the raven's cry reaching his ears, his head turning to the direction where the bird flew, giving it an amused look. "Not quite a Nevermore yet, eh?" He asked it, the raven's gaze directed at him with a look that was nearly human. He could even faintly feel a sense of amusement from the corvid, as it looked at him, its head tilting to the side.

Walking towards the direction where he had seen the others run to, he let his senses expand, continuing onwards,trying to sense the presence of the Grimm around him. Without a pause, there seemed to be no Grimm in the direct vicinity.

Spotting Shay and Vernal leaning against a tree, the unconscious forms of Esmeralda, Kali and Sienna laying there before them, a dark, familiar feeling collected in the pit of his stomach. _Oh no._ Shay's gaze seemed to look up, the cocky grip appearing on his face once again. "Looks like we've got our little huntsman back, eh?" He looked at Vernal, who snorted. Her weapons were already out, ready to be used. "What did you do to them?" He asked, even as the raven cawed once more.

"Nothing. The problem is, what to do with you, Beornir scum." Shay's voice was rough, his eyes holding a cold and distant look in them, as he peered at him. _They think I'm with the Beornir? But..._ He suddenly realized that the jacket, which he hadn't replaced yet, still held the Beornir's symbol on it. In a rough and rowdy place, it would definitely be a boon to be under the protection of someone, the sound of something behind him alerting him.

" _Watch out, Jaune!"_ The sight of a mask shocked him for a moment, the sudden strike to his gut taken, a sound coming from his mouth akin to an 'OOF' that seemed to last a while, a low groan coming with it. Pain flared in his body, not even allowing him to gather his breath, as he felt the air rush out of his lungs, a gasped 'ah-ehhh' coming from his lips, before a fist hit him under the chin. His teeth slammed together, his head rattled by the punch, as he caught a glimpse of the one who was attacking him.

Red and dark colours, a kimono-like dress that showed some cleavage, the smell of something that definitely was some perfume, a skirt that was dark, and then darkness as the follow-up punch hit him, the bone-white mask being the literal last thing that he could see.

 _This sucks._

* * *

 **Another chapter is done. We've gotten the Kuroyuri part out of the way! Raven's popped up! I'd say that that is something that you can cheer about! Now... Onwards to the next chapter!**

 **More Yang perspectives! Cardin and Velvet on their date! Raven! Oh, and more Jaune. Definitely more Jaune! Also Summer. Can't forget Summer when we're dealing with Raven!**

 **For those who inquire when Jaune will be back at Beacon... It's about 4-8 chapters out before he'll approximatively head towards that direction once again. You're going to get more knowledge of the backstory of certain people too! (We might be seeing Torchwick's perspective appear a few chapters down the line.) For people who are like 'I am not interested in reading about things until Jaune is back at Beacon', well... You'll be missing out on a lot of backstory. Someone asked a sensible question. 'You will find out.' is the only answer that I can give. I do hope you liked Heather Arc's perspective.**

 **I'm also changing the genre of the fic, since people seem to think I'm implying tragedy for Jaune. It's going to change to adventure and drama! (Although it's a very grim adventure. Expect dramatics as well... Well, I suppose Tyrian fills that void. You miiiiight be seeing him pop up in the next arc. Salem DEFINITELY doesn't do things by half.) Also... Should I take the time to put more effort into finishing the chapter up, and post like once every two weeks, or are people happy with the 'once-a-week bother-a-thon' that A Grimm Tale gives you? (The support is much appreciated. I like telling a tale and having it be appreciated by people... although I probably should rewrite the first four chapters.)**

 **Please leave a review! I like hearing what you think of the story as it currently is written!**


	17. Bone-White masks and Ravens

**Chapter 17: Bone-white masks and Ravens**

 **Yes, I will be doing a re-do of the first four chapters. I'm going to cut to the bare bones and see whether I can fix up that 98.000 words of messiness. It'll be for the best, as people have said that it was a bit of a messy affair, which I can attribute to being a bit new to writing fan fiction.**

* * *

The first thing that he became aware of was the throb of a headache that he could feel pounding in his head like the beat of a drum that was being banged too enthusiastically by an entire class of children wielding explosive bats. _'My head...'_ Jaune thought, opening his eyes to see a rather despondent-looking Kali.

"Good morning." She said, her voice sounding not as pleasant as it regularly was. The stress and frustration inside her were like a whirling storm that he could feel reaching out to him. He looked around, a cage of steel around the two of them. A tent stood at the side, with a wooden wall standing tall beside it. "I guess we're caged here, aren't we?" He said, looking at his dismal surroundings.

" _You should be getting out of this with a bit of elbow grease, Jaune."_ Summer said in a determined voice. He got the image of a serious-faced Summer, the facial features much like Ruby's when she was in rapt attention to something. _"The lock on the door..."_ His eyes found the lock, a chain around it that had been wrapped.

' _That doesn't look like it'll come off easily.'_ He thought. He got up slowly, the painful feelings suppressed for the time that it took to get up. "Are you alright?" Esmeralda asked, sitting in a cage nearby, her clothes a little dishevelled.

"It could be much better, Jaune." Esmeralda said, giving a frustrated look to the cage around her. Sienna was seated as far as she physically could away from her, a sullen look on her face. "At least you're still alive." Sienna said. "You wouldn't believe the audacity of these humans. We are not animals."

"You'd find that you're pretty much an animal, Tiger chick." Shay said as he walked into sight. Jaune could see the emblem of something on the jacket that he wore, a symbol that was faintly familiar to his eyes. _'Where did I see that before?'_ He wondered, Summer piping up. " _I know where that is from! Raven used to wear that on a shirt. Qrow's War-Kilt used to have that too, before he ditched it."_

' _War-kilt?'_ Jaune wondered, looking at Shay with a hostile look. "Oi, Jaune... John, whatever... the boss wants to know more about the Beornir. Now that you're all fancy up and awake, we gotta get you the screws on." _'That bodes ill.'_ The bandit moved to the cage, pulling out a key. "Don't you go and get any funny ideas though, John. If you try and fight us, we'll just put a few slugs into your women friends." The bandit's voice was rough, anger colouring the tone that he took. _'And to think that I thought of him as a friendly face...'_

"I'll come quietly." Jaune said. "No need to harm them." Sienna growled in the background, something that was barely audible coming from her mouth, Kali's glance at Sienna given some meaning that went over his head. "The good hero, trying to defend his friends..." Shay said, spitting onto the ground. He let his eyes rove over the three women, Esmeralda looking over the other man with her eyes coldly gazing at him. "At least he's a man." She said, Atlesian accent slipping through the way she spoke. "Not some washed up man who cannot ever please a woman."

The looks that Sienna and Kali levelled at her were enough, Jaune's eyes widening. "Now, just listen to me, you dark-haired tart, don't go and assume that Shay D. Mann is anything but a man of extreme quality."

Jaune cleared his throat. "A real man does not lock women up." The response came from Esmeralda's mouth, her eyes firmly regarding him. _'You can do this, Jaune... Compared to Ruby Beornir, you are still intact and whole. They haven't hurt you yet.'_

Shay and Vernal had not been overly rough thus far, nor did they seem to have been the ones who were pulling the strings in the bandit camp. As Shay turned to him again, irritation flashing behind those eyes of his, Jaune prepared himself mentally to be hit. "The boss wants to have you interrogated." _'Let's see whether that boss knows sense...'_

" _If you want me to..."_ Summer's voice sounded like a siren's call, her emotions showing through. He caught a glimpse of something that she had experienced, the feedback from the emotions cut off, as he imagined it

 _A single field, the bodies strewn around her as she pulled the blade out. Her eyes meeting with her partner's, the red armour that the woman wore splattered with the crimson blood of life. "Let's go to the next target." Her voice sounded, so calm and callous, as Summer looked down at the blades, coated in the blood of the people who had stood opposite of her._

 _A beeping call from her Scroll came and she pulled it out, uncaring for the stench of blood that was starting to fill her nostrils."Hey Tai." Her voice was chipper, even as she spoke. "I'll be home soon enough, the mission is taking a little longer than intended." The caw of a raven was heard, as Qrow appeared, Harbinger laying against his shoulder. "We have to go. The rebels will be hitting us again soon." The sad smile on her lips faded, as she hovered her fingers over the button. "We'll be home soon, sweetie. Keep recovering, will you? I'll make you something nice when I return, alright_?" _The look that her partner gave her was something that she noticed often. "We have to go." The woman said._

The images cut off, as Jaune refocused himself, feeling the push in his back by Shay push him forwards. "No dreaming, Johnny." As he was pushed through the camp, he could see several of the bandits already in the stages of curiosity. A large tent dominated one of the sides, the flaps currently closed in order to give its owner some privacy. "That's the boss's tent." Shay said, helpfully. "You ain't going there though. We got a special tent for naughty little bandits like you."

' _Saying something could just as well be futile, if he's made his mind up already. It would not be in my best interest to immediately spill the beans...'_ The pull of the Grimm in the immediate vicinity was low, as only a few Beowolves and Ursa seemed to be in the direct presence. The sunlight was still pouring down from the skies, the heat of the sun bringing with it the pain of sunlight. _"Give me a moment and I will kill them all."_ Summer's voice was like death, as she spoke again. No trace of pity was to be found in that voice, as she seemed to have come to a conclusion about the state of things.

" _I don't want you to do that. Perhaps there can be a peaceful way out."_ The face of Ruby Beornir flashed in front of his eyes, as he was pushed into a dark red tent, the smell of blood hitting his nose, the sneeze that came from his mouth loud enough to draw raised heads from the bandits, Shay giving a snickering sound. "Bit heavy, ain't it? Get to the chair."

A single chair was in the middle of the tent, his attention going to the floor, which was made of some sort of rubbery material that he couldn't quite make out. He sat down and felt the darkness soothe his mind with the solitude that he had been anticipating.

"So, your name is Jaune, right?" The voice of a woman reached his ears, Vernal sitting herself down on the ground, her face showing a look that was relatively friendly, yet he could only find the disgust roiling inside her inner self. "Yes." He said, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly.

"Tell me about the Beornir, Jaune." The woman's voice was enough to clue him in as to the information that they wanted to know. _'They want to know whether the Beornir are expanding or not.'_ The faces of the Beornir siblings came before his mind's eye, their faces twisted in death. _'Even Topaz did not die peacefully.'_ "I don't know much about them." He said, honestly.

The fist that hit him in the face was enough to nearly knock him off his seat, the pain being far less than the ones that Ruby had inflicted onto him. "Tell us what we want to know, Jaune. It doesn't have to hurt too much if you tell us what they are up to." _'They're all dead. Their bones and flesh rot in their Grimm-forsaken settlement!'_ He opened his eyes to look at Shay again, baring his teeth. "What they are up to?" He hissed, the taste of blood in his mouth telling him that he'd had something battered in his mouth. "Why would you even waste the effort on that?"

That had been the wrong answer. As the blows rained down on his face, he mentally counted to ten, til the anger seemed to have bled out of the bandit. _'With the calmness of mind, one will win one's battles.'_ "Speak, you little blonde bitch." _'Don't let them get to you.'_ The thoughts were starting to become fuzzier, as Summer squawked something unintelligible in his ears. "You don't want to do this." His lip was swelling up, even as the sun still burned above him. "Why shouldn't we do this?" Vernal said, holding up a hand to forestall the beating.

"What can you tell us, Jaune?" Her voice would sound so reasonable, if one did not feel the emotions inside people. Jaune's face was swollen, the chair that he was seated upon having definitely seen the worst of its time. He hadn't even been tied down, yet he knew that the threat that the bandits posed to his friends would be real. "They're a really bad set of people." He said.

"Put him through some more. He's got a jacket with their symbol, so he was definitely a part of them." Another few hits, his teeth rattling in his skull. _'I wonder if those teeth regenerate if I put enough Aura into that part of my body?'_ The thought was idle in his mind, as he let the hits glance off his consciousness, as he put himself to that spot where he could feel every little hint of the _vitae tenebris_ pulse through his body. "Who is your leader?" He asked, as the blood dripped from his split lip, the aura regeneration not clicking itself into active mode yet.

"The boss is the boss. You might see her, if you're lucky." Shay said, as he raised his fist. "You would have us believe that you are ignorant, Beornir?" Vernal said, her eyes sharp and aware, as she looked at him. "I find that hard to believe. If you have their mark, you are an initiate of their tribe. It would be a foolish thing to allow you freedom, huntsman training or not."

He got up from his seat, looking at Shay, rolling his shoulders. Why he had been allowed to get up, he didn't know, yet he took the moment to check whether everything was still intact on his body. _'At least they haven't gotten out the flensing knives yet.'_ "Vern, we should make sure that he doesn't get to do something." Shay said, his glance at his female companion doubtful. The young woman sat still there, looking at him. "You do something to upset the camp and we'll take it out on your women." She spoke without any emotional inflexion. _'I can imagine that they would.'_

"Also, you are going to ditch the jacket." She said, Shay looking at him with an expectant look, as if he were meant to obey. He shrugged off the jacket, the damage to the side still showing. _'Not like a jacket would ever do me much good.'_

"Happy now?" He groused, the woman nodding. "We'll have another chat with you soon enough. Shay, get him back to his little harem." The bandit chuckled and said something that he couldn't quite catch before starting to herd him back to the cages, the bandits in the camp giving them a passing glance, continuing their business as they had been before. "They're not my harem, actually..." He said, Vernal giving an audible sound of disbelief from behind him.

"Anyone who'd go to such length to protect his women is either a fool or someone who loves them." Shay said as he gave another push, Jaune's feet stumbling nearly at the sudden force in his back. The wounds on his back, long-since healing, throbbed with irritation. The arm that he had constructed out of the V _itae Tenebris_ ached, the liquid darkness inside him welling up from the well of darkness inside. _'It would be so easy to just summon Grimm and to bring demise to these people...'_

To prevent something from his memories from happening again... To prevent someone like Ruby Beornir laying a hand on someone else... on him, again. He caught a glimpse of one of the vehicles that the bandits used to get around, the custom motor looking like it'd been rigged a few times with some bootleg materials. _'That doesn't look like it'd stand up to much punishment.'_

As he was put into the cage again, he could see that Kali and Sienna had been communicating, Esmeralda speaking up. "Is that how you treat your guests, you bandit scum? He's all bruised and bleeding!" Shay gruffly grunted something as he went for the lock and snapped it back in place. "He should be glad that we didn't pull his teeth out whilst we were working him over."

"Why?" He inquired, voice sounding a little higher than before. "You could just have asked and I would have helped out." The look that Shay gave him spoke volumes about how the man thought about such a thing. "You would lie. You Beornir pricks are all the same, thinking that you've got the Dust to blow us all up to hell."

"Did I use Dust?" The man frowned, shaking his head. "But you wore the jacket. You'd best prepare for another session when the boss returns, alright? She'd want to put her hands on you herself. She'll loosen your tongue, one way or the other." It was a dire prospect for him if he were to be put through the hell that was torture again. _'If they start with hurting me again, I will summon the Grimm.'_ The Vitae Tenebris inside him sang with the promise of power, as he leaned against the wall of the cage, his eyes looking up towards the ceiling. "Are you alright?" Kali asked, her voice sounding concerned.

"Just peachy... They just hit me a few times." The woman gave a soft tutting sound, coming close to him immediately. "Now, show me your face." The tone of maternal worry was something that he could only obey the command of, as she grabbed his face. "Kali, you aren't supposed to-" Sienna's voice warned, Kali giving the other woman a look that brooked no objection. "Busted lip, a few cuts..." She mumbled, her fingers stroking over the bruised and broken flesh. He did not flinch away, yet the quiver of his body was present.

' _I should be able to boost my regeneration for a moment...'_ The aura blossomed through his body, the glow of his aura flashing white for a moment, the flesh knitting back to a state which could be called healthy once more. "That's handy." Kali said, Jaune's face showing the tiredness as his aura sank back into his skin. "It's tiring." He said.

And indeed it was. His face was suddenly sweaty and weary, as if he had been fighting some illness, his face still held by her hands, Kali's ears twitching a little, the piercings glinting in the light. "I can understand that. Get some rest." She said, scooting away from him. He laid himself down on the uncomfortable metal surface of the cage, trying not to think about what it had been used for before, trying to find himself a peaceful spot to sleep.

He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

 _Date_

* * *

Cardin Winchester currently was engaged with the largest dilemma of his young life. As he looked at the menu that he had in front of him, he could only doubt himself with his choices. _'If I pick something that has meat, does that mean that she'd disapprove?'_ Velvet's face was expressionless as she looked at him, her lips parted slightly. "I'll have the grilled aubergine with potato wedges and the vegetable salad, please." The waitress smiled at her, before giving him a look. He opened his mouth as if to speak, his eyes darting back to the drinks that stood at the table. "Eh, I'll take the grilled salmon steak with potatoes and vegetables."

' _You've been to formal dinners before, Cardin. You can at the least make sure to leave a good impression for your date.'_ He psyched himself up, the waitress taking the menu and leaving them. "So..." He started, his eyes looking up into hers. "Here we are." She giggled softly, her ears quivering a little as she did.

"Oh yes, here we are." Her teeth were visible for a moment as she tapped her fingers onto the table. "Did you eat here before?" She inquired. _'Grandfather recommended it. The food is apparently great and well-prepared.'_ "Eh, not really. I thought it'd be a nice place to take you." The scenery was well-appointed for an upper-class restaurant, the waitresses decked out in the clothing that bore the crest of the restaurant. It had been not too troublesome to get a reservation for their dinner, with the movie theatre in walking distance.

"It's gorgeous-looking, Cardin." She smiled at him, the radiance of her smile taking him aback for a moment. _'I really should've worn looser pants.'_ The thought of the girl smiling at him like this for most of their future years in Beacon suddenly emerged, his lips suddenly feeling awfully dry. "It's nothing. We're friends, right? Taking a pretty girl out for dinner to someplace nice is just what a good man is supposed to do."

' _Stupid! That's not how you impress a girl!'_ Velvet's face had turned crimson, with her eyes looking down at the table, her fingers pressed together. "H-hey." He started, her head looking up at him, her eyes meeting his own. _'She's so pretty.'_ "You're a pretty girl. Anyone would be happy to take you out." Velvet's tongue slid over her lips, the swallow she gave afterwards sounding heavy, her eyes looking at him with an indecipherable look. _'She's redder than a tomato.'_

"You're so nice, Cardin." She said, her smile so genuine that his heart nearly skipped a beat. The waitress put the plate in front of her, before placing his own plate in front of him. "Enjoy your date, sir, miss." The waitress said before moving away _._ Velvet's face was redder than before, her voice stuttering. "W-we're not quite on a date."He didn't even manage to form a sentence, the waitress merely giving a smile before she disappeared back into the kitchens, no doubt to fetch another order.

"S-so... Shall we eat?" He asked, Velvet's cheeks still flaming hotly. She looked at her own plate and then up at him again. "W-would you..." She didn't finish her sentence, her cheeks growing even hotter. "We're friends, right?" _'That doesn't stop me from wanting more.'_ The realisation of that, brought yet another wave of embarrassment to his heart, as he looked down. "Y-yeah. We're friends. Training buddies!" She sounded unconvinced, as he smiled at her. "Just a bit of dinner, and a movie of your choice." He winked, though he wasn't sure whether it'd be something that he should have done. She turned even redder in the face, as she moved the fork over the plate, the tap on the porcelain loud to his ears. "Y-yeah. Sure." She said, a wavering smile on her lips. "Dig in!"She announced, before starting to eat.

The fish was good, as he demolished it, keeping a moderate pace, enough to not look like a glutton. Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall for a moment, he wondered whether they would have time for dessert, his gaze returning to her. Her plate was cleaned and polished, without any sort of scraps left on it. "Wooh, I liked that." She smiled, her eyes twinkling a little. "Would you like dessert?" The waitress that had served them before inquired, Cardin looking at Velvet for a moment. "Do you want dessert?" He asked, the nod that she gave him.

They ended up with a sorbet each, the sweet taste of the dessert something that lingered on his lips, her mood seemingly growing better by the moment, with her eyes casting a look at him every once in a while, the white on her lips accentuating her lips, his tongue licking over his own. As her own mimicked his, she smiled gently. "Ah... do we split the bill?" She inquired, his head shook nearly instantly. _'This is where the allowance comes into play. It'll be a bit of a sacrifice, but it's not as if we can go clubbing every weekend whilst at Beacon.'_ "I'm covering the bill for this." He said, whilst he smiled at her. "You are going out with me, so I'll be paying for it."

"Aww, you're so kind." She said, as she finished her dessert, the empty glass set before her looking polished clean. Her tongue caressed the spoon, his attention riveted to the sight of that tongue dexterously cleaning the spoon, her lips forming a smile. _'She's so innocent.'_

The Lien were collected by the waitress, the change given a moment later. "Ready to go?" He asked, his voice sounding steadier than it had been. A look at the clock said that it was nearly eight in the evening. _'The last flight back to Beacon leaves at 23:30... so we'll have about 3 hours.'_

She ringed her arm through his, the feeling of her smaller form next to his feeling natural, for some reason. As they left the restaurant, he did not pay too much attention to the happenings back there. "What movie did you want to see?"

He had checked out the list of showings. Several romantic movies were playing in theatres now, including one set during the Great War. The King of Vale and his retinue featured in it, according to one of the blurbs, situating the tale to be between a guardsman and a young woman sent to the front lines. "There was an action movie that Coco really enjoyed. Do you like action movies?" _'Oh? She likes action movies?'_ He shrugged. "They're alright." He said, noncommittally. "There are a few romance movies, but I don't much enjoy romance movies. The plot is too slow and predictable." Cardin's face showed his disbelief, as if the thought was so disturbing that it would not process. "Your face looks silly, Cardin." She giggled, shaking her head, her ears moving with the shake.

"But you should just..." The movie theatre was up on the street, their closeness something that had just come naturally. "Pick whatever you like." He said, encouragingly. She smiled at him, the challenge in her eyes fierce. "Good! We'll be getting ourselves some murderous blood-fiesta then!" Cardin didn't think that it would be worth it, yet he knew that she was pretty much the reason he was out here.

"Two tickets for 'Bound by Blood', please." She said, chipper in her speech and holding onto his arm. "Ooh, daring choice. You kids go and have fun." The man said as he printed two tickets. The lien chips that he passed to the man covered the charge, as he felt Velvet detach herself from his arm, her eyes looking over the selection of food that was available. "Ooh, shall we get some popcorn?" She inquired. _'Heh, I didn't figure her for a lover of popcorn. You learn something new every day.'_

A big cup of Pep-Schnee and a big bucket of salted popcorn were all that they got, Velvet declaring that she'd drink from the same straw, which had been enough to encourage him to blush. She seemed not to bother too much with it, going on about how 'Coco had always shared her food with her', the leader of team CFVY having been somewhat of an enigma. He wasn't sure whether the woman was someone who had her head screwed on right, but he knew that she would have to be faced eventually.

As they sat down in their assigned seats, the emptiness of the theatre became a thing. Only six or seven other people were in the cinema, something that immediately drew his attention. _'I wonder if it's something about the timing.'_ The Friday evening showings usually were pretty well-visited, but he didn't really know whether it was because of the movie soon to be out of showings or something about the theme. Darkness covered them in an instant, the projector starting to buzz in the background. "Coco watched the first part of the trilogy together with Yatsu. We got dragged along to see it too, because she said it was 'height of fashion' to watch it. Fox never really got Coco's insistence on it, due to... well, he's not got the best eyes." She was to his right, his fingers feeling hers touch his for a moment, her hand gripping his own.

"The third part is supposed to have Spruce Willis in it." She said, Cardin humming a little in understanding. _'Big budget movies... hmmm, maybe I should ask her to watch it with me."_ She would be worth taking out on another night on the town. Her fingers squeezed his own once more, as the movie started, the trailers done whilst he thought.

The movie contained a few highlights, including an exploding Dust airship, the female protagonist quarrelling with her love interest as they ducked behind one of the shelves of the library in which they had been ambushed. Velvet's hands grabbed a handful of popcorn once every while, her voice sounding light as she commented on how the reality of things would be when they would graduate. _'It'd be action like this, all the time. These actors... they've hired professional stuntmen and Huntsmen to do their stunts for them.'_ The thought of being a hero surfaced in his mind for a moment, as he could imagine himself standing at the line of defenders of humanity, Velvet standing beside him.

A set of fingers grabbed a hold of a particular part of his anatomy, a soft hiss coming from his mouth. "Ah, Cardin?" Fingers squeezed once more, his teeth gnashing together as he swallowed. The fingers let go, going for the bucket of popcorn that sat on his lap. "Sorry, I must've missed the bucket." He released a deep sigh, as her fingers fished out some popcorn and she munched on it, audibly. "It's alright. You just hit a sensitive muscle." _'By the gods, that was close.'_

The hand went down again, grabbing a hold of it again. He inhaled sharply, Velvet's soft 'eep' coming from her mouth as he responded in the same fashion. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." She whispered, her voice sounding embarrassed. "It's the darkness, y'see. I didn't mean to..." The hand did not move, her fingers touching him. A pitying whine came from his mouth as she let go. _'Holy King of Vale, this... Oof.'_ The sweat beaded on his brow as her hand grabbed some popcorn. "I-it's alright. Mistakes happen, right?" His voice sounded a little pinched as she seemed to take it as permission.

"That was a good movie!" Velvet said as they emerged from the cinema. Cardin's face was a little worse for wear, his hair looking a little messy, even as the shorter Faunus girl hugged his arm. _'She smells good. Her shampoo is delicate in its fragrance, yet carries with it a hint of maturity._ ' The fact that she was a good-looking girl was definitely the cherry on top. He glanced at the clock. "Ready to go back to Beacon?" He said, even as he subtly rearranged his pants. Due to her accidental gropes, he had felt a bit of tension below the belt, her apologies having been mostly silent and his forgiveness earned by her genuine nature.

"Hmmm, of course!" She said, cheerily. Her arm tugged him a little closer. "You want to go out with me again next week?" He asked, before he'd really thought about it. She seemed surprised, taken aback by the offer for a moment before she smiled and stood up to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I'd love to, Cardin!" She said, the feeling of those soft lips leaving his skin something that sent his heartbeat up to beat even faster. "We've got about..." He looked at the clock. Still a good hour before they'd have to be at the airship dock. "An hour. Want to go to the park for a bit?" He guessed that it'd be 'romantic' to a certain level, if he did.

As they sat in the park on one of the benches, Velvet was silent. Her gaze was directed towards the people who came by, couples that were obviously together. "So..." He said, voice sounding less confident than before. "The blow-out from that ship was pretty cool, wasn't it?" _'Stupid! You shouldn't talk about the movie, you're here with a pretty girl who doesn't mind your presence, and she's not talking.'_

Velvet smiled. She hugged him close, the touch she gave him more intimate than most of the times that she had touched him. Her face was close, her ears twitching, the human ones moving a bit as well. "The hug was a nice touch to the scene before they dropped into the water." She said, her tongue flickering out over her lips, her eyes meeting his own, lips parting for a moment. "Oi, what's a pretty girl such as you doing with human garbage such as him?" A crass voice came from the side, the bench upon which they sat being at the side of one of the paths, his gaze falling onto a few Faunus punks who were looking at him as if he were something that they'd find under their shoe.

"H-hey! We're just friends!" Velvet said, drawing herself up to sit up straight, the lizard Faunus looking at her. "You ain't supposed to be friends with the humans, pretty." Velvet's eyes narrowed, he could see her tensing up. "Hey, she can decide whether she'll be friends with me or not!" He added, the Faunus hissing audibly.

"The human thinks that he can be friends with one of the superior race? My, we got a hero, boys!" Pulling out a knife, the leader seemed to take the front. _'I've seen bigger... Worse. Hell, even Jaune had a sword that could cut through a tree if you used it properly.'_ "So this is how it's going to be, buddy. You're going to walk off and leave miss pretty-buns here for us."

He got up, his height working in his favour for once, as he towered over the punks, his body moving into action again. "I don't think that she would want to be with people who are so low-class." He looked at Velvet, seeing the leader's fingers flip his knife over, obviously to intimidate. "Plus..." Cardin's fingers flew forwards, the knife grabbed from the leader's hands, the weapon held in one hand. "You should really know how to act properly around Huntsmen."

He might not be totally accurate in the current status of their education, yet the leader seemed to blanch, his weapon taken from his grip. "And I am not 'pretty-buns'." Velvet said, looking at the Faunus with disapproval. _'She looks sexy when she's getting that serious look in her eyes.'_

The Faunus punks looked a little taken aback, the leader looking between the two of them. "I won't stand for this! Faunus have no business being with humans!" Cardin growled, raising his fists, as if he were to start punching. The leader took a step back. The difference between a trained Huntsman and a civilian was simply too great. "Y-you won't keep doing this, you human! You are going to face punishment for this! When the Great Leader Tallow will finally put the nail in your coffin, you'll regret it!"

He glanced at Velvet, who was uncomfortable, her hands up in the same loose boxing stance that they'd been taught at the preparatory schools, something that stuck with most of the people that'd been through the CQC lessons. "Move along, buddy." He growled, the Faunus punk leader losing his nerve. "Fine, fine... But I'll get you next time, human. You won't be defiling the pure Faunus race with your recessive genes."

As the Faunus slunk off towards other parts of the park, no doubt to cause more havoc, he turned to Velvet, who was smiling at him. "You're really nice, Cardin. I'd have..." She paused, looking a little skittish. "I've got a pretty good kick." She smiled, holding out her arm. "Now I guess we should get back to the airship dock." She suggested, his arm hooking through hers.

It felt wholesome, for some reason. As they got into the transport, Velvet nuzzled up against him, her presence comforting and soothing at the same time.

' _This doesn't feel like a bad place to be.'_ He mused, even as he stroked a hand over her head, the ears feeling soft to his fingertips.

' _Not bad at all.'_

* * *

 _I'm world class_

* * *

She became aware the moment that she felt the covers around her tug a little more, a groan coming from her lips, at the feeling of the covers weighing her down. She could feel the clamminess of her skin, the sweat that'd built up. Her thighs rubbed together, a squishing sound coming from between them, as the feeling of dread pushed itself into her mind.

Yang Xiao-Long was able to defy all the odds stacked against her. She was a young woman with a great future ahead of herself, with a great body (even if she said it so herself) and a good personality. As she pulled the covers off, she could already see what had happened, the wince enough. _'I haven't wet the bed since I was five...'_ She could feel the moisture collect between her thighs, the soaked undergarments a testament to something that she'd been unable to keep contained. _'Did I drink too much?'_

She recalled fragments of the night before, Blake having poured her some Mistralian drinks that had a bit of a kick to it, with enough punch to make her feel like Ember Cecilia had been a mere love tap. _'Note to self: Drink in moderation.'_ She pulled the underwear off, the shirt she had worn to sleep drenched as well with sweat. That went onto the bed beside her, the covers still loosely opened.

Shame flooded her mind, as she looked at the wet spot, the covers loose around her body. _'I was sure that I'd tucked them in tight...'_ The thought did nothing to soothe her worries, as she glimpsed Weiss shifting a little on her bed, her hand raising up as if to grab something, a soft mutter of 'my place' coming from her. She did not feel entirely comfortable, her fingers tracing over the wet spot on her mattress. _'Time to change the sheets.'_ She bunched up the package, the smell of herself clinging to it, something that she didn't really want to think too much about, the breeze clammy. _'A shower would be nice too. I smell.'_

"I didn't think you'd be so bold." Her partner's soft voice reached her ears, her gaze going to the Faunus who was currently leaning on an elbow, a flushed look on her face, red blossoming on her cheeks as she looked at her, realizing that her body was exposed. "I... I figured I'd change my underwear. I sweated a lot, during the night, that is." Her apology was not something that she had relished in giving, the feeling of being exposed to her partner in such a fashion being unnerving. _'I am not gay!'_

As she got herself into the shower, she could hear the faint sound of Blake moving. As she emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body and her hair, she could see Blake already doing the bedding in one of the laundry sacks, her preparations undoubtedly enough for making sure that Ruby and Weiss wouldn't know. Her eyes looked at the window, noticing a crow sitting there, its eyes looking at her with a look that was shrewd and conscious. "Is that a crow?"

Blake looked in the direction of the corvid, shrugging. "Could be. It looks at..." She stopped, tilting her head. "Strange. I thought crows were supposed to be people-shy." The bird looked at Blake with a look that was almost too human, cawing loudly once. It beat its wings once, Yang shaking her head a little as the bird flew off. _'You're obviously stressed out, if you think that some bird was watching your partner. You should just get back to bed and...'_ She looked at the bed and shook her head. "Blake, I'm bunking with you." The girl's cheeks flushed red. "Y-Yang, this is sudden." The girl's hands tightened her grip on the yukata that she wore, her eyes looking down, their golden colour lighting up in the dim light that came from the outside.

"It'll be like a sleep-over. Don't let that Torchwick dude bug you too much. You're my partner, y'know?" _'I'm not gay. I'm not gay.'_

Blake seemed to relax, letting loose a deep sigh. "Ye-yes, I suppose it might just be tension." _'Did she just relax a little? I better get into bed with her though... but first... Shirt, underwear.'_ The apparel was quickly gathered, hopping into the bed of the Faunus, the latter turning away for a moment, breathing in deep. _'That won't do! I won't let her feel awkward, just because she's getting a bit of Yang in her bed!'_

"Now, pussy... We're gonna sleep together." Yang's arm wrapped around the waist of the Faunus, the stiffening and deer-in-headlights look something that she did not think too much about. Pushing herself up, she became distantly aware that the face of her partner was really close to hers, the lips looking so plump and desirable that it nearly took her breath away. _'I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I'm not gay.'_ The mantra gave her comfort, as she looked at Blake's feline eyes, their eyes looking up at her with a look of fear and perhaps anticipation. "Yang." Blake's voice was tiny to her voice, her hands gently brushing through her hair. _'I'm letting her touch the hair because she's my partner. It's not gay. We're not gay for each other, or gay. She's just being... friendly, yes.'_

An image of Weiss and Ruby in a similar position came to her mind's eye and she immediately flushed crimson. A quick glance at the sleeping Weiss, whose face was turned away from them and the pillow pulled over her head soothed her worries, as she could feel a faint hint of perspiration on her body. _'It's the after-shower heat. I must still be a little warm from it, yep.'_

"I was afraid that you'd die." Blake said to her, and her attention went back to her partner. Arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her close to the Faunus, the scent of her shampoo invading her nostrils. "I've lost... Much." The girl paused for a moment, the hands stopping their deathly grip on her too. _'She's just a lonely lost girl who needs a friend.'_

"A friend of mine didn't want any contact with my anymore after I met my previous boyfriend." The admission was enough to make Yang feel a spike of guilt. "You should take it easy." She said, trying to appeal to the girl's sensibilities. "No, Yang. I can't run away from my past. He was... He was an older man and I trusted him, once... My friend..." The Faunus girl's eyes were a little misty. "She was a good friend. Always ready to hug me, to comfort me. Telling me it would be alright." _'That sounds more like a partner...'_

A loud caw came from the window, the crow that sat there looking at the two of them with a look that seemed to scream 'are you two serious?'. Blake's head turned to it and she reached for a book, about to throw it, the crow disappearing once more. "What's wrong with the birds around this place?" Yang muttered to herself, Blake remaining silent. Her eyes fell onto the title of the book, illuminated by the light of the moon. _'Ninja's of Love?'_ She couldn't remember having seen the title on sale for a while, her tongue clicking lightly. "How about we read that together, until we fall asleep, eh?"

Blake's blush was almost luminescent as she looked at her with a look that most definitely did not make her feel some sort of vindictive pleasure, the feeling of closeness with her partner shared. "Just messing with you, Blakey." She said, the look on the Faunus' face relieved. "But I'd like to read it with you sometime."

"Th-that..." Blake stammered, her voice soft. "That's..." Yang looked at the book and pulled it open. Reading the page, her eyebrows went right up. _'and as his fingers dove into her tender molten loins, the aching moan that she gave was like the clarion call of her acceptance of his dominion, her bare bosom heaving in the pale moonlight. A soft guttural sound came from her mouth as she di-'_

"This is..." She coughed a little, as she looked at the text, then at Blake. A low whine of frustration came from her lips as she looked back at her. "We'll read this together, right? Our little secret." Yang caught sight of the bird once more, her head snapping up and putting her best glare on, as the bird met her gaze and slowly shook its head in a most human gesture, disappearing then, as she shifted a little in the bed. _'Just a comfortable bit of sleeping with the Blake... And no messy sheets to rest in. Who's an awesome Yang? I'm an awesome Yang!'_

* * *

 _Murder_

* * *

' _I'm getting too old for this.'_ She lamented, as she looked at the two young women currently cuddled up in bed. She had been watching her daughter for nearly four hours, the only peace and quiet that she would ever allow herself, the corvid form that she had assumed being one that required less sleep than her human self would. _'You're doing this for your daughter. She will grow strong. She will grow up...'_

She could see that they would not change their positions or their intimacy. Whilst the full details of the conversation were barely heard by her ears, she could still pluck out the brief touch of red that flashed onto her daughter's face, Raven Branwen having seen it often enough on her own face, when she regarded herself in the mirror. Flying through the portal back into her own tent, she allowed herself a little moment to gather her wits, the enhanced senses of humanity once more overshadowing those of the bird shape that she used regularly, the transition nearly flawless.

' _The strong will survive, where the weak perish... The crucible has been made, now Yang will have to fight her way through the battles on her own.'_ She would keep an eye on her daughter, for at least the next three years. A mother knew that her daughter would need guidance, once upon a time. _'When your time comes, Yang Branwen... Will you stand with the Tribe or will you stand with your father?'_

"Raven?" The voice of Vernal came from the flap of the tent, her attention going to the door. _'Should I?'_ A glance at the chest that contained her stash, then at the tent flap, where Vernal was getting herself ready, no doubt to give an update on the status of the Beornir member that they'd caught. _'Business-mode, Raven. You need to deal with the issues of the tribe before the 'let's get drunk because my daughter is gay' time.'_ "Please, come in." Vernal joined her, the loose flap moving slightly in the breeze. She could feel the air brush over her face, the air warmer than it had been in Vale. The seasons were different on each continent. A blessing, at times.

"The guy hasn't squealed yet. He proclaims to be innocent." Raven's eyes narrowed, as she looked at the second in command that she had selected, knowing that it would be a time for a decision. _'Information is information.'_ "Have you threatened his companions?" She inquired, walking towards the chest in which she kept her liquid courage, her face lighting up as she saw the alcohol. _'Alcohol tolerance... screw that.'_

"Done that. He still won't squeal on the Beornir." Vernal shifted a little, obviously uncomfortable as the bottle of alcoholic spirits was lifted from the chest. The black label was marked with a little scrawling of 'RAVEN', the insignia of the Branwen tribe represented into the bottle's cap. "Then I guess it's time for some personal interaction with me." She knew that she was an imposing sight, feared far and wide at the mere mention of her name.

The burn of the alcohol soothed her mind a little, the strong spirit letting her mind become pleasantly numbed. _'I should put some faith in my people skills...'_ The blade of her sword had been crafted from Dust, with enough force in it to split through the hide of a Goliath, her Semblance aiding her in getting around to places. _'The ritual is so simple... But I don't want to do it with just anyone.'_

As she emerged into the daylight, she could see the shadows slowly growing longer. _'Time to test the youngling to see whether he is worth the offer I can make him.'_ The blade at her side was enough, the mask put back into place, over her face. The slits were enough to show her the world, even as she smelled the liquor on her breath. _'Qrow drinks this stuff like it's water...'_ She felt a little unsteady, as she made her way towards the cages where the captives were kept. Her tribe greeted her with the respect that she was due, the strength that she held impressing them all enough to keep them in line. _'A challenger would have to defeat me first before they would be able to assume the reins of power around the tribe.'_ The only challenger that she could feasibly have at this point was Qrow, her twin brother. Without the assistance of the powers of the Spring Maiden, it would be a coin toss as to who would win.

Seeing the sleeping blonde in one section of the cage and his locked up companion beside him, she made some time to gauge the dynamics within the group. _'The Tigress Faunus looks ill-pleased to be locked in a cage with the other human. The panther Faunus seems to know her respect, keeping a distance so that the blonde one can get enough sleep so as to rest up.'_ She cleared her throat, her presence already noted by the women, yet her stern gaze going unheeded. "Are you their leader?" The panther Faunus asked, getting up to her feet, looking at her with a look that was stern and motherly. _'Spirit. Strength. Her physical strength... not so much.'_

"I am." She said, her voice slightly distorted by the mask's shape. "Ask us whatever you wish, but leave Jaune alone." The woman had some spunk, puffing her chest up, as if she were actually willing to challenge her. _'I would like to see her try.'_

The last challenger had been chopped into pieces. A grim reminder to the others that in the Branwen tribe, challenging the chieftain would mean death if one did not have the strength to challenge her. "Oh?" Raven Branwen the Chieftain spoke, her voice sounding unsurprised, at the Faunus woman's request. "You would have some information that you would be able to offer?"

' _How much do they know? Are they Beornir as well? It's not likely, as they are mono-human... but who knows?'_ The suspicion came from inside her, leaving her to feel that burning irritation in her chest, the infiltrator that she had sent to task on the Beornir having never reported in. "Whatever you want to know, I will provide." _'Gullible fool. Bandits do not leave perfectly healthy women unscathed.'_

She had put a stop to that when she ascended to the leader of the tribe. No woman would be violated in order to break her. "What is his name? Why did he join up with the Beornir tribe?" She pointed at the blonde, who snored softly as he slept there. "Jaune Arcadia, if I remember right. He's just Jaune to us." The woman frowned. "Though I don't know what the Beornir tribe is."

Raven snarled, the alcohol dulling her senses a little. A pleasant buzz worked through her, as she exhaled slowly. _'I'm starting to become like my little brother.'_ The thought was harsh in her mind, as she directed her gaze at the sleeping blonde. _'Blonde hair, short... White streak in it... Features that aren't too bad...'_ "A tribe of bastard whoresons, whose symbol he wore on his shoulder." She said, the jacket having been discarded, yet verified to have bore the symbol of the Beornir.

"He said that he got that jacket off an encounter with them." _'Like that's a believable story. The whelp looks like he'd be unable to even fight off a Beowolf with his strength.'_ A weak child, unable to do the duties that would be required of a bandit. _'Normally, we don't kidnap. Selling these off... Well, it's unlikely that they hold much value. Two Faunus and a human woman... I don't want to become like the previous chieftain.'_ Her mask hid her facial features well, as she tapped the lock. "Open it up." She said to Vernal, who procured the key from her person and then unlocked it. Stepping into the enclosed space, she let her gaze go over the young man, the body that he had on display moving a little with the slow rise and fall of his chest, as his eyes were closed. "mmer, don't you dare make the cookies." His voice mumbled something, the tanned arm reaching out for something, as if to push someone away.

For a moment, she was back at Beacon, seventeen years old again, her whole body burning with a rush of hormones, looking at his face as he worked through the exercises, sweat beading on his face, his eyes meeting hers, pleasant and warm, as her brother joked something that made her groan. The first time that he hugged her, Summer giving a little cheer about her best friend forever and her Tai-Stud-Muffin coming together in harmony, was burned in her memory. _'It felt safe. Secure. Like I could be protected and warm and weak, instead of...'_ The thoughts snapped back to the present, as she looked at the young man, standing there, her mask a bony white. Her boot nudged against his rear. _'Don't think about Tai-Yang.'_ An image of the man came to mind, as did an image of her daughter, laying in her bed, the images of what had transpired beforehand burning in her mind. _'It is... alright, I suppose, if she wishes to have a Faunus lover.'_ Her eyes watched as the young man's eyes opened, red and blue eyes meeting hers.

It stole her breath, even as he looked up at her, that rush of emotions coming to her once more. His blue eye bore an innocence that reminded her so much of Tai that it made her feel like she was but eighteen, during their first 'Emergency Session', the touch on her body having been something that he had apologized for. _"You've always been stubborn, Raven. Just enjoy it."_ She had. By the brother gods, she HAD enjoyed it, far more than she should have. Summer had never let it go, their conversation under the shower as she washed the sweat off her body turning to the feelings that had been evoked inside her. _'Another weakness. Summer is dead. You still live. She was stronger than you could have ever been, Raven. Surpass her and become that which is the fear of everything else.'_

A shudder went through her, as his eyes looked up at her, the angry red filled with a wrath that seemed to be indicative of strength, whilst the compassionate blue seemed to call up memories of what had once been a loving family. _'Just me, Tai and Yang, with Aunt Summer and my silly little brother...'_ She felt the throb inside her heart, the hurt flashing once more.

"Rae Rae?" He said, hesitation in his voice, her breath catching in her throat. His eyes were wide, no doubt frightened of the appearance that she had, the mask a stylistic choice in order to show that she was who she claimed to be. _'Tai... Oh, Tai...'_ She forgot herself for a moment, as she remembered those words... before she was shaken out of the dreams of what had once been.

Taiyang was at their home in Patch, the home where team STRQ had finally settled down for the few years after graduation, with her pregnancy starkly outlining the path they took. She had checked on it herself earlier, a swift portal made just in order to check up on him. No sign of any women around, which was good for their continued survival. She would have 'words' with the women that Tai dated. She had to show the strength in order to make sure that her claim was valid. _'Summer's life with Tai had been roses and sunshine... She was the best mother for my little Yang.'_

The mask she slowly pulled off, coming closer to the Tai lookalike, his eyes looking at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. It was so easy for her to reach out, to just let her fingers dance through his hair, to press her lips against his own and just take him... But she was a woman who owed loyalty to her tribe. "Eh, who are you?" He asked, his own voice sounding like a meek child, looking at its teacher.

"The chieftain of this tribe." She said, mustering the strength of her office in her words. She controlled the tribe through her sheer strength, as a huntress and one who knew the way of the people. The power of the Spring Maiden rested within her, at a moment's notice away. She could obliterate him into his composite matter with a thought, as he looked at her face.

"You look mightily familiar, though." He said, as he seemed to try and recognize her. _'He hasn't heard of my name? Curious.'_ She shifted her manner of standing, the skirt swishing to the side, the sultry pose something that Taiyang had enjoyed when they had still been together. _'Just a bit of a touch, a bit of the appeal and you'd be waking up the next team in the dorm with your screams.'_ "My name is Raven Branwen." Vernal gasped something, Raven imagining that her second in command was already trying to run some scheme to properly pound the knowledge of who she was into his skull.

"So... eh..." He sounded surprised. "Are you supposed to be some big shot or anything?" Her face showed her surprise, as the other Faunus woman hissed in obvious frustration. "She's on the third spot of the most wanted list for rogue Huntsmen, you dumbass! She's known to be brutal to all her enemies." Raven preened a little, sticking her chest out. It felt good to be complimented for once, even if it was the adjutant of the tribe that did so. "And I desire the information that you hold about our mutual friends, the Beornir clan."

The young man scoffed, his face sour and frustrated. _'Obvious personal distaste and dislike. The daughters were all loonie by the time they got to puberty, save for that little Dust bunny... But that one was crazy when she was born.'_ "What's there to tell?" His voice sounded angry, frustrated. A tale laid behind his attitude, a tale of things that she would like to know. "They're bastards." He said, as if that mattered to her. Her eyes burned with amusement as she leaned forwards, nearly nose to nose. He was unarmed, his skill with his body not as great to allow for him to strike. The musculature wasn't there, nor was the training. _'He carries himself too easily... Not a whit of personal training in the art of close combat.'_ Vernal could keep the Faunus woman under control, she trusted her adjutant with that task.

"Very bad bastards, yes." She said, looking at the young man. His eyes were no longer innocent, gazing at her with a look that seemed to contain inside its depths the power and force of will that would have made her weak in the knees, fifteen years before. _'Get him comfortable, then have him spill all that he knows.'_ "And what do you wish to tell me about them, Mister..." She knew his name, yet she wished to hear it from his own lips. "Ah, yeah, mom always said that I should be polite when talking to a pretty woman." She did not show her pleasure at being thought of as a pretty woman outwardly. Even she had her vanity at times. "Jaune Arc, at your service. Well, not-quite-at-your-service, but I guess I'm under your control?" She nodded.

There often was no need for violence. The strong would command through the rule of their strength and their cunning, whilst the weak were herded like sheep, to make sure that the camp ran like the well-oiled machine that had her to direct it. "Tell me everything I wish to know and I might set you free."

It was a blatant lie. Death would come for the young man for simply being one of the Beornir. His companions could be set free, after being blindfolded and unable to tell where they were. The Grimm would find them a nice snack, if she had any say about it. His face twisted a little, his eyes fiercer. She could feel the blood pump through her veins a little faster, with the adrenaline that burned through her body suddenly. "You've been drinking." He said, his eyes looking away from her, right at Vernal. "You should take good care of her. She can be a bit of a lush when she's drunk."

Bafflement. Utter bafflement, that he'd assume such a thing would happen. Vernal's mouth fell open, as she seemed to have a problem processing the generalisation that he'd made about her leader's alcohol tolerance. _'I am not drunk! I can hold my liquor!'_ She growled deep in her throat, her hand seizing his shirt, pulling him closer to her... and the size difference played up. "Listen, you young brat! I do not have a low alcohol tolerance!" The heat of emotions warmed her, as her anger flared. "I will not be lectured on propriety by someone who is a captive!"

' _Childish arguments never win you something, Raven. You should not have drank.'_ The thought was hindsight, as she looked at his face, expressionless for the time that he looked at her, her body still close to her. "I don't think I can respect a coward who ran away when her team needed her." The words were enough to make her widen her eyes, the pain lancing through her body like it were some white-hot spear, her whole mood suddenly evaporating. The raw pain was like a wound, bleeding heavily, soaking her body with that heavy emotion. "Now listen, you bitch. I didn't come here to fucking hear you cuss me out and call me a coward!" Her voice was shriller now, as she screamed at him.

"A coward is a coward." His voice was stern and without pity, as her heartbeat increased, her lips pressed tightly together, anger rising in her body, features showing her frustration and anger. "I'm going to beat your ass, Raven." He said, cocky and sure, as if he were able to do as much. The fading sunlight caught his face, his hair lighting up. An image of Tai stood there, looking at her with an expression that seemed to tell her to be a faithful partner to Summer. _'Fuck! Fuck!'_ She did not cuss out loud when she was in a mood, her eyes looking into his. "You want a fight, little blonde bitch?" She growled, jerking him along like a ragdoll. A perverse sense of pleasure came over her as he offered little resistance. _'He has no muscles to really fight against me. At most, he is a novice.'_ Her gaze was critical of his features, his whole body not showing the muscles that you would gain due to the training as a Huntsman. At most, he was a novice, trying to fight the Grimm with a simple dagger or some-such.

"Unless you're scared, Raven?" He addressed her so fearlessly that it was like watching the scene from years past, Taiyang challenging her in his own manner, her body sore and still confident, as he laid on the mat, sweat sticking to his flesh. "I'm not afraid of anything." She said, her pride coming to the fore once more.

' _I fear nothing!'_ She looked at him, dragging him along. "Get his weapons, Vernal." She growled, the anger growing in her chest. The mask she'd put back on, the defensive properties that it allowed for her to have being greater than bare skin. "A set of dual swords, if I remember right." She nodded, like the good adjutant that she was, going off to fetch them. As he stood next to her, her grip on his shirt still firm, she could see the questioning looks from the other members of her tribe, the whole family watching her every move, searching for a sign of weakness. "This little whelp has dared to accuse me of cowardice!" She said, her voice louder than she'd intended, her gaze sweeping through the faces of the people that came to watch. "What do we do with mere whelps who dare to challenge the might of the Branwen?"

A cheer ran out, several calls for 'Put him to the blade!' 'Go, Raven!' and 'You can beat his skinny little ass, Boss!'. She felt powerful by the mere presence of those calls, as she looked back at the young man, Vernal approaching with the swords. "I won't let a woman who abandons her family go without a good thrashing." He said, her anger spiking.

' _I'll SHOW you who the coward is, boy!'_

* * *

 _Conspiracy to control_

* * *

' _This isn't good.'_ Jaune thought as he looked at the nearly vibrating form of Raven, whose masked face had an ominous slant to it. _"Summer, why did you tell me to say that?"_ He asked the woman, whose cheery giggle came from his internal space, where he was omnipresent. Her whole body seemed to shudder, with the force that she could bring to bear pressing against him.

" _Don't worry Jaune! I know how to handle Rae Rae!"_ Summer said, her assurances not bringing him much hope. He had let her control his actions, had followed her commands to speak as she had instructed, only to let the woman's anger rise even more. _"This is a very bad idea. She is going to kill me."_

Summer smiled at him, no doubt trying to offer the comfort of her smile to him, yet not letting him feel it, due to the way that her attention was on other things. _"It'll be fine... Just, get into the shadows. I'll do my best to guide you through her fighting style."_ Raven took her stance, her feet spread slightly, one foot in front of the other, hand on the hilt of her weapon. _"She'll try to make a swift strike first, to kill you before you can respond."_ Her voice was airy, as if the thoughts on the other woman's fighting style were mere afterthoughts, ingrained in her memory.

" _She'll move a little to the front foot..."_ Summer said, as Vernal appeared with the two blades in her hand, handing them to him. He tested the weight of the blades in his hands. _"And then do a swift slash before putting her blade back into her Dust-sheath."_ The chieftain of the Branwen tribe looked at him with a look that promised a swift end to him, the mask adding another dimension to the intimidation factor. _'You're not facing her, Summer. I bet that I can block maybe... one strike or so.'_

"What're you waiting for, boy?" The woman said, her voice carrying the edge of a warrior, her eyes peering at him from behind the mask. "Afraid to show your meagre skills? You're untrained, without even the knowledge of a proper stance."

The assessment was true, he knew, as he took the stance that Summer had taken whenever she sparred with him in the mental arena, to drill the forms into him. The _vitae tenebris_ surged within him, the dark liquid burning through his veins, adding yet another dimension of soul-searing pain to the list of annoyances, his breathing growing deeper as he felt the stress build up. _Vitae Tenebris_ was never kind to his system. _"She runs away whenever she feels threatened. Rile her up, Jaune. She's had a drink, and her system is weak to that. Her brother could drink me under the table, but she's always been weak against alcohol."_

"At least I'm not a coward who runs away whenever she feels threatened!" He retorted, the swordswoman's stance stiffening. "Someone who seeks solace in the bottle is not worth my respect!" The woman's grip on the handle of her sword grew tenser, as she got ready. _"Move to the side, until you are in front of her tent. We're going to do some acrobatics."_ He didn't question it, moving slowly in the direction, as Raven seemed to find a flaw in that line of thought. "Worthy of respect? Who would think that a bandit like you who looks to be a green student of Haven would ever be worthy of the respect of one such as me?"

' _She's definitely got a superiority complex there.'_ He stopped, his stance straightening up. _"Put aura in your legs and make sure that you BLOCK the next strike, using the force to propel you back into the shadows."_ The words made sense, as the sun was slowly making its descent into the mass of trees, the shadows lengthening once more. He could see the bandits look at him with anticipation as if he should make the first move.

Raven's body tensed, his experience in combat telling him that she was getting ready to deliver a strike. _'I could summon a Beowolf to take the strike for me. It would be tough enough to prevent the blade from cutting right through it, but I don't want to chance the other bandits joining in.'_ The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him seemed to quiver and move, the desire to summon Grimm growing ever greater. _'The pressure is rising.'_

The bandit chieftain moved with a sudden swiftness, her blade glistening in the fading light, bright red colour flashing, and he moved his swords in the parrying position. _"JUMP!"_ The blade met his blades and they resisted for a moment. Force buffeted against him, sending him flying backwards, flying right through the wall of the tent. "Fuck, we'll need to fix it up now!" someone shouted, but he could feel only discomfort as he crashed into something hard. _'Oww.'_

" _I'm sorry, Jaune."_ Summer said, sounding genuine, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ MOVED through his body, pulling him in, as something happened. A scream of pain came from his throat, as he felt something switch inside him, pulling him along into darkness.

He could see from his own eyes, looking at his body, yet without the presence of actually being in control of his body. _"Don't you worry, Jaune. I'm going to beat her up!"_ Summer said, her voice gentle, as he looked around him, the dark sea of _vitae tenebris_ around him boiling and bubbling, the essence of the Grimm starting to burn. A slow burn, yet it was being used up by... whatever was happening.

* * *

 _The victory_

* * *

She looked in the mirror, adjusting her tiara a little, the look of 'Pyrrha Nikos the Champion' completed. Her fingers brushed through her mane of long hair, giving it a once-over. _'You can beat them all. For Jaune...'_ The look in the mirror that she gave was full of her own sorrow, the months that had passed since Jaune had been torn from their midst having been tough on the three of them.

' _We are still team JNPR, despite our glorious leader having died.'_ She knew that it would be foolish to cling to such fancies, even as she would have to adjust to Viridian's presence, her newly assigned partner having taken his time to get situated properly, his manner of conduct still leaving much to be desired. _'If he could stop being an asshole, perhaps we could just let him be.'_

She would normally not exclude anyone from her graces but Viridian was not someone who would be able to keep his mouth shut. She was the champion of a tournament, a winner in most respects. She was the prettiest contestant on the fighting circuit, in no small part due to being able to use her Semblance to alter the course of the weapons that would be coming in her direction.

As she walked out towards the fighting ring, she let herself look at her opponent. Viridian stood there, the rocket-spear-javelin thing that he had constructed himself leaning against his shoulder. _'With just a bit of work, he could be someone who could be put into the front lines...'_ Jaune's face flashed in front of her mind's eye, even as she took her stance, the feeling of her Semblance activating bringing with it the accurate position of every piece of metal in the room.

Several students' bodies had been pierced, several of them in locations where she did not wish to think of. Her eyes looked at her partner as he stood opposite of her. "Let's fight, precious." Her face was expressionless and blank, as she stood at attention. The decision had been made not to let Viridian know of her Semblance. The fact that he came from Mistral, where the knowledge of her Semblance would immediately ensure that countermeasures were taken, was one of the ways that she guarded the knowledge about her Semblance well. _'You can do it. Just the regular fighting.'_

He was better than Jaune in his fighting, yes. Jaune had been the one who had the skill of a farmer, picking up a weapon for the first time and trying to use it. _'He was clumsy and foolish, but he was our... no, my clumsy and foolish leader.'_ "You may start." Professor Goodwitch's voice intoned, as she snapped her mind to the tournament mode.

' _Analyze, assess, attack.'_ The three A's of most of the tournament had been drilled into her, as she grabbed Milo and Akuou, her eyes looking at her opponent. "Ready to bite the dust, Pyrrha? I'll let you go out on a date with me if you win." She pressed her lips together firmly. _'If it was Jaune, I would consider it.'_ Her thoughts often drifted towards her former leader, the hurt inside her swirling like a vortex, filling her with the hesitation and tension that was hard to deny. "That will not be necessary." She responded. He moved towards her, the rockets igniting on the tip of his weapon, adding thrust to it. She brought up Akuou to block the tip, her semblance pushing it aside, as she swung Milo, the thrust from the spear allowing Viridian to slip past her, Milo's blade slicing only empty air, as the force that pulled him along allowed him to dodge.

Her leg swept, as she could feel the air around her move. _'Dodge.'_ The spear-tip jabbed at her once more, her body pushed to the side and allowed to dodge, the Aura meter flashing as she could feel the hit connect, Viridian hitting the ground.

Milo was in her hands in a steady grip, as she brought it down to his neck. "Yield." He moved with the grace that his body had been ingrained with, getting back up and driving his weapon at her midsection. She dodged it, getting out of range to end the battle by inflicting a semi-lethal wound, which would deplete his Aura to the level that she wished it to, ending the spar.

"I'm going to make you feel like you've actually had to fight hard, Pyrrha. I like my women with a bit of fight in them." The insinuation was not something that she approved of, her shield raised to block the strike, pushing forward into his personal space and headbutting him, the tiara having enough solid metal in it to make the hit hurt even more, the blink of the aura meter decreasing by 20% enough to clue her in, Milo moving without fail, slapping against his neck. The Aura meter went into the red immediately, with a buzzing sound coming from the board. "You're not even worth my best." She said, her words more hurtful than she'd intended. She could see his face fall, his eyes looking down at the weapon at his throat. "Mister Wisteria, Miss Nikos, a good fight." The Professor said, as they separated, Pyrrha's head bobbing in the nod that was customary between Mistralian natives after a fight.

"Your form is impeccable, Miss Nikos. You will need to capitalize more on taking the initiative, though. It is often that you would find that the other party over-extends, unless you are responsible for the protection of something. Your defence is suitable, I will admit." The woman's gaze went to Viridian, who looked at the woman with a cocky look, clearly assuming that his own evaluation would be in a similar manner.

"Mister Wisteria, you overextend your attacks and underuse your body's flexibility to put some hits on Miss Nikos. Whilst it is suitable to have a certain preference for attacks that involve movement, I can see some points of improvement for your stance. Miss Nikos knocked you over with a leg sweep. Work on avoiding such tricks and you will see some improvement." The professor dismissed them, the women's showers beckoning to her.

As she stepped under the warm spray of water five minutes later, she allowed herself to smile a little, the joy in getting back into the warmth of the water something that allowed her mind to dance to other topics. _'It never is as simple as just wishing...'_ The thought came to her mind, as she let herself feel the burden of emotions.

' _If I had been more aggressive when I had seen his flaws for the first time... Just sat him down and said 'I am going to train you, Jaune', then perhaps he would be still alive.'_ Guilt gnawed at her, making her feel even worse as she leaned against the tiles of the shower, her forehead feeling the cool tile against her skin. _'We were supposed to be together forever, unbound by death.'_ The hopes of a girl who had not had a true friend had been shattered then, as she let the dark feelings flow. Tears mingled with the water from the spray, warm enough to wash them away. _'You should be strong, Pyrrha... You're going to be the best team leader... Jaune would have been proud of you.'_

The thought of taking up the Arc family's offer to visit their home rose to her mind. They had been nice and pleasant, the young man's family having been warm towards them, even with the personal issues that Nora had spoken about... only briefly.

Whatever had spooked Nora so badly that she'd been out of her regular mood for a few days, it was something bad. Ren had mumbled something about being there for his girlfriend, yet he seemed to be uncertain about how he would have to go about soothing her spirit. Her emotions he could drain and suppress, but otherwise... it was futile. _'She would only say that she'd seen what a huntress can do.'_ The thought of the Arcs, genial and a bit strange as they were, as some sort of oppressive force, was strange to her. _'They made Jaune into what he was... so they can't be bad.'_

The Arc matriarch had taken her aside for a moment before she left, putting something in her hands, a medallion that had the Arc crest on it, the twin arches looking to be made from gold, the medallion something that had been crafted with care. "This will neutralize the defences around our home. We have been..." The woman had paused then, a look on her face that showed hesitation, perhaps a little doubt. "Busy with Grimm. It's an Arc thing." Whatever it was, it definitely did not explain why Jaune had not received any training in the art of the Huntsman from his sisters and father and mother.

She had asked about that yet his father, Sage, had only spoken briefly about the topic of why he had been untrained. "It's for reasons we cannot share. Know that there is a good reason behind it, though. It is for the safety of the whole family."The words had been obvious for her peace of mind, yet she had glared at the man. He had stoically bore her glare, without commenting on it. Ren had inquired with Rowan Arc, who had answered that it had been 'Because of who Jaune was.'.

Eight children was a big deal, for most people. Pyrrha herself was an only child, strong through the training that she had done in her youth. Most families only had two to three children, with the wealth that they had only supported as much. Richer people had more children if they were lucky to continue being rich. _'Didn't Weiss say that she had a sister and a brother? That's three children... But EIGHT?'_ She pulled herself off the tile and felt the soreness of her forehead increase, as she looked at the showerhead, her body washed clean with the waters. "Pyrrha?" Nora spoke up from outside the showers. "Are you alright?"

' _I forgot where I was.'_ She mentally scolded herself, as she turned the showerhead off. "Just a minute. I was busy with washing my hair." A good excuse that would work, for the majority of time. "Are you really?" She heard Nora ask, and she pulled the towel up, starting to brush over her body to get the water off. _'To think that I've been thinking about kids...'_ She scoffed out loud, the sound ugly from her throat.

"Just a little frustrated, Nora. I should have beaten down Viridian in two moves, not as many as that." The young man had been somewhat unbalanced, the skill that he had with his body not too shabby, yet his style allowing him not to be as fluid as she was. "You'll get him down, Goodwitch was just getting concerned when you took a bit longer than expected."

' _No doubt, because she was waiting for the class to be dismissed.'_ She got out of the shower, dressing in her uniform once again in a moment, Nora offering her the jacket, slipping it on without a word, her eyes looking at her friend and teammate for a moment. "Your eyes are all red."Nora said, pulling out a small makeup kit. "Here. Use this to look presentable. I'll keep Goodwitch stalled for a bit." The makeup would do some wonders on the red eyes, as she felt that loss again, raw and pulsating at her core. _'Jaune, if you are watching over me... Please...'_ The hope for an afterlife was something that burned brightly at her, to see him again. It had been her first crush, her first affection for a boy who had been so... Jaune.

As she joined the class again, Professor Goodwitch stood in front of them, her face holding a severe look. "There will be a dance held in a few weeks. A volunteer box has been set up for those who would like to engage in the management of the festivities." The woman made her way towards the door, the clicking of her heels silenced by the murmurs that sprang up. She could hear Weiss say something to Ruby, whose face showed a little bit of worry, her sister looking as excited as Weiss did.

"Got a date for the dance yet?" Viridian asked, his voice sounding awfully noisy to her ears, her lips forming the smile that she put on for the media. "I've not given it thought yet, Viridian. It has only been announced just now, after all." The way that his face fell was pitiable, yet she knew that dashing his hopes would lead to her being free in deciding whether she would even attend. _'Without Jaune... what use would it be to go to a dance?'_

* * *

 _Unkindness_

* * *

' _Fuck.'_ She didn't like how this was playing out. His block should have been cancelled by the swift slash that she had delivered, yet he had used the kinetic force to push himself away, flying off into her own tent. _'If that guy ruins my bed, I'll personally flay him.'_ She walked towards her tent, her eyes looking resolutely through the slits of her mask, her fingers twitching on the grip of her sword. "Boss?" Someone asked, yet she didn't respond, waiting for the young man to emerge once more. _'If he messes up my table, I'll just...'_

The cracking of bone and an audible moan of pain could be heard, as if something had been put right which had been twisted. _'Sounds like a broken arm or something being realigned...'_ She pushed open the curtain that shielded the interior from her sight, noticing that the tent was noticeably darker than before. "Come on, boy! You were so fierce in stating that I was a coward... Where's your fire now, huh?" Her steps halted as she looked around, her eyes looking for him, only noticing the devastation that he had wrought in her painstakingly arranged home.

Another few steps, the awaiting of a young man trying a desperate gamble of an attack bringing a spark of cruel amusement to her mind. _'It wouldn't be a bad thing to take an arm or something. He still has to tell me about the Beornir.'_ Something moved, a bottle rolling over the carpets that she'd put on the floor, stopping in front of her feet. Her gaze went to the direction where he should be standing, his hair a darker shade due to the lighting of her tent. She hadn't put the flame on in the lamp, so there was this murky half-darkness that stretched. "Don't think that you're any good at hiding, boy." She said, her hand gripping her blade and then striking swiftly, the hands that held the blades not even moving.

' _Did he shrink a little? His centre of gravity is different.'_ The idle thought was strong at the forefront of her mind, as she looked at the young man, the blades in his hands moving to block the strike with a single one. _'Futile. The dust would chew through the steel.'_ His head rose then from the gazing at the ground, to meet with hers.

Silver and crimson met her gaze, the facial features starkly different from the boyish teenager's face. The face was immediately matched with the memory of her former team leader, Summer Rose's single silver eye blazing. "Raven!" She hissed, her swords swiping at her.

"Fuck." She hissed, leaping backwards, the two blades missing her by a fraction. Her feet caught traction on her carpet, her eyes looking at the form of her former team leader, catching the minute tells that had been ingrained in her body ever since the training. _'What is SHE doing here?'_

The crimson eye looked as unwholesome as the eyes of the Grimm, the silver gaze of the single silver eye holding nothing but the disdain and anger with her. "You left Taiyang and Yang, Raven!" She shouted, her voice taking that typical angry tone that she had heard so much. Her blade was out of the sheath in a flash, a blade made out lightning dust coating it, the channelled Aura through the blade enough to give the other woman a shock that'd leave her rattled. "You will pay for that." Summer said, as she ducked under the slash, the weapon in her left hand let go of and a foot hitting her in her gut, the armoured plate that she held under the clothes holding. _'I need space. I can't fight Summer here in this enclosed space.'_ Against all of her instincts, she turned around and leapt free from her tent, turning around mid-leap and bracing herself for the impact with the ground again, her heel digging into the soil.

"Raven, Raven, Raven..." the sing-song voice of Summer came from the tent, the woman appearing there in the opening, her eyes glowing faintly, the crimson eye flashing a few times, whilst the silver seemed to burn with the energy of the silver-eyed warriors that Summer had only spent a brief moment on in explaining. _'A weapon that can freeze the Grimm...'_ She felt the roiling power inside her come to her aid, as she immersed herself in the powers of the maiden of Spring. The sky above her swirled with her power, as the thunder and lightning built up, the blade of her sword glowing as she channelled the energy through it.

"You betrayed us, Raven." Her accusation rang out, the weapons of the bandits trained on her, their looks of suspicion and readiness to follow her orders clearly indicative of the training that they had held. "This is still a duel between us, Summer, boy, whatever you are." She said, her voice strong and steady, even as the emotions inside her roiled. Summer looked up at her, the mismatch of her eyes looking like a damnation of her own choices.

"You... You..." She could see the expression on Summer's face change, the look of betrayal on her face strong. "I took control because I wanted to speak to you! You're... Ooof, You, you!" Summer moved, faster than before, her blades flashing in the arc, her body moving to block, one sword blocked with her own blade, the Dust blade cracking a little under the assault, whilst her armoured gauntlet blocked the other. "You bitch!" Summer screeched, as she entered close range, her head slamming forwards, no doubt intending to give a headbutt, yet it was ineffective. Her body leapt back again.

"You left little Yang all alone! I had to change her diapers, feed her formula until she could eat some stuff on her own!" Summer's voice was starting to reach those octaves where it hurt, the higher-pitched voice still grating on her ears.

"I had a job to do, Summer! For Ozpin, we would have sworn to do anything!" The silver-eyed woman glared at her. "The mission is critical for Remnant, Raven, but you had NO right to be an absent mother!" Her voice reached a near-screech, anger suffusing it. Raven's sword shot up, the blocking of one of Summer's swords ringing out, the second coming in from a low arc. _'Just in time.'_ The armour blocked the blade from cutting anywhere.

"You know not how it is to have no fixed place to live! We travel, so we can always stay safe!" She cried out, even as the foot slammed into her gut, pushing her backwards. Summer moved her blades in the ready stance. _'Time to start...'_ The thought brought with it the burning powers inside her, glowing with the ancient power of the Maiden of Spring, the blood inside her turning to frost and fire, warring inside her for dominance, to control the destiny that she had been given.

"We are there to hold the fate of our tribe in our hands, Summer! We would have no use for a child with us!" The response from Summer was a laugh, higher in pitch and sounding less sane than it'd ever been. _'She had such a warm laugh... not... this.'_ The block that followed with her dust blade was enough to keep the blades from reaching her, the steel shattering the blade within a moment, her feet pushing her back, the new blade slotted into the hilt, ready to strike when she wished.

"You're a FOOL, Raven!" Summer said. Raven's eyes beheld the silver eye, opened so wide that it was nearly a perfect silver orb, the iris peering at her with a brilliant silver light shining inside it. Veins of darkness seemed to creep towards it, the whole white of the iris starting to appear corrupted, the dark lines of whatever dark blood seemed to pump through them making the white stand out like bastions in a sea of darkness, the silver of that singular eye pushing the darkness away.

"How dare you! How dare you!" The deranged shout that Summer made was nigh-mad, the pain in her voice reminding Raven of the day that Summer had heard of the death of her parents, that sound of pleading and whimpering that had come from the bathroom in their dorm room, the whimpers turning into messy sobs and pleas for them to return. _'I was a fool for having scolded her for having feelings.'_

The beat-down in the sparring arena the next day had been brutal and merciless, Summer's blades hacking through any guard that she could have put up, shattering her defence and making her helpless to avoid the fist that continued to smack her face until it was black and blue.

"'We have no use for a child with us'? Are you INSANE?" Summer's voice shrieked, clearly losing her composure there, as the blades moved through the air, the whistle of air cut by the sharp edge giving it another dimension of fear, as she moved out of its path, the gathering power inside her flaring up. The sudden shattering of the mask that she wore was the unexpected side-effect, the fading light illuminating her face, the change in lighting forcing her to adjust. _'You should look at yourself when talking about sanity, Summer.'_

Her blade slammed against Summer's side, the dust-fused blade igniting in a blast of frosty crystals, Summer's body jolting from the pain, the facial features hardly changing, as the blades continued to weave, the flesh looking unmarred, yet the jacket that she wore was definitely done for. _'Damn it, Summer. I don't want to kill you!'_ "It was for the tribe! The tribe is the most important thing, we do not need weaklings!" _'Liar. You know that you're a hypocrite.'_

"She is your DAUGHTER, Raven!" Summer's accusation hit hard, as the woman ducked in close. A blast of lightning shot down from the heavens, the flare of the Maiden's power emanating from her eyes, as she watched the lightning surge through Summer's body, her hair standing on end, the crimson locks falling in her face. "I'll stop you, Raven." The woman hissed, her voice sounding determined and strong, as if she had just made a promise, one that she would keep. _'Whenever she put her mind to it, we could never stop her...'_

Her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, the red eye peering at her with an unbound hate and vile emotion in its depths. _'That eye isn't right.'_ She blocked the strike with her blade, her body straightening out once more and another blast of lightning descending upon Summer. The sword in her right hand rose, taking the strike and her whole body lighting up for a moment, Aura flaring up.

"Fuck you, Raven." Summer hissed, before she dashed forwards, towards her. _'Back!'_ The thought was half-completed, as she turned around, actually deciding to dash away, not even giving it thought consciously. _'You're a coward, Raven.'_ The thought was enough to jar her, as she turned around, seeing her former team leader gain on her, her blade shifting in the sheath that she used, her body angling, as she readied the muscles to quick-draw. _'And then... strike.'_

The blade emerged, a quick slash landing on Summer's midsection. The blade fizzled with the energy of the Spring Maiden, the heat that washed over Summer's body enough to make her eyes tear up as well. The unmarred flesh turned into blackened flesh, the heat of the Dust-infused blade enough, Summer's face twisted in anger. "You... You!" Summer's voice was higher, yet with an audible quiver to it. The silver of her eye seemed to fade out, the veins of darkness bulging there in that singular ocular orb. "You COWARD!"

' _She should be dead. She can't be alive after taking that.'_ The aura shimmered around Summer's body, a dark colour mixing with pure white, Summer's face showing the anger and frustration in her eyes. "He is not going to suffer anymore! I promised to take care of my baby, I will not make you break that promise!" The huntress took the stance, her bared flesh looking like a mess, the blackened patches slowly starting to flake off, revealing unmarked flesh. _'That regeneration by Aura is insane... Whatever is channelling Summer must have the reserves of a veteran huntsman.'_

"You always wanted to have something for yourself! Every time that Qrow came to you for guidance, you shunned him, focusing on MY Taiyang!" The accusation rang out, as Raven looked at her former team leader, the anger bubbling over inside her. She could feel the heat flaring inside her, with enough of the pain mixing with it to keep her focused. _'She did everything for the mission.´_ The thought was not sobering, as her eyes gazed at the form of her teammate, younger than she should have been, her bare breasts heaving, a sheen of sweat slick on them.

Her eyes found her tribesmen gazing with deliberation, the challenge to her authority as leader having not been dismissed by them. _'They would wish me to kill her...'_ The thought of killing her former leader was one that did not sit well with her, looking at the unstable look on Summer's face. _'That will not happen.'_ "What's the matter, Summer? Not got a witty response? No epic comeback?"

Summer's silver eye twitched, her mouth opening and closing, her eyes burning with that deliberate nature of anger and fire within it, her tongue sliding over her lips as if to moisten them for a scathing response, yet no words came from the woman's mouth. "That's the matter with you! Summer Rose, always waiting, always with a smile and a little handkerchief to dab on the poor boo-boo! You grew up safe, protected by the forces of Vale, enough to guard you and your family whilst my brother and I grew up with our tribe!"

Her blade pulled loose, she struck, the power of the maiden leaving the blade to glow in an iridescent manner, blinding Summer... or at least coming close. The ring of steel against dust-blade was a reward for her own strike, as Summer blocked it flawlessly, as if she had been waiting for it. "Always preaching about the merits of what we should do, what we should do for Remnant... Always focusing on the good of all, instead of the things that really matter!" She accused, her mind feeling easier now that the frustration vented, her whole body burning with the power that she had going through her. _'Your sacrifice will not be forgotten, girl.'_

"Does the mission really matter, Summer?" She called out, moving ever closer to Summer, whose eyes were still looking at her, the silver peering at her, as her lips formed a faint smile. "Does it really matter, if you have to cast away everything?" She could smell the burnt hair and the skin, the flesh still immaculate, even as Summer's glare unnerved her more. "Come on! Answer me!"

Summer smiled, the smile grew even broader as she looked at her with a look that held both mystery as well as that spark of ominousness. "You don't know... Raven." The words seemed to contain a powerful force, as the woman's left arm flicked the sword to the side, as if the blade was made out of air. "So much power... So much potential..." _'Crap.'_

Her blade materialized in the air, as the power of the Spring Maiden activated to her will, her eyes focusing on summer, the blade out of pure ice forming into the shape that she desired. With a thought, it was sent at Summer. "You don't understand, Raven." The blade of ice shattered as Summer wove her sword in a defensive pattern, the shards of ice pelting her bare skin.

' _What don't I understand?'_ Anger flashed through her features, the glow in her irises increasing as she upped the power. "Enlighten me, Summer. What don't I understand?" Summer's left arm seemed to twist and turn, sickeningly pale skin unveiled like a mirage fading away, unveiling that pallid pale flesh to her eyes, the dark veins distended, dark blood-like liquid pulsating through the veins, visibly so.

"You suck." _'What?'_ She could see Summer move, the arc in which she was swinging her swords enough to bring her down, if not outright pierce through the armour that she wore. Both blades were on a course to stop her, the silver and crimson eyes meeting her own red ones, as she felt the tension go through her body. Ultimate power surged through her, her whole body arching with it, the rush about to explode and then, Summer was atop her.

They tangled together, her power fizzling out slowly with the increasing strain on her system. The power that had been hers for nigh-on nine years had been building up, the flare of the overflow dimming from her eyes, as Summer seized her. "You sucking suck!"Summer sounded younger than she was, as she drove her smaller fist into her stomach, Raven's body jarred by the strike, the pain flaring up.

"You should have been a MOTHER and a FIGHTER, Raven!" Raven could feel terror creep through her, as Summer had her pinned to the ground. "Boss!" Someone shouted, her mind belatedly putting a name to the voice. "You should have been there for little Yang when she was crying, when she had a boo-boo on her knee! You should've been there to comfort her, to be cutesy with Tai when he was all hurt and to keep to your vows!" The blows came heavier, as they tussled.

' _This is not how it should go! We're brawling like children, like two friends who have been in a fight!'_ The fact that a bandit chieftain would not usually be seen tussling with another combat, brawling it out like a pair of common toughs.

A sound of a gun discharging caught her ear, Summer's head whipping back, a red mark on her cheek starting to bleed, a spray of blood hitting her face, the liquid a change from the burning ache that she felt. She could feel Summer's grip on her slacken, pushing the other woman off her. "Who fired that? This is a personal duel!" Her voice rang out, stronger than she felt. Anger flared inside her. This was HER fight.

"Leave it. This is between you and me." Summer's voice was weak, as she rubbed her cheek, getting up again, grabbing her swords. "No, Summer. This is a matter of honour, a matter of h-" Summer's voice cut through. "Shut UP, Raven. You keep on yapping and chatting like you've gotten ahead in life, like you actually MEAN something! Glowy spooky eyes? Are you TRYING to copy me?"

Indignation flashed inside Raven's being as she looked at Summer, whose face seemed to be a showing a mix of anger, frustration and darkness that brought to the fore the raw emotions, as the alcohol still burned inside her. "You're a disgrace, Raven! At least Qrow managed to make a dress look good!" _'That DOES it.'_ She didn't care about saving face anymore, or about what other people thought of her. Anger within her flashed, blinding her to the feelings of other things, as she tried to block out the hurt and anger.

What emerged from her throat was a shriek that was the expression of that anger and wrath, lightning slamming down onto the position where Summer was. The primordial powers inside her continued to rage, as she channelled the full force of the Spring Maiden's powers, trying to reduce whatever spectre that her former teammate had left behind to ashes. _'This must be some hallucination that was brought on by some Semblance or the other. There is no way that I would be...'_ The thought she did not finish, panting in frustration as sweat dripped off her face, the usage of her powers having brought her to exhaustion, the burning inside her body not slackening, at the feeling of that power slowly fading, her Aura recovering her breathing.

"Fuck that."She muttered, the coarseness of her language not even phasing her. "Someone take care of that." She ordered, turning away from what undoubtedly was a pile of ashes, the feeling of being free of the spectre of her former teammate something that lightened her heart. "Going to drain another bottle, Rae Rae?" The voice of Summer came from behind her, her head whipping about. She could feel a clammy hand grab her heart as Summer looked at her, the clothing that she wore half-burnt and scorched, yet her skin intact. The swords were planted in the earth, having conducted the electricity into the ground, Summer's face showing less care, as she pulled the blades loose from the soil.

"Silly drunk little Raven, always thinking that you can just brute force your way through every problem you have." Summer's voice was scathing once more, her stance changing to one that held more aggression. "Time to end this, Raven." Summer said, Raven's gaze spotting the sign of Summer getting ready to do it. _'You fool, it's going to be your death! I don't want to kill you, Summer!'_

Her blade clanged against her former team leader's blades, blocking it. "You had NO right to abandon Yang!" Summer shouted, her voice pitching the high octaves. Raven prepared herself to do as she must, her fingers tensing around the hilt. One strike and the chapter of her life would be over.

"I had every right, Summer. You were off gallivanting around the world, fighting evil, whilst I was suffering through the motions of pregnancy! I could not care for a little brat! It would spell the demise of the tribe if I did!" The refuting of Summer's words was false to her ears, the woman's face getting a look that could only be called creepy on it.

"You want to know what happened to the Beornir, Raven?" Summer's voice was a throaty sound that hung in the air, as her gaze turned to the shadows, the skies darkening above them. There was a pool of shadows that wrapped around Summer, her eyes glowing, red and silver burning in the shadowy recess that the woman had created, the walls casting grizzly shadows.

' _This doesn't feel good.'_ The thought finished in her mind, even as the ground erupted, a King Tajitu erupting from the soil like some demented earthworm, its twin heads hissing, the white and the black heads brushing the soil off their head. "Tajitu! On your guards!" She shouted, her voice carrying easily to the edges of the camp.

"You're going to pay, Raven!" Summer said, the Tajitu moving towards the rest of the tribe. _'They won't be able to deal with it in the best of chances... I'm the only huntsman-trained person here... except for Summer.'_ "I'll cut you a deal. Deal with the Tajitu and we'll call a ceasefire." The other huntress snorted, her eyes looking at the Tajitu. "Deal." _'She hates the Grimm more than me. Good.'_ The Tajitu moved, hissing loudly, Summer's blades flickering into motion as she herself drew her blade. A line of energy arced from her blade, the power of the Spring Maiden flowing onto her blade, as Summer's blades met at the middle, the Tajitu sliced half-way through. Dark ichors shot up from the wound, Summer's body covered in it. A grimace came to her features, Raven's eyes catching sight of something happening in the silver eye, a soft whimper coming from her former team leader's lips. "Too soon. Too soonnnnn."

The hair slowly turned back to its blonde colour, as Summer held her head, her fingers dropping the sword in her left hand, the flesh fading out of existence, as the young man who had challenged her first appeared, minus his left arm. His upper body was bare, as it had been, the marks on his skin something that she could identify as cuts and blade-marks. His eyes were blue and red, the colour restored, her own breath coming in a sharp gasp as his blue eye met hers. " **You will pay for this, woman."** The voice was a little lower in the register than before, but his right hand, holding one of the swords, pointed at her. A Beowolf ripped itself from the shadows, flying at her with a snarling mouth, dark fur caressed by the wind.

' _What the fuck?'_ She thought, as her blade cut through the Grimm like it were nothing, the shadowy creature dissipating in a flash. " **Just like the Beornir, all you know is how to kill, how to threaten, how to hurt! I've had ENOUGH of this!"**

Her insides seemed to coil and twist, the wrongness of the air suddenly increasing as she could feel the powers of the Spring Maiden sear through her nerve-endings, the whole sensation being akin to being lit on fire. Another four Beowolves sprang from the shadows, leaping at them. _'Grimm summoning? This isn't good!'_

Her blade reached one of the Beowolves, cutting straight through its bone-white mask, her blade meeting little resistance. The pure red eyes peered at her from the blonde man's face, the stump of his arm wriggling with little, dark tendrils of some fluid starting to form pale flesh.

It might be the shock earlier that she had gotten or the fact that her former team leader had tried to thrash her, but she could only stare, her expression difficult, looking at the Grimm as her blade swept through them. The young man, perhaps in his late teens, early twenties, stared at her.

A thrill of something came through her, her heart beat a little faster. The appearance of Summer at his side was a surprise, yet it was acceptable. "Stop it." Summer's voice was pained, as she stood there, her features looking worn down, her other hand taking the sword from his hand. **"They must be put to the same standard, Summer. They... They hurt me, Summer. I don't want that to happen again, I won't let them just... I've got to protect them."** The warped voice that he spoke with was enough to send a chill through her body. _'Just like Her, warped and twisted by the power of darkness itself. I could never forget that day...'_

The scars upon the battlefield, the faint smell of blood in the air, Grimm corpses slowly dissolving into nothingness with only the woman standing there, shrouded in darkness, her eyes meeting hers. The red irises and the black sclera glowed with the power inherent, as hands rose, darkness shaping itself into a massive form. Summer was the first to break off at that time, calling for a retreat. The portal carried them back to the safety of their home, the tears coming later on.

' _The eyes... they are the same. Is he...'_ The shudder that went through her body was something that she showed outwardly, her eyes narrowing visibly. "You'll be fine. Trust me... Raven will know how to handle this... She's a woman of her word." She moved herself to a non-threatening stance, the Beowolves dealt with by her tribesmen in the background. _'If they cannot fight, they cannot be a member of the tribe.'_

"I am willing to speak with you." Raven said, Summer's voice piping up right afterwards. "Yeah, I said she would! She's a good woman!" The praise was something of a contrast to the earlier tirade that Summer had given, the words had been harsh and accusatory. The woman's eyes were a pure silver, looking at her with that boundless hope. _'She looks as if nothing ever happened between us. No shouting, no cursing...'_

" **Are you going to hurt us?"** He asked, Raven's breath hitching in her throat as those eyes met hers. No gentle blue eyes, just the crimson of something far crueler than anything that lived on this Remnant of the world. _'If he can summon the Grimm, there is no telling what he would do to the tribe. The safest bet is to merely talk to him and see what I can do to ensure that we won't get swamped with the Grimm... That woman was able to create them with merely a thought...´_ Sobriety was still something that she didn't seem to get yet, as she let her mind wander. "Boss!" Vernal's voice reached her ears, turning around. "We stand behind you, if you want us to attack!"

' _Attacking would not solve a thing... How did it devolve to this?"_ The fight with the young man had drawn out Summer, who had possessed his body, which had led to the fighting between the two of them... and then to the shift back... _'Gods, this is starting to feel like the start of a horrible evening. Qrow, I'll probably damn you for this, but I need a drink.'_

It sucked to be Raven Branwen right now. "I promise you that you will not be harmed. As Raven of the Branwen tribe, I swear." The oath was something that she did not use sparsely, Vernal hissing something behind her. "Allow me a moment to prepare something suitable for you..." She said, trying to keep the quiver from her voice.

"What are you doing, Raven?" Vernal asked, as soon as they were out of earshot. "We could have taken him. He is but one man!" Her eyes narrowed at her adjutant, a slow exhale coming from her lips. It was at times like this that her experiences as a huntress really came in handy. "Vernal, I've seen his sort of skills before." The words came heavily from her lips, the Grimm woman's red eyes flashing before her mind's eye, pitiless and cruel. "Do you want us all to die?"

' _If he has but a hint of the power that that woman holds... he could swallow us in a tide of Grimm. Even his body...'_ A tremor ran through her, as her daughter's face came to her mind. _'For Yang... for her I need to live. She will need to see the world as it truly is... instead of the lies that are spun by Ozpin for his own benefit. You will not be his sacrificial pawn, my daughter.'_ "No, but-" She turned her gaze to her adjutant. "Do not think that you can order something like that. The Huntress that stands at his side was my former team leader. She is better than _EVERYONE_ here in this camp. Only I or my brother could come close to matching her potential." She omitted her former husband, the memory of him bringing forth a spark of something inside her, a yearning that was as dark and deep that it seemed to bring with it the need inside her to come and visit him.

"But... She's..." Vernal cast a look back at Summer, Raven's gaze following along, seeing the huntress adjust something on the young man's body. His gaze was cast towards the wall, as if regarding something unseen. The chill of a cold hand running down her spine intensified. _'What if this was all a ploy to summon the Grimm to kill us? I cannot defend my tribe with my attention divided between Summer and them.'_

Paranoia wasn't a stranger to her, as she looked at the young man. Her eyes caught the streak of white hair, the terror clenching around her heart in a grip once more. _'Perhaps he is her child? Does that mean...'_ "She's able to cut you in half in a flash. She is as good as my brother is... Although I loathe to admit it."

It was a troublesome thing... yet she would make the tribe survive this ordeal. _'For the tribe, everything. Emotions, personal feelings, care...'_

* * *

 **Due to my father passing away last week on Thursday, I have not been in the mood to write much, and the chapter no doubt is haphazardly written. The tale must go on, however. One cannot rest whilst people have to deal with things that may be tough.**

 **In this chapter, Summer Versus Spring. Or just Raven Versus Summer. Cardin and Velvet on their 'totally not a date'. Pyrrha's perspective on matters. Jaune and the bandits. None of the Kali-Sienna-Whitney trio perspectives (You'll be seeing them next chapter. There is a reason why I left them out. And yes, you'll have to trust me if I say 'I left them out for a reason'. There is no grand over-arching lesbian plot.) Also, Yang!**

 **Expect the next chapter on the next Friday. In it... Raven and Revelations! Also, this officially marks the end of the Snow White arc of the story. Onto the Blackest Knight Arc!**

 **Please leave a review if you have enjoyed the chapter. I like to see your feedback and reviews of the story, it gives me a good idea of what to work on. I apologize if the pacing of the story is a bit slow for some people, but the two storylines will merge again, probably at the conclusion of the Blackest Knight Arc.**


	18. Obscured Meetings

**Chapter 18: Obscured Meetings**

 **To people who claim that Raven was trashed by Summer unfairly: She's got a very low alcohol tolerance. She's seen something that seriously unnerved her. Then her former team leader pops up, and seems to be immune to whatever she has got going for her, and verbally thrashes her. Raven, in all fairness, sustained far too little damage. Summer? She tanked it. About Cardin and Velvet? Yeah, they're dating. The original scene that I had in mind was tamer between Raven and Summer, the two just talking, instead of fighting, but it outlines Summer's state of being. About Cardin and Velvet... eh, I won't spoil it.**

* * *

 _The fire that burns_

* * *

The pain still rocked through his nerve-endings, as the arm slowly regrew itself from the _vitae tenebris_. The warm thrum of his aura continued, even as he looked at the woman who was busying herself with making some tea, the pot that she used looking well-worn, the markings on it somewhat Mistralian in nature. _'There is no reason for her to act like this. Remember the Beornir. Remember how Ruby continued to hurt, whilst you were unwilling to act.'_ The dark and seductive lure of that power was inside him now, as his arm slowly reformed, the _vitae tenebris_ shaping it fully out of its darkness, the ache still working through his bones.

"She really makes a decent cup of tea, I swear." Summer rattled on, having been a flood of words for the past five minutes, after Raven had ushered the two of them into her tent. The wooden boards underneath had been layered with some carpet, the decor somewhat reminiscent of the tales of the Vacuan nomads, who lived in such tents. "I'm not sure whether she will keep her word, Summer." He said to her, Summer's silver eyes widening. "She will! She's just a naughty little bird, going to be all 'huff, I am evil!' for a while and then she'll calm down."

The baleful look that Raven sent at Summer was enough to make him seriously doubt whether Summer was accurate in her assessment of the woman, whose red eyes looked at him with a look that was half-mingled with fear and perhaps loathing, the emotions inside her reaching out to his senses, a mixture of confusion, rage and fear, warring with something that he found hard to understand. "Your tea." The woman said, as she poured a cup for him and Summer, the latter giving a bright smile at her former teammate. "See? Totally a cute bird! Her brother's like that too, always trying to act tough to girls, but when you get to see the real him, he's like 'wa-chaww, lemme hug da fluffy doggy'." Raven snorted as she heard that, the sound strange to hear from her. "He was always a soft-hearted crow. Thinking about the good of humanity over the good of the tribe."

The woman sat herself down opposite of the two of them, the look on her face somewhat schooled to fit the role as tribal chieftain that she held, her eyes looking at him. "You are a Grimm summoner." The accusation was there, the woman's voice sounding resigned to that fact. _'Undoubtedly she has run into Her before. Otherwise, she would not be pouring me tea.'_

"You could call it that." He said, offering no answer to the statement, no confirmation. The red eyes narrowed, as she raised the cup to her lips, sipping from the teacup. "See? He's not so bad!" Summer's cheerful statement was at odds with how she had responded earlier, her body moving excitedly, as she sipped the tea. Raven's eyes narrowed as she regarded her former teammate. "We need to have words, Summer." The statement was loaded with something that seemed to be hidden from his observance. "Yes, we do. You've been drinking, Raven! Don't you remember that time you drank Qrow's alcohol and you grabbed him and started to de-" Raven's eyes widened, the woman's emotions surging with what was embarrassment and shame. "We speak not of that, Summer." The hissed response was enough to tell him of the story behind it, yet he did not press it.

"Whatever happened between the two of you is between the two of you." He said, trying to apply diplomacy. Some small hint of her relief showed in the slight relaxing of her face, her gaze at Summer. "Summoning my ex-team leader and managing to block my strikes is enough to convince me that you have some value." The words were spoken brusquely, as the gaze at Summer seemed to intensify. "If you wish to join my tribe, we can make use of you."

' _Why should I? They would turn out to be like the Beornir.'_ The thought of being with a tribe of lawless bandits did not appeal to him in the least. His dream of being a Huntsman worth respecting would not become reality if he were to be tied to a camp of bandits, innocent people led astray and robbed, to die in the wilds. "No." He said, the woman nodding in acceptance of his answer. "A man who knows his position in life, I can give some respect." The feeling he got from her confirmed it, the steadiness of her resolve making her emotions mute, as her eyes met with his own. _'Not like the Beornir... but different. Murderers, bandits and robbers...'_

"Rae Rae, you really should be nicer. 'A man who knows his position in life, I can respect!' sounds like you're some old person!" Raven's eyes narrowed, Jaune watching as Summer spoke. The cup of tea in front of him he lifted, drinking from it. The woman's face showed a conflicted expression. "Summer..." The woman muttered, rubbing her forehead, her hair moving slowly. _'She does look awfully familiar...'_

Summer's smile was on her lips immediately, moving forwards. "Rae Rae, you're looking like you've got a problem." The woman skipped over the table, easily moving next to the woman. The bandit chieftain moved back, the motions jerky and unsteady, her eyes widening. "Summer, no! No hugs!" The near-panicked manner of speech that the woman adopted showed that Summer's actions weren't strange. "But we have to make up, Rae Rae!" Summer said, Jaune watching as she leapt on top of the other woman. A blush blossomed on his face at the sight of Summer cuddling up to Raven, the latter trying to push the woman off. "Rae Rae and Summer, forever together! Besties!"

' _Somehow, I can definitely see her as some sort of version of Weiss, if Summer is like Ruby.'_ The bandit chieftain tried to push Summer off once again, her gauntleted hands pushing against the woman's shoulder. A feeling of vertigo came over him, as he felt like he was falling. Summer's head rose up, looking at him with a look that showed concern. "Rae Rae?" Jaune could hear the woman say something, as his consciousness seemed to go away quickly.

"He'll be a good help. She won't be getting us down, he knows the stakes." The words became like mere slurry in his mind, as Summer suddenly popped back again into his mind. The relief that he felt was like the warm blanket that wrapped around him, as the feeling of comfort seemed to emanate from the woman, snapping back to attention inside him. " _Well, I'm back here. Just do as I say, let Rae Rae help you out."_

' _Whatever does that mean? The woman wanted to kill me for information on the Beornir.'_ The thought ran through his mind as Raven slowly got up. The dishevelled look she currently held was enough to distract him a little, a hand tucking herself back to proper form.

"Very well." The woman said, trying to affect some seriousness back to her words, her eyes looking into his own. "I am here to listen to your suggestions, young man." Her voice held that tone of disbelief, even as she began to drink some of her tea. _'What do I suggest? I don't know what we're trying to do here, save to get us out of this place.'_

The bandit chieftain peered at him, her eyes like red pools of blood, eyes shrewd as she watched him. "Eh..heh. Yes, what to suggest." He floundered a little, trying to get the proper idea. _'Does she mean to refer to the defence of the camp?'_ The camp would be defensible from any Grimm attack by the virtue of how it was set up, the woman's sharp eyes looking at him with a look that seemed to grow even more piercing. _"Tell her from me, that 'The mission is the most important thing.'. She'll know what to do."_

' _What mission? Summer... You're keeping things from me.'_ The thought of betrayal from her was something that did not settle well inside him, his eyes meeting Raven's. _'Alright, Bandit chief... let's see how you deal with this.'_ "She told me hat 'The Mission is the most important thing.'." The red eyes narrowed, the eyebrows furrowing in irritation and perhaps frustration. "I... see." The mature woman's fingers manipulated the cup up to her lips, sipping it slowly.

"Your companions..." The woman paused for a moment, as she seemed to consider something, her eyes looking at him with a look that was half-pity, half bemusement. "Are you wishing them to be set free?" The negotiations, as far as they were negotiations, weren't going off to a great start. _'They'll be put to work... or else.'_ The thought of that happening to his friends was enough to set the _vitae tenebris_ to boil inside him with white-hot anger. _'Nobody should do something like that to a woman! I've got the duty to protect them.'_ "What would it cost me?" He said, as Raven's hand set the cup down on the table once more.

"Assurance." The woman said, her eyes keeping locked with his own. "We must survive. The tribe's survival is paramount." The emotion that she showed was enough to clue him in to the nature of her worry. _'So she cares for her tribe as much as the Beornir did for theirs...'_ "And what do you think I can do about it?" _'You're doing good. Keep thinking that you're in a Spruce Willis movie, negotiating with the evil villain.'_

The cup was picked up again, sipped and then set down, the woman's eyes stern as they glared at him. "That you can summon the Grimm is something that can be a boon for any bandit tribe. When you ran into the Beornir, did you not use it to deal with them?" _'It's logical that she would come to that conclusion.'_ The events as they had transpired with Ruby Beornir and her family were still a muddy mess in his mind. _'So many dead by my will, by my orders...'_ The guilt gnawed at him, yet the knowledge that they had been evil people soothed the guilt just a little bit... _'The women and men they kept as slaves were still killed...'_

"Their operations are currently halted." He said. The woman's eyes widened, showing the fear that suddenly blossomed inside her. He could taste it like a fine wine, her tongue slipping over her lips, as she slowly exhaled. "You did that?" A mirthless chuckle came from his lips, Jaune feeling the dark emotions inside him, as the patterns for Grimm creation popped into his mind. With the absorption of the Nuckelavee, he could feel the wellspring having been widened, the pool of _vitae tenebris_ in his body having broadened, allowing for greater control over the Grimm. _'It's time to show Ruby's little gift.'_

He got up, standing there. Her gaze was up at him, her hand moving to her waist, where the weapon she carried was. "Ruby Beornir gave a little gift." He said, turning away from her. The woman didn't gasp or anything, as she could see the marks on his back. Emotions inside her swelled, something that was a strange anger welling up, as well as something he could not quite distinguish. "Ruby..." Raven's voice was soft as she spoke the name, the sound of her getting up and moving around the table, to him. Her finger pressed against one of the markings, a shock of pain going through his body.

' _Don't do it, Jaune. Don't lose control.'_ The memories of Ruby Beornir's laughter as her blade cut into his flesh, the soft soothing cooing that she did when the Dust ignited, froze and crackled, his body screaming and screeching in pain. _'You are in control. She isn't here anymore. You killed her.'_ The thought soothed him, even as Raven's finger traced over his back, the softness of it surprising, compared to the life that she must have led. _"She is a good huntress. I know every move that she can make... but the lightning and storm was a new trick."_ Summer's voice was like a comfort as she spoke, her words trying to draw him into that state where he could think logically, the pain inside him slowly fading away to allow him the sanity to continue what he was doing.

"She was a bitch." Raven's voice said, as he turned back to her. She was... smaller than he was. Her eyes looked up at him, her breath smelling faintly of the tea as well as some bitterness that could only be the alcohol. "That she was." He said, admitting it readily. The woman seemed to look a little pensive, as if she were not wholly sure about what things should be done right as of this moment.

"Are they done with?" The question came, the anger inside him making the _vitae tenebris_ sing. "Yes." He said, voice holding the wrath of his will, the picture that he had of the Beornir sisters and their father in his pack having the sisters whose death he had confirmed written upon the back of it. "Good. We owe you a debt, then."The woman's words were stark, as she looked up at him. For a moment, he saw someone else look up at him, eyes that were a lighter colour peering right up.

"You look familiar... Wouldn't you happen to be a..." He paused for a moment, trying to think. _'How old exactly is Summer? If she studied with Summer, then that would put her at... thirty-five? Ruby is fifteen, so...'_ "Are you Yang's mother?" The eyes were fierce, wrathful and burning, as the woman's hand gripped the hilt of her sword. "What is it to you, Boy?"

"Nothing, nothing. I am a friend of Ruby's, I used to be a-" The woman turned around, confusion inside her emotions showing that she was somewhat getting the message that he was sending. "You were a friend of Ruby?" The woman accused, her voice sounding like it were coated with razor wire. "Ruby Rose! Not that other Ruby!" The woman slowly relaxed, taking a step back. "Vernal!" The woman shouted, the adjutant appearing in a flash. "Get the boy a shirt! We owe him a debt for destroying the Beornir!" The look on the young woman's face was enough to clue him in to the surprise that the woman felt. "As you wish!" The woman was out of the tent a moment later, his attention turning to the woman again as she sat herself down.

"If you were a friend of Ruby Rose, then you must be a friend of my daughter as well." The woman's admission of being the mother of the elder sister of his friend was enough to make some of the pieces click into place, his teeth showing, as he watched the woman relax a little. "You are untrained, boy." The woman said, the sharpness of her comment making him feel a brief spark of irritation. _'It's not like I wanted to become some lord of the Grimm or anything...'_

"That is true." He admitted. _"She has this habit of proving her strength."_ Summer added, Raven's eyes meeting his own. There was an intensity in her eyes, as her lips moved to form a small smile. _'Like Yang when she's spotted something that she could poke fun at.'_ "As recompense for your aid done in exterminating the Beornir... as far as I can tell, that is, I will offer you training." The woman's offer was something that he would have leapt at, had he been younger and less wise in the ways of the world. His eyes met hers, as he leaned forwards hands planted onto the table. "You will also train my companions."

The training would serve them well. A week of instruction could mean the difference between the death by a bandit's gun and something that'd be a mere unpleasant memory. The woman shook her head. "The offer is for you alone. You took a strike of a Maiden's power."

He blinked, the term unfamiliar. "Eh... Since you're Yang's mom, doesn't that mean that you're no longer a maiden? I know that you must've split off from Mister Xiao-Long during the divorce but... I don't think that makes you a maiden again." The woman's eyes were like the mirror to her soul, surprise on her face showing, as she continued to get herself comfortable. "You don't... Didn't Summer tell you anything?"

" _Summer, did you have to tell me something?"_ The soft 'Ehehehe' that came from the space that Summer occupied inside him was so much like Ruby's that it seemed for a moment as if she were there, embarrassed about something that he had done and heard. _"I mean, it wasn't THAT important. The Summer Maiden really isn't called Summer, I mean..."_ The nonsense that she babbled was something that he could only pick apart with more thought.

"She's babbling something about the Summer Maiden or something." Raven gave a sound in the back of her throat, as a blazing dark red glow appeared from her eye, like the flames of creation. _'The acolytes..._ ' The memories hit at that moment, his eyes rolling back into his skull, his body falling over on its side.

* * *

 _The first time that they came, the skies were rent asunder. His children burning and twisted by the power of nature, as the women worked through the barriers that he put up, the Beowolves hardly stymieing the flow of combat, as their blades were crafted from the very elements themselves. A sharp hiss, as the first barrage came, for the power of the vitae tenebris to shape into a reality that which would deal with them. He knew that the fight would be joined with Him again, as the women came before him. "You old witch, we'll stop you! The Wizard told us all about your grand plan!"_

 _A moment passed as he assessed the speaker, a young woman wearing the long cape of the order of knights that would hail from the mountainous region, her eyes blazing with a brilliant crimson sheen._ _ **"What do you propose to stop me?"**_ _Affable, his voice was, the same voice that had once spoken the oaths of power, to take the mantle of Grand Witch upon his shoulders. "The right for freedom! The Grimm are evil!"_

 _The battle had ended, the remnants of the fight having left scars upon the world. Where there had been fertile grounds once, there was only barren field and ashes. The maidens, inasmuch as they could be called that, laid still and dead. Grimm bodies slowly decomposed around him, his cloak crafted from the Vitae Tenebris without any fault. "_ _ **You send them to their deaths, Grand Wizard."**_ _He addressed the man who had taken so much from him, the glory that had been his upon that moment of first ascension now nothing more than a fading dream._

 _His response was not enough to soothe the flames licking inside his core, the hate for the man too strong, as his hands rose and the Grimm spawned around her, the black ichors that came from the wounds upon the earth filled with the Vitae Tenebris that grew his strength._ _ **"You have taken EVERYTHING from me, 'Ozpin'."**_ _The man's beard was fierce and bushy as he stood there in front of him, his own hands smoothing out the dark dress that garbed him. The response was soft, audible only by the mere thought of silence sent to the Grimm that he had created._ _ **"You speak of release, as if it is something that you can grant. You..."**_ _His voice hissed, the speech growing softer, as the dark veins distended on pale hands. Behind him, the largest of his creations roared in victory, the thick droplets of Vitae Tenebris spawning ever more Grimm to swell the horde around._ _ **"Your arrogance at assuming that I would wish for the release of death is false, 'Grand Wizard'. Humanity... Their nature is to be cruel and to destroy. Our path is that of purity... Cling to your hopes for humanity, 'Grand Wizard'."**_ _The wizard coughed, the Beowolves leaping at the man's form._

 _He could feel only a stab of annoyance as the flames incinerated them, the man's eyes meeting his own as he brought the staff down, the Relic shimmering with the light of the power that should have been his. "_ _ **We will meet again. Whether it is in ten years or in fifty... We will meet again. Your strength does not lend you the victory you crave."**_ _The man's eyes met his own, as his form flickered away, the after-effect of the teleportation giving him mere nostalgia to the times of when it had been the two of them, delving into the arcane secrets of the Twin Brothers._

* * *

"Jaune? Jaune?" Esmeralda's voice called him from his memory, as he opened his eyes. He could see himself being back in the tent, Esmeralda looking worried, Kali's face holding a similar concern, even as Sienna tried to appear aloof, yet managed it poorly. "Are you alright? I, no, we, were worried for you when you didn't return!"

He managed a grin, as he felt the care that the woman gave, her fingers stroking through his hair. Misty blue eyes looked at him, her chest rising and falling with every inhale that she did. _'She reminds me of my sisters when I fell from that tree.'_ The look of relief on her face was enough, even as Raven coughed to announce her presence.

"He had a shock." The woman said, the baleful look on Esmeralda's face truly something that his mother might've worn. _'She's such a nice woman. I can't believe that she'd go to the length of glaring at her.'_ "No thanks to you! We heard the screams and the shouts and that horrible lightning! You've been torturing this poor boy to sate some of your sadistic whims, haven't you?"

" _She doesn't really torture people... Unless you count the time that she was in a huff with Taiyang and made him sit outside her door naked for a day whilst he was doped up with Vitalia. She slipped it into his drink when she gave him his morning juice."_ The giggle that Summer gave was something that seemed to hold in it a cruelty, a mad quality that seemed like an avatar of vengeance, about to be set free.

"I have not!" The woman defended herself, indignation on her face showing. "I have a husband!" Esmeralda snorted. "So do I, but it doesn't stop me from checking out the goods. I can already see it 'Miss Dark and Scary, tying innocent young man to her bed for some sexual tryst that leaves her sated!'." The callous manner of speech was a change from the way that Esmeralda regularly spoke, with the fancy words gone, the influence of Kali definitely spreading.

"What's it to you?" Raven retorted, not deigning to answer the question. "Now, don't fight..." He tried to act as a mediator, Raven giving him a sharp look that would have cut through steel if it had been a blade. "He's ours." _'Since when did I become yours?'_

"Kali?" He inquired, the Faunus woman snapping her gaze to him, warm eyes meeting his own. He could feel nothing but warmth, mingled with a bit of fear and anticipation, as the sadness inside her seemed to have been drained from her. "Yes, dear?" The affectation that she showed in her words was something that was noticed by all the women present. "What's this all about?" He asked. Something might've changed... but he knew not what had.

* * *

 _The frozen tundra_

* * *

Indignity and frustration rose inside her like a wave that did not stop. With the sounds that had come from the other side of the camp, she could only imagine what sorts of horror Jaune would be going through. Her body was a bundle of worry and concern, even with his face appearing in her mind, the thought of him being battered and broken, used for whatever cruel whims that the bandits had.

' _He wasn't a criminal! I know criminals when I see them! He didn't have the heart to hurt any of us.'_ The assurance that she had about his character had been a mixture of the feelings that had erupted inside her as well as the throbbing of her loins. The feeling of being in love with someone had not been that intense before, even when she had been in the first stages of her marriage to Jacques. The bandits had been remarkably silent after there'd been a loud crashing sound and some shouts, the quiet unnerving her as she began to continue to worry for his health. "What do we do if..." She didn't dare voice the thought in her mind, the image of Jaune dead something that she did not wish to think about. She had seen dead bodies, but a young man who had his whole life ahead of him, even with a cute boyish manner about him, would need to be saved from that grisly fate. "Don't think about it." Kali said, as Sienna huffed.

"You shouldn't act like you don't care, Sienna. You've mellowed a little towards humans." The Faunus woman gave another huff, her eyes looking balefully at her friend. "It's not that I don't want to... It's more like..." Sienna's voice was defensive, as she looked at her friend. "It would not be a good thing to lose our protector. I can defend you from the Grimm, but for her..." Her gaze sent another look at her that Whitney did not much care for. Personal dislike aside, it would not be a joyous thing to have to rely on Sienna Khan of all people for protection.

"You three." The woman with the haircut that definitely was not the fashionable thing this time of year, spoke up, her weapons at her side looking to have been used recently, the dark tint of the edges showing the residue of the Grimm that she'd slain. "Your... boy-toy seems to have passed out. The boss wants you three to come and assist." The news was enough to worry her, the term definitely not to be applied to herself, as she let her mind conjure up all sorts of horrible scenario's.

' _What if he's being abused? Used for his body and as some sort of toy? Are we going to be subjected to a similar disgrace?'_ She was hardly considering the thought of being another woman's partner, the pleasure that it would grant her not being precisely to her liking, yet she could feel the muscles in her back ache as she emerged from the cage. They had taken the gear that they had, yet had allowed them to continue wearing their clothing, a sign that they were not as barbaric as they could have been.

' _I hope he's alright.'_ The worry flashed through her as she was led with the others towards the biggest tent in the camp, watching the bandits look nervously, their gazes on the three of them, as if they had some contagion. 'It's the women that were with him... Do you reckon that they're like him?' 'Must be, they must all be connected somehow. The human chick looks pretty, but I wouldn't be touching that with a ten-foot pole if she's like him. He could go toe to toe with the boss, summoning that chick.'

The words made no sense to her at all, even with her mind trying to counteract her thoughts on the prospect of Jaune being broken and hurt. _'I wouldn't be able to...'_ The bandit women opened the flap up, showing her the inside of the tent, the dark gloom of the tent only added to by the sparse light that fell from one of the lamps that was hung up to the ceiling's peg, a single woman moving around, the armour that she wore a sign of her status in the camp.

' _She looks fierce.'_ The thought rose to her mind, as the woman looked at the three of them. "You know my name." The statement was enough, the name flashing before her mind. ' _Raven Branwen'_ It was not hard to imagine that a former huntress might have brought herself the life of a warrior, with her skill at killing the Grimm none the lesser. Her gaze went to the bed, where Jaune laid. A shirt was half-folded onto his chest, looking to be a fresh one at least. _'I think he lost his shirt somewhere...'_ "Is he alright? I swear, if you've done something to him, I'll... I'll..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

She could see the tension in the woman's body language, the sharp eyes looking at her with that look that promised death and pain, without a stopper on it. Her lips curled up, as the woman's attention was given, not a moment wasted for idle fancies. "He was unharmed. He just passed out." The woman's voice was enough and stern enough to make her thoughts come to a halt. Gratitude flooded her mind, as the thoughts of woe were stopped. "We shouldn't worry about what to do now, Es." Kali's voice said, as she looked at the bandit chieftain. "Miss Branwen?"

The polite tone of voice was very diplomatic-sounding, Whitney had to admit. The wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie would have some manner of public speaking taught to her, without the mishaps that she would undoubtedly have. _'I know how to read a sales pitch and to make it sound exciting. I am no good at talking to the people... although that is more the persona that 'Whitney Schnee, Daughter of Nicholas' has.'_

She got over to Jaune then, kneeling next to the bed. She could smell the faint scent of perfume in the area, the bed looking remarkably comfortable, as she looked at the young man's face, currently twisted in a look that looked rather uncomfortable to her eyes. _'What did she do to you, Jaune?'_ The question arose in her mind, as she looked back at Raven, who had moved to stand in front of the Faunus women. Sienna was in front of Kali, who seemed to be regarding Raven with a gaze that seemed to be neutral.

"Yes?" The bandit said, her eyes looking imperiously at the Faunus woman. "Did you harm our Huntsman?" The bandit chieftain snorted, shaking her head sharply. "No." Kali made a sound in her throat as she processed that information. "Did you have the intent to sell us off as slaves?" The question was out in the open, Whitney's own breath coming a little harsher, the tiger now unleashed into the pig pen.

"No. I am not one who would enjoy capturing people and selling them off as slaves." The answer was short and curt, something that seemed to fit the woman. Intelligence, cunning and perhaps that hint of strength that she had, all radiated off her. "Would you have us become sexual relief for your tribe?"

' _She definitely isn't pulling her punches.'_ Whitney could see the head held high, fearless and bold pose of Kali, as she looked at Raven with a fearless manner, as if the current question was something that would be a credible one. The look of Raven's face was full of shocked surprise as she responded with a firm "No! Why would you even think that?", spoken bluntly. Kali's face hardened, eyes narrowing. "Because you're known for your wily antics, Miss Branwen." The bandit snorted. "I'm also known for quite a few other things."

"That does not explain why he is passed out on your bed." She voiced her opinion, Sienna having remained silent for the most part, turning to her with a look that was both heated as well as questioning. "Ughnunnn."

He made a sound, drawing her attention. Her heartbeat shot up, watching as he slowly seemed to get up. As she tried to reach him, calling out his name, she could feel that sigh of relief well up from her throat. _'I'm acting like a schoolgirl with a crush, asking him whether he's alright.'_ The mismatched eyes looked at her, her heartbeat starting to pound, her tongue rubbing over parched lips as she tried to fight to gain control over herself. _'You're an older woman, Whitney. You know that he would be... about as old as Winter. You shouldn't be plucking the young berries from the bush... Even if you want him to be plucked.'_ The mess of feelings inside her seemed to threaten to be vomited out, her eyes catching sight of the arm... or what seemed to be his arm, a blackened mess of tendrils shaped like an arm, working and wreathing it in shadows, pale skin slowly created, as he seemed unaware of what was happening. _'I'm imagining things.'_

She looked at his face, still a little heated. She could see the lines of his face, the concern in his eyes, rounding on Raven then. "Are you alright? I, no, we, were worried for you when you didn't return!" Her voice sounded like the treacherous whispers in her mind, her eyes catching sight of the pale arm, as it seemed perfectly intact. She could feel his body be warm against her, a sign that he was healthy... as much as he could be.

"He had a shock." Raven said somewhere behind her, the bandit chieftain saying as much, and she looked at the face. _'Did she show her goods? Has she already shown him how the love between a man and a woman is shared?'_ A look down at his lower body confirmed that the pants were still on. She turned to Raven and opened her mouth, the verbal force mustered. "No thanks to you! We heard the screams and the shouts and that horrible lightning! You've been torturing this poor boy to sate some of your sadistic whims, haven't you?"

The bafflement on Raven's face lent her some sadistic pride, as the woman's mouth issued forth an indignant "I have not!' and a moment later, following up with an "I have a husband!" ' _I don't see a man's touch around here. It's a lot of dresses for a man to wear, if there is...'_

"So do I, but it doesn't stop me from checking out the goods. I can already see it 'Miss Dark and Scary, tying innocent young man to her bed for some sexual tryst that leaves her sated!'." Her voice was biting, as the frustration inside it seemed to overflow. Jacques was HER husband, yet she did not feel like his wife. The pain and frustration that she had felt for most of her marriage with him was now bubbling over, with not a single drop of alcohol to dull the memories. _'If I had a drop of alcohol, I'd be able to forget my worries... But there lurks the danger.'_

The lack of care on Raven's face showed. The other woman was gearing up for a fight, the stance more hostile. "What's it to you?" Whitney's face showed the fiery emotions that she had been suppressing for a while. Winter had a temper that was just as bad, more rash and angry than she would've had a right to be. _'If she wants to spar verbally, I'm going to give as good as she gives.'_

"He's ours." The possessive claiming tone that she took was enough to clue most of the people in to what she felt, Raven's lips forming a small smile. The woman's mouth opened up to deliver another sound, only for Sienna to speak up. "Speak for yourself, human. He is one that I tolerate." Kali was busy with speaking to Jaune, Whitney feeling the brief spark of something go through her. _'Become Esmeralda, world-weary woman of good standing. Whitney Schnee can remain in the closet for now.'_ She allowed herself a look at the Faunus woman, whose face looked dour. "He's our friend. We don't give up on our friends, be they Faunus or Human." She said, the Faunus woman giving a soft sound in the back of her throat.

"You know nothing about how the Faunus and the Humans work together, spoiled woman." The Faunus retorted, her voice holding the heat of passion in its depths. There seemed to be something more under the tone of her voice than the mere passion for her species, a current of anger and frustration there.

"We work together, whether in the mines or in the factories." The words of her father came to mind as she spoke them, Kali giving a snort. "Nicholas Schnee worked for equality, after the Revolution. It was only the prelude to my people's oppression." The words were harsh, yet the dialogue between Faunus and Humanity had been something that was always fraught with hidden words and meanings. "We have to work together to find our strength."

"You're sounding like Ozpin used to." The bandit spoke up, her voice neutral, and Esmeralda felt like it was merely a moment that passed whilst she recalibrated herself. Why was she engaging in an argument with Sienna, just because of the difference that they had? They had a bigger fish to fry. "So what? Professor Ozpin is lauded as one of the premier huntsmen in the world. Without his guidance, Beacon would be far worse off." The snort that the woman gave was crude and without mercy, as she spoke up."Beacon is a place where children are taught to become chattel for the weak, to serve their needs until it is time to dispose of them." The cynical view was one that Esmeralda could agree with.

The running of the huntsman academies was something that seemed to be done predominantly by the headmasters, shaping the new generation of Hunters with the tools that they would need to bring their own expression out into the world. It produced the emotionless soldiers that could stand against the forces of the Grimm and whatever revolutions would crop up... at least in Atlas, it did. Ironwood might have spoken about the training regimen... but even Winter did not wish to speak with her as much as she used to do, once upon a time. _'I miss you, Winnie.'_

"Esmeralda?" Jaune's voice reached her ears and she turned around, seeing him half-up from the bed. "Yes?" She asked, her voice holding a tint of worry. If he spoke to her directly, did that mean something was wrong? "Please don't worry." Her heart flooded with positive feelings as he looked at her, slowly laying down again, trying to recover his momentum. "You'll be good." His voice seemed to be filled with a command for her to indeed feel good, something inside her telling her that he was right. A smile came to her face as she knelt next to him and stroked over his cheek. "Of course, I'm just…"

' _What am I doing? Is this how Esmeralda Gele should act?'_ Her fingers traced over the scruff of his chin, the stubble giving her thoughts of actually shaving him. _'When was the last time that I shaved my legs?'_ The thought was not something that had emerged, the shaving having been… a while ago. "You're concerned. Raven here…" He made a gesture towards the woman, the bandit still drawn in conversation with Sienna and Kali, who were asking questions. "She'll do whatever she can to help us."

"Obviously." Another voice, a little higher in the verbal register, came from her side, a woman kneeling there next to her. Silver eyes met with her own, as the woman smiled. "Hello again!" The raised voice was enough to draw the attention of the women to her, as the woman rose.

"Who are you?" Sienna's harsh voice came, as the woman stepped forwards. "Summer Rose, silly kitty!" The ears bristled and the woman seemed to be getting ready to unleash a tirade. "She is the one who is like… a spirit guide?" Kali tested, Whitney's own mind supplying the memory of Summer's aid against the horde of Grimm inside her own personal space. "Yes, she is. She's helped me whilst my Aura was fully unlocked." The knowledge of how to use the Glyphs was enough for her to fight, with the accelerant property of several of the glyphs to propel the bullets with even greater speed.

"Summer Rose, that's me! Unofficial mascot of Team Jaune!" The woman smiled as broadly as she could, Raven giving a low sigh in the background. "She was like this when we were teammates…" She sat down on one of the cushions and then just peered up at the ceiling of the tent, her mouth mouthing something that Whitney couldn't quite get. "Where did you pop out from?"

Sienna's paranoia could be more than justified in this case, as the addition of another member to their little gathering would be something that could only spell a change. As the woman's smile changed. "From inside of him!" She pointed at Jaune, whose face showed a comical look, as if it were unplanned. _'She must be some sort of spirit, right?'_

"And how exactly did you come out of him?" Sienna's voice was sharp, as her eyes narrowed. _'She doesn't look pleased.'_ The Faunus woman seemed to grow more irritable at the thought of there being another human with them. "He allows me to manifest in the shadows! I don't particularly handle bright lights very well, y'see. It's all part of his Semblance." The Faunus woman snorted. "I thought it was Aura boosting that it did."

Summer nodded, Whitney getting the sensation that the woman wasn't telling the whole truth. "He found me, hooked up to a lot of bad-bad stuff, absorbing me for a while and letting me out every once in a while. Jaune?" She turned to Jaune, the look on her face radiant. "We're going shopping for an outfit when we're in Mistral city. I don't like this cloak."The cloak that she wore was not too unflattering to her shape, as it covered her well enough to lend her that air of mystique, Raven giving a low groan. "You're coming too, Rae Rae! You need a bra!"

"Summer, don't go and fill in my schedule for me..." The bandit chieftain said with a tired voice, the woman huffing a little in acceptance of the answer. "Of course! You're going to help us! Rae Rae will always help Summer!"

It would be funnier if the bandit chieftain actually verbally replied instead of the long groan, her head falling into her hands as she gave up. It was a contrast to the assured woman that she'd seen before, as she seemed far more human than before. _'Is this the true self that she shows only to those close, or is it merely an act?'_ "What do we do now?" She asked Jaune, her eyes meeting his own. A boyish smile came to his lips. "We ask Raven whether she's willing to help us out for a bit."

"And we get you a weapon forged." Summer added, her voice sounding like a stern mother to a child. "You cannot continue to wield a two-handed sword that was improperly forged. A Huntsman's weapon should be strong, capable and able to shift into something that'll cut up and shoot up whatever comes in your way."

Whitney could appreciate the sentiment, as the woman nodded. Raven gave a low mumble about something, Sienna's frown never quite fading. "But..." The woman started, trailing off as Kali held up a hand. "I think that we should think about our next move." The woman said.

* * *

 _Tiger, tiger,_

* * *

She did not approve of this at all. From a cage to a tent with a bandit chieftain inside it, a situation that was strange, even by her own measurements. Kali trying to act as mediator, whereas she should be the one trying to put out the fires of dissent and strive for the fate that'd set the two of them free. _'The Humans never will let us go if we do not fight for our rights.'_

The woman called Summer Rose, whatever sort of creature she was, garbed within the flesh of humanity and smelling like death to her own fine senses, was someone whose spirit seemed to be high, her nature having seemingly been unaltered, despite the human boy's talent at making her appear from the shadows. If she did not know for certain that he was not a Schnee, she might have suspected a summon glyph, yet she had not seen hair nor hide of the Schnee emblem with him, so it was not the case.

"I think we should split up." She offered. _'Splitting up would allow us to travel without great notice. Groups are more noticeable than a pair of travellers, leading to a situation such as back in the human village.'_ The memory still held true for her as she thought back to the villagers, the sight of Kali being felled welling a dark anger inside her. The fear that she had felt, that moment... it was one thing to feel it as such and another to dismiss it immediately afterwards.

"We'll be able to travel without an issue, if it is just two and two." Kali shook her head. "I don't plan on abandoning Jaune." She said, her voice sounding much like the husband which she had lost. Her eyes glimmered with the shadow of Ghira still inside it, the heart-wrenching pain fresh once more. _'Oh Kali... I feel so bad for you now. Losing a husband... it must be rough.'_

"It makes sense, Kali. Together, we can travel without great suspicion. Who sees humans voluntarily travelling with Faunus?" The feline Faunus opposite of her huffed, her ears twitching a little. The conversation between the two of them would be taking place at a later moment, where she could elaborate on the plan that was half-forming inside her mind. "It wouldn't do... I feel..." The words seemed to come hesitantly from Kali's lips, as her gaze was aimed at the young huntsman currently seated.

"It wouldn't be right." The words came from the dark-haired Faunus woman's lips, as she gazed at the young man, eyes holding some doubtful look, as if there was more to be told than the mere fancy of a widow who grieved the loss of her husband, something...

The shadows seemed to shift around Kali for a moment, visibly so. Creeping up her legs, the lower part of the body turning almost ethereal and see-through, her eyes looking at the young man with an intensity, before her gaze was pulled away. "Kali?" She asked, trying to get the woman's attention. Raven's motion drew her gaze for a moment, the woman's sharp blade pulled from the sheath. "Kali?!"

The woman snapped to attention again, her eyes blinking, sliding away from the young man and back to her. The shadows slid away as if they had never been there. "Oh..." The woman said, as if there was no issue. "I was just thinking."

' _If that was just thinking, I dread to think what'd happen if she'd just... evaporated into the shadows.'_ Logic dictated that it shouldn't happen so easily, yet Kali had a habit of coming out of the blue with something. Her manner of being both made her popular with the people as well as approachable for any consultation that she could lend. The troubles of the people were her troubles, as it was. _'I wonder if it's her Semblance...'_

That would be the most reasonable line of thought. "You turned into shadows... Doesn't Blake have something like that too? I didn't know her for very long, but she seemed to do something with shadows." Jaune piped up, Kali giving a shrugging of her shoulders. Raven sat herself down again, the look on her face somewhat less stern, more relaxed than it had been before. "It could be. I haven't seen my daughter in a while."

' _Training generally ensures that acolytes of the White Fang know how to use their Aura. Only the untrained grunts that do not have the greatest of chances will not have the training. It takes more time to train an acolyte than it is to instruct someone in which end of a blade to stick into someone.'_ There had been differences in the training of the forces since Ghira had handed her the position of High Leader. More focus on the training of the weak, with instruction teaching them the skills needed, as well as interesting those who held skills in different industries to work for the White Fang. Tailors, carpenters, cooks, medical personnel, communication specialists... all were needed to make the organisation work.

Now... she was just a Faunus on the run, unable to use the power that had been invested in her to ensure that the Faunus had a better position in the world than they did. A failure, she could call herself, who would not even have the skill to raise a blade to the new leadership... whichever of the fools that had orchestrated this coup might have assumed. _'No, I don't think that I will be taking any chances. This will have to be played close to the chest... There is no telling who might rat me out...'_ A look at Ghira's wife, her face looking a little abashed, as she was saying something, her attention having faded from the conversation to her own thoughts.

"I don't think it should be that bad... I mean... You can always try." The woman reached out to touch Jaune, a glow visible around him, as their hands touched. A sensation of wrongness came through her whole body as she saw the darkness wrap around Kali, a set of glowing golden eyes peering at her suddenly. "Can you see me? The shadows... They are all around me."

' _Answer. You need to answer.'_ The golden eyes met hers and she could feel a mortal fear surge through her body, adrenaline pounding through her system, her whole body stiffening as the fear seemed to surge through her. Like she was looking at the most terrifying creature in the world, those golden eyes threatened to swallow her, to drown her in the fear like a black ocean of terror, only to be shattered and shared. _'N-no! I must...'_ The eyes held that gaze, the pitifully weak sensation inside her swelling as a soft mewl came from her mouth involuntarily, the gaze that she gave her being filled with that heavy fearful emotion inside her.

"N-no." Her voice quivered, as those golden eyes moved from her. She could see that the eyes moved onto the other woman who travelled with them, the woman's eyes meeting with those golden ones. The effect was near-instantaneous, the woman's legs giving out, the smell of urine reaching her nostrils as the woman flinched away. "D-don't look at me." The woman whimpered, her gaze locked, yet without any sort of confidence or hope. "Are you alright?" She could hear the blonde say, as he locked eyes with Kali and...

' _Nothing. He doesn't respond, as if there is nothing to fear.'_ Her astonishment showed on her face, even as Summer peered at the woman, giving a little shudder. "Ooh, those eyes are fierce! Scary! But I've seen scarier! Rae Rae! Get a mop." The bandit chieftain got up, following the order without complaint. It was obvious that the woman had been intimidated and unnerved so greatly that it was with no complaint that she worked to serve the woman's need, whatever it might be.

"Curious..." Kali muttered to herself, though Sienna could also hear surprise flash through the woman's voice. The shadows slowly faded, as the contact with Jaune was broken. _'If that is her Semblance, to cause fear and to use the shadows...'_ The thought died in her mind as she looked at Kali, whose face was sweaty, her body swaying a little. "It feels a little..." The woman didn't finish, right as she seemed to falter. She was there in a flash, holding on to the woman with her arms around the body, stopping her from falling and preventing her from hitting the ground. It was all that she could do to ensure that Kali did not hurt herself.

"I've done it..." He muttered, the only man in the room looking guilt-riddled, as he seemed to personally feel responsible for the way that Kali had responded. _'You should feel guilty, human. The Faunus need not human meddling in their manner.'_ The sniff that she did was more out of justification than anything else, as she turned up her nose at the woman.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Belladonna." He said, Sienna's own mind providing a sadistic gleeful emotion as she heard him apologize. The woman was too kind for her own good, as she turned her head towards him and gave him a smile, still held up by her arms. "I should apologize... apparently I am just too scary." The dark-haired woman gave a low groan as she stripped herself, the urine soaking her garments something that started to reek to the sensitive nose that she had. _'If she's able to cause enough fear with a mere look...'_

The possibilities were there. "No, I did this to you." The apology was right, to her ears. "I am the cause of all your misfortune." The young man said, as he looked up at Kali, regret showing on his face, his blonde hair slowly turning paler, turning white as his eyes looked up. "I am no huntsman. I'm just a faker, a cheater... Someone who doesn't even deserve to be called a hero."

' _I knew you were just lying scum, human... I'm proven right once again...'_

* * *

 _The burden of truth_

* * *

Kali had changed with a simple infusion of his own Aura into hers, her Semblance causing such fear inside Esmeralda and within Sienna that it was hard not to feel the turmoil inside them. He could look into those eyes and FEEL the power that he himself controlled marginally present, the fear that would be felt by others who were not as 'blessed' as he himself, surpassing anything.

The fear of the Grimm, something primaeval and hardwired into humanity, was omnipresent within those eyes. He saw the shadows disperse around her body with a mere flicker of her own will, the aura of dread that surrounded her disappearing, as she looked normal to the world once more. _'You caused this. You awoke her Aura. You are the spark that lit this house on fire.'_ The accusation bounced through his mind, as he watched her peer at him with eyes that held such warmth for others that it was hard to believe.

"I've done it..." He said, the realisation spoken aloud. He had darkened someone, given them a slice of the fear that the Grimm could control. Patterns for Grimm creation rose from his mind as he thought about it, with the words startlingly clear to him. _Terror Sense._ Every Grimm had a version of that. It was one of the methods by which they could track down the humans, as the fear that their presence caused would allow them to easily pluck out the ones who felt the most, and ensure that there would be even greater terror in the future.

As the woman collapsed from the use of her Semblance, he could only feel the brush of fear inside him. _'Will I become like Her? Is this but the first step on the long trip down into the abyss?'_ "I am so sorry, Miss Belladonna."

He could only apologize now, to her. To all of them. He caught Summer's worried look, as she seemed to find his apology strange. The woman's response was lighter in tone than he'd imagined. Her voice calling him out on his actions, to ignite this dark spark of irrational fear inside her soul and to make her a shadow, literally, was something that he expected. Not the apology for being 'too scary'.

"No, I did this to you." _'And I've done it to Esmeralda as well, if I guess right.'_ The thought of damning another woman with his 'gift' of _Vitae Tenebris was something_ that he could not swallow easily. "I am the cause of all your misfortune." He tried to show how bad he felt for her, as the emotions started to well up inside his chest, the feeling of pain increasing, even with the look of incomprehension on the Faunus woman's face.

"I am no Huntsman. I am a faker, a cheater...Someone who doesn't even deserve to be called a hero." The admission was hard on him, as he seemed to feel the weight of the world rest upon his shoulders. _'I want to be a hero... I want to do good, to save the world, to be there for my team and my friends... But I am now a twisted being...'_

He could feel a hand on his shoulder, Kali's soft voice speaking as she appeared close to his face. "No matter what you are, Jaune..." The woman spoke softly, like a mother would to a child. The pain inside him was even greater now that he could feel the dam breaking. "You are a hero in my eyes. Who else could have fought for us in circumstances unexpected, but a hero?" The warm and motherly tone comforted him in some respect, even as he raised his abnormal arm, willing the _vitae tenebris_ back into its wellspring.

He got up, locking eyes with her. "I am not a good person, Kali..." He said, trying to speak about his plight. _'What sort of person am I? Am I still a person?'_ The lack of his arm did not bother him. With the _vitae tenebris_ he could create a new one, a stronger one... One which would regrow if chopped off. "So... You've lost an arm. You know what? I've lost a husband. A soul mate who has been with me for our marriage, who I have born a daughter to... Don't you think that it is silly to say that you cause all of our misfortune?"

The woman's voice was low, as her eyes held a tender look. _'Don't look at me with a look of understanding. I am not a good person... Not anymore.'_ The thought of being a hero still held some sway over his emotions, as he could see the faith that she had put in him. "I'm not sure how you make that arm, but it's helped you, right? You are a good person, Jaune. You just have to see it for yourself."

He could feel his heartbeat increase a little, the sensation slowly welling up that he was being given a fair judgment from someone who did not know the depravity that he had done. "I have killed people, Kali." His voice choked up, the sound desperate, as her hands gently laid on his shoulders, the stump where his arm had been attached wriggling a little. "And you saved three women in need, Jaune. That is what a hero does, no matter what you think."

Tears leaked from his blue eye, the red one remarkably devoid of such liquid. It was as if there was only one part of him that functioned like a human being would. "He's saved me too. When I was locked inside an icky-sticky coffin thingy, he was nice enough to free me." Summer added, the woman's hood pulled down to show her serious face. It was nothing short of startling to see how much emotion Summer put into her eyes, as she looked at Kali, then back to Raven. The latter was starting to get another cup of tea for herself, the pot still steaming.

"See, Jaune? You're not as bad as you think you are... You aren't a formally trained Huntsman, but you can be a hero. You are one to me, already. We would have died, if not for your help." The words were comforting to him, even as he could feel the _vitae tenebris_ inside him quiver, the emotions starting to run over. "You two... What do you think?" He asked, Esmeralda looking up, the woman's hands busy with something that he couldn't quite see. "You are Jaune. A young man who saved my life from the White Fang." Sienna grunted, something inaudible coming from her mouth. "Sienna, be nice. He saved you too."

' _All I did was to kill a lot of people. I don't want to call that saving someone'._ The gloomy emotions welled up again, as he could feel the emotions from the women brush against his own, the absorption of those feelings lending him strength. Sadness, faint hope and darkness mingled inside him like a milkshake, slowly filling him with the chill.

"I'm a monster." He said, his eyes meeting with Esmeralda's. The woman's fingers gently brushed over his cheek, a tender look on her face that seemed to comfort, even whilst Kali's soft exhale came. "You're someone who stands up for the women who are being oppressed." Summer snorted a little, her emotional state somewhat bemused, not speaking a word, yet her snort was enough to give her opinion on the matter. "You may dismiss it, but it's true for us." The woman said, the brief spark of happiness inside him squished in a flash. _'They would scorn me if they knew... But honesty is one of the best policies.'_

"What if I told you that I have been influencing you all along?" The dreaded statement of his suspicions was now spoken, aired out like dirty laundry, his eyes looking nervously at the two Faunus women, the hand that caressed his cheek ceasing its motion. He could see Sienna's face show distrust and paranoia, feel the emotion come from her, yet from Kali... there was nothing but a warmth that seemed to go through her. _'You know that they are going to scorn you. You should not exist, summoning the Grimm... The patterns are known to you. A simple letting go of your morals will be enough..._ _Summer would take care of them. A simple jab of the sword and they will die..._ '

"Does it matter?" Kali's voice sounded broken, as tears came from her eyes. The emotional torment that she felt was strong, as she got out of Sienna's arms, taking a few steps. "Does it really matter that you've been toying with us, like mere puppets on a string?" Her voice was suddenly thick with emotion as she looked at him. "I want..." The woman swallowed, her gaze looking back at Sienna. "I want to do something. I want to be strong, to be something that can stand on its own. My husband may be dead and my daughter may still live... But I have nothing but the four of you."

Her eyes were that rich golden colour as she looked at him, her hands fidgeting. "Whatever you have been doing... It's alright. You were there to protect us from the Grimm, you were there to protect us from the people. Whatever it is..." The woman paused, as she glanced at Esmeralda, then turned her head to Sienna. "It can't be worse than what we've experienced... and I KNOW you are a good person."

"Yes, you are a good person. I have seen many men and women who hold nothing but the intent in their heart to make money. Jacques Schnee is a man who would eliminate all competitors until he was the only one standing." Esmeralda said, her voice softer, gently speaking her words as if speaking from her own personal recollection and experiences. "Just... Don't lose hope. We are not fighting women, yes, but you have helped us with surviving in the wilds. Without you..." Her words were a little desperate suddenly, those blue eyes filled with moisture. She looked ready to cry.

"I don't know what to feel. Gratitude? Hate?" Her voice paused, as she looked at Sienna. "I should hate you, you know. I should hate you so much for what you've done to the Schnee family." Sienna did not look regretful in the least, Raven making a soft sound in the back of her throat. He didn't quite know what to make of that statement, unaware of the context. Summer got up from her seat then, walking over to Raven and the two started to talk to each other in quiet tones, as if the happenings were unimportant to them.

"But I can't. You've been there for Kali. We've been friends for... like, a week or three? A month? She's a wonderful person and no doubt a wonderful mother." The praise made the Faunus woman preen just a little, her lips forming a dainty smile. "You're someone that she trusts. You promised to protect my friend." The Tiger Faunus grumped a little, giving him a look. "And what does a human like you think that is so terrible about yourself? My hate for your kind has not diminished in the least."

The truth. It was all the truth from her lips, her eyes balefully looking at him. Out of every one of them, the constant of her frustration and her anger had not shifted. In a moment, she would erupt, with all her frustrations coming to the forefront, ready to attack. "You know..." He said, his eyes meeting hers. Faunus and human eyes met, and he could feel the indomitable will that lurked within her. "You are going by the assumption that I am human."

The eyes narrowed, as the woman looked at him with a look that was judging and cold. "I haven't seen any sort of Faunus trait on you." The suspicion in her gaze was enough. "Nor do you smell like a Faunus." Her suspicions were valid, as he did not appear any different from the humans around him... yet what human could create Grimm? _'Intelligence, the skills... It all pales to Her. I am but a bug to be squashed.'_ There was not a doubt in his mind that She would not be focusing her efforts on him if she knew of his existence. The variants in the grand game that She and Ozpin played were to be eradicated. _'A subtle style, to divide and conquer... The Grand Theorem of Duality...'_ The ancient concept made him contemplate what he would do next, as he watched Sienna with eyes that held no answers.

"We're going to go out." Summer said, as she looked at him. "You go and make nice with the women here, alright? Rae Rae and I need to have a chat." The bandit chieftain groaned something inaudible, as Summer's arm was hooked through hers, a couple-like atmosphere in the air around them. If he didn't know better, he would think that the two were in a committed relationship together.

As the two Huntresses left, he was left with the women. Kali and Sienna at one side, Kali the softer and more gentle of the two, whilst Sienna burned with anger and frustration. Esmeralda's own state was one of confusion and some hope. "If you are a Faunus, we don't mind." She said, trying to smoothen the ruffled feathers. "We don't judge. I don't judge."

' _Why is it so hard to tell them?'_ Honesty was a good policy to have unless it harmed someone. The thought of telling them everything rose to his mind, yet the feelings inside him prevented him from fully voicing it, as his body felt the nervousness go through it. _'Do I want to be seen as a monster?'_ The thought was strange, yet the answer was ready – _'I want to be a hero'_ – to his mind.

' _It isn't the full truth but it is accurate.'_ "I'm part Grimm." He said, his voice sounding soft to his own ears, the features of the women changing barely at the news. Sienna's sceptical eyebrow raise was enough to show that she didn't buy into it. Kali's eyes were empathic, yet there was no realisation that he spoke the truth inside them. Esmeralda's eyes were warm and friendly, as she laid her hand on his neck."I can feel your pulse. You aren't a Grimm."

A hollow laugh came from his mouth, as the ludicrousness of that thought came to his mind. _'I am Jaune Arc. I am... I'm pretty much made out of vitae tenebris. It pulsates inside me, whispering to me of the power that I could hold...'_ An image of a horde of Grimm tearing down the buildings of his former village, the people running from the savagery, with his own body shrouded in the dark liquid, the ooze making the Grimm rise from its depths, as a massive shadow blotted out the sun, the horrid screech of a gargantuan creature becoming known. _'You can become the hero of the world.'_ The thought arose in his mind as he imagined another scene, armour polished and shining in the sunlight, as he wielded a blade against the Grimm, his powers muted and merely an afterthought. It would be a time for camaraderie, against the forces that She brought to bear against humanity.

' _A time of peace._ ' A wife at his side. Their first child, a boy. The absence of the _vitae tenebris_ inside its small body, a sigh of relief given, even as the Grimm outside were ever-present. His whole body burning with the need to release the power within himself. _'All if you surrender the power...'_ The seductive whisper drew his mind away, as he imagined the effect on the world.

She would press on. Countries would form and be razed by the Grimm. The Huntsmen would fight and die to her whims, with not a single shred of resistance, eventually... And the Grimm would come for him, directed only by her will. _'All that you love will perish.'_ The thought of that happening, sickened him. He got up suddenly, noticing that the women had taken a step back. "Your hair..." Esmeralda whispered softly to herself as he tried to look in the mirror for his reflection. He stepped in front of the mirror, as he tried to find out what the issue was, seeing only the pallid skin of Her, veins distended with the _vitae tenebris_ reflected back to his eyes. His hair had turned a bone-white colour, the same as Hers. The red eyes that were so like her own were boring down into his own, as he looked at his face, the stump that had once been the flesh and blood arm currently writhing with the _vitae tenebris_. _'These eyes...'_ The pain inside him continued suddenly, as his arm formed once more, turning to the women. Sienna was looking at him as if he were a threat, his hands raised up. **"You may not believe it..."**

The left hand went down, as the pull on the shadows grew greater, a Beowolf emerging from the shadows, his fingers resting against its mask. A hiss came from Kali's mouth whilst Sienna seemed to give an unnatural sound in the back of her throat, her hands going for her staff... before she realized that it no longer was present upon her body. Esmeralda's eyes were on him, tears growing in them. His other hand moved down, another Beowolf pushing itself from the shadows. **"Do you believe me now?"** He said, voice tired.

Esmeralda was the first to take a step closer, as she seemed to have mustered the bravery to approach. "You... You've got the power to summon Grimm, right?" Her voice quivered, not as steady as it had been before. The mature woman had about her an aura of uncertainty, as she looked at the Beowolves. They were perfectly under his control, the drain on the _vitae tenebris_ only marginal to his reserves, with enough of it left to create a horde of around thirty. _'The fear inside her swells. She is going to tell me that she feels fear of me and my powers, that she will no longer travel with me.'_ The fear of abandonment inside him seemed to swell up, the sensation something dark and ugly, even as she laid a hand on his own hand, the fingers touching his hand and the bony plate of the Grimm's mask.

"I trust you." She said, her voice sounding breathless as if she had been running for a while. Her state of dress was different, the smell of urine still present to his heightened senses, the effect of Kali's Semblance, whatever it was exactly, still seemed to have had such an effect on her physiology, as her eyes locked with his own. "I... I don't know why, but you have been..." The words faltered then, as her gaze went down to the Grimm, then up at him. He didn't get why, but her voice returned to its regular volume.

"I am not going to cast judgment upon you for simply having the ability to control the Grimm. I owe you my life. I am..." She faltered again, her eyes locked with his own, blue meeting crimson. "I am not giving up your company merely because you create these little puppies. A woman of my stature does NOT cower from danger. I am not some princess in an ivory tower that needs a gallant hero to rescue her." She turned around, looking at Sienna with a look that he couldn't quite imagine, yet the resoluteness in her voice was enough. _'She sounds like Weiss would. Ruby told me that Weiss didn't really have much interaction with common people due to her upbringing. She was like a snow angel locked away in a castle.'_

"You know how to hate humans, Sienna Khan of the White Fang." Her words were hard and cold, as she looked at the woman. "I dare you now..." A shudder seemed to go through her form, as he could feel something snapping into place. A glow lit up inside the woman, her whole form coated in a deep blue light, as something seemed to spring into being. "Hate the man who has kept us safe. If he could summon Grimm, then he can also keep them away. The survival rate of travellers travelling without Huntsmen assistance or a vehicle is less than three percent." The woman's eyes narrowed, her simmering anger burning bright.

"Gee, Jaune..." Kali said, as she took a step forward, her gaze meeting with Sienna's for a moment, body posture shifting a little, a sway to her hips. Shadows covered her form for a brief moment, the baleful yellow eyes of the Panther Faunus meeting his own. "You really know how to create a bit of drama, huh?" Her hand grabbed his own, touching the Grimm. The creatures were completely inert, save for their breathing. They did not move, yet the touch of her body seemed to light spur on their responses, deeper breaths taken. "I'm with you too. If White's willing to accept you, then so am I. My husband used to tell me that I was too nice and friendly... But I like to say that I know people. You're a good person."

The affirmation that she stood with him, lightened his heart. Summer was with him, ready to fight for what was right. Esmeralda had said that she stood with him and would support him and now Kali had said something about supporting him as well. The Grimm that he had created were under his complete dominance, as he felt the support, like a thin wire of energy right into him. He could feel the _vitae tenebris_ inside him throb and pulse, like the blood that went through his body. "So... I'm up for continuing as we have been." A meaningful glance was given at Esmeralda, the two women sharing something. "Sienna?"

The Tiger Faunus looked fierce, her eyes flickering between her friend and him. The orange pools of cunning and fierceness seemed to take him in, before a rueful smile came to her lips, as she took a step towards him. "Do not assume that I am alright with this." She said, as he looked at her, the Beowolves giving a faint stirring as she came close. "But I will... allow it. You are not..." She looked like it took much out of her to say the words. "You are not so bad for a... Human." The woman said, her eyes looking at the two Grimm. With a flicker of the powers inside him, they evaporated. She took a rapid step back. "Hey!" She said, her voice angry. Kali and Esmeralda turned to her, the connection that he had to their emotions being something that came in handy, even with the sudden shift in mood. "Don't worry, Sienna... He'll help you out as well." The words were spoken so gently that it was not a lie to his ears, even as Kali pulled away, stepping before her and taking Sienna's hand, pulling it along and pressing it towards his.

There was a look of murder and discontent on her face, as she grabbed his hand. Her palm felt slightly sweaty, her eyes looking at him with a murderous look, yet Kali held her hand firmly there. "You better make sure that we get to Mistral intact, Boy." She spoke the word with a grudging tone, as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it for a moment. Red crept on her dusky skin, her eyes narrowed, even as the claws dug into his skin. "I am making this an alliance of convenience. You bring us safely where we need to go, we depart." Kali tutted softly. "Where he goes, I go. I want to see Blake." The yearning in the woman's voice was echoed in her body language, the daughter that she had spoken of frequently since their meeting on the front of her mind.

"If you... If you say so." Sienna murmured, her eyes meeting his. "This in no way makes us friends, human." The warning was there, as he smiled sadly. **"If you had seen what I have..."** He paused, determining whether it would be wise to speak of such matters.

" **You would wish that humans and Faunus band together**." It was not as if he could not warn them. She was a far greater threat than he could handle on his own, even with the ability to create the Grimm. _'I need an equalizer... something that could help out...'_ He looked at the women, the thoughts in his mind starting to form and be dispersed in moments. _'They will have to be the team that I forge... A team of people of different natures, of different skills and social classes... But it will be the start. She has her coven of allies, Ozpin has... whatever he has. It is time that I put my faith in others.'_

The darkness in the back of his mind whispered to him: ' _But what if they betray you?'_

* * *

 _Unkindness_

* * *

She walked with her former team leader out, into the cool evening. The air brushed through her long locks even as she looked at the bandits that gathered around, ready to do her bidding if she gave the order. Summer's arm unhooked from hers, as she motioned for her to follow. Wordlessly, she did so.

' _Why didn't I?'_ The thought she did not finish, as her refusal to kill her former team leader was something that she herself did not get either. With a smile, Summer moved along though, as she seemed to be getting in better spirits. "A little more, Raven." She said, the chipper voice that she took still sounding so much like when she had been alive, like the woman who she had once owed her fealty to. _'You do not strike your chieftain, unless you are sure that they have done something wrong.'_

The psychology of that line of thought was something that she did not pay attention to in the least, her whole body lit up with the faint surprise that she felt, as Summer coaxed them to walk towards the exit of the camp. She waved off the camp guards with a slight gesture of her hand on her blade, the breeze tickling her cheek once more, her hair flowing loosely, as she looked at her silver-eyed companion.

Once Summer was satisfied that they were far enough from the camp, she turned to her. "We need to talk, Raven." The business-like sound of her voice was definitely the mode that Raven and the others had called 'Summer Strict', as the silver-eyed woman fixed her with a look. "The Mission is still continuing." The mission, to protect Remnant until the dying breath of the last member of their gathering. The one that she had sworn to complete once, yet had reneged on when the Tribe needed her. _'A tough subject, Summer.'_

"It continues still, does it not?" She didn't fight her leader on that, as she leaned against one of the trees. Summer looked at her, her eyes full of pity. "I thought you would understand, Rae Rae." The words were nothing if not the soft utterance of a hope that she had held for a while. No matter how unhinged Summer would become, the care for her teammates was still there. The woman found herself in Raven's personal space, peering up at her. "You've been alone for a while, haven't you?" Summer murmured, as her hands gently rubbed against her cheeks. It would have brought a sharp response from her in natural circumstances… yet right as of this moment, she could only let her former team leader handle her body. She quivered, as the hands slid down and tugged lightly the clothes that she wore straight, lingering at her thighs. "Ahh, Summer?" Raven's voice sounded odd to her own ears, as the silver-eyed woman gave her a look that was like a kicked puppy. "You left me all alone, Rae Rae." Summer said at nary a whisper. "I had my reasons, Sum." The admitting of that flaw of hers shamed her, as Summer gave a soft coo.

"Taiyang has been lonely, Raven." Her voice was so gentle, even as she pushed her face up, standing on her tiptoes and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. The touch of lips against her skin made her feel, as the thought rushed through her mind and was gone. The blonde man's face appeared before her eyes, the last sighting she had of him having been a day ago, in the garden at Patch. The thought of being with him again lit a fire inside her, as she found her partner's lips then and kissed, imagining that she was kissing him.

The surprise that Summer gave as she kissed those lips was natural, as her mouth pulled away from Summer's, a soft grin playing on her features. "You might be friendly, Sum... But I did miss you." The soft snicker that Summer gave was so like her that it brought a laugh from her own lips. "You're not going gay on me, are you? I thought you liked Tai?"

Ice-water seemed to crash over her spine as she heard the insinuation, the teasing tone that Summer adopted something that only reinforced what she had seen. "No, no... You know that we're the only ones that have such a bond." Summer was the sister that she had never had. Qrow was a bastard... but Summer was one of the sparks of light in the darkness, during the reminiscing periods that she had every year. "The 'company' lessons during second year were awkward, weren't they?" She whispered to Raven, the other woman giving a soft sound in the back of her throat. "The boys were all 'Oh no, but we don't want to hurt you, I mean, I respect you too much to do that'. Even my brother didn't have the balls to do what needed to be done."

"I still remember that time you got drunk and then came on to Taiyang." Summer said, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. Her eyes were warm and wide, her gaze meeting her own with the heat, as Raven felt the burn go through her. _'Talk about memories I'd rather forget. I don't think that we would ever forget that.'_ The aftermath of that had particularly soured things between her brother and herself, with only the memory of the night in question being blurry... but Summer had the perfect recollection of all the facts, even having taken several pictures.

"Or the time where you decided it would be fun to switch Qrow's pants for your skirt." The retort came, Summer's lips quirking a little. "But he did have nice legs, right?" The shake of her head was enough for Summer to dismiss the topic of conversation. "About Jaune..." Summer started, Raven's worry increasing, showing on her face. She was no longer the chieftain of the Branwen tribe at this moment but just Raven Branwen, member of team STRQ. "Do I need to kill him?"

The offer was there if Summer could not do it herself. Summer's eyes widened. "No! You silly birdy, you don't KILL him! You should be... Well, not quite training him. I can do that. We have this little space in his dream-time. It's perfect for drilling him on the forms..." Raven pinched her comrade, to get her back on track. "But yes... You should help us out. The Mission still goes on... and we can see the end of it. With his powers... We can stand a chance."

A chance at peace. No Grimm to hound the world and hurt the people in it. The tribe would be safe, if it came to that. _'A fleeting hope.'_ The thought was not the warmest to her mind, even as she looked at the silver eyes of her partner and friend. "I don't know."

She wanted to believe her former partner on her words, to have that hope burn brightly inside her, to hope that the world could be put right again without the worries of the next day being fraught with peril. The whole world of Remnant would be better off if the Grimm were gone... "He can do it, Rae Rae." The hope that Summer had, the hope that the young man would succeed where she had failed, was something that she could only attribute to the frailty of Summer's mindset. "I know he can do it."

' _And you will kill him afterwards for it.'_ The grim reminder of Summer's nature was true. Summer had the greatest heart out of everyone. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would speak badly of her. Her star had risen and would seemingly never fade. _'The Mission comes first. A thousand lives... What are they, compared to the survival of our species?'_ Summer's fingers gently brushed through her hair. "You will strike when Salem is defeated?" The question came, Summer's head giving a little nod. "I... I thought about ending his life before." Her voice was small and inflected with a tenderness, as if it were a hard task that she had to complete.

' _Whatever power resurrected her... it has not made her totally a slave to his will.'_ "Summer..." She breathed out, as she could feel the grip of the other woman increase in strength. "I don't want to, though... He's such a nice kid. He feels for the world, for the people..." The words were useless, as the emotions showed through it. ' _Just like Purpina.'_

The girl's face looked back at her, as the memory played out once more. A clearing, the storm above already slowly fizzling out. Desperate eyes looking up at her. "I can do this, Miss Branwen." The girl had said with determination, as she tried again. Her own breathing was even, as the blade was ready. _'Weak. Frail. Unwilling to do what must be done._ ' She loathed the weakness in this one, even with the training that she had been given. Now, at age twenty-eight, there was not a single shred of doubt within her mind. The girl tried again, looking into her eyes. "Miss Branwen, Miss Branwen!" The call from the girl had reminded her so much of her little Yang, currently seven years old, that she squashed the memory, as a peal of thunder sounded above.

The blade slid into the girl's abdomen and exited from the back, those startled green eyes peering into her own ruby-coloured ones, as she peered down at the girl's face as the blood rose from her lips. "Mss Brnwn?" The gurgle that came from her lips was enough, as she spoke. "You are weak, frail. This is a mercy I am giving to you, for you would not survive." The girl had the audacity to smile faintly, her lips moving into a soft 'I'm sorry', picked out only by the lessons in how to lip-read, nearly forgotten.

Power had rushed into her then, more than she could have ever thought of. Pain flashed with warmth and comfort, as the elements themselves bent to her will. A minute later, she found herself standing in a clearing, the lightning strikes forming a perfect circle around her, the corpse of the young girl having been hit by a stray blast and turned to ashes.

"But he needs to die. The strong will live whilst the weak perish." The words were so ingrained to her that she spoke them out of habit, Summer's small nod providing her with the soothing that she needed right at this moment. A low sigh came from the woman's lips as she pulled herself free from her embrace. "I'm going to make him great, first... Please... Please help us out if we need you." The plea in Summer's voice was real and Raven could not help herself from grinning at the other woman.

"Of course, Sum. That's what a friend is for, right?" Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao-Long... Her brother, perhaps... Those were the people that she could call friends in this world. The Tribe was another part, separate... yet intertwined. Summer smiled at her, her eyes bright and cheerful once more. "Rae... You will put a mark on him, won't you?"

The thought made her grimace, as the mark on him would only cost her some recovery time. "Do I have to?" She questioned, Summer giving a nod, sharp and curt. "You have to. I don't want to fight without my Rae Rae at my side. Things aren't... things aren't good." The doubtful look that Summer gave as she let her gaze drift to the heavens, a slow exhale coming from her lips, the trees around them rustling in the evening's breeze.

"When Jaune was hurt..." The woman paused, her tongue licking her lips. "He has such force, Rae Rae. With the right direction..."The wistful tone that Summer used was enough to make her be persuaded. "If you didn't say the right word, I would not have believed that it was really you." Summer smiled and pressed her nose against hers, her giggle loud to her ears. "Of course not, silly... That's why you spared me."

Upon later collection of her memories, she had indeed spared Summer from the worst of her powers. It was not merely by the virtue of being like a lightning rod that had kept Summer alive. With her skills, she could certainly slay her...

' _Summer would have killed every bandit if I let her... She'd never approve of...'_ The anger blossomed inside her soul as she realized that Summer's facade was too good for her to ever block out. "Summer?" She said at a tone that was barely higher than a whisper. "Hm?" Summer's voice was gentle as she spoke, her eyes looking down at her. "You're my friend, Rae Rae... I'd never hurt a friend." The other Huntress felt the emotions, undoubtedly.

"Plus... You need to step up, Raven. You need to be a mother for Yang... a good stepmother for Ruby." The words were enough for her to feel the surge of emotion, the thought of being a mother warring with the desire to keep the tribe strong. _'Without my guidance, they would be lost.'_ The thought of leaving them alone was one that harrowed her, as she held Summer a little closer.

' _Look at me, Raven Branwen, Huntress who has broken her vows, crying about being indecisive. At least Yang has a partner who..._ 'The shudder that went through her as the tears came, her whispers met only with the soft hand of Summer stroking her hair. "It's alright, Rae Rae. We're partners." The thought of letting Summer be her partner again was enough to warm her heart. "I'll be a better mother." Raven muttered to Summer, the other woman giving a warm smile, as her fingers stroked through her hair. "Didn't you go and watch your daughter?" The question was in the air, Raven giving a low moan in the back of her throat, as the hand ran through her hair, tugging lightly on her scalp.

It was moments like these that she could relax, the sleep which claimed her every night not giving her enough rest. With Summer or Taiyang, she could be herself for a moment, the grip on the other woman's body tightening, as she allowed herself to feel. "Hush." Summer's voice was like a lure, as her fingers gently touched the base of her neck. A shudder came through her, as she could feel the pinprick of stress surging through her mind. "Everything will be alright... The Maidens aren't for him to know of yet."

"You are the judge of that, given your..." Raven's voice did not quiver as she spoke, Summer leaning a little closer. "You shouldn't talk about that, Rae Rae. I never told Taiyang about it either..." The secret was still within the comfort of her mind. "You shouldn't do that, ever. They do not need to know of the sacrifices you made." Summer's face showed her discontent at the thought of that, her lips pressed together, clearly trying to keep from saying something that would disagree with such a notion.

"They probably found her already." The words hung in the air, Raven's gaze going to the heavens, as she pulled her former team leader closer. "Likely. Ozpin is never one to leave them unprotected." Summer giggled softly. "No, but he did make you into a pretty bird." Raven sighed softly. "Can we be serious, Summer?"

The silver-eyed gaze met hers, Summer's smile warm and friendly, as if there was nothing wrong with the world and everything was hunky-dory. She could feel the heat press against her, without any judgments. _'It's just like before.'_ The thought of raising Yang had both terrified her as well as comforted her in the nights that she spent alone. The philosophy of her tribe was simple and not complex. The strong lived, the weak died. The rules were simple: Fight and live, die and be forgotten. She had almost forgotten the memory of the latest stages of her pregnancy. The worry that came with it...

' _and I threw my worries away when I left him.'_ The pain stabbed at her. "If you want..." She started, Summer's soft voice whispering in her ear. "You will not be a problem, Raven. You can become a member of the team too." The look back to the camp was not hidden, as Raven's fingers clenched around the other woman's body. Vernal could never replace Summer, no matter how useful she was. "We can travel together. Work. Kill all the Grimm and save the world." The offer was seductive to her, as the rut of protecting the tribe had really started to wear down on her. Protecting the many over the few was a different game to play, even with her own skills as a Huntress making her practically the best fighter in the entire Tribe.

"That would be nice."She said, actually considering it. As she would be towards other people a colder, less compassionate version of herself, she found that she could never lie to Summer. "And your imprisonment?" The question hung in the air for a moment, her former team leader turning to her and flashing a grin.

"No, that will not be changing. It's the better choice after I was put inside a storage tank filled with..." The woman paused for a moment. "We do need to go and collect 'that' again, though. I dread to think that Ozpin has been coming up with something else to guard the Relics." Raven hummed a little, the knowledge of how to open the Vault coming from the orders that she had been given, once upon a time.

' _The seals are opened by the maiden's power. The relics are within the seals, separate from this world.'_ She was a maiden now. One who could hold the seal open, for any to get the Relic. The thought of taking it was not unappealing, yet the bullseye that it would plaster onto her tribe was something that she would not be responsible for. "I'll help you out, Summer." She said, the silver-eyed woman giving a gentle smile. "I know you would, Rae Rae. Nobody else in this world knows me as well as you do."

"We should return to Jaune and the women, though. There is no telling how he is going to..." Summer's face showed some surprise. "Hmmm... It seems he a better speaker than I suspected." Raven did not dare think too much on what Summer was saying, as she followed after her former team leader, the high spirits that Sumer currently languished in being something that brightened her own mood.

* * *

 _Perfection_

* * *

Drive the blade forward, raise her shield, block the strike and then stab. Block the next strike, stab. Capitalize on the motions of her body and stab. The end of the fight was when the duel had finished, not when one had low aura. Her fingers thrust her spear-blade forward, the metal creaking under her Semblance.

Metal was her ally. She could manipulate it well enough in order to work with the metal used in the weaponry of the people. Not enough to show her Semblance's skill, but enough to keep her opponent on his toes or slain. Before her stood Cardin Winchester, his mace glowing with the fire dust. She could see his fatigue in his stance, the armour that he wore something that could be peeled off with little difficulty, if one knew about the construction of armour.

She had hated him at first. Another stab came from her trusty sword-polearm, as she continued to score hits on him. His strength was prodigious, yet his manner of bullying Faunus and others had changed rapidly after the death of Jaune. _'Jaune...'_ her moves became fiercer, as she threw herself into combat, without any sign that she would let up.

Her sword stabbed into the armour, the aura meter going towards the red counter, even though her own body was fully uninjured, pristine and without any mark. It was as if there was some sort of divine blessing already prepared, ready for her to feast about beating Cardin within the ring. She caught a glimpse of Ren and Nora already getting ready to cheer her on another victory, the warmth that flooded her making her raise Akuou a bit too late, the rattling block holding, yet the heavy weapon pulling back.

She moved immediately then, thrusting her blade into the sensitive part of his back, through the chink in his armour. Aura sank even further and Professor Goodwitch called for the session to end. She walked back to Nora and Ren, brushing the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked at the spot where Jaune had stood before, a sadness filling her mind at the loss.

' _I'll miss you.'_ She said. Whether it had been a girlish crush or something more, she would never know. She hadn't been used to the thought of being friends with a boy her own age, with the friendship that would eventually push itself into the area where she could hold his hand, look into his eyes lovingly and then murmur sweet nothings.

"Well done." Viridian Wisteria commented, offering her compliments that she did not feel she deserved. Without Jaune, they had been saddled with HIM. The young man was always trying to catch her attention, to try out new things together with her. It was obvious to many that Ren and Nora were together, whilst RWBY was an all-girls team, the look on Yang's face somewhat relieved, as she was called up. _'I wonder what's up with her. She looks particularly fierce today.'_ "Thank you, Mister Winchester." The words were formal and cold, spoken without emotion lurking behind them. The young man smirked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Only her etiquette lessons had kept her from expressing her dissatisfaction by batting it away, her eyes meeting his own. "You will not lay a hand on me." He smiled, cockily. "Oh, I'd like to do much more." She avoided replying by giving Nora and Ren a hug. _'He doesn't understand the things we went through.'_

Ren smelled of Nora's shampoo, a good hint that the couple showered together frequently, even as he let go, the swift look at Goodwitch and then at the fight, as Yang settled in the comfortable stance of a brawler, up against Russel Thrush, the Mohawk-wearing member of team DLCR looking awfully nervous when he was to face off against Yang.

"Would you like to go for a cup of coffee with me sometime?" Viridian asked, another lame moment when she could feel the anger bubble up inside her. " _I am not done yet. There is so much more to do to become a good Huntress, in order to make the world a better place where people like Jaune would not get torn apart by the Grimm.'_

After combat class, she stepped under the spray of the shower, her hair plastering itself to her scalp. She could hear the soft footfalls of someone pass by the stall, hearing the soft 'Yang, I brought you some hair conditioner.' From Blake's mouth, Yang giving an affirmative back, as the door opened. It was curious how the two worked together.

Finding out that Blake was a Faunus had been a brief shock, but it wasn't as if it mattered much. Yang's boisterous response of 'Alright, I'm going to get you, Blakey' was playful, and she could imagine herself with Jaune, joking and teasing. _'and then there was going to be a moment where I would enter the showers after him, grabbed a hold of him and made love to him.'_ The thoughts had been spurred on after catching Nora and Ren in a compromising position once, the stoic-looking young man making a soft-spoken excuse about the unseemly sight that she had witnessed. _'It's such a pity... Such a pity.'_

There would be no Pyrrha Arc-Nikos. There would be no wedding, no being included into family things with the Arc family. They would be associates, perhaps even friends... but nothing would really pull them together unless Jaune miraculously managed to resurrect himself.

She didn't listen much more, as she turned the water off, the spray leaving her soaked, yet with the water slowly dripping off her. A fluffy towel brushed over her body, the smell of the oil on her skin soon replacing it, as she could feel relaxation go through her. "I wish that he was still around." She whispered, leaning against the wall, hearing the door slam shut a few stalls over. Yang passed by, chatting animatedly with Blake, the Faunus member of team RWBY only giving short responses. _'They would make a good couple. Introvert and an extrovert... But I don't think Yang likes women.'_

It'd be amusing to see if team RWBY ever got a boyfriend. The team dynamics would shift... but there'd be some value in entertainment gotten from the experiment. Provided the boyfriend survived, after all.

* * *

 _The terrible idea_

* * *

There was no reason why she should not take his offer. Her own mind was remarkably clear as she gave it thought. Without the blessing that he had given her, she would have been dead, stabbed by some villager who had surrendered to the fear of possibly losing a loved one.

She could see the look on his face turn to confusion, as she spoke again. "Working together is for the best. No matter what causes the fear, we can all bring a bright new dawn to the world together." It was not the thought of altruism that made her say that. During her husband's speeches, she had been the one that listened to all of them. He required the validation that his words would reach the right person at the right time with the right message. _'Such a grumpy cat, always worrying about this and that and never quite seeing that the people adored him.'_

She looked at Sienna, her eyes feeling sad at the resistance that the young woman gave to the cooperative effort that she tried to set up. "It really is for the best, Sienna." The Tiger Faunus looked at her as if she had grown a second head... or a tail or something like it. She was such a silly girl at times, always imagining the worst, that it really made her wish that she could smile a little. "Why?"

"Why?" She turned to Jaune, looking at the crimson eyes that peered back at her, with their depths holding hate and fear and pain inside them, deeper than the mere surface of his emotions. During the moment when her Semblance activated, she could feel the fear inside him well up, even if he would not consciously show it. _'So much fear, so much doubt... hesitation to unveil a skill that might have saved us a thousand times already... all because he was afraid of being judged.'_ She craved to give him a hug, to tell him it was going to be alright.

A glance at the Schnee at his side told her that such a privilege would have to be given to the woman first. _'It would be wrong to steal a boy from a woman who's set her eyes on him'_ She realized that Sienna was waiting then, opening her mouth. "Would you judge him for his gifts, like they judge us?"

Sienna's face held a difficult expression, working through the logical leap and floundering. She could see the expression shift into confusion, even as the woman sighed. "You've changed, Kali." Sienna said, her eyes meeting hers with a hopeless expression in their depths. _'So have you. You would not have spoken a word to White if you could help it.'_ The flush of heat worked through her body, thrilling her with some energy. "So have you." The response came from her lips as she looked at her friend.

"Please, don't fight?" Jaune said, a throbbing pain working through her upper arm. It was as if his words set flame to her arms, the pain fading swiftly. "If she doesn't want to be with us, we shouldn't force her." His words were sensible, yet in the situation they were in, captive in a bandit camp with the chieftain and some resurrected woman with her, it would hardly be prudent if the thought in their minds was not for escape.

"I will... I will obey." Sienna said and Kali could feel warmth flood her. It was good that Sienna saw wisdom in her thoughts. It would have been much worse if she did not. "I care for you, Sienna." She said as she gave the woman a hug. Relief was felt from Jaune's direction, good enough for her to feel sated with the thought that she had smoothed over the events.

Looking at him, she could see that his eye was blue once more instead of the red that came from the Semblance that he held or however he controlled and created the Grimm. She hugged Sienna just a little tighter, a soft murmur of 'Please, let me help.' Coming from her, audible only to her ears. 'We're safer with him.'

She could not ensure that safety with her own means, but she knew for some reason that he would keep to his word. Whatever he had ignited within her had given her a feeling for how his mind worked, of how he perceived the world. _'A young man, doubting his own prowess... I remember a young woman once who was of a similar mind.'_ The thought was sudden, looking at Sienna.

'You might be more like him than you'd think.' She suggested, even as White seemed to find herself no longer able to contain the need for a hug. Her arms wrapped around him and she gave an amused giggle as he tried to struggle a little to get free, his arm trying to get a good grip, yet the woman's arms holding him. "Don't ever think that you will be worthless, Jaune."

' _Her emotions are definitely leaning towards the need for his presence. I wonder if that is a side-effect of getting your Aura unlocked?'_ She wasn't into the theory of things, even as she looked at the hug. He seemed unused to it, as if hugs were something that he craved, yet was too shy to ask for. _'Him, shy? Why would he be?'_

Her eyes watched carefully as Esmeralda slowly pulled away, her eyes looking at him with a sadness inside them. "You've got marks on your back." She said softly, her voice sounding surprised. A bitter look came to his face, the eye that was blue darkening once more as the anger flared inside him. Anger it was, not fear, as she could feel how her body felt the brush of a powerful emanation against her whole form, like some call for her attention. "They were..." He turned, the shirt that he'd gotten from somewhere pulled off.

Red scars stood out against pale flesh. They formed letters that had been carved into the flesh by some sick and twisted woodcarver, the marks showing where the skin had tried to close, yet was forced to heal afterwards, into the pattern that formed letters.

 **R U B Y**

She felt sick after seeing the scars, still raw with the scar tissue still forming, the muscles of the young man's back visible. She could only feel the tension grow inside her as she watched it, her eyes looking at the marks, as he showed them to her. Her eyes went to Sienna, watching her response. The tiger Faunus was looking at them with a look of disgust, as she looked at the marks with her orange eyes not staring away. 'He is hurt, just as we have been.' She said at that low pitch that carried to the other woman's ears. 'Just imagine it... Hurt in such a fashion, having someone's name scrawled onto your back.' The shudder that Sienna gave was enough to clue her in on the emotional state of the woman.

"Ruby Beornir did this to me. The Beornir were a bandit tribe that lived... well, fifty miles away from where I found you?" He sounded doubtful, even as she gave a comforting sound to him, trying to keep his mind in the positive. He could not sink into the dark morass of depression... She herself had nearly sank into it, yet she had been focusing on other things. _'Ghira... I love you.'_ The thought of her husband brought a spark of happiness and sadness inside her, as she chanced a look at White.

White's face was leaking, the eyes wet with tears, small sniffles coming from her as her hands twitched, seemingly wanting to reach out and hug him again. Her eyes were emotional, loaded with the feelings of pain that could be felt by the woman, the stark emotions that were felt by the woman leaving her to look like she were grieving something. "They were... really bad people. Kept slaves to mine Dust for them, selling them off as chattel between each other." The story grew even more laden with emotions as the anger seemed to run through his body, used to keep the body upright and strong. With such negative emotions, she could have no other option but to witness it, even as White's face seemed to grow even more emotional as he continued.

"This girl, Ruby... She was really bad." The choking of his voice shattered whatever control White had, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder from behind. "Hush." She said, her voice soft and laden with emotions, the sadness inside her almost like a wave. "You don't have to tell your story. I can guess from the scars." Her voice was softer, gentler, motherly in the manner that the Schnee family would no doubt have experienced.

Kali approached as well, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. "As you have told us about your Grimm thing, you have shown us your scars... We aren't going anywhere. You are more than your scars. You are a young man who has been through so much... We can't even imagine it." The tale of how he had gotten the Grimm powers was not told, yet she could chance a guess that it had not been voluntary. Whatever mad circumstance had caused him to gain these powers...

"You lost your husband." He said as he stiffened at the memory. She could feel the muscles under her fingers shift a little. "We are women. It is natural to feel emotions for a young man who has been through much and still fights to protect us." The words were natural, as she spoke them with conviction. _'Do not try to replace Ghira, Kali... You know that you will need time to grieve._ ' The thought of replacing her husband had not even featured in her mind, even as Jaune seemed to further keep still.

"It is not the scars that you bear, but the feelings that you have." The voice of Sienna caught her off her guard, as the other Faunus woman came close, laying a hand on the other shoulder. "I may not agree with working together with... you... But if Kali says that you are to be trusted then I shall trust you." That Sienna was making such a concession was enough for her to smile, looking at the smaller Faunus. "Don't think that I will be your woman anytime soon, though."

Kali raised an eyebrow and looked Sienna over. The thought of Jaune and Sienna together, in the relationship sense was... odd. _'They would not make such a bad pair. Her fire and her skill at the political management of a large operation and the skills he has for the martial arena...'_ The thought of Jaune and Sienna together was definitely something to keep on her radar. _'I suppose playing matchmaker between the two of them would be possible... if White does not stake her claim first.'_ Her friend would need to start her assault on Fort Jaune soon, or else there would be merely unrequited feelings that would linger.

Seeing the dark-haired human woman look at their leader's body with such eyes that betrayed the hunger that she felt was something that brought perhaps a spark of something similar to her own body, the feeling of yearning something that came suddenly. _'What date is it?'_

Sienna looked a little uncomfortable as well, her face looking a little flushed. _'If it is like I think...'_ Her eyes met with Sienna's, mouth immediately opening up. 'You feel the need as well?' She saw the short nod and cursed mentally about the unfairness of it all. 'Of all the days in the year, to get into this state now...' Sienna replied back.

It was a known issue of the Faunus physiology that there would be days of need, where the primaeval desire to search for a mate or partner would take priority. It was one of the things that all Feline Faunus had to deal with, a throwback to their origination, as it had been told throughout the years. It was not advertised or spread widely outside their circles though, out of fear of the Humans deciding that it was 'screw a Faunus day' every day of the week, yet promiscuity grew greater. _'It probably is due to the synchronising of our cycles.'_ The close manner in which she'd been living with the other three women had ensured that they had their bodies adapt to the same cycle, the pheromones that were secreted only noticeable to other Faunus.

' _They call us animals... and they would be partially right.'_ She had never had to worry about it with her husband around and she assumed that Kali herself did have something to soothe the ache whilst it lasted. For something that only cropped up once every three years, it was still a bothersome thing to have, the burning need inside her starting to well up as she gave it thought. _'At least we're with a young man who knows how to treat women with respect. His tales of his sisters did tell me that he values them greatly.'_ She held no illusions about the way that men would treat a woman who was in the need for sexual gratification. _'Sienna and I are going to be very intimate, no doubt.'_

It was not her chief preference, but some rules would have to be bent for the case of the neediness. It was never a bad thing to help a friend out... even if you can't look each other in the eyes anymore after having seen their full nakedness. _'_ I'm sorry. I'm willing to help you out if you need me to.' The look of gratitude on Sienna's face and the minor twitch of her lips was enough to warm her to the thought, as she looked at the woman again with an apologetic look.

'Thank you but I will be fine.' The response came from the woman, as her gaze went to White, who was still hanging on to Jaune. 'They would not understand.' _'It is unlikely that they would. Faunus are a different species... We have different things about our bodies that we have to deal with.'_

It was heartening to see him turn around and hug White back. The woman seemed giddy, even as the roots of her hair started to show a white colour once more. _'Better inform her that her Schnee is showing again later.'_ If there even was a later, when the two Huntresses would return to join them once again. Kali had a feeling that it might take a while.

"So, Jaune?" He looked at her then, as her lips lifted to flash him a smile. "Have you ever read 'Ninja's of Love'?" The topic was a bit scandalous, yet he seemed to merely regard her with some curiosity. "No, not really. I did read 'A thunder crash by Grimm' though. It's a really sappy romance story." She gave a soft coo, as she gestured for the seat once more. "Come on, take a seat. We can chat about books whilst we wait for your friend Summer to come back with our bandit hostess." The words were not simple, as she got out of his personal space and patted the seat. _'Talking about something other than trouble will hopefully make the mood a little bit less strenuous on our system.'_

It might be a false hope, but she was not going to give up on ensuring that they would all remain happy and well.

* * *

 _Armed and Ignited_

* * *

She could feel the touch before she roused from her sleep, as her body seemed to relax. Faint scrapes of something rough touching her skin as well as a pleasant tingle came from her lower body, as her sleep-addled mind continued to try and boot up. A glance towards the clock told her that it was nearly two in the morning, the feeling of something touching her most intimate parts actually causing a tingle from her body to go up and down her spine.

Her gaze slid down to her bed, as a set of fingers touched over her thighs, the bare flesh getting gooseflesh as the touch continued, something wriggling in a place where nothing really should be wriggling. A low hoarse moan came from her mouth as she glanced at Weiss and at Ruby, immediately discounting those as being the owner of the hands, the covers feeling like a prison for her body, even as hot breath tingled over her lower body.

A soft moan came from her mouth unbidden, as she clenched her muscles a little reflexively. _'I'm not gay. I'm not gay... I'm not gay.'_ The mantra started to come once more, as the sensations rocked through her body. She could feel how the stranger who was currently doing... gay stuff, with her seemed to work their fingers over the flesh, touching what had not been touched by anyone else, the sensation of the tongue bringing little shocks through her body. _'This doesn't feel good. This does not feel good.'_ She felt awkward and sticky, even as the pleasurable sensations continued to build, lifting the covers just a bit. Darkness covered her body, even as someone worked there, the soft sound of a tongue sliding over flesh. _'I'm not gay... Please... please...'_ The prayer for whatever deity that was listening was helpless, as she felt her thighs quiver and the low moan to come from her throat. She could feel the sweat build up as the release that she had been working towards seemed to have come.

A shudder went through her form, legs rising up a little, her whole body relaxing as she made a soft whimper. _'This is not gay. I am just... I'm just enjoying a stud giving me a bit of love with the mouth. Yes... Some anonymous beefcake who managed to infiltrate my room to give me the best oral ever...'_ The argument seemed false as her legs collapsed, her tongue heavy in her mouth as she took a deep breath. The slurping sound from down below was enough, even as she could see the faint shifting in the bedcovers, as hands pushed the underwear right back into place.

Her eyes spotted the form of her Faunus partner and teammate slinking back into her bed, the pleasant stickiness that came between her thighs something that both set her body ablaze as well as chilled her soul. _'I'm not gay... No, there must be some reason for this... Blake's just... just helping out. I'm NOT gay. Nope. Not gay. Just...'_ Her body shuddered, as she gave a low groan, 'awakening' to the state she was in. "Oh man... I'm going to need to clean up again. This stuff with my wound needs to stop." The soft hiss from the lower bed was something that she heard, as she got herself out of her bed. _'Luckily they have a dryer built into the washing machine.'_ She could feel the underwear shift a little, the feeling of pleasure something that faded away slowly. _'I feel dirty... But I am not gay, nope. Noooot gay. Just... happy. Yes, happy would work.'_

It was so horribly confusing... but she was NOT gay. N-nope. She did not like it. Did not like it all! Even if her body responded with the exact opposite feeling.

* * *

 **We have some exposition in this chapter! To those hoping that Jaune will get the easy way back to Beacon... well, I'm afraid that my prognosis of it being around chapter 30 still stands. There's stuff to be done still! Also as a small mention: I've been hinting about the Blake x Yang thing a few times. Raven saw Blake getting down to work and that seriously unnerved her. Who wants to catch their children having sex? Alcohol and Raven also don't work together well (Although she definitely sobers up after using her Maiden powers) so yeah. People who thought 'Omg, Raven is super-duper powered with her maiden powers and the ten years of training or something', well... You would NORMALLY be on the right track. Summer Rose though... Well, she was Raven's partner and that would naturally create some hesitation. Raven dislikes Qrow and loves Taiyang, so there is definitely something about her powers that she would dim when they were involved.**

 **The Blake x Yang thing was originally a lot longer than before, but I'm not 100% sure whether we're allowed to post some lesbianism here. American ratings are confusing. You can show a whole murderous bloodbath, but as soon as the breasts come out, it's like 'end of the world'.**

 **Other small things of note: Pyrrha is coming to become a point of view character once more in the future. You'll see her manner of thinking. Esmeralda and Kali are mostly on-board with being around Jaune, Sienna is still resistant to the thought. Summer and Raven got history. No, they will not be lesbians. Raven is pretty strictly monogamous. I'd say that Raven's the less flexible one out of the two. Kali's Semblance is shown! Yes... It will be explained more later on.**

 **Setting up the events for the Vale arc is important too. I could have Raven ezmode send them to Vale, but it would not work well with the dynamic that they'd have going for them. In the next chapter, you can expect the start of Volume II to be around... 3 weeks from that point. You can't travel across a continent on foot without delaying the timeline, Heather Arc is currently in transit towards Mistral. There'll be some more Cardin in the next chapter too. There was a critical thing that he overlooked. Any guesses as to what that might be?**

 **Current Grimm that Jaune can create:  
Beowolf  
Ursa  
Tajitu**

 **Please leave a review if you've enjoyed the chapter. I'm crawling back up from the dark pit that my life has become, slowly. Your condolences and support were very appreciated. And if you have any questions, you can always PM me.**


	19. Darkening the days

**Chapter 19: Darkening the days**

 **Entertain thyself with the nineteenth chapter of A Grimm Tale. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _The night which was a part of the day_

* * *

Her fingers barely ghosted over the skin of the young man as she could feel the need within her rise, as she could see the pain that he had been in. Her heart bled as she looked at his young features, wrapped in that tense silence that only seemed to weigh even heavier upon her soul. _'It is such a dark day for him… Such a terrible day.'_

It was not that she did not allow herself a moment of respite. It was more that she felt connected to him in a fashion that went beyond the mere human. _'So what if he can summon the Grimm?'_ She realized on some level that it was wrong to think of it as merely another slice to his pie, another peculiarity that made him special.

"Jaune?" She did not quiver, her voice soft and coaxing the warmth inside him out. Her fingers traced over the neckline, slowly letting them dance over the skin. The warmth that she had was at odds with the odd coolness that his body seemed to have, his pale skin and the blonde and white hair that was slowly growing blonder again, something that would add yet another characteristic that was unique.

' _I want to touch him.'_ Her thoughts were definitely going in an unladylike manner now, as her head came closer. She did not care about Sienna Khan or Kali at the moment, as her fingernail deftly slid up to his chin. The hair that she found there was rough and not at all groomed, the beard that would spring up in due time no doubt manly. The thought of it rubbing against her neck as he held her from behind, his body against hers, the proof of his affections for a woman such as her inside her... It made dark and lustful emotions inside her stir. _'You are a mother of three, a wife of a man who does not care.'_ Subconsciously she rubbed her thighs together, her eyes watching him carefully, as his attention seemed to be at Kali, the woman explaining something about the favourite book series.

' _Ninja's of Love, eh?'_ She would have to think about getting a copy for herself to read. Entertainment purposes... even if there was no doubt some desire inside her to get what she was owed. Her body felt the craving grow stronger, as his body seemed to be ripe and ready. "Please, stop." His voice sounded hesitant, as his arm grabbed hers. The pale arm, riddled with veins that were distended with the dark liquid that had created it. _'It hadn't been a mere fancy of a sleep-addled mind.'_ The fingernails pressed against her skin, as something that seemed to feel like a sliver of ice entered inside her.

Immediately, she was elsewhere with her mind, the empty white plain once more before her. The Grimm loomed around her, a wall of gnashing teeth and vile intent, gazing at her with their bone-white masks and malevolent intent. She did nothing, standing in the middle of that gathering, just awaiting what would happen. One by one, the Grimm emerged, to stand ever closer to her. Glyphs ghosted into view, their effects as she knew them to be, the dark radiance that seemed to fill her body as her Aura ignited, her whole body tingling for a moment as the power radiated through her.

Spires of ice shot out of the glyphs, impaling the Grimm, none of them doing anything but to observe her like the predators that they were. She could disturb their physical form, only to have them reform once more to haunt her once again. With the dark tide, only the faint hint of her earlier feelings was there... and suddenly, there was nothing but the darkness around her.

The Grimm were around her. Their very essence filled her lungs, as she struggled to breathe. Wrongness and foulness tasted weirdly upon her tongue, as she swallowed gulps of the darkness, even as the vapours burned through her body. With her hands forming the Glyphs, she could feel how the darkness was kept at bay, suddenly rushing away.

A sudden change of place she found herself at suddenly, the feeling of weirdness and awkwardness something that she could comprehend immediately, even with her eyes looking at the scenery. A large wasteland, the ruins that had been once a city, bustling with life and now abandoned. The skies were dark and overcast, her eyes picking out the ruined street signs that had once denoted an avenue or a street. The buildings had been shattered, her gaze finding itself finally upon the thing that she was meant to see.

Bone-white skin and ashen-white hair stood out, as a set of merciless red eyes peered into hers, without any sort of pity inside them. A garment that looked much like what the headmaster of Beacon wore, cloth fashioned from some dark fabric that seemed to absorb the light, a symbol etched from silver appearing to be hung from a chain around his neck. The throne upon which he sat had been furnished from the mangled wreckage of what had once been a dust-powered vehicle, the high back of it made from some tangled metal, as his gaze peered down at her, full of the arrogance of one who held power beyond anything that she could ever muster or imagine. The shadows stirred around him, unveiling Kali, already garbed in shadows, the outfit that she wore tight to the skin, her fingers moving slightly over a weapon whose appearance she could hardly see through the shadows, only burning golden eyes looking at her with the fear gripping her heart.

Her skin was still its tanned colour, yet the eyes that held the essence of gold were fully upon her. Fear radiated from that gaze, as He stretched out his hand, the woman nuzzling against it like a cat, the Faunus trait that she had inherited looking like she was pleased, her eyes closing and the fear lessening. _'I should have been someone like that.'_ The thought rose to her mind, as she tried to take a step forward. Nevermores in the skies seemed to denote the death of this whole city, as his finger traced over Kali's cheek, the woman giving a soft happy mewl, like all her agency had been taken from her. _'This is just an illusion, Kali isn't here... This is just your mind telling you that it might happen...'_

She was not one to really get too invested in the more sensual aspects. Her drive might have been to improve the company once upon a time, yet deviancy had never featured into such a thing. The sight of Kali, acting like some henchwoman or pet to the representation of Jaune was... something that stoked the flames inside her, a dark urge swelling in her breast. She opened her mouth as if to speak, only for those crimson eyes to take her breath away with a look. She could see that the shadows around the Faunus woman lengthened, only as the man seated upon the twisted throne of human ingenuity gazed at her. Her lips tried to speak, only to feel something dark inside her well up, filling her throat with what seemed to be an infinite amount of liquid. It welled up from her mouth like an overflowing pitcher, sending a wave of foul dark ink onto the ground, her dress stained, yet the sensation of being filled with the darkness seemed not to leave her.

' _The power of darkness..._ ' Her thoughts were not sane or rational as she fought for the breath, only to find suddenly that her air was clear, the fingers that seized her chin something that gave her both strength as well as increased her weakness. Those eyes looked into hers, the crimson holding the disdain for humanity in their depths, whilst the blue cared for her as if she were the most important thing in the world, her own mind perhaps deluding her into thinking that it would be for her, especially so. It was not the fancy of a woman who had everything, but the fancy of a woman who yearned for it. _'Is it wrong to feel this way?'_ The flames inside her did only ignite further, little burning sparks that wreathed her in the power of the flame and burned.

"Esmeralda?" His voice came, the scene fading away. Her hands were now on his abdomen, touching in a very familiar fashion. She could feel the touch of abdominal muscles under the skin, the flesh hardening under the training that he did religiously, a sign that it was starting to pay off. The red flooded her cheeks then, leaving her looking abashed at her own forwardness. "Are you alright? You don't have a fever, do you?" The question did not take her by surprise, as his innocence about the feelings of others was something that both refreshed her as well as frustrated her. The thighs were slightly damp as she tried to figure herself out, to find that little spark inside her to continue moving.

"Of course." She said, her voice not as confident as it had been before. _'There is only the feelings you have for him, Whitney Esmeralda Schnee. He is a young man. Putty before an experienced woman's hands to mould into whatever shape that is desired.'_ She could only feel the hesitation inside her boil, as she let her attention focus on the young man's face, her hands slowly pulled away. "I think she's got a good grip on you there, Jaune." Kali said, her eyes conveying a feeling of support. _'She does not have to be competition. We can work together.'_

The deviation of her thoughts was increasing. An image of the two of them together, the flames inside her turning even fiercer, as she swallowed unbiddenly, a hand caressing her hair, the dark mane of hair not its lustrous white colour. She could imagine it already, her own wanton desires finally reaching that boiling point when the ache had to be sated with the desired companion. _'I'm starting to grow more erratic.'_ The thought was not sane or even logical, as she could inhale the scent of his skin, a little tingle of something that sent little pulses of dark lust through her body.

' _I am a horrid lewd woman.'_ The desire only grew when she was around him when she was in his direct presence. "At least make sure that you stay safe."The concern in his voice sent another shiver of pleasure through her body, the desires that she had been trying to stave off bursting to the forefront once more, to allow not a single one to escape before she would spoil whatever trust he held in her. _'You are calm, in control and ready to be doing what you need to do.'_ Her thoughts tried to order themselves, her eyes watching him.

"And so, Shunsuke engages with Karin in a battle of wills, in order to gain the upper hand. It is quite interesting to read." The narration of events of a scene from the book series that Kali apparently appreciated was something of a jarring thing, the heat inside her loins fading, as she felt more aware. His attention had moved away from her and she sat herself up, trying to gather her wits once more. _'A woman is in control if her space is under her control. Appearance begets attractiveness.'_ The etiquette lessons that she had sat in on whilst Winter was being taught to be the heir to the Schnee Dust Empire that her father had founded had been droll and boring. The glass of wine that she had taken with her during the lesson had been filled multiple times, with the alcohol burning in her throat, a memory of the good days still evoking warmth inside her.

"But... What does she gain from it?" Jaune asked, Esmeralda feeling the answer already, even before Kali spoke. "Everything, dear. You should know that it is never certain what a woman wants, when she has the chance to obtain it." The words were something that only seemed to bring forth the burning once more, as she knew what she craved.

She could see it in his eyes, the innocence within them shining through clearly in the blue eye, whilst the hellish red one spoke only of the greatest of torments that she could imagine. Even in the roughest locales, the sun beating down upon her pale skin and the sweat soaking her clothing, she had never felt such darkness mingling with the innocence that was shown in those eyes. Her eyes felt humbled, as she could see the need in his eyes to be the just individual that he wished to be, a good guy, even in a world that would forsake him.

She would not hesitate that moment to declare herself his to do with as he wished, yet her lips were unable to vocalize the thought. Her eyes nervously glanced at Kali's, watching the Faunus woman's lips move, yet with no sound coming out that would reach her ears. Only the burning feeling inside her was there, as the darkness seemed to brush through all defences that she could put up, her whole core shuddering with the desire, as she reached out and laid her fingers against his shoulder. "You are not well. Please..." His voice reached her ears, her breathing coming out a little ragged. A shudder worked itself up from her core, to her upper body and then down once more.

"Rest. It's been a stressful time for you." His words were gentle and caring, as if he thought that she was better than him, a man who held the powers of the Grimm inside him. Her heart bled a little at the thought of him thinking of his own self-worth, the satisfaction in her body starting to slowly fade. "Of course." She found herself accepting, even as the sensations seemed to flow away from her, seating herself there before him.

A hand rose, the pale skin showing the effects of being under the sun, the heat of the day having caused her nails to look horrid compared to the manicured wonders that they had been before, the roughness of her skin something that a woman of her standing should never have had to suffer... yet she could feel the power inside her burst. A glyph appeared in her sight, hovering above the fingertips. With a little move of her mind, it would materialize, the building force starting to slowly dissipate as it was disappeared by her own will. To cast a glyph right now would be to announce herself as a Schnee, thus lending herself to capture or death at the hands of Sienna.

The tiger Faunus seemed to be the least on board with serving the great and wonderful young man that was their protector. The heat of her own desires did not blind her to the thought, even as her gaze went to the Faunus, whose ears seemed to twitch a little, not distracted by the tale of whatever bawdy romance Kali was speaking of.

Sharp eyes were regarding her as if she were prey as if her mere existence was validation of the held beliefs. As Whitney Schnee, she had been beholden to several of the rallies in order to promote Faunuskind as a people, the prejudices that still buffeted them with their own plight were still too much in order to overcome. With her status as the heir to the Schnee Dust Company, she had only been able to manage a decent wage for the Faunus labourers in the quarries, with enough of a health plan in order to ensure that their traits would be cared for adequately.

Sienna's eyes met hers for a moment, the sharpness of that gaze carrying with it the heaviness of the position that she had once carried, the leader of the White Fang, ready to take up arms for the cause. A woman like that she could respect if it were not her own position that was imperilled. There was no telling what the Faunus woman would do if the knowledge came out that she was Whitney Schnee, daughter of Nicholas and wife to Jacques.

Her gaze went back to Kali, the sight of Raven and Summer entering once more filling her heart with some respite. Whatever the guardian of Jaune had spoken about with the bandit chieftain, it would only prove to be something that would impact their staying here.

"Alright, ladies! If you'd like to leave the Jauney Jaune alone for a moment... We need to have some words!" Summer's words were far cheerier than before, as her silver eyes met with her own for a moment. The fires inside her gut flickered and died as her gaze kept at the silver eyes, the pain inside her body suddenly making her feel how warped her emotions had become, before she tore her gaze away, the heat flashing through her body once more, even as she rose. "The good news is though... You get to have dinner! Lunch! Something to eat!"

The bandit chieftain didn't say a word as she sat herself down, laying her blade and sheath on the table in front of her. Her red eyes met with the various other women for a moment, Summer's cheerful voice speaking up once again. "Please, don't worry! We've got it ALL figured out." Esmeralda Gele would have been happy to leave for a moment to get some fresh air, but with the situation as it was...

She caught Kali's eye, the Faunus woman moving towards the exit, her movements graceful. "Do wear that shirt, Jaune." The words of a mother were soft, even with her tone as gentle as it was. She gathered herself a little, pulling the shirt a little tighter around her upper body, so as to outline it better. Why she did it was not clear to her, save for the look that he gave her, the eyes still careful. "You be safe, alright?" He said at barely louder than a whisper. Esmeralda smiled faintly, slipping into the role without great difficulty. "Thank you."

As she stepped out of the tent into the night air, she could feel the coolness of the air hit her in the face, the burning inside her body starting to tell her that it was time for her to enjoy the pleasures of something to eat, her eyes catching sight of Kali and Sienna, the short-haired girl that was the bandit chieftain's adjutant standing there. "Raven told me to fetch you something to eat." The young woman said, no doubt as irritated by the thought of having to help them get their food. The young woman could not be out of her teens yet, yet seemed to be well on her way to get her own style going for her.

"Then I presume we should be getting ourselves fed." She stated imperiously. The bandit's eyes narrowed, her eyes piercing as she looked at her as if there was something wrong about her stating it thusly. "What she means, is that you shall lead us." Kali interjected, her voice trying to soothe ruffled feathers.

* * *

 _The bargain struck_

* * *

Summer's face did not change as he looked at her. That impish smile that Ruby often wore was not only present there upon her face, but also seemed to be imbued with the radiance that Ruby often infused it when thinking of some weapons that she had seen before. Jaune Arc was not a fool as to think that it would be as innocent as the woman would purport it to be.

People had layers, Summer's own fealty to him under no question. She needed him to live and to survive, whilst he appreciated and respected the strength that she would bring to the fight. "So, Jaune?" Her voice was chipper as she continued to advance on him, his eyes looking at her with a question, as she sat herself in front of him, the seat which Esmeralda had vacated only now. Raven's body moved slowly as she got up, the lazy manner of movement belying the intelligence with how the woman managed her forces.

With the Beornir, it had been mere strength that had allowed the family to rise to the apex of the tribe. With the Branwen... it must be a mix of her strength as well as her cunning. Compared to the Beornir, there could barely be over twenty-five people present, if at all. That would not bring them the victory that they craved unless the tactical mind of the leader was something extraordinary.

"Jaune, Raven has given it some thought..." Summer started, her eyes bright and shiny as she continued to pull from that wellspring of good cheer that she had seemingly overflowing inside of her. "And she'll be willing to assist us, if you help her with a little teensy thing. You do agree with that, yes?"

' _If I say yes, what is to say that she will not ask for recompense a moment later? What trust do I have in a woman who is a friend of Summer, even if Summer gives her word that there would be no malicious action given towards me and my companions?'_ The thought rushed through his mind, his face expressionless. "What are your terms, Miss Branwen?" The tone that he used was more formal, the bandit chieftain looking at him with a look that did not scream approval, merely the thought of something that was akin to a bug of some sort, her eyes blazing with their crimson gleam.

"I demand something that will allow us to keep the Grimm at bay." The words were clear, yet she seemed to hold great importance to that. His mind went towards the creation of such things, as he tried to imagine what sort of shape it would take. His mind immediately went towards the amulets that had once been popular in Arcadia, the fading memories of Her speaking of the elegant jewellery that had once been something to wear in public openly, the fear of Grimm no greater due to the wardings of the gemstones themselves.

It had been falsehoods and fake confidence that had been woven within the gemstones. No sensible individual in the Slayer brigade would have been wearing them. The tools of their trade had been swords and bows, the weapons that could win against a horde of Grimm. The Dust that had been mined from the earth, processed into something that could split the earth with the whim of the wielder. It was something that only inspired awe inside the people around, the fools who wore something like that never quite seeing the front lines themselves...

It had inspired within Her the desire to show the world that it was nothing without its guardians. No fancy trinket would allow them to be sprung from the grips and claws of the Grimm, no simple spellcraft woven into the metals and the gems that could ensure them to make a quick getaway.

His mind began to come up with explanations for the things that he could do and the things that he could not do without informing Her of the presence of one who could manipulate the _vitae tenebris_ in the world. To have him be discovered by Her would surely spell the demise of any settlement in which he was currently located, the tides of Grimm no doubt sufficient to even escape his domination.

"I am not sure whether I can do something like that." The natural coalescence of the Grimm would allow for a small droplet of _vitae tenebris_ to remain, the liquid serving well as a decent deterrent as well as an attractant to them.

He let his thoughts wander, as he tried to figure out the schematics for something that could serve as a deterrent to the Grimm in the area. A thought came to him, just as he pulled out of the jumble of genetic and physical traits that he could make. His _vitae tenebris-_ infused arm he held out, forming and shaping the dark liquid in it into the shape that he desired, the bulging veins showing the outline of his creation, brewing and shaping into the shape that he wished. It was not a technique that was without flaw, the creation of a nexus of his own will being something that he would only sparingly do, yet the blood inside his body chilled still. "Do you want something that you can keep on your person?" He could feel the insectoid legs crawling along the veins, as the outer shell slowly hardened in the dark pool of essence inside him.

"I would like to have something like that, yes." Pain welled up inside him as the full formation of the special-type Grimm seemed to formalize, the dark ichors that welled up from his palm pushing out the Grimm creature, the chitter that sounded something that he could not stop, as the mental link was forced. Like a small scarab, it looked, the symbol upon its outward shell. "Do you..." He staggered a little to the left, Summer's body holding him up in a flash, as the beetle-like Grimm crawled up on his paw, a savage-looking mouth filled with teeth appearing there, the mark upon its back something that he recognized immediately. The two arcs of Arcadia, with the moon below.

Two arcs to symbolize the people and the magic that bound them, the moon as the foundation to build upon. It was not like the sun worship that had once been there, yet the magic that had once been the domain of the Grand Wizard and the Grand Witch had been linked to the moon's phases. _'The astrology has been lost to the ravages of time... What would I not give to look upon the charts once more and divine the future through the movement of the stars...'_

The memories that he had gotten from Her had been a jumble, even with the divide between Her perception of them as well as his own. "Do you have a necklace?" Raven's eyes were showing her distaste, as the scarab Grimm gave a soft chittering hiss, the mental link put into place. _'It's not quite a Seer, but it should serve the purpose of control.'_ The link-up was there, the glow entering the crimson eyes of the insect, the carapace slowly turning into a white stone-like material. He could see Summer's silver eyes glint, the silver eyes giving him a fatigued sensation, even as the scarab hardened.

' _Type three sensor.'_ The classification of sensor-type Grimm was something that was mostly determinant about the size of the Grimm. "Here." The woman said, holding out a simple silver necklace. His hands manipulated the material of the Grimm's body, the stone-like _vitae tenebris_ that it had been created from slowly bending into a loop. The eyes glowed a little more at the touch, as the uplink with his own mind was finished. "It should be alright to mount it on some disk." It was only the size of a Lien chip, after all. The small creature would serve the need of the bandit chieftain well.

"This will not suddenly burrow into my skin and try to eat me, will it?" Raven's voice was suspicious, Summer giving a soft snicker at her response. "Afraid that the bed bugs will bite, Raven?" The woman's voice was soft, teasing, Raven's face showing her thoughts plainly. "No, I am afraid that it will return to its nature and try to kill me."

' _That is logical.'_ The Grimm would be inert until he willed it. It would take Her will to engage it, and such a small Grimm would hardly be noticed amongst the throng of combat forms. With Raven's own skill, it would hardly be a node of interest for Her. The Seer who directed Her will towards the Grimm would allow her greater manners of control.

"You can leave it in a chest."He said, as he looked thoughtful. "I don't have a Scroll with which to contact you, so..." It was not certain yet whether the bandit chieftain would accept the offer. The _Vitae Tenebris_ that had been petrified would remain, the weariness that he felt somehow not even feeling as bad as it could have been. "That'll be fine. Do you guarantee that it will keep the Grimm away from the camp?" The insistence was something that he had expected, a sharp nod coming from his head. "You won't be seeing any Grimm coming this way." The sensory reach of the Grimm Scarab would cover the camp well enough. A minor tweak in the inner workings of the Grimm and he could feel power flow into him, the emotions around the camp slowly syphoning into the beetle-like Grimm. "I've got confidence in my skill." False bravery was also bravery, as his father had said once, detailing the conflict that he'd been in.

The emotional syphon was more for his own benefit than for the bandits, yet it never hurt to build in an extra feature. It would be barely noticeable to regular humans that their emotions were perhaps a little less explosive than before. "This should ensure that you have no difficulties with the Grimm." He said, Summer smiling a little brighter than before.

"He tells the truth, Rae Rae. He's going to be a man of his word, because that's how he is Jaune!" The cheerful statement seemed to once again outline the special look that she had about the world, with her eyes glimmering silver. "Now... Do the ritual!" The bandit leader gave a sound in the back of her throat, as she stalked up to him, the silver chain in her hands held out. "Loop it through." The woman said. The Grimm scarab was easily put on the chain, the manipulation of its shape allowing for the silver chain to go through easily. Raven took the chain with the beetle attached to it and walked towards one of the chests, putting it on top of it.

She sauntered back, her hips swaying a little. If this were one of the movies that his sister Azure liked, she would be somewhat bashful perhaps, as her hands placed themselves on his shoulders, her face up close. "I, Raven Branwen, choose thee to be my vassal. Bound by the code, we are to bring forth prosperity together." The woman's reciting of an ancient code drew his interest, as the lines on her face were something that marked her as different from the Yang that he had known, however briefly.

Her lips pressed against his then, a tongue pushing into his mouth as she seemed to put the deed to the word, her tongue probing into his mouth, the surprise on his face visible, even as her tongue continued to explore his mouth. A link between the two of them was made then, a burning power inside her visible to his eyes in one dazzling moment.

Without pause, she pulled away, her lips still having faint moisture clinging to them, the tongue rapidly clearing that away, leaving them glossy. "He's a horrible kisser." She mentioned to Summer, who smiled softly. "Silly Rae Rae, you know that he needs to be all innocent." The bandit chieftain sniffed with disdain as she walked back to one of the sides of the room, pulling off one of the necklaces that she had wrapped around her neck like some fashion accessory. "You know how to use these, right?" She asked Summer as she tossed it at the woman, who caught it effortlessly. "Crush one and you'll know." The look on Raven's face was even, as she grinned. "Got it."

"What just happened?" He mumbled, feeling the faint hint of embarrassment creep through his system and slowly evaporate. If the woman was this blasé about a kiss, then what would it mean for his chastity? "She marked you as one of hers, Jaune." The woman said, chipper. "With her Semblance, she can appear near one who has received the marking that she gives."

' _What does that mean?'_ Raven looked at him, less impressed than before. "Get some kissing practice in with Summer if you have to. She's a decent kisser." The squawk from Summer was something that was a mix of embarrassment as well as something that could be seen as indignation. "Raven! I wasn't the one who decided to play 'Kiss the Cutie' and accidentally ended up kissing Professor Ozpin!"

Jaune looked at the woman, his mouth unable to form the words. To imagine Raven as immediately leaping onto the Professor and giving him a kiss, was to imagine that man giving... ew. "That's..." He didn't have the words for it, his eyes switching between Raven and Summer, the latter looking like she would rather be somewhere else with the withering glare that Raven was giving her. "Alright. Eh, change of topic?"

"I will come to your aid once." The woman said, as her glare softened a little, merely a stern look as it was directed at him. "Do not expect that it will descend into sexual favours, boy." The woman said, her eyes like fine red wine as they glared at her, her lips pressed tightly together. "I am a woman who loves but one man." Summer sighed, as she shook her head. "He's still single now that you've left, Raven."

The bandit gave her friend and leader a look, as her lips pressed even tighter together. "Of course, I have chased off all the floozies who would dare to intrude where Raven Branwen has staked her claim." _'For some reason, that does not surprise me in the least.'_ Was the first thought that came to that topic to his mind. "Also... We need a portal to Mistral city. There's this weaponsmith that we need to see about getting us some decent weapons. He owes us a favour, y'know?"

"Would that happen to be Junichi?" The woman questioned, Summer nodding once. "I will get you all to Mistral city." His spirits rose, even as his stomach rumbled. Raven gave a faint smile, somewhat more charitable than he would've expected from her. "After we've had something to eat."He wasn't going to forget about something to eat. He didn't quite remember when he had last eaten.

"Don't you worry, Jaune. We'll get you back to Beacon and to Vale again..." The words from Summer were hardly any consolation to him as she evaporated out of existence, pushing herself back into her spot once more. _"Because I know that you'll be happy to meet with your friends again. I want to see Ruby again as well."_

The bandit chieftain led him out of her tent, the steps down easily passed by her, as he followed after her without a word being spoken. He could see Esmeralda, Sienna and Kali stand near one of the tents, the scent of meat being grilled in the air. One of the bandits was busy with the cooking, the women talking to each other about something. "Indigus, get him something to eat." The bandit chieftain said to the cook before she moved along, clearly deciding that the next order of business would be something that she would have to attend to.

" _Rae Rae isn't someone who would allow her people to suffer."_ Summer's voice came through, as he got an image of her happily smiling, as if the situation was something to be relaxed about, as if there was no danger to them. _"She's a big softie when it comes to us. Except for her brother, that is. That she kissed you to mark you for her Semblance is something that is necessary."_ The thoughts had been bouncing around in his head about the kiss, yet with Summer's words, clarity seemed to assert itself. _'She's right. Raven would not kiss just anyone, unless it was mandatory for her Semblance. I am not the man she loves.'_

"Hey Jaune." Kali spoke with an excited tone, as she held up a meat skewer. "It's meat! Meat!"The excitement that the woman held for such a simple pleasure as eating meat brought a smile to his lips, as the thought of Kali being in good spirits was something that he found warming. It was a far cry from her depressive moods, when the thoughts of her husband continued to plague her.

"I'm sure it'll be tasty." He said, Sienna munching on one of the skewers, her teeth tearing off the meaty bits and munching on it without decorum. "You mind meat, sonny boy?" The man known as Indigus said, as he held out a skewer for him as well. "Of course not. Meat is good! It isn't chicken nuggets... but I don't think you have those here."

The man laughed, shaking his head. "We haven't gotten the chance to go to KFSchnee, so no nuggets for you! It is a good thing that Chieftain Branwen has allowed you three the chance to roam around the camp. We aren't the type to really take prisoners, you see." The man's arm was marred by scars and blade wounds, even a patch of skin that'd been definitely hit by the effects of a Dust-bullet.

"You must've been through some battles." He commented, as he took the skewer, taking a bite from the meat and finding that it tasted somewhat like chicken. "Fought under the late chieftain before Chieftain Branwen took over. I used to be called Indigus the Ingenious, but alas... Now I'm just the cook." The man didn't seem to take it in a bad way that he was just the cook. "It keeps the mind focused in my older years." The man couldn't be much older than sixty in his estimation, which would make him to be pretty old in the current day of Remnant.

"He's been telling me about some of his exploits." Esmeralda said, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, her eyes looking at the man. "Apparently there's a good way to hack someone's arm off." The topic was not as delicate as he would have thought, yet the woman seemed to take it in good spirits. "All it takes is a good arm to swing and a blade that'll be able to chop right through. Any good butcher'll know how to hit right to chop."

It was good for his own fortune that he did not grow queasy at the thought of hacking someone's arm off. Ever since he had been out in the world again, he had not found as many things gross and disturbing as he would have had before. "And if you need a little spring buck in your pen... All you have to do is to flash a bit of meat and show him that you'll be willing to get him broken in."

Esmeralda gave a winning smile, her head nodding at that. "All it takes is but a single hand of a woman and the beckon and there shall be a feast." Sienna's face showed some irritation as Kali laughed, her years looking less for some reason, as her facial features seemed younger, the skin a little tighter to the face. _'Is she feeling the effects of starvation?'_ The thought was one that worried him. "Kali, are you alright?" He could see Esmeralda pout slightly, the cook leaning over the grill to say something to her.

"Of course, Jaune." Her voice was warm as she shifted a little, her eyes looking at him with that golden clarity that she had once hinted at. "You will be a good man for us, won't you?" The look on Sienna's face shifted as she looked at Kali, the skewer pulled out of her mouth. "Don't you dare, Kali." The woman smirked at her, cattily in only the manner that Faunus women could do. "It's a solution, is it not?" Sienna growled audibly, as if the thought was such a big hurdle to overcome that she was diametrically opposed to it. "It might be, but he is a human. He would not know what to do."

Kali shook her head. "But he will learn. It's only once every half a decade, after all." Sienna's baleful gaze told him enough about her intentions, as her eyes seemed to carry within them the threat of violence, as she seemed to find nothing alright about what Kali was offering. "I'm missing something, am I not?" He asked, Kali's smile nothing if not benign. "Nothing you should worry about missing, Jaune. We'll manage together."

Sienna's eyes went back to her friend, the thought on Jaune's mind being just how caring Kali was for her friend, as there obviously was something that was needed to be done. If they needed a man to help them with something then he would gladly step up to help with them. "You don't have to fear. If there's something that you need a man for, I would be more than happy to help out."

Sienna's cheeks flashed red. "Never!" Her sharp cry of defiance was there, as her eyes blazed, the crimson on her cheeks flashing even hotter. Kali gave a soft murmur of 'uhuh' as she walked up to Sienna and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Just think of it, Sienna. It could be much worse." The woman swallowed, her face showing her disapproval of the subject, as her eyes went to him. "You will guard us with your life." She hissed, her eyes carrying with their gaze the intent to hurt, if he did something that she did not approve of. "Of course. You're the people that stuck with me." He said, his voice sounding as sincere as he could make it. It was the truth.

Esmeralda had been nothing but a guiding light in the darkness with her warmth and kindness. Sienna was the one who was most alert and paranoid, always ready to strike against anything that would come in their path. Kali was the one who embodied the social interaction the most, teasing and taking the edge off. Her jokes were often that, jokes. Insinuations, casual conversation about how a certain dress might look on her, even the insinuation that Esmeralda would like him as more than just a friend...

' _She definitely does not seem to be willing to do something like that with me. She's older than me by... ten years? Maybe twenty?"_ He hadn't honestly asked about their ages too much. _'Sienna is around twenty-nine or something... Kali is her friend, so she'd be... thirty-five-ish? Her husband was a big strong man, so he would be... forty?'_ He didn't think much about what the ages of his companions were. Compared to Her, they were all but mere mayflies. She was over three thousand years old.

"You know, Jaune..." Kali said, as she placed a hand against his chest, an intimate gesture that she hadn't used often. "A woman might find herself falling in love with you if you keep up that way of acting." The smile on her face was soft and gender, a tender emotion in her eyes, as she leaned forward and sniffed. "He smells. We should bathe him." Sienna's eyes blazed. "Hey, hey, I don't think I need help bathing."

"Just accept it, boy. It's what my wife did when I was courting her." The bandit cook said, as he offered another skewer. Jaune looked at the empty skewer, his stomach once again rumbling. With his body feeling the hunger, it was like something had awakened inside him, with his whole body feeling the need to feed. "But I can do it myself." He said, complaining about it. It'd been thirteen years since his mother last bathed with him.

"See? He can do it himself." Sienna said, as if that made it all easier, her voice sounding more relieved than she'd likely have wanted to let on. The older Faunus woman merely smiled. "But that doesn't stop me from getting in a swimsuit and scrubbing his back, y'know?" Her manner of teasing was sensual and much like a 'cool older woman' that he'd only heard about from the naughty magazines that had been shared between some of his friends.

"Kali!" Esmeralda said, scandalized. "He is a grown man, as he's said!" That surprised him. He didn't think that he was much of a grown man. He couldn't even legally rent a car, let alone drive it. His nausea would no doubt make that hard... but his father had it even worse than he did. "So? That doesn't mean that he doesn't want a woman scrubbing his back, does he?" The sly smile on her lips was a teasing one, as she looked at him with the look of a woman who knew well her own worth and her skills. "I may not be as combat-oriented as the two of you, but I know how to make a man unwind."

The look that Esmeralda gave him seemed to smoulder, only in the way that women could give a look like 'You are not going to do it, or I will be upset with you', like so many people would wish for. The dark locks were definitely brushed through with a hand a little more aggressively than before. "But... I don't need to unwind." He said, as he imagined how that would feel. The thought of Kali in a swimsuit, something skimpy and revealing, was enough to make his hormones give a sign of activity.

' _It's not right to think about Blake's mother in such a way! Imagine what Weiss would think of it if I thought of anyone but her!'_ The thought was enough to chastise him for his thoughts, as he let his gaze slide down, as he slowly chewed on the skewered meat, the taste of it starting to grow on him. "Sure you do." Kali said, leaning up against him, her hands gripping his shoulders, right where the shirt stopped. "A bit of a slow wash, with my hands rubbing over your back. Wouldn't that be a nice thing? Getting nice and clean with an older lady such as me." The woman's lips formed a teasing smirk, something that Blake no doubt would have never managed to. She was far more an introvert than her mother was, whose eyes were bold and fearless. "But..."

Esmeralda appeared at his other side. "If he needs a hand washing, I will do so. You should just keep yourself entertained, Kali." The tone that she used sounded jealous, as if he were something to be desired to have to herself. _'That's madness. Who would ever like someone who could summon the Grimm?'_ The soft giggling that Summer made was enough, as she seemed to find something intensely funny. " _I'll wash your back for you, Jaune."_ She offered, a sigh of relief coming from his mouth. "No need, ladies. Summer said that she'd be willing to wash my back, if it were needed." The pouty look on Kali's face and the look of disappointment on Esmeralda's face that swiftly was pushed away into a more even look was something that he could feel a sliver of guilt about.

' _Why would they even care? Kali is hurt due to losing her husband, Esmeralda does not have the most pleasant of lives with her... husband? Sienna is just angry all the time.'_ "Then she will do well." Esmeralda's voice was like steel, as she turned away. Indigus looked a little conflicted, the look on his face somewhat doubtful, as he straightened himself out a little. "Best finish yer food, son." He urged, as he looked at their left. "The boss lady is coming back to us."

Raven came with unhurried steps, Kali moving from his personal space back, as she looked at the bandit chieftain. "I'll make you a portal now." The woman said curtly, as her gaze went to him, seemingly asking for permission. He could feel Summer slip from his body once more, materializing in Kali's shadow. "I'll miss you, Raven!" The woman said cheerfully, Indigus giving a soft curse as he made the symbol of the Brothers, the sudden appearance of Summer Rose having caught him off his guard.

"I'll be waiting for you too, Summer." The woman said, her voice colder than it had been. It was the role that she had to play for the crowd of people that would not allow her to show her emotions. The blade was out in a slash, the portal cleaved in the air, glowing red as it shone there. "This leads to one of the back alleys of Mistral. One of my associates lives there." It was obvious that there was more to the tale, yet Summer skipped towards the portal. "Their belongings, Boss." Vernal said, as she held up a sack that Jaune recognized as belonging to them. The backpacks that they had travelled with were slung over her shoulder. "We took half of your Lien though. Brigand's toll." The woman smiled, as if it all made sense. Esmeralda seemed ready to argue, but he forestalled it. "There's still at least fifteen thousand Lien left. The weapons we will need to have crafted for us will not be cheap." The woman quietened, her eyes looking at the other woman, the bandit unrepentantly grinning at her. "We gotta eat, y'know."

He was right behind Kali, who stepped through first, the smell of Mistral reaching his nostrils, cooking and other unpleasant scents mingling together. The portal whizzed out of existence the moment that Summer came out, the pack slung over his own shoulder as he tried to orient himself around the city.

* * *

 _The bad luck_

* * *

She could vaguely recognize the district of Mistral that they were in, feeling the pulse of the city around her, as the shadows seemed to beckon to her. With her nose picking up all sorts of scents, she knew that Sienna would hardly be at ease here, nor would Esmeralda. "Allow me for a moment." She said, stepping into the shadows.

Her Semblance activated and her eyes were cast through every shadowed nook and cranny, the senses that she had spotting every little movement. With her eyes thusly occupied, she froze, as the shadows wrapped around her. _'_ _ **There is nothing that can stop you from proving yourself.'**_ The thought inside her mind had grown more incessant as of the last few hours, as her gaze stretched through the hovels and huts that dominated this part of the city, the elegant white buildings further up the mountain, the smells not bothering her in the least, as she saw what she needed.

' _ **It is only the need that drives you to perform. You should eliminate your contender...'**_ The dark thoughts warred, as she put a smile on her face. Sienna could feel it too, the heat pooling in her groin, the ache slowly building up. "Out of this street, into the next alley on the right and then we should make it to the main stairs upwards." She said, her voice soft. This was one of the places where many Faunus lived, with the White Fang having one of their embassies here, though they hardly were a nation upon their own, Menagerie not holding the status of that yet.

"Thank you." He said to her, as he ran a hand through his hair. The night-time smells of the city around them were peculiar still, as she took his hand in hers, wrapping herself comfortably against him. "We need to play out a little role... I'll take Esmeralda, you take Sienna." The words were hardly false, as she had spotted several people that wore the emblem of the White Fang around, the Faunus loyalties to the organisation no doubt shifting after the assassination of herself and her husband as well as Sienna.

Sienna looked at her dubiously, as if she desired an explanation. 'Humans.' She said, indicating Jaune and Esmeralda. The Faunus woman understood. Whilst they were travelling together, it would hardly matter, as survival trumped everything. Prejudices were forgotten, as the Grimm and bandits had come to become more important to be rid of. Sienna sidled up against him, seizing his arm, the clothing that she wore being enough to mark her as reasonably well off for a Faunus, but not abject poverty. There were undoubtedly people who would make an issue of Jaune and Esmeralda's presence.

"Act like you are a good friend, possibly a lover." She urged Esmeralda as she hooked her arm around hers. With her husband, it had always been something of an endearing manner, as she held tighter to Esmeralda, enough to smell the scent of her skin, mingled with the sweat of a long day and the little accident that'd been had before. Some fresh clothing and laundry would be in order... but that was hardly something that mattered much in the present.

Whilst they passed through one of the alleys, all they got were suspicious looks, their weapons showing that they clearly were armed and ready. The knife that she wore was but a paltry thing, yet Esmeralda's weapon, slung on her back, was something that would keep most people from attacking without a good plan. With Jaune's own weapon there, it was only for the projection of his strength that he seemed to keep it in view, his eyes looking through the people. "So many emotions... so much anger and hatred." He muttered.

' _ **He proves his sovereignty. The competition must be taken seriously. Draw her into the shadows and eviscerate her. None will challenge our claim.'**_ The thoughts in her mind continued to darken, as her eyes went to a rabbit Faunus, her nose showing that little button nose of a Faunus, clearly one of the people that had been hit strongly with the traits of their blood. The teeth were noticeably bigger than others. **'** _ **With your power, you should be able to keep a rein on her advances. Let none challenge the one who wields shadows.'**_ She didn't want to feel White's blood dripping from her claws, nor did she want to let the woman feel the pain of dying.

As she firmed her grip on White's arm, she could only feel that urge to hurt rising in her, as Summer seemed to have disappeared from her view. She must have slipped back into Jaune's body, for some reason that she could not quite fathom. They came to the main stairs leading up for pedestrians, the elevators that'd easily ferry people up not having been built in this part of the city. They hardly spoke, as Jaune seemed to look for something. "Summer said that Junichi was up somewhere near the... residential district?"

He had not been here before, she reckoned. "That is further up, near the Haven Academy grounds. We should get there in about an hour or so if we walk at this pace." Hurrying would not bring them to the man any quicker, and there was no doubt the time for sleep for the man. "How about we get a hotel room for the night?" Her fingers twitched a little, as she looked at Sienna.

"You want to share your room with me, pretty lady?" A Faunus man with a set of antlers came up to her side, her gaze going over the man, obviously not impressed. "Why should I? I have a perfectly good wife here." She looked at White and then pecked her on the cheek. "Right, honey? We're gonna have fun tonight." She winked, clearly to ensure that White would get the reason for her actions. Cheeks flushed, the woman looked back at her. "And how about your tiger friend, eh?"The man continued.

Sienna sniffed disdainfully, her mouth opening... and then closed once again as she shook her head before speaking. "The human is better for that task than some herbivore." She said, as she squeezed Jaune's arm, the pinch leaving him to give a startled yelp. "All the stamina and none the horrible regret." Her fingers pierced the flesh, yet she did not seem to relent in the least, as she continued to speak. "Find another. I have standards that do not include a whimpering pauper." The putdown was something that she had seemingly practised, her eyes looking up at Jaune with what passed as a look of faint adoration for her had her eyes not been as fierce as before. It was obviously faked, as Kali knew her friend well enough to see the minute nuances in her gaze.

"But girl, he's a human! He can't fuck you like I can." The man said, Jaune's face souring. "Are you implying something, mister?" She could feel the anger in his voice, as he moved to show his sword off. The Faunus looked down, obviously not having taken the time to fully analyze the situation. "You'd do well to make like a tree and leave, mister." His voice was even, yet it sent tingles through her body, the tingles that had been absent for a while. Ghira had been protective of her as well, willing to go to any length to make sure that there would be nothing to harm their little family.

"What's a little Huntsman going to do to me, eh?" The man growled, his eyes looking at Jaune with hostility, clearly not used to being denied by the women. Kali found it rather amusing, even as she rubbed up to Esmeralda. "Honey, how about we let my sister and her boyfriend join in?" Esmeralda stiffened, her body freezing up at the thought, her breathing hushed, as the fear inside her body seemed to coalesce, deep dark shadows wrapping around her core. She could feel them reaching out to her, to touch them with a finger was to invite her in... yet she abstained. _'_ _ **Her blood will taste as sweet as our shadows will.**_ **'** The malevolent voice of her own thoughts was something that she blocked out, as she saw the man look at her.

"What I could do, is to beat you up." She heard Jaune say, her attention returning to the young Huntsman. He was standing before the man's face, the warmth inside her telling her to go out in search of relief, the distraction only letting her feel that surging need there, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled. "What I could also do, is let my girlfriend take care of you." Sienna hissed, as she let go of him. _'Wrong move, Jaune. Sienna values her independence.'_

The man scoffed. "What's a woman going to do against a man? She's obviously in need of one." She could feel anger grow inside him, wrapping tightly around him, as he seemed to hold a tight control on it. With his powers... there'd be a bloodbath. Her mind whispered to her to use her own powers to drag the man into the shadows. **'** _ **It would be easy, Kali. Just a little touch, drag him into the shadows and tear him apart. The claws are there... Ghira never had a problem being the tough panther that he was... You know that you want to. Give in to the urge... before the pale-haired woman claims what is rightfully ours.'**_ The murderous urge inside her was foreign,yet her mind was well-aware that it was there. With her eyes looking at the man, she saw that Jaune moved in a flash.

His hand grabbed the man's horns, bringing the man's head down in a movement that was faster than most non-huntsmen could manage, the knee brought up to hit the man's face. Without mercy, his knee kept there, the man staggering back after Jaune let go of his head. "Fucking human." He groaned, holding his face, Jaune's face passive, as he looked at the man. Sienna looked like she was going to go and get herself into the fight as well, her orange eyes blazing with anger and fury. "You're nothing compared to the Faunus, y'know?! Fucking trash always trying to oppress us, taking good women from us." Jaune's voice was cold as he spoke, no matter the scene that he was causing. "Move along, before I am forced to hurt you even more." His voice was measured, the tone somewhat sterner than she'd ever heard it. His eyes were cold and distant, the red and the blue mingling together, the gaze that she had from the shadows in every direction showing the outline of his face perfectly.

It lit a dark fire inside her that would not be quenched. "You're going to move along." Sienna's voice was soft, deadly and dangerous, as her hand rested on her weapon, ready to make use of it. "If my boyfriend is allowed, he'd just beat you up." Her voice was deadly, as her eyes flashed dangerously. "I would make venison steak out of you." Her face was set in the look that she would have otherwise described as the 'Sienna the evil' look, the look which she had when she was at the point of breaking someone's hopes. **'** _ **Her anger is like the simmering of a volcano about to erupt... There will be no benefit to ensuring her demise.'**_

"You little bitch!" The man snarled, Sienna's body moving in a fast movement, as her leg shot out, slamming against his own legs and then knocking him over, her staff's blades smacking against his face, the flat side over the sharp edge. It would have cut right through his flesh if it had been the sharp edge, Sienna's control over her weapon without flaw. Her eyes blazed as she looked at the man, her eyes holding that near-palpable edge of fiery anger. "The nerve..." She growled, putting her weapon back on her back after pressing the button to make it condensed to a shorter form.

"Let's go, Jaune." The woman said without any aplomb, Kali's eyes catching a hint of something that could be considered warmth... but with her own feelings, it was more akin to the heat finally catching up to Sienna. All the restraint in the world could not fix the needs that the body held. _'It would be a night to remember if we could get them all into bed with us.'_ The lewd thought was not something that she often held, yet as she pulled Esmeralda tighter to herself, it was not a bad thought, as they continued upwards.

A hotel they found easily enough, the neon sign that announced its presence flickering a little, shifting from colour to colour. The sugar plum wine hotel was not as expensive as the hotel that they'd stayed at before, yet it would serve their needs adequately. They made a strange sight, two Faunus women intimately entangled with two humans, yet there was no comment about it from the receptionist. The woman was in her early twenties, assessing the four of them like any professional would. "Would you like a room together?" The woman asked, Jaune about to open his mouth but Sienna beating him to the punch. "We would. We've just returned from a mission, so we need to catch up on our rest." The woman nodded in the affirmative, as she looked into the registry on her desktop, the machine giving a little creaking sound as something was printed out. "Room seventy, on the fourth floor. Will you pay through your Huntsman's account or through cash?"

Esmeralda disentangled herself from Kali, pulling her backpack open and then pulling out the money bag, the Lien chips that had been gathered within a pretty fortune. "Cash." She said, her gaze looking at the woman. "How much?" The receptionist smiled. "Seventy Lien per night." The woman pulled out a hundred chip without much fuss. "Ensure that we get breakfast with it." The receptionist nodded. "As you ask, we shall deliver. At the sugar plum wine hotel, we ensure the quality of service for our customers that they deserve."

Kali's sharp ears could pick out a mutter of 'the only thing you deserve is a quick shot to the head for extortion.' As the spare Lien chip was handed over to her, tossed into the pile. "Jaune? We're bunking together."The announcement of that by Esmeralda was enough to make him look at her. "But... I can get a separate room if you want?" Her shake of the head was firm, decisive. "It is my duty to ensure that our team leader is in the best shape that he can be." The receptionist coughed to get their attention. "We would need to book you again then, Mister..." Jaune shook his head. "No, it's fine. It's not like we haven't been travelling together for a while. It beats trying to fight off bandits."The receptionist gave a wan smile. "It does, sir."

As they ascended with the elevator towards the seventh floor, it was Sienna who spoke up. "You are going to take the couch." She addressed Jaune, with her eyes balefully looking at him. He nodded. "I wouldn't want to let you suffer any discomfort." The honesty in his voice was there, Kali's smile softer than before. It was not something that she had readily considered. The need inside her grew, as she leaned against Sienna. "Hey Sienna?" Her voice was a breathier one now, as she leaned against her bodyguard and friend. "We should take a shower. Together." Sienna mumbled something that was nonsense, as Esmeralda and Jaune shared a look. "We'll... let you guys do that."

"It's just... the heat." Sienna muttered, trying to excuse herself, her eyes locked with him. "It's so warm that I cannot think straight." The warmth indeed was a thing, yet it was not something that was accurate. Explaining it to a non-Faunus would be like trying to tell a child why the sun rose every morning. It would involve a lot of technical things about emotions, feelings and cravings.

"I'll let you two get to it." He said, as the door pinged and opened up. The hallway that they traversed was carpeted with a deep red carpet, an advertisement for the Mistralian Championship hung on the wall, Pyrrha Nikos looking at her for a moment. Jaune stopped at the poster for a brief moment, stopping actually in mid-step, as he looked at it forlornly, a deep sigh coming from his mouth. _'What's the story behind that?'_

The room that they had to themselves was furnished moderately for the style of hotel that they had taken, the cushions of the couch comfortable, even as the beds were claimed by her and Sienna and Esmeralda taking the other one. Jaune set himself up on the couch, slowly letting himself unwind a little.

The news was hardly something important to her, as she watched him zap through several channels. A blush came to his cheeks as he saw some pornography flash by, the sight of it not leaving him untouched. "He's at least interested in the female form, Es." She whispered in her friend's ear, the woman giving her a look that was half-scolding, ready to fight her on that issue. Her tongue slid over her lips, as she let herself imagine for a moment what it'd be like to be with her Ghira, the need inside her growing ever larger.

It was like her mind was abuzz with the thoughts of sex, the need and craving starting to wash over her rational thinking, the darkness in her mind, the shadows that beckoned for her to come, all seemed to fade with that instinctual need. She could see Sienna's eyes look at her, earnest concern in them, clearly something that had been inspired by the way that she had been put to the task.

She felt her body drift, as she leaned against Jaune's head, her eyes following his gaze as he looked at the news, his head laid against her chest, like he was supported by a pillow. A low rumble came from her throat as she began to feel the pleasant heat swell inside her to a burning flame, furnace-stoking her desires. Her fingers gently squeezed his shoulders, leaning forward and smelling his hair. "You need to take a shower." She gently whispered, leaving him to hear those words, as her mouth went lower, about to press a kiss to his neck, like she would do to her husband.

The ache inside her rose, and her tongue flicked out, scraping over his skin, tasting the salt of his sweat and feeling the rumble go through her whole body. "Sienna?" Her voice was heated and breathless. "Shower. Now." She demanded, her voice sounding like steel. "But?" The other woman said, as she looked up from unpacking, setting the shirt on the bed. "Get into the shower, now. WE need to get CLEAN." She growled, as she strode towards where she thought the shower was, opening the door up and starting to strip bare.

It was enough for her. She was going to get herself off with or without Sienna's help, or she was going to do horrid things to that poor young man. _**'The right is yours. Your shadow looms over his, as he looms over yours. Your relief, your saviour and your curse..."**_

* * *

 _Realizing one's flaws_

* * *

He pulled up the book on the latest Faunus rebellion, his eyes scanning the pages as he was sat in the library. Half of his team, including the team leader, was arrayed around him as he pored over the book, trying to find out why the rebellion had been so successful in the assault against the Valean forces.

As he let his mind try to soak in the book's contents, he could hear Russel mutter something about 'stupid beasts', the comment definitely against the Faunus, yet he found that he could no longer agree with it. They were different, yes, but it did not make them any worse. Without their trait, they were just like humans. There was no difference between them, in the outward manner of expressing themselves, save for their animal trait.

"Didn't the Faunus win because of their night vision?" Dove said, as he looked at the book on military tactics, as the young man pushed another page. "Yeah, there was something about that in Oobleck's class." The thought made him flip a few pages further, seeing the logical conclusion, drawn from the text. _'So, every Faunus has night vision, or at least echolocation, if they have traits the bat genotype.'_

A flashback to Velvet saying sorry for accidentally groping him due to the darkness came to his mind. _'Oh... She'd have night vision as well.'_ The thought of that happening 'by accident' definitely was off the table now, casting a whole new light on what she had done. She'd touched him, gripped him and squeezed... and he was definitely getting himself in that same mood again just thinking of it. His throat felt a little dry, as he swallowed, realizing that Velvet might have been trying to hint at something, something that he didn't get, due to his ignorance. _'She like-likes me!'_ The thought alone sent him for a loop, the thought of being liked by a girl that he had once bullied and called a freak...

' _What if this is just some cruel ploy of her? What if she'll try and get what she wants, then humiliates me for it?'_ There was no overt reason for her to do such a thing, yet he could not help but think that it might be what she intended. _'Get me cosied up, all nice, then break my heart.'_ The thought was sobering and painful, as a wrench seemed to smash the glass of the covers of his heart, letting it push out that doubt and fear. _'What if this is just vengeance for how we've treated the Faunus? What if she'll accuse me of something I...'_ The thought of being accused brought back another thought of the young man whose life he had ended. _'I killed Jaune. He was a weakling, yes... but I was the one that programmed his locker and let him fly off.'_

The thought of killing someone sobered him up even more than the thought of his maybe-friend Velvet betraying him to make a point. His eyes looked down at the book, then shook his head. "I'm going for a leak." He mumbled, as he got up from his seat. The thoughts inside his mind came once again, as he spotted Pyrrha Nikos seated with her friends Ren and Nora, the fourth wheel to their little wagon of doom absent, albeit there was no doubt in his mind that they had done something to make him be absent.

Guilt welled up even more, as he could feel it burning and bubbling inside him, the wave of dark emotions enough to make his steps be hurried along. He could see that Nikos looked up, giving him a look that was not friendly in the slightest. _'She bears a grudge against you for killing her partner. You killed her partner, Cardin Winchester.'_ There was no sorry that he could say, no apologies that would suffice. With enough time, the memory might fade away...

He looked in the mirror after he'd gotten into the bathroom, his hands dipped under the cold stream of the tap, rubbing the cool water against his skin. His hair was slicked back, as he stared at his own reflection. For a moment, he thought that he could see the spectral shape of a young blonde man with blue eyes stand there, looking at him and judging him. _'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'_ The pain was raw and visible in his eyes, as his hands rubbed the water over his face. He could feel how inside him, the churning guilt seemed to open up the wounds, like a sea full of glass that he was dipped in raw, with a wave of lemon juice brushing over his tender burning form, the glass shards sticking into every part of him.

' _I don't deserve this. I've got my team, we're all together... I have Velvet... And we're going on a date together.'_ His scroll beeped, showing the message that had been received. **'Ready for our date? 4 days left!'** An excited Velvet's face was shown in the picture, smiling radiantly at him. He smiled, despite himself. **'I'll be making sure that you get your fun, Bun.'** He took a swift picture of himself in the mirror of the bathroom, the hair sticking up a little due to the gel getting loosened thanks to the water that he'd rubbed his face with, Velvet's reply swiftly delivered. **'It'll be the bestest date ever, Cardin!'** _'We're already talking about dates...'_

He didn't know what to make of it. It was all that he could do. _'But I'll enjoy it anyways.'_ He smiled at the image of Velvet that was still on display at the scroll. He could feel the warmth inside him crush the guilt just a little bit. It would have to do for now.

* * *

 _Changing_

* * *

' _What is the use of this?'_ She questioned herself, even as she saw Cardin pass her by, his gait unusually rushed for the big lunk of brainless idiot. She could no longer tolerate the sight of him, even if his behaviour had been improving thanks to the Faunus girl he was dating. Whether the feelings were mutual, she didn't know nor did she care.

Pyrrha Nikos was held up as the standard, by many, of what it would mean to become a Huntsman. Perfect grades, perfect style and perfect behaviour, all composed in a package that was, in the words of her agent, sexy and compact and ready to be gobbled up by the media. _'I have the beauty, the skill and the strength, yet what of someone who would look at me for my own worth? Do I have no value aside from being 'Pyrrha Nikos, champion of humanity'?'_ She could feel her Semblance pull on the metal rings around her, the armour that she wore most of the time being composed of several layers, stacked together so as to allow minor shifts in protective coverage, instinctually.

As she got up, Nora giving a comment about something or the other, she could feel how the empty spot beside them was like the permanent reminder that her friend and hopefully boyfriend and partner Jaune was gone. Ren and Nora were alright together, but they were dating. Having to do something similar with Viridian would be going against everything that she stood for.

The young man was abrasive, coarse and definitely the sort of Mistralian that her mother would die to see her with. Her body felt the distaste so viscerally that she had not even spoken a word about her own Semblance to him, preferring to keep it as a mystery. Polarity was but one of the ways that he could segue into an 'attraction', with his frequent comments about giving her some 'partnerly assistance' something that wound her up even further to the angry state that she should not be in.

As she made her way towards the women's restroom, she chanced upon Ruby, reaching up to get something off one of the higher bookshelves. "Here, let me get that for you." She said, plucking the volume off the shelf. "Faunus rights?" She asked, Ruby giving a brilliant smile. "Yes, Blake was in a tizzy about the current assignment. I can't wait for the new semester to start."

She gave her polite smile, watching the red-cloaked young teen walk off with a skip, her boots making a heavy tread upon the ground. Team RWBY had been supportive during that time when the world had shattered and everything had been broken up around her. There had been no hope for her in that time...

The door to the women's restroom swung open, admitting her into the space where boys usually would not be allowed in, the smell of chemical cleaning agents hitting her nose, even as she sat herself down on one of the toilets, allowing herself to think. It was not the monotony of the classes and the lessons that they were taught, but the absence of that little spark that allowed her to have purpose.

' _I chose Beacon in order to get away from the fame... to just be Pyrrha Nikos, a huntress who wishes to have nothing but the best in her world. A husband who loves me. A slew of children.'_ The image of Jaune and her at an age where they would have children, six or so, with her stomach swollen with the next pair, a happy and content smile on her lips as she rubbed over her stomach, came to her. The loss of her former team leader still hit her hard, with the pain continuing to be like an open wound, raw and bleeding still. She missed him. The ritual that she had performed was supposed to keep them connected together. A sliver of herself had gone into him, the promise for her to guard him for eternity... was that all a lie?

Her hand went to her cheek, feeling a hint of moisture there, coming away with the tears staining her hand, the back wet now. Her eyes seemed to grow even more tearful, as she started to feel the emotions once more. Where there had once been a yearning for some acceptance, there was now grief. The spells of emotional turmoil had only been incidental now, from the total collapse of herself earlier. She had been fierce in her fighting, allowing not a single one of the people who challenged her in the combat arena to remain unmarked by her fury. _'I am Pyrrha Nikos. I am the partner of Jaune Arc. I am a woman who will keep his memory.'_

She might marry, sometime. A good man would have to keep her, she might even get children with him, if she was so inclined... But he would remain her first love. The sight of his blue eyes, looking at her with such innocence as he repeated what would be known concepts to her as if hearing them for the first time. _'I would have loved you, Jaune.'_

It was not a sick and obsessive love that she felt for him, but a love that came from the heart. A feeling that welled up like a fountain, burning and brushing through the heart like a wave of flame, ready to consume everything and to quench the embers with the ocean of love that the poets had once spoken of. _'I miss you so much.'_ It had been a connection forged. A moment in time that she could not repeat. The loss that she felt, as he had been torn from her, only an arm retrieved... It was horrible.

' _I still love you. If you are out there, Jaune... Maybe as a spirit, I hope that you'll watch over me. I will do you right. You are my hero.'_ It would be hard to forget, yet she knew that he had been nothing but the kind and lovable leader that had been ready with a goofy smile and some apology that was only half-serious. It was his honesty to her that had made her want to guide him. Together, they could build something great. Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc, two simple partners, average and unremarkable.

And then he died and she was left shattered. As the tears came even more to her weary eyes, she could not help but shudder. It had been too soon... Too early. His soul had been so bright, yet it had been snuffed out by some dark and evil Grimm.

* * *

 _The chill before night_

* * *

The low throaty moan from the shower disturbed her slightly, as she sat on the couch with Jaune, her arm wrapped around his shoulder, giving him the touch that he undoubtedly would have craved if he had been interested in her in such a fashion. It was comfortable, even with her blouse slightly undone, to allow him to take a peek at the mounds that were but half-exposed for his pleasure.

She could hear the women in the shower giggle and groan, the water hiding only the sound of their more exuberant squeals, as her eyes followed the news. "And in the latest news, the funeral for Whitney Schnee, wife of the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, was attended by various dignitaries from the Atlesian Council. General Ironwood himself made a speech about the generosity of the woman, with her broad amount of humanitarian interest and her growing care for the people amongst the stewardship of her husband, CEO Jacques Schnee." The image shifted to reveal her husband, standing there in a crisp white suit.

It would seem tacky to her to wear a white suit whilst at a funeral, yet her fingers gripped the shoulder tightly, as she looked at the man's moustache quiver a little as he spoke. "It is with great sadness that my life partner, Whitney, has passed away. The foul actions of the White Fang have gone on for too long. The Schnee Dust Company does not pay the Faunus workers any less than our human workers. Whitney has suffered for long enough under the yoke of the White Fang and I will take it upon my own shoulders to ensure that the Faunus will not be treated any worse than under former CEO Nicholas Schnee." The man's words seemed hollow, his eyes speaking nothing of emotion as he lied the whole way through, her teeth grit together. "That's Weiss' father?" He inquired, a soft nod coming from her head.

"Jacques Schnee-Gele. He married Whitney Schnee early on." The look of her son standing at his father's side, Winter's absence as noticeable as Weiss' was, clearly having had the line drawn in the metaphorical sand, the look on her boy's face being as emotionless as his father's was. The fake tears that the man showed were nothing but the carefully sculpted message that he wished to get out. _'My son's eyes are just like his father's. Cold. Unfeeling. Caring only for the profits. I bet that the stock is going to rise in this event... He would milk my death for every single Lien that he could milk it for.'_ He was not a kind man to many, with his methods straying definitely into the territory that she would not appreciate, the sense that he had to keep his manners to a certain standard around her, gone after Weiss had her tenth birthday. "He looks like an asshole."

The comment came sudden, a giggle coming from her mouth as she heard Jaune say such a thing. "My, aren't you being awfully complimentary to the man?" He looked a little out of sorts. "I know you're related to him, but he didn't even seem to have any emotions about the wife that he lost." _'Oh?'_

"They have never gotten along well after an incident eight years ago." She added, her own personal recollection of that day being something that leapt to the fore. "A horrid day for Weiss, when she heard her mother and father screaming at each other." The poor girl had been touched by the events as they had happened... and she had failed as a mother. Drinking her days away in her room, uncaring for her daughters and son... It was all that she could do in order to ensure that she would run away from her troubles. "He told m- her that he only stayed with her for the money and her name."

" _All I did was for the company! The Schnee name is still in good standing, even with your father's lax handling of the Faunus labour under his care!" The words had been biting, even as the office in the mansion was feeling chilly. Her eyes were harsh and cold as she looked at the man who she had loved for over fifteen years, who had so coldly dismissed her concerns about his running of the company. "Jacques, please! It's Weiss' birthday, we cannot argue like this." She pleaded, trying desperately to save her marriage. The man scoffed, his head turning to the files that laid on the stately oak desk that he had. "The margins have to be calculated. Weiss can wait. There are more birthdays."_

 _She had pleaded then, begging him to at least come and see his daughter. The man's eyes were cold as he spoke to her, his voice carrying the intent clearly. "Who would care for a child's birthday? There is Lien to be made!" Her hands were on her hips, as she looked at him. Disgust stood out on her face, as her husband had just told her that her daughter's birthday was nothing important to him. "Do you even love me and your daughters?" She spoke harshly, the creak of the door sounding, her head turning. Her own blue eyes met her youngest daughter's, her husband's reply heard._

" _Why should I? You're all simply a means to an end." His voice was like a thunderclap, as he continued. She could see Weiss recoil, as the man continued. "You are nothing but a trophy wife, whilst I ensure that my legacy... No, the Schnee legacy is etched into the annals of history. I never loved you, Whitney... You were simply a good deal to take and make. The Schnee name is now worth more than it was when Nicholas was at the helm." She could see Weiss flee, her eyes meeting Jacques' eyes again. "Weiss! Weiss!" She made for the door, vacating the room. She found her youngest daughter holding onto Klein's leg, crying loudly. "Weiss, sweetie..." She wrapped her arms around her daughter's body, holding on to her. "Don't you cry, darling. Your father didn't mean to... Now, let's see about that party, sweetheart. This is your special day." The blue eyes looked up at her, tears in them. "Doesn't father love me?" It was a bittersweet smile that she gave. "No, sweetheart... Your father just doesn't love me. He loves you, though. He loves Winter too and little Whitley." The lies were hard to speak, yet it comforted Weiss a little._

 _She hit the hard liquor for the first time that night, to dull the ache in her shattered heart._

She was aware that she was crying now, the tears coming from her eyes heavy and her eyes holding nothing but the faint prelude to the pain that seared her heart open once more. "Are you alright?" He asked, the soft sound of his breathing and the television, going into detail about Whitney Schnee's funeral arrangements with a special broadcaster, the emotions coming even heavier. _'You should just take what you want. Take it now. He cares for you. He would not mind at all lending strength to a woman who needs it. The two Faunus are already busy with their own actions.'_ The moan that came from the shower was enough to clue her in, as her mouth felt dry, her lips pressed together, slowly exhaling for her own benefit. "No." She said in a voice that was soft and yet broken.

Her arm pulled him close, the other arm wrapping around him as well. He was close enough to feel her breath against his own, as she stared into his blue and red eyes. She was no longer feeling the fear, as the pain slowly faded into that horrid vapid emptiness that was inside her. Her throat issued forth a growl as she pressed her lips against his, her body moving, pressing against him, her arms holding tight, even as she kissed him fully on the lips, letting her tongue slide into his mouth. He stiffened under her, trying to get her off, the surprise making his eyes wide, even as she continued to kiss him, his taste something like the dark liquorice liquor that she occasionally enjoyed with something light through it, a veritable taste of darkness. Glyphs sprang into being around her, adding an ethereal shine to her body, as she charged them up, the power welling up inside her as the apex of her body was reached and then she surpassed it.

Darkness she drank in fierce gulps, as her tongue continued to explore and touch, a low 'hmmfff' sound coming from either of their throats, her mind not catching up, as she continued to kiss him, her body reaching that breaking point as the emotions just raged through her, bringing her to the apex.. and then the crash hit. Pulling away she whimpered, as she looked at him. "I'm... Oh, Jaune, sorry." She said, surprise and confusion warring on his face. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." The apologies bubbled forth from her mouth as she tried to get up, kneeing him in the groin by accident. "I'm sorry, I'll..." She took a few steps, opening up a door and spotting just what was happening, shut it immediately. She had no desire to see her friend in such a compromising position, even if they were in need of some relief. Sweat beaded on her face, as hot tears continued to come. His arms wrapped around her, the one that had been crafted from whatever dark liquid he controlled a little cold to the touch, his head against her back, as he just held her. "Hush..." He muttered, empathic, clearly speaking to her sensibilities. "You're still alive. You're related to Jacques Schnee, right?" She gave an affirmative. _'I fucking married the guy. Not like I could tell miss tiger stripes over there, she'd shove her staff down my throat and then tear off my head.'_

"Yes." He gave a soft sound of connection. "It must be terrible, losing your sister in law like that." _'He hasn't made the connection yet.'_ The thought of him making the connection frightened her. What if he would change, thanks to her status as the Schnee Dust Company's first heir after Nicholas? "It... it is." She said, her voice sounding fragile. "I don't blame you, Esmeralda." He said, as he guided her back to the couch. The news was playing something about the Atlesian military trying out a new sort of mechanized fighting suit, but he switched it off. "I know that you're confused and your emotions don't make sense." He sounded so rational. "Jaune..." She said, her voice at the point of breaking. "Just listen to me. It's okay. Hell, I was kissed by Raven just earlier today to make a connection with her so that we can stay in contact. You're confused." He said it as if it made perfect sense... as if he didn't matter. _'Please, Jaune...'_

"I'm just the closest thing. I can call Kali for you, if you want? I'm no good with dealing with grief." He said, as he looked towards the door. _'If you open that door, you'll get to see the two eating their fish taco's.'_ She shook her head. "Jaune... You are important to me too." Her voice seemed steadier, as he looked at her. "Of course. I said I would protect you and Kali and Sienna, right? That's what a hero does in the tale. A kiss from a princess is just what is expected."

She coughed. "Actually, it's Heiress." She corrected, before she caught up with what she'd said. He smiled softly. "Weiss said the same, you know? She's on a team with my best friend Ruby." The faint smile on his lips was enough of a hint about how he felt about her daughter. _'He likes her, Whitney. She should be the one getting his heart, not an old lady like you... Don't you feel shame at stealing your youngest daughter's admirer?'_ The emotion in her heart told her so, yet her own feelings were far different. ' _No.'_

There was enough that compelled her to indeed stake her claim. Who was to say that she would get a chance with a young man after this adventure? "You're sleeping with me tonight." She said, her tone brooking no argument from him. Her eyes looked him over, seeing the confusion in his eyes. _'Such innocence... Is it feigned, or was he sheltered?'_ "Ah, are you afraid you'll get nightmares? I know someone else who has those too." The sigh that came from her lips was enough, as she slowly got up, pulling her shirt up. Her gaze went to him, seeing his face turned away, immediately prepared to guard her own comfort with his eyes straying elsewhere.

"Something like that." As she pulled the shirt off, she allowed herself a moment to breathe, the skin feeling clammy and hot under the pressure that was laid upon her. She allowed herself a moment of relaxation before she pulled on the shirt, with nothing below it. The underclothes that she wore would not be something that she would regularly wear, yet it suited her. The door towards the shower opened up, unveiling Kali and Sienna, their towel-clad bodies moving in tandem, towards their bed. "That was a good shower." The woman mumbled, Sienna's eyes a little clouded and her gait robotic. She threw herself onto the bed, laying there for a moment.

It wasn't that she was much of a prude, yet with Sienna laid up in such a fashion, she could already see the part of her femininity that she'd no doubt like to keep hidden. "I would like to suggest that you clothe yourself appropriately, Sienna. I wouldn't wish to have Jaune distracted."The Faunus woman looked up and made a rude gesture with her hand, the finger slowly sliding back, as she let out a low yawn. "I don't like this one bit."

Kali smiled softly as she sat down next to her. "Don't you worry. It'll be over in a few days time." Sienna groaned something under her breath, the feeling of being disgruntled heavy in the air, as she seemed to find a flaw within that line of thought. "Is she sick?" Jaune asked, worry in his voice. It took all that she had not to give some snide comment about the cat being in heat, but Kali handled it before she could say anything.

"It's a Faunus thing." She said, as if that explained everything. "Oh. I guess I wouldn't know." The soft 'Damn right' from Sienna was enough to seriously put that into thought. "You should take a shower, dear. You've had a hard day." It was then that she remembered that she had wet herself and that, whilst the clothing that Winter had indeed graciously provided her with, was something that was not quite her style, it would be best to clean up.

She discarded her shirt when she walked to the shower, uncaring whether Jaune saw or not, her body moving through the motions, as she stepped into the shower. The scent of shampoo and other scents came to her delicate nose, a sneeze coming from her mouth. Her head turned to the door, shutting it only after confirming that Jaune indeed had looked away to give him privacy.

As she stepped under the hot spray of water first, she let her mind wander for a moment, as her hand moved the sponge over her flesh, scrubbing away the grime and the filth. The door opened, admitting Jaune to the shower, the glass steamed up enough to allow her some privacy. "Kali said that I should take your stuff to get cleaned." He said simply, the soft sound of allowance slipping from her mouth. "That'd be wonderful, thank you." She could see the shape of his body through the steam, as her hand pulled the knob. Her dark-dyed hair looked like a younger woman's, as she could feel the surge of something go through her as she peered at him. "Shower yourself afterwards as well." She said, as she sniffed the air. He smelled faintly of the labour of a day of moving and working, enough to bring her to the thought of getting him scrubbed down. Her body was warm, even as she put the smile on her lips. "Of course, Esmeralda. I wouldn't want to be a bother."

' _You hardly are a bother.'_ She thought, pulling herself back into the comfort. The smell of shampoo was heady, even as she began to soap herself up, hearing him leave. It was the pleasure of a shower that she had long since been denied, which allowed her mind to wander in the directions where he would be featured in the shower with her. _'Now there's a thought.'_ It sent a thrill through her body, the thought of doing something like that. Jacques had never been adventurous in the bedroom. Her legs were usually spread and she was on her back, the deed quick, so as to not forget the profit margins that'd come in the morning. They hadn't even slept in the same bed for the past thirteen years, even.

As she emerged from the shower, refreshed and ready, she came to a halt once she glanced at the bed, groaning audibly. Kali winked at her, before she continued with what she was doing, the soft hiss from Sienna rather loud in the suddenly silent room. "I wouldn't do that for too long. Who knows when he'll return?" The tingle in her stomach seemed to have turned into the faint spark of a devious mind, as she dropped the towel. Kali's eyes went to her groin, looking up again. "You should get your hair treated again. The roots are starting to show."

Embarrassment flushed her body, pale skin turning darker at the thought. She had not been able to care for herself as well as she should have, feeling the need, even as Kali gave a soft purr. "That's it."She groaned, stretching herself like a cat would, Sienna's soft 'MMF!' as Kali's motions silenced her. "We'll get you to the barber shop first... and Jaune can go and look at something nice to wear. The shirt he has on now is just a bit too casual, right?"

' _I'd tear it off and treat him like a Vacuan Jungle Faunus treats some innocent stranded sailor babe.'_ The thought brought a smile to her lips, Kali's soft giggle enough, even as Sienna made a gagging sound. "Keep moving!" The tiger Faunus mumbled, Kali's head returning once more to the task that was alluded to. "You two... eh... I'm going to watch some TV." The shirt that she pulled on hid enough of her figure, as the fresh underwear fit just right. _'I'd need to buy some comfortable wear for once. Maybe go and do the whole Atlasian Jean thing?'_ It had been a while since she'd last watched the Atlasian Jean movies. It had first come out when she was but fifteen... A good twenty-odd years ago.

The porn that appeared on the screen was some of the stuff that she would never have watched if she was still at the mansion. Such bawdy engagements of flesh smacking against flesh, of the sight of unclothed people having intercourse with one-another without the care for status or propriety. She could faintly hear Kali moaning in the background, even as the imagery on the screen turned a little more fierce.

Her tongue lapped over her lips, her body going to lean forward. Her fingers softly pressed onto her thigh, a scratch slowly turning into a stroke. "I'm going to get a man next time." Sienna said in the background, even as Whitney leaned back again, her head going back to the Faunus. Kali gave her a wink and a little wave, even as Sienna rose once more. "We'll take a little shower to get clean." She said, not without any sort of humour in her voice. "Don't tease the cat too much."

Her fingers stopped, her gaze turning back to the screen. "Oh, I won't." Her voice was as steady as it came, as she tried to put herself back into the proper mood. The door was knocked upon. "Esmeralda? Kali? I'm back again." She got herself up, mindless of the porno. The soft moans and groans from the screen were background noise to her as she walked up to the door and opened it up to admit him.

The clothing that he had in his hands was well-ironed, ready to be worn. The smell of fabric softener was heavy in the air, as he set it on the small table that had been reserved for their packs. "You should come and sit with me." She said, looking at the couch. On the television screen, there was much lewdness occurring, the sound definitely accompanying it. His cheeks turned red. "The television..." He said, as he looked at the screen, transfixed by the images. He looked a little uncomfortable with the nudity, as she patted the couch beside her. The shirt she wore as well as her underwear did nothing to hide her form. _'If there ever was such a plot for a porno, this would be it. A young man returning to his hotel room to find his female companion awaiting him in a mere shirt, ready to sit with him and watch porn... Yep. This'd be it.'_

She knew that she should not prod him further, though. With Summer in his body somewhere, it would indeed stand to reason that he'd have some hindrance towards intimacy. ´ _Most boys in their teens have issues with their family. They can't stand to be disturbed when they are ensuring that the pipes are cleaned, after all... This'll require a gentle touch.'_ "We can watch something else." She said, gently trying to broach another topic, as her fingers grabbed the remote, the screen changing to a nature documentary, the snout of a bear appearing in the view. He seemed to be more comfortable now, as Summer appeared to step from the shadows, seating herself at his other side. "Like I said, Jaune... There's nothing to be ashamed about. It's a fact of life."

Whatever the woman was talking about, she knew nothing of it. As he looked at the screen, a waning smile came to his face. "But it's still a little disrespectful, don't you know? To see them naked... I wouldn't want to do that to any girl. They are not going to be happy if you just look at them as a piece of meat." Summer smiled at him, her eyes meeting Whitney's. "Do you like Esmeralda?"

He looked at her, his face looking confused. "Of course. She's a nice woman, a friendly woman who always seems to be ready to support me. I know I'm not the best Huntsman, but I will make sure that she gets where she needs to go." Warmth blossomed into her heart once more, the warmth of something that she hadn't felt in a while. She had desired that he say something else, though. The ache in her loins burned a little fiercer.

"But she also has her friend to care for. What happened to Sienna and Kali?" He asked, a low groan coming from the shower. "They're in the shower again. I think Kali spilt something." That was at least a half-truth, with the knowledge that the two Faunus were busy trying to get in touch with their feminine side... in the traditional Sapphic manner. "She's spilt something, alright." Summer commented, a soft 'tee-hee' coming from her mouth as her eyes twinkled a little at the thought. "But you should not worry too much about that. Just give a knock on the door. You need a shower." The commentary from Summer made him groan. "Not you too!" he said, as she merely smiled at him. "Of course! Who else is going to make you get clean, eh?"

After nearly twenty minutes, Kali and Sienna and Jaune were finally located in the same room, washed and groomed, the latter seated upon the bed next to her. She could feel a hint of nervousness as she saw Sienna and Kali look at them with eyes that held a strange cast to it. "Why don't we shove the beds together?" Kali suggested, her voice light in tone, even as she looked at Jaune. "It'll be like sleeping in a big bed."

"Sure... If that's what makes you happy." Summer smiled from her position on the couch, laying there with her swords in a ready position. "You've got some skill, Jaune! You've got three ladies in your bed now!" Sienna hissed something that was barely audible, as her eyes went to Summer, raging with a fury that was not felt by the Huntress at all.

As she got under the covers and felt him get in behind her, the comfort of it all finally hit her. Her body half-turned around, wrapping arms around him. He stiffened a little, trying to get used to the sensation. "I don't sleep that badly. Just be aware that you'll likely be hugging me for a while." The bed had been shoved together with the other one, Kali and Sienna already crawled inside their part, the warmth that they generated like a heater, as she yawned softly, her eyes looking at him sleepily. "Don't forget..." She murmured, at the thought of him being with her. "A good night's sleep was enough for most heroes to wake up fresh the next day." His eyes closed immediately, and his body fell asleep in a fragment, Summer giving a low shudder, as her gaze went up. "Gee, he's really doing it."

She was just getting comfortable when the soft pants reached her ear, Kali's fingers moving, as the undeniable sound of womanly moans came from the younger Faunus' mouth. "K-Kali? P-please?" The whimper was something that she'd have never heard from Sienna Khan, but Kali's soft growl was louder than the woman's plea. "Nope... We're going to work this out of our system."

She settled herself in for a long night of hoping that it'd get even quieter. Summer looked at her with a look that clearly showed pity for the situation that she was in, at the thought of having to listen. _'I am not into women, but even if I was...'_ Her gaze went to Jaune and she pressed herself to him, ignoring the leg that poked against her own, Kali's sounds blocked out as she half-crawled up on Jaune. _'I hope his dreams are a little less disturbing.'_

* * *

 _Blake and Yang, Sunny dragon and ex-White Fang._

* * *

She had barely been able to fall asleep. The thought of her partner stalking her, serving her needs in the middle of the night and granting her such pleasure kept her up. She could feel how the covers shifted a little as she could hear her partner climb into her bed, stalking like a shadow, ready to serve her. _'I'm not gay... It might feel good, but I'm not... I'm not into girls.'_ The thoughts grew harder to ignore, as her legs parted by the hands of her partner.

' _She's going to do it now.'_ She thought, as the sensation of Blake's breath pushing over her thighs as her fingers seized the only barrier to her chastity once more. The sensation of her body flaming up with the energy was ghastly, as her own body anticipated the touch. As the tongue reached out, she could feel her resistance crumble. _'Not gay. Not gay. Not gaaayyyy.'_

A soft shudder came from her, a low moan coming from her mouth, a sound akin to 'Ahnyeahhh', her voice holding that desperate whimper. To any guy who might have been watching, it would have been a sight that no doubt would inspire them, even as the tongue moved... And she did too. Her knees pushed up as she adjusted her position a bit, the soft 'hmmmgg' sound coming from Blake as her tongue continued its work. It was all that she needed, a long and drawn-out groan coming from her mouth, the sound stretching a little, as her body felt the rush of endorphins blank out all other sensations. The tension inside her body seemed to fade, as her legs moved, to restrain her partner.

Her legs were wrapped around her partner's head and she whimpered at the sensations she felt slowly ebbing away. As her breathing collected itself once more, she lifted the covers. Golden eyes stared up at her, as feline ears twitched a little and laid back. _'I'm no... Not gay. Please, don't...'_ The tongue moved a little again and her eyes rolled back as another whimper came from her mouth. "B-Blake?" her voice was hoarse, the sweat on her body enough of a testament that a quick shower was needed. "Hmmfff?" The response came, and Yang could feel that she was lost. "Why?" Another rough tongue-flick, as the Faunus pulled herself out of her groin as much as she could. She slowly relaxed her legs, allowing Blake the chance to get up if she so desired.

There was a startling amount of liquid on her face, Yang's shame rising and mixing with anger. The Faunus whimpered a little as she straightened, wearing only the yukata that she had gone to sleep in. _'What did she think was going to happen?'_ "Y-Yang?" Her voice sounded so tiny, so frail and weak, as if she were about to break.

"Why did you do this, Blake?" Her voice was flat and void of emotion, Yang's gaze piercing. The golden eyes of the feline Faunus seemed to flinch and look away. "To repay you." She mumbled. An awkward silence followed, as Yang tried to comprehend the words. "By doing... gay stuff?" She said, not much louder than a whisper. Blake nodded her head. "You saved me. I have to..." Her head dropped down and Yang could feel the tongue slide down over her sweat-slickened skin once more. "No! Nonono, I'm not..." A shudder wracked through her form at the touch. "'m not gay, Blayk." Her words were barely comprehensible, as Blake gave her 'thanks' to her, the tongue scraping. Yang didn't really have much with cats, but if Blake was much like a cat, she would be da-

Her mind blanked for a moment as another whimper came from her mouth, Blake looking up. "Siiis?~" Ruby's voice came from the side and the covers went up to her top again, covering Blake. It was her knees that went up, her head turning to the side. "Y-yeah?" The question came, even as the head between her legs continued with whatever it was doing. _'I'm not gay...'_ The feeble complaint did not sound as truthful to her own ears. "Are you alright? You were moaning a bit. Does your wound still hurt?" Ruby was at her bedside suddenly, a trail of rose petals left behind. "N-n-no." A shudder, as Blake moved a little under the covers. "You look flushed. You better not get sick! Team RWBY is never sick! Weiss would hound me until you were better."

The thought of the Schnee heiress doing just that brought a twitch of amusement to her lips. "I bet Weiss would be like 'You have no choice but to get better, you blonde buffoon! Come and get healthy, or I will throw a temper tantrum. You are not allowed to be sick!'." It was probably true that Weiss would be vocal about it, yet Yang knew that the girl was just trying to break free of the mould that she had gotten put into. Ruby gave her a soft smile.

"That does sound like Weiss." She whispered, looking down at their Atlesian teammate, still bound by the grips of sleep. Yang could feel Blake trying something new with her fingers, a shudder going through her body. "You should go sleep." Ruby nodded, zipping back to her bed. "Sleep well, Yang." She said, closing her eyes and then falling asleep. Yang envied how well her sister could do such a thing. Ruby was asleep in a minute, her soft breathing joining with Weiss' in the room. She lifted the covers, coming to look at Blake again. "You don't need to repay me for saving you. I'm..." She found it hard to say the next words, as those eyes looked at her so sadly that it was enough to stall any commentary she could make.

"I care for you, Yang."The words weren't the easiest to say for the Faunus girl, as Yang's heart beat a little louder in her chest. Her eyes could see Blake's shine. "I want to make you feel good." The tongue flicked over the Faunus' lips once more and Yang could feel the hesitation rise. "Adam always rewarded me after a good mission."

' _Who is Adam?'_ Her face must have shown her lack of knowledge about who he was, as Blake answered the unspoken question. "He was my partner and mentor when I was still with the White Fang." She offered, in way of explaining, before her head went down. "Oh yeah, pervo-creep-o Blake-fondler. Kitty cat, there's no way I would let him go and... ah." Her voice was strained, as Blake's tongue caressed. "Fuck..." She panted, as she could feel another wave come. "Come on, kitty cat... Let's have a shower."

' _I'm not gay for enjoying myself. I'm not gay for enjoying myself.'_ There was a soft cough from Blake as she pulled something out of the yukata's pocket. _'F-fuck... This is gonna be hella gay.'_ The small length of wire was enough, as Blake held out her hands. "Lead your Faunus servant to the bathing area, Mistress." _'Called it. Hella gay. Fuck... What to do? Think, Yang, think."_ The wire was still in her hands, ready to be put to use.

' _You like boys. The Achieve Men are the best guys, right? You'll be happy to finally get yourself a REAL man instead of the boys around here."_ It was a pity that most of the guys around weren't able to really strike her fancy. She preferred a certain type, the maturity that a man could have only after surviving some harrowing experiences. Someone much like her dad, who had always been there for her and Ruby. "None of that, Blakey..." She said at barely higher than a whisper, as she pushed her partner towards the bathroom. "But you are going to scrub me. Right, miss kitty? Right in the here and meow." Blake gave a soft whimper as she leaned against her, as she steered the other girl towards the bathroom.

' _I ain't gay.'_ The thought was like a mantra, as she stood under the spray. The sponge that gently brushed over her skin, washing away the sweat and the other pheromones that she'd been laden with, was something that she could only anticipate, the soft whimpers continuing to come from her mouth, her eyes closing as the sponge dipped ever lower. A soft pair of lips pressed against her back, leaving her to feel their tender touch, even as she could feel her partner's fingers touch... and slip down. _'Ooh... Not gay... Nope.'_

She leaned against the tiles of the shower, soft little groans coming from her mouth as Blake's hands continued to work their magic, the whimpers increasing in volume, even as she continued to lean against the wall. _'If my dad could see me now...'_ The fingers pulled out and she could feel the tongue, her mind blanking again. She was dimly aware that she was half-whimpering, half-moaning, as she braced herself against the wall. _'This is hella gay and I am not sure whether this is what I want.'_

She turned around, seeing the ears twitch on Blake's head, her eyes meeting her own. The dark hair was like a shadow, as her hand grabbed Blake's hair by the scalp, her eyes boring into her partner's. "You've got nothing to apologize for, Blake." She panted, as the mouth continued to move, the pleasurable sensations distracting her. With the water flattening her hair against her skin, she could only feel the heat pervade her whole body, accepting the judgment that it had delivered, even as the pleasurable sensations continued to wash over her, jolting and stimulating. _'It's not gay if you...'_ Her thoughts were blanked again as she quivered.

"You're my partner." The Faunus tongue moved once more. Another distraction. "And you're..." _'I'm not gay... She's giving me something in return. It's only gay if I do it.'_ She could already imagine what it'd take for her to go full-on gay. She'd be shearing her hair and making herself look like a man, just to be making Blake feel like she's in good hands... and that ain't what Yang was gonna do, nope.

' _I'm not going gay... I'm not going gay...'_ Her own thoughts seemed no longer to be as strictly against it, even with the tingles racing up and down her spine, the pleasure slowly swelling into her groin, as she could feel the pleasure about to erupt.

' _Oh, my Oum... I'm going to try that again.'_ She looked down at Blake, who was in the process of cleaning the mess up a little, using the shower for its intended purpose, turning to her with her eyes smouldering. "Do you want to read with me?" She suggested, glancing back at the room. "No Weiss or Ruby... Just the two of us?"

' _I don't know about these feelings and stuff... But if she wants some Yang to get to bang, I guess I can give it a shot. If the boys of Beacon don't want some Yang in their life... Guess kitty will have to get some. We'll have to do something about that quirk of hers, though... It ain't healthy to be so glum about the stuff you went through whilst you were still a terrorist.'_ She was assured that her partner was not going to relapse. That would be madness, as Blake had disavowed the White Fang for their own terrorist ways. The death of her mother and father...

' _She must still be shaken up from that.'_ The thought rose, as she embraced Blake. "I'm here, kitten... I am not leaving you." She saw her partner look up, a hesitant smile on her lips. "I can do it as many times as you want... I want you to feel good, Yang." She grinned. "You already did, kitty." She said, even though her internal mind still felt ill at ease with the thought of actually dating her partner...

' _I am not gay... I'm just... experimenting. Just like dad said that mom used to do.'_ It probably hadn't been intentional, uncle Qrow having been around, drinking some of his alcohol, thoroughly soused in the morning still... and dad having complained about Raven's predilections in the manner of a man who'd seen things that she could not even fathom. _'He loves her still... and she left, anyways.'_

She wasn't leaving her team. Her little sister needed her to bring her spirits up again... A glance down at Blake, a grin on her lips. Blake needed her too. Someone had to keep the ninja kitty in line... Right?

* * *

 **And thus concludes this week's update. Next week, next episode… Jaune and the ladies go shopping for weapons! Will he finally get a ranged option? Will Yang finally admit to Ruby that she's swinging for the gals? Find out next week in the next episode of…**

 **A Grimm Tale!**

 **Now, I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. The story is going 'slow' according to people… But do understand that I'd like to lay the groundworks for stuff that I'm going to introduce in the later chapters. And the thing between the Faunus femmes… Yeah, this is NOT going to be Sienna X Kali. They're good friends, but right now they're suffering from a flash of intense arousal, driven by the ancient animal needs.**

 **Sienna or Kali will give an explanation about that in one of the next few chapters.**

 **Leave a review if you wish! I like to hear your comments and remarks… and to some people who leave a review like every week, thanks for the support. I like to entertain people with my writings, even if people just go 'This doesn't make sense!'. A Grimm Tale will likely be a very LONG fic. They haven't even gone back to Beacon yet. YET. They will get there, eventually, but it won't be like 'Snap your fingers and appear'.**

 **Thank you for reading this story and sticking with it!**


	20. Dusk falls

**Chapter 20: Dusk falls**

 **As a bit of a word towards the people who read the last chapter: There's a few hints in it about what exactly is happening to the Jaune-crew. It was tough to write the lewdness as well as having it fit the story's theme. What IS that theme? Well, I've been making some allusions to it. (And for those who would like to see some uncensored sexual action: That ain't allowed on this site. If I were to write something like that, it'd be when the time would be right for it. It ain't yet.) And about the whole 'stagnancy of the plot' thing... Trust me, the gears are turning (Story-wise) and some conversations had to be had. The plot focused on Raven and the Branwen tribe for a bit but now it is turning more towards the end of the Mistral Arc. Afterwards, they'll be getting to Vale again. I've also decided that it'd be best to note the perspectives down by character. Tis a test to see how people like it.**

* * *

 _The moment of sun's rise (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He opened his eyes at the crack of dawn, the darkness of the _vitae tenebris_ fading away from his mind as he let himself sink into the state of being that was Jaune Arc. No tides of Grimm to control, the smoking ruins of the village still leaving behind a pale memory of his actions... Yet it had been satisfying. The anger and wrath inside him slowly evaporated as he turned to look at the woman that was currently nestled up against him. Sienna's sleeping face could be seen, her body pressed up against him. She snored a little, her ears twitching a bit with every snore that she did.

A knock on the door was enough to jerk him out of his thoughts, as he tried to figure out when Sienna would have gotten close enough. "Room service!" Someone announced, the faint recollection that they'd ordered breakfast to go with it was suddenly popping into his mind. A yawn came from his mouth as he could feel the strain of his body lessen, the blood pumping through his body alerting him.

He slowly rose, seeing Esmeralda lay there, her head sliding down his chest, to lay near his groin, her eyes bleary-looking. As the door opened, he became abjectly aware that Kali was missing from the equation, her body not visible either at his sides, his gaze going to the foot of the bed, where a mostly-nude Kali laid limply. He groaned, even as the maid pushed one of the trolleys into the room. "Room service, sir." The cheeks were red with an obvious blush, his conscious mind only registering how it would have looked to an outsider, yet he found himself not really caring at this moment in time. They were the women who had accepted him for what he was.

The devastation that he had unleashed was enough to blunt his mind to the implications. They were all dead now. His vengeance had been delivered... A bit of petty vengeance, yet it would have been a sign of weakness if he had let it slide. _'Nobody can be allowed to live if they wish to harm us.'_ "We'll take it here." He said, voice sounding a little scratchy. The woman's eyes were on him, his _vitae tenebris-_ infused arm twitching a little, the ache of the night's stress making it feel a little sore. "Will your..." The woman looked at the women that were strewn around him. "Partners be alright?"

He gave the woman a smile as he got up from the bed. She looked away, the pants that he wore being enough to guard his dignity as a man. It was only Esmeralda who had still remained moderately dressed out of the women, yet his mind did not bother with that yet. "They will be. Living out in the middle of nowhere hunting Grimm really tires them out." The cover story of being a Huntsman with his team would hold up. It was not as if there was anything really that pressing about the tale.

"I'll leave it here. Have a good morning." He smiled faintly. "Have a good morning, sir." The woman disappeared as fast as she'd come, leaving him to walk to the trolley and push it to the bed. The smell of coffee reached his nostrils, whilst he poured himself a cup. Stirring slowly, Sienna looked up at him and then blanched, as he drank some of the coffee. The hot bitter brew tasted like death, yet he could remember the faces perfectly.

' _They screamed when the Grimm came. Tetch..._ ' A savage grin came to his lips, as he looked at Sienna... and her hands went to her chest, hiding her womanly mounds from view. "Look away." She hissed at him, embarrassment creeping on her face. His conscious mind asserted itself, as he realized that they were mostly unclothed. "Sorry!" _'She undoubtedly thinks I had some wicked thoughts about her, with how I grinned at her.'_

He exclaimed, Esmeralda stirring awake, yawning as she looked around. "Jaune?" Her face was bleary, those frost-blue eyes looking at him with confusion, her eyes focusing on him. "There's breakfast?" She said in a breathy whisper, her eyes turning to the coffee. Sienna joined them then, the top that she'd pulled on covering the important bits. Sweat clung to her body as she adjusted herself just a bit, taking a cup and pouring coffee into it, without looking at him. He could feel anger rolling off her.

"Yes, they brought it here." Kali's head pulled up from her slumber, stretching admirably so, as she smacked her lips, clearly trying to get the slumber out of her body. "That was nice." To who she was speaking to was unclear, as he saw her form in such a manner. Awareness and wakefulness warned him, as his head turned away. "Kali! You're not fully dressed!" His warning was enough to alert her to that, as she looked him over. "Hmm, so I am not." She said, as he heard the rustle of her getting up, moving to her clothing and then the shuffling of clothes as she got herself dressed. It seemed not to have an impact, as he felt the touch of Esmeralda, distracting him.

"Don't think you're doing something wrong." She said, trying to comfort him. "You have sisters, yes?" He nodded, Esmeralda's smile soft. "Think of them like you think of your sisters." The woman's emotions were like a beacon to him, a swirling mess of conflicts that seemed to power him, as his hand brushed against hers. "I don't want to be his sister." Kali said, adding her thoughts to the pile. Jaune could see Esmeralda's face change, her lips pressed tightly together. "Then be his aunt or something. Whatever works to make him comfortable."

"I don't think that I'll settle for aunt." Sienna said, her voice sounding a little more sullen than before, where she'd sounded different. "I'd settle for just Sienna." The woman's attitude seemed to have changed. "We should get ourselves ready to go get to the weaponsmith." The sound of Summer's voice made him look at her, the woman's two blades looking ready to be used.

"That would be for the best." Sienna said, taking one of the slices of bread and buttering it, smearing a thick coating of jam on it, taking a bite without a care. "A bit of extra work on my weapon would be nice." She got up, stretched and then continued to bite on the bread. "You need some work, indeed. Your finger technique is weak." Sienna's face flushed, her mouth opening to deliver a response before she saw Kali's grin, the byplay something that Jaune didn't quite understand. _'Finger technique?_ ' He didn't ask further.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked Esmeralda, whose face looked tired and worn-out. "Badly. There was a pair of cats that kept me up most of the night." He looked out the window, noticing that they were pretty high up. "Damn, that must've been one loud pair of cats." He said, Esmeralda's face showing the weariness of a night of bad sleep. "That thing with your sister-in-law..." He paused, putting his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and gave a faint smile. "She would've wanted me to be happy."

"No doubt. I can't imagine how I would deal with losing my mother." Emerald Arc was not someone who would have been easily taken down, yet the fear inside him was suddenly real. _'What if my family dies? Would I be able to survive the strain of keeping the emotions back?'_ The thought of surviving his sisters and parents was a grim one... and one that did put things into perspective. _'If I did not have my team... if I did not have my calling as a Huntsman... what would I be then, if they all died?'_

An image of himself, clad in dark colours, standing before the graves of his family. The seven sisters, buried in the order of eldest to youngest, the markers that showed their names freshly carved from the stone, yet with their urn already in place where they should be. The ancient gravesite of the Arc family, from Julius Arc to Sage Arc and his daughters... with him as the prime descendant, the last of the line.

He'd look at the Crocea Mors, held by the statue of Julius Arc, ready to be wielded once more... and then he would turn away, leaving it to be with those that deserved it. As he emerged from the crypt, assured of the fact that he was the last one left, he would call. The Grimm would answer.

That grisly vision pulled itself from his mind, the thoughts that would only spiral him further into the oppressive blackness ceasing, as he knew that with everything lost... He would turn into that which he did not wish to be."Your mother must be a special woman." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding a little tired, as she let a hand touch his cheek. "Birthing such a wonderful child."

He gave a pained grimace. _'I was always the weak one. They didn't train me, said that it 'wasn't my time' and said that I should focus on the other aspects. Said it 'wasn't in the grand plan' yet, whatever that means.'_ There had been arguments with his father about his lack of training until he had finally decided to take the illegal road into Beacon. "I hardly was someone worthy to be proud of." He said, finally airing out that thought. "I was always lesser than the others, the youngest. My sisters always said that I should take it easy, to enjoy life."

He could see Rowan looking at him with hidden pain in her eyes, Heather's cool gaze assessing him, even as Azure and Bianca continued to push him around, the game that they played with him something that had no set rules. The evenings that had been spent watching how Rowan and Heather worked together, the sweat dripping down their bodies and their weapon's Dust cartridges littering the training field, seeing the effort that they put into their work. Their strange glow, which he now knew to be Aura, something that his father had neglected to inform him when he had asked about it. _'I believed him when he said that it was merely their combat style... As if normal families could ever summon flames or water...'_

It had all been so silly back when he was growing up. The looks shared between Ashley and Bianca, as they creamed him in Virtual Grimm Fighter, their cooperation working flawlessly as he guided the hero through the trials that they put before him.

"Jaune, listen to me..." Esmeralda's voice was harder in tone, as she spoke. "You need to stop thinking like you aren't worth the power that you have. The ability to summon Grimm... to control them... Many people would kill to know where the Grimm are, to control them perhaps. You aren't anything less than them. You're different, but you are strong." She didn't seem to judge him as he was judged.

He could see her eyes shift slightly, as the hand continued to squeeze. The blue seemed to slowly twist into a crimson sheen, mingling with the blue to create a deep purple. He inhaled once, seeing the same blue eyes peer back at him. "You may not think it, but it's true." She was right, even as her eyes met his own. "Trust me..." Her words were gentler as she spoke, emotions lacing through it like a weave.

She seemed to hold some feelings in, as she spoke with such confidence, her eyes burning with that familiar energy, as her touch to him created a connection. For a moment, he was elsewhere, gazing down upon his acolyte, seeing her face look up at him and her words a mere whisper – ' _You will give me the power to be the strongest?'_ – With his own response already premeditated. _'If you promise to serve, I will grant you unimaginable power.'_ A momentary flash of the young woman's hair turning darker, her eyes glowing with a yellow tint and the desire for power was enough. _'Cinder Ella Fall._ '

"I will trust you." He said, voice sounding certain. He could feel the memories inside him try to come forth once again, the flashes that he had been seeing guaranteeing only sadness for his own mind. It would be wasting his efforts if he were to go down that road... _'I need to know more... I need...'_ A flash of insight, even as his instincts screamed that it was taboo. The feeling of familiarity was enough to spur him on. "We need to get weapons." He said, looking between Esmeralda and Kali. "You need weapons."He said to the Faunus woman, whose face looked flushed and uncertain, her eyes meeting his own. "Why?" She asked, his head nodding once. "Weapons and training..." He paused, wondering something.

"Summer, the weaponsmith that you know, can he be trusted?" Summer nodded, her face showing her dedication. "Of course. He forged Raven's weapon after she left. Also, you need suitable clothing. That is the first priority." How the woman knew that wasn't important, but the knowledge that the man could be trusted to a certain extent was. _'After Tetch and the Beornirs... what use is trust?'_ Mistral was too big for him to really let the masses of Grimm run wild, as Huntsmen and those trained to become Huntsmen were readily available here.

As they emerged from the hotel, their clothing a little looser than before to accommodate the heat, Jaune took the lead. Towards one of the stores that catered to Huntsmen and their ilk, he led them, having inquired with the reception desk whether there were any that served decent quality gear. The clothing that they were now was nothing in a real fight. _'They always fought against Her with the best of gear that they had.'_

The door leading towards 'Merv's Huntsmen Haven' was decorated with golden trim, the wood having seen several scratches from what seemed to be someone's weapon, either accidental or intended, the smell of leather and weapon grease coming to his nose. As they entered, he gawked at the large hall that laid before them, the racks with different shirts and jackets, all marked with the custom tags that would indicate Huntsmen-approved gear and apparel. A man wearing a jacket and with a wooden leg on his left side made his way to them, the tap of wood on stone loud enough to draw attention. "What's a set of kitties with their human caretakers doing here, eh?"

Jaune's eyes narrowed at the tone that the man took, Sienna's body language shifting to show her irritation with the man. "They are here to back me up, if it's needed." He said, as his eyes met the man's. The pale blonde hair that fell in the man's face was enough to hide some of the more noticeable twitches, yet there was no fear to be found within the man. "You really trusting these animals with your back, sonny boy?" The man said, Sienna stepping forwards, her hands in the process of getting her weapon out. "You've got no right to say so." She said, her voice holding that growl that she usually suppressed in the conversation that she had with Kali.

"Of course I do. I'm the owner, Merville. If I say you little pussycats aren't welcome, you ain't welcome unless your boss vouches for ya. This place caters to Huntsmen, not animals." Kali placed a hand on Sienna's shoulder, looking at Jaune. "Jaune, perhaps it's time to take our business elsewhere..." She said, trying to mediate. His face showed enough distaste, as he stepped to the fore, standing before Sienna. "She's a valued partner. I won't have you slander her name simply because she's a Faunus." The man scoffed, before shaking his head. "That's alright, boy. Just testing ya." The man hobbled off, leaving Jaune to stand there with a confused look on his face. "Merville, stop it with the rough and gruff act. You're chasing off customers." The voice of one of the assistants came to Jaune's ears, the woman wearing the outfit of the store, a dark red shirt with 'MHH' upon the front, a set of dark red ears poking upwards, tufts of hair standing up from the tips. What sort of Faunus she was, he couldn't quite get.

"Merville's just wary of people trying to start some White Fang crap over here. We've had a few Faunus who seemed to think it alright to seize a few of the jackets for 'protection' without paying." The woman said, whilst she looked at Merville with a stern look. "He's a decent man, but he's serious about his business." The man coughed. "Very serious." The man hobbled away, the woman smiling in a faint manner. "Now, you wish to buy things?"

Business-like manner aside, Jaune was still not under the impression that the man really cared much for Faunus, yet there had been no fear in his body, nor hatred. "We need a full set of Huntsman-approved gear. We'll be getting a new weapon for the three of us." Summer had slipped back into him once again, lending her own commentary to the proceedings. _"She looks like she's able to take care of things. How about you get a nice long jacket and some gloves? You'd look good with gloves."_

"Three?" The assistant asked, as Sienna put her weapon back. "Mine will need some adjustments." Sienna said, as she seemed to think about the answer she'd give for a moment. "It is not fully equipped to deal with Grimm." The assistant nodded. "Allow me a moment to take your measurements. Please, get your upper body straight and spread your arms."

As it was still relatively early in the morning, not a lot of customers were present, enough for him to easily follow her orders, the tape measure that was wrapped around his waist and his arms taking the measurements, the woman's eyes making sure that the measurements were accurate. "Sandy! Go get this young man to the men's section." The assistant that she called was a short blonde girl with a set of scales growing on her arms, the claw-like fingernails reminding him of a Beowolf for a moment. "Sure thing, Kara." The girl beckoned him to follow her, walking with her to the section of the men's clothing.

It would have to do for now.

* * *

 _The fierceness of a tiger (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

There was nothing that could stop her from being incensed. Ever since the warmth had settled down a little and the biological imperative to breed and bring forth the next generation seemed to be lessened had she been angry. Angry with how the situation had devolved, how she had been forced to engage in such acts with Kali, a woman that she trusted...

With how the shop's owner had treated her, it was only the burning anger that she could feel, as her eyes sought Esmeralda's, the woman having a history of the maltreatment of the Faunus, yet was a friend with Kali. _'It should not be like this... We deserve more... We NEED more.'_ The White Fang had been a goal that she had worked towards, to help out the Faunus that had been oppressed and to see humanity fear them and give them the respect that they were due. _'Now...'_ She paused, as she waited for the woman to take her measurements. Undoubtedly she could smell the scent on her body, the senses no doubt any less convoluted than the other Faunus.

It was both shameful to her as well as oddly satisfying, her whole emotions a jumbled mess that she found hard to disentangle herself from. "We'll find you something nice to wear, miss." The assistant said, the faint smile that she gave the woman not quite meeting the inner turmoil inside her. "That would be nice." She said, not trying to make any rash statements. "Do you wish for a Faunus assistant?" The question was spoken, a short nod given. "Of course." It was natural that she would be in favour of that.

"Mint! Client for you!" The assistant said, a young woman wearing a rather large hat coming forward from between two of the clothes racks, minty-green hair hanging out from under the hat. "Sure thing, Misses Faurnier." The assistant shook her head. "Merville might insist that he's called 'Mister Faurnier', but I don't need to be called that." The thought of this woman marrying with a human was strange, but the woman, who seemed to be in her late forties, was definitely someone who did not adhere to the traditions that were in place around Mistral.

"Hello there, honoured customer." The girl known as Mint said, the shirt that she wore a little tight in the chest, as she adjusted the badge on her left breast pocket. "My name is Mint and I'm here to see to your needs." The words of the girl were enough to make her feel more at ease, as she led her off to a section that was marked 'FAUNUS', the selection there about a third of the entire inventory.

"So, what do you wish?" The woman in Sienna was considering the options available to her. Something that was similar to the Mistralian style of clothing that she had worn before would only clue people in as to who she was, yet a total switch... it would not be optimal. "My options are not limited to a certain style. Please, help me with finding something that looks pleasing to the eye as well as functional." The girl smiled, the hat tipping a little lower over her face. "Sure! We can do that. You look... You look a bit like the former High Leader of the White Fang, did someone ever tell you that?"

Suspicion went through her, as she made a surprised sound. "Ah? They have indeed said something of the sort. Great Leader Khan has always steered the Fang well." The tone of being impressed was hard to give in her voice, as she was taken aback, the girl's head moving a bit, the hat following suit. "It's a pity that High Leader Tallow seems to be more for military intervention than merely getting respect. High Leader Khan was more a politician than a fighter... Some people..." The girl trailed off, seemingly having forgotten that she was supposed to do something with Sienna. "Ah, forgive me. I have the membership card somewhere. We're not allowed to show it to our fellows, store policy."

Sienna's anger rose a little more at the thought of Harmony Tallow, a known psychopath (As far as the psych report spoke of it), taking over the White Fang that she had safeguarded for five years. It had been a tough decision for her to take the reins, the stability of the White Fang having been great under Belladonna's leadership, yet it had been enough for her to cling to the reins of power. "The White Fang is not what it has been." She'd admit that much. Her leadership had been enough to keep the factions from splitting up.

"The humans assassinated High Leader Khan. You must have loved her, as many have." The words of the girl stoked a flame inside her, yet secrecy was something that was enough. "It's why I let them tattoo my body. A memorial to Leader Khan." The girl's face showed her support, as she patted her shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Sierra." The girl's hand pulled the hat off, revealing a long tail of hair that dropped down, the mint-green colour there. "Mint Justeeze, a pleasure." Sienna smiled lightly, as she looked at the clothes that were on display. "Something that doesn't make me look like Sienna Khan would be acceptable, I'd imagine." The shop assistant nodded. "Do you like black?"

It was a long coat that she held out for her, the dark colour something that would suit her well. Her mind was off to consider how she'd look in that, taking the coat and putting it on and doing a little twirl in front of the mirror, the coat shifting a little as she moved. ´ _It looks good if I wanted to look like one of those cheesy gangsters, but not...'_ "Do you have something that'll be loose? I like to feel the breeze on my skin." Sienna watched as another piece of clothing was pulled out, the top made out of a dark fabric. It would suit her well enough to wear. "Something darker blue, perhaps?" She asked, her voice sounding a little hesitant. _'This is what I had assistants for... I hated shopping for my own clothing.'_

"This?" The blue jacket looked to be fitting tight on her body, which would undoubtedly make her look decent, but the sleeves were a little too tight for her liking. "Maybe something a bit looser?"

"It'll be Mistralian style then, Sierra." Mint said, looking at her and judging how it'd look on her. "You'd look good in it. All tiger-style, wa-growl!" She couldn't help but give a faint snicker at the thought. "Something like my friend wears, the one with the panther ears." The woman nodded. "We have those." There might be a need to go shopping for more clothing, yet it would not be bad to wear something like Kali wore. It would be a thing to fight in if she'd go for something a little shorter. A hakama wasn't that easy to move in if you wielded a polearm weapon. "Enhanced for ease of movement... But it'll have to be a bit shorter though. The hakama is best switched out for something that's more like a skirt. It has to do with flexibility... and we won't be able to get the contours of your friend's style out either. That's more Menagerie-style than anything really Mistralian."

She'd see what could be come up with. She just hoped that Kali wouldn't mind too much that she was stealing her style. Not that it'd matter too much... as long as people didn't guess that she was Sienna Khan. _'Safety in anonymity, as well as safety in paranoia.'_ The words were something that she'd heard a few times and found fitting, as the anger simmered inside her, her gut telling her once more that it was time for relief. "Did you get your pills against the heat?" She heard Mint ask, looking at the shop assistant with a raised eyebrow. "There are pills against that?" She asked, Mint nodding. "Pharmacies sell them as special Faunus pills, to deal with biological impulses." _'And they do not inform us of that? What heresy is this?'_ The suspicious side of her mind immediately pointed out that it would be illogical if the pharmacies did not advertise the pills to the Faunus populace. "I should get some then." _'And find out what is in them.'_ The chance that this was something intentionally aimed against the Faunus was too great for her to ignore, even with her current status as a dispossessed Faunus.

"So... The human guy." Mint asked, as she pulled out a dark blue shirt. "Is he single?" The question was a little out of the blue, yet she took a moment to contemplate the question, trying to come to a satisfying answer for herself. "He's not." _'It would not be lying to her. We know when people lie.'_ He was together with the Summer woman, even if there was no sign that he was in a relationship. "Darn, the good ones are always taken. Boss always says that we should look for a guy who's willing to step up to the plate to deal with discrimination. There was this blonde monkey Faunus here a few months ago, Sun Woking or something, and he was the cutest guy ever with the best abs that I've ever seen... But all he was interested in was just a new jacket. I mean... Come on, there's an abs buffet there and I wasn't even able to drizzle chocolate sauce on them."

Sienna could empathize with that. "It's hard to find a good quality Faunus man around here too. I've not had any action in the last years." The sales assistant perked an eyebrow. "Oh? He hasn't been taking care of you?" The question was perfectly logical. Sexuality and sensuality in the Faunus community was different than in the human community. The stresses of her job as well as the office that she had under her stewardship had prevented her from taking a lover or partner for the past few years. "We are not in a relationship." She said, her voice sounding fiercer than before. The pain inside her heart swelled again as she realized that she hadn't been intimate with someone in such a while, the gnawing annoyance at her own foolishness growing. "He is with the other human." Not a lie either. Esmeralda and Jaune had been throwing odd looks at one another and it was pretty clear to her that the woman had some affection for him, some lust that had yet to be slaked. Her own body was not as crude as to immediately announce it, yet with her body as it was, it was getting harder to deny the young man's pull. Even if she loathed it... he was not precisely something that she would discount as a partner. The human issue... was that really a problem if he was part Grimm?

' _You're starting to lose yourself, Sienna. Three months before and you would've shoved your weapon straight through his throat if he'd even insinuated something like that.'_ She thought as she looked at the next selection of clothing that was laid before her, her eyes scanning over the shirt and deciding that it would look decent enough. "Do you have it in orange?" Orange was a nice colour. It went well with black. Tiger Faunus often dressed in orange and dark. The tattoos were harder to hide, but that was hardly an issue. She wasn't going to wear something so skimpy as to show the biggest tattoo that she had. _'It sounded like a good idea at the time.'_

"Of course." As the shirt was fetched, she could only feel a hint of satisfaction upon witnessing it. This would go well... and it was definitely Mistralian-style that'd suit her.

* * *

 _The burning burden (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He looked at the outfits that were laid out before him, his eyes scanning the differing styles. _'Too much Oz in that... but not too shabby.'_ His eyes fell on the suit that laid out there on one side, the casual clothing that was on the other side looking more akin to something that he'd wear. It wasn't a Pumpkin Pete hoodie that he had... but it would do. _'The clothing that I created from the Vitae Tenebris had a similar cut to that..._ ' He could create some more clothing if he so desired, the thought of doing so emerging in his mind for a moment, yet dismissed immediately. It would not have the same protective qualities that he would have with real clothing.

"This would look good for combat." He said, pointing to the suit. Without the green button-up shirt and the cowl, he would do decently to look similar to Ozpin's style... yet it could have his own touch. _'Red to go with the contrast...'_ The Grimm had their features as well in red, yellow and white and black, his eyes going over the suit. "This's something that Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy would wear, buddy." The wife of the shop's owner spoke, as he looked at the clothing. Kali had been led away by one of the human attendants, her soft 'goodbye' almost melancholic to his ears. He could feel their presence, even when separated from her. Kali was like a mass of darkness and fear, wrapped around her body. Sienna was the burning anger that lurked below the surface. Esmeralda held the heat of a star inside her, yet like a lure it seemed to pull him in.

The sights that he had seen this morning... it would be hard to say that he didn't have an interest in them. Naked flesh, belonging to what was arguably a good-looking woman... yet the things that they had gone through, the experiences that they'd had. Kali and Esmeralda had been through an attack by Faunus and Sienna... she felt wrong in her own way, and he wasn't going to take advantage of that. He had been raised to respect a woman for her worth, and no matter what they did...

' _The kiss felt nice.'_ Esmeralda's lips had been very soft, a yearning inside her that had almost pulled him in deep. It was only through his willpower and the odd regret that he could see on her face that it had stopped there, or there would have been... a change. "And what of it? Professor Ozpin is a man worthy of respect." _'Not my respect... The world does not know what he has done. But She is also unknown...'_ The woman nodded. "Aye. He accepts humans and Faunus in his academy. Same as with Haven. Our headmaster's a Lion Faunus, y'know?" The thought of the academy here was a pleasant one, one that brought him on track. _'Perhaps if I could make a call to Vale from there, my family needs to know that I'm still alive...'_ It was an idle hope, one that he could only feel was necessary, yet he knew that there was more to be done than put out hope for the world to come and rescue him.

' _You have to grow up, Jaune.'_ He thought, as he looked at the suit. "The casual stuff's just for wearing, right? No offence, but you look like you've been through some stuff." The woman commented, a soft sound in the back of his throat, the jeans that laid there being without any holes in it. "As well as some underwear, yeah. We kind of lost everything when we came into contact with some bandits." The woman gave a cluck of sympathy, her fingers rubbing over her scalp. "Yeah, that'd do it. Haven's getting some missions to clear em out. The Beornir Tribe's been the most annoying in the last few years, though. The Branwen keep to themselves."

"Yeah, Beornir, that's the one." He didn't elaborate. It was hard to keep a check on his own emotions, with how raging they were at times. "How do I look?" Esmeralda said behind him, her breath teasing against his ear. She smelled faintly of perfume, a spritz that had been soaked into her skin, as he turned, looking at her.

A jacket which covered most her upper body, a white top that exposed a large amount of her midsection and a set of jeans that clung to her legs, a set of heels worn that accentuated her otherwise small stature. "Stunned to silence, Jaune?" She teased, winking at him, her dark hair falling in her face.

' _She looks a bit like a movie star...'_ "You look like you came straight out of a movie."He said, the giggle that she gave definitely something that he would not mind hearing again. "Thank you." Her voice was complimentary as she spoke, her eyes twinkling a little with mirth. "I was going for the Atlasian Jean look. Don't I look dashing?"

"I approve." He said, before he gathered his thoughts. "Eh, do you want to see how I'd look?" The outfit that was most like Ozpin's he picked up, going to one of the dressing rooms. With how Esmeralda was wearing her outfit, it wasn't surprising to imagine that the others would adopt a similar style of dress. As he got into the dressing cubicle, he could hear the chatter of the two women outside.

"He looked." The assistant's voice spoke as she assessed the situation, with a hint of mirth in her voice. "That was the intention. Your assistant said that this'll serve for a while. I've been tempted to get something white." The woman gave a soft sound in the back of her throat. "Going anyplace?" A sound like Esmeralda shrugging was heard, even as he could feel the tension inside him grow. "I don't know yet. I'll follow him anywhere." Warmth blossomed in his heart, even as he fought against the chill of the _vitae tenebris_ that squashed such emotions. "Guess it'll be a while. You're a bit older, aren't you?"

Esmeralda seemed to pause for a moment, as if absorbing the question. "Around fifteen years." That would mean that she was around 32, not an ungodly amount of time, to his count. "I wish you luck, lady." The confident 'Hah' that Esmeralda gave was enough, as he pulled the pants up and felt how they fitted him, his body feeling the rush of endorphins pop up, his eyes going towards the jacket, pulling it on and then emerging nearly five minutes later. Only the shoes did he not bother with, the socks that fitted his feet well still on. "How do I look?"

Esmeralda's eye was critical, as she stepped forwards. "Do you have something red to go with it? Maybe a silver button or something?" She tugged onto the jacket, a little tighter, her actions somewhat more attentive than before. "He needs a splash of colour in the dark shadows..." Her eyes fell over his attire and she smiled. "But he wouldn't look too out of place at the Atlesian Charity Balls." The assistant nodded. "He would look fashionable there. The clothing is guaranteed to be able to withstand dust rounds up until calibre two. The fabric is woven with specially tailored crystals woven into the mesh so as to ensure that it remains reasonably intact whilst enduring attacks."

He nodded, as that sank in. It wasn't protective like his armour would have been... but it fit right. "Maybe some plate armour..." He mumbled as he tried to think about the hoodie and armour combination that he had going for him with Crocea Mors... which was now replaced by a two-handed sword.

"That wouldn't suit you, boy. You should get something that's got your style in hand. You wield a two-handed blade, if I spotted it right?" The woman said, looking at his attire. "Professor Ozpin's a master of cane-fighting, his own weapon enhanced and customized, yet his clothing is able to adjust to the stresses of heavier fighting with a few pieces of armour." The explanation was reasonable, as the woman looked to the side. "Now... I could offer you them as well, if you so wished, but that weapon..." She paused, looking at the weapon, the noticeable crack on the blade showing. "It's been through a lot, right?" He nodded. "Nuckelavee." The name didn't really seem to register with the woman, her knowledge about Grimm apparently insufficient.

"Sounds rough and tough." She said. "It was."Esmeralda said, remembering the appearance of the Nuckelavee. _'There are much worse Grimm out there...'_ The Nuckelavee was able to overwhelm some small villages without a problem, yet any larger settlement with Huntsmen would be no prey for the creature. _'Not without the support of some Grendels and Rocs... Those are typically only found in the highlands though... She would keep them in reserve for when the real fighting starts.'_

"Alright... Do you want to pay cash?" The woman asked once the clothes had been properly checked out and worn, the feeling of confidence that suddenly emerged inside him something that lifted his spirits. The clothing that he currently wore was his old pair, fitting decently still, yet with the new ones smelling fresh and crisp. "Of course." He grabbed the bag in which they kept the Lien, opening it up and pulling out a few of the chips, three-hundred Lien placed on the counter before the woman. "That should be about enough... If you want us to toss in the armour as well, we'll need another two-hundred." The woman said, his hand moving to put the required amount of Lien there. Nearly five-hundred and twenty-five Lien was there and the others had not even arrived with their clothing. Esmeralda appeared next, dressed in her original outfit and the outfit that she'd picked laying there next to his own. "Ring these up as well, if you would?" The woman asked, the shop-owner's wife looking at the clothing and checking the tags. "That'll be six-hundred and ninety-five Lien with these added."

He figured that it would be something that would be a reasonable expense, given the fact that he'd also bought armour to go with it. Clothing fit for a Huntsman had to be able to withstand a lot of the tests of combat, after all. Sienna came, wearing her new clothing, a dark orange colour mingling with dark shades of brown, her shoulders and arms covered with loose sleeves that seemed to fit the general Mistralian aesthetic, a set of jeans that were tight around the upper legs, outlining her form perfectly well. Her ears twitched a little, the look in her eyes fierce, yet with that manner that showed that she was still in the best shape. "This will do." She said, looking at the saleswoman behind the counter. "Your associate said that it would be one-hundred and thirty-five Lien." The tags had been snipped off already, the sales assistant following after Sienna holding them up. "Special discount!"

The woman nodded, pulling a card through the register and then looking at Sienna. "Hmmm, that'll come to... eh... Eight hundred and 30 Lien." He didn't question it, pulling out some more Lien chips. It would not be good to skimp on quality gear. Even if there was a better outfitter out there, it was still something that they should be wearing. It paid to look professional, even if you weren't a legitimate Huntsman.

"Hey Es! How do I look?" He could hear Kali come closer, her steps excited, Esmeralda turning to her direction and giving a surprised sound. "Ehh? I think you look... eh, nice? I mean, I don't think it's quite my style but..." That made his head turn, checking Kali out. The woman moved with graceful steps, the outfit that she wore skintight, made out of some leather fabric that looked reinforced in the chest area with some sub-surface leatherworked patches for additional protection. The high neck was up until her chin, fitting her perfectly. She looked like something out of one of the magazines that he'd seen some of his classmates at the educational schools when he was still around 14, the pose that she took definitely screaming sensuality and comfort with her own body.

The face might smile... yet the emotions that he could feel from inside her were a whole different field of study. The pain that swirled around inside her, battered by the dark and cloying feeling of depression and minor loss of sanity... it was like a feast for any Grimm that might come close, the feelings that he felt from her having grown more intense, even as the smile on her face seemed never to fade. _'It would be so easy to assume some measure of control, to allow her to feel such emotions bleed away.'_

"How do I look, eh?" She posed, her hands on her hips. "This is something that Blake would never dare wear... She's such an inverted little shy kitten." The grin on her face was something that did not reach her eyes precisely, her eyes showing the feelings inside her. "She'd blush at the sight of you!"Sienna said, her voice sounding a little conflicted. "What gave you the idea to wear... that?" The other Faunus woman smiled, shadows wrapping around her form. "Semblance, m'dear. It'll work better if I've got less of a profile... and black is always good on a woman."

Her Semblance faded away immediately, the golden eyes meeting his own. He moved immediately, placing a hand on her shoulder, the draining immediately in effect. Golden eyes full of frustration, rage and despair seemed to drain, growing duller and less fierce, as she sagged a little, a smile on her face, sadder now in expression. "But I guess I'll wear it later." She muttered, going to one of the dressing cubicles with the bag she had with her own clothing.

"How much is that?" He inquired, his voice sounding slightly snappy, the woman at the register looking at Kali's retreating form. "About two-thirty? That'll bring it to about a thousand and sixty Lien." The chips of Lien were placed on the counter immediately. "What they want, they'll get. Expenses don't really matter much." _'Even if we just spent about a month of wages on clothing... Dad makes about twelve thousand a month with his Huntsman career. We can afford it due to the grant of the land and the other things that the Great War afforded us...'_ He actually did not think too much about how the money was earned back at home. He knew that Ashley and Bianca were one of the bigger earners with their ceaseless mission-taking, yet Rowan and Heather were also out in the world frequently. _'I guess it's got to do with the number of children that mom and dad had...'_

He didn't think that it'd be very important to really know what went into the practice of making that many children. Some things were better left to the imaginations of those whose mind was in the gutter. He didn't want to think about his mother and father doing THAT.

He could feel the emotions around him as he came back to the place and time, taking the chips of Lien back and putting them in the sack and handing it to Esmeralda, who tucked it away. He looked at the clothing that they'd bought and then gathered the bags together, doing the task that was expected of him. "Someone grab my sword." He said, as he got the last bag in his grasp.

"I'm not sure that we'd be up for that right now, Jaune. Maybe when we're back at the room." Kali appeared then, with her own clothes back on, the outfit that she'd bought in one of the store's bags. "Did you pay for us?" She inquired, her eyes looking up at him with a look that was full of that emotion that seemed to be prevalent with her. "Of course. Did you think I'd leave you stranded?"

The woman smiled faintly at his response, as she handed his bag. "We'll be going to a hair care salon next. We'll wait outside of the hotel for you." He felt a little shoved aside at this moment, but rationalized it. _'They like their appearance a lot. I guess it's just like Bianca's obsession with making sure that she looks perfect.'_

As the bags were loaded off at the hotel, the room booked for another night, he let his worries fade. It was time for the women to relax a little, to unwind as it was. As they led him into the more heavily Faunus-populated area, he and Esmeralda got more looks, whilst the women seemed to have their mind set on reaching whatever goal they had. The hairdressing boutique that the women entered was a little out of the way, the look on his face definitely like that of many men. "Tai-Fun!" Kali called out, a Bear Faunus looking up from the magazine that he was currently perusing, the skimpily-dressed Faunus girl on the cover looking like the material of some people's hidden stashes.

"Kali? Oh, by the Fang, it's you." The Bear Faunus got up, walking up to the woman and catching her in an embrace. "When I heard about the assassination I was so worried that it'd be something that the humans had managed to-" His gaze went to Sienna and then to Esmeralda, the recognition in the man's body actually felt by Jaune's emotional perception, as he looked at the front of the boutique. "We're closed now, I think." The man said, as he walked to the front and then locked the door. "You need to tell me everything!"

Jaune sat himself down in one of the chairs, looking at the happenings. "It was horrible, Tai." She said, a raw wave of depressive emotions rushing out of her, as her eyes welled up with tears. The disconnect between the emotions that happened when he was around seemed to have been lifted, as he adjusted his manner of seating for a moment. "Ghira is..." She took a deep breath. "Dead. He died when the crash happened." The look on her face was enough to speak to the imagination, the soul-crushing anguish that featured on her face something that seemed to have only the rawest of emotions present there. Her eyes were wide, watching him with a look that was both fierce as well as docile. "And what... what do you plan on doing now?" The man asked, his eyes nervously going to Sienna.

"Are you..." The man did not finish the sentence, as Kali looked at Jaune. "This is the young Huntsman who saved me from the assassins of the White Fang." The news seemed to shock the bear Faunus, his eyes meeting Jaune's own. A humourless smile came to his lips. "And these people are the ones who will let me get justice for Ghira." The words were unusual to hear from Kali, who regularly seemed to be the one trying to quench such emotions of rage and hatred.

Her eyes blazed with the anger and fury that only a widow could muster, as her claws came out, her fingernails looking capable of shredding through flesh. The shadows wrapped around her slowly, her eyes glowing with the embers of the smouldering rage. "I will **hunt them down."** Her voice turned a little deeper, as the empathy with the people around her simmered down, Jaune's own body quivering at the feeling of the _vitae tenebris_ trying to surge towards Kali's own negative emotions, the contrast between the docile _vitae tenebris_ and this agitated state something that he felt uncertainty about. **"If it was Taurus, I will kill Taurus. If it was Tallow, I will hunt down Tallow. I will not let my husband be unavenged."** Tai-Fun took a step back, intimidated by the effect of Kali's Semblance no doubt. "Kali?"

Her gaze turned to him, fierce and indomitable, her eyes blazing with the anger that she had been keeping cooped up inside her. **"What?"** Her voice was like the rumble of thunder and the crash of lightning wrapped in one, the fear that she caused lesser than the one that She could cause. His eyes met hers and his finger pointed at her. "You're scaring your friend. Turn your Semblance off." His words were perhaps a little harsher than before, yet Kali heeded them, the look on her face still sallow and sour. "Sorry, Tai. It's just..." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's hard, being without my husband." The man nodded. "Especially with the heat. It's hit you two bad, hasn't it?"

Jaune wondered whether it was the warmth outside due to the Mistralian summer, or something like the atmospheric pressure that they were talking about. Sienna spoke up then. "Do you think you can do something about my hair?" She asked, her voice sounding a little desperate. "Of course, Miss Khan. I am a hairdresser specialized in Faunus hair."Esmeralda smiled a little as well. "The roots are turning pale again. Do you think I could also get..."

The man nodded. "Payment will be handled by the blonde guy." Jaune gave a sound in the back of his throat at the thought, knowing that it was one of the realities of the world. Something was gained, something had to be spent. The coin would keep the world turning. "Half off, Kali. You're dead, officially. Can't pay full price if you're a dead woman, now can you?"

The woman faintly smiled as she sat herself down in one of the chairs. "Then I better look appropriate." The hairdresser barked a soft laugh, as he started, motioning for the other women to seat themselves in whatever chair they preferred. He let his mind search for Grimm in the direct vicinity of Mistral city, finding only a few faint emanations from around this section of the city...

' _There's one Seer here.'_ The thought rushed through his mind, coming to the front of his thoughts. His mind connected to it briefly, spotting the empty abode that it lurked in, its tendrils flicking back and forth. The view that he gained from its eye was enough to clue him in that it was kept in a special room, obviously with the intent to be kept like that... so it must have something to do with a traitor.

His mind tried to sort out the different memories that he had obtained in that brief connection to Her. The ancient creature that was Her was laden with memories, small notes about one situation and the other coming to his mind, the names speaking little to his mind, before the names of the current conspirators came to mind. _'Cinder Fall' 'Arthur Watts' 'Tyrian Callows' 'Hazel Reinart.'_ Those were the four acolytes that she had decided upon. They would form the foundation of her will upon the world of Remnant... yet it was not that they held a sliver of the power that She held under her control.

' _I should...'_ His thoughts cut off as he looked at the women currently getting a haircut, groomed for the perfection that they wished for. His thoughts went in a direction that would not endear him to them in the slightest. _'It's a consideration. Nothing is certain yet. No need to cut them off yet.'_ The Seer responded to his whisper of strength, the connection forged to the whole of the Grimm only lasting for an instant, his eyes meeting with the eternal horde that was the Grimm. The spawning pools full of _vitae tenebris_ contained enough of the liquid to continue for a thousand years to spawn more Grimm, even with the Grimm killed by Huntsmen. He could feel Her presence in the web that made up the Grimm, her whole body shimmering with the nodules. Every motion that she made was calculated, her mind guiding the Grimm as one, the Seer network connected to the whole.

 _You are Her. I am Her. We are connected._ The grand Athenaeum in the vale, still intact. The first dance with the Grand Wizard, the blush on her cheeks still present. The last meeting face to face, the accusation made as his face showed his death hurriedly approaching. _I am Jaune Arc. I am my own entity._ The thought steeled him, as he tried to fight the torrent of information. She was unresponsive though, a mercy that he only attributed to the concentration that she was diverting elsewhere. His whole body lit up with his Aura as he channelled it into his core, the warmth of the soul that he projected something that seemed to coax the _Vitae Tenebris_ into a state of relaxation.

He returned to his body once more with his mind feeling weary and tired, his eyes opening to see Esmeralda looking at him. Her hair was as dark as pitch once more, her eyebrows also dyed the same colour once more. _'So it isn't her natural hair colour.'_ The thought was sudden, as she smiled. "Distracted by how good I look?" She asked, the smile on her lips a little more radiant. "Yes." It was the answer that he could give in order not to freak out the hairdresser. Sienna's hair was currently being cut and adjusted, the cut that she currently wore it in being a little longer than she'd apparently wanted it.

"So... Sit with me?" He inquired, indicating the seat next to him. She sat down, adjusting her seating a little so as to not disturb her newly done hair. "What do you think about the current situation?" She asked, as she looked at Kali and Sienna. Kali was chatting with the hairdresser, apparently one of her friends from when she lived in this area, her tone lighter than the vengeful one that she'd used earlier. "About what we'll need to do? Get weapons." The woman nodded. "Afterwards... will you go to Vale?"

' _It would be logical.'_ The powers that he had would be a good boon for the human forces... yet it would also allow them to scorn him for simply not being human. It was the darkness inside him that whispered to him that it would never be alright, that he would always be an outcast. _'I don't think that there would be anyone who would look at me kindly if they figured it out.'_ His family perhaps, in a fit of something that could be called blindness of familial love... but he wasn't going to let his thoughts dwell on that too much. "I will. My family lives near Vytal, so I'd like to go by their house to let them know..." He paused, as he sighed deeply. "That'll be at least a trip with a Bullhead or transport."

"We've got Lien." She said, in order to offer some comfort, her voice sounding a little more direct than the tone she'd taken before. "We can't worry too much about the fees." He knew that the price that they would have to pay would be incremental to the dangers that they would face. "But we'll have to make some good budgets work."

"And done! How do I look?" Kali's voice was excited as she turned to them, his eyes catching the new look. Her ears looked a little touched up with the way that the hair had been trimmed, her cut a little shorter than it'd been during the first meeting that they'd had. "Like you did when I first met you." She smiled at him, giving him a little nod of the head. "But you wouldn't accuse little old me of being not sexy, right?" Her voice held a tease, as she flexed her arm muscles a little. It didn't really show much muscle definition at all, despite the training that she had done with Sienna.

"I think you look good." The best way to get oneself out of the position of being in a woman's sights was to answer that they looked good. Kali preened a little, his mind scrolling back to when he'd been asked by Rowan whether the dress looked good on her, the dangerous look when he'd said that it made her rear look fat something that had been etched in his mind. _'She was really cross with me for a while but Cremea managed to calm her down. It didn't help that the guy didn't want to really date her for her skills...'_ The Arc luck with dating seemed to have been somewhat passed along by the genetic line, with his youngest sister only managing to keep a relationship for over a year... and even that one had been broken up due to the constraints of the life that she led.

' _I wonder what I'd have done, if I still had been with my team at Beacon by now? Would I have had a girlfriend?'_ Weiss' face came by his mind's eye, leaving him to wonder what she was doing. It was a warmth that welled up inside him as he thought about the heiress, a smile on his face definitely noticed by Kali. "Ooh? Are you having any good thoughts about me? I'll have you know that I'm not looking for a relationship right now... but Sienna is still free!"

The Tiger Faunus' head whipped to his direction, the yelp of her mouth coming only a moment later. "I am not some piece of property to be handed off to some human man!" Sienna protested whilst Kali made a shushing noise. "You're my Sienna." She said, her smile soft on her face. "So that means that you're going to be given to the man I choose, in loco parentis!" The statement made little sense as Sienna was an adult, not like him, who was by most respects still a child of seventeen. Eighteen was generally the cut-off date for childhood and teenager-ship or whatever you'd call it, so it wouldn't make sense in that way. "Doesn't she get to make that choice?" He asked.

"Yes, don't I get to make that choice?" She said, indignation in her voice. Kali's smile grew broader, her eyes full of that impish delight as she looked at her friend. "No, this is for your own good. You've been single for over a decade, at least." Jaune didn't know whether that was true, or whether Kali was merely padding it on. Sienna's cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment. "I had a job to do." The refute of the words of the woman was enough to make a soft laugh come from the woman's lips. "And you're now free to do another. A man likes it when a woman does him a job." That went over his head, yet Sienna's response was an angry spluttering.

"I don't get it." He mumbled to himself, Esmeralda giving an exasperated sigh. "You'll get it eventually. Think of it as humour that is both crude as well as unwomanly." He didn't really have much experience with that. Whenever his sisters got together for 'Girl talk', he was always shoved out and told to return later, when they'd vented their frustrations about their various paramours. It usually ended up with him getting ice cream when they wanted to 'eat away their stress'. It was a miracle that they were all still so fit and trim in their forms but a huntsman's life was something that required a lot of energy, so perhaps...

"If you do want us to explain it to you..." Kali said, her smile smug and womanly, as she laid her hands on Sienna's shoulders. "Totally make use of Sienna. She's not had a bit of a scratching of her itch in a while." The Tiger Faunus looked at Kali with a look that was fiercer than before. "I do not need a man, Kali! I am perfectly capable of doing things by myself." The grin on Kali's lips was even worse than the smile had been, the dread in the air that suddenly fell, as Kali leaned against her friend and whispered something in her ear. "Absolutely NOT!"

"Shall we go see whether we can get the weapons crafted?" He asked, the distraction enough to stymie any outbursts from Sienna, as she looked at him with a look that might be gratitude. "You owe me fifty Lien." The hairdresser said, the Lien chip put in front of the man, the look that he got being somewhat less trusting, no doubt due to the friction that was between the Faunus and the humans.

It was a silly issue in his opinion, as Faunus and Humans were all food for the Grimm in the end. There was little distinction between the two races save for the animal traits of the Faunus.

* * *

 _The genius of weaponry (Summer Rose)_

* * *

Her body felt wicked and ready as she knocked on the door leading towards Junichi's workspace, the knock sounding rather loud to her ears, the hood of her cloak up now, with her eyes looking forward, as the door opened up. "Junichi!" Her voice was shriller than she would've normally had it, her tone higher in pitch as the Mistralian weapon smith looked at her with suspicion, the shotgun that he had in his hands still aimed at her. The greying hair was cut in the style of the Mistralian people, the man an immigrant from the higher northern parts of the landmass, his moustache moving with every exhale that he made. "I spoke with your teammate Raven, years ago. She said you were dead." The man's voice held the edge of nervousness, despite the high-pitched tone that it had. "Don't you worry about that! I'm back now! Deep cover mission! Many noodles, big wok!"

The weapon smith's weapon was still trained on her, yet she approached anyways, the man taking a few steps back, the weapon still present. _'I can handle getting shot.'_ Her state of physical presence was dependant on the sludge that was present in Jaune. With her body reconstituted from it, she could weather any strike that would be levelled at her. Her smile was predatory, a change from the friendliness that she knew she should have. "What's your teammate's problem." The question was to control whether she was really there or whether it was an imposter.

"He's got a drinking problem and a skirt-chasing problem."She replied, even as Jaune and the others came into the shop, the shotgun lowered. The weaponsmith looked at the people with her, his attention staying on the two Faunus. "Normally I don't do Faunus customs, Summer." The man said, his eyes looking critically at the two women. "But they're my teammates now!" She said, playing to the man's emotions. She could see that he was getting convinced. "They're still beasts."

She could see Sienna getting ready to start a blaze, her mouth looking one moment away from erupting in a verbal barrage of how things weren't like that. "They may be beasts, but they are my teammates. You know me... Always trying to make the world a better place." The man sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I should do the right thing, like you always said, Summer." The man's eyes went to the weapons that they carried, Summer immediately seeing the man's frown as the assessment of the weapons was given. "You've got some really shite weapons there, my friends."

Summer pulled the two blades out, looking at them for a moment. "They fight well with a bit of an extra edge to them but against Huntsmen..." She paused, sighing deeply. _'They're just not Huntsman-grade weapons.'_ The man nodded. "They'll look good when smithed into a fence or something. Mai!" His voice called for someone, a door in the back opening and a young woman came out, dressed in a leather apron, her skin flush with sweat. "Get our guests something to drink. Tea will do." Summer's heart did a little throb as she stepped forward. "Is this little Mai? Oh my gosh, it's been nearly fifteen years since I last saw you! You've gotten so big that it's almost crazy to think that you could've helped your grandfather out!" The young woman looked at her with a suspicious look. "Have you been talking to crazies again, Grandfather?" The man scoffed, his high-pitched voice speaking up with a hint of annoyance to it. "Get your good tea out. This woman is the one who helped your mother with the birth of your little sister whilst they were here."

"Oh? You're Summer?" The woman seemed to be taken aback, as Summer nodded. "Yep! I've been Summer and I've seen Winter and I've seen Fall and I've got Spring with me so we're all going to be happy and cheery and all!" The rhyme did not make much sense, yet it felt fitting. Junichi and his granddaughter shared a look, watching her carefully as if she'd said something strange. "Of course, that isn't the problem. We need better weapons and your grandfather is one of the best smiths that I know of." The whole thing was silly to think of, of course. One needed better weapons to kill baddies! That's the fact of life that she had always adhered to!

"I'll... deal with that." The smith said as he looked at the others, the distasteful look given to the Faunus members something that she did not quite agree with. "You should take some tea. I'll be getting the blueprints for your swords back out of storage." She smiled at the man. "Thank youuuu!" Her cheery voice echoed in the smithy as she followed after Mai, the woman leading them into the depths of the house. "You there, boy... Stick around. That sword of yours ain't worth the metal it's forged from, I got some questions for you! The other ones can come later, they don't look so complicated to these old eyes."

She was sure that Jaune would be alright, the smith inquiring about the weapons to be made being a regular thing. She remembered that day when she had first commissioned the services of Junichi, with enough time spent for the team to unwind properly. If you had to do all the work on your own weapon, it would be a loss of profit if it broke by some Grimm's efforts or the material was shot to hell by the bandits that you'd hunted. _'I built the first set of swords myself, but if I had to pick a favourite... well, Raven always has those disposable dust blades that'll help her out with her strikes. Qrow should still have Harbinger and Taiyang... hmmm... I wonder if he still kept his gloves.'_ There was only the amusement in her mind now as she skipped a little, the cup of tea that was set before her nearly ten minutes later steaming pleasantly, as the other women seemed unnerved by the manner in which she conducted herself. A smile fit onto her lips perfectly, as her mind sallied onto other things and thoughts. "Soooo... What do you think you'll be wanting for a weapon?"

The discussion was as good a topic as any, as she tried to fit her mind into the stratagem of the leader, as she let herself worry not about the issues that would be down the line, focusing on the present. _'Even if they would pick something outlandish, I'm sure that I can get them whipped into shape. With the experience that Raven and I have, there is no Huntsman in this kingdom that can challenge us._ ' The bond between the two of them was still strong, even with her absence. Raven had her back, as she had Raven's. Personal differences in expression aside, it would still be something of a challenge to engage in... and she still needed to shop for some nice clothes too! _'I guess that I've forgotten about it all when I was inside him. The suit looks nice on him in the mirror though, very Ozpin-like.'_ There was not much else that she could really do when she was inside Jaune, though. _'We should figure out something. Something good-good, not something bad-bad.'_

She let her thoughts roam for a moment, as she looked at the faces of the other women, their attitudes all different, yet workable, in the time that they had. _'A bit of training, some additional lessons in proper blade control...'_

Jaune entered a moment later, Junichi following right after. "Alright, fuzzy ones. You're with me." The man said, beckoning for the Faunus to come with him. _'He's an unusual person, and doesn't really mesh well with people at all.'_

"So, what sort of weapon are you going to get?" Esmeralda asked, curiosity sounding through in her words. "You should go for something that'll make use of your strength." She suggested, as she took another sip of her tea. Esmeralda and Jaune looked at her as if she were making a good point. "Strength is often one of the first qualities that really comes out into the world of Huntsmen. Skill is the second quality that people have, but if you're locking blades with some bastard with bad breath and a horrid sense of fashion, it's best to overpower him." Not that she was capable of MUCH of that. She preferred a more agile combat style than the heavy brute-force approach that Taiyang had. The man's fists could shatter boulders if pressed properly, the man's skill in the art of personal combat something that she respected... Yet completely managed to thrash in the bouts that they'd had. That it'd come with some wild love-making afterwards was beside the point, of course.

"And the third part?" The question came from Esmeralda, Summer's smile something that she didn't even have to focus on thoroughly. She sighed contently. "Strategy. If you can use the terrain to your advantage, you can win any bout. It is all about the Strength to slay, the Skill to make those kills and the Strategy to ensure that your side wins, even if you're bloody and tired." She continued along for a little while, her mouth moving, yet her conscious mind shut off from those thoughts, as she focused on other parts. She saw Esmeralda flush a little, as her mouth continued to work.

"Summer, we don't need to know about how you and your husband did those things." The chastisement from Jaune came at the time when she was just segueing into the next tale about the glories of team STRQ. Mai looked a little uncomfortable, and she knew that she'd just been rattling on about. _'You'd think I was starting to go insane with how much I talk. Does the presence of his body nearby make me odd? Does it influence me?'_ The questions came to her mind unbiddenly, lips pressed tightly together, as she let her thoughts wander to the darker reaches of her mind, with only the mission shining through. _'If we complete the mission, Remnant will be safe.'_

The faces of her daughters flashed in her mind. The thought of putting the blade into them and to eradicate their spark was a chilling one... yet she knew that her duty was thus. _'A word given is one that is given.'_ She could smile and do it, whilst her heart bled. _'I hope you'll never have to see mommy drive the blades into your heart, Ruby. Please...'_

"You've had... extensive training." Esmeralda said, phrasing it in the most benign manner of the fancy-pantsy people. _'Graduated from Beacon, become the most awesome-est team leader of team STRQ, wrestler of the Raven!'_ She nodded at that, her hand bringing the cup of tea up again. "Of course! It's something that I take pride in, you know? Beacon wasn't a school to be invited to if you are a pussy!"

Jaune winced a little, as he looked at her. _'Oh yeah, he had those... things, right? Them transcripts. I wonder where he got those from.'_ The mystery of those intrigued her for a moment before her attention went back to the regular things that had to be done. That he was not fully legitimate in his desire to study and become a Huntsman did not matter to her. _'Anyone can be a great huntsman if they have the will and drive. Raven and Qrow were but mere bandit children, studying and becoming the bestest teammates ever... Well, except the alcoholism. Qrow never really did shy away from drinking.'_

"Jaune, you're doing alright thus far. You could be better, but it's a learning thing! You need to grow more experienced." The face that he made was one of weariness, as he seemed to be glum and overcast, as she let her mind link to his for a moment, noticing his thoughts on the matter. When she was manifested in the world, the thoughts that he had seemed to be louder than when she was inside her little bubble of purity inside him, the feeling of being useful once again bringing her to a level that she was comfortable with.

"You're alright the way you are, Jaune." Esmeralda said, in an effort to comfort him, to assure him of his worth. Her lips twitched a little, seeing the effort that she expended in order to make him comfortable. _'it's just like a girl who's found a boy she likes... This might be the first time that she's ever had the ability to talk to a young man who needs a bit of love and affection.'_ There was plenty of support that she WOULD give to him. It was a deal that they had forged from the beginning when she had been put in the tube, her limbs having been gone for a while. The liquid that she'd been simmering in had not corrupted her form yet... but it had been making good headway on it. _'I owe you my life... and I won't make you suffer, Jaune.'_ The look on Esmeralda's face was nothing if not the perfect expression of a woman who knew what she desired, Summer having some small respect for someone who was able to look at someone with such emotions on her face.

She wasn't going to rob the cradle herself, as it was. It was more of a... well, she didn't get into the nitty-gritty of that too much. Raven had Taiyang now, she was just the mother of Ruby. Esmeralda was her own woman, unattached to Jaune in any fashion besides being a woman who had need of him once and who had been in peril since. With Sienna and Kali, there was a different bond, one that she could only faintly guess at. _'I never really had Faunus teammates. There was this one wolf guy, but he seemed to be more or less busy with his little trinkets. His... I think he had ears? Didn't he have ears? I can hardly remember...'_

"Thank you. I am not that well-trained, but I try my best." He said, Summer's mind supplying a different version of it already. _'If he wanted to be sounding more confident, he'd have to say something like... hmmm... "I will be the man you can rely on!" and give her one of those cheesy smiles that'll just make women's hearts melt.'_ It wasn't like she watched romantic movies or anything in her days off, nope. She totally didn't own one of the Love-Struck in Vale series in its full thirty-book edition. Anyone who thought so would find themselves quickly thinking otherwise.

She could feel the tension inside her body erupt slowly, as her body seemed to bubble and boil, the darkness that she had purified with her silver eyes starting to overwhelm it once more. She could feel the consistency of her body slowly change, as she felt the unease through the connection with Jaune. _'I think the little hero is going to have to be heroic now.'_ She thought whilst she dissipated, appearing back into the darkness inside of him, her whole body feeling fresh as new vigour inserted itself deep in her core. She could feel it bubble up inside her, working and wreathing through her whole core and burning into her very self. _'I can do this... I can be the hero that people need, even if I have to slay innocents. Remnant must be a peaceful place once more... so that the children can grow up without losing their mothers and fathers.'_

* * *

 _The flare of ingenuity (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

As the forge stood before them, she could see several of the metal pokers push from the glowing coals. The forging technique was ancient and less refined than several of the hyper-heated furnaces that could be made. "It's a bit of work, pussycat... But it may be primitive, yet my father's forge still works as well as it ever did." Her look had been caught, enough for the roiling emotions inside her to cease. "What would you suggest as a weapon then, Master Weaponsmith?" She said, her voice sounding like the purr of a creature far more seductive than she'd ever be.

"Keep yer tongue to yourself, fuzzy. I've got a few things in mind for you, but I'd like your opinion on em first. Yer fuzzy friend over there." He pointed at Sienna, whose eyes were picking out marks on the fine blade of a halberd that looked like it had been enhanced a few times with Dust-powered pistons in the blade section. "She's got a good weapon. Solid. Dependable. Needs a bit of a kick to work with, but she'll be deadly with some attachments." The man's hand directed her attention to the staff that laid there upon the workbench, clasped between a vice, ready to be worked on. _'She'd struggled so much with the concept of letting go of her weapon... There wouldn't be anyone who would defend us if we are attacked, save for Jaune and Summer.'_

"A simple dagger wouldn't work well..." The man said, his eyes going over her form as if he were measuring her for something. "It wouldn't work with your build. No offence, but you're short." The man wasn't as tall as he could have been either, yet she knew that she was short. The man pulled out something from below one of the workbenches, putting one handle of a knife in her hand. "Try giving me a stab." The man said, taking a step back. She looked at him, confused about whether he wanted her to stab him. "Just a little stab, like you just found out that I killed your brother or something."

Mustering up the anger inside her, she struck, her hand gripping the wooden handle and then thrusting it at him. The man caught her hand with an easy motion, stopping it. "You're more the type to lurk in the shadows, aren't you?" He mumbled, shaking his head a little. "We're going to have to go Mistralian for your set of weapons. Tiger kitty over there is fine with her bladed staff. It suits her musculature and her build well, but you don't have the coordination to do the intense swings that she'll be doing with a few upgrades." The high pitch of the man's voice hurt her Faunus ears a little, as he laid the handle on the table. "I'll get you a dagger that'll make ending em easier." The man gave her a smirk that sent shivers through her spine, as he approached her a little closer. "Summer's a good girl, she's always got a care for the world outside... But tell me... Will you be using my weapons to kill people who've done wrong?" The question was sudden. She'd expected something different, with the way that he'd gotten close to her. She could see Kali looking at her with a look that was half-expectant, half serious, waiting for her answer.

' _Do I answer him truthfully? The truth is hard to hear..._ _Oh_ _Ghira... You would not like the answer.'_ The man had a right to know. "Yes. I do intend to kill people who have done me a wrong." The weaponsmith nodded. "You're the ex-leader of the White Fang's wife and the previous High Leader, ain't you?" Sienna hissed something that went inaudible due to the sounds of the forge behind her.

"It ain't that hard to figure out, when you come in traipsing with Summer. She's always had a habit of pulling people's bacon out of the fire before they burnt to cinders. Plus, they showed your picture for a bit on the news, since your husband was the Chieftain of Menagerie." The man's eyes looked sneaky in the light of the forge, as the moustache on his lip quivered a bit. "You've got no fear that I'll be leading you two into difficult straits, y'know. I am no man who merely wishes for money or coin. I simply wish that my weapons will be used for their intended purpose."

' _A laudable philosophy, from a man who makes the tools of war.'_ "You have no guarantee that we wouldn't become murderous beasts, as you'd said before." The man had phrased it differently, of course, yet she had not forgotten. "It would be folly to give us armaments that could be used to create a massacre." The weaponsmith laughed, shaking his head at the mere suggestion. "If my weapons slay a thousand people, that means they've been forged well. They'll do their job, regardless of what the owner does. If it kills the Grimm, I'm happy. If bad people get put down by them, my day is better." The man's words were stark, as his eyes sharply regarded her.

"I'm known as Junichi. Its meaning is to be 'pure' in what you are... or well, it's one of the most common manners of describing the origin of the word." The man pulled out something that seemed to be like a wooden frame. "What my weapons do after they leave my shop is none of my concern. It matters not to me whether you are a bandit or whether you are the nicest young woman in the world, as long as you are upfront about your intentions of wielding one of my weapons. There are many weaponsmiths in the world. Many have differing beliefs about what makes a weapon." The man looked at her with a serious expression on his face, as he put the frame out towards her. "Grip the handle in the middle." It looked a little like a clothes iron from the time when there had been less Dust-based technology around, as she held the grip. "Throw a punch." The man said, which she did. "Another." She did so, without any issue. "Good. I'll make sure to innovate the metalwork when I have the frame solidly made."

"What sort of weapon is this?" She asked. "Katar. Ancient Mistralian punching dagger." The man's voice sounded a little distracted, as he began making some notes on a notepad that laid to the side. "Used in close combat against people wearing armour. Not so much in use lately, but paired with the dagger that I will forge, it will allow you flexibility." She wondered how it would work, with one hand holding that... Katar thing, and the other with a dagger. "Summer knows the style. Her dual-wielding blades are light and flexible, yet sharp enough to cut through the armour most of the novice Huntsmen wear." The man made more notes. "With your friend, I have arrangements for an addition to the blade."

' _He sounds convinced that it will be something that I would like.'_ "Are you going to explain what you will do?" Sienna's voice sounded a little irked that the decision was being made. "Flamethrower, ignitable with a push of the button on the hilt. A good investment, for you. Your style should revolve around sweeps and stabs." Sienna did not dismiss that, as she looked at her again, with the look in her eyes turning a little quieter.

"And for Jaune?" She asked, curious about what the smith had in mind. "You'll find out, eh heh heh." The man cackled, shaking his head. "He is a tricky customer... Demanding special work, but Summer has vouched for him." She was curious about that comment, her head tilting to the side. "Vouched?"

The weaponsmith nodded, though he did not elaborate on how she had vouched for him. "Come back in two weeks! You will have the weapons ready then! Junichi does not deliver half-made goods!" The statement seemed to be a mark of his pride, as he looked at the two of them. "Now enjoy my granddaughter's tea! Call in the brunette with the Atlesian accent." The man bent over the forge once more, mumbling something about different specifications, as the coals were poked and heat washed over her. _'Definitely a unique man... but if his work is to be trusted, it would be a boon for us.'_

There was perhaps a hope for her to be fulfilled. If there was any chance for her to be reunited with her daughter... she would have to learn how to fight. _'The White Fang used to stand for peace... But I do not mind getting up to fight for what I think is right.'_

* * *

 _Tensions (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She could see Kali's face be a little grimmer than it had been before, her eyes having lost some of its twinkle as if there had been some event that she was not privy to. Watching Jaune was one of the things that distracted her well enough, even with Summer having disappeared suddenly. Mai had been taken aback by the sudden change, yet Jaune had merely snapped his fingers, Summer stepping out of the shadows with a smile and a 'Sorry, Semblance issue.'. The woman's lie had been believed easily by the woman, even though theoretically it was the truth. Jaune's Semblance would be able to control the Grimm... so what that posed for Summer as an existence, she did not know. It would be far too difficult to accurately put into words the differences between the Semblances and whatever worked with the Grimm... and she hadn't dared to ask yet.

"You're up next. He'll give you a few options to choose from." The rifle that she had to her name was something that she knew how to wield, the mechanisms not as fancy or modern as before, yet working as intended. Point. Click. Boom. Dust cartridges would work to guard her friends and family against the dangers of the Grimm.

As she walked through the door leading to the workshop, she saw the weapon artisan lean over the forge, the heat buffeting his face, as his gaze was directed at the coals that smouldered there in the pit. She smiled faintly at the thought, as she let out a soft cough to seize the man's attention. His odd high-pitched voice was something to get used to, she figured, as his attention came to her completely. "You're the one from Atlas, yes?" She nodded, as the man walked over to a workbench, covered in barrels.

"There are a few rifle options that I can make for you." The man was versed in the art of weapons, with his hands stroking over the barrels of the parts, as he looked at her. "Do you prefer single-shot weapons or more akin to a hose that fires bullets?" He asked, as he fixed her with a look. Clearly, the man was just asking a question.

' _Do I want to have something like a rifle that cuts through enemies with a barrage, or do I want to have focused shots? My semblance can easily account for increases in speed and strength.'_ Glyphs were versatile like that. Speeding up the time around an object was something that was elementary, according to her father, the theory pounded in her head, even though her Aura had never been unlocked before, due to the concerns of her father about her ability. As a woman who had been gifted with wealth, she had never explored her ability before, but now...

"Single-shot." The man nodded, as he made a small adjustment. "Dust rounds?" He inquired. "Naturally." It would be silly to think of a Schnee without Dust. A handful of Dust cartridges were put on the table, as the man looked at them. The sparks from the forge danced, even as the cartridge numbers registered in her mind. _'Medium-Grade... Mined in Vacuo.'_ She let her fingers touch one of the Gravity dust cartridges, turning it around in her hands, looking at the way that the Dust bullets glimmered. Without the proper force, they would be inert. _'Dust is a volatile thing... I wonder how he has managed to keep from getting blown up.'_ "It is very dangerous to store Dust ammunition near a source of heat. The Schnee Dust Company is not liable to be held accountable for any accidents that you might have." The rote response to improper Dust management came from her lips without a warning, as the man grinned. "These are just the bargain bin bullets." _'They are of a decent grade. They would do. Only the cheap would stick with the low-quality dust. The medium-grade are good for working as a Huntsman. Only the high-quality stuff is fully usable for Dust-based combat.'_

"It isn't whether they are cheap bullets. They are still ammunition and should be treated as such." She responded, her voice sounding like she was lecturing a child. The weaponsmith grinned in response still. "You know nothing about good Dust-forging, miss. It is not through the raw Dust that the power comes..." The man pulled up what seemed to be a wooden model of a rifle. "Test this out." He handed it to her, and she did so, the weight of the fake rifle against her. His hands pulled a tape measure out of the pockets of his apron, starting to make some measurements of her shoulders. "Not bad." The man said, as he looked at the way that she held it. "Do you prefer a motorized edge or something that's like a blade?" She gave it a little thought. Ideally, she would never be anywhere near the actual fighting, so there was no real need for her to invest in a melee weapon to the weapon that she'd wield... But it could never hurt. "Straight edge. I don't think I'd be able to do much of the maintenance if it was motorized." The weaponsmith nodded. "You don't have the technological skills to work with the engines, then." He stated, as if that made sense.

"Alright, you should definitely get some of the .90 calibre rounds from one of the suppliers of Dust ammunition. The mechanism through which they are loaded into the rifle will be a Strudel-Weissner with custom-built loading chamber." The technical aspects of the words went over her head. She had been glad when she'd been able to buy some Dust ammunition in the village a few days ago, but this... Calibre thing... She was a woman who worked with Dust and did not have the know-how to make adjustments to a weapon. "I'll make sure to get the required ammunition." She said, the weaponsmith looking at her for a moment. "Regularly, people design their own weapons. Do you have any input?" He held up a small drawing that he'd seemingly finished in the span of several seconds. Interesting shapes were outlined, the general outline of the weapon taking shape. It seemed like the Wonchester rifles that she'd heard about from her father, the mechanized outer shell looking like something that'd put it in the modern day. An edge was underneath the barrel, sharp and deadly-looking, obviously meant for melee. _'It'll look a bit better if...'_ She grabbed the pencil and added a few slight adjustments, the style of the rifle a bit more modern, resembling one of the Atlesian sniper rifles. "This'll be a bit more to my style." The man looked at it and looked thoughtful. "Atlas style isn't really something I like, young lady." She could see that much. It would be a harder task if she actually had to convince him to forge a weapon for her. "I am from Atlas. It is where my heritage lies."

The man nodded after a moment. "One high-tech rifle for you, coming up. It'll cost your pretty boy leader a bit more though. I haven't had to get the reflectors yet... _"_ The man seemed to be distracted for a moment as he pulled the scribbled drawing to him, making a few adjustments to the design with a few quick strokes of the pencil. "This should add stability, and the blade can be sharpened a little easier. Think of it as a polearm, if you wish." The man's eyes glinted with amusement. "Atlas style, yet Mistralian ingenuity!"

"Thank you for your time, Mister Junichi." The woman said, as the man looked at the drawings, a dismissive gesture with his hands. "Enjoy your tea. I'll be making the blueprints first..." His voice trailed off, as he seemed to get into the process of working on weaponry.

"Hey Es." Kali said as she raised her cup of tea in salute to her, sipping from the hot brew for a moment and enjoying the taste. As she sat down once again, Jaune looked at her with concern. "Is everything alright?" The question was a little odd, yet she could see that Sienna was looking away from the door, a sullen look on her face. "Did something happen?"

Jaune did not answer, as he looked at Sienna. The Faunus woman looked at her with a glare, turning away a moment later, as if there'd been something that she was missing out on. "What's the matter?" She asked. Kali looked at her with an apologetic manner. "It's not you, Es. Sienna was just a little impulsive." The Faunus woman looked at Kali as if she were mad. "Impulsive? I... She's..." The woman seemed to be unable to formulate her words, giving her an angry glare. "You insinuated things!" She finally spat out, the thought of that bringing a frown to her face.

' _When did I insinuate anything?'_ The look on Sienna's face was enough to cause her to feel some slight worry, as the woman's eyes went back to Jaune. "And you take her side!" She could see Jaune's hands go up in an effort to ward off the accusations. "I don't! It's not that I'd want to take her side, but I can't really judge! I was asleep!" The glare that she got from Sienna was back in full intense flavour, meeting her with that look of utter disdain that seemed to have some dark notion below it. _'Was it about the comment I made about cats keeping me up?'_

She could understand it if that was the case. It might have been a little crude to refer to them as 'cats', but they were both Feline Faunus. "I apologize, if my words had been interpreted as a slur or a rudeness. It was not my intention." The look of fiery anger in Sienna's eyes seemed to slowly fade to a mere simmer. She could see from the corner of her eyes that Jaune looked relieved at the admission of guilt. "Don't do it again." Sienna said, even though she seemed ready to put more towards an argument. "We should plan on what we are to do today. We've hired the hotel room already, so we can allow a bit of additional exploring for the rest of the day." Jaune's suggestion would have been perfect for another situation, yet her eyes were still focusing on Sienna, seeing how the Faunus woman's face changed a little. "But..." She started, his gaze to her.

"You don't want to cause an argument, do you?" He said, voice sounding stricter. It was a more decisive side to him that she had not seen before, even with Summer being present around him, a dark thought inside her mind rising up. **'** _ **It is the right of the strong to command the weak. He has shown that he is the one who commands, not one who merely follows. The Tigress will know how to fear the leader if she wishes to remain intact.'**_

It was such a strange thought that she reflected on it immediately. _'Did I ever have the thought of seeing him as a leader that would punish us?'_ Imagining him punishing them was something that she could not fathom. Only in the strictest manner of address could she see him, as he directed them to work together without a fault. It would be the test of their bonds, even with the world being against them. Was it merely the chance that he had to assert his dominion, that let such thoughts rose to her mind?

Her mind went back to the kiss that she had stolen, the feeling of pleasant warmth inside her body changing to freezing cold. There had been an energy inside him, between the two of them, working with him to conquer whatever was left of her resistance and to subjugate her... _'Was it all a ploy from him? Was he stringing me along, in order to use me for his dark designs?"_ Looking at him with her eyes going for those minute hints in the body language, she could see none of that, as she let her gaze linger there on the young man's body, her body responding with a flare of heat. **'** _ **Servitude to the whims of one greater than I is not a flaw, it is to culminate in the success of our goals.'**_

The thought was... not normal. An image of her husband came to mind, their marriage failed long ago. There was no servitude in that, save for the slavery that was called being his wife. It had been the death of her dreams and hopes and the start of her own alcoholism. _'I need a drink again...' '_ _ **There is no joy in bearing this grudge... yet there will be bliss in enacting its revenge.'**_ An image of her husband, shot up by her own Dust rounds. Another image of pleading from his mouth, as her fingers adjusted the grip on her weapon, the final round like thunder, as flames erupted from the body that ceased its life upon the mortal coil.

' _ **Allow the anger to flow... It is not wrong to show it. Be free. The anger feeds our needs. The blood inside our body is pure, as the needs burn. Seize that which you wish for... Be free.'**_ The thoughts brought forth images that she would be embarrassed to recall later, the touch of flesh upon flesh, of a moment in time that never would be. The hickeys on her skin, her whole body aflame with the need as she cried out in bliss, only to lay like a sweaty woman of the night next to the man who had caged her heart like an exotic bird's cage, gilded with gold and silver.

' _ **You deserve what you desire. Did you not kiss him, Whitney Schnee? Is it really such a difference if there is more contact between the two of you? You should seize your chance...'**_ Her thoughts were going into the weirdest directions, directions that she would have never imagined herself take, her whole mind consumed for a moment with those thoughts.

' _Am I affected by his presence? Are my thoughts my own?'_ The haunting thought startled her, as a hand laid on her knee, the gesture intimate. She could see a worried-looking Kali give her a look of concern, Jaune's hand on her knee firm. The emotions inside her seemed to drain away, the darker parts of her mind whispering to her – **'** _ **The touch of the one who guides you feels like a flame to which you can flock...'**_ She did not dismiss that thought, as he looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "We're leaving, Esmeralda."

Fear flashed through her mind, thinking about what he had said. _'He's leaving? No, they are leaving me? Why do they want to leave me? Am I a burden now? Do they really dislike me for being a bit grouchy about lost sleep?'_ The caring expression on his face assured her though, as his hand rubbed over her knee, the feeling of gratitude inside her welling up even more. Her heart throbbed, as she looked into those mismatched eyes of his. "You've zoned out a few times. If there's something that's bothering you, tell us. I'm sure that we can help, although if you need a doctor..." He trailed off.

"No, I don't need a doctor. I'm just..." She sought for an excuse, trying to come up with something reasonable. "My sister-in-law died. So I'm just remembering her." A look of sympathy came over his face as he remembered the last night. She did as well, her cheeks flushing just a bit more. _'I would have taken that chance at that time if I hadn't...'_

"Yes, that happened indeed." He said, nodding. Sienna and Kali gave him a look, as they didn't know the full story it seemed. "Someone of the Schnee family died." He said, in order to clarify it. Sienna's face actually showed some amusement at the thought, another good reason why she would not be getting anywhere near divulging her status to that woman. Jaune got up though. "Let's get going. Thank you, Mai." He thanked the woman, who nodded at him. "It is our pleasure to receive guests." She said, as she showed them out. The sound of whirring and drilling could be heard from the forge, where the weapon smith seemed to be busy with his trade.

She hoped that her rifle would be amazing. Who wouldn't want to have something that'd be able to shoot and stab, right?

* * *

 _The mornings that we forget. (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As the morning rolled around once more, he could feel the burning of his muscles as he rolled out of bed. Sienna and Kali were crawled up against each other, the older woman snoring softly, whilst Sienna's body seemed more balled up than anything, her hands laying off the edge. Esmeralda had managed to keep herself out of his way, her body half-laid over the edge, her hair touching the floor. _'She'll have a nasty crick in her neck if she keeps sleeping like that.'_ He got out of the bed and headed for the shower, sparing a moment to give Summer a light brush through the hairs. The woman's face lightened for a moment as she turned her gaze back to the bed. "Want me to come with you when you go out?"

He'd been taking long jogs through the neighbourhood every morning, as the date for the weapons to be completed was still about a week out. With his body requiring the conditioning to make good use of the new weapon that he had commissioned of Junichi, he knew that a bit of cardio would go a long way. _'The training schedule that I worked on would have been something that'd hit my body a bit too hard.'_ There had been little chance to alter it, Summer's voice tingling in his mind. _"Don't be gone for too long. Breakfast will be around soon. I'll eat all the buns if you don't appear in time."_

He started on his jog without a pause, letting his feet carry him onwards, through the morning crowd. With his footfalls on the pavement, the new shoes that he'd bought carried him on with little more sound than the tapping of his feet on the stone. "Hey! Blonde guy?!" Someone calledout to him suddenly, making him stop. Wiping some sweat off his brow, he could see that it was a tall youth with a bright blue shock of hair on his head. "Did you happen to see a monkey Faunus?" The question was something that he actually had to pause to think about. He had seen some Faunus, but hadn't really seen any money faunus that he'd accurately remember.

"I've seen you running by a few times during the morning, so I figured I'd ask you whether you had seen him. We are going to leave for the Vytal festival soon, so I hope to find him..." The question was honest, yet he shook his head. "The Vytal festival, eh?" He didn't really remember much about the Vytal festival. They had their home near the island, yet the significance of the festival wasn't something that he could readily recall.

"It's this big tournament for all the Huntsmen across the world to enter to foster cooperation between the people of every kingdom." The answer came, as the young man spoke, his voice sounding like he'd spoken about the topic more than once. "Our team leader is rather impulsive, so if you haven't seen him... He probably went there already." The thought rose to Jaune's mind about the travel distance. "How long would it take to get to Vale by boat?" He inquired, the young man giving a soft and thoughtful sound. "About three weeks or so? He's been missing for a month and a half now." The thought of travelling for three weeks was something that was bearable for him at least. Three weeks was more than enough time to get used to the new weapons that were being forged. "Are you a huntsman?"

' _Am I a huntsman?_ ' He wondered, thinking to himself. "I'm one in training. I came here in order to find me someone that could forge me a weapon." The young man gave a sound of understanding. "Good choice. There's some top prized smiths here... but they don't really just accept anyone. It takes a special someone to refer you for most of them. Souichiro Matarane is one of the most prominent people to craft weapons for the prices that are available. My weapon is one too. " The trident that unveiled itself before him suddenly was a surprise, as Jaune inhaled sharply. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. Neptune Vasilias, a pleasure."

He smiled, as he extended his hand in order to shake Neptune's. "Jaune Arcadia."The addition of 'adia' was in honour of Arcadia, the lost ancient kingdom which had stood against the Grimm for a thousand years.

"Want to spar sometime after you get your weapon, if you're still around before we leave?" Neptune asked, adjusting his jacket a little, the goggles slipping down over the eyes. "I should get these adjusted..." The teenager mumbled. "Are they special goggles?" Jaune inquired, trying to show some interest, so as to not make this an awkward conversation.

"Nope, they just compliment my style. The biggest combat intellectual, that's me." The confident look that he had on his face definitely did not seem to be matching the look in his eyes, which showed the uncertainty that Jaune could pick up inside of him. "Dude, you're looking at me funnily."

He realized that he'd been staring for a while, sighing a little. "Sorry, I just thought you looked a little uncertain there." The look of relief on Neptune's face was visible, as he gestured towards one of the small bakeries to the side. "Can I buy you some breakfast?" Jaune's eyebrow rose at the offer. "Sure thing, but I'm just some stranger." The Haven student grinned. "Strangers are just people who haven't seen the Sun... Or so my team leader used to say. He called me a nerd plenty of times, simply because I've gotten a good head on my shoulders that I'd like to use. Nah, I figured that you'd like some breakfast. It's just a few Lien and a bit of conversation." _'It's not like I've got anything else to do. Summer said something about the breakfast arrangement, but it's not like I'm actually expected back.'_ He could smell the sweat on his skin, as he realized that he'd fallen silent. "Let's go get something to eat, then."

Thirty minutes later, Neptune was speaking about one of the crazy missions that they'd been on during their earlier semester, involving three Beowolves and one girl who had the 'nicest legs you'd ever seen, dude', in Neptune's own manner of speaking. Thus far, Jaune's opinion on the young man was that he was a well-meaning individual with a good relationship with his team. "So, I was like 'Sun, watch out!' and then there was this Beowolf who came at us, all like 'I'm going to eat you!'." The storytelling was a little different than he'd imagined it to be, as a Beowolf would hardly have the intellect to make such an elaborate sentence, yet he kept himself silent.

"Would you like to order something else, sir?" The waitress that had attended to them had changed ever since they'd sat down. The young woman must not have been much older than twenty, yet Jaune could feel the emotions within her swirl. "Oh, you can put me down for one order of 'your phone number', miss." The flirty tone that he used seemed to be enough to coax a flash of warmth from the young woman. "Oh?" She said, setting her hands on her hips. "Does that mean that you'll be placing another order?" He winked at her, Jaune's fingers drumming on the table. "I'd like another can of soda, please." He ordered, his order going ignored by the girl. "A can of soda for my friend here... and a nice cup of coffee poured personally by you for me."

"How'd you manage to do that?" He asked, Neptune looking at him for a moment, a sheepish grin on his face. "Just confidence, I guess. Why? Girl trouble of your own?" Jaune thought back for a moment, as he tallied up the moments where he'd woken up to find one of the women having cuddled up to him in their sleep, in varying states of undress. It wasn't something that he really minded, in one dark part of his mind. _'If it had been Weiss, cuddled up to me and holding on to me tightly, I don't think I would've been able to stop...'_

Esmeralda was a perfectly pleasant woman, suffering from her own loss, whilst Kali and Sienna seemed to prefer to keep to themselves as if there was not enough time for them to fully rationalize their existence. Sienna's eyes seemed a little more rational these days, with the amount of hate inside her decreasing slowly, as if the acceptance of the current situation had become something that she'd been integrating quicker. "Well, these women that I am teamed up with." _'Can I even call it being teamed up with? We're working together to achieve the same thing. I wouldn't let them travel alone... That's not what a Huntsman does.'_

"Oh?" Neptune leaned forward, leaning on the small table. "A can of soda for you, and a cup of coffee for you, cutie." The waitress said, as she set the drinks in front of them. "Are they good-looking?" Thinking about it made him frown. It wouldn't be wrong to say that they had their own appeal. Sienna was a fit woman, able to move through whatever training exercises that she was practising with Kali. She would be able to fit into any situation without issue or fault. She was petite and firm in her musculature, passionate about the Faunus and their situation and unwilling to compromise. Kali was basically the more motherly archetype, with her care and her sociability, able to fit herself into any situation and make the best of it without trying too hard. She was a woman who knew how to make people be soothed with her words, able to inject herself into any conversation that was to be had without it feeling forced.

Esmeralda... She definitely oozed the refinement from time to time, when the relaxed attitude slipped away and the serious side came out. "I think they are pretty good-looking." He said, admitting that at least. Esmeralda definitely was one of the women that were very good-looking with the aesthetics, her Weiss-like manners leaving him to feel conflicted from time to time. "Oh? Do you have any pictures?"

Jaune snorted. "No scroll. I lost it..." He wondered how long he'd survived without a Scroll. Even the news now felt strange, as he lagged behind with the newsworthy events. "A while ago." He could feel a bit embarrassed about it, but he wasn't going to let his thoughts turn gloomy, with his mind focusing once more on the positive parts. He didn't need a Scroll to remember his friends. He didn't need to keep pictures of his company nearby. They were here with him. "You should introduce me then." The young Huntsman in training seemed to be cheered by the thought, even as Jaune shifted a little. _'It can't hurt to introduce him, right?'_

Thirty minutes later, as he stood in the elevator without Neptune, he wondered whether he'd done the right thing in leaving the young man in the lobby. A quick shower would be needed in order to clear himself up a little, as the niggling thought in the back of his mind told him that it might be a bad idea to do this. He exited the elevator a moment later, to allow himself a brief spell to gather his thoughts. _'How do I sell this to them?'_ Summer would be on board with it, if she were to show herself. She was one of those people who could be terribly moody if it were needed, the way that she seemed to shift from mood to mood being confounding, even with the woman's attitude changing frequently.

"Hey Jaune." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding a little more pleasant than before, a bun in her mouth. "Going for a shower. I've made a friend, so I'm going to freshen up." A raised eyebrow came from her, as he rushed past her, Kali looking up, her fingers tapping away on the remote, the channel changing to an aquarium. "Morning." She said, as he disappeared into the shower. He briefly wondered where Sienna was, only to have that question be answered, the woman clad in only a towel, the toothbrush scrubbing her teeth freezing, as her head turned in his direction, her damp hair sticking to her face. "Sorry!" He said, as he pulled out of the bathroom, Kali giving a soft smile. "She should be done in a moment." The door opened and Sienna stepped out, her glare something that hadn't lessened in the least, the toothbrush having been put in the beaker that they'd put it in, allowing him the chance to get clean. As he stepped into the shower cubicle, he allowed the hot water to wash away the sweat, his clothes discarded beforehand. With the clothing that Huntsmen used, it was only a short rinse and deodorant spray away for being fresh as a fiddle. Washing machines would be better, but he knew how to care for them in a cinch. Sienna had expressly taught them all how to field-rinse your clothing, so that there wouldn't be something left in them that could make you sick during their time together for the month before the bandit situation.

Summer had added her little tips, and as he pushed himself out of the shower, the presence of Summer once again made itself known. " _I'll dry your back."_ Her voice was chipper as he could feel her presence beside him, as her hand rubbed the towel over his back. Pain flared from the wounds that Ruby Beornir had inflicted, the anger still simmering there in his core, the memory of the pain having been something that he could only recall sharply. Her features though... they were like the heated point of a flaming sword, those eyes of hers mad and without empathy for him.,

As he dried his front, he became aware that Summer had just dried his back, watching as she stepped out of the bathroom and then left him, the set of underwear that he had come in with quickly worn. He felt the brush of air against his skin, as he wrapped a towel around his waist, going for the clothing that he'd discarded. He picked up the pants and then the shirt, pulling them on, the jeans feeling a little damp after the run. _'Probably should head to a Laundromat for a short while.'_ There was enough for him to worry about otherwise.

' _Now..._ ' He could see Esmeralda already being fully dressed, standing there in her combat outfit, ready to go out into town, her dark hair tied up in a single ponytail. It didn't hold quite the appeal as it held when loose, yet he knew that she would be an exemplar of style. "We're staying put for now." Kali said, as she changed the channel again. Sienna was giving him a glare that seemed to increase in potency with the length of time that it was on him, as if she blamed him for something. The faint hint of her emotional state was enough to clue him in that she was probably suffering from 'the cramps', as his sisters had once put it.

"Have a good time with your new friend, Jaune." Kali said, nudging Sienna in the side. The Bengal Tiger Faunus looked at her friend and sighed. "Enjoy." She said, unenthusiastically. It would be enough for her to say as much, if she were required to do so. As they got into the elevator together, Esmeralda leaned against him. _'She's no doubt tired. Those cats seem to have quietened down a bit, according to what she's said.'_ The woman was not too shabby in her directness in his opinion, as she let her head lay against his shoulder. "Have you ever wondered why we are here on this world?" She asked, as the blinking light slowly descended, down towards the lobby. "Probably because we've got a world to save." The safe answer, bringing a smile to her lips. "Perhaps." She replied, as she straightened out, her arm still hooked around his.

"Jaune!" Neptune's voice reached his ears first, as his light blue hair caught his attention immediately, even as he stepped out of the elevator with Esmeralda, her hand grabbing his own. A smile played on her lips as she pulled him a little tighter to herself. "Is that your friend?" She asked, shifting her manner of standing a little so as to add a little bit of weight to him, her body leaning against his.

"Yeah, his name's Neptune. I ran into him at the baker's shop." He saw the blue-haired young man approach, looking at Esmeralda, his eyes looking clearly in the area's where a man's interest would be at. She shifted a little as she saw the young man come closer to the two of them.

"Hello there, miss." The young man said, Jaune detecting a look in his eyes that reminded him of some of his sister's exes. Those men had been making similar eyes at the sisters that he loves and cherishes, his guard up immediately. "Jaune told me about the company he keeps and I had to see what lovely young woman has drawn his attention." Esmeralda gave a polite laugh, her hand in front of her mouth, a mannerism that wouldn't look out of place with the nobility of Atlas.

"Of course." Her hand touched over his shoulder, lingering there a moment longer than he would have thought. "He's my darling hero." She smiled at him, the smile genuine, as he could tell. _'She must really feel fondly about my rescue. I mean... I wouldn't have liked it if she were to have died. I mean... the bad guys can die, but not... them.'_ She stroked over his shoulder. "Would you like to go and have a cup of coffee with me, Miss?"

' _I don't think that's going to be working on her.'_ She smiled faintly, her eyes a touch chillier. "And who might you be, to ask me out?" Her voice was still warm, yet there was an edge in it that was nigh-perceivable by the people who did not know her well. "Simply one of his new friends. You're not in a relationship together, are you?" He gave a questioning look at Jaune, who shook his head.

"Hmmmhmm." Esmeralda seemed thoughtful about the subject, as her eyes burned as she gazed at him. "No, she's eh... I think she's divorced?" He said, the look in Esmeralda's eyes turning a little frostier. "So, my name's Neptune. Neptune Vasilias. How about you and I go for a cup of coffee?" The offer was nice, yet Jaune thought that it would be something that Esmeralda would deny. He couldn't see her going out for a cup of coffee with Neptune. "Esmeralda Gelé." She said in a clipped, curt tone.

The smile on her lips was devious as she leaned forward, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'm sorry to decline your kind offer, I don't date people younger than my eldest daughter." She said, her tone gentle and pleasant to the surface, yet carrying within it the biting tone of a mother who chastised someone who'd made a rude offer to her. "My eldest daughter is twenty-two."

The look on his face was something that she seemed to relish, the confused look on his face definitely having something of a spark lit inside her. "And you know what, Mister Vasilias?" Her voice was a little smug, something clearly planned. "It is not a good idea to immediately go for the women that look 'appealing' to your eyes." She reached forth and touched his nose. "Because if you were to try something like that in Atlas..." The finger lingered on his nose, the gesture not stopped by Neptune, seemingly ensorceled by Esmeralda's motion.

"You're going to get tossed out in the cold." A little push she gave to him, a brief flash of something white appearing there, as she let her hand drop, Neptune laying on his back a few meters away, looking at the woman. "Jaune, I am going to see whether there is anything happening. See to your... friend." The look on her face told him plainly that she was hardly amused, her steps with a little bit more force than she'd usually walk, moving away.

"Are you alright?" He asked, offering a hand to help him up. The smile on Neptune's face did not reach his eyes, as he took the offered hand and was pulled up. "Yeah. She's one hell of a woman, don't you think?"

He thought differently about things than most. "I've seen worse." Especially one who would gladly perform genocide on everything non-Grimm that lived on this planet, his eyes going to Esmeralda, leaning against the desk of the receptionist. Her derriere stuck out, as she spoke with the receptionist. "I wish you luck with that one, Jaune." Neptune said, a laugh coming from Jaune's mouth. "She'd never go for me. I'm much too young for her to care for."

"Hey, you don't know, dude. That look she gave you was pretty fierce if you know what I mean. That ice queen looks like she'll need you to thaw her out." The thought of Esmeralda ever liking someone like him in a manner that was like a wife to her husband was ludicrous. _'The age difference alone is staggering! Her eldest daughter is five years my senior!'_ "Good luck with that." Jaune cleared his throat, catching Neptune's attention. "Your team leader, what does he look like?"

The question of earlier had been something that he'd wondered about. Monkey Faunus were not something that was common but there was a lot of variation in the Faunus population. "Ah, let me get a picture up..." Neptune pulled out his scroll, the screensaver something that was not quite suitable for the decent folk to see, slid aside, a picture wheel appearing on the Scroll, the picture pulled up.

"Ah, blonde... Are those his abs?" Jaune was impressed at the care for the abs that he saw there, the musculature looking perfectly sculpted to appeal to the aesthetics of the people. "He wears that shirt like it's part of his getup. We've been trying to get him to wear something with a bit more modesty... The girls always seem to go all weak-kneed when they see him." The image of the blonde Faunus was something that he could imagine happening, the cheerful grin on the young man's face as his tail wrapped around Neptune's weapon, his eyes giving a cheerful zest of life outward as an emotion. "He looks like a pleasant fellow."

Neptune nodded. "We're not the most confrontational, us of team SSSN." The admission of his own faults was something new. _'Maybe he's just feeling like we could be friends.'_ The suspicion in the back of his mind was enough to worry about for him as he tried to squash the urge that Neptune might just be friendly to him due to his womanly associates. _'They wouldn't like to be under such scrutiny. He seems to go for a girl that appeals to his eyes without any shame.'_

"I wasn't that confrontational either, back when I had my team." He lamented. Pyrrha undoubtedly would still lecture him on how it would be proper to emulate certain things from team RWBY, though lecture wasn't really the word for it. With her, it was more the suggestion that they hold some training sessions... which he had failed at, spectacularly.

"Did they..." The blue-haired Haven student asked, Jaune shaking his head. "No, they're alive, as far as I know. My partner... She's really good." He smiled softly, as he sighed. _'Pyrrha would know what to do. She was this champion chick, right?'_ He hadn't really seen much of the advertisement on the TV, as Kali had basically decided that she'd hog it, watching her shows back to back.

"One of those types that's always the best at everything, always looking out for the rest of her team, right?" Jaune nodded as Neptune spoke, the two walking towards the door. "Yeah, she's really cool. Pyr always had the answer to every question that I asked." He smiled faintly at the thought of his partner, as he wistfully sighed. "They're half the world away, it feels." _'I don't really know how far Vale is from Mistral, so that'd be accurate.'_

"Hey dude, if you get near a screen, watch us in the Vytal festival, will you?" Neptune said, giving a grin. "We'll make sure that you get a show that you'll LOVE." Jaune's face turned to a smile. "Sure, if we aren't going to watch it up close and personal. We're heading to Vale after we finish our business here at Mistral." Neptune nodded. "Are you getting your supplies ready?"

"Yeah, Junichi is forging our new weapons. Someone recommended his services and I hope that he'll do a good job." Neptune whistled a little after Jaune said that, impressed apparently with the weapon smith's quality. "He's a bit strange, asking all those questions and sounding so high-pitched, but apparently he does good work."

"He's one of the best smiths in Mistral, dude. People would have to wait YEARS before he'll have the time to see you, if he even agrees to make a weapon for you at all." That was news that Jaune did not know yet. _'Did Summer know that?'_ The question arose in his mind, even as Neptune seemed to focus on something entirely different altogether. "You're lucky that he's making you a weapon. He's old-school and makes his stuff all custom."

"He just seemed like a bit of an odd old man. A friend of mine's partner recommended him to us." Neptune whistled, impressed by that he'd apparently gotten himself weapons forged by a well-known smith. "That must've been some friend of yours. Is it that older woman that's been hanging off you?"

"No, Raven Branwen." The name wasn't much to him, save that she was a bandit tribe's chieftain. Neptune's face showed confusion. "The name sounds familiar but..." The Scroll was pulled up, tapping of the fingers on the displayed keyboard typing in the name. "Oh, that's..." The scroll was turned to him, a picture of Raven Branwen staring back at him, taken a while ago. "That's her." He said.

"Damn, you know some weird people, Jaune." Neptune mumbled, as he looked through the list of text that was mentioned below. "Bandit chieftain, Huntsman, a three million Lien bounty on her head... It's no wonder that you'd get a swift spot if she recommended you to Junichi. The man must be terrified for his life." Jaune begged to differ. The man had seemed to be comfortable around Summer, having said that he'd forge the weapons that she preferred without a problem, which meant that he'd have some sort of affection for her. "She is a fierce woman, indeed." He said.

"Dude, I'm not going to turn you in, even if you're some bandit or something. You seem like a good fellow, and well... I guess you could call it a weird sort of kinship." Whatever Neptune was getting at, Jaune didn't get. "I hate bandits." _'Ruby Beornir was one. She will rot in whatever dark hell she's been sent to after her death.'_ The anger on his face showed, Esmeralda clearing her throat, no doubt to snag his attention. "We're going to walk." She announced, the demand in it clear to his ears. It was not something that he could get out of, easily. She seemed to have made her decision clear, giving Neptune a look that was like one of Professor Goodwitch's. "Mister Vasilias, I bid you a good day." She pushed him along without another word, leading him out of the hotel, leaving Neptune there. "I'll come and see you again sometime, Jaune!" Neptune called out to him, as Esmeralda pushed him along, like some child that needed guidance.

"Let go of me, please." He said, as Esmeralda steered him along, her arm wrapping around his in the manner that most of his sisters did. Clingy and possessive, in a manner. Her emotions were mingling, burning and freezing at the same time. "Your friend is rude." She said, her voice clipped. "Please do not associate with him too much."

"What's the matter?" He asked, as she looked at him, her steps a little more relaxed than before. "I've seen his type before." Her voice sounded weary, as she looked up to the morning sky. Her eyes were difficult, her gaze resting not at one point specifically.

"The type who means well, yet cannot commit to a single woman." Her voice was enough to clue him in that she'd seen the type before, as she sighed deeply. "I knew a man like that once. A fun boy, always up for a smile and a tease... But loyal to nothing but his own pleasure." The woman sighed, her eyes turning to him. "I may not be able to make a difference, but please..." She looked genuine in her desire to fix whatever she saw wrong. "Don't take after his example." _'Why is she trying to get me to disassociate from him?'_

"Esmeralda, please..." Her hand gripped his arm tightly. "Promise me." Her voice was strict, her eyes meeting his own. "Don't turn into some..." Her breath hitched. "Some playboy. We're your friends, even Sienna." The woman's eyes were pleading. "I-no, We, we wouldn't want to see you gallivanting after your next conquest." The tone of her voice changed slightly, a more hesitant, uncertain tone of voice being used.

"I don't think anyone would. I mean..." He looked around, not sure how to deal with the way that she'd treated Neptune. It was rough and not very sociable, yet he did ask her out for a cup of coffee. He thought that it'd be something with her mood, the volatility of it even worse now. _'Why do women have to be so conflicting?'_ He wondered. "I'm nothing much." She narrowed her eyes. "You are not 'nothing much', Jaune. You're the man who I would trust my life to, forever." The words snapped from her mouth, her cheeks pale, then flushing.

"That is... I trust you. You haven't done anything bad to us." Her voice sounded hesitant, as he guided her towards one of the many eateries at the side. She let him, it seemed, as he indicated a seat at one of the tables. "You're dependable, trustworthy... even a bit silly." Her smile was bitter, as her eyes looked a little moist. "Please... Don't say that you aren't worth anything. I would not want the man that I l- appreciate the company of to feel like he isn't worth anything." Her words seemed hesitant, wrung with the urgency for acceptance. _'She seems to...'_ The warmth of emotion inside him made the _vitae tenebris_ shudder, as he took a deep inhale and exhale. "Would you like to order something?"

"Some red wi-, no... I'll have a soda. It's too early for wine." Esmeralda's voice sounded a little forlorn, as she looked at him. "And your son?" The woman inquired. Esmeralda winced visibly. "He's not my son. He's..." Here she paused for a moment, as she seemed to try to come up with something believable. "He's the Huntsman who's supposed to help me get home." The waitress nodded. "I'll have a soda." He said, the awkwardness of the situation definitely something sharp in the air between them. Esmeralda looked a little out of touch, her eyes meeting his and then going down to the table as it was, seemingly dealing with something that he couldn't quite grasp.

"Your drinks, Sir, Miss." The waitress stated, as she set the two soda-filled glasses in front of the two of them. Jaune pulled out a wallet that he'd bought, pulling out the Lien chips to pay for it. "How do you do it, Jaune?" She asked suddenly, her eyes holding an emotional edge, confusion and other emotions warring inside her. "Your skills... The ability to do... that."

He knew what she referred to. The power to make Grimm, to control them. He had not elaborated on that specific part of the powers that he held, yet he knew that out of all the women around him, Summer, Kali and Esmeralda were fully on his side, for some reason or the other. _'You should be open with them.'_

He looked at her with a look that was half-saddened, not quite feeling his best suddenly. _'Do I really tell them about what I have done?'_ The murder of the innocents, his own revenge... It made him a monster. His eyes were on the table, the bubbles of the soda starting to pop, the audible sound something that distracted him, even with his attention there. "It's rough." He said, as he took the glass and sipped it. The taste of the soda was a lemony one, as he closed his eyes. "Esmeralda..."

She perked up, her eyes looking into his own, clearly focusing on him. "Do you ever think that you've got a mission in life to fulfil?" The question was not what he had initially wished to ask her, but she shook her head. "Once, I thought I did." She paused there, letting her words hang in the air. "Right now..." Her fingers, lacquered with an elegant red nail polish on the nails, tapped against the glass.

"Right now, I feel like I should put my faith in you. It's strange, but..." She moved closer to him, her face near his own. The smell of the shampoo in her hair was strong, as she looked into his eyes, an expression on her face that was definitely something on the emotional register that he really didn't quite understand, the look of yearning and of loss inside her facial features something that was a contrast. "Please..."

He looked at his glass, then looked up. "I'll..." He couldn't say it, his mind linking to the Seer once more, the shards of conversation overheard. **'that you do, Leonardo. Ensure that they will be among the students going towards Vale.'** Her voice spoke with assurances, as she gave the order, the words not twisted with that familiar sneer.

"I'll try to make sure that we all make it through this." It was a lie, he knew. People died. They would not have the power to challenge Her whilst she was still in her prime, her powers bound only by the creativity that she displayed. _'A thousand different breeds of Grimm and only a few known...'_

"But..." He looked uneasy, as he could hear the shards of communication pick up. **'Sent my pet Faunus to track down the Spring Maiden. Have you had any word of her location?'** Her voice was softer, as she spoke. The shard of consciousness that he kept linked to the Seer was enough. _'What is a Spring Maiden?'_ The question rose. "Do you think you would be-" The woman grabbed his hands, the gesture seemingly spurred on by thought. "Whatever you want me to do. Anything."Her eyes were needy, the irises turning a deep purple colour. "Whatever you wish my hands to do, I will do it." Their natural blue colour returned sharply, and he inhaled deeply.

' _It must've been a trick of the light. I must've been affected by the connection.'_ It would be a comfort if it merely was his mind playing tricks on him, even as she had given him such free reign to make use of her skills and talents. ' _What skills does she have, aside from being decent with a rifle?'_ The question rose to his mind once more yet he shook his head. Whatever she would be capable of doing, he was sure that it would be something beneficial to their group. Kali had a semblance that scared people, so whatever Esmeralda had would be of some use as well, right?

"You should be careful, though." She said, her voice holding some soft amusement, as if the thought was funny. "A woman like me..." Her fingers reached out to grab his chin in a forward manner, a boldness in her mannerisms that seemed uncharacteristic. "might not like to be chained down." Her lips curved into a pleasant smile, as she let go of his chin, her eyes holding mystique, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled. _'I should ask...'_

"Do you know any Leonardo's who might be involved with Haven academy?" The look on her face was one of surprise at the sudden question, the mood shifting, her posture changing. "Well, the headmaster is called Leonardo Lionheart, but I don't see why you'd want to talk to him unless you plan on enrolling..." She seemed to be irritated with something that he'd said, her eyes holding frustration. "I think..." He stopped himself, looking around warily. "I think we should talk about this with the others." This place wasn't safe. He grabbed the glass of soda and drained it in one go, Esmeralda looking a little disconcerted with the way that he'd suddenly changed his mind. _'I should tell them about what I'd overheard Her say. They deserve to know...'_

Telling them about Her would be needed... Although he did not know how well they would take the news.

* * *

 _Like lightning (Heather Arc)_

* * *

The Mistralian airdock held a lot of things that she would rather not see. Customs officers going back and forth between loaded containers, a few additional shipping manifesto's going missing, the Huntsman team that was looking at her with suspicious eyes as one of the customs officers pointed in her direction.

Her hands were ready to snap her weapon out, the burning of her Semblance already starting, the air heating up around her. The Huntsmen team looked at her with a dubious look, yet she challenged them all the same, the customs officer coming at her with hesitant strides. "Misses Arc, we would like to hold you for questioning..."The uncertainty oozed from the man as she saw his eyes try to look anywhere but at her, a savage look on her face easily slipped on, like a mask that had to be worn but once. "My record is clean." Heather said, her voice sharper and fiercer than it had been before. _'There should be nothing on the record for Mistral, at least.'_ The freelance work that she did had ensured that her reputation wasn't spotless in most of the kingdoms, but she could still travel.

"Professor Ozpin has signed the transfer documentation himself. I am here on legal business for Beacon." The customs officer looked like he was trapped between a rock and a raging Boarbatusk. "It is the matter of things, Miss Arc. With the damage reports from the last..." She snarled, flames licking her form. "We paid for that. It was nothing but a harmless little joke." Three ruined vehicles, trees uprooted and one crying Jaune. It had been something that they had to cough up a lot of Lien for, but had not appeared on their record... Or so it had been thought.

"Miss Arc, it is not by my will, but..." One of the Huntsmen seemed to take that as his cue, leaping into combat, her weapon moving up to block his first strike. "You should be lucky that I'm one of the nicest sisters."She growled, as her weapon ignited, her Semblance melting the asphalt around her, the heat wave searing the ground around her.

The customs officer disappeared from her sight, as the flames licked along her weapon. The huntsman yelped, dropping the sword that he was wielding, as the metal grew too hot to hold. "I am going to offer you one last chance. If you attack me again, I will defend myself. Lots of fuel sources here... Lots of flame and boom." Her grin was sincere now, as she could feel the flame inside her burn hotter. With the ignition sources around, a simple spark would blow half of the docks up. "We'll let you go if you swear not to do anything not listed on your permit!" The customs officer shouted, as two of his colleagues had arrived to back him up. Heather grinned, looking at the Huntsmen team. "See, gentlemen? There can be a good solution besides waving your little dick measuring sticks around..." Her weapon shifted back to a more carriable solution, as the flames slowly receded back into her. Her Semblance was still active, yet dormant.

"Headmaster Lionheart on the line for you, Miss Arc." One of the customs officers held out a scroll, the face of Leonardo Lionheart on the scroll, a weary look on his face. "You were sent by Ozpin to pick up the students?" The man questioned, Heather giving an affirmative sound. "Very well, very well... I'll have them all ready for transport in a day's time. It's been the busy season here, you see." Heather could understand that, at least a little bit. It was always a busy season when the Grimm were trying to chomp you into bite-sized little chunks.

You just had to live with the imminent peril of death all the time. "Send a car to pick me up. I don't want to have to call a cab and get sent to some Faunus drug den or something." _'Totally wouldn't have mattered much... But I guess that the others would've really taken offence to that.'_

It was tough in the life of Heather Arc. Not having a steady place to come home to aside from the family mansion, it was tough to find a good moment to unwind. _'I should be getting myself set up with a cute guy sometimes. Maybe Cremea still knows someone.'_

The woes of a woman were many, it seemed.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. I won't say anything about keeping patience with me. In the next two chapters, there will be some plot-moving events happening. Remnant is not going to look the same afterwards. Volume II is going to look RADICALLY different from how it happened in the show.**

 **I would like to say something about some of the Alternate Universes that branch off from A Grimm Tale.**

 **A Grimm Tale is the Main Universe. I've got 3 other split branches off that. One of them features a cynical and alive Summer Rose as a side-main character, another features a more permanent resolution to Jaune's revival and the third features Jaune and Salem teaming up. (Only little has been told about Salem thus far, and In-Universe in A Grimm Tale, she has a whole backstory.)**

 **In the other three universes save for the alive Summer Rose one, Whitney Schnee, Kali Belladonna, Ghira Belladonna and Sienna Khan die in the assassination. The other three branches are much grimmer than A Grimm Tale. Will I publish them? Maybe. But first, there needs to be the first major arc out of the way. It will make a lot more sense when you finally get to see it... and yes, I am aware that I was saying that there'd be other perspectives in this chapter...But it's only Jaune, Kali, Whitney, Heather, Summer and Sienna that you'd have to make do with.**

 **Achieved things for Jaune and the crew – Had weapons crafted, New Clothing, Met Neptune and Overheard Salem speak to Lionheart.  
Miscellanea - Heather Arc arrives in Mistral. Salem communicates with Leonardo Lionheart.**

 **That was a bit of an overview for the things that DID happen in this chapter. Like it? Don't like it? Next chapter will feature some more perspectives. Beacon people, Heather Arc, the Jaune Crew. It'll also feature... PLOT. Yes, Neptune will appear again. He's kind of**

 **I hope that you've enjoyed the story thus far. Things will pay off in the end. This chapter officially concludes this arc, leading to the Golden Dawn arc! (Which will deal with the Mistral arc.)**

 **(Red as Roses, Snow White, Blackest Knight Arcs are DONE!)**


	21. Radiance to burn away the dawn

**Chapter 21: Radiance to burn away the dawn**

 **This is the penultimate chapter of the first Arc of A Grimm Tale.**

* * *

 _Monsters and Men (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As he entered their hotel room, he could see Kali passed out on the couch, her arm half-way draped over the couch, the remote control nearly slipping from her grasp. She startled awake when the door opened, Esmeralda pulling the door shut behind her. Sienna emerged from the bathroom, her head wrapped up in a towel, her clothes a little looser on her body. "Did something happen?" Kali asked.

He sat down, motioning for them to sit down as well. "I've... I've got some bad news." He didn't know really how to tell them about Her and the Grimm and the connection to Her and the Grimm that he had, as he tried to find the proper words for the conveying of the news that he had to share. "It can't be so bad, can it?"

He looked at Kali and laughed hollowly. "It's probably worse than that. The headmaster of Haven Academy is in league with the overlord of the Grimm." There was a moment of silence, as he saw their reactions. "Well... I guess we're going to pay a visit to Leo. " Summer added as she appeared from the shadows, a grin on her face. "He always was a little bit of a coward... Ozpin trusted him, but I have always said that you should not put too much faith in the people who do not have much of a spine." The look on Esmeralda's face was most poignant, her eyes looking between Summer and him, debating whether to respond audibly or not.

"But... The Grimm aren't supposed to have an overlo-" Sienna's words died on her lips then, as it clicked. "Are you..." There was fear in her tone, abject terror visible in her eyes as she looked at him. He shook his head, a long-suffering sigh coming from his mouth. _'She would draw that conclusion.'_ "No. Jaune is mostly human." Summer said, her voice sounding crystal clear.

"It is that spooky woman that is the inhuman one." Summer continued, Jaune shaking his head. "Ozpin and Her have been playing this game for millennia."He looked at the three other women, the two Faunus looking at him with their faces showing smaller hints of fear, whilst Esmeralda's face was mostly blank, her eyes merely focusing on him.

"We're going to need our weapons. He is still an experienced Huntsman..." He knew that to go in with a plan was to know that you would have to ditch it eventually. "We'll have to work together as well to get him down." With the Grimm, he could easily overpower even experienced Huntsmen. The knowledge to use them was there, even if Her memories were not fully there anymore, blasted by the overflow of fragments of consciousness.

"I'll ask Raven if she'll help out." Summer said, her eyes sharp and dangerous. "She's got experience with killing Huntsmen." There was a dark look on her face as if the knowledge about such affairs was something that only was meant to be shared between her and Raven, the history between the two of them something that he knew not.

"That's one experienced Huntress that we can call on." He said, his eyes looking at Summer for a moment. "With weapons, I'm much more lethal." She said, giving him a smile that wouldn't have misplaced on Ruby's face. "Of course... If Junichi makes them, they'll be good for that."

"That's one fear less to worry about. Two experienced Huntresses. Kali?" He addressed the Faunus, who looked at him with a serious expression. "Yes? I am not good with weapons, yet." She seemed to doubt her own capacity. _'Her Semblance scares the crap out of everyone... A moment is all you need, really.'_

"Practise with your Semblance. Do it with Sienna, if you find that to be easier on your system." He looked at Sienna, whose face showed fear and a mix of confusion, her eyes half-way closed. "And what... What would you have me do?" She asked, her voice now meeker, her eyes holding a primal fear, something that hadn't been there before. A sharp contrast to her earlier anger, as the revelation of Her existence had been something that unnerved her. "With my weapon, I can probably fight him. I've been trained in the use of weapons as a bodyguard."

She doubted her own use. His mind felt the echo of power, as Her mind surged through the Seer, casting her gaze upon this part of the world. He kept himself very still, so as to not draw attention towards himself. Her gaze went away swiftly, switching to the next node, the rush of endorphins rushing through his mind, a happy surge that made him feel more energetic. "Your hair went white... and your eyes are red." Esmeralda said, her voice demure. There was a subdued energy in there, as she looked up at him with eyes that were hidden in their emotions, as she let her gaze linger.

"That's the result of using the powers that I have." His voice was softer than before, gentler in his speech, Summer giving a shudder as she heard it, as if something had caressed her with icy cold tendrils. "He's not as powerful as the spooky lady." The words were louder as nobody seemed to dare to breathe, his eyes meeting with Summer's, the silver shimmering for a moment, as the pain rushed through his body. The _vitae tenebris_ inside him quivered, trying to get away from the silver gaze of the Huntress, as her eyes met his own.

"And most of all..." Summer's voice was soft, as she cast her gaze down, the suppression that he felt being gone all of a sudden. "I can sense how he feels. We are tied together." The words weren't idle fancies as Summer's gaze went back to Sienna, her face sharper. "You might think that it would be for the best of the world to kill him." _'If I was you, I would do the same.'_

Sienna nodded, hesitantly. It seemed that the thought had indeed crossed her mind. Kali's face was a little more expressive, as she looked at Sienna as if she'd grown another head, surprise showing on her face. "If you kill him, the leader of the Grimm WILL know. She will know that he's taken power from her. She will hunt you all down." The words were probably close to the truth. The Grand Witch of Arcadia had never been one to easily share the power that she had obtained, after the Convergence.

Sienna didn't seem to change much, Jaune's face showing his consternation. He looked between Kali and Sienna, Esmeralda's emotions flaring up suddenly. "Even if he is someone who can control the Grimm... I believe in him." Her declaration was followed by her getting up and standing up, she stopped and looked at the two of them, her eyes fierce. "Without him, we would all be dead. So what if he could summon the Grimm? So what if he's someone who can sense Grimm and make their leader throw a fit. We're all women who've got some impact on the world, right?" The motivational speech that she gave would have worked better, had Sienna not glared at her.

"Your emotions are deluding you! What else is he but a creature that will cause our deaths? What is he but a mindless creature preying on our emotions? Think, woman!" Sienna's voice was higher in pitch than before, her angry emotions rising once more. "Sienna! Listen to yourself!" Kali's voice overpowered Sienna's, angry and scolding. "'A creature that will cause our deaths'? A mindless creature preying on our emotions? Sienna Khan, you are treating him as the humans have treated us. Do you want to be nothing more than just a Faunus, kicked around and scorned for simply being born one?" Her voice was angry, her eyes glowing, shadows wrapping around her and the fear buffeting the other women.

Jaune could see the emotion in her eyes, even as Sienna blanched. "Kali, I mean..." Her eyes went to him and then back to her friend again. "I didn't mean to-" She was silenced, as Kali's finger pressed to her lips. "Apologize to him." The Faunus woman said, the shadows slowly receding from her form. Sienna looked at him, her eyes angry, fearful and a little abashed, as if she had let her emotions override her judgment. "I..." She paused.

"I apologize." There was a genuine sound to that, even as her gaze went down. "I'm used to it." He said, as he could feel the roughness of his own emotions once again bursting to the forefront of his mind. _'I'm nothing but a Grimm-born abomination... Am I even still Jaune Arc?'_ The thought of that had bounced around his mind, his memories definitely telling him that he was indeed, Jaune Arc, but there was always that doubt that lingered, even as his body had been crafted from the _vitae tenebris_.

"Jaune." Esmeralda's arms wrapped around him, her hands rubbing over his back. "Don't." She said, voice gentle. Her hair tickled his nose and he sneezed. "You're the man who saved us. We all have a debt to you, even if we don't want to acknowledge it." Her gaze went to Sienna, who had a look on her face that was troubled. She seemed to have trouble admitting as much, her eyes darkened as she looked at him with the expression of a woman who had seen much. "I'll... "She took a deep breath, looking between him and Kali. "I'll trust you, this once. If you have to..."

She looked at him, her face showing anger. "If you have to tell me something, do so now." The look on her face was one of distrust and anger, as her orange eyes sparked with that fiery rage. "They will kill you all." He said, his voice soft. "The Grimm, that is. Her plan is nothing but the complete destruction of all humanity."

Sienna's eyes widened, her mouth opening up. "Even the Faunus. She does not distinguish between Human and Faunus in the least..." He could feel the cold shudder go through his body, the knowledge of Her plans that he had gleaned something that would chill the bones and body of any who learned of it. _'Even her acolytes are not aware of that yet...'_

The time when it would be prudent to attack one of the major bastions of humanity. The panic that it would cause throughout the world. The fear that would feed into the ancient loop of hate and anger, blame to be cast at the feet of others. He had seen her do so in her mind's memories, on the moments when her power waxed, the moon having shone over the ruins of the villages and the cities that had been torn asunder by her will. _'What is there in the world but the cycle of pain and torment? Do I really wish to aid one who could control the Grimm thusly?'_ The thought was nothing if not a reminder about what could be done with the powers that they both controlled.

' _Together, we could be something...'_ The image of him at her side, her hand stretching out over the world with his flesh doing her bidding, the objectives achieved with her as his source of power, with his own flesh mended by the essence of the _vitae tenebris_. A stark sight, as humans were driven before the hordes of Grimm...

"It's pretty terrible." He said, a humourless laugh coming from his mouth. "Even what Ozpin does, doesn't light a candle to what She has in store." The Grimm that he had seen had been terrific. Chimaera-like beasts that had been stitched together from several Grimm, the aquatic Grimm that lurked within the depths of the seas to prey upon the humans that had despoiled the world so. The creatures that had been stationed around the world in spots where they could remain hidden. Even the Dragons had been left to gather strength around the sites of the former cities, to soak up the lingering despair and negativity until they could evolve once more.

"What she has in store?" Esmeralda asked, her voice hesitant to ask it seemed. He looked up at her. "I can only control small hordes of Grimm consciously. Imagine what She can do to ALL the Grimm." The tidal wave of teeth and fangs and maws would take the defenders out in a single sweep, without any mercy given. The Grimm would wash over the bodies like a tide, their strength not stopped by the hands of a Huntsman as they came in such numbers. "Oh." Esmeralda's voice sounded tiny.

"What can you do to stop her?" Kali said, her voice hopeful still. _'What can I do against a woman who holds half?'_ The thought was laughable, as the relics would still be elsewhere. _'With the powers that I have... they seem to increase every time I slay a Grimm that is advanced, absorbing some of the strengths of the creature.'_ He looked at her, a deep sigh coming from his mouth. "I can be a counter-force. She holds not sole dominion over the Grimm... Ozpin..." He paused. He did not know whether Ozpin had similar powers over the Grimm or not. He didn't THINK so, but who was he to know?

"You've mentioned professor Ozpin a few times now, is he involved with all of this?" Esmeralda's voice was sharp. Jaune looked up, confused. "He is." He paused for a moment, trying to formulate it. _'Some truths are best hidden until it is time to deliver a response. A truth, no matter how unsavoury it may be though...'_ "He's been fighting her for over three millennia." They did not seem to believe him. _'It is a little bit fantastical to imagine that he has been alive for so long.'_

"That's not possible! How could he have survived all that time?!" Sienna's outburst was believable, as she looked at him as if he had been cursed with madness. "What was the previous headmaster of Beacon called?" The look on Sienna's face was surprised as he threw the question at her. "I don't know." The look on his face was serious, as he let his gaze go to the ceiling. "Some variation of Oz and Pin. It's always Oz and Pin, shortened to Ozpin." The name had come into existence from his full name, which had been replaced by the title of Grand Wizard. Even She had held a name before she assumed the office of Grand Witch.

"We can check that out later, Sienna." Kali said, her voice sounding warmer, trying to affirm the warmth of her personality once more, seemingly to put them all back at ease. His body shuddered a little, as he tried to think not on what he was telling them. _'They would not be served by knowing what sacrifice must be made in order to survive all these years...'_ The theory of the magical work bounced around in his head, knowing that it was the darkness in the human nature that he railed against. _'To do such a thing to your own soul... Even She did not do anything to her own soul like He did.'_

"Now what, Jaune?" Sienna said, addressing him by name. "Will you let us go or will you silence us to keep your secrets?" The Faunus woman's tone was defeated, the fire having left her. It was the resignation that she felt, her weapon currently in the hands of the weaponsmith. "Will you control us like mere toys, to fulfil your sick desires?" Her eyes met his own, a spark of flame igniting in them once more. Anger and defiance burst inside them like an eruption of power. Her Aura ignited the air around her.

" **Never."** His voice was warped and twisted, as he spoke with the power that fused with his own body, the _vitae tenebris_ agitated by the way that she had spoken. _'A moment I give and she ignites like the fury of nature once more.'_ The Faunus woman looked at him, her eyes fierce and predatory. "Then what do you want us to do, Jaune?" She accused, her voice sharp. "Be your little murder squad? Aid you in obtaining your power?"

He could feel the physical aura of her anger as he let his mind reach out, the anger suffusing the air around her. **"All I want is to be a Huntsman! A hero! I want to be there to SAVE you!"** His voice warbled with the power that he contained, as the shadows in the room disgorged Grimm, their leering faces looking at the women in the room. Summer shifted, the blades that she wielded as her weapons out. Her eyes were wary, focusing on him.

" **Can't you SEE what is in front of your eyes, Sienna?"** His voice was a dark threat, as he got up and seized her by the chin, the smaller form that she had being something that was to his advantage, looming over her like the threat that he was. She was but a Faunus, was but a frail creature that would fall under the gnashing teeth. _'So easy to just throw her aside, let the Grimm deal with her.'_ The dark impulses rushed forwards like rabid dogs, filling his mind with the corruption and vileness of his own thoughts, influenced by the darkness that he had been dipped into. **"Are you so blind as to merely cast away the hope for a good ending?"** His eyes looked at Esmeralda, aware that there was a fear in them, yet something even greater. Purple stared back at him, unflinching, her face pale yet with purpose. His gaze went to Kali, whose golden eyes peered back at him, defiant to an effect that was not uncommon, yet with her eyes holding the prize of that empathy that she held.

" **They have accepted me for what I am, yet YOU scorn me."** A generalisation, as he looked at her. The look in her face was of anger, fear and worry, mixing together within those orange pools. "I will never submit to a mere human." She hissed at him, spitting at him. Saliva dripped down his face, as he let go of her chin, fear and doubt crashing home in his mind.

He had almost torn her apart with his strength, the muscles had been on the verge of just tearing her skull off her neck, to let the crimson spray out once more. His eyes were wide as he took a step back, unsteadily. **"N-no...** This is... **Not what I wanted.** " The Grimm in the room evaporated, the _vitae tenebris_ inside him replenishing once again. "You're going to be alright, Jaune." Kali's voice was soft, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He had fallen to his knees at some time, the feeling of slipping away starting to do a trip with his head, his whole body feeling the stresses and strains of the control that he held over himself.

' _One little leap over the edge and I will be forever lost.'_ The thought was sobering, as Kali's hand rubbed over his back. "We'll all work together to make sure that the world will be a better place." The words were comforting, as his head went down, his eyes looking at the floor.

"How can you just accept that, Kali! He could be working to damn us all! The Faunus will never be free, if he is left to lead us!" Sienna's voice was higher in pitch, as her tone seemed to show the fear that she felt. "And you would rather led Adam Taurus or Harmony lead the White Fang? Give it up, Sienna..." Kali's voice was scornful, anger in her voice thick. "He's the best shot that we have at getting something that resembles power again."

' _She did not seem concerned with power before. Is this a new thought?'_ He thought, even as Kali's fingers brushed over his spinal chord. "Why should we?" Sienna retorted, her voice angry. "He's done enough!"

"He could have summoned a horde of Grimm to kill us whilst we slept out in no-mans-land." Esmeralda added, her voice softer than the two Faunus' voices. "He could have killed us and we would have only noticed if one of us had made a sound. You could hardly face him if he summoned the Grimm, Sienna." Esmeralda's voice was tired, her eyes looking at Sienna with accusation. "It is time to be rid of your paranoid suspicion. You are no longer Sienna Khan, leader of the White Fang. Why do you persist in believing that the Faunus will rally behind you, when they now rally behind one of your murderous factions?"

Sienna's mouth was full with an angry retort, yet Kali cleared her throat before the torrent of words would erupt. "The White Fang was meant to be an organisation of PEACE, Sienna. Your actions to impress fear upon the people and to garner respect through that fear have led to this." He snapped his fingers, sharply. "It doesn't matter if she trusts me or not." He said, as he looked at Sienna, then to Kali and lastly on Esmeralda. Summer's gaze was sharp, as her eyes looked at Sienna with a look that was definitely preparing to strike. _'She would kill Sienna to prevent more of the danger from reaching me.'_ The warmth of being protected by a capable Huntress was something that he could relish in, yet he looked at Sienna.

"You may not trust me, Sienna. You may not think that I can be of any service to you, that you will be able to come once more into the power that you held, whatever that was." It told him nothing, the words of Kali about a white fang and leadership and this not at all important to him. _'Rowan had a Faunus teammate, didn't she?'_ The anger inside Sienna surged once more. It was time to interfere before this continued. "Listen, woman." He snapped, his voice threatening. "You may not like it, but we are bound together. Your friend's husband died. She depends on you. She has decided to put her faith in me for some reason that I don't get, and she seems to be willing to help out with taking down that Leo fellow." He breathed heavily, as his eyes bored into Sienna's.

"You switch from fear to anger so quickly that it gives me a headache. You're going to do exactly as I ask you to, how I ask you to and when I ask you to." The tactical layout of Haven Academy would have to be determined first, after all. That would require a trip towards the academy itself. It wouldn't do to go off mere second-hand information, after all. "If your weapon is completed, then you will train with it for a bit. I will not lose people."

Sienna's defiant eyes burned, a hateful glare given to him, turning to fear. He looked up to find Kali's shadow-wrapped form look at Sienna. "He is sensible. Ghira, for all I love him, was not a man who could control his anger if pressed in a situation that he could not avoid. You remember that time with the girl?" The look on Sienna's face was enough to clue him in that there was a story behind it. "It was horrific. I wouldn't want that to happen." The honest tone that she adopted was something that he didn't quite get, as he didn't know what pertained to the girl they spoke of. "Of course you wouldn't have wanted that to happen. You just have the conviction of your beliefs, which is fine. I do not fault you for believing into what you do believe in." Kali's voice was accented with a coating of anger and frustration.

"Do you really think that you can survive as just Sienna Khan, Faunus with a Fury?" Kali said, her voice sounding wearier, as the anger bled out of it. The shadows pulled away from her form as she looked at her friend, her companion and her hand rubbed over the bridge of her nose. "Ghira was a man who knew how to play to the crowd. You had a similar spark, more akin to the charisma of a leader in war-time. Please, Sienna..." The pleading tone was soft, yet the emotion inside her was raw.

"Don't turn into someone like Adam Taurus. Don't turn into a person who would take his grudge to the highest level possible." The words seemed to affect Sienna's emotions, her eyes wide, looking at her friend with her whites visible, her eyes looking like they had their illusions shattered, her gaze cast down suddenly, like a child which had been chastised. "I..." The woman's voice was soft, as her gaze went to him again, her eyes holding in them the grudging respect that only seemed to come with the admission that she had been wrong.

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice soft. "I'm..." He got up, laying a hand on her shoulder, her eyes following the motion, the twitch of distaste that went through her body hard to stifle, yet her attention going back to him. "Hate me, if you must." He said. _'Hate will make her stronger. She will fight for what she thinks is her own hatred, whilst achieving our aims.'_ There was surprise to be witnessed in those eyes, watching him with a look that seemed to hold confusion and fear and a little bit of the anger still.

"We're all working together. Human, Faunus..." His arm that had been crafted from the _vitae tenebris_ raised. "Grimm." The look on his face was sober, as he peered into the depths of her eyes. "All I want is to be a hero." Kali's soft exhale was poignant, as Sienna's eyes looked into his. "You must be worse off than most Faunus." She muttered, tearing herself out of his grip. She turned away from him, taking a few steps forwards, turning her head. "I'll follow your lead... Jaune." The admitting that she did to follow his leadership was one small battle that he'd won.

"How do we get Leonardo Lionheart out of his office?" Esmeralda asked, as she looked at him.

"I think I might have an idea..." Jaune said, before he elaborated.

* * *

 _Lapines of Love (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

Nervous was one word for his current state, as he stood outside of the door leading to team CFVY's dorm room, the casual clothing that he wore having been bought only a few days beforehand. The wait was getting to him, as he paced a little, waiting for Velvet to appear. The door opened and the large teammate that went by the name of Yatsuhashi walked out. "Velvet will be a few more minutes. Please wait." The door shut behind the mountain of a man once more as he went back into their domain. The door opened after nearly five minutes, Velvet appearing with a bright smile on her lips. "Cardin!" She said, squealing a little at the sight of him. The red shirt that he wore was something that he'd picked particularly because it'd outline his body, her eyes sparkling almost at the sight of him.

"You look nice! Coco! Check out what Cardin is wearing." The fashionable team leader poked her head out of the door, gave him a once-over and then flashed a thumbs-up. "Looks decent. Bring her home safe and sound and we won't have to start with hanging out by your ankles out of the window." She disappeared back into the room once more, leaving Velvet to blush. "I'm sure that she's joking! Coco never really has the seriousness to do as much. She's much more content to let things be unless they lack style." He smiled at her, even as he could feel his own anxiety increase. _'Am I doing the right thing?'_

"Ready to get going?" The short dress that she wore was something that accentuated her features, the mocha colour of the dress matching her hair and her ears well, the thigh-high white boots that she wore definitely adding an accent, as her eyes met his. "Of course, Cardin!" She said in her sweet voice that sent shudders through his body. Already he was reacting, as her arm wrapped around his.

He could see them looking at the two of them, Velvet small compared to his own size. He wondered for a moment whether her teammate had a similar appearance issue that he had, but Velvet seemed to tightly hold on to him as if she were afraid that he would walk away. "So, did you want to go get something to eat first?" She asked, her voice soft. "Well, if you wanted to. I hadn't booked any place yet." _'Grandfather wasn't too happy about the fact that it was with a Faunus. It seems he had other thoughts... But she's just a friend. Not a girlfriend.'_ "Let's go to this place that I know! They make the BEST pizza's! Oh, and the produce there is locally grown by Faunus farmers!"

Her cheer seemed to be enough to bring a smile to his face as he watched Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch walk past, the cup of coffee or whatever the man drank from half-way to his lips. The headmaster's gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment, the faint twitch of a smile visible on his lips before it put itself against the rim of his mug, drinking slowly from the liquid. "Mister Winchester, Miss Scarlatina, I bid you a good evening." The headmaster's voice was even, as the mug came down, the man's face showing not a sign of the hot liquid present yet. "Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin." He said, Velvet looking at the man, who merely gazed at the two of them with a neutral manner. "Headmaster, we have a meeting to head to. Students who are out on a date should not be a distraction for us." The man turned his head, smiling at his deputy for a moment. _'It is scary that the man has so much power... Grandfather has said that he knew few people as well-connected with the elite as Ozpin is.'_ "Ah, it's not a date..." He said, the professors looking at him, Professor Goodwitch's eyebrow rising slightly.

"It will be a shared outing then, Mister Winchester. I find it encouraging that you are willing to go out with a fellow student, even with your... difficulties in settling in." There was no denying that she was referring to the start of the year, her eyes holding the accusation within them. _'You are guilty of a student's death.'_ He could read it on her face, although it showed no different expression than before. She did not look any different, nor did her features shift much, conveying not the slightest hint of her emotions to him... yet he knew that she meant it. Everyone knew that he had caused Arc's death... and blamed him. Velvet seemed to be one to look past it. "Even if he's had a rough start, that isn't a reason to keep it against him forever, Professor Goodwitch." Velvet said, defending him from the accusation. His heart beat a little faster.

"It is not that I am referring to the untimely demise of a student. I refer instead to the shifting of your team around. Team DLCR has been performing sub-par ever since the change has been made, Mister Winchester. I will have words with your team leader at the earliest convenience." The woman said, her green eyes frosty and sure of her argumentation. _'She's right on the money there. Dove is a decent leader in a pinch but...'_ The times that they'd lost the team battles did not bode well for their continued education. _'With me as a leader, they followed along.'_ "May I suggest that you and Miss Scarlatina go over tactics? Her team leader is known for her tactical mindset, which may offer some benefit. A team supports one-another." The teacher was trying to teach him something, he knew, yet the dark thoughts about the death that he had caused had been enough to upset his mood for now. "I'll gladly go over anything that Coco does, Miss Goodwitch." Velvet said, gripping his arm tightly. His mood did not brighten, even with her gripping him so tightly.

"I hope to see improvement, Mister Cardin." The Professor said, as the Headmaster sighed. "You have much promise, Mister Winchester. It is not what we have done that makes us great but rather the character that we have to stand firm against whatever opposes us." The words were from one of the King of Vale's speeches, as the headmaster looked at him. "Professor, have you ever felt like you've done something that cannot be forgiven." The headmaster's face seemed distant, as his gaze went out, towards the window that showed the grounds of Beacon. "Too much, Mister Winchester. I have made so many mistakes and errors in judgment that it would take me days to recall them all. All that you should know though..." The headmaster paused there, his eyes meeting with Cardin's own. "As long as students like you are willing to uphold the beacon of light that banishes the darkness, the world will remain safe for years to come." The deputy headmistress at the Headmaster's side looked at him with a sharp look, coughing audibly. "But alas, I must be off. Do have a pleasant... outing."The man gave a wink to Velvet , turning to his deputy and moving along, Velvet's face showing a blush on her cheeks.

"Cardin, please..." She said, her voice pleading. "Don't think that you're guilty." She'd hit the nail on the head, her eyes looking into his. "I don't want to see my friend be sad because of something that was an accident. You can't blame yourself for the Grimm..." Her voice did little to soothe the guilt inside him. _'But I could have left him alone. I could have left YOU alone. I could have done the good thing, helping Arc if he needed it. Nikos would have been kinder, less hostile... I could have been a friend...'_

He could feel the tears starting to get ready to come once again, his breathing deeper now, as the emotions started to come once again, the wave of sadness that surged up from the depths inside him unstoppable. _'You did nothing, Cardin Winchester. You did nothing and you thought it would be 'fun' to send the poor guy somewhere. You've KILLED someone, Cardin... and nobody blames you for it. But every time you look in the mirror... You see the face of a killer.'_ The tears came, as he felt her wrap her arms around him, her breathing slow as she inhaled and exhaled, her grip tighter than he'd expected of her. "Don't be sad, Cardin." She said in a soft tone, almost like a mother would... or a lover. His emotions went haywire then as she looked up, her eyes full of those warm emotions, the feeling inside them warm and comforting, as the tears continued to leak.

They would look like an odd sight, a tall young man crying in the arms of his female friend, but it did not matter to him at this moment. With his eyes full of tears, it was inevitable that he would start to drip, but her eyes kept locked with his own. "Let's go out, Cardin." She said, her voice light. "Let's have fun together, alright?" She used her finger to wipe away some of the tears from his cheek, her eyes meeting his own, a low groan coming from his mouth as he felt her pull away. "Y-yes." He said, trying to clear his mind up a little again. Her eyes were sad, empathic and a little worried as she leaned forwards, pressing her head against his chest. "You don't have to feel bad, Cardin." She said, her head laying against his chest. He could see out of the corner of his eye that several students were staring, as his hand brushed through her hair. "It wasn't your fault."

' _But it was.'_ He thought, as she took his hand. "Let's go have something nice to eat. We've got a movie to look forward to, don't we?" She tried to inflect cheer in her voice, a soft smile coming to his lips. "Yeah, we do." He spoke, his voice a little lighter than before. Catching Yang looking at him with a look that was doubting, he nodded in her direction, the blonde giving him a frown back, as she shook her head. _'I wonder what's up with her?'_

* * *

 _The burning of the armoury (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She could feel the surprise still ebb through her as she saw Cardin and Velvet walk towards the airship dock at Beacon, the odd coupling having made her surprised. _'Is it like what I have with Blake?'_ She thought, as she glanced at her partner, eyes curious. Those golden eyes were so deep and mysterious that it was almost like the miracle that occurred, her arm snaking around Blake's waist.

The girl looked up at her, a shuddering breath coming from her lips. "Yang?" Yang could hear her whisper, as she pushed her partner along. "We've got that work to do on Port's class, yeah? Off to the library!" There was a tone of joviality in her voice as she tried to put the chipper mood that she often had to the forefront, yet the thoughts of being with Blake in an intimate sense still haunted her mind. With her eyes closed, she could feel the tingles of her partner's tongue, even as Blake seemed to fit in her arm easily. _'It's so hard to... to justify this. I've never felt this before.'_

It was good stress relief, indeed. Blake never refused. She just did as Yang bid, like a good partner should. Her voice was often like a soft murmur, as she was drawn into a corner and the Faunus' lips pressed against her own, the kiss passionate and hungry... Yet there was something that she lacked. _'It'd be horrible if there was something just... wrong.'_ The sound of her sister's Semblance was intimately familiar, as Ruby appeared out of thin air, the rose petals that fell to the ground behind her slowly evaporation. "Hey Yang, Blake! I got there first, I got there first!"

Excitable, cute and a little bit of a nuisance sometimes, Blake gave a soft sound in the back of her throat, pulling away. Her partner seemed to shun Ruby now, as if the intimacy that they had now was something that would only work when they were together. "Sooooo, do you want to go out?" The question came, as she held up her arms, the look on her face exuberant. "Gee Ruby, I don't know..." Yang said, teasingly. She knew that her sister had her eyes on some new Dust rifle cartridges for a while now. _'Might as well go out with her to get her some. Maybe something nice, for Blake. That's what a girlfriend does, right?'_

She wasn't the type of girl to come with roses and chocolate. Chocolate was nice and tasty, yet it did put on a lot of pounds when she wasn't careful with how she ate and what she ate. _'Blake deserves something more than just...'_ She looked down at Blake, the Faunus girl's face showing her disinterested eyes. _'She's so distant and quiet.'_ "Ruby!" Weiss's irritated voice came from the side, the heiress moving as swiftly as she could after her little sister. "We are NOT going to head into Vale today. We have that essay to do and I want to have it in the best possible shape to be handed in! Our grades are important enough not to skimp on the small details!" The heiress puffed herself up, her expression looking comical to Yang's face. _'She needs to get laid. Just... ease up a bit, Weiss Queen.'_

She squeezed Blake's hand, the gesture going unnoticed by Ruby and Weiss, who looked at one another. "But Weiisssssss, I know that! We can do it later, right? There's this super-duper special sale on Dust Cartridges on right now due to the shortage!" Weiss seemed not to be moved by the argument. "We will finish this essay first and then we MIGHT go into Vale. But only if it meets my standards!" Yang pulled Blake along, knowing that the two girls would eventually follow along. Seating herself in a seat at one of the tables, she pulled out the reference works that they'd be studying. Blake's hand fit neatly into hers, the look on Blake's face unreadable. Her golden eyes were uncertain, even as she seemed distracted. "Come on, Blake."

"What's got my personal pussycat all upset, eh?" Whispering that in her ear and smelling the scent of her shampoo, she got the thought in her mind about a bit of affection, Blake's head turning, her eyes looking into hers. "Yang, it's not..." She seemed hesitant, as Yang's arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. "Tell mama Yang." The whisper was enough to make a flush of heat come to her own cheeks, the thought of being a mother rising to her mind. _'With Blake as a lover and wife, there won't be any kids unless we adopt... Or decide through the other routes.'_

The feline Faunus looked up at her. "You know that my mother and father were killed, right?" _'She told as much, earlier.'_ The hug that they'd shared as a team had been one of bonding and affection. It had been one of those hugs where everyone could have been included. _'Aside from me, everyone here is an orphan on team RWBY... and my mother seems not to care whether I live or not. Could've sent a postcard once in a while, at the very least.'_ The grim thought was enough to make her worry more that she wasn't doing a very good job as Ruby's sister, the thought of letting the girl be alone in this cruel cold world...

' _I'll be there, Ruby. Sisters have to stick together.'_ The thought of her little sister hurt by anything was enough to make her ignite with anger and fury, ready to strike down whoever would dare to lay a hand upon her little sister. _'No matter what, I'll keep you safe... Mom would've wanted you to be kept safe... Even if Raven was a lousy mother.'_

"I've..." Here Blake paused for a moment, as she seemed to think about what she was going to say next. "I've heard about the new High Leader of the White Fang. Harmony Tallow." The name was spoken with a distrustful quiver in her voice, her eyes blinking once, as Blake took a deep breath. "She's..." The Faunus seemed to think about what word she would use, her eyes meeting hers, the gold meeting her own purple. "She's just a radical." Blake said, her voice halting for a moment.

"Sienna Khan was reasonable... Harmony... When I was in the White Fang, Harmony used to be in charge of the drills. Adam and I met there..." Yang's face showed her frown as Blake's face showed a wistful look at the mere recollection of her former boyfriend and mentor. "Adam liked Harmony's style. They are just a few years apart in age too." There was a tone that might be jealousy there, but she squeezed Blake a little harder, trying to comfort her partner and friend. "You don't have to worry about her, Blakey." She said, as she tried to offer words of comfort.

"You don't understand... Harmony Tallow is a psychopath." The Scroll in her hand was laid on the table, the background filled with the emblem of the White Fang, before the slashes had been added. Yang could see several files open, as Blake scrolled through the contents, pulling up a file for her to see. A Tiger Faunus with dark skin and a jewel on her forehead, as well as tattoos came up on screen. "She looks angry." Was all that she could say. The woman looked like she was one step away from fighting for the rights of the Faunus. "That was Sienna Khan. She and my parents were headed towards a rally in order to inspire the people with the message of the White Fang."

' _Blake's parents and Sienna Khan were in league? This goes deeper than I thought.'_ She had not paid much attention to the circumstances with the political landscape, preferring something that she could punch, the White Fang something that was merely a nebulous organisation that she would never get introduced to. It was like trying to grab at mist... You never got what you wanted.

"Sienna Khan, leader of the White Fang since Ghira Belladonna retired from the organisation to become Chieftain of Menagerie." Blake read for her, and Yang's eyes went to a picture of a Faunus man, standing beside Sienna Khan and a woman who must be Blake's mother, the picture taken five years previous, give or take a few months. _'She looks a lot like Blake... I wonder if she has more of her father's personality or that of her mother's... They're dead, so I don't think I can ask...'_

"So... Does that make you a princess?" Blake had the grace to blush, as Yang prodded her, the tongue licking over the skin. "Little Faunus Princess and the big bad Yang." She whispered in Blake's ear, the shiver enough. She could see another picture pulled up, as her lips pressed against her partner's cheek. _'Is this going to be alright? Am I doing the right thing to my... girlfriend?'_ The doubt flashed heavily inside her head, as she could feel the surge of emotions there, whilst her nervousness flashed, and Blake's body stiffened.

Her eyes turned to the picture. The white uniforms, the masks... The people standing there in the picture looking like a perfect military parade, as if they are ready to fight. A tall man, red hair standing out, horns pushed up from the mask, the stripes marking it as something special, his hand on her shoulder. _'She looks so young.'_ She thought, as Blake's mask showed clearly what she thought of the cause that she had once fought for, her eyes burning with a zeal that she had seen few times before. _'And he looks like a total jackass.'_

"Ah, there you are!" Weiss spoke up, Blake pulling the Scroll off the table and tucking it safely into her pocket again. "Are you two comfortable? Hey Yang, that looks comfortable! Let me sit on your lap too!" Yang realized that she had nearly pulled Blake into her lap, feeling a sudden shame rush to her cheeks. "Ruby! It isn't our time to sit in a lap. It is a time for studies." _'Come on Yang, time to bust out the defences...'_ Her eyes met Weiss', as she broadly grinned. "Why, Weiss Queen, I didn't know you wanted to have a sit on my lap too! There's space, y'know!" She saw the heiress turn red in the cheeks, even as her little sister sat down on her lap. The strawberry shampoo reminded her briefly of that time when she had spent nearly an hour on getting her sister washed up, the harrowing ordeal that they had suffered before having left its mark on the two of them. It was only thanks to Qrow that they had survived at all...

' _A silly girl in search of her mother and the Beowolves that would end the two of them...'_ The thought of losing Ruby sent a flash of despair through her, as she imagined what it could have been. Her uncle had promised them that it would be alright, had told them that he would be there to protect them... but he was not around right now.

"Yaaang? You're crushing me! Yang, quit it!" Without being aware of it, her grip on Ruby had tightened, allowing the girl to feel her grip stronger. "Just a bit happy to have you close again, little sis." She smiled, genuinely. _'I want you around, Ruby... Because I can't imagine what life would be without my sister.'_

"Weiss! Sit on Yang's lap!" Ruby said, once she had been properly let go of. The Heiress looked at Ruby with a look that clearly said 'Are you kidding me?' in not so many words, her gaze going to her with a definite edge to it. "I will not debase myself and sit in your lap like some... child." The word was spat out with an inflexion of frustration and irritation, her eyes meeting with hers in a manner that would not let her go. _'The Heir of the Schnee Dust Company does not seem to want to be friendly with her team...'_

"Weiss... It's fuuuun." Ruby shifted a little in her lap, getting off in a flash. _'Times like these just make me want to have some 'me and Ruby' time again. Having friends is nice... But there's nothing without a good bit of sparring, some cheesy movies and some lame jokes made by dad.'_ Weiss looked at her little sister with a look that could have cut through the neck of a Beowolf. "I am not here to sit in your sister's lap." Yang got up, moving to Weiss and grabbing her hands. "H-hey! Yang!" The Heiress protested, even as Yang sat herself down again, her superior physical strength easily guiding Weiss to her lap, her arms wrapping around her target in a bear hug. "I protest! This is not a good way to study!" The protestations were futile, as Ruby giggled. "Yang's got one hell of a grip. Dad used to say that she was ready to wrestle Ursa's by age nine!"

It had been age ten, actually, but that was beside the point. The Heiress was stiff and formal, holding herself in a stock-still manner in order to keep a grasp on how things were, her eyes looking between her and Ruby. Slowly did those arms of hers wrap around her in what would amount to a hug. "I'm... I'm doing this to humour you, right." The dismissal was not enough for her. Yang growled in the back of her throat, as she saw the reluctance on Weiss her face, the young Atlas-born woman giving her a look that was so lost. A moment later, Weiss found herself face-first into her bosom. "Of course you are, sweetie. Mama Yang is here to care for you." A sudden 'Mmffmmm!' came from between her generous bosom, the heiress' face turning a crimson shade that wouldn't look that bad on Bumblebee. _'Maybe I should get a bit of paint and give it a splash of colour.'_ She thought. She caught Blake's eyes, something in their depths speaking of pain, letting go of Weiss' head, which rose from the depths of her cleavage. "Yang! Never in all my years have I suffered such indignity!"

As the Heiress continued to natter on about things that did not matter, she looked at Ruby and gave a wink. Her little sister gave a wink back, before her gaze went to Blake again. A small smile played on her lips, seemingly accepting of whatever was going on. _'I guess that we're all going to be just team RWBY... all with our own faults and flaws...'_

The thought of leaving them did not feature to her mind at all, as Weiss pulled herself off her lap, the flushed features that she held still giving her some elegance, with enough of the sensation that she'd felt briefly to stimulate her funny bone. "So..." She looked at Weiss. "Did you like feeling a pair that is bigger and better developed than yours, Weiss?"

The Heiress turned red. "That- That is uncalled for, Yang! Why should I... I do not feel jealousy!" The Heiress gazed down at what passed for the Gods-given breasts that'd been bestowed upon her. "Oh? Feeling threatened by how firm they were?" Weiss looked at her as if she was mad, her cheeks heated. "I... I do not feel jealous about your... your..." The girl seemed to nearly choke in her indignation. "Oh, you can have them too. Even Ruby's got them."

' _Let's see how long it will take...'_ She was going to see how long it'd take for the Lien chip to drop. "Hardly. She is not as prodigiously gifted as you are!" Yang grinned. "She does work on them quite a bit. We hit the gym often, don't we, little sis?" Ruby nodded. "Yep!"

"They... They grow by exercise?" Yang nodded. A grin was on her lips. "Three-hundred repetitions every evening. You don't get a set like mine without working long and hard on them." Weiss looked at her... well, rather her chest than at her. "My abs, Weiss. Not my breasts."

She seized them, Ruby turning a shade darker, groaning as she rubbed over them. Weiss' gaze slid up, her cheeks heating up. "O-oh." The conversation stalled then, as Weiss was caught in the awkward position now. "L-lets study, shall we? That monkey bum isn't around... so we can study. Peacefully."

"Study my abs, y'mean." She quipped, Weiss' gaze sharp and fierce. No comment came from her teammate as Ruby cleared her throat. "It will be study time! That essay doesn't write itself... Oh, and Weiss... You can exercise with me if you want! It'll be the bestest partner duo ever!"

Yang grinned as she squeezed Blake's thigh whilst Weiss stammered something about thinking about the idea first. "Looks like little sis and Weiss will be ready to get themselves some abs..." She said, before leaning closer. "And you shouldn't focus too much on the past, Blake... We're here now in the present and we're going to be the most kick-ass team in Beacon, alright?" Her partner's smile was brittle as she looked at her, the hope in those eyes the most damning thing that she had ever seen. There was only the faint hope that she could cling to that Blake would be able to open up more to her, as the thought of being alone... That frightened her. _'When did I go from confidence to being fearful of being alone?'_

* * *

 _Food and a movement (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

The evening had started off badly for him at Beacon yet when they got to the restaurant that she had picked, they were swiftly shown to a nice spot to sit in. He let himself sag a little in his seat as he looked at her, her smile still warm and friendly, although it seemed to have frayed a little. _'No doubt because she doesn't want to be with a murderous loser like me.'_ The clientele of the place seemed to be mostly Faunus, no doubt a reason for her to be fitting in perfectly. He could see some extra tails, a few ears and even a guy with horns seated in the restaurant, with no visible sign of discomfort.

As the server asked for their orders, he picked out something that wasn't too offensive, a light dish that would tide him over a little before the movie. Velvet picked a salad, something that didn't look too out of place. She looked happy, even as she seemed to find herself at the moment, her smile looking radiant once more. _'I don't deserve a smile from her.'_

"Cardin?" She asked, her voice soft. "You're still a little out of sorts, aren't you?" Her foot gently brushed over his own, the set of heels that she wore making him aware of her presence there, her eyes warm and caring. As the server moved away, she leaned forwards. Her dress was simple and not as evocative of a daring style, unlike her team leader, who was more fanciful in her clothing, Velvet's eyes brimming with emotions.

"Don't think about it. I've been through some things as well... Aunt Hare said that I should just push it all away and not think about it. Or just beat them up." She smiled faintly, her eyes twinkling with the warmth of her emotions. _'Her aunt is named Hare?'_ The question arose in his mind,Velvet grabbing his hand, the warmth of her fingers warming up his own hand. His eyes were full of emotion, looking into his own with that expression there full of care and what he thought might be affection. "You weren't at fault, Cardin. You caused a death, yes... But you weren't the one to blame. The Grimm are."

He hoped that he could believe that, as her hands grabbed his own, her eyes full of emotions still. "I don't want to see you beating yourself up about this." She said, her voice sounding choked up. As her fingers grabbed his own, weaving together in a grip that was firm and stable, she looked into his eyes. "You're..." She paused here for a moment, seemingly trying to come to a conclusion.

"You're not what I expected, at first." She said, as her voice sounded rough, her eyes looking at him with that expression never fading away. "You were a mean bully who tugged on my ears, insinuated that I was just a rabbit, unfit to be sentient." _'I was a bastard, back then. I didn't know how pretty you could be.'_ She blushed a little, even as the server set the plate in front of her, his own plate joining hers in front of him, her grip still firm with his. "But you've changed. You've changed for the better."

She looked into his eyes, those eyes of hers full of the warm emotions that she kept inside her heart. Her fingers stroked over those knuckles, slowly brushing back and forth with the warmth of her flesh against his own. "I was ready to call in Coco and Yatsu when you were going to taunt me again... But instead, you apologized." He mentally blanched. Coco Adel was not a woman who you would wish to have against you in combat. A machine gun that turned into a handbag was something that definitely was not to his liking in the least, with how things would likely go.

"And then..." She smiled at him, as her eyes met his own. "We became friends and are friends." She smiled with an intensity that made his heart flutter, beating faster. He swallowed, his throat feeling awfully dry now, as she looked at him, smiling at him. "You're a good man, Cardin. Don't be so hard on yourself."

His food tasted better now, as she dug in as well, her bites more like nibbles, as he continued to gaze at her, her ears moving a little, her head turning up a little to show her dainty chin. The look on her face was enough, as she seemed to come to a conclusion. "We're going to the movie afterwards, right?" She said, her voice soft. "Yeah." He admitted.

"Let's get something to munch on for the movie." She winked at him, her teeth flashing as she smiled. The care that she put in them was definitely something that she seemed to have put as a priority, though with Coco as a leader, the hygiene and fashionability of the team members would be pretty high as it was. He looked down at his dish, a vegan burrito that had been loaded up with spicy beans. He ate it slowly, tasting the spiciness of the blend of spices that suffused it, a low sound coming from her mouth. "Ah, I think I need to go and take this call." She looked at her Scroll, the silent signal of a call being received appearing there. The vibrate setting must've been on. "Don't you worry, I'll finish this and then go to the bathroom." She smiled for some reason, as she giggled. "Oh, do I have THAT effect, eh?" She winked at him, the friendly manner that they'd been together with still up between the two of them. There was no way that she'd just hinted something like that at him, right?

"But I really have to take this call." She got up, her half-eaten salad left on the plate. He slowly finished his meal, the server coming to the table again. "Girl problems?" The man asked, looking at the food still on the table. "She had a call." The waiter nodded, his gaze following his own, Velvet leaning against a wall, talking quietly to someone on the other end. "The girl likes you, buddy. It may not be my place, but seeing what's happening to all of us here... y'know. Times were better when High Leader Belladonna was still in power." The man sounded wistful, as he looked at the Rabbit Faunus. "Pity that we can't get that one back."

' _Belladonna? Isn't that eh... Blake's surname?'_ "Oh?" He inquired, curious about what would be the reason for that. "Did he retire?" The man looked at him as if he were unknowing of the truth. "Have you lived under a rock or something?" He asked, more candid than any server should be with a customer. "I'm a student at Beacon." The man's face showed understanding. "Ah, yeah. My cousin Art went there. Good school. The Faunus outreach program is the best in the world, if you'd believe him. Did you get in on merit?"

Cardin could see Velvet's face scrunch up, her head shaking once. The burrito was done before he'd known that he'd started to eat again. "She'll be back soon, I think." The hand on the hip pose that she currently adopted seemed to fit her just right, like she was ready for anything. "Sure." The server said, his voice a little wistful. "With Tallow in the lead, who knows where the Fang will take us, eh?" The man patted his shoulder. _'Am I the only human in the room?'_ A cursory glance at the occupants said that it likely was the cause. _'Don't they have enhanced scent or something?'_

As he made his way to the bathroom, he could see a tall man enter the restaurant, a brown package under his arm. The dark coat that he wore was an odd choice for summer wear, even with the long blade that sat at his side, sheathed within some sort of contraption. _'Obviously a Huntsman of some sort.'_ He pushed open the door to the men's restroom, his eyes finding a row of urinals there, as he did his thing.

He exhaled slowly, as he began to relieve himself, the curiosity in his mind burning about what call Velvet would be receiving. _'She must've had plenty of admirers... But maybe it's just her team leader, telling her something that happened. Dove wouldn't do such a thing for any of us, unless it impacted our performance.'_ It was enough to be her friend. He couldn't hope for more than that, they simply were too different.

As he pulled the fly up again, he made his way to the washbasin, to wash his hands. The door opened up, the man who'd entered earlier striding in. His face was pretty in a manly manner, if Cardin had to put it to any description, a set of bull horns rising from his red hair, a faint smile on his face, as if he'd just heard something pretty amusing. "Good evening, brother." The man said, the tone casual and warm, as if he'd just recognized him on virtue of something.

He froze, not sure how to react. The man took one of the urinals for himself, even as Cardin still stood there, frozen, the water hitting his hands. Choosing to continue with hand washing, he made sure to use the soap to create a lot of bubbles. "Skin issues?" The man asked, as he took the other washbasin, the reflective mirror showing the man's reflection. "Y-yeah." Cardin said, as the man nodded. "My partner used to be the same, you know? Always getting clean, always making sure that she looked so pretty..."A wistful look came to the man's eyes, a far-off look that spoke of how much he loved his partner.

"You must love her much, Sir." He said, the man smiling at him. "What are we but slaves to our desires, brother?" A hand was extended. "May we always remain strong to our heritage, brother.." The man trailed off, Cardin forgetting for a moment that he hadn't introduced himself. _'What sort of strange Faunus rituals do they do?'_

"Cardinal." The name of his old team came to his mind before it had been renamed to DLCR, his eyes a little moist at the reshuffling that Professor Goodwitch had done. "Ahh, one of the Avian line. Your trait must be hidden under your clothing then." The man didn't pry, which made it better to use as a cover. "A pleasure to meet you, brother Cardinal. I am brother Adam. May the Fang guide you upon the path towards our freedom." The man turned around, leaving with the door shutting behind him. _´What a strange man.'_ Cardin thought, as he walked back to the table that he shared with Velvet, the young woman sitting back already, waiting for him. A bag that hadn't been there before had been put at her side, something that raised his suspicion.

"Ah, Cardin!" She said sweetly, the way that she addressed him bringing a strange warmth to his heart. "Hey there Velvet." She smiled softly, her hand grabbing his own and the smile turning even sweeter, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled. "Hey, we've got to make a swift detour for a moment, I need to bring something to a place where I can store it before picking it up in the morning." She indicated the bag at her side, her smile warm, his own suspicion slowly fading away. _'No doubt it's something that she's gotten from this place. They cater to Faunus needs, right? No doubt there's some stuff in there that a Faunus needs that I don't understand.'_

"Of course, we should have plenty of time to do something before the movie starts." She smiled at him, as she looked at him with eyes that held the warmth of her affection in them, making it hard for him not to smile. "The two of you look so cute together!" Someone said, his head turning to see an older woman, her broad forehead showing a set of horny growths that seemed like massive blisters, rounded and yet looking almost horn-like, the greenish cast to her skin something that clued him in immediately to the Faunus nature.

"Thank you, Auntie Viridian. It's always a delight to be here and have some food that's been lovingly made by you." The woman smiled at Velvet, the relation between the two of them definitely not of the family kind. "It's always a good thing to see my darling little Scarlatina here. You've even brought a boy along!" Velvet smiled softly. "He's a friend." The woman smiled again. "Like your team? You know we don't often have humans here, dearie. They wouldn't fit in."

Velvet's cheeks flashed hotly as she looked between him and the woman, her fingers tapping together, nervousness showing clearly. "But but... I wanted him to experience some of your good food. He took me to this REALLY fancy place for our previous outing, so I was just..." The woman laughed softly. "Don't you worry. If you say that he is a good sort, then I suppose he is a good sort. Right?" He nodded, though he wasn't sure whether it would be right to do so. Velvet seemed startled to see the woman speak to him, her eyes looking at him. "Tell your aunt that she's welcome to come visit again after her Mistral visitation. It's going to be the whole Scarlatina family back together, even if her husband isn't there anymore." Velvet's smile seemed brittle as she nodded. "It'll be just like the old days, Auntie Viridian. I'll tell aunt Hare about your request." The woman nodded. "I'd like to pay for our food, please?" He spoke up, the woman looking at him with a surprised look. "A gentleman, Velvet... My, my little girl seems to have been attracting the RIGHT kind of men." Her eyes went over him, as she sniffed the air around him. "And such a pleasant smell too... You've really done right, haven't you?"

The Lien chips on the table were enough to pay for their meal, with a bit of extra for the service. The woman took them, the server that had served them their meal during the dinner at the restaurant giving him a thumbs up, clearly happy about the tip that he got. "They don't make as much here... But it's good employment for most Faunus." She explained, once they were out. The bag was slung over her shoulder, the dress that she wore looking somehow still perfect on her. "I liked dinner there."

She smiled a little and moved closer. "That's because you smell like me, Cardin." She brushed against him, her arm wrapping around his own. "Guaranteed to throw off most people with sensitive noses... But hey..." She smiled at him, another pretty smile. "Don't tell anyone." She winked at him, the joy in her appearance something that he cherished, as they walked down the street. He saw more Faunus couples now, paying more attention to it. They seemed happy, content... Not at all like the people who would rise up and beat their human oppressors for the slight of the Faunus Rebellion. It was a stark change, he thought. Faunus were always... different.

"Of course not." He said as she gripped his arm a little tighter, letting him feel her tight muscles, her breathing even, as she snuggled up against him. "Thanks. You probably wouldn't get through the front door if you didn't..." She seemed to blush, her face red, eyes looking down at the ground. "I mean, it's generally what we do when we find a partner, but it's..." She looked embarrassed.

"You had your reasons. We're friends, aren't we?" He kicked himself for saying it like that, her face looking hurt for a brief instant. "Yeah... Friends." She said, her voice wistful, her eyes looking up at him with a look that he couldn't quite decipher, her eyes full of emotion, as she shifted the bag a little on her shoulder. "We should be getting to the storage that I keep some of my extra gear in." She said, as she ducked into a building that looked rather shabby to his eyes, a Faunus clerk at the desk looking up from the terminal that he was working on. Velvet flashed him a smile, holding up something. "Seventh locker at the back. You know the drill." Cardin was aware that he was getting looks as he leaned against the wall, waiting for Velvet to get back. "Sorry."She said apologetically.

"It's alright. Now how about we go to the movies?" He suggested, her arm wrapping around his again. It felt good, having her at his side. _'I should ask her to... to date. To be official.'_

That would be a good start. An image of her looking at him with love and devotion appeared in his mind and he did not think it would be such a bad image to aspire to.

* * *

 _Student issues (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She could feel only the irritation build, as she looked at the smith that stood before her. A singular blade was being hammered into shape, the sparks firing up. "No time. I cannot work on your weapon." The man's voice was gruff, as he spoke, continuing to work on the blade whilst he spoke. "Father, this woman has come all the way from Vale..." His daughter said, the man's eyes resolute. "I'll finish the Katar first, then I will look at her weapon." She sat it down, feeling naked without it. Without her weapon, it felt like she could only use half of her semblance, the guidance that her weapon gave her somewhat of a crutch. _'I should make something of a backup weapon.'_

As the man dipped the heated blade into the mixture of water or whatever it was, steam rose from the metal. A few parts of gun-like barrels were strewn around the desk, a staff with a bladed edge extended in a similar fashion. She recognized the small markings on the staff's length. "Is that a pyrotechnical seal?" She inquired, the look on her face curious, as she watched the craftsmanship. The smith cast a look at it.

"Class Five Pyrotechnical Sealing Matrix. Sufficient for the fighting against Class A threats." The man's fingers pulled out a length of copper wire, wrapping it around the base, a soft humming coming from his mouth as he continued to work on the weapon. "You wish to have additional weapon grooves, right?" The man said, as he laid the Katar to the side. "If it isn't too much work." She said, trying to downplay her own desires. The man looked at her weapon for a moment before putting it on the workbench and finding the screws and starting to unscrew them.

"You wait outside. I'll work on it now." The man was reputed to be one of the best weapon smiths of Mistral, his custom designs saving the lives of many people, yet his attitude was abrasive. _'It's only because you've gotten the guarantee from dad that you're even allowed to skip the wait.'_ The way that he operated was not a thing that she personally liked to see. _'Judgments based on personal approval... That sounds like a mess.'_ The woman who was his daughter apparently led her outside, to allow her to take a fresh breath of air whilst her father worked on the specifics of the weapon that she had delivered.

"Soooo, what's your problem? It's just a little bow!" The conversation from one of the women that stood outside was enough to draw her attention. A dark-skinned Tiger Faunus and a lighter-skinned Panther Faunus stood there, the Tiger Faunus looking fairly upset. "It's a ribbon! You would hide these beautiful ears? I should have just kept a scarf on." The panther Faunus smiled lightly. "That's why we're here, dearie." The maternal pat to the woman's head was not well-received, the fierce glare that was given back at the woman enough to make her feel a sliver of amusement. _'She looks familiar. I think I saw her before, somewhere.'_ The Tiger Faunus regarded the daughter of the weapon smith. "Did he finish my weapon?" She bit at the woman, who seemed to take the attitude in stride. "Your weapon has been finished. Father is just putting the final touches upon the work meant for your partner."

"She's not my partner." The tiger Faunus said, the panther Faunus giving a soft giggle. "We're partners whether you like it or not, you know. We're all together with John." The heat that filled the Tiger Faunus' cheeks was enough, even though Heather could've sworn that she'd heard 'Jaune' instead of John. _'Keep it together, Heath. You're hearing things if you think they're talking about your little brother.'_

It was a tension that every member of their family had. Any mention of a John or Jaune and it all went to shit. Rowan grew silent, Azure and Cremea grew emotional, Ashley and Bianca shut off their emotions and she and Saffron... Well, they dealt with things in their own way. _'I can't even imagine what mom and dad are feeling still...'_ The only son of the family. _'He should have been bringing home some cute pretty girl, blushing and stammering, introducing her to us and letting us grill her on her values and the like so that she'd be a good girlfriend. Hell, he could've brought an entire harem out with him, I'm sure that it wouldn't be an issue for us to deal with.'_ They had all their own issues. Her own wandering existence meant never being able to settle down. _'And nobody would want some girl with six sisters...'_

"It must be enjoyable, sharing a man between the two of you." She added herself in the conversation, both Faunus looking at her, the Tiger Faunus' eye twitching. "We're not with him!" She hissed, as she set her hands on her hips. With Heather's height, it didn't look very imposing to her. "Oh, but we are. Don't you remember drooling all over his chest when you woke up this morning?" The Panther Faunus seemed to have a good tease game, as the other, undoubtedly younger, Faunus blushed. "That was just once! Esmeralda was just shifting away, so I got comfortable. He's a very soft pillow, no matter what he is."

' _Trouble in love?'_ The way that the woman phrased it was something that tickled at her imagination, imagining a man who knew his way around women. _'Jaune would be the more dorky one, always trying to make sure that his companion was happy... Not like this Don Yellow-like fellow who seems to have the affections of more than one woman.'_

"Doesn't that mean that you're comfortable enough with how he is?" Heather added, the panther Faunus giving a smile that was saturated with victory. "See? She gets it!" The woman gave a fierce grin to her friend, whose face showed irritation. "He's still... He's still a monster!" The Panther Faunus gave her friend a look, about to speak but Heather beat her to it, curiosity peaked. "Oh? Is he too much for the three of you?" The Faunus women looked at her with a look that was somewhat bemused on the panther one and the look of 'do you even know what you're talking about?' on the Tiger one. "For all four of us, he is more than plenty. He'll make sure that we're all safe." Heather could feel the warmth of the woman's feelings, definitely maternal, towards the guy named John.

"That sounds like my little brother would've treated his friends." She said, before she'd realized that she'd said it. "Always such a darling, trying to make us tea and coffee and what-not, even whilst my younger sisters were stuffed to bursting." The fond smile on her face was enough, as the panther Faunus woman looked at her. "You must love him a lot." The reality of the world crashed home on Heather again. "Yeah... He's been dead for three months now, thereabouts." She said, as the depressive feelings rose once more.

' _His partner is no doubt still devastated. He was our little Jaune, the spark that lit up the whole room when he was there, even if his dorky way in clothing wasn't emulated.'_ The memory of that god-awful onesie was still something in her mind, even though Saffron had gotten a similar one, in memory of him. _'It's supposedly really comfortable... But I wouldn't want to be caught dead in one.'_

"My condolences, sweetheart." The panther Faunus woman said, her voice genuine enough to show that there were no lies there. "The Grimm got to him. They only found an arm." _'Why am I telling these people such things? Is it because they seem to be good people? Do they have a Semblance that makes everyone spill their guts?'_ "I will pray for his soul to find a safe haven." The tiger Faunus said, her voice unusually serious. Her panther companion looked at her. "Praying for a human, hmm? What would your friends say?" The Tiger Faunus growled at the panther one. "Probably that I'm being polite and respectful towards those who died in the fight against the Grimm."

"Get in, Tiger and Pussy." The voice of the weapon smith came and the two women entered. Heather thought that this would be a good time to leave, as she'd have to inspect some of the students first. It was such a bothersome thing, yet Lionheart would want to see that things were all done according to plan.

As she sat in front of the teams of students that she would be escorting to Beacon the next day, she could feel a sense of trepidation go through her. These kids didn't know what they were up for in the real world. Her eyes went over the teams, noticing that the three boys of team SSSN seemed to have a huddle together, a set of broad gestures made by the blue-haired member of their team that went unheeded by the other members. _'Didn't their team leader go off to Vale first? There was something in the briefing about that.'_

Scanning the crowd and getting a good view of what the people were like, she allowed herself a moment of composing herself. "Team CME, please come forth." The formal tone that she used was needed to show their composition. "Cinder Fall, reporting in."

The team leader was a leggy brunette, her dress accented with Dust crystals and a weaving that seemed to be fire-based. _'There's NO way that she's 17, like the documents claim.'_ The thought of that went through her mind as she looked at the other members of the team, the three-man team missing a member. _'I wonder if their fourth member is still in transit.'_ "Very well. You will be expected at the airship landing pad in the morning. Please pack what you require, as well as fresh clothing."

"Naturally, Professor." The woman's voice was definitely more matured than many of the people here, her sharp yellow eyes looking at her with the look of one who knew things that they should not. _'Would I not have done the same?'_ A surreptitious gaze to the brassiere that the woman wore allowed her to make a quick estimation of the price of the entire outfit. _'Fire-proof fabric, cut in the style of Mistral... There's a good chance that she'll be well-off in her personal affairs... But why stick an older student with two younger ones?'_ She wondered, yet she had her orders from Lionheart. _'Vet the students as being present and move on. Their personal choices are not to influence your duty.'_ The fourth member of the team appeared, a girl from the looks of it. Maybe a bit older, yet the style of dress... She couldn't agree with it. _'Who'd wear something like THAT for combat?'_ She looked a little different from the regular line-up, but the team leader, Cinder, had spoken something that she'd barely caught, distracted by the last member of their team arriving. The girl didn't say much, but that was to be expected. Late students never really wished to talk much. "Very well. If you all know what to do..."

She moved on to the next student in line, catching sight of the team slinking off, their fourth member hanging off the arm of the only boy there. _'Young love... Or perhaps a distraction? No, I must be overthinking things.'_ "Team SSSN, please come forth."

It was back to the rote of things, even as the blue-haired young man stepped forth. Only three students... too. She hoped that the team leader would be able to take responsibility for this whole show of tardiness. "Neptune Vasilias, at your service, ma'am." Her eyes narrowed, as she cleared her throat audibly to make him aware that he was to get back in line. "You're expected at the airship landing pad in the morning. A notice will be given to your Scroll." The young man looked at her with a look that she didn't find herself caring much for, her eyes meeting with his own. "And would you happen to be free? I know this great place in the Mistralian upper district, you'd probably really like the salads there."

Her lips were a thin line. _'Who does this little brat think that he is? I'm 28! I don't date boys who haven't even grown chest hair!'_ She schooled her face into a mask of seriousness. "Mister Vasilias, I am not at liberty to go gallivanting off with any student for a 'date'." Her Semblance ignited the air around her, the gust of hot air blowing her hair up. "Please, appear at the landing pad. That is all."

' _Why do these little pricks think that just because I've got a set of tits and a damn gorgeous body, that I'd like to spend time with them? Is the dating that bad for these kids?'_ She went back to her routine, even with her mind starting to come up with different ideas, her mouth working to call the next team forward.

* * *

 _The failed dating guru (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

"Hey Jaune!" He turned around just as he finished browsing through the selection of the goods on display, Esmeralda standing at the aisle for feminine hygiene products, Neptune's voice carrying to his ears. The blue-haired teenager seemed to be looking a little worse for wear. "Hey Neptune. What's up?"

"The biggest bummer ever. I met this really cool-looking girl, she's everything that you'd ever want to have in a woman, smart, skilled, able to fight off a whole bunch of students." Jaune could see where this was going. His eyes were trained on Esmeralda as she looked around for the items that she needed, trying not to lose sight of her. "And she's totally not interested in me. You've got to help me out, buddy." How Neptune seemed to have come to the conclusion that he was some sort of macho man who knew the ways of women was beyond him, as he looked at his friend.

"First of all... Tell me more." He wasn't sure whether the knowledge that he still had from Her would be of some use, yet the woman had once been in love. From that experience, he could draw. "She's this hot older chick. Blonde hair, nice set of frontals and a weapon that'll be able to blast you into pieces." The image that he got was more along the line of his mother, the look on her face sterner than it'd been before.

"So... What's the problem?" He humoured Neptune, who seemed to scratch his cheek some more. "Well... Buddy, friend... She doesn't want to see me. Just told me to get my stuff and appear on the landing pad for tomorrow's departure." Jaune knew that there was more afoot in Haven Academy than mere students getting taught. _'Would it be so wrong to scope the premises a little before we confront that dude?'_ "Oh?"

"The Vytal festival, dude. Have you been living under a rock?" Jaune just as well could've been living under a rock, for all that he knew of the cultural events. Even living near Vytal with his family, it did not really give him much of an understanding of the events as they proceeded along. "Spent a lot of time out in the wilds." He gave as his answer, Neptune nodding his head. "Fair. It's this huge tournament. There's a few people who'd really like to win it, y'know? Hell, I bet my buddy Viridian is still out there looking for that 'perfect someone' that he's been moping about for the past year." The name didn't ring a bell inside Jaune's head, even as his attention went to the young man's face. "So, this woman?"

"She looks fiiiiine, dude. A bit like you, if you were a woman. Not that I'd date you, though. No homo." Jaune sighed, even as Esmeralda joined them, a few products in her hand. "Jaune, money?" The bag with money was held out, the woman taking it with a wink at him that undoubtedly was casual enough to count. "She's got you wrapped around her finger, dude." The teenager said, Jaune giving a long-suffering sigh. "It's just the result of my actions." He clarified, even with his whole body feeling the ache suddenly a little heavier than before, without any sort of warning beforehand.

"Oww, you must've struck granite with her then. So, this woman... She's got some of the nicest breasts that I've ever seen." The thought of a female version of himself was something that he didn't really think about much. The image of his sisters came to mind and a wry laugh came from his mouth. _'Wouldn't that be an amusing sight, trying to see him woo one of them? Neptune would be spit out by Rowan at the very least.'_ "So, you're just after her for her looks?"

The nod and embarrassed laugh that he got was enough to confirm to him that Neptune's world seemed to revolve around the impressions that he had of women, rather than the inside of their minds. _'What an asshole..._ ' "My best advice for you is to go and pick a girl more your age."

"Says the man who's been dating a MILF." Jaune's face showed his annoyance as he looked at the blue-haired guy, the goggles reflecting the light of one of the overhead lamps. "We're not... We're just companions." Esmeralda chose that time to sidle up to him, her arm wrapping around his, her eyes meeting Neptune's. "Companions... Pleasure-buddies... It's all such a difference, is it?" She purred, her hand gently brushing through his hair, combing through it slowly. It was not an unpleasant experience.

"Like that, dude. How do you attract women like that?" Esmeralda looked at him, her eyes sparking, the dark tresses of hair falling in her face. "By being genuine."She said, in the manner of offering advice. "By being someone who would have the character to make a woman fall in love with them, as I do for Jaune." She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss upon his cheek, her nose brushing against his skin, as she turned to Neptune. "That is how a woman treats her man." She said with a smug smile. "Now, go out and find a girl your own age that you can put your energy in." The look on Neptune's face was uncertain, even though Jaune was pretty sure that Esmeralda was just exaggerating her enjoyment of his company for the dramatic appeal.

"I wish I could have as much success as you do." He said, sighing deeply. "All you can do, buddy, is to find a girl that you like and STICK with her." He tried to offer comfort, yet Neptune's face was clouded. "But you should know that they won't appreciate you going off and looking at other girls and women. That's a no-no for anyone serious about dating." The soft chuckle that Esmeralda gave, was clearly something that had amused her. "You should focus more on the other women, Jaune. You know that you shouldn't monopolize your time with me. Kali needs some attention too." The teasing tone in her voice was enough for him to realize that she probably wasn't serious about it, her eyes shimmering with amusement, as she leaned towards him and whispered in his ears a soft – "He's too unfocused to properly woo a girl, don't you think?" – with her voice holding a tint of amusement. "But what... What if I fail?"

"You get back up and try with another. There's a lot of women in the world who'd like a strong Huntsman to protect them." Esmeralda said, her no-nonsense voice sounding stern, like that of a mother and matron of the family. She looked at Neptune with a look that seemed to contain irritation and frustration with his attitude. " Don't think that any woman would just want a cheater."

She looked fierce in her expression, as she stepped forwards, her hand reaching out and tapping against Neptune's chest with a finger. "In your heart, you probably realize it already. You can't go around cheating on girls by proclaiming your desire for another."

Her eyes flashed in an angry manner, which he'd grown to recognize. "Now promise me one thing..." The woman's voice was soft, as a deceptively pretty smile appeared on her face. "Yes, Ma'am?" He asked, Esmeralda's smile predatory in nature a moment later. "You will not go and hit on girls who simply 'look nice'. We are not simple meat puppets for you to get your penis wet in." The crude language slipped from her lips, her eyes flashing. She looked at him again and smiled. "Well, certain exceptions can be made for cute men." She winked and then turned back to Neptune.

"Otherwise... I don't know who it will be, but someone will take offence. They will hit you when you think you're safe when you think you're secure, and you'll come away with scars." The savage smile on her lips was feral, not to be misplaced on Sienna's face. That fact was something that he would keep to himself, as Sienna was a very opinionated woman on certain topics. "Y-yes." The blue-haired young man said, taking a step back. "I have two daughters. Hit on them and I will make sure that you will be able to sing castrato in the Mistral Men's Choir... If they don't beat me to it." He turned even paler, the fear real in his mind, almost escaping through the pores.

"Just... tone it down a bit, dude. Girls don't like it when they're constantly harassed. The girl I fancy... well, fancied, didn't like it at all when I asked her out. Sometimes, you have to cut your losses and find yourself taking a good look at what you're doing." The advice was sensible, enough wisdom having trickled down from the wellspring of advice that was Kali Belladonna. Neptune seemed to regain some of his fortitude, his eyes looking at him with what amounted to hope in them.

"Maybe I'll run into some nice girl in Beacon." He said, Jaune's smile bittersweet. "There's good people there at Beacon Academy." He said, Neptune nodding. "My pal Viridian's been placed there due to a sudden vacancy. Someone died in a training accident or something." A wince he couldn't suppress happened. That was undoubtedly his own demise, spread by the authorities. "Oh? Is he a good friend?" He inquired, as Neptune took a few steps back, Esmeralda falling back in line at Jaune's side.

"Bit of a blockhead at times, but given his preferences... Yeah, I don't think that we'll have any problems. He actually hit a few times on some of the prettier people at the initiation from Sanctum, y'know? Even I had to admit that they were very pretty people." The awkward laugh that came afterwards was something that he prevented. "Yeah, Beacon has no shortage of girls." He said, nodding to himself. Something like... sixty, seventy percent of the population was female.

' _You know the reason for that.'_ The thought in his mind immediately rose, as the statistics bore out. He wondered briefly why it would be such that even She would know of it... but it did not matter to him in the slightest at this moment. "I've gotta go. You go and be a cool Huntsman, dude. You can see me in the matches at the Vytal festival." Jaune smiled at him. "I'll be heading to Vale after I've done some business in the city. Weapons have to be made, after all." He said, Neptune nodding in understanding. "If Junichi's making them, they'll be great."

"That boy is a lecher." Esmeralda said as Neptune disappeared into the crowd once more, obviously on his way back to the academy. "I don't approve of him." Jaune didn't think that it was THAT bad, but alas, his own judgment in people seemed to have been in error a few times, enough to make him question his own decisions on that field. "We'll probably never really run into him again." He said, trying to take the edge off her reasons. Her eyes were fierce, sharp and deadly. A contrast to the first glance that he'd had in them, when there had been fear and panic in them, soon replaced with the care and warmth that they'd had once.

"All for the better. I would not want my daughters to date one such... ruffian." She shook her head, as if trying to banish the thought of her daughters daring to date Neptune. _'It's something special if the woman herself knows her daughters well enough to make such a judgment. She must love them a lot.'_ He imagined dark-haired young women in a similar style as Esmeralda, with their hair done up. He could see the blue eyes, a characteristic that he'd only seen in his family and several others, the cheekbones and the general cool efficiency with which the woman worked, the manner of being aware that she was the most important person in the room, yet capable of being warm at the same time. _'Just like how Weiss would be if she had dark hair.'_

The comparison between Ruby's partner and this woman wouldn't be so easily denied, with Esmeralda's mature air of composure and the teasing that she could get up with, she easily could be an aunt to the Schnee Heiress, who would be able to elicit a laugh from the young woman, or a groan that would rend the air.

' _Yeah... There's no chance that Weiss would ever want to have anything to do with me.'_ The thought was dark and gloomy, even as Esmeralda pulled him closer to her, her arm hooking around his. "We should get back to Junichi. Sienna should have received her weapon by now." She suggested, his eyes looking up to the skies, turning slowly darker above them. "We should." He said, walking with her towards the weapon smith's shop.

* * *

 _Nobody ever said it would be easy (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She looked at the elegantly worked Katar that laid upon the workbench in front of her, the wood polished and glistening to the eyes, the sharp edge looking like it'd easily cut through whatever was in the way, the barrels of the gun that had been installed into the grip for a ranged option somewhat longer than she'd anticipated. _'I'll have to get used to that.'_

Not that it would be so troublesome for her to actually get used to shooting things. Faunus eyesight was superior to many human eyesight enhancing scopes, with her Faunus heritage easily allowing her greater zoom. It had been a tribal thing leftover from the time before, according to the legends. "Dust Rounds are chambered in the side." The weaponsmith said, as he looked at the work that he'd done. "And your Kris." The man said, laying the weapon at the other end of the bench, the blade worked with a dark grey line as an edge, the black material worked perfectly, small glittering stones worked into the depths. "Category C Dust infusion, guaranteed for ten years of service. Replace the Dust crystals in the blade once a year. It functions very well as it is, stabbing things." The weaponsmith elaborated.

She could see Sienna out of the corner of her eye, twirling her bladed staff around like a practised warrior, the edges having been sharpened to a razor's edge, the glimmer of Dust-crystals and something more worked into the blade. _'She looks like a child in a candy shop.'_ She thought, as she watched Sienna grin savagely.

"The flamethrower in her staff wasn't a thing I'd want to replicate with your weapons." The man said, following her gaze. "The Katar, though... You'll be able to stick them into someone and make sure that they'll be greeting the Brother Gods in the afterlife." The man grabbed the Katar and then punched at the empty air, a rush of heated air around the edge as the whole steel glowed. "Dust infusion. Makes the blade a little hotter, just right for cutting through armour and making a person into an internal barbecue."

She whistled, impressed by the functions. "It is truly something magnificent." She would never have said such a thing before, when her big grumpy panther man was still around, who would fight to defend her, to show the world that the Faunus were merely misunderstood. _'Sometimes, Ghira... Sometimes I dread to think what would have happened if we did pick up arms.'_

' _ **The blood within you calls out for vengeance. Think not of the flaws. Strike now to make your claim. Do not let the fear claim you... Become the fear for them. Show them your right to rule this pride.'**_ The voice in her mind continued, as she could feel the sensations come up from the shadows, the dark impulses that had started to spark ever since she had lost her husband.

Like a seductive whisper, it continued to speak. _'_ _ **Remember your husband... He died. Remember your friends... they will not care for one simple widow. You are nothing without your husband, Kali Belladonna... You are nothing if you do not accept the thought.'**_ She could only feel the coolness of the shadows, as she let the Kris go through her hands, pulling it through the air slowly, as the patterns on the blade filled with the shadows from the forge's fire, the shadows lengthening around her. **'** _ **You will wield your blade of death and the end of their life like the kiss that one gives to a lover before the blackness swallows all.'**_ She shuddered, her eyes looking at the blade, noticing that her grip seemed to have twisted on it. "Bit looser on the grip. You look like you're going to be stabbing someone with it now, pussy-cat." The smith said, her eyes widening. _'I shouldn't be thinking like this!'_ She could feel the dark impulses inside her push and burn, the need inside her filling her with the dark craving for blood and death. _'Are you really going the same route that Sienna has went on?'_ The thought was stark, as the thoughts of hers formed the perfect answer – **'** _ **If I must.'**_

Her husband would not have approved. "And my friend, Esmeralda... How is her weapon proceeding?" The weaponsmith rubbed over his chin, his gaze going to a weapon that was in the progress of being made, the workings already hanging out there to be exposed for a moment. "Bit of forging to be done for the custom-made sheath. It's your boy-toy that's the major issue for me. Haven't had to forge that sort of work in a while." Her ears, both sets of them, twitched. She looked at the man curiously.

"Oh?" She said, as if she indeed was merely a little curious to the thought. The weaponsmith nodded. "I do Mistralian work mostly. The style of Mistral, you know it, right?" The nod she gave was enough for the man, as he continued. "With him... Summer's vouched for him, which is enough. She's got her own style, look at that sword over there." A single sword hung from a leather strap on the wall, glinting in the light, the handle half-worked on, a leather strip wrapped half-way around the handle, still not fully finished. The short sword looked ready to slice whatever it desired, though.

"It's a custom-built sword with a dust shotgun in the edge. Did the same work on her teammate Raven's sheath. Her brother's got the same mechanism, but he wields a combat scythe, as far as I know it. The gears in those things are HELL to replace, lemme tell you that, kitten." She didn't understand much of it, as the blade hung there. "It's going to be accompanied by another, right?" She questioned, the weaponsmith giving a grunt of confirmation. "Dual blades, kitten. You won't be seeing ol' Summer Rose swinging around some big beast of a weapon. That's more for her teammate's style, with those darn gears in it."

"So... Have you worked on Jaune's weapon yet?" She inquired again, the man giving her a growl. "Don't disturb me, fuzzy. His weapon'll be done when it's done. It's going to take all my time in the last week to finish it up. Dual-dust chambers are volatile and unstable unless you place them properly..." The man's head shook once, as he seemed to confirm something mentally. "But you should be fine. You can train with your Katar and Kris for the time being. Summer's good with payment. I know you won't run off, even if you are a fuzzy mutt." The language definitely had Sienna on edge, yet Kali could detect a grudging sort of respect from the woman for the weaponsmith. "We'll be bothering you for a while longer then, mister Junichi." The man grinned at her, broadly so. "You should see my friend Mer. He's always coming by, talking about stuff that needs little explanation." The man gave a gagging sound, as his head shook a few times. "The bastard's always winning at Go though... I should change my game up... Maybe chess?"

As she stepped out into the fresh air, she could feel a renewed sense of purpose. Spotting Jaune and White walking up together, the woman leaning against the young man who had saved their life back during the ambush, she could feel a twitch of something in her heart snapping. _'You should have your husband with you too.'_ Seeing White reach up to pull a small leaf from Jaune's hair and then toss it aside, a laugh following afterwards, made her be reminded of the things that she had lost. She looked at Sienna for a moment, seeing the Tiger Faunus look pensive and a little frustrated, her attention going to the sight of the young man and White approaching the two of them so casually. "They look like a good couple, don't they?" She said, Sienna's silence lasting for a while, as she looked at the pair.

It clearly was envy that was written on Sienna's face, as she looked at the two members of their little group coming towards them, the small twist to her face that showed her emotions never proving her wrong. "You want to have some fun with him too, don't you?" She whispered in Sienna's ear, the tiger Faunus turning to her, her eyes blazing. Her mouth was opened, seemingly to give a curse... but no words came out, instead of that a mere whimper escaped.

"He's human..." Sienna said, as she lowered her gaze. _**'Human but also not human.'**_ Her mind whispered at her, as she laid a hand on her shoulder. "You feel some sense of gratitude to him, which makes you feel connected. It is not wrong to have affection for a man, Sienna." She tried her best, as she massaged the younger woman's shoulders.

' _What use is affection if it is not capitalized upon? Out of the three of us, four if we count Summer as well, only Sienna is in the age bracket where he would even consider entering a relationship with. We are...'_ She didn't think of it, as she felt the pall of darkness fall over her once more. _**'Too old. Too fragile. You will never become the pride leader if you do not squash all your challengers. Take your Kris and stab the tiger... Show her who the real leader is... Subjugate the other woman and show Him how the Faunus treat their beloved.'**_ It felt wrong to her. The thought of Ghira was banished for a moment for a look on a field of murder and slaughter, the dark shadow inside her granting her the etherealness of a shadow, flickering back and forth, her Katar and Kris coated with the blood of her enemies. Her whole body shuddered at the thought, the shudder noticed by Sienna.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked, her eyes caring, concerned instead of irritated. _**'Destroy her! Reap her soul! Smash her hopes as you assume your position as chief amongst the women!'**_ The thoughts continued, as she felt the need to shudder once more, suppressing it. "Just a little uncomfortable. I never really had a weapon aside from the knife that you gave me." Sienna smiled softly. "It takes a little while before you get used to it. Let's practice later on, shall we?" She suggested, Jaune and White stopping before them. "You got your weapons?" Sienna showed hers, the dark glint in her eyes spelling doom for any witty comments.

"Ready to be used." Kali pulled her own Katar into sight, as she looked at it. "I might have to look into getting a sheath made for this." She said, turning around and entering the workshop of the weaponsmith once more. "Is it possible that a sheath might be made for my weapon?" She inquired. The man pulled out a small folder. "Go see Mer." He scribbled something with a brush onto the folder, a length of lines and a slash through it. "This ought to get you into the customs section, where his wife'll see you through. She's a cute little fuzzy, just like you." Whatever this Mer seemed to have going for him, at least he seemed to have a cute wife… who was a Faunus. _'Merville's Huntsman Haven. Wait, didn't we go there for our clothes?'_

She hadn't had a chance to wear it. Such a scandalous outfit would definitely pull the wrong kind of attention if she just wore it… And even White had kept to wearing the regular outfit that she'd adopted. Match did it not, but it was enough to make them look relatively unassuming. _'The older woman with younger man jokes need to stop, though.'_

She supposed that it was just the burden they would have to bear. Rent-boys were a common sight around Mistral, after all. If you had money, you could afford the company of a cute young man for a while.

' _Now, let's see whether Sienna knows about that too… She wasn't raised in the city, if I remember right…'_

* * *

 _Witching up the world, (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

The dull paperwork was nothing compared to the thrill of having to sit through a lengthy budget report meeting with one's superior and the other teachers of the institution. She did not particularly care for the budget aside from the allowances that they had for purchases, the headmaster's face showing none of his usual emotion as he merely regarded the presentation that she had put on for the ease of the others to grasp the technical aspects of their job.

"And thus I would like to suggest that the funding towards the education of the lower years be increased by five percent, in order to boost the productivity of the classes by thirty percent." Higher calculus she never had to take, yet the words that she threw around would make it look all the better. The training facilities that had been set aside for the first years were in need of a revamp and retooling, with enough of the money spent on the budget for at least a few new locker rooms to be added to the first year courses. _'It would not be wrong to suggest an additional shower room either.'_

"Approved." The headmaster said, sounds of assent coming from Port and Oobleck, the other fellows looking up from their Scrolls and giving approval. She allowed herself a moment to gather her composure fully, the mask of steel sliding into place as Glynda Goodwitch, the Witch of Beacon, looked at her fellow staff. "With the additional funding in place, I would like to submit a formal request for another shower facility to be built in the first year section of the school. Natural attrition would thin out the first years." The harsh reality of their task to safeguard the civilisation on Remnant was known to everyone.

Peter Port, familiar for his own lectures on his own brand of Huntsmanship, coughed. "A little investment in that way might clear up some of the sweat stains on the seats of my lecture hall." The man's voice carried easily, as Bartholomew looked up at her. "A good proposal. You have my support." The other teachers, including Professor Peach, who had appeared out of some far-flung land with a new load of architectural plans and an ancient horn bow that she'd apparently 'found hanging off one of the ancient ruins', gave their guarantee that they would support the motion.

Unscarred faces were a rarity in their line of business. Every huntsman had gotten nicked and a scar from their encounter with the Grimm, bandits or even worse. Their line of business had the most death and casualty... yet they did it out of love anyway.

It was not the fame, nor the status that it afforded them. The love for humanity and the Faunus and whatever counted as sentient and non-Grimm drove them to defend the world. That idealism that Miss Rose had been so fond of spouting during her career, was something that was only good for the pulling in of recruits, before the harsh shutters of reality slammed down around them and the burning of their hopes and dreams occurred. "Furthermore on the agenda: Recruitment and Selection. Does anyone have any solid plans?"

Peter Port was the first to speak, the broad-chested man rising from his seat. "Why, yes. I had thought that maybe I should be going to visit some of the young children in their schools in order to speak of my gallant tales." The man's skill with his Blunderaxe was something undeniable, the veritable age that he had managed to reach being something worthy of respect, yet the man's manner of teaching was still... a bit too drab and dull for her own tastes. Students responded better to being given the easiest and bite-sized chunks of information from which to draw their own conclusions and be engaged in to study more on the subject, rather than to be contained in a room with all the flaring hormones, the smell of sweat and the excitement of teenage hormones.

"We'd probably never hear them awaken from their slumber, Pete." One of the teachers, Jeremiah, spoke up, his ears twitching a little on his scalp. The man's nature was usually to remain fairly aloof, yet without a flaw, the man knew when to speak up. "You are boring." The Grimm Studies teacher did not take offence, a hearty chuckle coming from his mouth. "Hardly boring, Jerry my boy! You kept awake during my classes, unlike the members of your team!"

Something that sounded faintly like 'I never really got over the insomnia...' came from the man's mouth as he dropped his head in his hands, seemingly thinking over the options available. "I'll join you, though. If there's kids that need to be taught..." The man's eyes were wistful, a hand pulling out a small silver locket, the fingernail pushing it open and looking at the picture, the man's eyes misty as he looked at it.

The tragedy of the man's life had its impact on him. She hadn't known him well before he had assumed his office as the deputy of the Grimm Studies department, substituting for Peter Port whenever he was teaching the lower years the finer points of having to hunt down certain Grimm. "Peter and Jeremiah will go out to the schools to teach the children about how great the life of a Huntsman is." She said, adding it for good measure to the notes in her hand. Her own neat cursive stood out on the pages, the loose scrawls that she made when she had little time to write something of a contrast. "Let us teach them just how wonderful the job is."

Professor Peach snorted, her short hair cut in a different style than before her excursion. "I get the use but... Really..." The pessimistic nature of the woman often had made her less than tolerable in a professional encounter, yet Glynda knew well that the woman was an absolute expert in the manner that she conducted herself in the professional field of a Huntsman. "They're all going to die, screaming for their mommies, hoping that their teammates will pull their ass out of the fire, even as they get devoured."

The scars on the woman's face spoke enough, the Ursa's claws having raked there, yet her enthusiasm for history and its ancient artefacts spoke for itself. Her chosen field of herbal and survival treatment of injuries and general maladies was something that generally went abbreviated as 'Medical Skills' in the student vernacular. Glynda knew the woman's care was as good as it could get outside of the specialists that had dedicated their lives to medicine, yet her personality...

"Shut up, Peach." Jeremiah growled at her, the wolf ears on his head twitching. "What's it to you, wolfie? Does the wolfie need to have a bone tossed at him?" She taunted right back, the age difference between the two of them being but three years. _'They could be great partners, with how they just make themselves out to be each other's enemies... but alas.'_

"We're definitely not sending you to the children." Glynda said, her voice curt and short. The squabbling between the two stopped immediately, their gaze going to her. "Good." "Hey! I can be nice to children!" Came from two mouths, the heated glare sent back at each other something that would no doubt be entering legend. They just didn't work together very well, despite their chosen weapons complementing each other. _'If only she could learn to shut up and he could learn to let go of his issues.'_

Sometimes, it felt like it was a therapy session every time that she walked into a staff meeting. The Headmaster's nod to her was enough to continue onwards, though. "For our next topic of discussion, since Jeremiah and Peter have volunteered to go and reach out to the children of Vale, we have Selection on the agenda."

The teachers leaned forward, their attentiveness coming to full awareness, their eyes looking at her. The criteria for selection of students changed frequently, based on the needs of the defence of Vale. Huntsmen were in limited supply, after all, those that went Freelance often not searching for work in the vicinity of Vale, the bounty boards listing their own missions and jobs that could be undertaken by anyone.

"If I may add something, Glynda?" The voice of Professor Peach spoke up. "Criteria for selection are ever-changing, so the standards must be met. I propose that we allow each prospective student a moment to be inspected by yours truly in order to ascertain competency. The bone measurements with the inclusion of an inspection of the bodily muscle mass will allow for greater chances of us detecting students who might not be able to muster the required criteria to be students here."

' _Just like our first death of the year. Jaune Arc, gotten in thanks to some forged documentation... If I find out who sold our documentation forms off to the forger, I will personally take issue.'_ "That sounds reasonable." She said, as she looked at the headmaster. "Young Mister Arc has certainly not managed to meet those criteria, after inspection of his files. Even the medical examination of his remains did not yield any conclusive data. As he is the only one to have fallen thus far this year, I would like to propose that there is a test of physical capacity as well."

The wordings of the professor whose skill in the medical field was well-known was simple, yet the headmaster's eyes seemed thoughtful, as if he was mulling about something else. "Headmaster?" She inquired, the man startling a little, only minutely twitching, yet she had familiarity with the man's nature, watching every little quiver there, as worry filled her heart. "I was just thinking." He said, as he looked at her.

"A physical exam might be needed. What of the little ones this year?" He inquired, his tone a little sharper than he'd intended it to have, in her estimation. Something irked the man, and it showed in his tone of voice. "Thirteen students are expecting." Professor Peach said, her voice factual, as she looked through the papers in front of her. "Obsidian Theremine has given birth to a healthy baby boy, expected to enter the ranks once more after the three months of mandatory rearing are done. The child will be raised by the family and the support fund will be given to the Theremine family in order to take care of the needs of the child. Miss Jill Kirsch is expected to deliver within three weeks, if the time is coinciding properly with our expectations."

' _The nature of life... and death.'_ The Headmaster's face did not change, save for the glint in his eyes. "Are there any of the first years expected to be under your care?" He inquired, Professor Peach looking at her information. "Out of the first year, none are expected. Are you concerned, Headmaster? The only pair that we had foreseen was the Nikos/Arc pairing after the first week, yet that has been cast aside due to the death of the young man."

The headmaster's head shook no, yet his eyes told a different story. She had long since known the subtle nuances of his gaze, complicated by the manner that he had adopted. "Very well. Any for the upper years?" He questioned, though Glynda herself knew that the man kept a vigilant gaze at the students for any such things. "Velvet Scarlatina has shown an interest in young mister Winchester. Through cursory observation, the two of them seem to have shown a mutual interest. The chances of the two of them becoming a couple are higher than eighty percent. Care must be made in order to prepare the two of them for all that such a relationship entails." Professor Peach continued, Glynda opening her mouth to interrupt.

"The two of them have a friendship, though it seems to be more amorous from Miss Scarlatina's side of the deal. Cardin Winchester is not a young man who is currently stable and well."Her own professional assessment of the young Huntsman in training would be that he was focusing too much on his own guilt, rather than to channel it into something more worthwhile. Understanding the full circumstances behind it though, was crucial. If not for the death of Jaune Arc, Mister Winchester would be as he had been during the first three weeks of classes. A bully and a threat to people around him, if not managed well.

To see him more introspective and sedate was somewhat of a decent turn to the situation as it was, yet care had to be done to establish a good base. "The grief for the causing of the death of Jaune Arc, yes?" Peach said, her voice soft as she spoke, pulling the relevant medical files up. A low whistle came from her mouth.

"Such a pity." She muttered. "See something you like, you degenerate bitch?" The comment by the Faunus teacher let the other professor's head snap up. "Nothing that you'd know about, you mutt. You should really learn how to shut your mouth." The woman looked at the Headmaster for a moment. "Are you SURE that he is related to the Arcs?" She asked, the Headmaster's eyes narrowing imperceptibly. _'He's angry about something.'_

"About as sure as I can be. I may not have been present for his birth, yet I know Sage Arc and Emerald Arc as if they were my own children." The headmaster's eyes were fierce, flashing with an uncharacteristic frustration. "Ah, sorry." The professor meekly said, clearly getting the irritation in the man's stance, as his gaze bore down on her. "I was juuuu-" She trailed off, as she sought for something in the medical dossier that she'd got on file. "Oh." She looked up. "I... I see your point, Sir. Sage Arc's file has a similar annotation."

Glynda walked over to the file, glancing over the younger professor's shoulder, seeing the dossier.

 _Name: Jaune Arc  
Age: 17  
Aura Capacity: A+  
Semblance: Unknown_

And below it read:

 _Name: Sage Arc  
Age: 52  
Aura Capacity: A_

Two family members with a similar Aura capacity, measured at first medical check-up, something that seemed to flow in the bloodline of the Arcs. She could see why the professor conceded her point, though it had to do with the Headmaster's reaction to that.

"If there are no further points on the agenda, I, Glynda Goodwitch, dismiss you all." The words were formal, yet they should hardly be spoken by her. The man who could utter those words was sitting in the chair there before her, looking at her with a painful expression in his eyes. As the professors filtered out, several of them starting to talk about their upcoming reports, she saw the look on the man's face.

"Ozpin?" She asked, her voice soft enough to be barely audible. "Bring me the files on Saffron, Bianca and Ashley Arc." The man's voice brooked no nonsense, as he looked at his fingers, where the cup with his favourite drink still was clenched. "Headmaster, please..." She said, knowing that it would be futile.

The man's gaze swept up, his eyes full of sharpness. "Peach has noticed it as well. I will need to get them scrubbed, carefully." The words meant little to her, as the safety of Remnant hung in the balance. _'Time to do what must be done.'_

"Shall I call Qrow?" She asked, as she mentally calculated how long it would take for Professor Peach to reach her office. There would be time enough for the skills that the Headmaster had cultivated over his existence to be used, to blank out the pertinent realisations.

Sometimes, it sucked to be the deputy to a man who held magical powers...

The Headmaster took the elevator to his personal office for some of the preparations of what they had to do as she stalked through the halls, knocking on the door to Professor Peach's office. The door opened up a moment later, the professor looking up at her, her own imposing figure standing there for the woman to look upon. "Glynda?" The woman asked, as she stepped aside to let her in. "Did you come here to be enlightened as well?"

' _No, I've come here to snuff that light.'_ She thought, as she charged her Semblance up, the glow around the riding crop in her boot starting to show. "Oh?" She inquired, as if it were news to her. The professor nodded, excitedly. "Jerry might be a barking dog, but even he knows when to toss in the towel when it comes to medical theory. The bloodline... This is amazing!" The woman pulled out a thick volume from one of the haphazard bookshelves, holding it out. "The features, almost the same." A picture of Sage Arc was put up to the picture of Jaune Arc, the facial features a little different. A picture of Taiyang Xiao-Long was put up as well, with 'RELATIVE?!' scrawled on a small note on the side.

"But the capacity... this changes everything. If we can..." The woman thumbed through the dossier. "You know what this means, Glynda?" The excitement on the woman's face was visible, as she looked at the files, the annotations for Arc, Rowan standing out still. _'Sometimes I am glad that nobody really takes the time to read the medical dossiers except her... We can still contain this.'_

"This will spell a revolution! SEVEN sisters! Seven! Can you imagine the potential?! A pity that the only son died... The gene must carry through the male line, I know it..." Her hand grabbed the riding crop, the glow wrapping around Peach's neck. "I'm sorry, Peach." She said, as the teacher grabbed her neck, trying to pull the imaginary hands from them, turning around, as her eyes met her own. "But we cannot let you discover that." The teacher's eyes bulged, as the air supply constricted. The net of telekinetic force wrapped tightly around the body, as the air supply was choked off. Not a mark to be seen on the flesh, yet the air was choked off.

It pained her to do it like this, yet it was necessary. The door opened up behind her, the sound of the headmaster's feet on the soft carpet like a natural accompaniment, his hand on her shoulder offering comfort that she craved. _'It is a messy business... But we must be preserved. Nobody must know about our duty.'_

"Thank you, Glynda." The man said, her Semblance dropping the woman to the ground, her knees unable to support her, her eyes wide and her breathing coming in deep gasps. "You would silence this discovery? Think of the things that we can do with their blood? Their bodies!" The Headmaster's hand laid upon her forehead, Glynda's eyes closing as she felt the Aura of the man surge. Her whole body was wrapped in pain suddenly, as he lit up, his magic, his aura, wrapping around her.

* * *

 _She was ten again. Her blue eyes wide as he loomed over her, dressed in his suit and with his cane, a smile on his face. He had offered her candy, had told her to come with her. The pain was so much that she blacked out. Her mind had shattered, and there was another, another... and another. Then there was just his face, as he held out his hand to her, her own dirty, caked with the reddish liquid that she knew was not the funny ketchup that her mommy always put on the food. Her eyes turned back to them and then she shuddered, his voice in her ears._

' _You will be a good witch, my precious little Glynda.'_

 _The fear again, as she grew once more. Another man's rough breath in her ear as the sweat and the grime of a long night of entangling in the sheets grew into more, even a fading hope that there was anything but the rust in his heart to guide him, leaving her only with regret, a teenager with a heart broken. Another disappointment, a year after she had started to teach. The headmaster had told her about his duty and she had quivered only for a moment before she knelt before him, feeling his hand steady upon her shoulder, as he whispered in her ear those words... 'Glynda Goodwitch.'._

 _The adult looked at the child, seeing the frail bones and the haunted eyes look up at her, mature green meeting the jaded green of a child that had been through too much. Her eyes burned with tears that she could not feel, as the child peered up at her with incomprehension of her own fate, of her own nature, as the rags around her body fit her. Her mouth opened softly, as the young child seemed to ask a question, yet she could not answer. All she could feel was the pain, as his voice continued to drone on in her mind during this moment when the pain was as painful as it had been before. 'You are a good witch, Glynda Goodwitch. You are the most precious of people to me... Right?'_ _The child's tears dripped down her cheeks, the helpless expression on her face again, as she could see her world as if through a mirror, darkly twisted._

' _I am Glyn- Am I Glynda?'_ _Doubt flashed in her mind, as she peered out, into the haze of pain and fear and anger. Something bigger than her moved, a single leviathan of power present, with her merely a speck of dust compared to its strength, still infinitely smaller even to the slightest hint of his power. She could see her younger self look at her with hope, with that faith and trust, even as she let herself push through._

 _She slammed back into that dark space again. 'I am Glynda Goodwitch. I am precious to the headmaster.'_

* * *

She noticed that she had somehow managed to nearly collapse against the chair, sweat beading on her brow as the headmaster seemed to be busy with whatever trick he was doing with her memory. The man's face was rife with concentration, as he looked at the professor whose memory he was altering, his eyes firm, as his hand pulled away. "No recollection of the little secrets of the Arc bloodline." He said, as he looked at the professor as she laid there. _'What was I thinking about? Oh yes... We can't let the world be damned due to some ambition from the uninformed. That is what we are all gathered for.'_

"Was she right, sir?" A strange taste, much like blood, filled her mind. _'I wonder why my mouth tastes like blood? Did I bite my cheek when I fell over?'_ The thought was strange, as she helped the headmaster drag the body towards the bed that had been set up, looking at the unconscious woman. "Is there really a power in the Arc family?" His smile was warmer, filling her with the confidence to not worry about what was happening. He knew the way, didn't he? He always guided her in every capacity that he had, from the orphanage to becoming a Huntress.

She owed him everything. He was the man she had always adored as a leader, friend and companion. "Not as you might think. Their Aura capacity is large, yes, yet their Semblances is where the Aura is most efficiently used." The man looked at Peach, his face looking expressionless, as he tapped the woman's cheek. "Have you removed all the notes from the room?" He inquired, as she looked at the comparisons. Her hands moved swiftly to the pictures, the telekinesis that she used pulling everything back to its place. The folders that had been spread out had been put back where they belonged, everything neatly organized according to the date and time and year. _'That is one of the handy things of a Semblance such as mine. Reconstruction is easy, once it knows where to return to. A ghost imprint... that is easily done with recent changes.'_

She knew that this was for the best. For Remnant, she would stand by and watch how a woman was drained of her memories by the man who knew best.

It was all for the greater good of Remnant.

* * *

 **Alright, chapter 21! Bit of exposition here, the Cardin and Velvet romance continues... and we've had a staff meeting! The OC's who features will not really feature much in the general story besides a mention here and there. Peach is named, but her role and general attitude and the like are never explored in the show, so I took some liberties.**

 **Chapter 22 is coming up! In it... well, you'll get to see. Lots of exciting stuff! Lots of plot, lots of new stuff to be shared and Jaune's weapon to be unveiled! The contents of the next chapter have, as far as I've read through countless fics, never been explored in fanfiction ever. So, new ground! Wooh. Feel free to correct me afterwards.**

 **I won't make it next week to release chapter 22. It'll be pretty massive. Lots of things happening. The time currently in-canon is about a week before Beacon receives the Haven students. So, that means about two weeks before the food fight, and the shenanigans with the robots. Whee. I've got a lot of stuff to cover in the next chapter, so I will take some extra time to write it out, see whether it'll be something that's good enough to publish or not.**

 **Thank you for sticking with this story, even despite its slow build-up.**

 **Read well and review! You're going to LIKE what comes in the next chapter.**


	22. Dying Light

**Chapter 22: Dying Light**

 **This took a while to write. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

* * *

 _The hope for improvement (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The sound of the clock ticking drew his attention once again, as he could see the shadows wrap around one of the women in the room, her golden-yellow eyes gazing with an effect that would cause fear in the world around her, the darkness around her intimidating, yet soothing to his senses. _'You're nothing but a charlatan, never enough to make it.'_

It was the day where he would be getting his forged weapon and Summer would get hers. The mismatched clothes that she wore were still something that she occasionally commented on, yet with the way that she practised, it would be mere covers for her body. _'I should get her something, something that she'd like. She is a valued member of the team too.'_

His eyes looked at Esmeralda, her hand turning the page on a book on rifle usage, the new weapon that she'd gotten from Junichi laying against a shoulder, her eyes slowly reading through the pages, dedicating enough time to every single page. Sienna stood in the middle of the room, her whole form straight, as the slow motions of the blade-dance that she used with her bladed staff continued. There had been no testing of the ranged options that they had available aside from the range that Junichi had behind his smithy, the weapons that the women had gotten being perfect as a fit for them. _'Is it mere luck that we ran into the man, or is it that we have been blessed with the eye of something greater?'_

He did not dare to hope, as the _vitae tenebris_ inside him quivered and quailed, his will enforcing its power over it. _'So little, still there.'_ The introspective mood that he was in was enough, even as Sienna ceased her dance, Kali's shadows slowly falling away. He looked at the woman and slowly inhaled, the cloak of dark emotions slowly fading away. _'It would be of no use...'_

A realisation that he was doing something wrong and twisted came, yet he dismissed it. _'The fighting that has to be done is enough to make people worry... It wouldn't be for the best result. I must be a hero... even if I have to make use of the methods that I have.'_ The look on Esmeralda's face showed a hint of pride, one that was affectionate as she looked at the weapon that she'd had forged for her, the Dust rounds that she had bought only three days after getting the specific calibre from the weaponsmith put in, ejected and then put in once more, testing the ease of loading. Her hands manipulated the switch and the ejector.

"Are we ready?" He asked, Kali the first to turn to him and speak. "Possibly." The tone that she used was more neutral than the warmth that she had displayed more often, his guilt rising once more. _'I should never have been aware...'_ The thought of taking what he could, just like She had, gnawed at him. _'I should have done..._ ' He paused his thoughts there, as Kali turned to him. "We go tonight, right?" She said, a nod given by him, to affirm indeed that it was the time tonight.

The reconnaissance of Haven Academy had been performed by him alone, Summer's personal recollection of the grounds of the Academy referenced many times. Moving through the buildings that had been mostly abandoned by the students, shifting the weapon on his back a little and trying to look like the average student was something that he had done. Who would suspect a seventeen-year-old student of scoping out the academy for an assault?

He had even caught a glimpse of the Headmaster himself, the physical aura that he had not corrupted like Hers was, not a single sign of it to be found, yet the tie with Her was there. He had turned away swiftly, moving with unhurried steps towards another part of the building. The man had not given chase, undoubtedly due to the lack of importance that a single student would make. _'The rules of the world are still to ignore those who do not look professional. Nothing has really changed for the better, since the days of Arcadia.'_

"Well, I am ready." Sienna said, her eyes meeting his own. He slowly exhaled, feeling the throb of irritation from her. _'The connection has been forged... All that I need is more power.'_ It pained him to think of such terms, even as the phantom memories of Her called out to him. With the power that She had at her disposal, it was scarcely impossible for any human settlement to stand against her whims and will.

The _Vitae Tenebris_ which flowed through his body was the link towards the darkness that lurked through this whole world. With his essence split between Aura and the _Vitae Tenebris_ , it was possible for him to achieve the best results that could be mustered. _'Damning them to live as I will...'_ The thought was glum and dark in his mind, leaving him to feel nothing but the pulses of the three women that he had attracted.

His eyes flashed crimson, the power of the _Vitae Tenebris_ surging through his body, his eyes catching the darkness that spread through the forms of the three women, their emotions raw and fiercely burning inside, like little hearths of emotion that flared richly to his eyes. _'Am I doing the right thing, taking away some of your judgment?'_ The thought was harrowing, even as his face showed the determination. A little twist...

The glare that Sienna gave him was enough to warn him off, even whilst Kali's eyes met his own shortly afterwards he'd blanched from the glare, their golden colour changing a little.

* * *

 _Shadows of the past (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

It was the small things that touched her most. As she set herself down on the seat, she could feel how inside her, the void opened up once more. Meeting with His eyes, she could feel the comfort inside her swell up, the thoughts of darkness rising once more. **'There will always be a moment where you can strike. Trust in Him.** _'_ The thought was not of her own mind but rather the shadows that lurked inside her.

Within her a war was being fought. A war in which one side tried to hold on to the innocence and the memories of a life with her husband and daughter, against the side that threatened to encapsulate the angry wrathful feelings that she felt into something that she could use. _**'The one moment that you let go, Kali... is the one moment where you will realize your true potential.'**_ The voice spoke, even as the memories of her husband started to fade and flicker.

' _Ghira...'_ The thoughts of her husband started to come ever harder to the forefront of her mind, as her mind roiled like a turbulent sea. She looked into the eyes of the man who had saved her, had been with her for the month and a half that they had travelled together, the weeks turning into what seemed to be an endless scenery of feelings and emotions. Her despair had turned into purpose, the dark emotions inside her no longer suppressed.

She found herself falling into her own plateau of the mind, the darkness around her like a tide, slowly rolling in. The pristine white ground that she stood upon was slowly being eaten away, as she could see the flashes of the memories appear, images appearing before her on the ground, as the darkness slowly washed them away.

Her first meeting with Ghira, when he had been but a young man and she had been but a young woman. The engagement that had been disrupted by the protests, before she had even been properly given the vows of acceptance by the elders. Her daughter being born, so frail and so tender, yet with the care that Ghira showed her as the large hand was grabbed by her small one. The smile on Blake's face as she was carried around by her father, with her own steps hurrying behind in order to catch her if she fell, yet Ghira's hands had been steady.

The darkness washed the memories away, the fading embers replaced with a deep dark fear, one that wrapped around her. As the darkness around her encroached, she could feel nothing but that deep dark fear inside her, writhing and working, not a moment allowed for the recuperation of herself, as the darkness slowly waited for her.

' **Accept me.'** The words came from before her, as a dark copy of herself stepped from the darkness, the slime-like liquid easily allowing the shadowy shape to step from it without an issue, the eyes blazing with dark intent in them, as the shadowy copy of herself seemed to find nothing wrong with the circumstances in which she found herself now. **'You know your destiny, Kali Belladonna, wife of Ghira.'** She quivered, as the fear rose even greater, glowing golden eyes appearing in the darkness, like the predators that stalked through the shadows. **'Accept me... and make that power yours. Seize it!'**

Terror and fear mingled together, as she saw the darkness creep ever closer, a centimetre of space left before it would touch her, a single space where she stood still fresh and untainted. "What are you?!" She called out, as the shadowed version of herself looked at her, the darkness receding slowly, as she watched the shadow version of herself stand there, wearing a copy of the clothing that she wore now. "What do you WANT? Do you want to take my memories?"

The golden eyes opened wide, as the shadowy copy stepped onto the pristine ground still left, patches of shadow growing around her feet, as she leaned forward. The smell of blood and pain clogged her nose, as the shadowy version of herself spoke up. **'I want you to take what is yours by right, Kali. I am nothing more but a representation of your Semblance... altered and twisted, perhaps...'** The fear rose even greater in her own mind, as the shadows suddenly faded away, the memories returning, as the shadowy version of herself turned around. **'But I am not content to leave you like this, Kali.'** The laugh that came from the shadowy version of herself was cold and frightening, without the mercy that one would normally think that a laugh could have.

"Then what do you WANT?!" She shouted at the dark version of herself, whose mouth quivered into a smile. The details of her appearance became even more pronounced. The tan that had been with her for most of her adult life due to the weather in Mistral and Menagerie had turned a little paler, black veins appearing at the skin, with the shadowy version of herself unabashedly showing them off to her, the veins bulging as something that seemed like pure shadow wormed its way through, thick bulges of clumped matter slowly pushing its way through the flesh towards the woman's face. **'I want you to seize the power that He holds.'**

Kali's eyes widened, as she saw Jaune suddenly appear there at the side of her shadowy double, standing there with his crimson eyes glowing faintly, as the shadows wrapped around his body suddenly. He didn't speak, yet the shadowy version of herself wrapped her arms around him, rubbing against him. **'A choice for our deliverance, Kali... A beacon of hope...'** The woman's voice purred with the need of a starving woman, as she brushed her head against him, evocative of a cat to its master.

An image of Ghira holding her appeared to her eyes suddenly, as she gazed lovingly into her husband's eyes. He gently brushed a hand through her long hair, his face warm as he pressed himself to hers, the kiss gentle and firm. She remembered that time well, their first home together, just languishing in the shade during the hot summer days and the slowly cooling summer nights. She had still been the woman who ran the household whilst Ghira was busy with the activism for the Fang, her body having not yet borne the child that would be the light of their life. _'I love you.'_ The words rang hollow through her mind, as the grief came, the words of the shadowy copy of herself coming through once more. **'The fading emotions, the intense grief... Would you really wish to remember the love that you have once had, torn away from you forever?'** The voice lingered, as the scene changed.

Sienna and Ghira stood opposite of each other, their faces showing their frustration, Sienna's balled fist in the air whilst Ghira's face was resolute, his glasses on his nose, a sign that he had been reading up until now. _'You are always the one to go for violence, Sienna! Do you not see that the humans would destroy us if we ignite another war?!'_ Her own body, in-between, keeping them apart for their own health. _'They need to fear us! Without fear, without the violence to MAKE them fear us, we will NEVER be free! We will ALWAYS be chained in Menagerie like pets! Why can't you SEE that, Ba'Ghira?!'_ The argument had been heated, yet the two had not come to blows. It had been her words that had calmed down the arguments, with the sight of the two of them calming down afterwards, some minor reconciliation between the two, with much pleading from her.

' **They were worlds apart. Violence and fear contrasting the peace of pacifism and dialogue. Anger and terror up against reason and logic. They never would see eye to eye on those things, yet you mediated.'** The voice of her shadowy copy came from around her, as the scene shifted to yet another memory.

The sight of her husband laying there, the branch sticking from his flesh, as his lifeblood spilt away, his eyes meeting hers with the hope in them still there that she was alright, mouth telling things, begging her to understand, even as the raw emotions played. Sienna, helpless to aid her, looking at the sight of her husband there, dying... and not a single thing that she could do. **'You fear the helplessness...'** The voice purred softly, sensually, as golden eyes appeared all around her, looking at her.

A scene around her appeared, burning buildings and terrified shrieks in the air, working its way into her very psyche. People stumbled through the city, the sight of her daughter Blake there, trying to help a young girl along, the girl not older than five or six, the Beowolves starting to catch up. She could see one snow-haired girl urge her daughter to do something, even as Blake said something back, the sounds muted, as the Beowolves came to take the life of her daughter and the girl she attempted to help. Terror was rich in the air, wrapping around everyone present, not a single moment left for them to be safe, even as her daughter's weapon, an unusual combination of a blade and... was that a gun, linked with a ribbon together, flew out, slicing apart one of the Beowolves. **'Futilely they would fight against Her, whilst you would languish in the worries of a husband who will never draw another breath.'** Her daughter's weapon was nicked and battered by the fight, the snow-haired girl's body laying on the ground, her leg shattered. **'Where are you, Kali? Your daughter dies.'**

An image of Blake's body, half-way in the maw of a Beowolf. A shrill shriek, above everything else, a shrill desperate cry for help, for someone to save her, as the teeth bear down and flesh is rent. **'Dead. You were not there to defend her. You were only a mute doll, bereft of any emotion save your despair. Why did you let your daughter die, Kali Belladonna? Why did you not aid the man who knows what way to take?'** An image of Jaune appeared once more before her, standing there with his face passive, the shadowy version of herself standing at his side.

' _I don't WANT my daughter to die.'_ Fear gripped her heart, the burning pain and terror working through her as she looked at the shadows of her Semblance. _'Ghira...'_ The image of the man who she had been wed to for over two decades appeared, her daughter's infant form in his hands. It distorted, showing the hole in his chest, Blake's teenage body half-way bitten in half. His lips were wet with the blood he had coughed up, Blake's were mere pale flesh, as her face showed half of it just gone. _'Do I... Do I just...'_ The choice was not simple, as the shadowy version of herself looked like it waited for an answer.

' _Will I betray what my husband stands for, in order to save my daughter?'_ The decision was a tough one. She did not wish to shame the memory of her husband... yet the thought of letting the fruit of their loins perish because she was unable to guard her from the danger she was in... _'Jaune can control the Grimm... He can summon them.'_ An image of the Beowolves retreating and leaving her daughter and her friend and the girl alone came to her mind, as she looked at the representation of Jaune there in her inner self. _'Would it be so bad if I allowed my Semblance to aid me?'_

It would be madness, thinking about an ability that she had received from her own core that could aid her... as if it had to be a bargain. Fear flashed through her once more, as she realized that she would have to make a decision. A thought of fear rushed through her consciousness before she looked at the shadowy form that stood opposite of herself. "What guarantee do you have that you will give me the power that I need to guard my daughter?"

The look on the shadowed Kali's face was amused, as she strode confidently towards her, her steps easy, without worry. Paler skin looked sickened, as she stopped before her, the shadowed version of her looking at her with a look that held pity. **"Would I let you die, Kali?"** The question was asked, and Kali knew then, that the answer was 'No.'.

Such a bargain would not be struck easily, though. She knew that there was more to this little offer of safety than appeared on the surface. Suspicion and fear rose inside her, as the shadowy self looked at her with eyes that held nothing but the cool satisfaction that her back was against the wall. _' Would she really keep her offer?'_ She wondered, the shadowy version of herself waiting for the answer still, her eyes burning with an intense flame that seemed not to go extinct, her body shivering at the fear that rushed through her body, wrapping around her like a blanket of thorns. _'The fear is so much..._ '

Images of Ghira and Blake appeared to her eyes, their mingling colours only giving the safety and the comfort of her family. _'Do I want them to see me like this? Do I want to feel the fear, the despair, the emotions?'_ The thoughts that led to this conclusion were dark, as the dam of emotions broke and the tears came, streaking down her cheeks like raindrops on a window. She could feel only the hurt inside her, as her husband's face appeared before her eyes, the look in his eyes reproachful.

"You are to be a pacifist. I would not want you to take up arms for my sake." The words had come suddenly, the voice that was Ghira's familiar tone rumbling in her ear like the need that she had once abandoned. _'He would not want me to feel like I need to fight, like Sienna feels. It would not serve the least bit of aid to the cause if I were to do as we have all done... to arm ourselves and get ready to fight and... and to kill._ '

' **You're silent, Kali.'** The female voice of her shadow double spoke, her eyes glowing with a yellow-golden sheen, the colour of fear and of frustration and despair. Stepping forward without a pause, the pale arms looked like they were crisscrossed by shadowy emanations, the veins flaring up with the dark power that she held, as her hands wrapped around her arm, trying to keep her under control, the soft whisper of despair and fear and terror making itself sound like the clarion call.

"Isn't it RIGHT to fight for what we want? Do we really have to be chained into servitude by mere humans?!" Sienna's voice echoed, a stark contrast to her husband's, her eyes leaking tears. _'Ghira... You would not want me to take this path... Yet Sienna revels in it.'_ Her eyes met her shadowy Semblance copy's. **'Is your mind made up?'** The copy said, as Kali looked down, the tears leaking onto the shadowed flesh of the copy, whose body pressed against her own without a word spoken, the shiver of emotional pain working its way up her body.

"Yes." She said, as the look of her husband's face filled her mind. The raw loss, that gaping and bleeding wound of missing the man who she had sold her soul to under the pact of marriage and faithfulness, the need for that hole to be filled with something, some purpose that could only be fulfilled with HER aid.

' **And what will it be, Kali? Do you deny your own power?'** The voice was soft and seductive, as the shadowy Kali pulled away, stepping from her, the pristine space between the two of them marred with shadows. Kali looked up, a representation of the moon, shattered and not whole gazing down at her, as the shadowy copy turned to her, opening her arms. **'Do you wish to accept it? I bleed, as you bleed, Kali. The feelings and emotions that we feel...'** The raw emotions in the voice of the shadow seemed to reach out to her.

The happy times, when she had been in her husband's arms, the heat fading from his body as he laid there, perishing like the candle that was snuffed out. The joy of her daughter's birth, contrasting with the loathing that the humans held for them. The pleasure that she had held during those evenings when Sienna had still been an accompaniment, against the companionship that she had now.

White, Sienna, Summer... The four of them were all linked and entwined like the strands of memory in a fading dream. She could see how Summer's personality had kept the young man that had become their leader somewhat sane. _'The fading hope that he clings to... the attempts to be the leader that he so desperately wishes to be.'_ The thought of allowing this part of her to slide into place, to show the world what Kali Belladonna, mother of Blake Belladonna, wife of the former High Leader of the White Fang, could do...

' _It doesn't sound so strange anymore...'_ The acceptance in her body for this situation was nothing that she could readily describe, save for the feeling of that hole that seemed to swallow all of her hope. She could feel the darkness inside that gaping wound inside her, the negativity that was being coated in a small sheen of shadows, kept back and restrained by her own Semblance... _'Is it really so bad to fight for what you believe to be right?'_

"Show me what feelings I have been missing." She said to the shadow, who looked saddened for a moment. The pristine grounds of her inner self were suddenly stretching wide around her, the shadowy version of herself evaporating as if made from smoke. The woman's eyes remained for a moment, only looking at her with regret and pain. **'You choose to open this raw wound. I will no longer be able to guard you against the emotions, as He wishes.'**

She could see a gaping chasm open before her, the burning smell of something inside the depths reaching her nostrils. She found herself losing her grip on the edge, toppling over it in slow-motion. Her eyes adjusted to the shadows in a moment, leaving her to see what she had been suppressing.

Mind-numbing dread filled her mind as she tumbled deeper into the abyss of memories that had long since become a reality. The thought of coming home to the pitying stares of her fellow Faunus, the hopes that she would be able to eke out a living without her husband, the man who had held her soul in his grip and who had made it into the perfect fit for his own, two halves of the same core...

Darkness wrapped around her, a wail escaping her mouth, desperate and terrified of the fear and the despair and the hopelessness. She looked up, seeing the light of the opening turn ever fainter, as she fell even further. Images of herself struggling to find some purpose, to find something to do to ensure that she could keep living for the sake of Blake...

Blake, her poor little kitten, lost now without her parents, no doubt horribly afraid... yet the thoughts of that were far darker than she could imagine. Her mind conjured up the worst situation possible, the fading nightmares that she had only once confided in with Ghira, the fears in her mind magnifying the difficulty. Faded eyes, no longer the lustrous gold that they were, the hair bound back in the style of a slave, as she toiled in the mines of some unscrupulous company, her body marred by the blades of her enemies, fit only for the rough servitude that one could find in the mines, her spirit broken, without the direction that could have been given to it. It had been a fear that Blake would go the way of so many, losing the hope of a better future for their kind... and one that she had dared to dread for years on end, the wilful girl that fought for the betterment of society for the Faunus and against the injustices that she had seen, still but the bastion of hope in her mind.

Another image came to her mind, a deeper fear, of turning up to her home to find her husband there with another woman, the manner of passion that he lavished upon her something that she could only feel to be rightfully hers... Yet it was not so. Her eyes burned with the sensation of tears as she saw another woman mount _HER_ Ghira, to hear him rumble in his pleased tone that it had been a good moment to stretch his legs, the shudder of her own body as she saw a child that was not hers enter the bedroom a moment later, the features of the other Faunus woman copied onto the child. Herself, standing at attention as a mere housemaid, waiting for the master of the house to order her around, fears of her own love being discovered by the mistress, never to be acted upon.

A stab of anger and rage filled her, as another dark scenario played through her mind, the fears that had once been thought of for a moment, dismissed as something of a mere ill thought, coming to the fore. The fear breathed her, the anger and frustration built, the rage inside her welling up, as the pit continued.

The fear of losing her husband, of their daughter coming to such a grisly fate that she would lose that spark that had made her Blake, the fear of not having been worthy to be the woman whose womb would birth the child of their love... It all boiled down to fears.

Kali Belladonna feared. She let it fill her, the darkness around her filled with the despair of a thousand fears, the dark liquid that seemed to catch her wrapping around her like a comforting blanket, banishing the fear for a moment, the soft voice in her ear as a warmth-giving comforter. **'Do you have enough of your fears, Kali Belladonna?'**

She found herself standing at the edge of that pit once again, as she looked at the representation of her Semblance, the shadowy copy of herself looking at her with a look that showed acceptance. She looked at the shadow for the longest while before she took a step forwards, towards the edge of that abyssal chasm before her, stepping onto the empty space and finding a foothold, somehow. "I'll master all of my fears." She said, as she took another step.

Her daughter's face flashed through her mind. "I'll conquer all of that fear." She said, as she took another step. Her husband's laugh rang through her ear, the stab of pain and despair still felt, yet she continued onwards.

"And I will tame you. You are my Semblance." The shadowy copy of herself smiled, a smile that was warm and gentle, like a summer breeze during the hottest part of the day, offering relief. Kali looked down, seeing the abyss below and finding that it peered right back at her, a singular gaze that seemed to contain all of her fears and terrors.

Another step she took, without hesitation, her arm held out for the shadowy version to take. **'You will conquer your fear, Kali. Your friends will help you master me.'** The blood inside her body seemed like ice as she found herself suddenly wrapped in the darkness once more, and yet... the fear was there. The fear was still there, yet it was muted.

Her eyes cast shadows everywhere, as she could feel the power rush through her body. _'Wherever there is shadow...'_ The darkness was nothing to fear... She was the fear. The predator stalking from the shadows, the lurker in the depths of darkness that watched and observed.

She was Kali Belladonna. Her semblance was her own.

Outwardly, nothing happened after that realisation, save for a deep inhale by her mouth, taking in fresh air, rejuvenating the body with the breath that had lent freshness to her life... The first breath of a life where she was in control of the fear.

* * *

 _Like frost on a winter morning (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She could see the tension in the room as the people within it prepared for the battle ahead. The young man that was to lead them had been thorough in his explanation, the weapons already prepared for the battle ahead. Within the day's time that they had, they would be either on the run as killers, or as the people who had tried to kill the Headmaster of Haven Academy.

' _Heiress, Adventurer, Huntress... What more is Assassin, Murderer and Killer to that list?'_ She could not find herself caring much, as she looked at the young man who had held her attention from the very first moment that she was in his arms. Her mind drew to darker places, as the tingles shot through her body, the raw emotion inside her lower stomach pooling, without even a pause, the sensation something that she could only allow, the pleasure that she had been suppressing for days on end, coming to a head.

Her Glyphs sang to her, every different shape that they could take forming to her mind, with only a minute adjustment to their path and their power. The Glyph semblance was one which held the power over the elements of time, power and strength, their abilities dependent upon the Glyph that one drew. She knew that much from her experimentation, as she made Glyphs in the privacy of the bathroom, her whole body covered in them for a moment, the spray of water blocked by a gravity Glyph. For some reason, Dust seemed to be hardly a factor in creating them, the power from within enough to buffer their effects, yet with Dust they would be even more powerful.

' _The acceleration of a single Dust round would probably be enough to take an arm off, with enough force behind the projectile...'_ She knew that the plan was still being cooked up by Jaune, even as she watched Kali and Sienna look nervous. Her friend had been somewhat out of sorts, her body having slacked off a little in the training sessions that they'd had. Sienna, for all her distaste for Humans, had given the two of them some personal defence lessons, teaching the throws and the methods to unlatch a man or woman who'd grappled with them.

Her calculations went awry as Jaune stretched, his battle outfit already on. The tailored look would probably look better on him if he had something more to fill that outfit out, yet she did not mind in the slightest that he cut a rather imposing figure, her whole attention roving over that body of his, not a single throb of her lower regions stopping it. _'Whitney, you're eyeballing a young man who could be your daughter's age...'_ The thought was not a strange one to her, as she breathed in deep. Another shower might be needed beforehand, as she could feel her fingers tap over the mechanism of her rifle, which hadn't been named yet, the mechanisms intimately familiar to her mind now.

As he stood up, she let her gaze follow after him, his body moving with that dancer's grace that she had come to expect from prime candidates for the Atlesian Opera, their movements graceful, with the manner of a man that knew his position in this team. They were but the pawns that he would move, the King piece to their own worth... _'Is it wrong that I want to push him down and let him feel how good a woman feels? Is it wrong that I am burning up with the desires here?'_

The nagging little voice in her mind that told her that it indeed was wrong to have such strong desires for a young man was silenced once more, as she let her mind wander to those places, of where she was but a woman in her late twenties and he was... him. Her body would be flush with sweat and heat as she cuddled against him, her voice rich in his ear as she whimpered for more, for the pleasure to continue and for the ride to go on. _'It would be so glorious... So wonderful. A woman of my status holds little chance for those things...'_

The blood had drained in the most entertaining manner from Sienna's face as Kali had explained about the 'escort services' that were available here, the embarrassment on her face showing clearly once she had gotten the full lowdown on exactly what was to be thought of three women, two clearly in their late thirties, with a single young man. _'She wasn't wrong about the sharing bit...'_

An image of Kali, Sienna and her in the same bed as Him, his body nude, as they flaunted themselves to his eyes, only for his eyes to witness. She could feel the tension go through her whole body at the thought of unveiling herself together with those women. If he asked, she would say yes in a heartbeat, not a single thought doubting it. _'It is the least what a young man should get.'_ The thought of kissing another woman was... a little bit to get used to, yet she was not going to discount the male fantasy of women kissing. _'They seem to have it in their search history, according to that report. It was interesting to see on late night television...'_

She would keep her feelings to herself, though. There was the need there within her to be sated as well as the thoughts about how it would harm their case, if she was not focused purely on the job at hand. _'First fighting, then love-making.'_ The thought of a James Blonde movie ending, a small boat rocking with the motions of their love-making, brought a smile to her lips. _'Oh, I would definitely reward that young man with my chastity...'_ Not that she had much of that left. Three kids certainly proved that she wasn't a virgin anymore in the traditional sense.

' _I wonder... Is he a virgin?'_ The thought was sudden, as she looked at him. His eyes were a deep dark red colour, meeting her own with that gaze, her body feeling full with the sudden ignition of her loins, a deep dark pleasure aroused within her, her nipples peaking against the front of her dress. It was due to the jacket that she wore that kept it from being too noticeable, yet she could feel his gaze there upon her body, upon her very core of self, to look at her as if she were nothing but his property. _'If Jacques did that to me... I would feel disgusted. This feels more...'_ She couldn't put words to it, as she looked at him in return, her eyes dewy at the sign that he presented, of pure appreciation.

It would be too easy to get herself a little boy-toy to work the frustration off. The young man who she had met only a week ago had certainly impressed upon her that the standards of men around this part of the world were sorely lacking, if the wannabe Casanova seemed to have had his game together for the luring of impressionable young women into his clutches. _'I would never wish him upon Weiss or Winter... Weiss would rather wish for someone like Jaune. Dependable, caring and with a power inside him that can protect you.'_ She didn't have a doubt that Jaune would be able to control the Grimm without an issue.

Whatever this woman was who he spoke of in terms that were telling in their seriousness, it still meant that there was a fighting chance. _'And if he needs me to fight... I'm ready.'_ She was ready to do as he ordered, no matter the cause that he put her to. _'Just like Winter... She would strip naked and dance the Blue Waltz if General Ironwood ordered it, without any issue with the order or feeling any embarrassment whilst doing so.'_ The fiery temper of her eldest child was something that she had been known for, the stern control that Winter held about her own work as a Specialist in the Atlesian Special Forces something that had garnered her the respect of her superiors. Weiss, in contrast, was far more outspoken at times, keeping less of a lid on her opinions when in private, although that had changed. _'My little Weiss, always trying to work towards the approval of the man who gave you life... And never looking towards the future, as it harms you so.'_

Her mind snapped immediately to the youngest of her children. Her son Whitley, named in a similar fashion, always distant and yet so similar to his father. She could feel the scorn that he had held for her, even though she had been but the mother who he had never really grown to accept, her days spent with the liquor bottle instead of caring for the children that she had put into this world.

' _Does even one of my children have what it takes to do something like this?'_ She questioned herself. Winter would follow the orders of her general, Weiss would baulk at such a breach of international security, with the death of a Headmaster as the result if things went pear-shaped... Whitley... He would not dare do so himself, his own survival at all costs to be guaranteed.

She could feel herself sinking into the mire of her thoughts, as she let herself flow into the mental space where she could be safe, shutting out the rest of the world for a while, as she let the glyphs form around her, a shimmering radiance in the frozen cold wastes around her. Crisp snow crunched under her feet, the elegant boots that fitted her calves well and proper having been a figment of her own creation.

Unmarked was the snow, save for the space which she had passed through, her feet visible in the layer of snow that had been covering the ground, her whole body feeling warm and comfortable in the sudden chill, as her fingers wove Glyphs in the air, shimmering with the radiance that they should. Her veins bulged with the power, the darkness sluiced away by the force that she brought to bear, her will impressed upon the Glyphs, shining so white in the surrounding area that it was like something out of a fairytale. An image of her youngest daughter came to her mind, of the tales that she had told her from the storybooks.

A song burst forth from her lips, one unaccompanied by any musical tune. "For the time that I was young..." A blazing flame erupted from one of the Glyphs, as her fingers twirled around, the snow Beowolves appearing from the ground around her, their eyes furnished from lumps of red glass, growling. "I was but a girl caught up in dreams."

Her voice was lower in the register than her daughter's, the singing voice still perfect in its pitch, as she imagined it to be. "And now, a woman without a fate." The Glyph blazed, a gout of flames erupting from the sigil of the Schnee family, the Beowolves melting away, the land frosting over immediately afterwards. "A serenity broken by the familiar screams."

Her mind conjured up the faces of her family, her husband noticeably absent. "Taken on without a hope, full of my own fears." Her voice did not diminish the language that she used, her daughter's performance of 'Mirror' still in her mind. "And now in this light..." The form of her husband emerged, gargantuan and massive, like a giant compared to her own small form, looming over her.

The Glyphs blazed around her, as she sang the next part. "I will find my cause, to know what is just and what is right!" Her voice carried the tune, even as she continued to move, the blazing heat of the Glyphs igniting soaking her skin in sweat, the massive form of her husband crafted from the snow starting to slowly wilt, like a flower under the caress of the sun, with not enough water to care for it. "Without your jibes, without your control..." Her husband's gargantuan snowman form shifted, reaching for her with a massive hand crafted from snow that slowly melted. "I will not find you here, my soul is my own and I am whole."

A crash of thunder flashed from the Glyphs, a physical impossibility with the lack of Dust, yet her mind supplied the power to the Glyphs, the representation of the husband that she held a great distaste for slowly melting away, as her eyes sparked with the flames. "I am the one, the need within me is nigh..."

The snowman burst apart, falling into a massive heap of snow, the snow forming into a head, the moustache that Jacques had grown out in his later years forming like a thorny bush, his eyes crafted from two pale sheets of ice, the look on the features of that head one of disapproval, as a massive Glyph behind her formed. The gravity around her was higher now, as she raised her weapon, her finger pulling the trigger. "This life is mine and I won't have you again to spoil it this time!"

She held little appreciation for lyrical composition or for the crafting of any sort of lyrical dialogue, yet she knew that with her final outburst, the statement had been made. The explosion of fiery dust from the barrel of her rifle was enough to cause her ears to quiver, as the bullet impacted against the mass of snow, bursting apart with a fiery cascade, the Glyph that whizzed into existence in front of her blocking the worst of the snowy barrage, her body unmarred by the storm of snow as she was left there.

She snapped to awareness, brief thoughts of becoming a singer like her daughter fading to the background as she could see Kali's face darken, a flash of some grim emotion going through her. For a moment, she could feel a mind-numbing fear shoot through her, working to awaken her fully to the startling realisation that there was something SCARY in the room with her. Kali's eyes looked at her inquisitively, as if there was nothing wrong in the world, the fear fading to a mere after-memory, yet not fading from her mind yet.

She could feel unsteady, as she worked herself back to the regular level of operations, her earlier thoughts now passed into the realm of mere remembrance, her deep sigh coming like an explosion, her eyes catching Jaune looking at the Faunus woman, a look of concern on his face. The veins on his face were showing their dark lines, the pale skin and the crimson eyes giving her a dark feeling of satisfaction, as they met her gaze without a flaw.

This was alright. She could prepare for this.

* * *

 _Sunny days (Yang Xiao Long)_

* * *

She felt like she was on top of the world, her body alight with the tension that a good fight worked up inside her. As the Dust shells fell onto the ground and her body was lit up with the recoil, aiding her in getting towards her intended target, she could see the look of fear on her challenger's face, her fist rocketing forward, to deliver one of the punches that'd be a contender for 'knocking fools out', Ember Cecilia clicking as it shifted to the neutral stance, the metal hitting the chin of the young man.

"Miss Xiao Long wins this bout." Goodwitch's voice was clipped, even as the team leader of team DLCR pulled himself up from the ground, his eyes distrustful as they looked at her, a faint hint of fear in them. _'Damn right, it feels good to be here punching people instead of just trying to please them.'_ She had seen many who would do something silly like that, sucking up to others and venting their frustrations elsewhere, without the false impression that they left behind being washed away. Her body felt alive and vibrant, enough for her to get that sensation out of the way, the pleasure of having a body fit enough to work through the difficulties of the world and the stresses of the day.

"Up next, Miss Rose and Mister Winchester." The tall member of team DLCR lumbered into the fighting space, her little sister appearing in a burst of roses, smiling and grinning. "Alright!" She cheered, Yang's smile somewhat warmer than before as she took her seat again. She allowed herself a small allowance of space for her feet, Blake seated beside her, as it should be. They were girlfriends now, and girlfriends did that.

Seeing the tall redhead up against her sister, a shorter redhead with a kick-ass scythe, she nudged Blake. "Think Ruby'll clear him out in less than a minute, Blake?" Her teammate and girlfriend lowered the book that she was reading, her eyes looking at the match-up that was taking place. "We both know that she'll take him down in a flash. Cardin Winchester is not a man who'll be able to vary his attacks a lot."

The truth of the matter was indeed thusly. Ruby's weapon had the multi-functionality of a Hunt'man's weapon, the mace that the redheaded young man wielded having only the blunt power that he put into it. A ranged weapon alone would make him much more of a threat than the mace ever would, Yang had to admit. She settled a little better into her seat, her knee brushing up against Blake's. "He's been doing better, though." She said.

Ever since he had started to go out with the Faunus girl, things had been better. Losing his position as a team leader and being hit with the knowledge that he'd caused a death had brought some things to Cardin Winchester's mind that were rather grim. She could understand that much, though. It would be folly to think that someone would be alright after the death of someone that they bullied. _'If it was me, I would blame myself... But he seems to have found that Velcro girl or something, so I guess it doesn't seem like a thing to worry about... When I've got a cute Faunus of my own.'_

She leaned forwards and nipped Blake's ear affectionate, the desire to do so having suddenly appeared inside her, as her teeth nipped that ear for a short moment. "Yang... Stop it." Blake muttered, her voice not sounding as convincing as it could be. She could see Weiss giving a grimace at the sight of it, her sensibilities at the very least, not as accepting as they should be. _'Little princesses like her think that love should be between a man and a woman, no doubt.'_

Looking at Blake's face, she could feel a spark of something go through her, as her lips found the neck between the ears and the shoulder, giving a soft suckling kiss to the skin. Her eyes went back to the ring, her hair brushing against Blake's. She could smell the shampoo that Blake had used, leaning against her partner and watched as her little sister's boot hit Cardin's face, sending him tumbling to the ground, not to get up. "Miss Rose wins this match." The soft 'hmmf' from Weiss was enough to bring a chuckle from her. "You go, lil' sis!"

Ruby appeared at her seat at her right immediately, Weiss looking a little put out for some reason, yet the look on Ruby's face seemed to be ecstatic. "Sooooo, how'd I do? Cool enough?" She energetically asked, Yang's smile broad. "Bit more flair on the kick, Ruby!" Blake sighed softly. "You would do well to keep a good eye on his mace. He still overextends quite a bit whenever he has the urge to go for your torso."

The redheaded huntsman-in-training made his way to his seat, his team leader starting to tear into him about his performance, the sound of the discussion carrying faintly, the pity that Yang felt for the young man something foreign.

' _It wasn't alright that he caused someone's death, but to scold him for his showing in the ring... That's going a bit far.'_ She wasn't going to judge anyone on how to lead their team, yet it was telling. She could see Professor Goodwitch give team DLCR a look before calling out the next combatants.

"Mister Wisteria and Miss Belladonna, please proceed into the ring." The cocky member of team PRWN stepped into the ring first, Yang seeing her partner and sort-of-girlfriend move slowly, her eyes looking at her for a moment before she turned back to the ring, clearly getting into the mode which would mean business had started. She watched how Blake slowly inhaled and exhaled, Gambol Shroud in her hands moving swiftly, as she looked at the young man who was to be her opponent.

The weapon that he wielded could only be used in a few ways, so it was obvious that he had some sort of tactic to deal with Blake. He spoke something to Blake that made her bow quiver, the ribbon that she used to guard her identity something that was a good indicator that it'd been something distasteful that he had said, the faint hint of fierceness that snuck into her eyes something that definitely brought the fighting spirit out in Blake.

She shifted a little in her seat, allowing herself a moment to herself as she leaned forwards, watching how Blake's body moved like a well-tuned machine, ready to do whatever was necessary to win. _'In our own bouts of practice, we never really stop until one of us is exhausted.'_ In the art of lovemaking, Yang was still a novice. In the art of combat... she was decidedly apter than many would think. Her body was adapted to fight for its life, to fight against insurmountable odds and to beat them, to ensure the victory at the end of the day and to make the world a better place again.

She could see Blake move, the flare of the rocket javelin or whatever it was blinding for a moment, yet Blake was in motion, the guard to her weapon deflecting the tip, as she slid into personal range, driving an elbow into Viridian's midsection, his body bending forwards as she did so. _'That's the way, Blake. Always give them pain to remember!'_

Blake performed a move that she'd not seen before, something that looked like a slap, yet left the young man's aura draining substantially, the back-stroke of his weapon barely clipping her as she faded out of existence, a copy of herself left behind and shattered, puffing into smoke a moment later. She could feel her own excitement rise, as Blake darted behind her opponent, using the smoke as a decoy for her own movements to be hidden. Her blade was out and she stabbed at him in one of the tender spots, the aura draining substantially, with his body angling to the right, her head ducking under one of his swiped, her knee raising up to bury itself into her stomach. She seemed to have no regard for the decency of someone, fighting like a woman possessed up close, Viridian's aura sinking into the red section a moment later. "Yaaang?" Her little sister's voice pulled her from her musings, as she began to calculate the amount of exercise that she would have to do to get herself in top shape once more.

"Yes, Ruby?" She said, as she watched Blake flatten Viridian to the ground, her girlfriend looking like victory had come to her, her eyes carrying that glint with absolute certainty, as she looked at the defeated Viridian who laid flat on his back and panting. "Are you thinking about the dance? I heard there was going to be a dance!" A dance in the school, with everyone they knew present. The thought made Yang smile, as she knew just who she would be taking to the dance with her. _'A bit of a dress-up and a flare of something special in the preparations and we're ready to Yang.'_

"I intend to put my name forward for the organisation of the dance." Weiss said, her voice self-assured, as she looked at the members of her team. Pyrrha stepped forwards into the ring, helping Viridian up, her face showing a pained expression as he said something that Yang couldn't quite catch, nearly letting him collapse to the ground once more like a bag of used-up potato peels. "You aren't going to do anything like that without my involvement, sweetheart. No doilies!"

The glare that the heiress gave her was enough to cow her, as Blake coughed softly whilst she slipped into the seat. "Team CFVY is in charge of the preparations." She added, a look from Weiss and Ruby giving her girlfriend the attention that she needed. _'She needs to get out in the spotlight more! You can't be Yang's girlfriend and not want to beat up little thugs and villains, right?!'_

"I guess that rules us out... But I will put forth my name either way. The Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company can manage such a plebeian affair as a dance." Yang's face showed surprise, Weiss' nose turned up, her face taking that appearance of being better than most people once more, the look that Weiss held on her face most of the time when she was being 'superior' once again to the other people. It was not a surprise to see it, yet the grin on her face was enough as the next words came easily. "And thus, the great Weiss Schnee has put herself to the level of the common folk, mingling upon such a low-brow affair." The girl seemed to preen even more so, Blake giving her a look that warned her not to say more. "Exactly! To strive and to hold a higher standard than mere ruffians who have never ever had the delicacies of fine organisation."

"To ensure that the best of encounters will ensue, as people will thank her for her efforts." Weiss nodded. "You are right, Yang. They should be charitable towards one who has tasted the greatest efforts of cultured society." She smirked then. "To be able to throw up all over them and beat them all up because she's Weiss Schnee." The Heiress, who seemed to have far loftier scenario's in mind than the one she was sketching out for her, nodded. "Exactly, to be- Hey!"

Her head whipped, eyes blazing. "Yang Xiao Long! How dare you assume such things! We are a cultured people!" Blake coughed. "Miners die in horrible circumstances in Atlas every day." The Heiress gave a look that definitely wasn't well-meaning at Blake. "We offer a fair wage. It is unfortunate that lives are lost." Blake seemed ready to take things further than that, Yang's hand grabbing her shoulder. "Hey, princess, Blakey... Let's not get in an argument about who's got it better and who's got it worse."

She hated fights between friends. Not that she could prevent them, but the bonds that they had forged... they would be strained. She was a good sister, a good elder sister. Ruby was her little sister, precious and small and utterly needy of her big sister's care. _'You would never forgive yourself if something happened to Ruby.'_ The thought of those silver eyes losing their shine, of having failed her sister like her mother had failed her...

"You wouldn't know." Weiss said, her voice snippy. "It is not something that a mere brawler like you would know." Yang grinned. "Want to test that in the sparring ring, Weissey? I can already Schnee you on your perky little butt, looking up at the awesomeness that I've got flowing through my system." The direct approach was always the best one, she found. Talking things out like reasonable and mature adults was something that the adults did, right?

"If I must challenge you, then I must." The Heiress said, even as Ruby appeared between the two of them. "Alright, time-out! No fighting between members of team RWBY. Yang, chill!" Her little sister turned to Weiss and fixed her with a look. "Weiss, sit. Quiet. Professor Goodwitch is about to address the students."

The teacher stood in the center of the circle, her attention on the students as a whole. An ugly bloody smear had been left on the ground, courtesy of a match that she hadn't caught due to the discussion, the woman's eyes glowing faintly with that power of hers. "If you would allow me a moment to speak, students..." The woman said, her voice sounding like it was definitely 'allowed' for her to do so, the subtle threat of grave punishment in her voice something that was undeniably Goodwitch.

"Students from Haven and Shade Academy will be arriving here in a few hours. I would like to impress upon you that you are here to represent Beacon's finest and brightest. I do not want to hear reports of misdeeds or misunderstandings that get blown out of proportion... Or blown up." The strict gaze that went up to the seat of Nora Valkyrie only got a soft giggle from the girl in response, Nora's eyes shimmering brightly. Ever since she and Ren had gotten together, the girl's mood had been fabulous, like a bright light shining in a very dark room.

"Remain responsible, restrained and respectful. Your future may require that you depend upon these people for your own survival. A Huntsman should always look out for a fellow Huntsman."The words were rote and well-practised, the creed of the Huntsman always one that had been modified over a thousand times. Yang didn't mind in the least, as she wrapped her arm around Blake. "We should take a shower." She said, Blake giving a faint smile. "Your shampoo or mine?" She whispered back, almost eager, her voice sounding smaller than before, the warmth on her cheeks showing clearly what her mood was. Slow inhales and slow exhales followed, the heat on her body warming her too.

Yang could feel the heat of her partner there, a comforting warmth that seemed to be more at ease than most that she'd felt before. _'Is this what love is? Is this what mom told me about when I asked her what it was?'_

The memory of Summer Rose reading her a bedtime story popped up. _"And then, the little blonde-haired princess lived long and happily with her beautiful prince."_ The book closed down then, the soft stroke through her hair that Summer did giving her a similar warm feeling. _'You know, Yang... Mommy feels like she loves you a lot. Mommy will always love you.'_ She hadn't doubted that in the least, the knowledge of the truth of her paternity something that had only cast doubt upon that statement later on when she'd learned that her mommy had not been her mommy at all. _'You're still mommy, Summer... Even if it's just for Ruby on the genetic level, you're still our mommy.'_ She felt like a child, even as she could recall those burning emotions.

"Yang?" She heard her little sister ask, her voice sounding like a thunderstorm. " _You're safe, little sunny dragon. Mommy is here to guide you through the darkness, through the sound of thunder. You and Ruby are the best children of the world..."_

She couldn't stop herself from tearing up a little, as she reached around Blake and grabbed her little sister, pressing her up against her bosom. " _You're my little Yang, sweetheart... Even daddy knows that you are mine, see?"_

She had seen the paint on her mother's body, the paint still fresh. _YANG_ had been painted on her stomach, winking at her. _'Even Ruby loves you, little Yang. She's going to be your younger sister.'_ She sniffed a little, the emotions coming higher, the warmth of the mother figure that had been Summer coming ever closer, as she hugged her mother's leg. _'You'll never leave us, mommy.'_

"Yang!" Blake's voice snapped her out of her reminiscing, as she realized that there was something in her bosom that was struggling at trying to get out again. She looked down, coming face-to-face with Ruby's silver eyes. "Yaaaannng. No hugs in public!" She grinned, the embarrassment squashed mercilessly inside her. Her tears had leaked down her cheeks, as she looked at her little sister. _'My little sister. My little Ruby.'_ The thought warmed her, as fresh tears joined them. "I love you, lil' sis." She whispered, Ruby's smile bright. "Love you too, Yang." She looked back at Weiss, Blake having somehow managed to extricate herself. "Team hug!"

Weiss squeaked a little as she was suddenly pulled into the embrace, Ruby and Yang forcing the Faunus and the Schnee to coexist in the middle. "Ruby, stop it! I don't want... No, please." The protestations were futile, as the group hug continued. The clearing of a throat was audible. "The next class to use the room would like it if the touching relationship between a team would cease."

Professor Goodwitch's voice was snappy and curt, her green eyes flashing with something might be amusement or mere disapproval, as Yang realized that she was basically sandwiching Blake and Weiss between her and Ruby. She coughed, letting go, Ruby scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Professor Goodwitch. We were just happy to be a team together." The woman's lips twitched barely, as she exhaled slowly. "Please do so in the comfort of your own room. Whilst touching, it is not the place to do so in school." The teacher's tone seemed to be lighter, more amused than irritated, even as she let go of her sister, Blake and Weiss giving a sigh of relief.

"Of course, Teach." The woman raised an eyebrow and they hurried off towards their next class, the look on Professor Goodwitch's face not changing, even as the next class of students entered the room. Yang could see several of the upper years, their outfits matching perfectly, their weapons all out and ready. _'Is this the advanced class?'_

* * *

 _The Lapine Forward (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

The evening was something that he could only look forward to as he sat in his seat at the lecture hall, Professor Port exhorting at length about the valiant defence that he had delivered to a small village in the north of Vale. The man's boisterous manner of telling his tales of past glory seemed to have not sparked a great enlightenment in the students, even as he looked at team RWBY, who were huddled together, their small team leader looking to be in the process of telling something, her hands moving excitedly.

The movie had been wonderful last week, with Velvet leaning against him, her hand grabbing his own. He could feel his heartbeat increase once more, as he felt the pace of his heart up once more. The look that he got back from the blonde on their team was one that was curious, perhaps a little doubtful. _'I should have gone easier on the leader... but I tried my best.'_ His mace wasn't the best for swifter attackers, with their speed and grace able to dodge the mace-swings before he'd even reach the target. It was good against people who weren't as fast, the kinetic force something that clearly would work in his favour. _'Maybe a ranged option...'_

His scroll beeped, a message appearing on the screen. **'Are you busy?'** Velvet's name lit up, the smile on his face something that definitely was hard to hide. **'No. Just listening to Port.'** The lecture that they had from Oobleck would put the two of them together, the study of history something that was shared between all the years. Oobleck had a certain routine though, focusing on the earlier history of Vale and the other Kingdoms in the start of each year, in order to catch up the students that would be joining the ranks of the student body, as well as to refresh the knowledge that the upper years had available. **'Are you ready for tonight?'** She asked, the small ding bringing a smile to his lips.

' **Last week was very nice, don't you think?'** He added a smiley face to that, sure to ensure that she got the spirit of the thing, the ... of her writing appearing immediately. A picture popped up, Velvet's face showing a smile, Coco leaning over her shoulder, her sunglasses raised slightly, the text underneath it. **'Coco asks whether I am going to go on a date again, so I figured... Oh, can you take a picture?'**

He glanced at the teacher, who was turned away from him. Raising his scroll, he turned on the camera function, the audible click of the camera's mechanism heard by those around him. He looked at the picture of himself, tapping on the keyboard softly. **'This is me. Bored.'**

"Interesting conversation, Mister Winchester?" The voice of the teacher came from in front of him, the man's face showing no great irritation with the sudden interruption. Cardin put his best smile on. "Just arranging things for tonight, Sir. We're going to tackle the dangers of civilisation." The man puffed up, as he did when he was about to exhort on something a little more. "Do be careful, young man. Not every Grimm you meet looks like a beast with slavering maws and claws that can tear the skin off your bones! Why, when I was young, a particularly comely young woman..."

The man continued, walking back to the board, the students giving him a look, shrugging lightly. **'Port caught me. Gave me a warning about being careful of Grimm whilst out.'** The smile on his face definitely was warmer than before, as he looked at the background picture for a moment. Velvet and him together, her eyes looking at the camera with a smile, his arm around her. _'They thought we were dating... and I guess we are, in some weird Faunus way.'_

She sent back a message after a moment. **'He has a fondness for romance stories. Don't ask about the Fisherman's wife. You'll be bored to tears.'** The picture that followed was Coco and Velvet seated together, the team leader holding up a cup of coffee, her eyebrow raised, looking at Velvet as if she had said something unusual. More typing from her end.

' **Take good care of my bun. She's the only one that I have, so you've got to make sure to bring her home alright, or else I'll tell Yatsu to hunt you down and make you into a shishkabob.'** There was more rapid typing from her end, even as he looked at the message. **'Sorry, Coco got a hold of my Scroll. I'm sure that she isn't going to send Yatsuhashi at you. I mean... We're going out to the movies and a bit of dinner, right?'** He could imagine the mountain of muscle that was her teammate getting ready to slice him into small itsy bitsy slices, the blade that he wielded something that would definitely cut through his armour in one go. _'He did look very fierce in many of his pictures.'_

' **Of course. We're friends, right?'** The lie was hard to write, as his heart thumped a little harder, waiting for her to respond. He could see that she was writing something, as she seemed to be in a hurry to get it out. **'Friends, Huntsmen... That thing, yes.'** The picture that she sent in return was one of her smiling, her eyes sparkling with something that he recognized as joy. _'You want her to be your girl. You, a murderous son of a bitch, want to take that innocence and make it yours out of a selfish desire.'_

He was aware that his team was getting up, the class having reached its end, yet he continued to type messages to her, even as he heard the clock announce the hour. **'See you in two hours, Velvet.'** He sent back, a polite cough coming from his side.

He turned to look at who it was, seeing the bulk of his Grimm Studies professor stand there, the man taking a seat without hesitation, his weapon laying on the table in front of him. "Mister Winchester." The man's voice was serious, as his eyes looked alert and aware, Cardin's swallow sounding especially loud in the silence that fell between the two of them. "Sir?" He responded.

"Normally, I do frown upon students not paying attention." The man said, as he looked at him, the faint quiver of the moustache moving a little something that Cardin noticed, the man's face showing far more expression than before. "Your girlfriend... She is miss Scarlatina, yes?" The display on his Scroll showed the two of them together, his head nodding. "We're not official yet. I mean... I haven't asked her, Sir." The man patted his shoulder, the gesture feeling more paternal than that of a teacher. "I had a woman myself, once." The man's voice sounded more tired than the boisterous tone that he often took when monologuing during class.

"She was a fine woman, the brightest spirit of her class." The man looked lost, wistful and weary, as he pulled a small handkerchief out of his pocket, dabbing at his eyes a little. "Make sure that you get your life in order, Mister Winchester, and take the chance when it is presented to you." The man said, voice sounding sadder than anything that Cardin had ever heard the man say. "Before she is taken from you by the cruel twists of fate." The man looked so tired. Cardin guessed that he was around sixty or maybe seventy, a venerable age to have lived to in the profession of a Huntsman.

"Thank you, Sir." The man nodded his head. "Do not think that we educators are made from stone, Mister Winchester. We all have memories and dreams and hopes..." The man's voice trailed off, as he looked back at the board, the detailed sketches of the Beowolf anatomy that was up on there looking nowhere as interesting as it had been. "It is best..." The man paused, sighing deeply. "It is best that you go and join your team now, Mister Winchester. Class is done for now." The man's dark brown eyes looked dewy and misty, as the man's gaze was drawn to the board, the look on his face sad.

"Thank you, sir." He said, gathering his Scroll and his bag, getting up. He looked at the teacher, obviously torn on what to do, giving the man a pat to his shoulder. "What was her name?" The man looked up, pulling something out of the pocket of his suit, a small picture frame that'd been forged from some hardy steel, a photo behind the armoured glass that had been faded with age. "Artemis Pitch." The photo showed a team of young Huntsmen, the look on their face still idealistic and joyful, a short woman leaning against what seemed to be an old-style halberd, a set of jeans that'd been half-way cut off worn casually, leaning against the man who obviously had been Peter Port during his younger years. There was no moustache yet to be found on his face, just a small scruffy moustache that had been growing there. Next to Artemis and the young professor stood a tall man, a familiar set of glasses on his nose, his weapon a simple sword. "Is that Professor Ozpin?" Cardin inquired, the professor looking at the picture and starting to laugh.

"I would dare hope not! This picture was taken nearly sixty years ago. Our dear headmaster is not even in his mid-fourties yet." The man shook his head. "Oswynn Palm, a great man. A bit of an odd sort, yet he became the headmaster of Beacon Academy when he was only twenty five." The man sounded tired, as he looked at the picture. "We were a great team. Team PPPL, Pale Purple..." The man sighed deeply, the last member of the team a young woman, her facial features obscured by a massive hat. "Lorna Lavender. Grandmother to the newscaster, last I heard. She died three years ago." The man's voice was regretful, as he looked at the picture for a while.

"Don't ever forget to take advantage of the moment when it is there, Mister Winchester." The man said, his voice sounding exhausted. Cardin thought that the teacher was ready to cry, just going by the way that the man sagged. "She died at age 23, graduated from Beacon for two years. A Beowolf tore her stomach open and she died slowly. I was too drunk to care until Oswynn told me that she hadn't returned yet. We found her laying in a nice glen, north of Vale." The man's voice sounded so hurt, so lonely and pained that it was almost like the wound was felt by Cardin as well.

"She asked me to become a teacher, you know. 'Peter, you should be a teacher! You'll be great! Don't let Ozzy pull you down!'" He mimed his former teammate's voice, the sniffle afterwards something that Cardin chose not to notice, to give the man some space. "Oswynn always was destined to go and become a teacher. He said it was 'in his future', whatever that meant. He helped me..." The man put the picture back into the pocket, the look on his face grave, as he took a deep breath.

"Enjoy your weekend, Mister Winchester. I hope your outing with Miss Scarlatina will be grand." Cardin could see the man's struggle, as he walked away. As he shut the door down, the sound of a loud banging was heard, the sobs of a man broken by memories coming from the empty lecture hall, as the door clicked shut.

He felt numb as he walked to his room, feeling the weight of the revelation on him. Obviously, the teacher had decided to tell him a personal tale in order to spur him on to not regret a thing. _'So what if I get rejected? She's important to me.'_ Thinking back to the teacher's loss, he could feel the anxiousness well up again. As he entered the room that his team was housed in, he pulled the jacket off, tossing it onto the bed. "Going for a shower, guys." He said, entering the shower. Dove didn't say a thing, the dressing down that he'd given him earlier still ringing in his ears a little. _'I've got a nice outing to go on with Velvet, I won't let that pull me down.'_

The hot water refreshed him a little as he began to scrub his skin, the feeling of being able to take on anything filling him. As he towelled off, he let his mind wander to places that he didn't regularly think of, Velvet's dress last time having been nice. The thought of it off her...

He stopped that thought, before he'd get too distracted. She was an older girl, two whole years, or something akin to that. She was well-established with her team and without any major faults. As he tied his shoelaces, he got himself up again, the shirt and the pants that he'd plucked out of the cupboard feeling fresh and crisp to his body. _'She was always so concerned about how I feel.'_

As he stood outside of team CFVY's dorm room, he could feel the anticipation go through him like an electrical pulse, the burning of that sensation continuing throughout his whole body. The door opened up and her team leader stood there, smiling dangerously. "So... You're the one who's got my bun all busy." She said, her hand grabbing a hold of his shoulder, her eyes dangerous and wicked. "Hurt her in any way and I will personally make sure that you will be known as Cardin the Eunuch." The threat was definitely serious, with how her glasses had been lowered, the look in her eyes fierce. "Coco? Is that Cardin?" Velvet's voice came from inside the room, the sound of rustling clothes heard. "Yeah, Velv. Just telling him to keep his paws to himself."

An eep came from Velvet, as Coco's gaze returned to him once more. "Do something she doesn't want, get killed by me. Do something that'll mar her smile, and we take turns in killing you slowly." The woman's voice was sharper and more edge-like than a sword, as she patted his shoulder, giving a wan smile. "Your boy-toy is ready, Velvet!"

Velvet stepped out, a pretty blue dress on her, outlining her shoulders and her assets. He swallowed loudly, knowing that her team was watching. "You look good." The team leader grinned. "Helped her with the style myself. You wouldn't suspect that Velvet could look this good if you'd just seen her in her combat gear." The girl's blush was radiant, the stammered response from her lips something that endeared her even more. "A-are you ready? No, no, you must be ready, I am slow." She took his arm, turning to face Coco. "We'll get going! Wouldn't want to be late for our meal, yes." She almost dragged him along, Coco's laughter sounding like the clarion call of bells, as she fixed him with a look of utmost seriousness. _'She's serious about that threat.'_

As they were on the transport heading to Vale, he caught her looking at him. "Was Professor Port's lesson any less boring?" He paused for a moment, trying to come up with a response. _'Do I tell her about what he told me? It seems awfully private to be sharing that with her...'_ The man had been through a lot, it seemed. "It was boring, as usual. He is a romantic, though."

That would soothe her feelings for now, as she looked at him with curious eyes, her deep gaze meaningful, as her lips formed a soft and gentle smile. "You're too kind, Cardin." She said, her voice warm. "He's a bit of a boring teacher... But he does try to impart his wisdom on us."

"Are we going to the same restaurant as before?" He asked, Velvet shaking her head. "Aunt Hare has booked the venue. Something about a 'welcome to Vale' party." She shrugged though, her eyes sparkling. "Do you know what movie we're going to?" She inquired, as she'd let the choice up to him. "Grimm Termination II: The Vacuo Vanishing?" He offered, the giggle that she gave something of an amusing sight. "You're right on the mark, Cardin." She said.

They found a noodle stall at the roadside, deciding to eat at it after a moment's notice. Noodles weren't his favourite food, yet they were more than bearable with her appearance as it was. He paid without thinking. They looked like a couple on a date together now, he knew, and well... With a bit of bravery, it would indeed be a date. "Hey Velvet?" He asked, the buzzing sound coming from her speaking of an incoming call.

She looked conflicted, as she put her scroll to her ear and walked away. "Uhuh?" The surprise in her voice was real, as she looked back at him. "You want to mee- what? How do you know? Auntie..."The panicked look on her face was real, as her breathing seemed to jump. "The party? But... But..."

Her eyes were wide, fear in them, her breathing heavier. "We're out on a date, auntie! We can't just..." Her eyes met his, pleading. She made a motion for him to go away a little, to give her some privacy. Her breathing was harsh and conflicted, as she spoke rapidly.

Walking back to the stall, she looked terrified. "Hey Cardin?" She said, her voice sounding small and pathetic. "Aunt Hare wants to meet you." The look on her face was telling, as she looked at him for a moment. "But... It'll be a short while before she gets to the square." He could see the look on her face, as it darted. "Could you..." She met his gaze, before she grabbed his hand. "Thanks for the noodles!" She said to the stall owner, the man's head nodding, the remnants of their dinner taken care of by the man, dumped into the bin. Cardin wouldn't regret it in the least, as they were not his favourite food.

She pulled him into one of the public restrooms, her hands pulling at the dress a little. "Shirt off." She said, her voice holding a tone of desperation, as she let her hands push into her hair, the fingers threading through it. He did as she asked, confused about what this was going to be like. She pushed her hands into his hair, ruffling it, the gel-slicked mess something that she could only get. "If we're lucky, she's just bringing two. It's best to look a bit..." She paused, not explaining in the least, pushing herself against him in a crude hug, her dress-clad breasts pressing up against him, her body sliding up and down against him. She sniffed his scent. "Still too human." She mumbled, shaking her head. Her fingers went through her hair once more, before an idea came to her. "Sorry, Cardin." She mumbled as she turned a little redder. "Close your eyes."

He did so, the feeling of strangeness continuing, as she seemed to spit. "Just have to..." She mumbled, unheeding of privacy or concern, as something seemed to wetly pop. He could feel wet fingers against his chest, sliding up and down, smearing saliva over him. Her tongue lapped at his neck, the shudder that came through his body something that she felt. "I'm so sorry." She said at something that was barely above a whisper, the wet sound of something popping again, as something was rubbed against his clothing. "So... That should work." She mumbled as the sound of her clothes being rustled came to his ears. "You can open your eyes again." She said, embarrassment showing in her voice, as she looked at him.

He saw her dress slightly opened up, the feeling of her breasts coming to the fore again. He couldn't help but respond to that as a man would, her hands gently pushing the dress back into shape, one of the buttons pushed back up. He fixed his buttons and straightened his jacket out once more, to look somewhat respectable. "Aunt Hare would be very disappointed if I was seen with a human." She sounded genuinely regretful of that.

"Come, you probably smell enough like me that it'll pass muster. There's no telling who she's brought with her for protection." The thought of a woman needing protection wasn't strange to him. He had been around bodyguards and protection specialists for most of his youth, the council members always having at least three bodyguards present, to safeguard them from any assassin or kidnapper.

As they emerged from the stall, a low whistle came from a guy who was taking a leak, giving a wink at him. "You go, buddy. Your girlfriend's a daring one!" He didn't respond, emerging with her again, his shirt slowly tucked back in. Velvet's face was crimson, the way that it looked as they emerged from the bathroom no doubt embarrassing in the extreme.

They walked towards the park, waiting for the aunt of the young woman who he was with. He found himself checking every rabbit Faunus that he saw, checking for similarities to the one currently grabbing his hand, her cheeks returning to their regular colour after a while. "Velveteen." The voice of a woman came from behind him, turning around slowly, as Velvet did the same.

"Hey, Aunt Hare." She said, his eyes looking over the woman. A massive blade appeared to emerge from a sheath, the Faunus woman standing a little shorter than Velvet, the two men that were a pace behind her having stopped. Their uniforms looked somewhat familiar, the white colour something that would not be too shabby in the way that they wore it, though the look on their face was stern and their eyes continued to dart around, searching for threats. _'Professionals.'_

"Aunt Hare, I..." Velvet started, as the woman strode forward. One of her ears had been half-amputated, the raw edges of it looking badly healed, her eyes a sharp yellow colour. "Who is this boy, Velveteen?" She asked her voice a more matured version of Velvet's, yet with the military hint of command in it. "I did not recall you having a Faunus in your team."

Velvet smiled softly. "His name is-" He stepped forwards, offering the woman a handshake. "Cardinal. Cardinal Winch." The hand was looked at before it was taken. "Hare. Hare March." The look on her face was stern and reasonable, one of her bodyguards clearing his throat, the woman's head whipping to his direction. "Speak and I will cut the tongue out of your mouth, boy." The man shut his mouth immediately, his eyes going back to the task of scanning the surroundings for anything amiss. "Velveteen, know that your brothers and sisters would not want you to be left alone. You are also welcome at the party." Her eyes went to Cardin again, the hand slowly shaken by the woman.

"Have you ever considered joining the White Fang, Mister Winch?" She asked, her voice warmer and friendlier than the snappish tone that she'd used with her bodyguard. "Auntie... We're on a date." The woman smiled faintly, her eyes turning into slits. "Of course, Velveteen. Your late uncle and I... we were always out on dates." She smiled, as her head bobbed in reminiscence. "Don't stay out too la-" The woman paused suddenly, turning her gaze to the other bodyguard. "Bag." The hand that was shaking his was retracted with the speed of one who held huntsman training, the bag that the man had in his hands something that she pulled something out, a small wallet, pulling out some Lien chips and handing them to Velvet. "Remember to buy them. Don't be like your mother." Velvet's smile was very brittle as she smiled, and the woman looked at him with a prying, pointed gaze. "And you, Cardinal... Hurt my niece and I will personally serve you as dinner." The threat was clear, and he was aware that she meant every word of it. Her eyes were devoid of anything but the brutal mercilessness of a woman who would do everything that she said to the letter.

"Yes, ma'am." The woman smiled. "That's the spirit, boy."She said, looking at Velvet. "Buy some extra. You'll need it, if you're anything like your mother." The woman's comment made Velvet turn even redder. "Auntie! It's not like that yet!" Hare March looked at him with a look of amusement.

"Take good care of my niece. She is all that I have left of my sister." The woman's voice was stern, speaking like it was a command, her eyes flashing, as she motioned with her hand. "Hand her the package." Velvet's eyes widened. "H-has it been made?" The woman smiled. "If my little Velveteen asks for something, I make sure that it gets made. Family can be trusted, after all."

A bag that was similar to the one that he'd seen before during their last date, was pulled from the man's back, a small backpack there, handed over to her. "Make sure to enjoy your date, Velveteen." The woman said, as she looked at the two men. "Perry? How long until we're expected?" The man checked his watch. "Twenty minutes, Madam." The woman nodded, her eyes looking at the two of them for a moment before she nodded. "Let's head to the car. I do not wish to garner a reputation for tardiness... Being late is a crime. Those who are late... off with their heads." Cardin laughed, though why he didn't know. The woman smiled at him, sniffing the air. "You will do nicely with my little Velveteen. She's been in my care for ages, you know? Always wanting to become a Huntress, even though I told her to follow in my footsteps." The woman made a soft sigh, her face showing the regret and the loss of that venue of thought. "But it is not to be."

"Have a nice day, Aunt Hare." The woman smiled softly. "See you later, Velveteen. Come and visit your brothers and sisters sometimes. You have your outfit prepared now that I've given it, so it wouldn't be a bad thing to drop by, right?" He saw Velvet nod, as she took a deep breath.

The woman walked away, her steps without any hurry, yet her bodyguards caught up in a flash, guarding her from both sides. Velvet let out an audible sigh as she saw her aunt walk away, her eyes conflicted, the bag in her hands clutched. "So... That was your aunt."

She nodded, slowly. Her eyes were conflicted, even as he checked the time on the watch he wore. Still around fifty minutes before they would be able to get to the movie. "She seems... nice." _'You could've said it better, Cardin. According to that woman, she practically raised Velvet.'_ The girl sighed deeply. "Aunt Hare has issues... But I don't think it is the right time for that now." She said, as she motioned to a park bench, the insinuation clear.

"What was that with the rubbing?" He asked, Velvet turning red again. Her eyes went down, looking at the ground. "Scent. If you smell enough like me, it is good enough to overpower the scent sense of most Faunus. Most of us have our traits and our senses enhanced, according to what we have in our heritage." She smiled at him, patting his hand. "Aunt Hare..." She paused, as if considering what she was going to say. "Aunt Hare has always had issues with humans." The admission seemed to have a great bit of pain hidden behind it, yet he did not ask about it. It was not his place to ask, or to inquire whether it would be something that he could fix.

"She looks reasonable. Is she a businesswoman?" He asked, Velvet's gaze a little evasive. "It's... somewhat like that. Faunus rights are a thing that she's very active in." He could imagine how it was. The Faunus Revolution was not a pleasant part in history, even with the status that they now held. He pulled her a little closer, her head laying against his shoulder. "No matter what..." He said, as he looked at her. "Hey, Velvet?"

She looked up at him, his eyes catching the face of his watch. Twenty minutes until the movie would be starting. _'Don't be a coward. Ask her to become your girlfriend, Cardin Winchester.'_ The look on her face was questioning, but her eyes showed trust. "Want to head towards the cinema?" He asked, his breathing a little heavier. The look on her face was warm and friendly, lightening from the heavy look that'd been on her brow. "Sure, Cardin." She said, giving him a smile.

He could feel her hand slip into his, giving his a squeeze, letting him know that he was with her, the feeling warm and fuzzy. The bag was slung over her shoulder, inelegantly, yet without any difficulty. "What's in the package?" She turned red. "Just some clothes. My aunt is always concerned that I don't have the clothes to work with..."

' _Family is like that.'_ He thought, as he smiled. "She sounds like a caring aunt." Velvet sighed. "If only she'd accept that..." She mumbled. They arrived at the cinema a short while later, her eyes looking at the movies on display. "Hey Cardin? I'm going to go to the bathroom for a bit before we go in, alright?" The tickets were bought, put into his pocket, 'uhuh' coming from him, as she skipped off to the bathroom. He waited patiently, watching how she emerged nearly five minutes later, tucking something into her bag. "Sorry, I had to... Y'know. Get stuff for cleanliness."

He didn't want to know. Offering her his arm, he felt her take it, the smile on her lips brilliant, as she walked with him. As they took their seats near the back, she glanced around. _'What is she looking for?'_ The lights went out suddenly, as the trailers seemed to start up. **'One man with a mission... A hundred Grimm to stand in his way! Duke Blukem in 'Night of the Beowolves'.'**

Her hand grabbed his own, watching the movie. There was no popcorn now, only their drinks, her fingers gently rubbing over the back of his hand. "Hey Cardin?" She whispered at him, as her fingers continued to gently rub over his hands, her eyes holding trust in them, as she leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. _'Ask her to be your girlfriend. You can do it! You've got a spine, you can utter those words.'_

"Thank you for being a friend. Aunt Hare is not a good woman when it comes to me." She sounded emotional, as she sighed slowly. "No... It's not that she isn't a good woman, it is that she's... a bit addled, ever since Uncle T died." She sighed, his hand squeezing hers. She seemed to find herself adrift, and his hand continued to hold hers, her fingers playing with his own.

"You are a good woman." He said, his voice trying to convey that to her. Her smile was watery and thin as she looked at him, the light of the cinematic projector falling onto her face, giving her a haunting quality. "You wouldn't think that, if you knew my thoughts." Her voice was soft, regretful. "Even Coco... She's a nice leader and cares, but she just..." She paused, as her fingers gripped tightly.

The movie started and there was silence. ´ _You lost your chance.'_ He thought, the feeling of regret washing over him, his eyes fixed to the screen. An explosion boomed from the speakers, the faint smile on her lips so entrancing to his eyes that he could barely look away from it. She seemed to have some sort of entertainment about her, her eyes flashing with delight, clearly something good having happened in her mind, if she smiled like that.

Her fingers gripped his own in the softest manner that he'd ever felt, the sensation of those fingers working over his own larger ones something that was special, even though he hadn't really had much in the way of relationships. _'Grandpa wished to set me up with one of the high society girls... I didn't really like it when she started to compare bank accounts.'_

There were other things in his mind, as he felt her lean to him, her lips pressing to his ear. "I think you're really sweet, Cardin." Her voice sent a shudder through him, as on the screen, Grimm exploded in clouds of smoky dust. Their bodies crumbled, not in the way that real Grimm did, yet with the special effects it was alike... just a small bit. "You're a wonderful friend." Her voice said, even as she slid closer to him.

' _Is this becoming like one of those romance movies?'_ He wondered, as her head laid against his shoulder. They struck an odd couple, her ears brushing against his cheek, her eyes looking at the screen with a look that was observant and interested, yet her hand was trailing up and down his arm in a manner that definitely went beyond friendly, her fingers gently squeezing the skin.

It made it a little harder to keep himself in check, the feelings inside his stomach starting to burn, as he could feel himself be set alight with the desires. "Hey, Velvet?" He whispered, her hand stopping. "Hmmmh?" She mumbled as the lead character on screen blew away a massive Grimm with his shotgun sniper, the bullets cutting through its hide. "Do you..."

He felt her hand slip down to rest at his elbow, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Do you want to go for something after the movie is done?" The fear of rejection was so much that it stalled any question for the eligibility of a relationship between the two of them. He could feel gooseflesh appear on his arm as she patted his skin. "I'd love to." She said, voice murmuring softly.

The movie ended with a chase scene, the hero burning the bridge behind him to watch the Beringel horde face him, his eyes glowing with the light of vengeance, as his lover held on to him. Velvet's head rested against his shoulder, the scent that she had lingering against his nostrils. She looked so at ease that it was hard not to wish to enjoy her company a bit more, the pleasure that her company brought definitely something that he didn't want to stop.

"Cardin?" She asked as the lights came on again. He swallowed, feeling her hands pull away. When had she started rubbing her hands over his shoulders? Did this mean that she was just being affectionate, or was this some hint? _'Girls are so confusing.'_

"Yes?" He asked, her smile warm and caring. "Let's go." She said, and he nodded, dumbly. As she took his hand, he noticed that the bag she held was half-opened, a white surface sticking out a little. As they emerged from the cinema's depth, he could feel the air press against him, the evening air chilly. "Let's see whether a shop is still open."

' _What?_ ' His expression must've said what he was thinking as she giggled. "You offered to go somewhere and have something to eat, silly." She let her hand grip his hand, her fingers weaving into his own in a solid grip, not stopping in the slightest aspect with pushing herself against him. "Are you going to treat me to ice-cream, Caaardddin?" Her teasing tone was enough to make him grin. "Have you been a good little bun?"

' _Shit, I shouldn't have said that. She's going to take offence.'_ A light giggle came from her mouth. She stood on her toes to put her mouth close to his ear. "How about you buy me an ice-cream and I'll show you whether I'm a good little bun or not." She winked at him, as his heartbeat started to increase. _'Did she just... No, that isn't possible.'_

The ice-cream parlour that they went to was open 24/7, the attendant flashing them a bright smile. "I'd like... Ooh, Cardin, what's the budget?" The attendant looked between the two of them and smiled. "Couples have a special offer on a sundae. I recommend it, miss." Velvet turned to him, as she flashed him a bright smile. It was clear that she'd want something like that, her eyes almost begging him. "Let's have that!" She said, giving him a smile. "I'll take a seat." She said, as she sauntered off to the back, choosing a seat in one of the booths.

"Your girlfriend seems to be very active." The attendant said as he started to prepare the glass for the sundae that he would make. His orange hair was tied back with a scarf, the eye mascara that he wore rather prominent. _'He looks familiar. I don't know whether I've run into him before or not.'_ "We're not dating." The attendant looked up, giving an encouraging smile. Slanted dark green eyes met his own, as the man pulled out a lighter, looking at it for a moment and setting it aside. "Just friends, eh?"

The man poured in some syrup, getting a few round scoops of ice-cream from the frozen bin below. "I'll make you the 'Special Super-Sundae', right for the price of half off on a regular. It's a steal!" The man's fingers manipulated the ice into the glass with an expert's touch, chocolate chips sprinkled over the surface, before another globe of ice-cream was added, some cherry syrup added. "How much'll that be?" The man looked at his work, tongue sliding over his lips. A small case of cigars was pulled out of a pocket, next to the lighter."Seven Lien." The tickets to the movie had been more expensive, even as the man worked for them. "Now... I'll be adding two straws." The man pushed them into the sundae, the generous topping of whipped cream forming a little curl, a set of twin cherries and small almond and caramel flakes sprinkled on top. It looked like a prized piece of art.

"Careful, don't you drop it or I'll have to remake it. One of my friends has a really bad habit of stabbing people who make a mess out of ice-cream." The man smiled, Cardin sure that he was just making a joke, as it would be a little silly if someone stabbed another for spilling some ice-cream. Cardin took the sundae, the chill of the glass something that made him feel a little wary about dropping it.

As he put it before her, her eyes sparkled. Her fingers tapped onto the table, as she motioned for him to take a seat. He could see that she had gotten comfortable, the dress that she wore a little more open than before, the shoes that she'd worn off. "Your bounty, miss Velvet." He said in a butler-like tone, her smile radiant as she looked at him. "Oh?" Her voice was rich, amused in the extreme, as he leaned against the table, his eyes meeting hers. "I expect you to eat with me, little human. This big bad rabbit needs a bit of assistance." She seemed not to have minded the slip-up, her voice having taken on a more teasing quality, as she leaned forward, his eyes catching the brilliant sheen in hers, as her lips wrapped around the straw and the ice-cream sundae's contents were slowly drawn into her mouth.

Her lipstick was red, as were her cheeks, undoubtedly due to the coolness of the ice-cream. Her lips parted from the straw, a red mark left behind on it, his own straw poking out at him. He could feel his breathing grow a little louder, as she smiled at him. "Cardin?" Her voice was a huskier, womanly tone. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Her eyes sparkled, even as his mouth moved closer to the straw, her body tensing for some reason, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, her fingers teasing along the length of the glass, slowly sliding up and down, his eyes following the motion and the heat inside him was barely quenched by the desire inside him. He swallowed his first taste of the sundae, the touch of coolness on his tongue warring with the cherry and the caramel flavoured syrup that had been added. He pulled away, the bleep of something coming from her bag making her head turn, pulling out her scroll. "Auntie is calling?"

Her voice sounded surprised, the call accepted. "I'll be in town for a day. Did you buy them?" The red blush on Velvet's face seemed to come out in full force. "Aunt Hare, I... Yes, I did." The woman sounded smug as she did. "Good, you're a responsible kid. Have a pleasant evening, Velveteen." The call shut off and Velvet opened the bag up, rummaging around inside, finding something there. "I knew it!"

A small device was put on the table, a blinking green power supply attached to it with a wire. "Good night, Aunt Hare." She said, uncharacteristically fierce. The wire that connected the device to the power source was tugged apart, Velvet's eyes fierce as she looked at the bug that she'd caught. "I knew that she'd do something like that. Always 'Velveteen, you should be careful, let me take care of things.'. The last time she did that, she nearly went to jail." The frustration that Velvet showed was not enough for him to feel that there was something wrong. "Velvet... Please." He said, trying to put her attention back to the situation that they were in.

She smiled at him again, her eyes warm. "We're on a date, yes?" She said, smiling brilliantly. "I guess... it's my turn to go and take a sip." She put the straw between her lips, sucking on it, the sight of her lips against the straw no longer having the same sensual appeal as it had before. "Cardin?" She said, her tongue sliding over her lips to clean any residual sundae that might've landed on it when she'd let the straw slip from her mouth.

' _Be a MAN. Tell her that you like her. That you like her a lot.'_ He looked at her, fear and hesitation in his eyes and body language. She smiled, genuinely. He could feel something brush against his knee. "You want to tell me something, don't you?" She said, her smile warm, as her knee brushed against his own, moving his own knee out of the way. "We-... Well." He coughed, unsure how to tell her.

"Cardin." Her voice was one that had some experience with giving command, as he could feel a foot press briefly against his shoe. "I don't like boys who bully people who have Faunus traits." She said, her eyes still holding some emotion that he couldn't detect. His heart felt like it was dipped in ice, his breath faltering, as he watched her, the smile on her lips. _'Was this all just a ploy to embarrass me? Was this just to break my heart, after I had finally decided to give it to her?'_

His face showed the hurt, her eyes moistening, as she grabbed his hands and pulled them to her. "But a man who can admit that he was wrong, a man who can look beyond his previous conceptions..." Her fingers played over the back of his hands, as she looked into his eyes, her brown eyes holding an unusual fire. "That is a man that I could love." She let go of his hand and grabbed his shirt, pulling him forwards and then pressed her lips to his own, a kiss that was more passion than real planning.

Her tongue was in his mouth in a flash, nearly punching against his uvula, the sudden surprise making him feel like a stone statue, as she plundered his mouth with her tongue, breaking apart after only a moment. "Cardin, will you be my boyfriend?" He had no response to that yet, still stunned by the sudden kiss, fingers moving to his lips, looking at her with wide, startled eyes. It was as if he were the prey and she was the predator, eyes locked with hers.

"Y-yes." She smiled broadly, her eyes flashing. Her Scroll was in her hand a moment later, the dial tone sounding. "Buns? What's happening? Did he try anything?" The sound of the team leader's voice was enough to pour icy cold feelings down his spine. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend! Don't expect us home tonight. Tell Fox and Yatsu that they can break out the beer!" The team leader's surprise showed in the 'Bluh' that came from the connection, the look on Velvet's face clearly ecstatic. She could not contain herself, giggling loudly. "I'll be sure to get back by..." She looked at him for a moment and smiled brightly.

"Well, sometime before dinner. Ta-ta, Coco!" Her team leader spluttered some more, a cut off 'Hey! We need to chat about thi-' leaving the conversation unfulfilled, Velvet putting the Scroll back into the bag. _'So... I got a girlfriend. She kisses well. Woah.'_

Velvet's smile was ravenous as she looked between him and the sundae. "Cardin... We should finish our meal." Her eyes looked up at him, the straw pulled out of the sundae, her tongue sliding alongst its length, the reddish syrup contrasting with the white cream to make an effect, her tongue coated with it. "And..." Her foot pressed somewhere tender and soft. "We should plan where we sleep tonight." Her toes pressed against a very personal place, her eyes looking into his.

"I intend to ensure that I get to feel my boyfriend's loving embrace in the morning." Her foot lifted a little, relief coming, as he felt the tension in his lower body increase. She leaned forwards. "Because I am going to show you what I can do with a big..." The foot's pressure returned, as she moved her lips to his cheek, pressing a kiss against it. "Hard." Her voice was like a breathy whisper, as she reached his ear. "Carrot."

He shuddered, his teeth chattering a little as he could feel the tension increase inside him, the sensation something that was more than just the base feeling of 'damn, this is hot.' The feeling was more akin to 'by the gods, this girl is going to shatter my moon'. "And Velveteen Scarlatina always gets what she wants."Her voice was the sultry purr of a seductress, as her teeth bit down on her ear. "Silly little Human... your carrot is for Velvet."

Her amused chuckle filled his ear, as she returned to her seat. She smelled good, in his estimation. From the meeting with her aunt to the sudden increase in tension, he had been feeling like he had ran a hundred miles. His body felt hot and breathless, his eyes watching her with a dearth of emotion that could barely be contained. "We should finish this, Cardin." She indicated the sundae. "See?" Her lips wrapped around the straw and she sucked, the sundae's volume decreasing as she sucked the ice-cream through the straw. She leaned over the table, pushing her lips to his own. Ice-cream and her tongue, cold invading his warm mouth, mingled, the flavour of her mixing with the syrup and the ice-cream.

"I don't think your boyfriend would like it if you try to eat him." The attendant remarked, his voice a little amused at the sight they were making. A cigar was in his hand, the lighter having a pumpkin motif on the side, rather expensive in the style as far as Cardin could notice. "It's company policy not to lean over the table too much, love-birds. Those aren't cheap." Velvet returned to her seat, a little abashed at being caught in such a manner. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." The man shrugged. "Company policy, miss. Nothing wrong with a bit of affection if it suits the time." He gave Cardin a look, winking at him. "Good on ya, buddy. Come around again with your girlfriend and I'll give you something on the house."

Velvet slowly turned redder, as the attendant turned around and walked away from them, his hand pulling the cigar to his lips, the lighter clicking as he lit the cigar, going outside to smoke. Velvet's cheeks looked hot, his hand reaching out to brush against her cheek to offer comfort and affection. "You're pretty when you blush, Velvet." He said, her cheeks growing ever hotter. Her eyes were unfocused, as she looked between the sundae and him. "Sit with me." She said, her voice almost demanding it, her eyes kept on his own, as he got up. A soft gasp came from her as she saw the hard issue that he had, sitting himself down in the seat beside her.

"You..." Her voice was soft, as she grabbed the sundae. "You're definitely feeling it, aren't you?" her fingers lifted the cup up to his lips, as if offering him the nectar of life. The straw poked against his cheek, as he drank from the icy liquid, the syrup and the ice-cream starting to mix together due to the warmth of being exposed to the air for such a while. Her other hand... Well, there definitely wasn't any doubt about whether she had been able to see in the dark or not. "Nice and firm." A smile on her lips, somehow a little more sensual than before. Her eyes sparked clearly, as she let her fingers touch. He quivered a little, as her hand slowly moved with delicate caress.

"Good boy." She said, as he finished most of the sundae. The straw was put in there again, sucking most of it out whilst her hand continued to move. "We'll have you trained soon, Cardin." She said with a teasing tone. He dreaded that tone, as her hand moved, wrapping around his shoulder. "You're cute when you're trying to ask me out, Cardin." She said, sounding sincere.

"I've had my eye on you. You've caused the death of a student, yet it has spurred you to become a better person." Her voice sounded a little forlorn, as Arc's face came to his mind again. The sound of him banging against his rocket locker's glass as he was launched into the air, the last thing that remained of him being his arm. "I didn't even entertain the thought of dating you until you sparred with me. It's really not that hard to get a girl's attention, as long as you're genuine. No pretences of machismo, just the truth."

It seemed so easy, according to her words. So easy to pull in a young woman and to engage in a relationship. "But you are always someone who'll be lugging around a burden." She said, her voice serious. "Aunt Hare is... difficult." She said it as if another word would be more fitting for the woman, yet he did not inquire further. "But I..." She paused, smiling at him. "I believe that humanity and the Faunus can work together. You've been a racist bigot, Cardin." She said, her statement true, yet lacking any heat.

"Yet you've apologized. You've shown me interest and cared, even when your teammates have called you names behind your back." He didn't remember any of that happening, his face obviously showing his thoughts. "Ears, remember?" She smiled, as she let out a low breath. "And well..."

She looked up to the ceiling, her eyes half-closed, her mouth forming a soft sound in the back of her throat. "When you stood up for me in that night in the park... That was good. It wasn't the bad cause for 'rescuing a damsel', but also to just..." She trailed off, giggling softly, as if it were some private joke he wasn't privy to. "Coco appreciated it too. She was ready to bring down the fury on you if you'd done something out of line."

Velvet smiled then, a slow exhale followed by a long inhale. "But still..." The look on her face still pulled at his heartstrings, his whole body feeling like it had been infused with a heat that he could not shed easily. "I like you for more than just your character. I've..." She paused, looking around and then whispered softly. "I've got a like for men who are taller than me." She looked ashamed to admit that, her eyes looking down.

He leaned forward and kissed her lips, tasting some of the ice cream left there, the sensation of her lips against his own something that sent fire coursing down through his body, from the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet. His eyes blazed, as her eyes met his own. Her arms wrapped around him, his arms wrapped around her. The sundae left forgotten for now, as he explored her mouth.

He only broke apart when he could feel that his air was growing a little thin, his eyes meeting hers, the radiance in them sparkling even more. "Want to go to a hotel, Velvet?" He didn't want to sound too eager, as her lips formed a beautiful smile. She pulled on her shoes again, as she nudged him to get out. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Cardin." She smiled. "Any recommendations?"

"Well..." He didn't really know any good hotels. The hotels that he HAD stayed at had all been rate five stars out of five, the Winchester family having the wealth to allow such luxuries. "The Chateau Atlas isn't a place where I'd be able to afford a room, family discount or no..." Her face blanket, as she seemed to try and figure out which one he meant. "The one near the council building. With the view over the bay." The light bulb figuratively went on, as she gave a low ooh. "Don't you have to reserve in advance if you want a room for a few months?"

' _Technically, I could just call grandfather and have him inform his aide that I'd like a room... but with Velvet, that won't be possible.'_ The look on his face was difficult, Velvet grinning at him. "I know a place. It isn't the highest of class, but it'll give us some anonymity. It's when I stayed in the city with my brothers and sisters and we had to make lodgings under Khan's directive." The name tugged at his mind, the knowledge of who this 'Khan' fellow was not quite registering.

"Sure, if you think it'd be a nice place to get some rest." He wanted to trust her with that at least, her eyes sparkling a little at the thought, her brief smile something that seemed to come so much that he wondered whether her cheeks must be burning from the amount of smiling that she had done.

As they walked out of the ice-cream parlour, the mood between the two of them definitely was great, as she seemed to be in such high spirits that nothing seemed to be able to extinguish that joy. The attendant's cigar was half-way finished, his eyes looking at them as they passed him by. A short girl wearing a rather unique set of clothing pushed past them, the umbrella that she was carrying definitely something that wouldn't be useful in the hot weather. _'Is she crazy, carrying an umbrella with her whilst it is so hot outside?'_

"Neo! Come in, come in. I've made your favourite!" The attendant said, the girl smiling a little at him, as he opened the door for the petite girl. Clearly there was a relationship between the attendant and the girl, the cigar tossed away in an instant, bouncing into the ashbin that had been fixed to the wall. "Strange." He said, Velvet smiling a little. "Do you think they're a couple?"

He cast a look back at the parlour, where the short girl was standing at the counter, waiting, the man starting to fix her the ice-cream she wanted. It looked intimate, perhaps more filial than anything else, the smile on the man's face genuine, from what he could see. "More like family. Perhaps a customer that's been around for a while?"

Velvet shrugged. "We got a hotel to go to, mister boyfriend." She teased, as she gripped his hand, the bag over her shoulder pulled a little tighter. "There's time for thought on other people in the afternoon."

He could only laugh and accept her suggestion that he wouldn't be thinking much in the morning. "If you say so." He said, the smile on her lips enough, as her eyes met his. "I was serious about wanting that carrot." She winked, pulling out a small package. "Think these will fit?"

He coughed. "We'll make it fit?" He suggested, her smile growing bolder. "That's the spirit! That's my little boy-toy!" She didn't care what sight she made, as she nearly seemed to skip, together with him. He could feel warmth creep up more. This was...

This was what being with someone you loved felt like.

Cardin Winchester was now officially Velvet Scarlatina's boyfriend.

* * *

 _Lunar Eclipse (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He could feel the surge of nervous energy go through him as he ascended towards the Academy at the top of Mistral, the look on his face showing it. He was in awe of how Kali and Esmeralda seemed to be able to carry on a conversation as if they were just out on a small jaunt through the city. Sienna's face was set in a harsh manner, her teeth clenched, as she looked at the people around them.

Most of them were human, as far as he could tell. The darker impulses that roved the lower levels of Mistral were enough to make his head throb, the energy that they gave him not stopping the darkness that lingered there. _'With how many criminals there are around, it is a wonder why She hasn't sent the Grimm to destroy the city.'_

Being sensitive to emotions was one of the boons of his current life, with the side-effect of having to process all the negativity through his own mind. As he gripped the grip of his weapon, he wondered briefly whether this was the right thing to do. _'A Seer inside Mistral, in the academy... It is undeniable.'_ The look on Raven's face had been grim when she had appeared, her eyes a deep dark colour. _'But it isn't like this cannot be used to my advantage.'_

There were methods to subvert the network. Things that he knew how to do, that only She knew. He had some of her memories, the fading essence of the Grand Witch still growing fainter with the days that passed. They were like a dream now, coasting at the edge of his consciousness. _'It is all about advantages... This whole war.'_ "So, what do you think will happen?" Sienna said, her voice softer than before, as she seemed thoughtful on what they would be doing in the next few hours. _'Subverting the headmaster is no option.'_

If the man was in regular contact with Her, it would be unfeasible for them to allow the man the freedom to inform Her of his presence. "Logically?" He asked, his eyes going to the two women that accompanied them. Esmeralda's smile was a little tenser than before, her feelings akin to nervousness, even as Kali seemed to be buffered by her own sense of self-worth, the feelings of fear and dark emotions having been muted ever since.

"We'll probably end up fighting with the headmaster. We'll be arriving at a time when there should not be many people around to disturb us." The way that things would likely go was a personal confrontation, ending in the brutal death of one of the parties. _'I will not let them be hurt.'_ His eyes looked over Sienna. Her weapon was in her hand, even as she looked at the path ahead. "I see." She said, her voice flat and even. Her eyes were chips of orange flame, burning brightly. "You've got my support."

Inside his mind, Summer giggled softly. _"She clearly has some issues, Jaune... How about you go and have a good long chat with her afterwards. She seems to be more open to the option of cooperation than before."_ The doors that led to the Academy were pushed open without a problem, the lock on the door not even present. He glanced at the clock that hung at the tower, his eyes finding the hour to be around eleven. _'You're doing this at night, with limited vision... But you've got two Faunus with you, who possess great night vision. You can do this, Jaune. You can be the hero that frees Mistral from another evil collaborator.'_

Raven's bead had been handed to him, in order to summon her from wherever she was to ensure that the deck was stacked in their favour. As he pushed the concerns to the back of his mind, he could feel the _vitae tenebris_ slide through his veins, as he allowed it to caress his very body.

To use it properly would mean to allow it to suffuse his whole body, to allow his being to become entangled with the power that it held and to enjoy the suffering that he would cause... and he knew that one of those times was now. His skin paled even further as the dark ichors of the _vitae tenebris_ shot through his veins, moving from the arm that had been crafted from the dark liquid into his body. As the tendrils of the dark ichors reached his heart, he could feel a burning sensation, even as his mind expanded greatly, the Grimm feeling like the kin that he had never known that he'd had, their motions and their movements under his control.

He felt alien as he looked at Sienna, seeing nothing but a mass of emotion and fears, enough for him to wish to sate that dark thirst that had suddenly welled up inside him. The burning of his body was starting to grow more intense with the time that he felt the power surge through him. Compared to Her, it was but a drop in the ocean, yet here... he was.

The Seer in the large building in front of him was already responding to his will, the shudder that it gave as His will approached it and dominated it. **"Time to do this."** His voice was a darker tone, more vibrant in its nefarious tone than before. No trace of the Jaune who had been friendly and kind remained, as the darkness wrapped tightly around him like a cloak of iron spikes, warding off all the love and affections from his surroundings.

He could feel Kali and Esmeralda stiffen, their presence rumbling like an avalanche through his sea of consciousness, his gaze meeting with Esmeralda's, seeing the darkness that had already taken root inside her. The ichors that had been transferred during that one moment that he had shared his Aura with her had taken root, yet it was not to be thought about at this moment, as his eyes looked to Kali, whose entire form was coated in a dark layer of emotion and shadow, something akin to his own nature yet separate. _'I have brought them to a level which they would not enjoy.'_ The realisation should be causing him sadness, the hopelessness that would eventually come at the acceptance that he had corrupted two women with his mere nature... Yet there was only joy, a sense of 'claiming' from him that gave him a perverse thrill. His lips formed a smile that felt so natural that Sienna's shiver was enough to remind him that it would not be seen as such by others. "Lure him out of his office?" She suggested and he returned to the situation at hand.

He ascended the stairs, Esmeralda and Kali stepping into the shadows and disappearing, the sight of a set of golden eyes peering at him making a grin rise to his lips. Kali's Semblance held some appeal to him, the thought of being able to strike terror into anyone something that was stimulating his creativity. _'The right thing to do would be to bring such a thing into the shape of Grimm and to allow it to-'_ The thoughts halted then, as he realized that he was thinking about weaponizing the effect and to ensure that it would enter mass production. _'You're not LIKE this, Jaune. Remember... This is all a means to an end. The headmaster is the boil that needs to be lanced, to make the world better again.'_

He stood before the door, knocking once. "Who is it, this time of night?" The headmaster asked, his voice sounding much like a regular old man's. He took a deep breath, his hand going through his hair, the golden colour returning to it for a brief moment, as he tried to put on the mask of a concerned student. "H-Hello, Mister Lionheart?" A scoffing sound from another person came to his ears, as he heard something move, the door opening and a moustachioed face appeared.

" _KILL HIM! FOR THE LOVE OF MY DAUGHTER, KILL HIM! TEAR HIM LIMB FROM LIMB OR LET ME DO SO! SLAY HIM AND LET ME DRINK HIS BLOOD!"_ Summer's hateful voice bounced around in his skull as Arthur Watts looked at him, the door half-way opened. "The Headmaster currently does not have the time to see you, boy." The man's voice was something that was cultured and Atlesian, the suit that he wore something that did not distract from the man's appearance, the dismissive manner with which the man handled him something that couldn't be helped. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside the man pulsated like the rich shine of gold to his sensitive eyes. _'Definitely an acolyte. Watts, if I got it right.'_ "But Sir, I need-" The doctor looked at him sternly. "After I am done with my meeting with the headmaster, you may have an... appointment." The door shut then, the senses that Jaune had at his disposal catching the conversation that was going on.

"Who was that, Doctor Watts?" The voice that must belong to the Headmaster of Haven spoke, the associate of Her scoffing. "Some tall blonde boy who's here, looking like a pauper in a suit." The man scoffed once more, the headmaster giving a low groan. "I knew that team SSSN shouldn't have been sent off without their leader..." Jaune rested himself against the wall beside the office, waiting for the conversation to continue inside. The shadows inside the office seemed alive with Kali's presence, her eyes still peering at him. _"Jaune... I want to kill him. Please, let me kill him? I'll suck your dick if you'll let me draw blood."_ Summer's voice sounded unhinged and desperate, a hint of madness in her voice. _"I'll show you the glory of a woman's body... Anything that you want to do, I'll do, no matter the thing. I'll even get Raven to help out, if you want that? Two mature women with assets that'll be like the best of dreams for you... Please, please, please, let me kill him."_

He could remember the state that he had found in, her words about a scientist of sorts having experimented with her, the amputated limbs that had been nowhere to be found undoubtedly a result of whatever it was that had put her there. The silver eyes, a sign of the prowess of the bloodline, containing what was to be a secret weapon... _'I don't want to make Summer go off in a rage after him...'_ Summer sounded worse than before, the anger and madness in her words definitely sounding like she was three straws short from breaking into crazed giggles.

She was giggling already in his mind, the utterances of _"How's this for a live dissection?"_ and _"I will make you scream the song of those who are on the operating table! How does 'aahhh ahhh ahhhh!' sound, you little bitch?"_

The door opened again, allowing the good doctor to exit, his suit looking as crisp as before. A disdainful look was sent to him. "Allow yourself in, boy. Be lucky that I am in a forgiving mood today. Your headmaster wishes to have words with you." Jaune wondered briefly whether it was because of the outfit that he wore, the suit that was combat-capable up to a certain level, that he was regarded as a mere student of the academy. "Thank you, sir." The man scoffed out loud once more. "Doctor. I am a doctor. Have a good evening, boy. I hope your punishment is severe." The man descended the stairs, without waiting for a response. _"JAUNE! STOP IT!"_ The tight lid that he had on his _Vitae Tenebris_ was enough to keep Summer from appearing, his breathing growing a little deeper with the strain, as she wanted to get out. _"LET ME KILL HIM!"_

" _ **NO! If we kill him now, She WILL know."**_ The thought of Her finding out that he had usurped some of her power was one that terrified him. Someone as ancient and learned as her, with the powers that she commanded... _'It doesn't take much to extract the dying moments from someone's mind when they are infused with the Vitae Tenebris.'_

The connection with the _vitae tenebris_ was one that went both ways. His own manipulation of it allowed him some anonymity, with how the large network spread out over Remnant was and how She could only focus on the larger whole, rather than the minute details. _'If she focused on the anomalies, she would detect me in a heartbeat.'_

" _Jaune, please... Please, I'll never ask for anything else! I'll be your faithful servant forevermore. I will make love to you like you've never had love before!"_ Summer's pleading voice was harsh, the tone of her voice desperate, as the scientist made his way towards the exit. He could see Kali and Esmeralda there, his head shaking. _"Jaune! Let me out! I will kill you otherwise if you don't obey! You're nothing if you don't help me kill him! He must die! Let me out!"_ Summer's pleading turned to angry threats, as her body seemed to wish to explode into being once more.

He stayed his hand, even as the cold sweat dripped down his back. As soon as the door shut behind the scientist and Summer's howl of _"NOOOOO!"_ echoed through his skull, he let out the breath he had been holding. _'I need more power... I don't know what she has done to her acolytes... What she has created in the meanwhile to keep them under her control_.'

Summer's face filled his mind, silver eyes flashing angrily. _"I hate you, Jaune Arc. He was there, guileless and without any defence against an attack! I could have impaled him and feasted on his blood!"_ Her angry tone of voice was harsh and cold, as her silver eyes met with his own, the red of their gaze not stopped by her gaze. _**"What would it solve, Summer, if we were hunted by the full force of the Grimm? She would stop at nothing to avenge the death of one of her pawns before its use had been used up."**_

She worked in that way because she could. Those desperate souls that required a sparkle of hope, of salvation that could only be gotten through the abandonment of their principles... They would flock to her. Madmen and cultists... All belonged to her and would have their use. He could imagine the disparate souls who did so, the name of 'Arthur Watts' appearing to his mind. _'Disgraced Atlesian scientist,a doctorate in robotics and genetic enhancement. Joined after his venture with Merlot Industries went bust. Personal Stake: Vengeance against Atlas.'_

" _I don't CARE! I just want him DEAD."_ Summer said, her eyes looking a little less fierce than before, the anger in her voice enough to cow many people with braver natures than him. He could feel the burning inside his body as Summer railed against the suppression he had put on her, her whole body feeling like a cancer as it tried to move through the barrier that kept him intact physically.

"Please enter." The headmaster's voice spoke, Jaune taking that as his cue and going for the doorknob, turning it and then opening the headmaster's office for the first time. The bookcases were the first clue that he got about the man's nature, the titles of the books all assorted volumes of certain topics, most of them having to do with being a Huntsman, yet several of them delving in other topics. The bearded man looked up from the paper that he was working on, his brow furrowing. "You are not Mister Wukong." He said, Jaune taking a deep breath, his hair turning a shade paler. **"I am not."** The warping tone of voice that he took was enough to clue the headmaster in, his skin growing paler by the moment as Jaune's face showed the distended veins that carried the _vitae tenebris_ through his body. _"Traitor..."_

"What can I do for you? Your colleague just left..." The man said, his voice sounding hesitant as if the choice was not his own to make, Jaune striding forwards, more confident than he felt. He could feel only the darkness inside him, as his eyes looked at the headmaster. A motion of his hand and one of the bookcases started to move, the hidden passage behind it moving. The Seer responded to his wish and command, emerging from the secret passage that had been built there. The Headmaster turned even paler than before, his skin a parchment white. **"Headmaster Lionheart..."** His voice warped, as his fingers traced over the Seer, the Grimm shuddering with delight. The man reached underneath his desk for something, the click of something activating, the man's weapon coming up.

"Watts did not tell me of this." The headmaster's voice was sterner than before, Jaune noticing that the fear inside the man seemed to have been squashed for a moment. **"He would not know."** The headmaster's weapon was trained at him, the Headmaster's eyes attentive to the way that he stood. _'That's a veteran huntsman for you... Always ready to come to the aid of the people... always ready to beat a bad guy. I'm the bad guy now... or so I think he believes.'_

"What do you want?" The Seer shuddered once more, as he pulled the essence from within its core. The pattern to make Seer appeared in his mind, a simple application of force that would drain the majority of his _vitae tenebris_ in one go. **"Follow me."**

The headmaster's eyes were wary, as Jaune watched his weapon never stray from him. _'One hit from that and I'll probably not be as affected as anyone else would have. Appear to be in control and ensure that there won't be any fuss.'_ **"After you, Headmaster."** He said, without much of a personal inflexion to his voice, as if this was merely a routine that had been done to death, the headmaster's steps slow, as he fiddled with a medallion, a watch that seemed to have stopped.

Fear and uncertainty warred inside the man's mind, as he took a step forward. "I did what she asked. You have to believe me, Mister..." Jaune did not respond, merely giving a swift jerk with his head to the door. **"Keep moving."** He said, as the headmaster moved past him, the fluffy lion's tail behind him looking like it'd be in need of a good brushing. _'You're probably not going to be going anywhere after this...'_ The thought was sobering, as the headmaster pushed open the door. "Is this about the Spring Maiden?" The headmaster asked, Jaune's mind trying to think of who he was referring to.

" **I can sense your fear, Headmaster."** His voice said, his eyes looking at the man who was past his prime. His hand reached inside his pocket. **"The choice is yours though..."** The door splintering caught his attention then, a young woman, or at least what he thought to be a young woman, stepping through the wreckage, eyes a dull red colour. "Executing programming: Destroy opposition." The metallic voice that spoke from the mouth was enough to clue him in that this was something like the Atlesian robots, the self-satisfied smug smile on the face of Arthur Watts something that seemed to be expected.

"How could I have forgotten that a mere boy like you should have been off to Vale, right?" The man said, his voice arrogant in the assumption, the headmaster looking relieved with the presence of the man. "He is an infiltrator, no doubt by some radical group who seems to have gleaned the existence of the Mistress." The headmaster's face showed nothing but a grim resolution, the young woman who had spoken in such a robotic tone righting herself. Another identical one stood beside her, the features of the women similar. Short-cut hair, skin that was dark, the metallic glint in their eyes, the short-cut synthetic hair that was hidden by a beret, the two mecha-shift weapons that they held in their hands. "I am much less fond of these intrigues than my mistress." The man said, as Jaune relaxed a little, spotting Kali and Esmeralda in the shadows. He did not know where Sienna was, yet he figured that she would be nearby, given her preference to be near Kali.

"We stand together, against one of you."Jaune heard the confidence in the headmaster's voice, the sight of the man getting a fresh breath of air, as he looked between the two robotic marvels, not a single shred of emotion from either of them. "W-What's it going to be, boy?"

Jaune's smile broadened. **"It seems you will get time to kill him after all."** He said out loud, Summer's exultant cheer something that held less sanity than the average rant of a lunatic in the madhouse. He could feel how her body seemed to bounce around. _"I will make it up to you, Jaune. The blood must be spilled! I want to hear his cries of pain!"_ He caught a glimpse of Summer materializing in the shadows, even as his attention went to the Atlesian scientist. "What are you talking about, boy?" The man questioned, one of his robotic women looking at him, her weapon, a large machine-gun-like weapon with a sharp edge at the barrel, raised.

He immersed himself in the _vitae tenebris,_ calling for the darkness inside him and outside of him. For a moment, he was the locus around which every depressive and dark thought in this city warped, as the strength that flowed into his body waxed. Grimm burst from the shadows, surrounding the building. Outside of the scientist's view, the three-hundred Beowolves that he had summoned had been enough for him to feel slightly winded, his breathing a little heavier. **"You don't know anything, do you? A silly little scientist, playing with his machines..."** The scorn in his voice was much like Hers, as he looked at the man, his eyes burning with the rage and hatred that he felt at this moment, warping through his body as it was the nexus of all the darkness in the city.

"Persephone, Demeter... Attack." The scientist said, his eyes dispassionately watching as the two robotic women moved to act, Jaune's eyes watching with little concern, even as the headmaster stepped away, getting some distance in-between. The bead in his grip was crushed a moment later, the spark of something igniting in him, as he began to feel the flow of the _vitae tenebris_ pick up, his whole body lit up with the energy that he had abandoned before, as the two instruments of the good doctor's line moved ever closer. **"A little bit of help here, please?"** He asked.

A bullet hit one of the machine-women in the side, the body hitting the ground thanks to the kinetic force involved. "Of course, what else are we good for but to help you out?" Esmeralda's voice was cocky and assured, as her gaze at the doctor was fierce and fight-thirsty. The man's face showed irritation. "One extra hardly matters." The dust round chose that moment to erupt, ice coating the body of the android as it stood up again, half of its side dented and showing the results of the dust round upon its exterior shell.

"Is this a private party... or do we merely act as an uninvited guest?" Kali said beside Esmeralda, her body covered in shadows. The headmaster growled a little in his throat, the sound of 'Should have known that there'd not be some silly huntsman on his own.' Coming from him. The robot about to reach him stood shorter than he did, her weapon forged into a lance of sorts, the activation of the saws inside it making saws appear. _'Blocking that would be a foolish thing if I had Crocea Mors...'_

His hand pulled the weapon from his back, meeting the lance with the edge. The large greatsword that he had commissioned from the weaponsmith hummed as the saws bit into the edge, the weapon deflecting the saws with ease, as his strength was added to the pressure.

A portal blazed into existence next to him, Raven stepping through, her clothes unruffled and her appearance uncaring, seemingly by the virtue of her own self. "You've gotten yourself in trouble, boy." She said, her voice uncaring about the fact that he was engaged in a duel with a robotic woman. **"Well, if you help out, there's no doubt that-"** The THROB of power below him awakened his senses, as something seemed to have awakened below, something that felt familiar and strong.

Thoughts of arresting the headmaster and giving him a fair trial for his crimes against the world were blasted from his mind. The throb of power grew greater, as the lure seemed to increase. His attention shifted to Raven, only to feel the pain of a foot ramming into his gut, making his grip on the blade soften, the robotic fighter moving in closer, trying to gain an advantage.

"Summoning your pets and your friends will not help you, boy! I am blessed by someone who holds more power than you do!" The man's voice was something that seemed to contain the loathing and distaste of a whole society to it, as his eyes looked at him. Jaune moved forward, pushing the robot back, his own knee rising up and knocking the woman off his personal space. **"Really?"**

His blade hummed with the power, the edge glowing faintly, the Dust-lines that glowed igniting the blade with flame, the ignition something that made the robot shift into a different gear, as the lance's saws pulled back into the blade. The tip seemed to glow for a moment before it extended, a length of chain attached to it, the tip flying at him with speed that normally would have been too swift to catch. Raven's blade slammed home though, deflecting the tip. "Careful, boy." She said, as she took a ready stance. "Time for you to get done with, Leo."

The man's face showed distaste, as he looked at the bandit. "What did he offer you, Raven? Did he offer you Lien in order to save your tribe?" The man's face showed the clear lack of comprehension that he had of the circumstances, Summer giggling a little in his mind, as the shadows coalesced around her in the back of the room, the glint of her two blades enough for his eyes to switch to that place.

Raven's mask did not convey any of her expressions, yet she merely kept silent, the blade that she had sheathed once more in the sheath glowing a little, as she looked at him, ready in the manner of a warrior that would go to fight for their cause. "I can double it! No, triple it! I am a council member, Raven! I can have funds available that would see you living like a queen!"

Raven's blade flickered, moving swiftly through the air, the headmaster dodging at the last possible moment. He clearly wasn't in the best physical shape though, Jaune noticing that the dodge had been clumsily executed, a thin red line visible upon the man's chest, the cloth torn by the sharpened edge that had narrowly missed him.

"We can work things out! Protection from the Grimm? Wouldn't that be a good thing? I know their leader, I know what she's like! She'll protect you!" Raven's voice was soft as she spoke. "Not good enough." She said, as she slashed once more. _'Where is Sienna?'_

Sienna leapt into action, her bladed staff moving through the air to hit the other robotic woman, the designation of 'Persephone' something that made him curious where the man had gotten the name from, even as the Faunus woman leapt into action. "Is that... Sienna Khan?" The headmaster muttered to himself, Jaune realizing that he was in combat and seeing that the robotic opponent that he had before him was getting ready to strike once more.

"I'll duel with this one! Kali, Esmeralda, take care of the doctor! " Sienna's voice was stern, as she spoke to the other two women. It was six against four, by his count. The robot moved in an aggressive pattern, the cut-off tip of the weapon she wielded having returned with a rattling sound to the weapon, the tip blunted and battered by the strike that Raven had delivered. He blocked the strike with the blade that he had obtained. The style that it required was but a faded memory of Her, the ancient order of warriors known as the slayers having held a similar style in their combat drills, glimpsed through the window in the fortifications as she hurried towards her next assignment.

"Proceeding with target elimination." The tin-like voice that came from the robot's mouth was grating on his nerves, as the weapon in its hands dashed forwards, without the motion of the robot. He blocked with all of his strength, as he watched Summer appear from the shadows. Her blades glinted in the light, as she moved towards her objective.

The doctor turned right in time to see Summer, taking a step back. "Persephone! Personal defence protocol fifteen!" The man was rattled by the sudden attack from the shadows, even as the robot that he was busy with disappeared, appearing right in front of the doctor, locking its weapon with Summer's, defending her master. "Installing the personal teleporter was a good idea." The man said to himself, as he looked at Summer. "A hood, silver eyes... Why, wouldn't you happen to be the test subject that managed to get away?"

Summer's mouth swore, her language foul and crude, her blades cutting through the tip of the lance-like weapon in a flash. Her blades bore down on the robotic servant of the doctor, a snarled – "I will fucking end you, you bastard!" coming from her mouth, her eyes fierce and flaming, ready to commit grievous murder... and Jaune did not feel like the man deserved anything less. The sort of depravity that She could get up to in order to prove her point... It was something that would cast fear into the hearts of many.

"Such crude language." The man said, Jaune feeling that it was his time now. Two Beowolves formed from the shadows, leaping at the man with snarling jaws. "What the-" A weapon was pulled from the man's pocket, a gun that was the size of perhaps a sandwich, a blast of white-hot flame emerging from the tip in an arc, cutting through the Beowolf like it was nothing, a scorch mark on the wall left, as the man aimed at the other Beowolf, whose body was met with a swift salvo of flame as well, cut down before it could touch him. "What sorcery is this? I should be unable to be attacked by the Grimm... What is this?" He looked balefully at Summer, who was in the process of trying to land a strike on the robotic opponent that she had. Her foot hit the chest, yet it only rattled the body of the android robot. Her body felt like it was a part of him, every little stress that she suffered something that he could also sense.

" **The issue..."** Jaune started, as he looked at the man, Summer's blades cutting up, the weapon in the robotic woman's hands pulled with the blades, the nick on the metal growing clearly in size, even as the robotic creation pulled out a set of short gunblades from somewhere at its side, the snap-hiss of expansion sounding, before a burst of gunfire came from the barrels of the weapons, Summer's blades moving swifter than he'd ever seen, blocking the first few bullets, dodging to the side next. "I will kill you! Die, dead, deceased, destroyed!" Summer's body moved forwards, a savage kick delivered to the robot's torso, the metal ringing with the blow. Mechanically, the blade of the gunblade cut towards her, the torso barely rattled due to the force. "I'm here." Raven said, as the blade cut through the midsection of the robotic minion of the doctor, her face looking like it was grim and serious.

" **is that you think that your Mistress is the only one who could control the Grimm..."** He would not go into the network of Seers yet, the creation of that woman still something that amazed and horrified him at the same time. The doctor's lips pressed tightly together. "Hestia! Aphrodite! Initiate Defence protocol Seventeen!" Two more robotic creations shaped like women appeared at his side, Summer and Raven's attention clearly going to them, a frown on Summer's face. "Don't you want to play with me, doctor?"

The mad grin on her lips was terrifying, at that brief glimpse of it that he caught.

* * *

 _The wilting rose of summer (Summer Rose)_

* * *

She could barely believe her luck. The bastard who had done all those things to her, who had taken what she had once considered to be her sovereign body and turned it into the freakshow that it had been before was here. A smug countenance, a face that only a mother could love and the tackiest set of clothes that had to be from some high-end second-hand shop that would be found in ookie-spooky-ville and of course... The dismissive smug attitude. _'How's this for an experiment, dear doctor? I'll cut you open and your screams will tell me all that I need to know about how much it hurts...'_

Jaune resisted her efforts to get out, the barrier that he had put up prevented her from materializing and breaking the doctor's body open like an egg within a mashing machine! Well, if there was such a thing as a mashing machine. She'd have to ask Raven whether there was something like that. She'd not been outside much lately and technology advanced so rapidly these days.

She had tried to plead for him to release her, to kill that man, yet he had resisted. _' What does a little boy who hasn't even had sex know? He's just a foolish child, playing at things that he knows not a thing about.'_ She could understand that though. He was just a man who loved her a lot, even when she would kill him. It was just the fate that the little boy would never grow up to be a man. Was that really a thing? Would she snuff him like a candle? Yes.

The difference in her thoughts was not something that she noticed much. As she materialized in the shadows, feeling the air against her skin again, her thoughts were on vengeance. Her thoughts were on blood, on pain, on death. Images of what she and Raven had been up to during those early days of being in the strike force that diminished the forces against the order that was, as well as the other missions that she had gone on, came to mind.

Houses filled with the hacked apart bodies of the people. Their faces twisted in pain, even as the blood dripped from her blades, the pitiless look on her face enough. The red cloak, to hide the blood from showing up, given to her little Ruby. The knowledge that little Ruby would be soaked in blood as well, just as her mommy was...

She allowed herself a smile, as she looked at the man who had caused her so much pain with his 'research', the hate and anger inside her welling up like a dark fountain of strength, her whole body tensed up. She could feel the tether that kept her and Jaune linked together snap taut, as her whole body felt the rush of pain and pleasure and that other emotion that she could not place just yet. _'You'll be laying on the ground, screaming about why your arms are hacked off... How'd it feel to be submerged in the blood of yourself, Doctor? Does it feel like a worthy fate for one so 'smart' and 'learned', doctor?'_ She could see the moment approaching, that unwary moment that she needed to get close.

Springing into action the moment that the assistance that he had brought with him was out of immediate reach, she readied her blades, the grip she had on them firm, as the edges were sharpened to an edge that could cut through steel, her body moving akin to a predator rushing towards its prey. He was unaware, unfocused on her. Her feet hit the ground, before she moved on, ready to bring her might to bear. _'That's right, you little moustachioed fuck. You're going to be bleeding out like a little whimpering bitch who won't be getting the love of momma Summer, yep!'_ Her inner thoughts were derailing, as her blades were ready to be introduced to the man's kidneys, ready to pierce through his flesh and deliver that killing strike.

' _Right into the chest and then tear outwards, to make pretty little flowers of blood... Little blood angels that'll leave pain and agony there!'_ She was ready to kill, before the man shouted something and the robotic assistant appeared before her, her blades blocked by its weapon, the empty eyes looking back at her without a feeling of sentience behind them. Her whole body lit up with indignation. "You cunt-munching son of a syphilitic bastard whore-son! How dare you block me! Your blood is mine, it sings to me!" Her body's strength was not as great as it could be. Men were genetically predisposed to have more muscle mass on their bodies, able to deliver greater hits with force than a woman could. The robot had no such limitation, its force exerting enough that it took all of her skills to keep herself busy, her feet finding the robotic torso and giving it a good solid hit. _'That's right, tin can! Fucking die because of my godly foot!'_

Raven was at her side always, her presence not able to be stopped, even if she was not directly at her side. "I will kill you! Die, dead, deceased, destroyed!" She was barely aware that her body was starting to show the signs of corruption, her silver eyes flashing hotly with the anger that she felt. Her partner was with her then, a soft "I'm here." said, as she cut through the upper body of the robot. Two more were suddenly transported here, the man's face looking ready to be getting some of momma Summer's boot. _'That smug little bastard! Summoning more of his lackeys in order to get this under control!'_

"Don't you want to play with me, doctor?" Her voice was less sane than it had been, the edge in it sounding like she had just abandoned all reason and sanity, and the feeling that she felt right now was indeed like the yawning pit of sanity had been filled with the sludge of madness and despair. Her body craved the blood that he would offer her, the blood that had to be spilt to make her feel whole, to make her feel like she had value.

"Rae Rae... This bastard is mine. Deal with the metal flunkies." She commanded. Catching a glimpse out of her eye of the two women who had become attached to her Jaune battling with Professor Lionheart, a savage attack on the man, whose weapon flared with the Dust that he used, she focused back on the task at hand. _'Time for you to bleed, you bastard.'_

She slid forward like the inevitable destiny that many who encountered her would face, her blades moving swiftly. The little gun in the man's hands was trained on her. "You won't be able to kill me." The man said, assured of his own skill, the weapon trained on her. "I'm Arthur Watts! My mistress will avenge my death."

Summer smiled, bitterly. "And I am Summer..." She moved in a flash, her body rolling to the side, avoiding an arc of flame that shot at her. She could hear the hiss of the floor melting under that hot spray of flame, her cloak whipping to the side as she knelt, the leg muscles tightening, as he took aim again. "I'm the one who's going to make you see Fall!" Her voice was harsh and cold, as she jumped at him, the flames impacting the ground where she had stood mere seconds before, the heat washing over the soles of her feet, as she raised her blades, about to cut. Her eyes caught sight of something moving, a sword slashing at her from the side. One of the robotic minions that he had under his control had an arm that seemed to have been made out of a blade, striking at her without warning.

' _Everyone ruins my fun!'_ She blocked the blade with one of her own blades, her momentum continuing, her blade hacking down. She felt the jarring feeling of steel meeting steel, finding that the other puppet was guarding its master. "Raven! Do something about them! These muppets are stealing my kill! He needs to die!" She pushed the robotic servant away, her blade glowing with the after-effects of the clash. Her eyes burned as she could feel the anger rising inside her, the man's hateful face looking completely smug and assured of his own security.

She slashed at the robotic creation, the body moving swiftly to block, steel-coated arm blocking her strike. A clicking sound and the feeling of a stabbing pain going through her body, as she could feel the metal enter her body. Her eyes blazed as she could feel the indignation go through her. _'I am Summer Rose! I will not be defeated by some tin man!_ ' She chanced a look down, seeing the clothing that she wore punctured, dark ichors flowing from the wound, the metal inside her feeling like an invading grain of sand, yet it would undoubtedly be something different. "Go to hell!" She hissed, as her blades were raised and she brought them down. The sparks that shot up were enough for her to concern herself with, her finger pulling the trigger. The blaze of fire dust appeared from the barrel of her blade, the built-in gun that had accompanied her weapon style blazing, the round shattering the breastplate that the robot had. She growled, pulling the weapon free.

Corruption seared through her body, the metal slowly pushing from the wounds that had been created, small pings of the metal hitting the ground sounding. She could feel the burning inside her body increase, the radiance of her eyes keeping the darkness at bay. Her silver eyes flashed once, the burn in her retina's less than the burning of her body as she could feel her rage magnify greatly, as her blade cut into the armoured side of the robot, her body moving without any sort of care for her own health, as she cut through the body. _'I'm Summer Rose! I am the death of all! I am the harbinger of doom for all that would dare harm my people!'_

Her mind was a razor's edge as she moved, her blades parrying and cutting into the metal. Whatever alloy the construct had been made of, it resisted her blades well. _'A mace would have been nice. Crushing would work a whole lot more if there's enough force behind it...'_ Her strength was no lesser than anything she had felt in her prime, the gaping hole inside her body not enough to strengthen the lack of her soul to burst through once more. Her aura, frail and fragile to her own senses, tried to sputter through the corruption, as she whirled. An arm was hacked off from the robotic adversary, watching Raven cleave through the midsection of the creature, not a moment spared for pity. _'These things must be made for a specific reason, if they can match a Huntress of our experience.'_ The thought was saner than the round of bloodthirsty images that had been burning through her mind, the sensation of pain and tearing of flesh something that she yearned.

' _I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him.'_ A savage yell came from her mouth as she dashed towards her foe, the man's eyes looking at her with the look of a man who knew where his battle laid. The gun in his hand was trained at her. "I'm afraid I have no intention of dying." He said, as she neared ever closer. "Proteus... Activate." The man's belt seemed to expand, wrapping around his form, the face suddenly pulled back, as some mechanical frame appeared around him, arms suddenly coated in the steel that had made up the body of the woman as well.

"There is no better way to live than to have Atlesian tech, Test Subject Alpha." The mocking voice that the man had cut through her thoughts as rage blossomed. "Raven." She growled at her partner, looking at the robotic form, the bodies of the robotic servants cut apart. "Yes, Summer?" She said, her eyes looking at the man. "Remember that time when we were with Tai and Qrow in the north of Vale?"

She knew that Raven would know. The massive Beringel that they had encountered would be merely a peach compared to this fight. "Yes." Her partner said, as her red eyes observed the mecha that seemed to have sprung up around her little blood-target. _'I want to kill him. I want to kill him and make him feel pain and burn and die and scream.'_ Her eyes caught Jaune entering the fray, his blade raised in the air. "Too soon, boy!" The man announced, a barrel spinning into action. A withering burst of gunfire shot out, Jaune's body rolling to the side in order to dodge. She could feel the darkness inside her surge up like a predatory creature, welling up inside her. "Tackle him." She growled at Raven, who followed her lead. "We're going to be beating this little bitch of a whoreson out of his little armour and making him scream for his fucking mommy." The language was not what she would typically use, she knew, Raven's brief stiffness explained away in her mind as easily as it could be, the shock of the crude language not even stopping her. She knew that she would be able to get whatever she needed soon enough, the blood flowing...

Jaune's blade ignited with ice dust, the chill spreading over the blade in the visible spectrum, the steel glowing coldly, as he delivered a strike. Raven was at his side in a moment, her blade cutting through the arm as well. The steel resisted the power of her blade, the sparks that showered them enough to tell that the metal was extremely hard. "We need more power!" She called out, Jaune leaping back, as if he had gotten the memo. **"Let me do something."** He said and the feeling of wrongness in the air seemed to grow even worse.

She smiled, her eyes meeting with the moustache-man. _'Time for you to die, bitch.'_

* * *

 _The fighting feline (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She felt the weight of the Katar in her hand as she looked at the man who stood before the two of them. White's rifle was trained on him, her eyes sharp and ready. _'You should really be aware of your surroundings, White.'_ She thought, as she looked at the man. "We can do this without bloodshed."

She tried at least, as she looked at the headmaster of Haven Academy. The man's eyes were without a doubt panicked and fearful, the man's eyes meeting hers. Gold met dark brown as her anger spiked once more with the man's sudden realisation. "You're Kali Belladonna!" The exclamation was enough to make her relax just a bit. "This doesn't have to be a fight... Just obediently lay down your weapon and we can make this not a fight." White made a clicking sound with her tongue, her eyes still trained on the man. "You survived the attack on your transport." _'Does he... Does he know more?'_ The thought was chilling, as her eyes widened.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" She said, her voice sharp. There was little warmth in her tone, as she looked at him, the grip on her Katar harder, white-knuckled grip there. She stood up straighter, ready for her body to get moving if the need was there. "Tell me." She knew that she sounded a little like Blake did, when she wanted to have the last cookie in the cookie jar. The image of a cute Blake looking at her and saying – "I want the last cookie, mom!" in her cutesy voice, with Ghira lecturing the girl about proper dietary conditions and the like...

The memory was bitter now, with her Ghira gone. She knew that he would not return to her at all, that his mind was now amongst the forefathers. "To think that the wife of the former leader of the White Fang would survive..." The man said, which confirmed it in her mind. "Are you working together with the dissidents?" She snapped, the man's eyes looking at her. "Dissidents? Oh no, not dissidents... She has told me about the plan, at least the formative form of it." The man's voice was level, somehow more confident than it had been before. She could feel her blood chill inside her, as the seductive voice of her Semblance spoke up. **"He isn't lying. It really is as he says. Not a hint of untruthfulness in his voice."**

That the White Fang had arranged for the assassination of her husband and Sienna was chilling. _'There must be factions that wish to assume power...'_ The political side of things had never interested her, yet the knowledge that someone would actively work to undermine Sienna and all that she had laboured so hard for, was shocking to her.

"Surrender now, Kali. I promise that you and... Well, whoever your friend is, will be treated fairly. I am still a council member of Mistral, so I can call for leniency in your punishment." The man's words were spoken as if he had the power in his hands to magically fix whatever ailed her. Dark depressive feelings surged inside her as the fear welled up inside her. **"Use our power, Kali..."** The darkness inside her whispered, a wordless shriek coming from her mouth as she moved.

Shadows wrapped around her and carried her towards the man, hitting one of the long shadows and transporting her within a flash in the shadows beside him. The blaze of dust-flame moved through the spot she had been at moments before, White's rifle blazing, the man ducking to the side. "Can't let them hit me." He muttered, even as she leapt from the shadows.

They pulled back from her body, the blade of the Katar unveiled and glowing, the grooves on the edge glowing with the dust as she activated one, a crackle of lightning dust exploding from around the blade. She stabbed at him, yet his hand intercepted her, slamming against her side, her body feeling weightless for a moment as she went flying, hitting the floor with a rattling smack. _'I should have learned how to fight... If I get out of this, I am definitely going to learn how to.'_ She got back onto her feet again slowly, looking warily at the man. "You're going to pay for this..." Her Semblance wrapped around her body, the fear washing over the ground around her like a cold chill, the creak of the wood below her feet enough as she looked into the man's eyes. Primal fear flashed inside him, as it flashed inside her as well, the sensation of his fear something that she could feel, dark ichors of fear flowing through her whole body.

Looking at Sienna, engaged in combat with the robotic helper of the scientist who had been visiting the headmaster before, she knew that she would not be getting any assistance from her. "White, get ready!" The glyphs blazed into view in front of White's rifle, the bullet that emerged from the rifle flying with speeds that her eyes could not track at the headmaster, the bullet exploding in a mess of icy shards, penetrating through the man's coat. "Ahh!" The headmaster's voice was shrill, as the distraction of fear had brought him pain. Her body seared with the heat of her fear, as she felt the darkness inside her swell.

From the shadows, a shadow copy of herself, flesh as dark as the shadows during night, eyes piercing yellow and the weapons a perfect copy of her own. **"** _ **Ready to move, Kali?"**_ Her shadowy self said, as she looked at the headmaster. Her semblance gave her control over the shadows, the copy that she made bringing that aspect to the fore. She had heard something about Blake controlling the shadows as well, yet it was a perfect thing for her. She moved into the shadows once more, feeling the presence of her own Semblance around her, her whole body tingling with the energy inside it, the feeling burning with the eagerness to avenge her husband. _'Cripple, not kill.'_

It would be more satisfying to let the headmaster feel fear, as his body was subjected to things that would be too out of sorts for the White Fang of her youth to do. _'Your legacy, Ghira... Your legacy was one of peace. It was one who would only be remembered fondly... Yet we cannot fight without fighting against this anymore. We have to take a stand.'_

The shadowy copy of her flew out of the shadow, the Kris raised high to stab, her body dissipating into the shadows at the sudden flare of dust-projectile burning it. It reformed nearly instantly, an oily sensation around her as if there was some pool of dark liquid that she swam inside of. She could feel the tension increase even more with every moment she spent in the shadows. "It is going to be a long day, Headmaster." Her voice was amused, tinted by that darkness that she had wrapped herself in.

' _ **With your permission, Mistress...'**_ Her semblance purred, as its golden eyes appeared in the shadows. White's shot slammed into the headmaster's shoulder, jarring his aim a little from trying to score a hit on her friend. _'You're going to die if you don't move, White.'_

She leapt from the shadows then, her leg swinging out, the man unaware of her presence, hitting him in the side before he could keep a good aim. His Aura blocked the blow, yet he was rattled still, as he turned around, his palm moving swiftly to slam into her guts, knocking the air out of her. She was in the shadows once more after that feeling, getting back her breath slowly. She could not stop the sensation from burrowing into her, as she felt her equilibrium return. "We can work out a deal!" The man shouted, as his shield extended, the dial that he had on it expanding, the metal moving to guard his upper body, as he advanced on White. Another shot hit the shield, the glow of dust visible, yet no effect to be witnessed. The dial spun, the orb on the shield glowing a deep blue colour as a blast of icy energy shot out of the shield at White.

The shadowy apparition that her Semblance created leapt in front of her, White looking disgruntled at the sight of it. "No deal... and I've got my experiences in the Dust business, so when I say no deal, it is... No deal." The rifle she raised, as the man advanced on her, spotting weakness in her stance. "White, no!" She called out, the fear effect washing over White and the headmaster, both freezing in place due to the intense fear that was sent at them. She could feel the tendrils of fear wrap around the two of them, her Semblance purring in her ear, the sound comforting her and soothing her own worries. **"Just a little touch... A little caress... Let them shiver in fear whilst you strike... Come on, Kali... Avenge your husband. Languish in the anger and the rage that you have kept suppressed all this time. He will know what to do..."** Her body moved, as another flare of her Semblance manifested a shadow at the man's side. She pulled herself through, the Katar in her hand punching forward, bouncing off the aura of the man. The flicker was enough to bring hope to her heart, even as he moved to block her, her whole stance shifting as he tried to bash her with the shield.

"Futile." She said, her foot lashing out, hitting the man's shin. Pain flared in her, yet flared as well in the man, a groan coming from his mouth. "Forgive me..." She whispered softly, as she felt her Aura pull at her. Her shadowy doppelganger appeared behind the man, the blade of the Katar hitting him in the back, his aura twitching, nearly shattering. She knew that he would be weak to a coordinated assault somehow, his fears coming to her mind.

Red eyes set in a face that had corpse-pale skin, only the remnant of humanity left behind, whilst Grimm roamed around her, the dark dress that covered her body something of an ornament to her ghastly beauty, yet with the fear that lanced through him even more. A person who was supposedly dead, here before him, accusing him of doing what he had done in order to make sure that his life was saved. The fear of death was hard, even as she heard the rifle click and then the bang of a bullet. The red blossomed on the man's arm, the shield unable to defend the man's physical body as the blood splattered across her face, the bullet impacting against the wall. The man screamed in pain, even as White sauntered forward, her steps with the measured pace of a woman who knew her own skill. "Let's break his leg."

White's voice was calm and cool, her eyes frosty in their colour as she looked down at the man, her foot rising and hitting the man's shin, though it seemed to be futile. "Damn it." Her friend mumbled, her head shaking a little. "Jaune! Get over here and break this man's leg!" She called out, her head turning to the direction of the young man, coming to see the battle that they were embroiled in.

Raven and Summer were like flashes of motion, duelling against an armoured form, the gears of mechanized terror whirring as it moved to the tune of the scientist's will. _'I didn't know Atlas technology had advanced that far.'_ Jaune was in front of the machine, blocking blows with his greatsword.

Kali could still remember vividly when she had seen it the first time, the steel of the blade having been polished to a mirror's shine after being prepared. The weaponsmith had gone on at length about the different types of dust that had been chambered in the hilt, the additional layers of reinforced steel that had gone into making the weapon, as well as the density of the steel. _'If he was to be assigned a role, he would be the front of the defensive measure, able to do damage as well as to take a hit.'_

Sienna and Jaune had sparred once, Sienna's swifter and agiler style having held out admirably against Jaune's own, with the aid of his body's Aura to recover from the damage done. Sienna had been laboured in her breathing afterwards, with only enough time for a quick sip of water before going back into the ring, Jaune's weapon requiring a bit of warm-up before it would be used to its full potential. The flame dust that had been able to ignite the blade was easily changed to a different type with a press of the button, the chamber revolving around in the hilt, nearly invisible in the working. The chamber was a little thicker, yet it was elegantly worked into the hilt and the sword guard. Through the pommel, dust could be inserted into the blade.

Jaune tanked one of the strikes, his aura shimmering briefly before it recomposed itself, his blade blocking one of the swings of the mechanized combat suit, Raven appearing from his side, her blade glowing with a reddish glow as she sliced, one of the arms rattled by the blow, a hissing tube blowing dark red gas into the air. "Watch it! That's the cooling!" The mechanical speaker brought the doctor's words to them, Kali's attention going back to the man in front of them. "I guess we'll have to keep him aware somehow." The man's face was indecisive, his gaze switching between the two of them. "I can help out. I am aware of her plans, I know how she plans to do things in Vale. I had to arrange the passports, after all. The four of them, those two sisters..."

Kali's eyes were amused at the words that the man spouted, her lips pressed tightly together, without even a hint of the fear that he felt inside. "I can be useful to you. Please... I can help." The man's words were fear-filled, her Semblance humming a tuneless tune that grew more discordant. "White..." She said, her fingers snapping. "Shoot his left leg." The rifle's discharge was loud in the spacious room, yet Kali found herself not caring so much anymore about what had happened. A pleasant smile was on her lips as she stepped closer, her combat outfit fitting her nicely, as she reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper, unfolding it after a short while and looking at the man, as she held it up. "Read it." She said, her voice just as pleasant as before...

Her feelings internally would have made Ghira ashamed to be her husband. The rage and anger was finally unchained, as the man's eyes looked over the paper, the whimpers of pain that he gave not even rustling her emotions in the slightest. "Come on..." She said, her voice sharp.

"Is this really necessary?" She said, the headmaster's pained shout loud as White kicked against his bleeding leg. The man had fallen to the ground, Kali standing over him, her gaze dispassionate. "I need to know." She growled, as she looked at the man with sharp eyes.

On the paper were the names that had been offered by Sienna and White as to who might have led to the assassination attempt. If the headmaster of Haven had been involved with that... It would have serious implications about the security of the world. _'A council member actively working together with the leader of the Grimm... I wouldn't have believed it if Sienna hadn't been suspicious of Jaune's words...'_

It made sense for her that the Grimm would have some sort of leadership. Mere Beowolves who roamed the world would have little in the way of a guiding consciousness, yet the Goliaths who roamed the borders of the kingdoms were intelligent, waiting and watching for anything that they might capitalize on. _'A guiding intelligence, ready to destroy humanity when it suits her.'_ It was not something that she would admit easily, but the fear that she felt at the thought of the Grimm being guided by one will was real.

"I recognize three names." He said, White growling and putting some pressure on the man's leg. Blood welled up around her foot, yet she did not seem to mind. _'Atlas Jean and the Lion's Mane.'_ The thought of such a movie would be amusing, if it did not involve the Faunus being manhandled by Atlas Jean. "Well?" She said, her voice sharper than before. "Who are they?"

The man whimpered, White's shoe getting covered in blood. Kali could smell the blood heavy in the air, her gaze going to Sienna, who was still dealing with the robotic menace that she was fighting. _'Some things never will change...'_

* * *

 _Eyes of the Tiger (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

She ducked under a blade, her bladed staff scoring another hit on the shielding around the robotic human's body, her whole body slick with sweat, the staff quivering with the block that she made. The metal seemed to barely be able to keep it together, as the wooden part of the staff continued to resist. _'It was a good deal on that ironwood.'_

As she blocked another strike, she pushed the button on the hilt, the flames that shot out from the shaft's tip scoring a hit onto the robot's face. The flamethrower that had been put into her weapon was compact, able to make a punch into someone's aura supplies AND had been able to be custom-fit into her weapon. _'Why should I let some human work on a new weapon for me? Ever since I had to put down the chain whip when I ascended to the level of bodyguard for the High Leader, I have been suited well with the craftsmanship of the Faunus.'_ Her eyes sought for any weakness, the flames having scorched off most of the outfit, bare metal glowing slightly with the leftover heat. She grinned, letting out a savage cackle at the sight of the metal being exposed. _'If I'm going to let some Atlesian scientist's toys beat me around, my name is not Sienna Khan.'_

The crumbling sound that she heard before was there again, her ears picking out the scream of pain from the headmaster, a savage grin blossoming on her face as she raised her staff, blocking the strike that came from above. "Got you, metal bitch." She growled, as her feet struck out, kicking. The robot moved away, gaining its footing once again, getting ready. There were no weapons that it would keep with her staff moving to intercept every move that it could make. She was aware of the combat tactics, with enough time on her hand to prepare for the worst that could happen. Her whole body was lit up, her anger flaring up intermittently.

' _Focus, Sienna... You can do this. You're a tiger... You're going to rip through this little aluminium tin can without a problem...'_ She moved like a prize acrobat, her bladed staff tearing through some of the front covering of the robotic humanoid that she fought, a buzzing "Third Order of Magnitude" announced by whatever doubled as a speaker inside the head of the robot, her face turning a shade of purple in anger as she saw what happened next, two sawblades appearing from its arms. _'Does it keep these things stored inside of it or something?'_ She thought, even with her whole body getting lower, ready to pounce when she saw an opening, her staff held vertically, ready to flip into action to block.

The machine moved without any sort of indication that it would, rushing at her, the sawblades whining and whizzing, ready to claim her life for its own cruel benefit. She moved like a flash, readily moving through the mowing sawblades, her blade cleaving through the upper part of the torso, the barrel of the flamethrower pushed into the inner workings. "Burn, you fucking overgrown lantern." She growled, thumbing the button. The saw-blades cut through the staff right below the blade, the gout of flame that welled up from the suddenly cut through barrel baking its frontal part. _'Fuck.'_ She swore mentally, her head turning. "A bit of help here!" She shouted, aware that she would need it. Without the nozzle, she was leery of using the flamethrowing mode of her weapon, her own staff only capable of physical fighting now, which would require her to use only one end.

Her bladed staff was not suited for the style that she had learned. Blocking and parrying was still an essential part of the style, yet she could not inflict as much damage with only one bladed part of the staff. The strikes were meant to bleed the enemy, so that through fatigue, they would be unable to fight her off again. _'You should have gone for a gun as a back-up, Sienna.'_ She lamented personally.

Something whizzed past her ear, her hair ruffled by the passing of the bullet, the robot shattering after its head was destroyed, the mechanisms exposed, even as she heaved a sigh of relief. Looking at the staff weapon that had served her well for most of her career in the White Fang as a bodyguard, she dug into the mechanism to retrieve her weapon. The heat of the wreckage was a clear sign that her own weapon had indeed held some effect, yet the weapon was shut in tightly in the chest compartment of the robot. _'It's a loss... But I guess that I should swallow my pride and ask for some charity from the huma- Jaune. I guess it's better to call him Jaune, as calling him human..._ '

Her doubts about his origin were real, even as he gave her the impression that he genuinely cared for their well-being, the need to prove himself a hero a foolish fancy that he held, no doubt out of some early childhood aspiration of being a hero... _'Are you not the same? The heroes of old, without their deeds we would not have been as successful with the cause..._ '

She looked at the woman who had been hanging around her. Her heart froze in her chest as she saw the crest on the glyphs that hung before the weapon, the slow motion of the glyphs something that only confirmed their existence in her mind. _'Schnee!'_ Her mind immediately formed the conclusion to meet with the name, the dark hair showing no sign of the pale hair that was endemic with the Schnee family... yet the knowledge that this woman was part of the enemy group who had murdered thousands of Faunus under their cruel sway in the mines...

Her breathing was slow and a little heavier than before, her eyes looking at the Schnee who had decided to use a false name, her eyes blazing. _'They lie to me! Kali lied to me! Why did she lie to me?'_ The questions came to her mind, as she stepped away, spotting the fight of the three others against the mechanized suit that the doctor wore. _'_ _This has to be some sort of fucking cosmic joke... Sienna Khan, saved by a Schnee... and from the looks of her, Whitney fucking Schnee herself, the ineffective matron of the family who loves to suck alcohol out of the pores of drunk Faunus._ ' The thought of the woman being some sort of leech for alcohol was not one that held any basis in truth, the frustration throughout her body moving to take on tangible form, even as the glyphs dissipated, no doubt due to the Schnee's will.

' _If I had a problem with her before... it is war now.'_ She stalked towards the two women, the form of the headmaster laying there a little in front of the statue. The fight with the mecha was taking place near the entrance, the faint shudder that rippled up her spine at the sight of the two professional Huntresses decimating the metal monstrosity something that was merely to do with the skill with which they moved, Summer Rose's blades cutting into the metal armour of the mechanized suit, the doctor's body withstanding the damage done, even as she walked to the two women, one who she cared for, the other whom she should loathe. The anger inside her was like the bubbling cauldron that erupted with vile stew, rotten and angry and hate-filled.

"When were you going to tell me?" She hissed at Kali. Her friend's face was neutral, her eyes mere pinpricks beyond her half-closed eyes. "Hopefully, never." The look of betrayal on her face was apt, as the hurt broke her a little, her whole body feeling the tension slip through it, her whole body feeling like it had been cast in ice. _'She would have never told me? Am I worth that little to her?'_ "You should not hate someone for what their family has done to you." Kali said the simplest thing that she could find, the discrimination never having hit her as hard as it had hit her. She still remembered the destitute people living in squalor, the pain that came with a long day of work and the empty stomach that she had. "She's a Schnee." She hissed, Whitney's face showing emotion. "I was born one, yet I do not hold responsibility for my husband's deeds." She said, her voice sounding heated and as frustrated as Sienna felt. _'What do you know? Your husband screws over Faunus with every breath.'_ "I try to aspire to my father's ideals. Profit does not need to be held above the people."

Sienna could empathize with that statement marginally, the one who said it still not approved in the slightest in her mind, the foreknowledge of just how evil this woman was colouring her perception. "She's a friend, Sienna... You don't hold it against Jaune that he was born to lead the Grimm, do you?" The phrasing of that sentence reminded her of something. _'Why do you hold the matter of their birth against them? We are all born from a father and a mother, different and yet worth the attention of people by virtue of being able to take up arms against the Grimm, who threaten to kill us just like the humans do. I hope that in the future, our children can join hands together with humans and know true equality.'_ The speech had been little-known, the final form having more of an allusion to the workings of bureaucracy than the revolt that it should have inspired. Ghira Belladonna had not been alone in writing that speech, then. Her eyes looked at the woman, her form-fitting outfit outlining her body, the strength that she had about her something new, something that made her get more respect burning in her for the strength that Kali showed in the face of such danger. _'It's a Schnee... She'll undoubtedly...'_ The memory of the attack and the happenings thereafter. The Schnee had been on her own as well, seemingly attacked by her own people. _'Her husband would have wanted to have the stocks in the company. Upon the death of a spouse, their assets are divided according by Atlesian law.'_

A stab of pity for the human rose and was ruthlessly squashed down. "Staff problems?" She heard Kali ask, nodding. "That tin can broke it off."She mumbled, her head shaking. "I'm afraid my body guarding days are over for the time being."

"I don't approve of your attitude much, Schnee." She said, deciding to head off the discussion before it began. _'Time to be the better woman, even with a Schnee.'_ Gratitude was indeed something that Sienna Khan knew and did. In moderation, of course. "Thank you for what you did." The woman nodded, smug and self-satisfied to Sienna's eyes, though her face did not show it. "We're all in this together... all four of us." Her gaze went to the headmaster, her rifle's barrel pointed at the man. "If we can't help each other, what use are we to him?" Her eyes went to Jaune, who was in the process of tearing apart the body of the mecha with his blade, the damage that Raven and Summer were doing spreading over the body of the mechanical construct, the doctor inside looking in distress.

"We've got to support each other... He'll show us the way home." The smile on her face was something that creeped her out privately, though she'd never admit to it. The look of hunger on the woman's face was something that she had thought to have only seen on starving people, yet those eyes, cold and distant at times, now blazed with what could only be called a blazing desire, dark speckles appearing through the blue colour, her lips pressed tightly together. Dark spots appeared in the sclera as well, as her lips pressed tighter together. "Yes..." Her foot ground against the wound on the headmaster's leg, the loud scream of pain making that smile look even more wicked than it already had been, ready to commit slaughter on some large level, as her gaze went to his fighting style.

She would be the last to admit that there was something appealing about a man who wielded a large weapon in defence of them. As she stood in the presence of the other two women, different in their nature and leanings, she could nevertheless feel the smug presence of Kali, who seemed to find entertainment in the sight of Jaune working to disassemble the mechanical construct, the smile on Whitney Schnee's face something that was ravenous and cold. _'She looks like she's seeing a buffet after having gone without food for nearly a month...'_

The antics of the humans were not her business, the look on Kali's face far more interesting to her. The darkness wrapped around those golden irises, the sclera now a complete murky black. It was like the dark liquid that Jaune had shown them before, the liquid that made the Grimm, the fearful thought inside her jumping to the fore that her friend had been corrupted by whatever darkness animated Jaune. A fierce yell came, and the crunch of metal, her head turning to see the robotic shell around the doctor collapse. "AHH!"

The man's voice sounded loudly, as the arm was torn off by an enraged cloaked huntress, whose hands ripped it off with extreme prejudice. "This is for trying to inject something into my eyeballs!" The pain in her voice could hardly be anything less than pure spite and rage inside her, as the blades carved through the arm, the spray of blood hitting her face, the smile on her lips being cruel and without care. Sienna could feel odd, as the smiles on Kali's face and on Whitney's face were different than Summer's. The edge of madness held sway over that smile of Summer's, as the other arm quickly joined its companion on the side, metal shards poking out of it, a finger half-way across the room after an overenthusiastic swipe of Summer's sword.

' _That woman is madder than a Human trying to pick up Faunus chicks during a White Fang rally...'_ She thought, her mind definitely realizing the uncomfortable truth of Summer being rather unhinged in her nature.

* * *

 _A Jaune-t in the darkness (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The sight of Summer's blood-streaked face was enough to imprint on his mind that one did not mess with Summer Rose in any capacity, lest they wished to be disembowelled or disarmed in the literal capacity. "And this... This is for when you decided to try and see whether I could freeze the Grimm! Fuck you, you little bitch!" The woman's blades were carving a pattern onto the man's chest, long vertical slashes moving through the flesh, her rage visible.

"Is she like this often?" He asked Raven, who had stopped with trying to aid her teammate, her eyes looking at the man, the mask that covered her face hiding much of her expression. "If properly stimulated." She said, leaving it open whether this was the proper stimulus or not... and the thought rose in his mind whether Ruby would have a similar personal quirk of growing to such a length. _'She never would do such a thing... right?'_

The thought of Ruby Rose acting mad like her mother was a haunting one, his friend always having been a cheerful sort, never worrying about the future and just trying to be the best hero that she could be. He admired her for her resilience in that fact. It was more than he could have hoped for. He turned to the headmaster, dismissing the majority of the Grimm outside. There had been no incident with any of the students or the teachers coming to interfere, luckily... but that might be due to the Vytal festival. The headmaster's meeting with the doctor might be another reason for their conspicuous absence. With her appearance, Raven would be...

A thought rose to his mind, daring and bold. _'If I do that...'_ The matrix was still in his mind from the first invocation, the power that it could hold only requiring the proper input. _'No time like the present...'_ The look on the headmaster's face was definitely not to be missed, as he walked over, his pace sedate and at ease. The immediate threat had been dealt with and the man should be more pliant with his associate now dead.

A loud scream behind him sounded, Summer's voice reaching the high octaves and the giggles that followed afterwards were not something that he busied himself with, taking a knee next to the headmaster, his own pale face showing no sign of compassion or empathy for the man. He had thrown his lot in with Her and he would be paying for that. "The Grand Wizard has given you stewardship of this academy."

The headmaster's eyes showed confusion. "Grand wizard?" The man responded, his voice sounding surprised at the title. "You mean..."Jaune growled in the back of his throat. "Ozpin. He's given you this academy, right?" The headmaster nodded, Esmeralda's rifle still aimed at his body. "Show me where the vault is." The plan that he had concocted had been sudden, yet with the acolyte present...

He cast a wondering gaze at Raven, the tension that flowed through him as the Headmaster whimpered, getting up. The pocket watch that he got from his pocket looked to be forged out of one single piece. "It is..." The man's hand moved the watch to the statue, clicking it into place. Ancient machinery, built over eighty years ago, worked to make the elevator appear. The presence of the power was too much for him to ignore now, as he took a slow breath. "It won't work without the Spring Maiden. Your mistress has tried!"

He looked at the man, currently limping, the blood from his leg wound still found. "I would be surprised if it would work with Her. The Grand Wizard always did manage to beat her with the mind games..." The musing on the nature of the traps surrounding the vault was cut off, as he looked at the elevator that stood there. "Get on." He said to his companions, his eyes meeting Summer's, the blood splattered over her front. "Are you alright?" He asked, Summer's head bobbing once, a grin on her lips. "You'd be surprised what you'd find if you hack through a man's chest... So many nice giblets." The smile on her lips that came afterwards was nothing if not brutal, the gentleness of her features warped by what could only be called a maddened craving for the death of things.

"Ah, Jaune... I was only serious about one of the things I said earlier." His mind tried to think about whether that meant the rant at the first witnessing of the doctor or not, his mind drawing a blank, Raven's sigh coming like an explosion behind the mask, long and suffering. "This isn't going to be something like the Taiyang situation, is it?"

Summer turned to her friend and teammate, shaking her head. "More like your twenty-first." He could feel Raven's confusion turn to something else, as she looked at him. "I guess you'll be suffering for it then, eh?" She muttered, not too loudly. As the seven of them stood upon the elevator, the creak of it slowly descending was audible, as they came towards a cavernous space below. With the lighting mostly around the platform that they descended on, the tree's yellow-orange blossoms glowing in remembrance. "A Sorrow tree..." He said out loud.

"What?" Kali asked, her hand brushing over the handle of the Katar, sheathed in the sheath that it had been delivered with. Jaune looked at the tree whilst they descended. "A Sorrow tree. We used to have them in Arcadia, a long time ago... I still remember sitting with the Wi-" He stopped speaking, as he realized that it was not HIS memory that he called upon. "No..." He moaned, the pain flaring inside of him as the _Vitae Tenebris_ Inside him boiled, the memories of Her coming through at the remembrance of the significance of those trees. "Those're not my memories..."

He shook his head. _'Focus on the task. If you can do this, you can banish the memories...'_ The hope was there, as the platform hit the ground. "Forward." He said, voice sounding weary and tired, as the ground lit up. The tree came alive with the blossoms glowing, responding to the emotions of the people. The glow below their feet started to illuminate the path forward for them.

The tree would shed its blossoms when one was feeling sorrowful, returning to bloom once the person was out of the vicinity. _'They had been so prevalent... They were the first warning sign._ ' He could feel a forlorn feeling settling in his gut, as he realized that he had been wrong. The feeling of being alone in the world rumbled through his body, as he realized that this would be a threshold. His power of controlling the _Vitae Tenebris_ was nothing akin to hers...

"Raven?" He asked, his voice soft, yet perfectly clear. "Place your hand upon the door." The formation of the spellcraft was something that he could understand, the acolyte's powers focused through the Relic, the lethargy that suddenly came from within him spurring him on to speak softer.

Raven looked at him, watching him for a moment. "You know about the maidens?" The headmaster said, his voice shuddering a little. "How can one woman her age be a maiden?" The man asked, Summer laughing out loud.

"You know what, Leo?" She said, as Raven and Jaune stepped towards the door. The ground lit up, arcane scribbling of the Grand Wizard activating. His own Aura exploded around him, culminating in a shroud that wrapped around him like a protective cocoon. His whole body flashed hotly, as he reached out for the door, touching it. Raven's hand laid against the door, the ancient gears and wheels turning, as the dimensional shift was activated. _'Just a little more..._ '

He could FEEL the protections rail against him, the weave of magical power that had been put into protecting the relic something that had been active for years, yet with the Grand Wizard's powers, still active. He could feel it pushing against the _vitae tenebris_ inside him, knew that She would be equally frustrated in her attempts, yet the acolyte beside him granted him access.

The portal opened towards a sand-baked hellscape, the heat washing over him. He could feel the corrosion press against him, as he held out his _vitae tenebris-infused_ arm. "By the order of the Grand Wizard, I am to gain access to this vault. By the King of Arcadia's decree, I am sanctified. Accept my ascendance!"

The words were ancient and had not been spoken in thousands of years. The spellcraft with which the Grand Wizard had created the Vault was based upon the adherence to the beliefs of Arcadia. The shadow war between Him and Her had been going on for so long that no society had been able to achieve the magical prowess that they had once had. He turned to the women that had come with him, for so far. They had been with him, Summer the longest, Raven the shortest. They had accompanied him, with their feelings on display to him all the time, their dark emotions leeched off for his own sustenance.

"I'm going in." He said, voice sounding like he was announcing his own demise. _'This better work...'_ He hoped that it would. Taking a step into the sandy confines of the alternate reality that had been bored in, he could feel the heat blast him from all sides, his weapon something that he could only feel on his back. He looked at it, taking a step back and throwing it back to the dimension that he had came from, the crossroads of the dimension allowing it to go through. _'Come on, Jaune...'_

He moved slowly, the gale-force wind of heat and sand hitting him. This was not a tranquil place, no matter how it appeared to be. The winds were fiercer than he had ever felt, whipping around him like a tornado had appeared. His skin was pale and yet, the sun burned like it were on fully, the head wasting away his stamina, even as he reached the first full stone step. The pace that he set was slow and with effort, as he moved forwards, with no deterring from his body.

The relic sat upon the stone outcropping where it had been placed. He could feel the _vitae tenebris_ inside him quiver and bubble, the heat continuing to waste him away. Another stone step he reached, with his whole body feeling parched. He cast a glance back at the women, standing there with anxious eyes. The headmaster's face was curious and worried-looking as if this had not been attempted before.

He turned back to his trip forward, his breathing growing heavier, as he tried to put his foot forward again. The stone that he stood on started to evaporate, the dust-motes that had been flaking off it starting to fade away. _'Corrosion.'_

The pain that he felt was insurmountable for many others, yet he soldiered on. Another step was taken with effort, as he tried to find the right way to move ahead, his whole body feeling the burning pressure of the heat and the pain, forging him into something better, something more wholesome than before. His whole body, blazing with the flames of something that was determination and acceptance, as he could feel his body continue onwards, to reach the Relic.

His hand reached out, touching the relic, its whispers soft around its core. The power within beckoned to him... His fingers touched the handle and then... **"I am Jaune Arc. You are mine."** The words were spoken loudly by his mouth as he tugged the Relic off its pedestal, the pain that seared through him as he KNEW.

A sun rising from the darkness. The Grimm coalescing into existence with but a wave of the hand, two spectral deities standing above the little planet that was theirs... Their fingers felt in every grove and every crevice, their breath in every lung of the creatures that walked the earth. Humans, frail and without a home, hunted by the creatures of Grimm. The knowledge was there, if they would grasp it.

He was... He was Jaune Arc, son of Sage Arc and Emerald Arc. He was the young man who had the potential to be something akin to the Grand Wizard... someone who would be like the Grand Witch. He was... _'Pain, pain, pain. Don't want to think about it, I don't need to know!'_ He was constructed from the essence of Jaune Arc, the flesh of Jaune Arc, the soul of Jaune Arc... with the _Vitae Tenebris_ as his blood. A fusion of the spirit and the darkness.

' _What am I?'_ He thought, the answer coming immediately – **Jaune Arc, Grand Warlock**. The title had only been handed out once, to a magister who had conveyed the grand assembly before the King and had proposed the mechanisms of a border wall, the Slayers having held allegiance to the man's mage-craft, the silver eyes of the man having lent him the moniker of 'Silver-Eyes'.

' _I am Jaune Arc, the Grand Warlock.'_ The title was not something without benefits. In Arcadia he would have similar status compared to the Grand Witch and the Grand Wizard. It was a pity that he no longer held such power... _**'What is it that you crave?'**_ The voice of the Relic entered his mind, neutral and without any sort of emotion in its representation of language. _**'I am the Knowledge of the Gods. Will you cherish the Knowledge, young creation?'**_

He gasped, knowing that the power within the Relic was not fully his yet. Having grasped it and obtained a BRIEF glimpse into what knowledge there was, he knew that its full power would be something catastrophic. **"I will."** His voice did not shift, as his pale hand gripped the lamp's handle tightly.

Then... the pain began. His consciousness expanded as the Grimm around the world KNEW of his presence, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him boiling and bubbling, purer than it had ever been. The refinement techniques in order to sharpen his efficiency with the _vitae tenebris_ were pounded into his mind, as he KNEW.

Creation and Choice... The Light. Destruction and Knowledge... The Darkness. They held all significance to the world, as their Relics conveyed the power of Gods upon the humans who wielded them. He could feel how SHE recoiled in shock and his power, as it ascended to that plane where it could briefly channel the essence of divinity, slammed into THEM.

He was aware of her body as he _FORCED_ himself into her shape, her Aura incapable of suppressing his own, as it should be, her eyes opened wide as she peered out over the waste, a scroll dropping from her nerveless fingers as shrieks of pain ceased to come from her mouth, her crimson eyes wide and blind and seeing all that it was. It was a comfortable shape, her memories pulled from her mind for a brief instant, refreshing and replenishing them after a moment. _'There is nothing that is not mine to know...'_ The feeling of how his body was like an ethereal scalpel, cutting away what he craved, and the sensation of Her returning to full consciousness, his eyes meeting her own, mismatched blue and crimson meeting with red.

* * *

 _Darkness' Queen (S**** *****, goes by the name of Salem)_

* * *

Her mind stretched out into the depths of the world, her creations working to further her aims. Cinder was at Beacon already, just about to disembark from the airship that had carried them there, the Scroll connection cutting off a moment later. A savage smile fit onto her mind as she looked out over the wastes. She could feel every Grimm in her domain now with a mere touch of her mind, her whole being lit up with the power that was hers by right.

' _ **You will rue the day that you went against me, Ozpin.'**_ Her thoughts were nothing if not vengeful, the response from the man she was linked to by their fate something that had to be delayed, her whole mind distracted, as her eyes went towards the far distance, where she could feel something. Her hand raised the scroll, pushing her fingers over the button that would connect her to Arthur Watts. _**'I do hope that his conversation with dear old Leonardo has gone well... It wouldn't do to have the Huntsmen of Mistral interfere with our issues.'**_

The screams of the Grimm that reached her mind clued her in that something was wrong. It started in the area surrounding Mistral, the wave of pure power that she felt out of the ordinary for that... and it continued onward.

Slamming into her, she became aware of what was a young man, his features so similar to her own, his eye a deep dark colour, like her own. The veins of the _Vitae Tenebris_ stood out like a familiar charm, as he violated her mind, her whole self suddenly locked into a space that was smaller than anything she had ever felt, her whole connection to the Grimm gone for a moment, as he dominated her. The spike of power was enough to short-circuit her logical thought processes, even as he left her, leaving her to drop to the ground, her mind recouping the power that had went through it, as the network to the Grimm dropped. _**'Ozpin is be-'**_

Terror gripped her heart for once, as she realized the imprint on the network was... not Ozpin. The Grimm could feel her power through their bodies, could feel her mind touch theirs... and she felt FEAR go through her as she felt something similar to herself touch their minds.

The feedback hit her nervous system then and she blacked out, her Scroll bouncing down the stairs, shattering after three steps. Her chest rose and fell, yet there was little activity in the mind of the Grimm queen.

Seventeen hours later, she awoke, the uncomfortable position something that put a crick in her back, her pain-wracked body feeling like it had been hit by something hard and merciless, yet her mind... Her mind connected to the Grimm without any issue. _**'I must find out who that was. They cannot be allowed to have the power over my creations!'**_

A scream of rage and frustration sounded through the air as she descended the stairs, the shattered remains of her Scroll left behind, as she went in search of her minions. This was unacceptable.

She was the one who should have the power to command the Grimm, her alone!

* * *

 _The Good Daughter (Weiss Schnee)_

* * *

Her eyes were open, yet she saw nothing. Her mind stirred, yet she thought nothing. She could feel her hands, yet she touched nothing. It was all just a blank mess in her mind. _'Why?'_ The question rose in her mind as she began to methodically get up again. Her scroll was left on the bed, her mind still reeling from the news. _'Why did you do that, dad? Wasn't I good enough? Were my grades not suitable?'_

The Scroll call had disconnected nearly five minutes ago, yet Weiss Schnee was still left floundering. _'What am I going to do?'_ The thought inside her mind was nothing that was in the slightest bit sane. A melody that was like the twinkling bells, the ringtone that was reserved for her grandfather, sounded from the Scroll. _'What?'_

She chanced a look in the mirror. Her face was a mess. Her makeup had run and the tears had left tracks over her face, showing exactly how she felt about the news that she had just been handed. "Hello, grandfather." She said, answering the scroll, her voice a monotone. The man's face looked serious, as she saw Klein at the man's side, the man's eyes calm and reasonably. _'Grandfather always knows what to do. Mother did not inherit those traits if she married father.'_ The man's eyes were sad, even as the butler waved at her. A small smile appeared on her face as she waved back. "Hello, Klein." The butler acknowledged her with a nod, a smile on his face that warmed her heart even more. "Weiss, my dear..." The man started, his hand combing through his hair, the oxygen that he inhaled making his voice sound a little more strained. "I have heard of your father's decision."

The man looked grave, as he turned to Klein. "Fetch the car, mister Sieben." The butler nodded, turning to Weiss. "Don't worry, Madame. Your grandfather will explain." The man disappeared from view. Her grandfather's face was sharp, his hand moving through his hair. "Weiss, I will be coming to Vale." That news made her eyes widen, the news that her grandfather would be coming to Vale personally something that did not happen easily. _'Grandfather is coming here? What would he think of my team?'_ The thought of her grandfather meeting with Yang or Ruby first and forming a negative impression of them was real in her mind, as she nervously fiddled with her dress. She knew that it wasn't a good position to have, yet the man held some power in the world still, despite his illness.

"On business, grandfather?" The question was formal as if she were still involved with the Schnee Dust Company. _'You're just the failure that your father never wanted as the heir, yet you were selected because you were second in line.'_ The man's face changed, softer in his facial features as he slowly exhaled. "No, Weiss. I am coming to be with you. Your father... Has some questionable decisions made and Mister Sieben has decided to end his contract with your father's estate." The formal tone that her grandfather used meant that he was speaking officially, his eyes meeting hers and showing the care that a grandfather SHOULD show to his granddaughter. "Will you be staying for a while, grandfather? Preparations for your stay should be handled by me, I can-" The man smiled at her, a smile that was a shade paler than the usual smile that he would wear during family gatherings. "Mister Sieben will be more than suitable. I have had to fire my... previous assistant." The man's face showed clearly that there was a loss there to be had and a story to be told, yet Weiss did not doubt it. "Expect me within a month, Weiss. I have affairs left to handle here, before I can make my little snow happy."

She felt a small spark of happiness inside her well up, the darkness inside her banished by her grandfather's love, her eyes looking at the depiction of the man on the Scroll's view. "I'd love to show you my team, Grandfather." _'Provided Ruby actually keeps herself still for a while.'_ The man smiled at her, trying to assure her no doubt that everything was going to be alright. "I have already spoken with Miss Rose when she answered your scroll. I would love to meet with them. Perhaps we can go shopping?" _'Shopping wouldn't be such a bad idea... I would need a new collection of clothing if my allowance was cut in half by the loss of my status as heiress to the company.'_

"That would be lovely, grandfather." She said, her eyes fighting the tears that suddenly welled up once more, the knowledge that she would no longer be the heiress to the company still hitting her hard. _'I'm just Weiss Schnee, daughter of Jacques Schnee now. What is my value?_ '

"I hope you have a nice morning, Weiss." The time difference between Atlas and Vale was around 12 hours, give or take. He smiled at her, even as she began to feel the rush of something go through her, purpose filling her. _'I'm Weiss Schnee and I am going to ensure that my grandfather can look at me with pride. Heiress or not, I will stand by what I have said.'_

"I hope you do too, grandfather. I... I love you." She whispered the last part, her grandfather's lips forming that smile that she'd seen before. "I love you too, my little snow. Have a great day at Beacon." The call disconnected then, with the click of the screen returning to the call menu. She tucked her scroll in one of her pockets, moving towards the cafeteria, intending to get something for the morning breakfast. A proper meal in the morning served the purpose of awakening one to absorb more information in their day, rather than merely munching on something with empty calories.

She walked calmly towards the cafeteria, encountering the headmaster as he leaned against a wall. His eyes were on some papers that he had in his hand, seemingly preparing something for the running of this fine institution. "Good morning, Professor Ozpin." The man looked up from his paper, his eyes warm and friendly, the deep dark colour somewhat entrancing, if she'd have to put a quality to it. "Good morning, Miss Schnee." He said, voice warm and friendly, as a teacher should be, who guided his students towards the proper course to take. "Have you slept we-"

The man's voice cut off as his face scrunched up, a low groan coming from his mouth as the paper slipped from his hand, his hands going to his head. "The matrix... Why is it destabilizing?" His voice sounded confused, as he tried to hold himself upright. "Professor?" Her voice was small, as he looked at her, the white of his eyes now blood-red with the burst blood vessels that signalled a large amount of stress. "Get..." The man gurgled, his mouth full of something, blood leaking from between his lips, his nose starting to drip blood as well. "Get Glynda-" The man cut off, falling forwards, towards the ground. She moved immediately, supporting the man, yet the weight was too great and her body too small. She landed on the ground with the headmaster on top of her, his weight heavy on her. She didn't dare move away, her hands going into the man's pocket in search of a scroll. "Come on..."She mumbled, as she looked at the unfamiliar layout of the Scroll, her fingers tapping away on the keyboard in search of... Glynda Goodwitch. She pressed the button for the speed dial, the look of a stern-faced Glynda Goodwitch staring back at the scroll. "What's the- Miss Schnee, why do you have the headmaster's Scroll?" The panic that she felt was muted, as he moved on top of her.

"Miss Goodwitch? The headmaster has fallen, instructing me to get you, yet he is too heavy and-" The man's body moved a little more, getting up with a low groan. Slowly, almost zombie-like, the man got up, taking a step towards the cafeteria, before stopping. Her gaze met the man's, two crimson orbs peering back at her, the eyes not holding any shred of pity or care, no trace of the comfortable warm brown to be seen... Only hateful angry red. "C-call-" His voice struggled to speak, as she turned the scroll so that Miss Goodwitch could see her superior, the woman's shocked gasp. "Ozpin?" She was moving, the view on her screen showing several of the hallways that she knew to be in the eastern part of Beacon.

The man groaned. "Call James. Tell him... Task. Fall- M'dn."The man seemed to sag, his hand going to his head, surprise coming to show on his face, as he collapsed, the sound of the heels of the teacher's shoes on the tiles behind her. Glynda Goodwitch stood there beside her after a moment, her breathing obviously louder, having ran through the halls with her top speed. Her hair was a little messy, as the riding crop was pulled out from her shoe and the glow of her Semblance activated, wrapping around the headmaster's unconscious form. "You did well, Miss Schnee." The woman said, breathless, her eyes looking at the unconscious man's body, the blood dripping from his nose still, the sound of the blood hitting the tiles of the floor below them something that she noticed the most.

"I'll take it from here." She said, sweeping the headmaster out of sight, near-running with him towards the medical facilities. Weiss realized that the Scroll that the headmaster had with him was still in her possession, vowing to bring it back to him, or deliver it to the deputy headmistress.

Weiss Schnee was going to do what was right, what was just. The thing that would be acceptable for someone of good standing.

* * *

 _The terror of dark knowledge (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He found himself back in his body, the grip on the Relic still firm. Power welled up inside him, power that held enough of its strength to lend him the ability to do marvellous things. His whole body tingled with the _Vitae Tenebris_ , the fluid that had the ability to create the Grimm from its depths.

' _Power comes with its own pitfalls...'_ The words of a monarch of ages past came to his mind, as he pulled the lamp off its pedestal. The corrosive effect of the ancient divine relic was enough to blast him with the energies, his clothing fraying a little, as if he had been subject to the tempest of time. _'I need to affix it to a staff...'_ The focus would be enough to stabilize the power of the Relic so that it would not endanger those around him. As the whispers of the forgotten memories entered his ears, they seemed to wish to call upon him to wield the strength inherent in the Relic, the knowledge of how to utilize the powers that he had been granted. ' _Reincarnation... Such a simple trick.'_ His own Semblance, truly unveiled to him with the gift of Knowledge.

He had a larger than average Aura capacity. His ability was to transfer it to others... and to transfer his soul with it towards another. Akin to a leech which invaded the host and took over its functions, so could he work that with the body of one who shared some similarity. _'I will not become like you, Ozpin... Your whole existence as a constant cycle of reincarnation, the 'divine will' which guides you mere falsehoods in order to obtain the strength once more from Her...'_

As he stepped closer to the exit, the desert around him quivered and quailed as the Relic was moved, the smoke that the lamp emitted slowly curling around him. To his own eyes, he would look like a perfect copy of Salem, male where she was female, his hair having grown slightly longer, the red eyes no longer holding the benevolence that had once been there. There was only darkness now within him... and yet, Jaune Arc was still himself. He could feel the darkness of the knowledge that should never be shared, could feel the terror of those around him like it were a siren going off, his whole body feeling the enervating spring of life within his soul burn brightly.

The world was not a simple place. The Grimm, children born of the darkness and shaped by the will of a spiteful god, continued to roam the land. People were dying, never knowing of the battle that went on between the Grand Wizard and the Grand Witch. He could see their faces as they stood there, waiting for him. Interest on the face of Raven, her mask hanging off her belt, her eyes looking at him as if he was a specific kind of intriguing bug.

Summer, whose body was one blot of darkness, the _Vitae Tenebris_ that made up her whole being kept docile under those silver eyes, her power waxing now, as those eyes met hers. _'The Slayers were a good force... A pity that the bloodline seems so diluted.'_ The blood of the heroic members of that corpse must not have spread, as death claimed them. Sienna, her whole body a flame of wrath and anger, not a speck of the _vitae tenebris_ to be found upon her... and yet, wholly enflamed by her desires to burn and hurt and maim those who stood against her. _'Like a queen who has lost the support of her people...'_

She was a predator in nature, ready to strike out and kill and destroy, if it served her cause. _'Offer her the power that you have... and she might be willing to become mine.'_ The thought was calm and calculated, his perspective on things having shifted, slightly. With knowledge came the acceptance of things that could be changed. _'My life... My whole life, all seventeen years...'_

It had all been for this moment. To feel his Aura infest the _Vitae Tenebris_ on that Grimm, to become part of the root of it all, the wellspring from which everything came... To SEIZE what should have been unable to be seized... That had been the start. Running into Summer and freeing her from her shackles... That had been the beginning. To run into the villagers and do good, had been a moment. To be under Ruby Beornir's tender caresses had been the descent...

His experiences, in this life, had been a mix. Good times and bad times... and the Grimm. The power inside him swelled, as he called out for the Grimm. They responded to his call, the whole breadth of the network now under his control, with Her absent from the reins. She was unconscious, as far as he could tell. No conscious thought in her mind, the backlash of him taking a slice of the power from her.

That which had been granted before, had been granted. The power that was within Her was a magnitude greater than his own... Yet it was only two parts of the whole. Two Relics that had empowered her with powers greater than any human should have been able to bear. Powers that had instilled within her a control over the Grimm that bordered on Divine.

Now... He was here. The Relics... If he could obtain another one, his power would swell. The power to control the world would be his if he gathered all four, all of reality forced to obey his will. _'No human deserves that much power...'_

He had once dreamed of being a hero. He had once hoped that by doing the best he could, he could surpass the limits that he had set for himself, his whole body lit up with that frustration, even with how the world seemed to malign him. Ruby Beornir... She had set him upon the path. Anger flooded his mind, irrational thoughts about seeing her strung out over the course of days, her body flayed of its flesh and the sounds of her agony like the sweet music that he could hear...

' _You should focus on being a Hero, Jaune... Do not go the way that She has went. You know where that path leads.'_ The thought was small in his mind, as he tried to keep his control, tried to bring the hope for the future to the front once more and failed in such an inception, as his body quivered under the sudden brush of a great power.

He could see Kali's face, clearly looking at him with a mingling of fear, anticipation and surprise, a darker shadow in her presence mimicking it, the familiarity with it telling him that he had seen it before. He could feel the _Vitae Tenebris_ surge through her body, knowing that it was his fault that she had been infested with the darkened ichors of wickedness... and he found that it was infinitely preferable to having lost her due to the actions of a human. _'It's better to be alive and able to fight than to die and to let others survive who would not feel right.'_ The rhyme had been popularized when it had been found that the Grimm were attracted to the negative emotions that came from humanity's cradle, with the knowledge that they could be at risk of an invasion of Grimm with the fear that death brought with it.

The headmaster stood there, fear and self-loathing wrapped around him tightly, the eyes shifting a little back and forth as he watched him approach. The dimensional barrier warped in front of him, his eyes burning with the sensation of the heat basking them in the haze. The man was not to be trusted. The fear that he had was greater than what bravery the man could muster.

His gaze rested on Esmeralda next, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her like the veins running through his whole body. Desire ran through her, her eyes the pale blue that she had always shown him, yet with the hunger for something in them, something that brought only the image of power to his mind. _'She would be on board if I offer her a fragment... Acolytes are to be trusted...'_ Within her hands was his sword, grabbed with a grip that he knew was not right. _'The knowledge to wield my blade... How very useful.'_

With how the powers that had been bestowed to the Relics worked, he could grant a slice of his own power to the Acolytes in order to empower them. Raven was an acolyte of Ozpin's brand of magic, the powers within her having opened up the Vault that led towards the Relic... but Sienna, Kali and Esmeralda were as of yet unclaimed by any. His eyes roved over their forms, checking out their inner cores. _'No corruption... Albeit Esmeralda's seems to be a little...'_ The taint was seeping into her, yet he did not mind it doing so. _'I can reverse this...'_

He stepped back into the world once more, his foot hitting the solid ground, his shoes having been worn away by the corrosive effect of the other dimension, the Relic in his hand glowing slightly. His eyes went to the relic, as a wave of power surged from him, his whole body lighting up with the force as the reality accepted him in his investment as one of the wielders of the Relics.

Where there had once been two, there were now three. He took a deep breath, looking at Summer for a moment, her smile warmer than before. She seemed at ease. "Let's go back up." He said, as he looked at the women. "Is that... A lamp?" Kali asked, her voice sounding hesitant. He looked at her, a strange shiver going through her body, as they walked back towards the platform. The Headmaster of Haven's soft protestation was silenced, as he was pushed along by Raven, whose face showed little emotion.

As they ascended, he cast a last glance at the Sorrow tree, a deep sigh coming from his mouth. "Can I have your staff?" He inquired of Sienna, the removed head having left it a decent fit for the lamp. _'It would serve as a momentary crutch... Yet it would help. A little."_ The woman handed him the staff, her face morose, her mouth not moving. He could feel the tendrils of the Relic search out his companions, instilling his will into the Relic once more to keep it under his control, to silence the whispers before they would feel overwhelmed by the pressure of knowledge. _'Some secrets are meant to be kept secret.'_

As they arrived back to the hall, he looked at the headmaster of Haven for a moment. "We're going to bring you in. You will need to answer for your crimes." Sienna hissed something, yet did not complain about it. His lead was to be followed. Esmeralda's emotions stilled, as they stepped from the dais, her hands moving to get the rifle from her back.

"I guess... I guess I cannot cut a deal with you, right? I can offer you information... I mean, I know a lot about how the system works, I can-" The man's voice was pleading, Jaune turning to look at him. "I hold the Relic of Knowledge, Headmaster Lionheart." He spoke softly his eyes meeting the man's dark brown ones. "I am not going to wish for some second-hand hearsay from you, whilst I can pull the knowledge from your mind." It was one of the uses of the Relic, to pull the knowledge from the mind of one who held it. A thing that would be forbidden, such a sentence only delivered to those critical to the affairs of state.

The process left them a blank slate, though. He would not consign someone to such a fate, to have their very self destroyed. "I can... I can be useful. You will need me to get away safely! I can... I'm a council member." Esmeralda looked at the man, taking a step back, mouthing something to Kali. The Faunus woman took a step away as well. "You'll need me! I can tell Ozpin that nothing is wrong, that there is no fault with the Vault."

' _Once a traitor, always a traitor.'_ The thought was harrowing, even as he sighed. "I'm sure that you're in a position to do a lot." He said, voice sounding a little morose. "But I do not negotiate with traitors." The man's eyes were wide, as he opened his mouth. "But I can be useful-" The report of the rifle as the bullet hit the man's skull and fractured it was loud, the body dropping to the ground a moment later. Esmeralda looked at him with a look that was questioning, a slow exhale coming from Jaune's mouth.

Had it been hours earlier, he would have been upset... Yet the realisation that the man would likely betray him once he was out of sight was something that Knowledge had given him... That the Knowledge of a man's nature was something precious. _'A cowardly Lion...'_

"You can consider that to be my answer." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. Why he whispered, he didn't know, Esmeralda lowering her weapon, a look on her face that was both uncomfortable as well as aware of the situation that they were in. Her eyes blinked, her tongue sliding over her lips. "Time for us to go." She said, her eyes meeting his. He gave a soft smile at her, as he let his thoughts go. "We'll be needing a new weapon for Sienna." He said, remarking on it. He knelt next to the mangled mess of the body of Arthur Watts, his finger pressing to the bloody remnant, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ slithered from the body into his own. Codes and languages for programming surged into his mind, even as the darkness in his very being seemed to swell up. More _Vitae Tenebris_ for him to wield... and the knowledge how to do so easily achieved.

They were not hurried, pushing open the door towards the quad, his eyes going over the empty space before him, the stairs leading down before them. _'With more knowledge...'_ His mind was already planning, the lack of using his strategic skills in a combat situation something that he was aware of. _'They have always put me on the last foot.'_ Raven's blade sliced the air, a portal created. "Go through and you will find yourself outside of... Well, you know." The woman did not mince words, Sienna looking at him with a look.

"What is that about a new weapon for me?" She inquired, her voice sounding irritated that he was deciding for her, a thing that he could understand, given the manner that she had cultivated to a sharp edge around him. Her eyes seemed to blaze as he stepped through the portal, finding himself relocated into the space where they had first been sent, his hand grabbing the shaft of the staff and pushing the tip of the shaft against the underside. _'Flow.'_ The feeling of power went through him as he pushed the wooden shaft into the otherworldly metal, the blue glow of power inside the staff dimming slightly, as the 'click' sound was heard loudly. _'A better head for a staff would not be found...'_

The reason why he had taken Sienna's staff for his own was due to the Relic's presence. The knowledge that it contained would leak out unless properly manipulated by a Sorcerer. The feel of his whole body lighting up with the power that would have shattered worlds was something that anyone would grow intoxicated by... and the others were less grounded in the world than he was. ' _The best way to win the fight is to fight smart... Think, Jaune... You can tap into the Relic's power... With just a little twist..._ ' The image of Her appeared to his mind, yet this time, he did not flinch away from it.

Looking at the glowing blue energy within the lamp, he smiled bitterly. "What sort of wonders will you show me, oh Illuminating Lamp of Knowledge?" His voice was bitter, as the lamp merely glowed softly in the late night street. "Jaune?" Sienna asked with a voice that demanded attention, sharp and cutting in her frustrated tone, his attention going back to the women that he had arrived with. Summer was humming a little tune to herself, as she looked around, daring anyone to come and disturb them. The blood that had coated her body was a good deterrent as well. "We should get you set up with a new weapon." He said, the woman nodding. "Something..." Her eyes went to Kali, then to the staff that he had.

"Something that'll be better for me. A staff is nice... but it doesn't work that well against people who'll be swinging around sharp swords." The frustration in her voice clearly had been because of the fight that she had lost, her staff now useless. _'It will have to be discarded and replaced too... I can't use it as the base of my staff for much... But it should quell the whispers to anyone but me.'_

The woman would need a new weapon, as he would need the new base for a staff. _'The typical model would have sufficed for now...'_ Dark curling spirals of energy were slowly wrapping around the hand that he gripped the staff with, the whispers starting to increase in his mind, the portents that they told him of sometimes too ominous to recollect. _'Within a day, at the least... Anyone would be a FOOL to handle this thing bare-handed. It's not like the Relics were intended to be used by lesser mortals...'_

Jaune's companions were of a different mind. Sienna, weary and tired, leaned against Kali, who was nursing her side. The adrenaline had brought both Faunus to crash down, Esmeralda still in a good shape, as she had been out of the direct combat threat area, having dealt with the headmaster in swift fashion.

Esmeralda's eyes flashed, as her hand held up a small glyph, the glow of it casting a glare over her features, the small figure that stood there to look up at her something that brought some surge of emotion inside her, the smile that appeared on her face something that was like the darkness that came easily.

Jaune was unaware to most of that though, as his thoughts ruminated on the prospects that he had ahead of him. Summer Rose's face was set in that mysterious smile, her eyes trained on his back, her hand thumbing over the hilt of her blade, the eyes looking definitely dangerous to his continued health.

' _The Grimm...'_ The patterns before him appeared to his mind as mere blueprints, the way that they were crafted from the _Vitae Tenebris_ like mere routine production, his own pool of _Vitae Tenebris_ at his disposal... and usable. _'I can beat you, Ozpin... I can beat the Grand Witch as well...'_ The patterns swiftly changed to the form that he wished to create, a smile on his face that was as dangerous as it could be. _'No... This world needs no Grand Wizards or Grand Witches duelling throughout the years with their shadow games...'_

The whispers of Knowledge wrapped around his head unbidden and unwelcome, as he could see the knowledge provide him with the image that he would like to see. His own form, seated upon the throne, the two others cast before him like the rabble that they were. _'_ _ **The world needs only one hero... and that is me.'**_

* * *

 _Red like Rubies (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She could hardly believe that she was getting ready in the morning at this time. Her eyes bright and cheerful as she looked in the mirror, their special silver shine no doubt ready to look upon the glory that was a filling breakfast, she knew that today was going to be awesome! The students from Haven were going to be arriving soon, no matter the little issues that they had with some of their classes.

Yang had been acting strange all week, her eyes never quite leaving her partner, as if she were going away any second without telling. Weiss had also been a little out of sorts, even with her whole body having been soaked in the bathtub for a while. For some reason, Weiss seemed to enjoy the baths, whilst she preferred to have a quick shower! Why spend ages in the bath when a quick rinse and conditioner could bring you up to fit fighting shape! Dad always said that it would be a good fighter who cared for time and speedy execution of everything. Whether that meant in combat or not... Well, he hadn't been sure.

As she rushed through the crowd of waiting people, she became aware of just how busy it was. Professor Goodwitch stood there, looking like she had just been transported there, her cloak rustling slightly in the wind that cooled their day down a little. The summertime seemed to be perfect, even with how the student body seemed to act.

She wasn't sure whether it was her imagination or not, but the students seemed to be almost eager to hear the announcement of the professor. _'It's just some exchange students, right? They'll be fighting, zip, zoom, vavoom! Many nice weapons too... Ooh, I hope one of them has a sniper rifle as well! We can trade tips on dust round use!_ ' The hope in her heart was something that she tried to keep close to her chest, something that she would never be tarnished by the shattered dreams that had once come to pass. _'We WILL be a great team, Jaune.'_

The thought of the young man's fate brought a small surge of negative feelings inside her, the memory of him still present and hurting her. It was such a shame that he had not been able to see Nora and Ren starting to date. His presence in their team had been something that had focused them, Pyrrha's skill in the art of leadership meagre, in comparison to how Jaune had worked with them. Without a pause, he had continued to work with people's strengths, as little as she had seen of his style.

"Students of Beacon, today the students of Haven Academy will be arriving. I trust that you will do your utmost best to represent this institution in the finest manner possible. The Vytal festival should be a time when the nations come together and unite, friendships are forged and smelted in the cooperation that our forebears had fought to protect." The woman's speech seemed to be more of a fit for the Headmaster, who had been conspicuously absent. She spotted Weiss, who looked like something was bothering her.

"Hey Weiss." The heiress perked up, her body freezing up and relaxing again once she saw who it was. _'Why would she be afraid of me? Did I do something wrong?'_ The wan smile upon Weiss' face was enough to clue her in that her BFF was in some serious distress, her eyes twinkling a little. "Weiss, whatever is the matter, we'll conquer it. We're partners! Team RWBY doesn't let partners go without aid!" The professor in front of them on the stage spoke about several more parts, yet that was not as great as the thought of helping out Weiss. Weiss smiled faintly. "It is... It is nothing, Ruby." The heiress ran a hand through her hair, the ponytail in which she kept it threaded through with her hand.

"Okidoki, Weiss!" She said, putting on her brightest smile. She knew that Weiss would be talking about it when the need came to her. It wasn't something that partners would hide from each other. "Do your best. Enjoy the festival." The teacher spoke with a tone that was final, stepping off the stage.

Ruby went for the bathroom then, her hands aching a little suddenly, as if something was about to happen. She opened up the door and she washed her hands quickly, the coolness of the water soothing those fingers, as she exhaled slowly. _'I should be getting to see some of the students of Haven! No doubt they're going to be the coolest of the cool!'_ The excitement filled her again, as she exited the bathroom, her breathing rushed, as she saw the different uniforms. Several girls with an obvious Mistralian look walked past her, looking like they were sightseeing. Their weapons were a set of daggers, some swords and a large staff that seemed to double as a rifle as well, if her eyes caught the scope mounted to it properly. She smiled, skipping a little as she tried to make her way back to Weiss. _'Will she be happy to see some of the people from Atlas as well?'_

She nearly bumped into someone, mint green hair flashing before her face before red eyes met her own, dusky skin visible, the uniform of Haven Academy fitting her properly. "Watch it!" The girl hissed at her, the hostility something that she should have expected. _'You can't bump into people like that! Imagine what dad would say!'_

"Sorry! I was just a bit excited, you see. It's nice to see that you're all here, from Haven. Is that a nice academy?" She rattled off the questions, the green haired girl giving a sigh as she opened her mind. "Ooh, Emmie!" The excited tone of voice of an older girl reached her ears, as the mint green-haired girl's shoulder was suddenly draped with an arm, a copy of the girl leaning against her. Scandalous outfit aside, the girls were obviously sisters, the wide and nearly hyper-active eyes that looked at her, red with the same crimson as her sister. "Emmie, you made a friend! Daddy would be soooooo proud!"

The weapon on the young woman's side she identified as a Kopesh, the hooked blade looking like something that'd be more suited in combat between Huntsmen, the dust that was attached to the hilt showing a fine degree of craftsmanship. "Ooh, is that a Kopesh that has been modified to work with Dust?" The shirt with 'Daddy's little harlot' stretched over the young woman's assets, clearly better endowed than her sister, the dark skin holding a little more colour in the tone, the bra that showed underneath the top being something that she had only seen sneak peeks at in the magazines of her older sister. _'Yang would never wear something like this._ ' The shorts that she wore were definitely something that teased at the mind.

"Why, yes it is!" The girl looked excited, her eyes wide and showing what Ruby thought would be cheer. Her red hair was tamed well, a loose ponytail hanging over a shoulder, the dark skin showing several marks in the neck area, where there had been Grimm claws if she did not miss her guess. "Emmie, this girl is neat! I want her!" The younger sister, addressed as 'Emmie' sighed deeply. "We can't just take people, sis..." She said, the redhead looking back at her. "Ooh, I guess that you can't be taken home... Oh well." She smiled, a disarming and yet not wholly trustworthy smile. _'She doesn't seem THAT bad.'_

"Soooo... What's your name, Red?" The tone of interest that the young woman had in her was wholly something that she had heard before. "Ruby Rose!" She said cheerfully, figuring that she'd do right to the spirit. The red-haired sister's eyes went wide. "You too? Oh gosh, Emmie! Another Ruby!"

She was confused. _'Do they know another Ruby? No doubt she'll be some lame-o with some weird weapon that won't even change into a doomgun with three dust chambers or something...'_ The redhead smiled broadly at her. Perhaps a bit too broadly. She looked a little creepy, to Ruby's own internal creepy sensor.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ruby. This is my little sis, Emmie... Oh and I guess you can call me Ruby too! Ruby Beo- no, wait that isn't right... Ruby Sustrai, at your service! Let's become besties! I never had girlfriends when I was growing up!"

Ruby smiled at the excitable young woman. As long as you could smile so happily, what harm was there in becoming friends, right? "I'm sure we'll become best of friends, Ruby!"

* * *

 **Well... That's a large chapter. It took me 2 weeks to write, so I guess hereby a bit of a formal apology for it taking a bit longer than the weekly update but some plot holes, as people would call them, have been plugged. More have been created, as people undoubtedly will tell me.**

 **For a short summary of what happened in this chapter– Jaune and company make a war plan, Cardin and Velvet have a date and a formal girlfriend-boyfriend moment, meet with Velvet's aunt. The Battle of Haven (Also known as Summer's Revenge or 'Watts and the Ampere's'.) The claiming of the Relic of Knowledge. Salem and Ozpin getting the magical equivalent of a short-circuiting. Jaune affixing the Relic to Sienna's staff and them going to the weaponsmith to get Sienna a replacement weapon... Well, planning to.**

 **Oh, and that IS Ruby Beornir. She survived. To people who actually got the small clues that she is Emerald's elder sister... Congratulations. To those people who seem to go all 'But the plotholes!'... Well, politely go and walk into a vat of beer and become a brew. There are plot holes in it because the story isn't fully told yet. I keep telling you all that it will be explained eventually, which it will. The Arc Family has their Arc up next. We're just in Volume II in the canon universe now. Team RWBY hasn't had the food fight. Neptune and Sun have met up, yet haven't met with team RWBY yet. I'm going by the assumption that volumes generally last around a semester, which is around 3 months of time. So, it's around 3 months since the year started and about... 2 months-ish since Jaune died. Cardin blames himself heavily still, yet Velvet works well to dissuade him from that path.**

 **Did many people foresee him taking the Relic? It was one of the first scenes that came to my mind when I started writing the story. Circumstances would have been different, had he not struck a bargain with Summer.**

 **Now... You better enjoy the next chapter. It's going to deal with the wrap-up of the Mistral and Haven Arc.**

 **Arc 1: Rise of the Warlock – Completed.(Wittier title in progress.)  
Arc 2: Raiders of the Last Arc – Start.**

 **Out of all the ladies thus far seen, only Whitney Schnee currently leads in the most 'Affection Points' for Jaune. If he asked, she'd strip and ride him like an escaped stallion on a rodeo. I guess we can call this ship – 'Ice-Queen and Knight'? 'White Witch and Blonde Bitch'? – but... it isn't the main focus of things. It's HER feelings for HIM.**

 **I'm also debating just putting short character summaries up at the end of each chapter. Stats like 'age, skills, personality' and the like. Just a bit more information on some of the characters, for your enjoyment.**

 **So... This is Volume I of 'A Grimm Tale'. I hope to see you for Volume II!**

 **Please leave a review if you've enjoyed reading this!**


	23. Volume II:Paranoia

**Chapter 23:Paranoia**

 **People apparently liked the finale to the first Volume. I expect the harsh criticism about 'omg Cardin never gets his comeuppance' because it is what people seem to be most passionate about. You don't know the FULL story yet. I've got things planned for the Vale Arc… but first, the Arc Arc.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _A choice (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As he stood before the weaponsmith's door with his mood ready, the glow of the Relic casting a baleful shadow on his face, he let himself exhale slowly. It was not the time for any grandstanding gestures. It was the time to get Sienna once more something that would be suitable as a weapon. "I told you…" Kali said in the background, her voice amused as Sienna seemed to bristle. "But..."

The discussion he hadn't followed, his eyes looking at the door as it creaked open, the sleepy look on the daughter's face coming to clarity as she saw them, her eyes glancing at their features for a moment, noticing the blood that covered some of them, the glow of the Relic casting a dark shadow over his face. "You've... had issues?" She said diplomatically, Jaune's face twisting into what would be a smile if his eyes were capable of that as well. _'To take the public is to appear benign. Nobody would think that a man who cares for the good of the world, would be wicked.'_

"One of my associates had her weapon broken and we hope that your father would be willing to do some custom work for us again." The woman nodded, her eyes meeting with his own. _'Fearful, unsure. Not knowing what I would bring with me.'_ The whispers of the Relic were but a muted tune to his ears, a constant buzzing that brought with it only the feeling of loss. Knowledge seared itself into his mind, consciousness expanding slowly to encompass the new data. "I will go and wake father." The woman could do nothing but comply, the weapons that they had with them still a threat. _'There is no telling whether we would have attacked or not.'_ The woman was just playing it safe, knowing that there was little but some lost sleep for her father.

"The little pussy's staff weapon broke down, didn't it?" The voice of Junichi came from the depths of the house, the man appearing in a white linen nightshirt and pants, his eyes falling onto the staff that Jaune had so crudely fashioned. The staff hummed slightly, as the knowledge within seemed to threaten to burst out, the eyes that the man had looking cautiously at him, as he recognized something odd about the staff. "Would you happen to have a length of wood available? The hardest that you have."

The man's eyes were riveted to the Relic, a hand reaching out to touch it. The whispers of Knowledge increased as the finger touched it, flowing into the man's body. Eyes went wide as the man moved back quicker than Jaune thought he could have, his eyes looking at the Relic. "The ancient forging techniques..." The man muttered, his eyes riveted to the sight of the Relic. "That thing is dangerous, my friend."

A sad smile came to his lips as he knew that much. _'It would be something that would only be tempered by the hand of the divine._ "It's function is to illuminate others." He said, clearly and surely, his eyes holding a pity for the man, who would not be able to unlock the full potential of his craft. The Relic told him as much whilst the man held it. _'_ _ **An artisan of great skill, yet not able to reach the pinnacle of his craft.'**_

"It does so well... Will that be requiring the wood?" The man switched to business, his eyes warily looking at the Relic, a slow sigh coming from his mouth as he turned to his forge, looking at it with new dedication shining in his eyes. "I intend to craft a staff from the wood, yes." The techniques on woodcrafting and staff-making were something that She had memorized, yet the Relic of Knowledge provided more of a guideline on how to do so. The base of the lamp was able to fit onto the staff with a bit of melding done with the essences.

The smith looked at the lamp, his eyes not hiding the fear that he felt from the ancient artefact, his mouth dry, his eyes looking harrowed at the sight of the lamp there. The man's eyes did not shift much from their target, as his eyes went back to Sienna. "What weapon did you use before the staff?"

The Faunus woman blinked once. "What weapon?" She inquired, the weaponsmith nodding. "Staff weapons are good for bodyguarding jobs. With proper reinforcement, they can stop a Huntsman's blade, yet they're not great for offence. What weapon did you use beforehand?" Jaune could feel Sienna's mind be clouded with a haze of darkness, as memories inside her surged. _**'A terrible past, Young Creation. Know that she struggles with it day to day...'**_ The whispers of the lantern were like a guidance, as it Knew.

"A standard Dust Chain Whip with Flame Dust." The answer seemed to be normal in comparison to her regular answers, her eyes glinting with emotions, the orange shimmering. _'_ _ **A past she tries to keep under control by her own rage and frustration at how her species are treated... A single press towards your way of thinking will push her further into your services, Young Creation.'**_

He could see it already, the collar of servitude around her neck like an adornment, her eyes burning with the zeal of a woman who would only be able to fight for his cause. _'An acolyte, worthy of some of the powers that I have now...'_

"I'll get to work on something a bit more suited..." Junichi said, as he looked at their weapons. "How'd they perform?" He asked, a grin on his face. Jaune had no complaints about his own weapon, the greatsword something that could easily cleave through a Grimm without effort, the personal combat stances that he used something that he had gleaned from Her thoughts and memories. _**'With this, you will know.'**_ The voice of the Relic, as much as it could be a voice, whispered into his mind.

Forms and styles danced through his mind. Arcane sorceries wrapped around the blade, burning with a flame that had been ignited by the Aura, the Dust within the blade to coax forth an explosion, the blood inside the air only as an accompaniment to his own. _'_ _ **With your permission, Young Creation...'**_ The Relic already seemed to anticipate his own whim, yet he found himself hesitating. _'If this Relic holds knowledge... would I be doing the same as She has when allowing it to be shared?'_

There was only silence in his mind as he looked at the weaponsmith. "They performed admirably. One veteran huntsman and an associate of theirs, dealt with."The weaponsmith nodded. "We'll hear in the news tomorrow, then." The man said, voice sounding more factual. Kali cleared her throat. "I didn't quite know how to wield the Kris..." She admitted, the Katar that sat at her side something that had seen use. The edge was coated in some dark stains. _'She could benefit from a little knowledge. Compared to Summer, Kali is one of the only members of my little gathering that has no experience with fighting.'_

The weaponsmith looked at the Faunus woman, thinking on some of the things that he could say to her. Jaune had the impression that he was figuring for a way out of things, without hurting the woman's confidence or pride. He felt a little helpless, as he saw the look on her face. "I can't do much for that. I know how to forge weapons, not how to wield them in any good capacity. Plus, I ain't a woman. Can't work with a woman's physique. Weapons aren't gendered. Styles of fighting, are."

He could feel how the pressure seemed to come on Kali's shoulders, her eyes turning a golden shade that was darker. His hand reached out and touched her on the shoulder, jolting her to awareness. "I'll get you up to speed on how to use your weapons." He said, trying to put a flash of hope inside the woman. Her golden eyes met his and there was gratitude in them, a dazzling smile erupting from the shadows that her face had been clouded by. His eyes broke contact with hers, as the Relic whispered to his ear once more. _**'Statistical chance of acceptance of servitude: 42%. Realistic chance of acceptance of offer: 53% depending on emotional circumstances.'**_ The knowledge was something that he could have done without, his head throbbing with pain as he tried to regulate the information from both the Relic as well as Her memories, his eyes closing, Kali shuddering below him. "It's like..."

Her voice sounded a little deeper, her body quivering below his touch, his eyes not opening yet feeling the burning brush of that hand clearly, as she seemed to find herself in such a position that she was exposed. _'A little push...'_ The Knowledge flowed from the staff through his hand, right into her. He could hear her take a deep breath as she seemed to CLICK with him, the _vitae tenebris_ inside her singing his praise as the dark ichors worked around the knowledge that had been given. A complete fighting style that would suit her body and weapons perfectly.

"Jaune..." Her voice was breathless and husky, sensual in a manner that would be hard to describe. His eyes opened, to meet with hers, a fluttering of a kiss pressed against his cheek. "Thank you."Her voice whispered in his ear as she pushed herself away, her hands pulling the Kris out from its sheath, looking at the weapon with eyes that seemed to hold the intelligence of a woman who knew how to use them and when to use them. _**'One boon bestowed to one whose mind was clouded. Knowledge has been passed on.'**_

A flip of the blade, the hand catching it in a flash, without even seeming to blink. A stab, jab and then a slice, woven through the pattern immediately. _'She would just need to build up some muscle first before she'd be going out into the world.'_

With Summer's training, his own muscles had been increasing slowly. Nothing that would immediately make him hulk out or something, but a gradual build-up of stamina and skills to use the weapon that he had been training with. Summer was a good teacher, in most respects.

"There are a few staves of wood that you can use." The man said, motioning to the back room, as they moved into the forging area, the daughter having disappeared out of sight. "A standard model chain, yes?" Sienna nodded, Jaune no longer busying himself with such trifles. He knew that he would have to do something to make a staff worthy of the Relic of Knowledge, as well as silencing the whispers of it until he intended to let others know them. _**'Performance without the guidance of Knowledge is diminished by 45%. Young Creation, do not think you are wise enough to be bereft of the guidance of Knowledge.'**_ The words of the Relic were mere buzzing in his ear, as he tried to find the right method in order to get his own powers under control. _'Did She have the same difficulties as I did?'_

" _ **You are to become the focus through which I can channel my powers."**_ He addressed the Relic, as his eyes went over the staves that had been laid up together. _**'Optimal power output is diminished by seventeen point one per cent. Difficulties in managing overflow expected.'**_ The Relic proved obstinate, as he looked at the wood that was on display. _**"What wood would suit you?"**_ The question posed before the Relic immediately received a response. _**'Obsidius Ferrofloras Maximus.'**_

He looked at the wooden staves that laid there against the wall, feeling a surge of knowledge about the different kinds of wood flood into his mind. He could see the wood that had been indicated lay to the side, the stave of wood at the side of the products which could be hardly used. _**'I will reinforce the wood with my essence, Young Creation. It is frail, yet it is able to channel your will supremely. The Grand Wizard of Arcadia has left instructions to furnish a staff of his design as well. Would you wish me to show you his design?'**_

The designing of a staff was something private to most wizards, with the sorcerous knowledge that went into the creation often being regarded as private property by many of the wizards who had once been in Arcadia. _**"Is the design of the Grand Witch also available?"**_ He inquired, trying to get the knowledge from the Relic. The long staff appeared to his mind, the clutching talons around the orb that channelled force for the Witch to use stylized in the manner of a bird's talons.

Both designs appeared before his mind's eyes, the stylish and gear-like manner of the man's staff, which could be collapsed into a cane form that would make it less conspicuous being something that Jaune would not mind too much, although it would draw more attention to him if he had to deploy it. The essence of time curled around the design, the focus of manipulation glistening upon the head.

The design of the Grand Witch's utilized the fear effect of power, the designs fitting in the Relic without a fault. Ozpin's would be compact, Hers would be grandiose and willing to cause dread wherever she went. _'And then someone steals it...'_ He had been fraught with such perils before, the Beornir and Raven's tribe having taken all that he had owned. The thought of having the Relic fall into the hands of some tribe of stealing bandits was not a thought that he would wish to have. _**'Locking design, Grand Witch. Locking design, Grand Wizard. Merging.'**_ The two designs moulded together, a long staff that could switch into something a little more compact, akin to a wand that would be wielded by those lesser magi who aspired to hold their little magical contests upon the Grand Athenaeum.

' _This is not how a staff should look…'_ His thoughts were clear on that. _**"The design of the Grand Witch will suit my needs. Alter it, according to my wishes."**_ The relic did nothing but comply with his wishes, its workings without any fault as the wood changed. His Aura flared up, touching the wood. The wood grew bigger, splitting on the top part, as his hand grabbed the wood. His Aura suffused the wood, the wood changing swiftly to fit his needs. A small jerk of his hand and the Relic came off the staff that he'd used to transport it, the wood remaining intact for a small instant before it crumbled into dust, the metal attachments corroding away into slimy rust-brown sludge.

The tips of wood wrapped around the Relic, the ring slowly slipping from the head, sliding over the staff's wooden length to form the base, a singular golden band that held the ancient runic name for 'Knowledge' upon it, the glow of the Relic dimming slightly. Power fused with the staff as he slowly exhaled, his whole breadth of knowledge suddenly exhausted with the change of power that he felt, yet…

' _I can feel how my power has grown.'_ The memories of Arthur Watts were still floating somewhere in his consciousness as a loose shard of knowledge, whilst the staff's head was wrapped by the wood, shaping itself into draconic claw to wrap around it's blue glass container. _'The type thirteen Wyvern… A good omen of destruction.'_ The thought of adding his own touch to it was a good one, the Relic fitting without any issue upon the stave of wood, the slow exhale something that seemed to let the burden be removed from his shoulders, as the pain was a mere fragment of what he felt.

"Are you…" He could hear Esmeralda speak, feeling no other presence in his mind. Summer was leaning against one of the walls, her eyes looking at him with a gaze that held within it the thoughts of a woman whose knowledge of things of murder and death was nigh-complete. "Are you alright, Jaune?" Esmeralda's voice sounded concerned, a heightened level of stress detected within the range of her voice, the stress hormones visible in her demeanour, her eyes meeting his own with an implicit trust in them. "Yes… I guess I am." He said, as he tried to ward off thoughts of being unsuitable for the tasks at his own disposal, the whole breadth of his powers not as grandiose as Hers and the Grand Wizard's had been. "That looks like a fine staff…"

He smiled, the glow of the Relic in tune to his heartbeat now, the connection forged, as long as he held the staff. _**"Ensure that I hold sole dominion over the powers within you."**_ The command was given, the Relic responding immediately. _**'As long as I can manage it thus, Young Creation, you shall hold dominion over Knowledge.'**_

That brought a brief surge of relief to his mind, as that meant that he would not have his staff stolen from him so quickly. _'All those who know how to unbind a Relic from the one who wields it, are either dead or at war with one another... There is no telling what the after-effect of the taking of a Relic would be... I know that I have been inside Her body for one brief moment when the power of the Relic was at its peak... But do I really have the strength to keep wielding it with such efficiency?'_ Doubt was one of the first emotions that he could feel.

"Jaune?" Esmeralda's voice was closer to his ear than he would like, the smaller woman standing close to him. He could see the valley of her cleavage clearly, as her eyes met with his own, the smile on her lips something that seemed to be brittle and frail. "You're not going to abandon us, are you?" She whispered to him, even as the weaponsmith in the background seemed to be getting himself busy with preparing some of the materials. "Of course not." He said, though in his mind, he had already accounted for that possibility. _'We are murderers now... We killed two people in cold blood because they impeded our path...'_ They were guilty of treason to humanity both, but it was still murder.

A hero should not murder in order to achieve his goals... but it would not be a good fate for him if he allowed himself to be slain by some wicked person whilst defending the righteous people. He realized that Esmeralda had wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. She squeezed him none too gently, her head brushing against his chest slowly. "I fear sometimes." She said, her mind oddly clear, the emotions that he usually felt brewing inside her muted, as she looked up at him.

The sight would look oddly touching from an outward perspective, his eyes meeting with her own as she seemed to be absorbed by the look in his eyes. "I fear that you'll leave us." The thought was not strange, as she had been one of the first people who had needed his help, who had depended on him. _'A princess who needs saving.'_ She would be around his eldest sister's age, he reckoned. Her eyes were a cool blue colour as they looked at her, shifting to purple slowly as the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her swelled up, corrupting and corroding whatever it felt inside her. The look in her eyes was fierce and without mercy as she let her gaze sink into his own, her mouth opened slowly, as if she wanted to say something more, only the fragments of pain visible in her eyes letting her look even more sympathetic, her whole appearance something that seemed to evoke sympathy from him.

"I don't want you to leave us, to leave me." Her words were honest and genuine, Kali coughing a little as she entered their direct surrounding. Kali's eyes were like twin golden orbs in the shadows, as she looked at the two of them. "I don't want you to leave us either. We've been out on our own now..." A shudder went through her body, as a deep dark cloud of depression worked its way through her body like a poison once more. "And my husband... He wouldn't have wanted me to be alone." She glanced at Sienna, who was still standing at the weaponsmith's side, offering suggestions on how to customize the weapon with her own style.

Jaune got the impression that it was only for the sake of him that Kali had spoken up, Esmeralda looking between him and her friend, her eyes pleading. "You'd stay with me?" She murmured softly, Kali smiling a little. "Can't let my favourite human girlfriend go out into the world with some dashing young man alone, right?" She said, the pulse of the _Vitae Tenebris_ rougher, as it seemed to wish to burst out of Kali. The corrupting effect of it would no doubt have been felt by the two women without a doubt over the course of their time with him, their bodies inured to the effects slowly, with her body not having had any serious contact with his own to replenish her stock of the _Vitae Tenebris_. _'Could they create Grimm as well? The Vitae is within them as well...'_ The thought bothered him. If there were others who could duplicate what he could, then why would She not do something like that? Field commanders, able to conjure up a horde of Grimm to assault a bastion of humanity...

"Hey... I got dibs on him." Esmeralda said, her smile brittle and her eyes holding within their depths a deep darkness, as she met her friend's gaze. He thought that he could see sparks between the two of them, Kali's golden eyes glowing faintly before the woman laughed. "You've got dibs on him." She said whilst laughing, shaking her head. "But if there's a spot, I'll take it as your chaperone."

The Faunus woman looked back at Sienna. "Sienna's been without a boyfriend for nearly six years, if I know her right." Jaune tried to imagine Sienna looking kindly at someone and holding hands with them, only to fail at the thought. The ball of anger and wrath was someone who did not seem to find any solace in the thought of spending time with people, her whole body breathing her own defiance to the set rules. "She's been taking care of you, anyways." Kali turned a little red in the face at Esmeralda's comment, Jaune's incomprehension of the words something that made him wonder why the woman flushed. The whispers of the Relic tried to reach his ears, yet he stuffed them back, the explanation that would come from its depths no doubt peppered with a lot more brain processing power than he'd have available at the time being.

' _Being a Grand Warlock is something that's not bound by the current standards that I know... I'll have to try my powers out first before I commit anything to mind about my next plans.'_ The gentle brush of Esmeralda's fingers over his chest was something that distracted him, his whole body lit up with the sensation of her fingers tracing over his chest. _'Would I be willing to make this woman my Acolyte?'_

Esmeralda's eyes were pleading, even as Kali spoke on the background. "That was only because of the biological need." The words were not very sensible to his mind, his eyes meeting with Kali's in inquiry, as Esmeralda's hand dipped a little lower. **"I'll give you everything that you want and more."** The thick desire showed through in her voice as her eyes seemed to sparkle and shine to his own gaze, feeling how the connection between the two of them was forged solidly and without any faults. His whole body burnt with the sensations that it evoked, the cataclysmic forces that he could control with just a moment of loosening the binds of sanity. **"Anything you desire... Anything that I desire..."**

For a moment, Esmeralda was no longer Esmeralda. His mind immediately placed the two of them in the grand hall before the throne room, the dress that held her body contained, dark chocolate-coloured hair falling back in one of the styles favoured by the court, the whole breadth of her smile radiant and warm, as she languished in his embrace. **"Don't think that this is forbidden, my darling."** His voice spoke, the tone somewhat deeper than the voice that She had, the radiance in her eyes something that had only been there before, the dye in her hair not fully covering it. The roots were still her original colour, as her skin glowed. **"But Ozzie..."** She replied before her lips pressed to his own. **"It's not right... We should..."** His hand dove below the hem of her dress, the fragile whimper that came from her lips something that he had heard before during those hazy memories.

The owner of these memories could feel the warmth, as a vindication of his ideals was once more realized. **"We should enjoy this, my darling. When we activate the array and burn through the barriers..."** The plan was right. She would be the single step through which he would achieve his goals. **"If you say so..."** The Relics were the key. They were but the people putting them in the lock and turning.

His mouth pressed against hers, as his hand gently threaded through her hair, the intimate moment not witnessed by any living soul save the two of them. The 'Grand Witch and Wizard had to convene together to discuss important matters' excuse always managed to keep the plebeians out of the loop of the true nature of things. **"You know how to control them, do you not? I have taught you well..."** The efforts through which he had trained her in the arts of control, to ensure that Arcadia would be known throughout the world, was enough. That she warmed his bed at nights when the stars were out and the divinations had to be done... was none of other people's business.

" **O-Of course. I trust you."** The smile on his face was nothing if not the warmest that he could muster. _'Who needs trust, when you could have ultimate power in the world? You are but a girl who knows nothing about the Relics...'_ The power within his body had been wrapped and repackaged nearly seven times now. Ever since the last King of Eardyn had passed, he had been able to transfuse his essence to another willing body. **"Then do as I say."** His fingers scraped and she stifled a soft moan, her eyes tearing up. _'Such a beauty that will end up being tarnished... Yet the Relics have all been gathered together..._ '

He snapped back to awareness, his eyes looking down at Esmeralda to find that his hand was half-way down from her upper body to her hip, the question in her eyes something that he did not quite get. "I was lost in thought." Kali smirked softly, as she put her hand on her hip, the tightness of her outfit giving her curves some additional volume. "I'd imagine that your thoughts were very natural for a young man." Her eyes sparkled with amusement, as she came closer, her arm wrapping around Esmeralda's shoulder, her assets pressing against him. "How about we complete the set, hmmm? A human and a Faunus lover..."She was obviously teasing, Esmeralda's cheeks heating up a little. "Kali! We can't just do that out of the blue."

"Of course not." Her voice was lighter, as she looked at him with a strict look. "You'll be a good boy and keep your hands to yourself, right?" The motherly comment was enough to snap him back to his full awareness, his gaze going over to Summer suddenly, feeling an oddness from her, unexplainable by any sort of logical reason.

Summer Rose was looking at him with her silver eyes focused clearly on him, her finger running along the edge of her blade. Dead serious those eyes were, as she looked at him with a gaze that was that of a veteran huntress, ready to pull her blades out and go to work, regardless of her personal feelings. _'Like a Slayer who knows that their task is about to start.'_ The blood on her blades had long since dried up, her eyes never really stopping their vigilant gaze on him, the silver flash that she gave every once in a while merely a muted irritation, something that seemed to be merely an afterthought for her, her whole body moving without a problem into the state that showed clearly her own willingness to fight.

"You will keep your hands to yourself, right?" Kali repeated herself, his attention turning back to her. Kali followed his gaze to Summer, who seemed to have her gaze resting on Kali's features again, the Faunus woman giving a small shock, her eyes cast down for a moment with a difficult expression appearing on her face. _'Was she affected by the Slayer's Eyes as well?'_ He wondered, as he cleared his throat. "I'll be perfectly behaved." He said, Kali's little smile enough to make him feel a little safer, less of a threatening cause. Esmeralda's face was troubled though, the mingling of emotions warring with her desire for something. "I've got to talk to you all about something." He looked between Sienna and Summer.

"It's about what we did today... Well, tonight." Esmeralda nodded. "We've got time for that. Sienna needs her weapon." The words were casual, yet it showed the familiarity with the Faunus woman that he did not think that Esmeralda had. Kali smiled motherly at him once more. "Of course. We need to have something to eat too. I'm famished. How about we go to get something nice for a snack?" The suggestion had merit.

Perhaps this would be right. He felt it would be right to tell them about what they had just done... Even if they did not fully agree with him about his reasons why.

* * *

Emotional _exhaustion (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

As she sank into the comfortable couch in their rented room at the hotel, she allowed herself a moment of reflection. She knew that what she had done was against the laws that had been imposed by the human oppressors, that she had denied them the face of mercy, to let them never taste the thrill of conquering the woman known as Sienna Khan. She lazily looked over to Kali, who was in the process of stripping off her outfit, the skintight suit that she wore clinging to her body, the sigh of relief that the woman gave something that was audible to her.

In the bathroom she could hear Jaune mumble something about a lack of toothpaste, grinning to herself at the thought of that being one of his greater issues, the events that had transpired earlier during the evening still bouncing through her head.

' _What had that Vault been? Jaune seemed to have known what it was, thought about how to obtain that... that lamp.'_ The lamp that'd been forged into the head of the staff stood against one of the walls. Her eyes looked at the lamp for the longest of whiles, the glow within seemingly something that she could hardly resist, getting up and walking towards it. Her feet felt the carpet below press against her bare feet, her eyes looking at the glow from within the lamp's depths. "I wouldn't do that if I was you." Kali's voice close to her ear nearly made her jump, her heartbeat suddenly racing, her eyes meeting her friend and confidant's eyes. The gold burned with an intensity that she had rarely seen from the woman.

"Touching his staff..." Kali's voice sounded wistful, as her eyes looked at the lamp's glow, small smoky curls around the surface giving it a mystical look. "That is not done." The words were final and sure, Kali's gaze returning to her, the full force of a primal fear hitting her, her heartbeat picking up without a fault, her eyes looking with horror in them as Kali stood in front of her suddenly, the shadows wrapped around her. "Na-ah, little Sienna." The shadow-wrapped Kali said, pushing her back. "There is no touching of the master's staff..." A chuckle behind her was the only sound she heard as she turned around and saw another Kali, sans shadows clinging to her, her eyes meeting with hers. "You should be careful." The worry in her voice was real. "Kali?" Sienna asked, her voice sounding like it was on the verge of being overwhelmed, the difference between the two Kali's not easily found save for the shadows.

"Yes, dear?" came from two mouths, two responses that were identical in tone. "Which one of you is the real one?" Whatever shadow craft Kali knew, it definitely did not settle well with Sienna. The knowledge that this was just something that Kali could do was already a shocking thing. "I'm the real one. Shadow over there... Well, she's a part of my Semblance, you could say." The shadowy version smiled cattily at her. "Always a party, all the time." She winked, letting Sienna feel another shiver down her spine, not in the manner of a numbing fear but rather in the manner of fear that seemed to have wrapped around her whole body, making her feel unsteady and unable to do anything about it.

' _Has she gone mad?'_ It wasn't a thought that was unusual for her to assume, the death of another Faunus by the hands of them no doubt weighing heavily on the mind of the wife of the leader of the pacifistic White Fang, Sienna's eyes meeting Kali's, the smile on her face not fading, as Kali ran a hand through her hair, a slow exhale following, with her eyes finally dropping that gaze. _'What was that?'_ Fear shot through her again as a set of hands grabbed her from behind. "Don't think that I won't be watching..." The shadow version of Kali whispered in her ear, too low to be overheard. "Don't ruin what happiness she has left, Sienna Khan... Our sanctity is paramount over yours." The shadow Kali dissipated after a moment, Kali's face turning a shade paler than before. "Alright..."

The Faunus woman made her way over to the bathroom, Sienna's sharp ears still picking out the sound of Jaune being busy with getting himself orderly. "Jaune?" Kali's voice was soft, as her knuckles rapped on the door. "Yeah?" He responded, his voice sounding distracted. "I would like to take a shower." The door opened up after a moment, revealing a shirtless Jaune, his arm gone, only a stump remaining, the pulsating darkness around the stump making her head hurt and her anger rise up once more. _'How dare he take out that corrupting influence here! It's turned everything mad!'_

His eyes, she noticed, did not look at Kali beyond a brief glimpse, the Faunus woman getting into the bathroom without another word, her steps carrying her there with no incident, her eyes lingering on his back for a moment. Sienna could see the scars stand out against the pale skin, the sight of **R U B Y** carved into his flesh inspiring a brief shudder from her. He sat down on the bed, letting out a long sigh. His hands rubbed over his feet and his knees, his eyes looking at nothing, as he seemed lost in thought.

"So... What's the plan?" She asked, her usual eloquence gone, as she heard the shower start up, the gurgle of water rushing through the pipes as an accompaniment to that music of cleanliness. "He will tell us his plan when we need to know it." Esmeralda-, no, the SCHNEE who spoke up, was currently seated on one of the beds, her fingers busy with running the brush through the barrel of her rifle, cleaning Dust residue out of the barrel without any incident. _'How could a Schnee get some advantage out of this situation? I should have just killed her when I had the chance... She's evil, I just know it! Delighting to see the death of the Faunus, to see me branded and maimed and hurt!'_ Anger rose inside her again, her eyes meeting the Schnee's. Her own orange met with the cold blue of the Schnee's eyes, her mouth set in a grim manner, clearly seeing the game that the Schnee was playing. _'If it's all about power...'_ Her gaze went to the blonde, as she could see that searching look in his eyes, as his thoughts seemed miles away.

' _He should have power... A lot of it, if he's able to control the Grimm...'_ The lamp caught her eyes, then she glanced at him. In tune to his breathing, the lamp shimmered within the confines of that staff's grip, the light subtle, yet true. _'Attuning something that holds much power... Something that even Kali knows has power...'_ The look on the Schnee's face was enough for her to realize that there was more than mere desire in the woman's eyes.

' _A desire for protection. A strong man to stand before you and take care of whatever monsters come at you... I see your game now, Whitney Schnee.'_ The look on the Schnee's face was dreamy, her lips half-way parted, her tongue sliding over those lips slowly, as her gaze was riveted to the sight of the young man before her, mechanical motions of her hands polishing the barrel's interior with the brush continuing, as her gaze remained on the man.

' _If I have to...'_ The thought was distasteful to her regular tastes, yet the power... The power that he held. _'Have the Faunus ever had a champion with so much strength? The Grimm... an army that is inexhaustible with his will guiding them...'_ Her mind conjured up an image of screaming humans as the Grimm horde came towards them, surging and burning with the call of his will. Such power...

' _If I can subvert him for my own use...'_ Her gaze went down to her arguably humble chest, her breasts never having developed into something worthy of real interest from the men, the muscles that she had on her body allowing her more of a lean frame that was built for speed and agility. _'Kali's breasts are larger than mine...'_ The woman was a mother, after all... She'd had a child already.

' _If I allow the Schnee to get this young man as her protector... The Faunus will never rise from their position.'_ Sacrifices had to be made, even as she got up, leaving Jaune with a mere dismissive look, as she went to join Kali in the bathroom. Shedding her clothing, she allowed herself a brief moment of exhilaration as the hot steam washed over her body, the feeling of cool air being replaced with steamy heat something that made joy surge inside her, her glimpse of Kali through the frosted glass of the shower cabin enough. "I'm joining in." She said, as she got under the hot shower with her friend. The woman's hand was busy sponging herself, the soapy suds slowly dripping off her body.

A smile was on her face, one that hid treacherous depths that she would not only dare plumb, but would excavate, if it were allowed. "You've got questions." She heard Kali say, as the woman's hand brushed the sponge over her back. The shudder that she gave was involuntary, without warning, as those golden eyes peered into hers. _'Like an inquisitor asking the questions.'_ "Yes." She said, her voice soft and muted, feeling like a cub with its mother. Kali's smile was warm and motherly, enough to strike that small hidden side of her that yearned for the comfort of a mother, of a person who would not judge her.

"I don't..." She started, yet Kali's finger placed itself on her lips. "You don't understand why White is here, do you?" She nodded, despite herself. Kali's eyes sparkled with mirth, as she leaned closer. "Every little moment that I see you, I can feel your rage and confusion, Kali. You fear for her safety, because you know little of what she would do to you."

Admitting that to Kali would be hard, but Kali seemed not to bother with her thoughts, as her finger tapped against her lips. "You would think that she would merely be stepping upon the plate to take your place, right? A friend of mine, who would be taking away all of my time and energy." The small stab inside her was painful, because Kali spoke the truth, her eyes looking up to the woman. She felt like a new recruit once again, her breathing shuddering and cold, her eyes about to tear up. _'Do I really feel like my friend is being stolen away? Am I... Am I jealous?'_

The thought was anathema to her usually, yet her eyes watched Kali carefully, the woman's eyes meeting her own with that solid and steady manner, without the judgment that would regularly be lavished upon her. Sienna Khan, the indefatigable leader of the White Fang, the woman who would guard the Faunus with her life if it needed to be done...

"It's alright, Sienna..." She heard Kali say, as arms wrapped around her. She didn't know why, but her cheeks felt hotter than before, as the liquid came from her eyes. It just wasn't FAIR that she would have her friend taken away by a Schnee! It wasn't FAIR at all! "Kali, I..." She paused, as Kali shushed her gently. "Sienna... You don't have to explain yourself. I've known you for over a decade." Her eyes were comforting, not at all causing fear inside her heart to leap out. Concern and understanding mixed together in those, as Sienna hugged her friend once more. "I don't want to lose you. You're the only friend I have... and don't want to lose you to the Schnee." Kali's voice was motherly and soft, as her hands brushed through her hair. She felt like a child with her mother, comfortable and warm. Kali was just a little bit shorter than her, yet it felt like she was a giant, able to take care of her like a mother would. The feeling was something that she could scarcely describe, the need to care something that brought only more strife to her heart, with that feeling something that was akin to treachery and fear. _'Am I really so far sunken in my own business that I have let jealousy lead me?'_

It was an unwelcome thought that plagued her, as her eyes met with her friend's, Kali's mouth pressing softly to her cheek in a kiss that was affectionate. "Don't you think that it's time to let go of those grudges, Sienna?" Her voice was soft, as the hands stroked over her back. "Come on, Sienna..." The voice of Kali grew hotter in her ear, as she was hugged from behind by the copy of Kali, a feeling of breasts hitting her back and arms that were like the ones currently wrapped around her felt.

"Accept us... We are Kali Belladonna, your friend." The shadow Kali whispered in her ear, the shudder of her mind trying to wrap around the thought of being kind to the Schnee, with her undoubtedly wicked plans for world domination. She could already see it, the whole world kneeling before the frozen throne, Whitney Schnee's face looking down at the oppressed Faunus with herself dressed like a favoured pet. _'As if I would do-'_

The tongue that invaded her mouth froze her thoughts, as her eyes focused clearly, meeting Kali's own, as the woman's lips pressed against her own, a shudder going through her whole body at the thought of kissing another woman. A tingle made its way through her body, going down from her heart, right to her groin and then back up again. "Accept us for how we are..." The shadow of Kali whispered in her ear, as Kali's mouth pressed against her own. Something that tasted foul and yet strangely addicting, pushed its way into her mouth, the swallow she made pulling it down into her stomach. A whimper came from her lips, as she could feel something go into her inner self, spreading like a cloud of ink in a clear swimming pool. _'Ah... Ahh?'_

PAIN flared inside her then, as her whole body was lit on fire. The sound of a door opening up was just a little moment of distraction, as she was suddenly torn from the grip of the two Kali's, her body feeling cold air rush through it, a set of mismatched eyes looking into hers as she looked up at him. "What did you do?!" Jaune hissed, looking at her, his hand pulling open her mouth, which she allowed.

' _I should be feeling angry, but instead...'_ The pain continued to rush through her veins like fire spread through dry underbrush, the pain burning like a hellish fire where it passed through. His mouth pressed against her own and the fire stopped, receding slowly, as she heard the footsteps in the slickened tiles, the water from the shower loud to her ears. His mouth pulled away, yet the anger inside her suddenly flared, her eyes flashing hotly. _'How does he DARE kiss me? Doesn't he know who I am? I am Sienna Khan, you little skinny human motherfucker!'_

She headbutted him, the curse that came from his lips something in a language that she didn't quite understand the tone of, feelings of vindication coming from her as the anger burned inside her hotly. The flames were gone now, replaced with only the sensation of being justified in her anger. Her eyes traced over her body, noticing that she was laying on her back and that everything was exposed, the tattoos that she had gotten to further outline her Tiger Faunus heritage looking like they were all exposed... Which wasn't unusual for her to have during a shower.

Fresh anger sprouted inside her at the thought of him having seen her everything, the thoughts through his mind undoubtedly being of the wicked sort, imagining her own sensual body moaning and writhing like a serpent on its own mating dance, all for his pleasure. Irrational anger sprouted, even as he held his nose, blood leaking from the fingers, a dark stain upon those pale hands. "Get out!" She hissed, her eyes blazing. His blue and red eyes met hers, and he got up. "Fine. Fine." He turned to look at Kali. "We'll have words about this, Kali." His voice was not pleasant, even as he got out of the bathroom, the coolness of the air prickling her skin with gooseflesh. Her eyes burned with the sensations that she knew were to be her own, her whole body feeling like the gush of heat had gone out of it, as she got back up. "Get back under the shower." Kali said, her voice more sedate as if she had been whipped and gotten back in line.

' _That bastard, oppressing my friend! How does he dare to conspire against the great and terrible Sienna Khan! I ought to thrash him good for his impudence at daring to kiss me!'_ She could hear Jaune sit down, the Schnee's startled sound of "Are you alright!?" like a healing balm to her ears, as she stepped under the shower again. The fresh rage reinvigorated her mind, as she let her fingers dance over her skin. Sometimes, it was a good thing to be Sienna Khan... The woman who knew the best way to deal with uppity men who got a little too fresh with a woman who knew how to fight! Kissing her out of the blue...

' _It's not like I...'_ The realisation, upon further thoughts on the matter, that the pain had gone away when he kissed her, was something that made her feel a chill in her veins. _'It's not...'_ Anger squashed the guilt, the thoughts that something might have been wrong with her that he had tried to fix, a form of CPR that he had tried to cleanse her body of whatever poison that Kali had held... all the anger did was change her focus, the thoughts bashed aside, as within her heart, a speck of dark liquid throbbed and pulsated, feeding on the anger that she felt.

* * *

 _Worries of the matriarch (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

The sight of Jaune returning with a bloodied nose, holding his face to ensure that it didn't leak all over himself was enough to pull her from her worries, seeing the sight of him being in such a state pull at her heartstrings. She was not a mother for nothing, if her motherly instincts did not activate. "Are you alright!?"

Her voice reached a higher octave, worry coalescing in it as her eyes watched the blood leak from his nose, his eyes meeting hers, a dark shiver going through her body at the thought of him looking at her. The burning warmth inside her body felt like it was getting ready to the point where she could actually muster the courage to just push him to the bed and ravish him. A strong manly hand touching her she could appreciate, yet there were things to be said about the Schnee family taking what it was owed.

Her eyes roved over his manly upper body, the signs of definition becoming clearer with every passing day of exercises that he tried, the signs of a body that would feel so good to climb on, to hold on to as her mouth uttered words that she had barely uttered with Jacques, that would tell him all sorts of things to do with her body. _'Weiss and Winter would baulk at the thought of me doing something like this.'_

She laid a hand gently on his back, right above the scars on its surface, where the name of some harlot had been scrawled. The young man had been sparse in his details about the encounter, save for the fact that it had hurt a lot and that it was unpleasant to the memory of it. It was no small thing to see, the gouges of the flesh into the letters something that would turn her stomach if she had still been the sheltered drunkard Whitney Schnee... But for Esmeralda Gele, this was just another turn of the key for her.

She let her fingers brush over his back, smelling the blood in the air, the scent of the shampoo mingling with his own scent. She laid her lips against his neck, giving it a soft kiss. Even the taste of him sent a tsunami of desire throughout her nethers, as her whole body quivered. The power inside him... inside her... It sang to her. Like a deluge of the best wine ever, it seemed to simmer through her core, right into the barrier that kept her from acting on her thoughts.

' _If they have something going on... Why shouldn't I?'_ Her thoughts were clear, as her tongue lavished slow attention onto his neck, tasting the sweat on his flesh from the exertion, as her fingers gently massaged his shoulders. "What's the matter?" She inquired, her voice not a touch too harsh, her fingers gently spreading his muscles a little, as the feeling of his skin changed. Inside her, the darkness seemed to rise up, his head turning. "Esmeralda... How do you know if you're doing the right thing, if the right thing is fraught with evil?"

' _What a question is that?'_ She mentally asked herself, as she could feel the darkness inside her respond to his power, the surge of desire within her making her quiver. "I don't know what I would do..." She said, her voice throaty and needy, yet he seemed unaffected by that near-purr of her voice. "Whatever you do though..." Her voice was soft as she spoke, not a tone out of place as she gently rubbed over his muscular shoulders... or at least, she'd like to imagine them as muscular. _'Love and lust are strange things...'_ She mused, as she waited for him to respond, not hearing one come from him after a minute. "Whatever you do, I will be behind your decision until the very end."

That conviction was one of the things that she still had to her own name, one of the things that she would not budge on without at least a battle worth remembering. She was Whitney Schnee, Daughter of Nicholas Schnee! She would not bow before some simpering whimpering doctor who wore a metal suit!

The image of the doctor who had fought against her Jaune was still in her mind, even with his demise as assured as the sun would rise in the morning. "You've done nothing wrong, my darling Jaune." The term of endearment slipped from her lips, her own desires quelling for a moment, fearful that her slip might have been noticed. He seemed to stiffen for a moment under her touch. "Haven't I?" She heard him mutter, his head thrown back. The nose seemed to have stopped to bleed, the skin around it still flecked with red blood, the scent urging within her an awakening, something dark and vicious awakening. _'Those who make him bleed must suffer...'_ it was an unpleasant thought to her to witness, as her whole mind seemed to ignite with a dark vengeance, an image of Sienna coming to her mind when she thought about it.

' _She would be the type to have such feelings about him, being a 'mere human'. Kali is nice, she knows the difference between a good human and a bad human...'_ The suspicion came to her mind immediately, as her head laid against his back. "I feel so bad now..." He said, voice sounding tired and weary, as her head brushed against his back. Her dark hair formed a curtain against his back, not the white colour that she had been used to for years. _'I should get some dye removal shampoo when we're back in the shopping district.'_ The thought of being Whitney Schnee again filled her with excitement at being able to be the woman who she had thought to be, as well as the dread that he would no longer like her as much as he did when she fully unveiled her status.

She was rich enough personally to buy him and his family a luxury estate and STILL not have to worry much about the monetary issues. Holding stock in the Schnee Dust Company together with her father for a large percentage, amounted to getting a decent payout every year whilst the company produced a profit. _'And even if... even if I am not appealing to him... I will still gladly help him get who he wishes to have.'_ The thought of helping him get another woman, one who was younger than her... it rankled her, that he would likely not go for her... that his desires for the fleshy pursuits were to be restricted to mere blossoms, rather than the ripened fruit that she was. _'Am I too old?'_

Her eyes went to her breasts, full and firm still, the brassiere that she had bought holding them tightly, her eyes looking at the scars on his back as they stood there before her chest. _'Winter has a chest that is only a small bit smaller than mine...'_ Before she knew it, her hands had left him and gently cupped her own breasts. _'With a bit of persuasion and elbow grease...'_

The thought of her straight-laced daughter getting ploughed into the mattress by this young magnificent specimen of manliness was one that sent a dark fire going through her, one that burned her with the flame of ingenuity and of desire, as her breathing picked up at the thought. The darkness inside her bubbled and throbbed, the Glyphs that she could see everywhere lighting up with her Aura to infuse them, her whole body feeling aflame as she could just imagine Winter breaking, of the sobbing cries and the whimpers and the pain, as she would drive her daughter to that brink of need, to prepare her for the masssss-

Whitney Schnee's eyes opened wide as she looked at the young man before her, her thoughts having taken an entirely dark and unmotherly turn, one which would be more suited to an evil stepmother's thoughts than a woman who had been the loving mother of three children once upon a time. _'You thought about ensuring that your eldest would lay with the man who you care for greatly, who holds your desires, you dirty old woman... You'll never be able to look her in the eyes again if you let your thoughts drive you wild.'_

The sad part was that a dark part of her liked those thoughts, to aid her daughter in getting some of the pleasure that she rightfully needed in order to loosen up a little. _'Winnie has always been a little stiff and orderly, escaping to join the Academy without any sort of permission from either her father or her mother... And now, adhering to Ironwood's commands like one of the robots that he prefers.'_ She banished those earlier thoughts immediately. A mother should not be thinking about entrapping her eldest daughter into such a lewd and decadent ploy. _'But I guess…'_

"I've ruined you all." He said, suddenly. His voice sounded melancholic and downcast, his hand stretched out and the staff with the lamp flew towards him, snatching it in his grip. She could feel the calming glow of the lamp shift, as he turned around to face her. Eyes were haunted as they looked at her. "I've infected all of you with my darkness..." The arm pulled itself from the stump on his side, forming once more into a perfect replica of the arm that should be there, the fingers brushing over the staff's length, his eyes looking ready to shed tears. _'No, he hasn't... He's saved me from death. He's saved us all from the White Fang. Without him, we would not have survived. He must have kept the Grimm away from us... He awakened my Aura, without a hope of anything in return. He could have had one of us warm his bed every night for his protection, yet he has been nothing but caring and concerned for how we were... Summer aside... He's done the most of us for our protection.'_

Her own line of thought was disrupted by Summer suddenly appearing at his side. "You've not ruined us all, Jaune." The woman said, voice sounding like an encouragement, even as she let a finger stroke over his own, her eyes meeting his for a length of time. "You're just who you are. You're someone who has fought against a moustachioed doctor who would have gladly cut you up into little slices in order to see how you'd work..." The tone that Summer took was rational, yet there was something lurking behind it, something that was far darker than anything that she had heard before.

Looking in those silver eyes, she could feel something inside her shudder, a numbness settling throughout her whole flesh at the brief spark of fear that was created inside her. "You've saved us all... Don't you think that you deserve a little bit of compensation for that, mister hero?" Summer's voice was a little gentler now, not a threat visible, yet those silver eyes seemed to spark with the emotions of someone whose mind was not all there at the time.

It was a dangerous sort of crazy, one that seemed to burn with the intensity of something that had more than a little danger in it, mingled with the insanity that seemed to come with the thirst for battle. It was danger... and it was something that she wished that she could emulate. "Thank you for those words, Summer." She said, her thanks surprising the woman as well as Jaune. She could feel how he seemed to await something more, Summer merely blinking once and smiling. "Okidoki! You were a good shot, by the way. He went splat, ahahaha." The giggle from the woman was nothing but that of someone who had enjoyed the sight of a head going 'Boom' with the round that she'd shot through it, the blood that'd been spilt still something that had been on the back of her mind, now put to the forefront once more. _'I killed a man...'_

The thought was unpleasant as she tried to come to terms with it. _'It was necessary.'_ She tried to rationalize it, letting the feelings of 'it had to be done' overtake the rational decision that she had taken. If he had lived, he would have stirred up something far worse for them. She had seen it in the business world more than once, her husband's tactics being to 'strike first and strike hard, until they cannot muster any sort of defence, then take their whole company.'. It was frighteningly effective for those who were small franchises that sold dust, driving them out of business within a flash of some price hike or the other. A monopoly on the supply meant that you could set the price of Dust.

An empire forged from the control of one substance that was omnipresent in every mechanical marvel within the world... Yet with Atlas's military machine appropriating the company, if they dared to do so, it would all come crumbling down.

Her mind felt like it was wrapped in darkness as her gaze went to Jaune, seeing the shadow of something pass over his features, long enough for her to recognize as the shadow of something that was inside her as well, wrapping around her like a comfortable blanket. _'I am Whitney Esmeralda Schnee! I do not cower before the dangers that I face but stand tall and defiant to weather whatever storm comes to my doorstep!'_

The desire within her for his approval, for his touch, burned like the embers of a fire that was slowly rising to full brightness again. She would be getting what she desired.

A Schnee always got her way.

* * *

 _The realm of knowledge (Bianca Alba Arc)_

* * *

Her fingers typed away at the holographic keyboard in front of her, the lines of ammunition calibration code flashing once before they were entered into the delicate inner workings of the weapon that she preferred. The gun that she wielded was more of a heavy assault weapon, with Ashley having most of the ammunition at her disposal, ready to lend a hand whenever needed.

The readouts of the internal temperature from the core of the weapon seemed stable, as a passing glance at the readout confirmed, the manner in which she manipulated the code for the calculations of trajectories swift. "Have you gotten some gravity Dust?" She asked, her sister giving an affirmative sound, a cartridge of Gravity Dust rounds flying through the air at her, snatched from the air before it would hit her.

Today, her hair was up in little braids, he sister's hairstyle a little wavier than usually was the case. They varied their hairstyles frequently, knowing that it would be something that would set them apart. Only when dealing with others did they really slip into the style that was generic, the knowledge of who was who kept between the two of them. Their Semblances, complimentary to their twin birth, were enough to create a similar nature to fool most onlookers.

The scars on their body were hardly similar, though. Only through careful knowledge of where they were, they could be glimpsed… and even then, they did not easily show such things to someone not a part of their family. "Thanks." She said, as she put the cartridge in the scanner, the classification of the Dust blinking on the screen.

' _And this is why I am a genius of shooting things..._ 'Her Semblance was enough to allow her near-perfect aim, the warping of the air currents working perfectly in tune with the Semblance of her sister to create near-anything that she could put her mind to. How it worked together when they were together was easy. Ashley's Semblance could be used to create a similar pattern of behaviour for the guise of appearing to be Bianca, with Bianca merely influencing the air currents around them to eliminate any sort of scent that could identify the other.

"How about some Explosive Gravity rounds?" Ashley queried, her voice sounding more innocent than the regular would have been, as she tinkered with some of the bullets that had been put in front of her on the workbench, the smell of Dust in the air being like the balm to their day's labours. _'That would work decently... But I think Ventus Mors might take some time to adjust to things.'_ Her eyes went to her weapon, a faint smile on her lips as she recalled the way that it had served her well.

' _Sometimes, I wonder-'_ Her head turned. "Did you prepare the special night-time attachment?" She asked her sister, Ashley throwing something at her, the air in front of Bianca shimmering with the execution of her Semblance, the object thrown halted in the air in front of her before it could hit her.

' _That little...'_ The look on Bianca's face showed her irritation with her sister's cheeky insinuation. "The night-time attachment, not THAT thing." She pointed her finger at her sister accusingly, Ashley's head turning to her, a smudge of dark oil on her cheek. "Hey, someone has to make sure that you get through the night."

Bianca snorted at that. "I do not think mama would approve of us using a dildo during our nightly expeditions... I was referring to the night vision scope, actually." Her sister, amused in her laughter, grabbed the proper scope and walked over it, her finger tapping against the side. "It's got a vibration setting too, Bia. Just for those nights when you absolutely can't take it anymore."

Bianca shook her head. "We both know that if it comes to that, it'll be 'special night-time exercise number fifteen', Ash. Don't forget what we've been taught." Her sister, in her state of amusement, teased her, the soft grumble that escaped her lips enough to make giggles come from that direction. "Don't you dare hint at that. It was bad enough when we had teammates."

"As if they'd know. I mean, we were all educated in the effects on the local Grimm. You know..." The hand that'd gotten the vibrating masturbatory aid made a suggestive motion with it. "It's not a bad thing to blow off some stress sometimes. Might make those diamonds finally dislodge from your ass." Bianca made a rude sound, her eyes meeting her twin sister. "Right, as if you're taking dick like a champ, Ash. I know that you've been high and dry ever since Ember."The look on Ashley's face was fiercer, as the hand tucked the toy into a pocket of the apron she wore, her eyes looking fierce at her sister.

"Don't mention that asshole. You know what we did after..." She looked to the direction of the main house, where the rest of the family was residing. "Of course, dearest sister..." Bianca held the advantage now, as a predatory grin came to her lips, her fingers slotting in the cartridge in her weapon. "You've got the technical skills, I've got the weapon thrills..." She got up slowly, stretching a little, her eyes half-closed as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, her eyes twinkling with the energy that seemed to have sprung up inside her, the wellspring of her power continuing to burn with that intensity that would be far greater than before. "Oh... Wasn't it 'You're my darling starlight, the embers that burn my heart?'?" The innocent phrase made Ashley light up, a heated blush on her cheeks.

"We swore not to speak of it! It's been six years already!" Bianca snickered, her eyes looking at the screen. "Be as it may... Someone needs to go check on big sis. See whether she's up yet." The look on Ashley's face was sullen, as she looked at Bianca, clearly not willing to do so. "You do it, and I'll tune up your weapon? Ventus Mors needs a bit of an extra function... and I'll add that night vision thing to the integrated systems too." Her twin sat down next to her, a sudden hug pulling her close. The warmth made her feel comfortable and more at ease, as her sister whispered a soft 'Sorry' in her ear, apologizing for her earlier behaviour as if there had been some massive release that needed to be apologized for.

"No problem, sis." She mumbled back, letting go of her sister, who grinned. "How about you and I go and have a bit of fun together? I got the latest Grimm Hunter on the system... So we can try to beat our score?" Bianca snorted, the score that had been held by her and her sister beating out most of the Arc sisters. Even Rowan, arguably the most experienced of the siblings in the house, had not beaten them yet.

' _As long as it doesn't turn into something more.'_ The bets that they had made beforehand had been embarrassing at times. Stripping naked and doing a lap around the house had been one of the bets made, something that would not be considered 'proper' in any sense of the world... But they did not really care too much about the world outside of the family.

They were all people who would be unable to stand against their might. If not for the Dust that they needed to use in their weapons, they could be independent without any thoughts of others. _'We're such an insular family...'_ Memories of their first team had been something of a precious moment between Ashley and her, that camaraderie that had sprung up from the Initiation and which had lasted until the final advancement into Huntsman territory. _'If we could only have taken that chance...'_

She slowly let go of her sister, getting out of their workroom, the walls rising around her bare of most decoration. The workshop had been especially reinforced against explosions and the like, the bullets that they often tested being something of a special craft which could get explosive, at times. _'Sometime, I'll have to ask Ash how she makes them... But I think it'll be her excuse of 'Oh, I just know how to make them' again.'_

She didn't care much for her appearance as she ascended the stairs leading up towards the second floor, the smell of the flowers that'd been put in the vase, undoubtedly by Azure's need for something fresh and pleasant to the nose, wafting to her nostrils. Coming to the door that led towards Rowan's room, Bianca took a deep breath, her eyes closing, as she knocked onto the door gently. "Rowe?" She asked, her voice kept low in order not to disturb her eldest sister.

There was a sound, Bianca knowing that Rowan was awake by the faint stirring of the room's occupant. The air shifted a little inside, enough to reveal movement to her. "I'll bring you something to eat, Rowe..." She said, as she moved from the door, knowing that her sister would rouse to wakefulness in not too long. Usually, Rowan was up before noon, yet now... Now it was more often the case that she woke after noontime had long gone past.

A small breakfast, a few slices of ham on some bread to make a sandwich, a small glass of orange juice and an egg would suffice for Rowan, Bianca's steps unhurried, as she stood before the room again, pulling open the door, letting herself in. The smell of oil and Dust greeted her, the light of a lamp casting a long shadow over the gutted weapon that sat there on the workbench, the short-haired woman who was bent over the machinery looking like she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a while. "I'll set it on the table for you to eat, alright." A dismissive sound came from Rowan's mouth, as she tinkered with the weapon on the workbench, her eyes never moving from the intricate machinery.

Closing the door behind her, Bianca let go of the deep breath that she'd been subconsciously holding, her eyes looking back at her sister's room and finding unease inside her. _'I better go back to Ashley... No doubt she's been trying out new combinations with my weapon and I am not sure whether I would want that.'_

The creativity of her sister was something that she both admired as well as despised. With how creative her sister was, it would be hard for her to keep to a certain concept. Returning to the workspace that they had to their own, she could see her sister's fingers busy with tightening some of the knobs on the outer part of her own weapon, the energy readings currently on display in the monitor's screen space showing a marginal increase. "You know, fiddling with your weapon might be something that you should do on your own." She commented, her twin sister giving a snort as she let go of the knobs, looking at the weapon. "You're just jealous because it also functions as armour."

"And whose idea was it to make it something with an armour capacity? Yours." She threw back as she settled into one of the chairs to watch her sister fiddle with the mechanisms on her weapon. Ventus Mors was still on the workbench, yet she was hardly concerned with its safety. With her sister's skills in the technical arena, she could keep her own even with a toothbrush and some Dust crystal attachments.

"Machina Mors is the greatest creation ever! It's better than Ferrum Mors by three hundred percent!" The boast was hardly empty, as Bianca knew well the efficiency of the armour that her sister wore from time to time whilst in combat.

People often dismissed her and her sisters are merely a geek and a gunner, but they were more than that. Where Ashley's armoured form could take on a Boarbatusk charging head-on, she knew that her own talents lay in the art of dishing out as much Dust rounds to the enemy in the shortest amount of time. Her whole body, covered in armour, was much less durable than Ashley's, which could tank a few hits with the mechanized suit of armour that could fond into a smaller form with no difficulty, whilst Saffron with her shield and sword-rifle combination could fight at the front.

She preferred to fight together with Cremea and Saffron the most, as Heather and Rowan's Semblance just had diminishing effects to her own Semblance. Flame, when put with more air, raged out of control easily. Water would be scattered by a burst of wind. All Semblances were to be like the person who had them... and she would admit that she was a little flighty at times with her fancies. Her anger, when roused, could be terrible, yet she was quick to forgive.

The sound of a click in the machinery was enough to pull her attention to Machina Mors and saw that it had taken the form of the gauntlet that she was most familiar with. The miniaturisation technology was something that was handy for those weapons that had been made too large to feasibly carry through a thin street.

"Heather's back!" Ashley said, as she pulled an image onto the screen, Heather Arc standing outside the gate, the look on her face somewhat grimmer than before, as if there had been a heavy burden onto her shoulders. "We should go and check whether she is alright."

It would be hard to hurt Heather if she focused, with her Semblance able to bake and grill any baddy that came by. Bianca often envied her a little for her freedom, with her sister's gifts for technology leading them to mostly live around the household or in those positions that needed defence from the forces of the Grimm, stationary and reactive to any attack.

' _Such is the lot of us sisters, whose skills lie in ensuring that nothing comes past our defensive line.'_

* * *

 _The igniting flames (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She stood before the gate, waiting for the ones inside the house to allow her entrance to the grounds. The defensive system that was active around the house would discourage any would-be thieves with a generous amount of bullets and other such measures, the protection of the Arc family paramount.

Her finger pushed in the code to the keypad, the feeling of familiarity with the code shifting a little, as the biometric scanner ran her through with a dark green light. The brief prick of pain that she felt and the tint of red on her fingertip was enough to allow the identification process to register her as present once more. _'Security in these days... People take offence so quickly when you tell them they shouldn't come around the house if not escorted by a member of the family.'_

It had been one of Ashley's inventive methods of control, the blood bank that held the genetic profile of every living member of the Arc family allowing quicker verification of the identity of the person, granting or denying them access to the house and the grounds that came with it. "Hey Heath, I've got you. Don't worry, we'll be right there." The sound of the speaker was enough to make her jump a little, a deep sound coming from her throat as she tried to find the right reasons for the response, trying to tailor it so that her sisters would not be worried for her.

' _Life is shit.'_ The look on their faces had been the final nail in her coffin, as they looked at her with some looks of fear, disgust and ill ease. _'They don't even dare think about the consequences of their actions... They think the world is nice, sparkles and without any sort of 'boo-boo's'.'_

The foolishness of some of the students of Haven Academy had been something that she had shoved aside during the trip back towards the family home, the comfortable sway of the weapon on her side enough to make sure that she had some indication of her own prowess. _'Back to the drawing board..._ '

She did not care about the public's opinion about her, her skills being the real deal. Some jumped up kids that had come with her had even challenged her to a spar, in order to test her prowess, as if it would matter anything in the long run. She had humoured them, the spar having been swift and brutal, as the young men had been on the ground writhing, her feet having worked well. Not a shred of fuel had been wasted on them, a fact which filled her with pride as well as some sort of regret. _'They had lodged a complaint. Being 'too harsh' with them in a spar.'_

Customs between the kingdoms varied greatly. Her own rearing had been done in the Valean custom, with the guiding principles as set out by the warrior king of Vale before, of truth, justice and honesty. The complaint that they had lodged with the officials had been processed swiftly through the use of communication devices, the welcoming committee that waited for them at the international arrival in the Vale airport something else than the official greeting force.

' _Heather Arc bows to nobody.'_ The armed escort had been something novel, the experience in the men and women not matching up to her own capacities as a Huntsman. Her own face had been like it had been carved from ice, her facial features showing little emotion as the councillor spoke about 'international duty', the 'joys of teaching' and 'the gentle caress of mercy', as if those things were worth a damn. Flaunting her record in front of these kids was just enough to put her in a mood that was hardly worth mentioning.

' _Why do the council members always have to be such bitches, trying to one-up each other?'_ The international affair of the Vytal festival was one that would allow for greater cooperation on the surface level, yet Heather had known several Vytal festivals during her time as a student and as an adult. Every four years, one of the Kingdoms hosted it, in order to promote their best and brightest to the world at large. _'Hire our forces for your job! We'll guarantee that you have the best bargain for your safety from the Grimm.'_

It disgusted her that she would be publicised once more as the failure that others thought her to be. Her Semblance, rigidly controlled usually, flared up with the warmth at the remembrance of that state of affairs. _'"You'll apologize to the team for hurting them, won't you? After all, your record isn't exactly spotless, Miss Arc..."'_ The name of that councillor still bounced through her mind, even as she had stepped forward, knowing when the battle had been lost and when she should cash in her chips before their value was lost.

An apology was all that they got, a mumble of 'that's what a criminal like you is good for' coming from one of the bodyguards to the councillor, further lowering her status in the eyes of the students. _'It's a small mercy that the woman was in an official capacity...'_

The messages on the screen of her Scroll read differently. No word from Professor Ozpin yet about that follow-up mission that she had been promised, nor had there been any word on any of the investigations that she had personally requested about the stretch of land where her brother had lost his life.

' _Inability to conduct an investigation, my sore buttock! They just don't want to investigate Jaune's death out of fear of what it might mean...'_ The fact that he'd gotten killed thanks to some idiotic kid who seemed to have nothing on his mind but the meat between his ears and to bully others who did not look as secure in their position still brought anger to her mind, as she drummed her fingers onto the stone, the gate slowly opening up. "Heath! You're back!" Bianca and Ashley appeared, Heather managing a warm smile that she hardly felt inside. Her mood was shot now.

"Back and ready, having coddled some kids and brought shame to the whole Kingdom!" She didn't think that hiding anything of her encounter with the councillor would be of any use to them. They would find out either way. The malicious press would undoubtedly paint her as some sort of half-villain out for the mere presence of the media, ready to sink a whole boatload of foreign students just trying to find their way in the world just for some sort of wicked gratification. _'As if there would be anything but the negative press involved...'_

"Oh? Did they act like spoiled brats and challenged you to a fight?" Bianca accurately guessed, a short nod coming from her enough to indeed add confirmation to her sister's question. It was no doubt something that would have been easy to guess, as 'babysitting' jobs were always fraught with dick measuring contests and prowess boasting by the inexperienced rookies that had to be accompanied.

Heather had a good assessment of her skills and her own strengths and weaknesses. With her weapon, she could bring the pain to whatever she faced. Flames were a tool that could stop an approaching Grimm horde, with the flames acting as a deterrent from time to time. It was normal for Rowan to accompany her, as it would be something that would be counteracted by Rowan's Semblance.

"You must've kicked their ass. There'll be an article on the news site sometime soon I reckon about 'brutish huntress assaults young students during Vytal festival trip'. You gotta ask Lisa whether she'll be doing any interviews or something." The snort that escaped her lips was enough to clue most people in about her thoughts on that subject.

With her own personal skills lying more in the art of destruction, any interview that she would give to an associate of the media would undoubtedly tar her reputation even further. The records did not fully state the extent of her own misdeeds, yet she was still a Huntress.

"I'd rather go and choke on an apple than do that." Came her retort, as they approached the front of the house, the path under their feet well-laid thanks to some effort that Azure had put into it. _'I wonder how Rowan is doing.'_ As the second oldest of the seven sisters, she would have the most connection with Rowan. Whether her older sister approved of it or not, Heather still felt a responsibility for her sister. "The cash ought to be in the accounts already. Ozpin always pays well for the privilege of hiring us."

The Lien was generally shared between the members of the Arc family, with only the personal accounts being given an allowance. In the event that one of the sisters married, they would be given an allotment from the family account, but that bridge had crumbled away years before.

"He does pay well... But Vale only commissions us when we have to defend some settlement that's out of the way." Bianca muttered, shaking her head. "They at least pay. Could you imagine shelling out all the Dust rounds for nothing? That stuff is pricey, now with the prices of Dust having increased!" Ashley's comment was enough to draw a snicker from her twin. "I'd imagine that you'd have far fewer compunctions with the authorities if you got a fresh cache of Dust to work with, Ash."

The clarity with which Ashley spoke was put to the back of her mind as Heather shrugged off the coat, the faint burn in her muscles already starting to fade as she got herself comfortable. "I'm going up to see Rowe. Get me a PepSchnee and something to munch on, bratty twins." Bianca scoffed at that, yet she did not comment or deny the request. "Would you like some lettuce with your sandwich?" Ashley asked, Heather shrugging. "Make it a meaty one. I need some protein to wash away the taste of despair and kids. Seriously, the brats went and filed an official complaint to their superiors about me 'handling them a little too roughly'. That stuck-up bitch tore into me about my conduct and made me apologize!"

The coarse language was not usually condoned in the Arc household whilst the parents were present, yet with their absence, it would be tolerated. Heather Arc allowed herself a smirk at the thought of that councillor getting her comeuppance, the woman not even having the slightest idea of what it was like, being out into the field on your lonesome...

' _As if anyone could understand fully what it is like to be abandoned.'_ Anger burned inside her at the thought of what had happened all those years ago, when she had been left with nothing but her weapon and her wits, fighting against the odds. _' Who cares, if they leave poor Heather behind. Friendship? What's friendship worth if it saves your hide?'_ The blood had been hard to wash out of her clothing, yet she was happy still that she had made it out alive.

She looked at the stairs leading up, the upper floors holding her bedroom and the bed that yearned for her touch to grace it. She could feel the weariness settle into her, her whole mind feeling lost in a fog, as she ascended the stairs, two steps at a time, her hand turning the handle to Rowan's door, noticing that it had been opened earlier and stepping into the room, finding her sister within a mere second. The ball of flame that she used as illumination was enough to cast flickering shadows onto the walls.

She stepped into her older sister's personal space, her breath tickling against Rowan's neck as she hugged her older sister from behind, heedless of what she felt with her senses. "I'm back, Rowe." She whispered in her sister's ear, the soft sound of Rowan's exhale enough, as her sister turned around. "Missed ya, little fire sprite." Rowan mumbled, the glow in her eyes by the flame that had been conjured up in the air a moment beforehand almost wholesome, yet Heather felt the weariness of her day press down on her.

"Yep, I'm back. Miss me much, little water louse?" Rowan's soft giggle was enough, as her hands traced through the hair that grew on her scalp, Heather's hair always kept soft and well-combed. Rowan's hair, cut short now, was a messy bunch of strands, a surreptitious sniff confirming what she'd already thought. "You smell, water bug… You need to go take a shower." Rowan laughed, perhaps a little forced. "Take a shower with me, Heather." She said, her voice delicate and desperate for the company of her younger sister.

' _I don't think she's showered since she's…'_ She didn't dare guess about the reasons for that, as her mind conjured up a viable explanation for that fact. "Sure thing, buggy. You smell like you've been dead in the water for a year or so." It really wasn't THAT bad, but it was not pleasant to the nose. "Sure thing… Sure thing. I'll get my stuff." The shampoo that Rowan used was far different from her own. Hydrating shower gel was not needed for Rowan, whilst it did serve a good purpose for her. _'Skin grows awfully dry when you have a heat-based Semblance.'_

As she got under the shower, her sister was already there. The warm spray of the water hit her body first, as she let herself be washed clean of her worries. "Soap me up?" The question came and she gave a soft sound of warm exasperation. "You're twenty-nine, Rowe… I shouldn't have to treat you like we treated Jaune when he was a kid…"

The memory of her younger brother brought a wave of dark feelings to her heart, yet she suppressed it. Rowan's face grew still, as her eyes opened and no sound emerged from her throat, her mind no doubt contemplating the death that had ripped open a wound in a family that already had some issues. "I liked bathing with Jaune. He was a nice boy." Her older sister's voice sounded strained, her eyes wet already by the water, yet the thought that her older sister was crying was strong to Heather's mind. "Of course he was, Rowe... Didn't he say that you were one of his favourite sisters?"

Rowan smiled softly. "He liked my hair. When Ashley and Bianca did his in braids and stuck him in that dress, I laughed and did my hair like that too." She halted, as the memory seemed to play in her mind, the connotations of loss working through her mind, as the effect was seen on her face. "Do you..." Here Rowan paused, a nervous and uncertain look in her eyes. "Do you want to know what my favourite memory of Jaune is?"

Heather thought that she knew, a noncommittal grunt coming from her mouth as she grabbed the shampoo and rubbed it into her older sister's hair. As her sister told of the memory, she could remember her own response to that. _'It was WORTH it.'_ As Rowan started to sob against her, she knew that the time to be a supportive younger sister was here.

It was all that she could do.

* * *

 _The scattered snow (Weiss Schnee.)_

* * *

She could feel the tension inside her burn, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Anticipation and dread welled up as she looked at the minute hints of disorder in her outfit, the manner of a person's attire grandly influencing how they were perceived.

' _Just a bit of an extra touch here... and I'll be ready to see the students from Haven and Shade Academy. A proper Schnee is dressed to impress and to ensure that those lesser than them are kept in line properly.'_ The creed of her father was something that had been hammered into her from a young age, yet she could hardly keep herself from following it. It was not in her nature.

The sound of a beeping came from her side, the Scroll that laid upon the bed showing that there was a call. Absently, she put her own Scroll to the side, grabbing the Scroll and then answering the call, her fingers working on the last finishing touches.

"Oz?" The voice on the other end seemed to be of a man in his middle years, definitely in the range where he could be called a man of some scruffy means, her attention going to the Scroll, noticing that instead of her own, she had answered the Headmaster's scroll by accident. _'Why would the man not lock his scroll?'_ The man looked dishevelled, the hair matted with sweat. "The Grimm are going mad, what the hell's happened, Oz?"

"Eh, mister? Sir?" She queried, the man looking at her again, a large weapon in his hand, like a sword. "Oh, it's you, Snowy the Ice Queen." Indignation flashed within her, the address rude and coarse. "I beg your pardon?" She said with the most indignation she could put in her voice.

"Nah, pitch is too high. You must be... Winter's sister or something, right?" The fact that he knew her sister was enough to go and bring some relief to her mind, as she looked at the man. "Professor Ozpin had a medical issue and has been unable to respond to anything. As I was present, I had his Scroll pressed against me. I will return it to the headmaster whenever he is well." The man looked serious, his hands moving, the sound of a sickening gurgle coming from the other side, a massive Grimm falling in front of the screen. "Did he say anything?"

She tried to recall the headmaster's words. "To call James, something about a Fall maddening?" She wasn't sure whether the man would have much use of the knowledge, even as he frowned. "Damn, it seems I'll have to make a call to the tin man himself..." The man cleared his throat, a flask pulled from a pocket and drank from. Weiss could see the man's attempt at sobriety failing, distaste going through her core as she was reminded of her own mother.

' _She would always drink if she had a moment to spare.'_ The gloomy thought invaded her mind, even as the man on the screen nodded. "Your name is Weiss, right?"She nodded. "Weiss Schnee, at your service." Her voice might have sounded a pinch more aggressive than it would have been, a bark of laughter coming from the man at the tone. "Just like your sister... Always fierce and ready to engage in something, like a good specialist ought to." The man's tone was jaded, as his eyes looked her over with a gaze that was not comforting in the least.

"You're on Ruby's team, right?" She heard the man ask, yet the familiarity with her team leader clicked together a few things in her mind. "Yes. I am a member of team RWBY." The man nodded, brushing a hand over his coat, the dark stains of the Grimm blood starting to evaporate slowly. "Give Yang and Ruby a hug from me, would you?" _'He must be their father... Well, at least Ruby's father. They don't talk much about their father, but who would? An alcoholic louse like that, falsely assuming that I am my sister... Who would talk about a ruffian like that?'_

"I shall do, Mister..." The man coughed. "Branwen. Qrow Branwen." The name was different, but Weiss assumed that it might have been due to the different mothers that Yang and Ruby had. The surname obviously must be from their mother, if Summer Rose had been her team leader and partner's mother.

"Mister Branwen, I will give your greetings to Ruby and Yang." The man nodded, a look of concern in his red eyes. _'They look a little like Yang's, if you mix them with blue... They must be related at least somehow.'_

"Good. You're a good kid, Weiss." The burp that followed was most definitely impolite for a man of his skills, the seriousness in his eyes clear. "You go and deliver Oz his scroll back, I'll be giving old Jimmy boy a call. Thanks for keeping it, it'd be a nightmare if this Scroll got in the hands of other people." She could imagine such a thing. Secrets were meant to be kept, operations in the Academy and such being paramount for the security of the Kingdom. Any subversive force would wish to get their hands on such details and information, after all.

The call disconnected, Weiss tucking the Scroll in a pocket, looking determinedly at her reflection. She would deliver the Scroll to professor Goodwitch and then find Yang and Ruby and tell them that their father had called. That hug thing... Well, PERHAPS. It... It wasn't as if she'd actually LIKE a hug, after all. Perhaps if the two sisters were... not against it.

' _Weiss Schnee does not baulk at such intimacies with her teammates! A hug... they should be happy to be embraced by my glorious graces!'_

* * *

 _Just the right taste (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He looked at the smith's work as he stood in the forging area, watching Sienna lift her newly forged weapon with an awed expression on her face. His own greatsword was something that was better suited to him now with the backup of the staff that he had obtained. Through the ability of the Relic to impart knowledge into him, there was little chance of him failing in a test of martial ability, the forms flickering through his mental space, the body's muscles adapting to them at a moment's notice.

"It feels..." Sienna spoke with a hesitant tone to her voice, as she let the whip curl back into its grip, the metal links that had been used to forge the chain easily slipping back into the grip, the leather which covered the grip looking to be fashioned in the manner of the Mistralian style, the dark brown colour working well with Sienna's natural skin colour. "Good." The chain whip's tip shot out with a flick of the wrist, a flash of flame licking across one of the tips of the whip, igniting the metal for a brief searing strike, the snap-hiss of the weapon's chain retracting in an instant again, loud in the air.

"It is workable..." Her gaze went to Kali, questioning the woman without words. A soft nod came from Kali, who seemed to have settled on a decision, his gaze falling on the confident Faunus woman as she placed the whip through the loop on her hip, the weapon resting there. "Now, for the payment..." Junichi said, coming forward. Kali opened up the bag in which they kept their Lien, pulling out some of the larger chips. She looked through the denominations, the look on her face unusually serious as if she were trying to make some calculations.

' _I think we'll need to save some money for the trip to Vale.'_ The thought was reasonable, even as the whispers of the Relic tickled along his mind's edges, the close proximity that he had to the Relic having granted him varying levels of perspective. The curling wisps of knowledge gave him ideas, the sensitivity to emotions around him heightening, as he could feel the presence of thousands of people in the vicinity.

"Three thousand Lien will do." The Faunus woman pulled out the required Lien chips, Sienna looking oddly glad that she did, as if there was something that went underneath, like the current of fear that would allow others to find them. _'They were running from something, right?'_ His memory was foggy, the mind's eye continuing to gaze upon the vista's that had been of a world newly formed, barren of all life save for those that were created. _'Why is it so hard to distinguish...'_

The image of Her, clad within the official garment of her station, standing before the massive spire that was the focus of their power, the Grand Wizard's hand on her shoulder, ready to start the convocation, the ritual ingredients already prepared. _'A sacrifice of a simple soul...'_

"Jaune?" Kali's voice reached his ears and he snapped from the thoughts on what had once been to the present. Embarrassment was seen on his face as he looked at Kali and Sienna, who had already gone towards the exit, only Esmeralda remaining behind, her blue eyes holding concern. "Sorry, I just got... distracted." The whole situation with the Grand Wizard's invocation was not something to bother with. He would be held accountable for his crimes eventually.

"Thank you for your services, Mister Junichi." He said to the weaponsmith, whose short nod was enough of a response for most. "Use the weapons well, boy. Your women... They'll be well armed, now that the little tigress has stopped using an inferior little stick." Sienna's ears flattened against her head, her eyes blazing with indignation, yet she did not voice the anger that she felt, the wrathful feelings inside her burning and blazing with no mercy to be found.

' _With just an offer... that anger could be channelled into something that would work for me.'_ The thought was not something that came to him naturally, the benefits of having someone who could be his hand in the world outweighing at times the sacrifice that he would have to make. His gaze went to Esmeralda, the dark seething corruption that was inside her moving slowly through her system, her whole body glowing faintly with his power. _'The Vitae Tenebris inside her is at peace, as my will commands it to be.'_

The corrupting influence of the dark ichors was well-known to him, yet to others... to others it would merely be like a deep dark tar, ready to consume whatever it touched. People did not know the Grimm as he did. _'The Matrixes that would be used to create the Grimm were all based upon the simplest of desires... Improved by the Grand Witch upon her ascendance and reformed with the power granted to her by the Relics.'_

As he emerged from the weaponsmith's shop, he could feel the air of Mistral city press against him like a physical force, his whole body lighting up with the power that he felt swelling inside him. His mind, tender and frail compared to the hardened force that She had, reached out towards what he considered 'his'.

The Grimm responded to his call, their minds lighting up to the touch that he placed upon them. The whole of Remnant was now unveiled to him for a moment, as he stood in Mistral's main city, the Kingdom's whole breadth open to his mind, images from billions of eyes peering into the world forming a picture of the whole world. _'I am the Grimm and the Grimm are mine.'_

Her presence was still absent from the network, the Seers thoughtfully relaying every whim that he relayed towards the lesser Grimm. Even the larger forms of Grimm responded to his call for their attention with the brief emotion that could be called joy, obeying his whims without a fault. _'I am... I am the one in control now. She does not hold the power over the entirety of the Grimm...'_

Darkness bubbled up from the earth, Grimm manifesting from the spawning pools of the _Vitae Tenebris_ all over the continents. The whole breadth of this world was his now to play with, as nigh-divine as he could be. With Her absent, **His** will found itself bouncing through the minds of the Grimm. Movements of the large packs were made with no error to his mind, the surface of Remnant in his mind lighting up with minute spots of emotion, the red sea of Grimm that covered the world being massive in their scope. _'_ _If they did not wish to play this game of cat and mouse, She would have destroyed the world a thousand times over…'_ The Grimm were like the mindless automatons of old, functioning to destroy whatever beauty had been granted to the world by the brother gods.

The Relic shone in the staff, as the cloud of awareness seemed to lift from his shoulders, the knowledge of the Great Grimm that were secluded in the world by Her design pushed into his mind without any issues. The information had been cloistered away inside the recesses of his mind, the ability to reach those Grimm severely limited by the presence of Her always being there in those spaces. _'They would not be around all the time… But we can make use of them.'_ The look he gave Esmeralda was one of calculation, as he could feel the presence of one of the Great Grimm nearby. _'Just a little spark…'_

The smile on his face was dreadful to behold by some measure, as he caught up to Kali and Sienna, the awareness that they held about his powers a necessity to work properly with them. His whole body felt like a surge of electricity had worked through its depths, the Grimm inside the world continuing with their daily habits, their prey already selected by their primal desires, the touch of the Mistress replaced with that of the Master... the change not even noticed by those Grimm aware enough to grow intelligence.

The Grimm would do for the empowerment of his body, for the time being. He would not be able to block the event from Her eyes, yet it would be enough for him to advance to the next stage of his empowerment. _'If I have enough power...'_ The tendrils of Knowledge wrapped around him, the feeling of being enlightened by the Relic's power of Knowledge granting him further clarity. _'If I am strong enough...'_

His gaze fell onto the women that he was with, their skills in different areas making them all unique. Summer's skill in the art of fighting, Sienna's fierce passion and ability to keep on going, Kali's sociable nature and ability to defuse an argument... Esmeralda's skill in the art of the deal... They were all women who would have the chance to be of service to him. _'A world in which I am able to be a hero...'_

He saw Esmeralda's head turn to him, the smile on her face fading slightly as she looked at him, the _vitae tenebris_ inside her surging with a flare of emotions. _'I will be your hero.'_ The thought was strong, as her face changed, the dark ichors pumped through her body, her hair as pale as snow, falling into the style of a noblewoman, her eyes as cold as ice as they looked at him with the worship that a man of his power deserved.

Summer's head was turned away, yet he could see her wear the official uniform of a Slayer, her blades coated in the dark blood of those who stood before her, her silver eyes blazing with that anger as she vented it upon those who stood before the Grand Warlock. _'A hero who comes with his heroines...'_ The savage grin that split his face then made him look older, Esmeralda's hand tugging on Kali's hand for a moment, the Panther Faunus turning to look at him, stalling for a moment, mid-step.

' _You will be there to help me ascend to that point where I can be called nothing but a hero.'_ The selfish desire to be a hero flared up inside him, even though the knowledge that he would never be accepted inside one of the official Huntsman academies again was a stark contrast. Kali's face seemed to change, the dark eyes that set their gaze upon him somewhat jaded by the experiences that she had suffered through, her features shifting a little to look more like her daughter, the burning gold of her eyes taking on a sharper quality, as the shadows wrapped around her and the blood would flow. _'A hero... with heroines there to help him out... Isn't that a good fairytale, Grand Wizard?'_

Sienna's body lit up with a fresh wave of annoyance, her eyes burning orange with a flame of anger and frustration in them. "What are you looking at?" She bit at him, making his thoughts of heroism cease and his mind snap back to just the regular operations. "Ah, sorry, I was just... just thinking." Esmeralda's eyes were concerned, as she took a step closer to him, her arm hooking with his own. He could smell the shampoo she had used for her hair, a soft pleasured sound coming from her lips as his hand grabbed hers by instinct. "Must've been some dangerous thoughts." Esmeralda said, her voice barely higher than a murmur, as she looked at him with concern.

"You looked ready to commit murder or something of the sort."Kali added, the gloominess of her emotions starting to rise to the forefront of her consciousness once more. _'Our path will be sprinkled with the blood of others... But I will not relent. I will be a hero, even if I have to tear down the fabric of reality.'_ The power of the Relic of Knowledge was marginal. Destruction and Creation were amongst the most empowered of the Relics... and yet, he knew well that they would be hard to obtain.

' _ **We will be heroes... We have the power to change this very world. Two humans, Two Faunus... One Warlock...'**_ His eyes looked at the heavens, where a dark cloud seemed to be on the verge of disgorging another rainy day upon them, his lips letting out a deep breath, as he felt the first drops of rain brush against his pale skin.

It was time to get more power to use... "Let's buy some transportation.. I've got a place I need to check out nearby." Kali's gaze to him was worried, yet he did not think too much on those ramifications. He was going to be on equal terms with the Grand Wizard and the Grand Witch and nothing and nobody was going to stop him.

' _ **I will be the hero...'**_

* * *

 **Another chapter for A Grimm Tale, another new point of view! Bianca A. Arc has joined the cast of viewpoints, and people have learned of the Semblance that she has. Wooh.**

 **No Cardin and Velvet stuff either. I'm sure people are glad to not see the love-buns going at it. There are things planned for the next volume for A Grimm Tale that are starting up in the next few chapters!**

 **Ozpin File 015123, from the main server of Beacon Academy.**

 **Name: Belladonna-(UNKNOWN), Kali  
Age: 39-42 (Official records unavailable, observation of Faunus traits)  
Semblance: Not Unlocked.  
Aura: Not Unlocked.  
Bio: The wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie, Belladonna, Kali has been a vocal member of the Menagerie. Her husband, Belladonna, Ghira, has been a vocal advocate for the peaceful integration of Faunus in the general populace of the kingdoms. Members of the Council of Vale, Atlas and Mistral have voiced their opposition to such efforts, preferring to maintain the status quo. Interference in international affairs has caused Faunus discrimination to rise. Ensure compliance of Belladonna, Ghira and Belladonna, Kali by maintaining the presence of daughter Belladonna, Blake (See File: Team RWBY) at Beacon Academy.**

 **Belladonna, Kali is an extrovert, sociable and able to fit into most social situations without any issue. Belladonna, Ghira, her husband for twenty-three years (As verified by the Mistralian Census) is a man with rational pacifism, dependant on his wife for emotional regulation. Ensuring cooperation of Belladonna, Kali is crucial in order to exert pressure on Belladonna, Ghira. Indications of decisiveness and personal strength under stressful circumstances.**

 **A biography of Kali Belladonna, as made by Ozpin. I can also supply one of her with her current stats, but this is just a test thing. Nice to read, but not very important currently.**

 **I hope you'll look forward to another chapter in two weeks! It's a bit easier on my schedule if I take two weeks for the writing of a chapter instead of one. It's also good for me double-checking the chapters for mistakes and what-not. MORE PLOTHOLES FOR YOU ALL, THOUGH!**


	24. Schizophrenia

**A Grimm Tale Chapter 24: Schizophrenia**

 **Another chapter for you to read. To some people who complain about this turning out longer than War and Peace… It'll probably turn out longer than War and Peace. If I had to split it up to the main characters only, I'd have to make six separate entries. Some people like it. I estimate that the Arc Arc has around 5 chapters. The Breach Arc will be… decently short. And for the last time… Don't think that Cardin hasn't had some negativity about him. He just DOES NOT think about it much in his personal sections. Team RWBY and DLCR do NOT interact much at all, they're just 'another face in the crowd', with only Yang taking some interest mainly due to Cardin and Velvet being a couple together. How many people in school did you pay attention to after about three to four months have gone by and they haven't really done much to pull at your attention? Pyrrha is still relatively messed up from Jaune's death, but team RWBY? They've all lost a mother, save Yang. Ren and Nora are dealing with it, yet Pyrrha… Pyrrha hasn't dealt with death up close before, being the champion of the tournament and generally thought of highly. Not precisely an environment where she'll be confronted with death a lot. You'll be seeing more Pyrrha in the future chapters.**

 **Consider this to be part II of Episode 1 of the new season.**

* * *

 _Faith (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As the terrain moved past them with great speed, nausea claimed him. His hands held on tightly to the waist of Whitney, who was the one currently driving. He could hear the rumbling of the engine below him, the sickness continuing to well up inside him, as his body seemed to bend forward, the bile rising up in his throat and splattering onto the ground that rolled around below them. _'Why did we have to get Dust motorcycles?'_

Out of them, only Whitney and Sienna had a valid driver's license for such vehicles due to having taken lessons in the driving of such vehicles. Sienna, in her role as bodyguard, knew her way around most vehicles, having to account for modes of transportation when doing her duty. Whitney seemed to have obtained hers through her youth, though she had been unclear on how she would have managed to obtain enough experience in that field. Their clothing was windproof, able to resist up to a certain force from the weather, as was the standard of most huntsmen. The machine underneath him continued to roar and rumble, as he stretched out his senses, the vomit still rising, as he continued to bounce and bob on the back of the vehicle. _'Gods, I'm going to…_ '

He could feel the presence of the Grimm around him like physical blips on a radar, the presence of Her once more felt, searching with eyes that were hardly friendly. The method of travel that they had at their disposal was something of a quick fix on their current issue of having to move as swiftly as possible, the convoluted circumstance working to their benefit. _'The ancient Grimm would have greater amounts of the Vitae Tenebris_ _stored in their body than most spawning pools would have. It would be easier to let Kali immerse herself in the pool in order to get some measure of stability. If she's going to be affected... I'll be able to make her feel better. Balanced, in most respects.'_

The behaviour of the Feline Faunus was off, and it did not sit well with him. He knew that his power would corrupt them at some moment in time, as the powers of the Relic had corrupted Her and Ozpin, the two magicians having been brought to the brink of annihilation and were pulled back from it, forever altered. _'Like I am going to change... I want to be a hero! I will keep my promises to make the world a better place and make a name for myself to be remembered!'_

With his grip on Esmeralda's waist as tight as he could muster, he let himself drift through the presence of the Grimm, Her attention still brushing past him, even with the eyes of the Grimm catching only a brief glimpse of them whilst they passed by, the Seer network like a fine thread that ran throughout the whole breadth of Remnant.

"We should be there in three days!" He shouted, Kali giving a sound of acceptance, heard over the roar of the engines. Esmeralda's feet pushed the pedal down, a spurt of energy to the engine making his stomach do another somersault, without even stopping to let him purge the badness from his system first. As the meal that he'd had this morning was exiting through his mouth only half-digested, he could only feel the tension surge inside him, with the knowledge that these women were committed. The conversation that he'd had before with them had definitely enlightened him.

'All that was needed was to explain the why. They did not ask the hows or the whats... They just accepted it, so easily.' The baffling thing here to him was that these women followed his suggestions without a flaw. Kali, with the vitae tenebris inside her body having progressed the greatest, would have never decided to accept his suggestion so easily beforehand, yet the feeling of malign pleasure that was welling up from the depths of her very being proved to him that indeed, there was now a seed of darkness within her.

Sienna had argued against it. His face still darkened at that recollection, her whole stance having been fierce and fight-lusting... yet the silence that had fallen after Kali had spoken and said that she'd been all for the expedition in order to deal with the big Grimm that he had seen had been telling as to how much Sienna trusted Kali's judgment... and how far his influence went with them.

Summer, for all her skill with a blade and with her being his best friend's mother, was not a person who would easily be thought of as 'kind', in the fashion that regular people thought. He had heard her comments earlier, back when they were at Haven Academy, about to fight with Doctor Watts, and she had spooked him, her actions ever since that night held under closer scrutiny. _'If I could rebel against Her, with my power derived of her own and a Relic... What could a Slayer do with the power that I hold?'_ The perfect weapon, with the perfect tools for domination...

Esmeralda had gone along without a doubt. Her eyes had been longing, as if he held the key to whatever she craved. _'I hope that she'll get what she wants. The looks she's giving me... They kind of remind me of big sis.'_ The fond memory sent a shiver through his whole body at the imagery of him with his eldest sister, her fingers laced with his as she sang softly, her long hair done in braids that had been put in by his hands. _'She had looked so pretty, like a princess.'_ More research would be needed to fully derive the answers, though. The Relic continued to whisper things to his mind, knowledge that was both useless as well as interesting. The equation to the fabrication of a fuel that was neither Dust nor steam... Peytrollius or something? Who'd ever make a vehicle that ran on such rotten manners of sludge, if you had Dust crystals available to fuel the engine?

As they got further towards their destination, he could feel the anticipation inside him rise, the malevolent force inside his mind stretching out and probing, searching for that spark to take a hold of and use, the core of power inside him resonating with the Relic, the matrix being made and crafted in an instant of time.

' _Their presence...'_ He tugged a little tighter on Esmeralda's waist, the pleasant smell of her shampoo invading his nostrils, as she gave a low shudder of some sort, no doubt due to the coolness of the air rushing past them. _'Their presence is like a flame that has been ignited.'_

The massive creatures of the Grimm that were known to humanity were left alone, with the waiting that they did for the order to surge towards the Human Kingdoms unnerving most humans. _'They said that the Grimm grow in intelligence the older that they get... but that is false.'_

The awareness that he had on the subject of Grimm and the powers of the Relic to aid him in the gathering of said knowledge, was something that no other human had held during the whole time of the shadow war between Ozpin and Her.

' _Their intelligence does hardly rise with time, but their cunning certainly does.'_ The Grimm were a force that would be able to topple kingdoms when properly guided. She could manage to do so easily, the power of the Relics having been infused her with the ability to endure the mental strain that it brought with it.

"Jaune?" He heard her ask, as the engine slowly cut out, the green space around them only sparsely covered with the occasional shrubbery, the Grimm in the vicinity not noticing them yet. He saw Kali get off the motorcycle, stretching a little to get the stiffness out of her system. _'The corruption inside her...'_ The dark mass inside her seemed to have been growing, ever since he had taken up the Relic. Sienna's body was like a beacon of light and life to him, as she got off, her eyes closed for a moment as she took a deep breath.

The packs that they had to carry their gear with were stashed between the compartments in the hull of the motorcycle, the larger parts of their weapons carried for easy access with them. His own two-handed sword was able to be carried easily on his back, the miniaturisation of the weapon allowing it to be carried easily together with the staff with the Relic. The lamp itself would never change in dimension, yet the wood... that was more mutable with the whim that he forced upon it.

' _Reality...'_ The world looked so different to him now, as the whispers of the staff curled around his mind. **"** _ **Acceptable parameters achieved. Creation, allow for the additional power surges.'**_ The Relic responded in kind, Jaune's arm raising the staff to the heavens, the powerful pulse of magic that welled up from the core of the Relic enough to blister the area around him with the traces of Knowledge. As he felt the miasma radiate outward from him, he could feel the presence of the three women in his close vicinity, Summer's own presence in his body like that of a parasite.

The status of Summer Rose was more akin to a leech, with the blades and clothing that she called her own being part of his own composition. The scan that he had done on his own body had confirmed what he had dreaded once before, the Relic of Knowledge's information precise and accurate and frightening. He was Jaune Arc. That was all that he was... and more. _'The principle should be simple, compared to what I have seen the Grand Wizard do... but it doesn't mean that I like it.'_

The _Vitae Tenebris_ was the medium through which his powers could erupt into reality. The link with the neural network that governed the Grimm was a side-effect of the corrupting fluids, as they flowed through each member of the Grimm. She manipulated the essence like a spider in its web, making her commands to the large majority of the Grimm. _'With such a waste of potential...'_ The knowledge that the Relic gave him was not tempered with the wisdom of time or the choice that could be made to deny it.

' _The Choice would temper the Knowledge.'_ The miasma spread as far as he would allow it. Within that zone, no knowledge would exit, if he did not wish it. One of the powers of the Relic of Knowledge was to take knowledge of events, of things that people did and skills, to modify and alter what would be visible and seen. _'Ignorance... With this power, the masses are easily controlled, knowing not the brutal yoke under which they live.'_

"Jaune?" Esmeralda's soft voice reached his ear, her worried eyes looking at him with an expression that clearly showed her care for him, the look on her face something that he had grown accustomed to. _'In her own way, she is a delightful woman._ _'_

"We're preparing something for dinner, would you like to join us?" The question was honest, even as he saw Kali seat herself, the shadowy copy of herself sitting beside her, busying itself with making a small sandwich for the woman and handing it to her, Kali's smile a little more positive than before, when the despair had radiated from her. _"Jaune?"_

Summer's voice sounded in his mind, as he became aware of her moving, the sphere of influence that she held still anathema to the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him. He could only guess at the reasons that she might have for remaining inside and silent, yet there was no reason for her to speak to him at this time. _"Can we have a chat, like... in the real world?"_

The woman asked, and he caught a glimpse of silver eyes looking at him, as she materialized beside him, her smile looking as careless as Ruby's did, eager to do the good work for the betterment of people. _'The murders that this woman had committed...'_

Summer Rose was an enigma at times. The mother of his best female friend, Ruby, who had been able to help him for a while ever since he had rescued her from the laboratory of Doctor Watts in Her domain. There were things that did not match up to what he knew, though. The manner in which Raven and Summer worked together was too friendly and too easy for mere colleagues, their partnership still drawing some suspicion in his mind. _'There is always the chance that she could...'_ He did not finish his thought, the knowledge that she would undoubtedly bring something to him that would threaten his life. _'Summer is the one factor in this group that cannot be predicted... No matter how much I believe Ruby...'_

Summer had been there for him during the dark moments, had been aiding him in his fight against the Beringel and had even fought for him... Yet her outburst had been shocking to hear. Her whole demeanour of being a kind and loving person had been shed in order to demand that he slay the man with extreme prejudice, to let her out to take her vengeance. _'Is this what the Vitae Tenebris makes the people act like if it infects their being?'_

Dinner this evening was a prepared meal, the cartons that carried it being biodegradable, the stale taste of improvised rations giving him no great satisfaction. _"We'll talk after dinner, Summer."_ He had said to her, with the improvisation that he might have some idea after the food had been eaten, Summer's response almost giddy in nature, as he could feel the weariness pound home on his body, the blight on his very core not washed away with mere platitudes. It festered like a boil that had been left alone for too long, a whole stretch of rotting flesh tearing his insides up, even though it had no base in reality save for that mistrustful feeling.

"I'm just going to take a leak." He said to the women, Kali giving a slow nod, her eyes looking right at him, as he stumbled away. A dangerous look was in her eyes, one that seemed to pull at the deepest, darkest core of him with the shred of danger and mistrust, as well as an odd kinship that seemed to have sprouted from the darkness.

As he made his way to one of the bushes, he started to work on his pants, to indeed give the impression that he was doing as he said he was. _"Alright, what did you want to talk about?"_ Summer's presence suddenly materialized in the field beside him, the sudden appearance of Summer bringing him to an embarrassed state, as his hands pulled his pants up. She looked at him with a smile, her lips quirked in a manner similar to Ruby, who seemed to have definitely inherited her mother's smile. "Now, Jaune..." She said, as she patted his shoulder.

"You've been acting a little erratic, Summer." He said, the woman's smile somewhat strained, her silver eyes looking a little distant, as she let her gaze go towards the distance, her hand giving him another pat on the back. _'The murder she committed..._ '

It had been necessary for them to remain mostly unseen and unheard of, with the action done by Summer something that would pull the heat off them, yet he did not fully approve of the methods that she used to achieve the goal of diverting suspicion. _'Would I have done the same, had I held the same beliefs?'_

The end justified the means, Summer seemed to believe, with bloodshed one of the methods through which it could be achieved. _'The abyss before you gazes at you, as you take one leap...'_ The darkness in the world was split between the forces of Ozpin and Her, with the independent Humans who made their own criminal empires to rule as they saw fit only being a blip on the radar. _'With just a decision...'_

He was a Grand Warlock now, the staff as his badge of office, the blood in his veins laced with the _Vitae Tenebris_ , pure and undiluted by any stray matter. _'I am like Her, before the Convergence...'_ The memories that he still held were a jumble of emotions and feelings mingling together, even as Summer cleared her throat. "Jaune..." She paused then, her silver eyes flashing brightly, his own eyes aching with the bright flash of light energy.

"It had to be done. They had to die. Our cover is important... Why be chased for the murder of a headmaster, if you can be chased for the murder of a Huntsman?" The trail would not be led away from Junichi, likely, as the authorities would do their research... Jaune knew a decent amount about the judicial process and the amount of resources invested in the murder of an important public person, but for the current system... "It was still a person with hopes and dreams, Summer." He said. The expression on her face showed no remorse or pity or sympathy for the person that she had slain, the blood on her blades fresh enough to make her look like an avenging angel of murder, for some slight that he had never known. _'Is that what all professional Huntsmen eventually turn into?'_

He didn't have much in the way of hope for his own future, as it stood right now. ' _I need more power... I need more strength to challenge the Grand Wizard and Her...'_ The power that he could channel through the Relic in his staff was not enough to directly challenge the Grand Wizard or Her. The amounts of power that could be channelled through the staff would increase, with the amount of _Vitae Tenebris_ that he consumed, the dark essence enough to fuel his spellcraft, until his Aura would catch up with the amount.

He couldn't just whip out insane magical forces like the Grand Wizard and the Grand Witch could in their prime. Their years of training and bodily conditioning to use the powers that they had been bestowed by the natural order of things far outstripped his own.

' _The only thing I can do is to hasten my absorption of the Vitae Tenebris... and that includes hunting the elder Grimm.'_ The danger of hunting those creatures was substantial, yet with his powers, he could eke out a win, if everyone worked together. _'Summer, Kali and Sienna on the close melee front... and Esmeralda and I as the ranged combatants.'_ The switch between melee and ranged was one decision that he would have to make. The titanic creatures that were known as the 'Elder Grimm' had been growing and gestating slowly due to the amount of time that they had been left alone. Humanity would barely remember the terror that these creatures had inspired within their hearts, merely a memory of the time before, long-since forgotten by the people.

"You're distracted again." Summer said, his musings cut short by her words. He looked at her for a moment, her facial features changing and replaced with those of another woman, the crest on her left breast visible as the dress looked ill-fitting, the sharp blue colour contrasting with the official badge of the Slayers, the massive war-blade that had been wielded by the woman trailing behind her, the short dark green hair fitting right in her face, as the bold nose stood forth. _**'Slayer Captain Aetella Van Deirndas.'**_ The Relic immediately placed a name to the features, the shift back to reality once more coming to his mind. _'I shouldn't be remembering HER memories. This is just Summer, someone who's taking the bloodiest approach wherever possible.'_

That she was a woman who could easily slay her way through a whole battalion of trained Huntsman was without a doubt true. The skills that the woman had shown in the art of killing were beyond his own. Athletic, able to move as swift as she could with her blades perfectly synchronised, ready to kill without even being hesitant... It was like looking at the Grimm. Sanity was not a factor. Cool and calm efficiency, no regrets to be found in her manner, as she looked at him with eyes that held much knowledge and perhaps a hint of care. "Jaune..." She said, irritation in her voice. "Pay attention!" She seemed to have little patience with him, as he sighed deeply. "What is it that you wanted to talk about, Summer?"

Getting back to the point, he allowed his attention to stay on her. "I wanted to talk to you about that Relic." Her eyes went to the staff, looking at it with a gaze that seemed conflicted, as she took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with something, her teeth biting her lower lip, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, the glow of the Relic starting to increase, tendrils of Knowledge slipping around him, like a tentacled horror from the stories that his older sisters used to read at times.

"It's not good if you use it too much. I mean..." She placed a hand on her chest, her eyes looking into his own. Judging eyes, with a dash of worry and a sliver of care. Her teeth flashed briefly, as she tried to muster a smile. "Ozpin's told us that the Relics can create reality... You shouldn't meddle with that too much." The words were cautious, like a mother would say to one young child who was about to go diving off a roof because it'll be 'just like swimming', a bad idea that worked against them.

' _Reality? They create everything.'_ The actual function of the Relics, She had not known. Only the Grand Wizard was knowledgeable about that, the knowledge that he had about her own craft not sufficient for the manipulation of the forces that the Relics could. _'With the Relics of Creation and Destruction, the world can be crafted and annihilated. Their power, resting in one acolyte each...'_ His gaze looked at her, suddenly feeling a twitch of familiarity. "Have you..."

He barely dared to finish that sentence, as she looked at him, the flash of silver light from her eyes making the darkness inside him shudder, even as the effect seemed to have lost the majority of its potency on him. "Have I what?" She said, simply. _'It can't be... Would she really have... No, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Raven is a woman who wields the power of the Grand Wizard...'_

The theory that sprung up in his mind held Summer as a focal point. "Have you seen the Relics?" Summer looked at him for a moment before she shook her head. "No." She said, her gaze firm on the Relic in his hand. The staff pulsated with a heavy throb of particles being emanated from the depths of the lamp, the blood in his veins singing, whilst the _Vitae Tenebris_ retreated, and his eyes looked into hers. _'I want to be able to trust you, but you...'_ The madness that lurked within her eyes was something that he only noticed now. Her actions had been kind, benign, perhaps even handy... But there was a dark side to Summer Rose that grew even more apparent with the deviant behaviour that was displayed by both Kali as well as Esmeralda. The corruption inside them grew slowly... and it unnerved him.

There was something about Summer that reminded him of Ruby Beornir... something in the way that she acted, the innocence which she seemed to have that mimicked that of her daughter, yet the hard edge that was visible when there was something that she desired. "Jaune... When we reach Vale... Can we go visit Patch?" The island was one of the few havens of humanity that was outside of the border of the city-kingdoms, the blood that had been shed in order to colonize those spaces something of a favourite for most professors to exhort about, the human achievement not too shabby, in their limited view.

"You've got a husband there, haven't you?" He inquired, the soft nod of her head. "We had a cat too. Her name was Einz. Raven used to run from it, like she was afraid of it or something, hehe." The admission made her look just like the cuddly Ruby that he knew, all full of geeky dorky awkwardness, even as her cape was aflutter. The woman's eyes looked at him, then down at his attire. "I've got to get myself something to wear that looks fashionable. When we left Mistral, I didn't get to shop for something appropriate."

Whatever that appropriate thing was, he didn't really need to know. Clothes shopping with women always made a man feel like he was wandering into a wrong universe, even though his own perception of events clearly would allow for greater insights into something that was a fashionable dress style. He knew how to pick out a nice and flattering dress, even though his sisters had often cautioned him not to assume too much about a person that he was picking out clothing for. "We'll swing by there." He said, giving a soft nod, as Summer nodded with a greater enthusiasm. "That's right! We'll go and visit Taiyang!"

As he walked back to the women, they took notice of Summer having joined him, Kali's eyes sweeping over Summer for a moment before they went to him. _'I should purge the Vitae from her system... but I don't have that power yet.'_ It would certainly kill her if he tried to do something like that now, her very soul embroiled in the battle against the _vitae tenebris_ now, the natural effects of the dark ichors having always worked against the powers of Aura.

' _Perhaps it is time to extinguish her flame...'_ His eyes looked at Kali, hoping that there would be a solution found that would restore the woman to perfect sanity once more. _'But... She's a woman who helped me out and accepted me... I can't just kill her.'_ The thought of laying a hand on a woman was still one that felt wrong to him.

With such a conundrum, he laid himself down, the uncomfortable sleeping mat hard below his back as he slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to gather some measure of spirit before he would be swallowed whole by the thoughts of murdering a companion in the fight against the Grand Wizard.

' _The least I can do is keep her at a moderate level of corruption... The Vitae Tenebris would not do anything... I hope.'_

* * *

 _A rose with thorns... (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

As she skipped through the hallways, her Semblance trailing rose petals behind her, she rapidly found what she was looking for. Standing there with her team was the young woman who she'd ran into earlier, a cheerful smile on her lips. "Ruby! Hi!"

There was a moment where the awkwardness inside her seemed to screech to a halt, the slightly older teenager's gaze raised for a moment, red eyes meeting her own and a warm smile coming to her lips. "Cindy-windy, Mercey-jerkey, little Emmie... I've got to jet! Give my regards to Sparkly-torch when you see him!" She could see the excitement in the young woman's eyes as she halted before her, not a single crease on her outfit out of place, the red cloak still around her shoulders. Ruby Sustrai's eyes were bright and full of life as she giggled. "Looking like a true trooper, Ruby!"

"Hehe, yeah. Want to go and get something to eat before we're going out?" The look on Ruby's younger sister seemed to be grave, the green-haired teenager's eyes meeting her own with a look that promised nothing good, kind of like the looks Yang was giving her when she made the suggestion to try something really audacious, like talking to nice boys, as Weiss had once suggested beforehand. _'Somehow, I don't think that Ruby is that good with boys. I mean... awkward girls have to stick together, right?'_

"Sure thing, Reddy Ruby!" The arm that suddenly wrapped around her neck was enough to make her freeze in place, as she was pushed against the bosom of the older girl, painfully aware of the assets that were being brushed against her face in the manner of a hug, her own arms wrapping around the older girl's waist, giving a hug back. "Hug! Emmie! Hug!" The younger sister gave a laborious sigh. "We can't always hug, Ruby... We've got things to do." Ruby Sustrai snickered. "Hug, you little thief! Come to big sis!" The addition of the slighter sister was welcome, Ruby feeling a brief flash of something push against her, before she was let go. "Here ya go, Ruby. "

"Good! Daddy always said that we should hug! Toppy never liked it! Neither did Saffy... But I did!" The enthusiastic nod that the redheaded sister gave was not shared by her younger sister, who pulled herself out of her graces. "Not everything needs to be- Hey!" Emerald's eyes blazed, as Ruby pulled out a wallet that looked faintly familiar. "Stole it from ya, Emmie and Ruby! I'm a magician!" The wallet disappeared in a flash, replaced with her own! _'Did she just... steal my wallet?'_

Ruby Sustrai's eyes smiled brightly, as she held out the wallet to Ruby once again. "It's magic! Uncle Bear taught me how to make people's wallets appear! Magic!" Ruby Rose could only laugh sheepishly, whilst internally wondering whether it was such a good idea to have someone around who could steal one's wallet without ever being noticed. _'I don't want to... y'know, lose her friendship. She's nice and friendly, a bit odd... But she's a good friend, right? Heart's in the right place, that kind of stuff that Uncle Qrow always speaks of. She's always so happy to tell me about her family, even though they're all...'_

The topic of family had come up more than once, Ruby feeling some sadness for her friend as she told the story of how a massive Grimm horde had descended upon their little settlement, where the servants worked in the mine and her own private little home had been destroyed by some cruel and large Grimm. _'It must be very dangerous to live outside the Kingdoms...'_

She couldn't blame the girl for being a little odd. Anyone who's seen their family die must be a little odd in the mind. _'At least she's got out alive.'_ Ruby Sustrai's eyes were a little unfocused, with her mind already somewhere else. "Ruby?"

The attention of those scarlet eyes went to her, the irises widening in a flash, as those eyes looked right at her, without any sort of trace of distraction. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking..." The distracted tone of voice clued her in that the poor girl was obviously thinking about something that reminded her of her late uncle. Ruby Sustrai had gone into great detail of how a Beowolf had torn into the flesh, as if she'd been able to watch the scene fully, her whole description having made her feel a little queasy.

' _That was a bit spooky. I mean... Yang always tries to scare me by telling spooky ghost stories, but... The details...'_ Ruby did not hide her feelings on subjects that she had encountered, speaking them without any shame and without any sort of deceit. If she was a bit touched in the head, it at least allowed her to speak honestly and without any sort of hidden motive. _'Dad said that some people just couldn't help but be a little weird... Not sure what the genetics had to do with that, but whatever...'_

As they arrived at the cafeteria, she could see several of the students already queued up, Pyrrha and her partner, Viridian or something, standing at the back of the line. The former Champion of the fighting circuit seemed to be restraining her urge to do something about her partner, who was busy chatting up one of the members of a team that was slightly ahead of them in the line.

The red-haired champion seemed to meet her eyes, the sharp green tint of them changing briefly, as a smile settled on her lips. _'Pyrrha is nice.'_ Ruby thought, as Pyrrha's mouth opened. "Hey there, Ruby." She said, her voice soft. Viridian's head turned, clearly trying to scope her out. Yang had been defensive, clearly somewhat of a worrywart when he had approached her, though the offer that he'd given her to 'go watch the moonlight together' had seemingly incensed her sister. The threats of physical dismemberment and the like had been harsh, harsher than Cardin had been dealt during the earlier days of his... well, punishment.

' _You can't change a bird's coat, Uncle Qrow always said. He looked sad after saying that, as if it were something that had any application to him.'_ The look in Viridian's eyes was bright, as he looked at her friend Ruby, who stood at ease next to her, giving him a look in return that was about the same measure, as if scoping out the competition. "Hey there, red... How's it hanging?"

' _Oh no, here we go again...'_ She could see Pyrrha's jaw clench and her expression and body stiffening, as her gaze went to her partner. _'Jaune was such a better partner than the Wisteria fellow is... It's not like he'd be the one hitting on a pretty girl all the while.'_ The image of the hand slowly being turned to ashes in the incinerator came to her mind, the feeling of being suddenly terribly alone creeping up on her _. 'He was into Weiss a lot... A pity, it would have been nice to go to the dance with him as well... Two awkward people who can't dance worth a bit.'_

It might have been a bit of an assumption to assume that he wouldn't be able to dance, yet he hadn't shown the greatest amount of bodily aptitude for the life of a Huntsman. In her estimation, dancing for him would be a clumsy affair, fraught with the peril of stepping onto someone's lady stilts. _'He'd make a fool of himself and then laugh about it later on.'_

Ruby Sustrai seemed to process the question differently than most, her hands grabbing her bust and giving them a little lift. "Pretty darn well, eh..." She fidgeted for a name, the confidence that Wisteria showed in approaching her no doubt putting her on the wrong foot. She could barely imagine that he would have more success with the other Ruby than he'd had with... well, pretty much anyone. "My name's Viridian Wisteria, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ruby smiled warmly, Ruby Rose giving a shudder at the sight of Viridian actually having any success with the ladies for once. "Ah, Mister Wisteria... It's hanging well. Thank you." _'Is she really this clueless?'_

Ruby Rose watched how Viridian's manner of standing changed, his eyes glued to Ruby's figure, the faint hint of something in his eyes spelling ill fortune for Ruby Sustrai if she were to go along with it. "Ah, my name is Ruby Sustrai." She smiled at Viridian, his gaze going to the outfit that she wore. "You're from Haven, right?" He said, a slight hesitance in his voice. Ruby Sustrai nodded, excitedly. "Yep! Little sis Emmie went there, and we had a chat with the big fuzzy lion man!"

' _Big fuzzy lion man?'_ Ruby wondered, as Viridian seemed to see his chance. "Let me show you around Beacon then. All the best spots... Maybe even a place where we can go and see some stars during daytime, eh?" He waggled his eyebrows a little, Ruby Sustrai's eyes looking him over and giving a soft sound. "But... I'm here with my friend Ruby." Ruby could feel some slight embarrassment creep in her heart as she realized that the other Ruby was giving her attention. _'I don't like being in the spotlight.'_ She wished that she could close her hood to hide away from the world's questioning gazes, but she knew that it would be ill-advised to do so immediately.

"She can join us too. I don't have a problem with guiding two lovely ladies... well, one of which can become my official girlfriend." Ruby Sustrai's eyes sparkled, as she turned her head to Ruby and gave a mysterious smile, her lips showing genuine mirth. "Ooh, you're like one of the guys that Saffy spoke of... Toppy was always such a bore, trying to get the best out of things before they'd go bust." Her hand touched the hilt of her weapon. "But I've got some standards, Mister Wisteria."

Viridian's grin was cocky and sure. "I'm sure that I'll meet them. I've got a sausage that'll let you be seeing stars by daylight, honey." The look on her friend's face didn't seem to change, even as the hand that'd rested on her hilt darted forward and grabbed a hold of Viridian's crotch. "I think I've found a man I like already, Mister Wisteria." The face of the young Casanova wannabe turning red, as his eyes followed where her hand was, the grip the Haven student had on the crotch of his pants making his breathing speed up rapidly, as Ruby Sustrai's eyes widened marginally and the smile on her face grew colder and dangerously. _'She looks a little like Miss Goodwitch when she gets angry.'_

Viridian seemed not to notice the change. "Yeah babe, you can like me all you want. Viridian's got some sausage for you to get, right here and hot. I don't mind a crowd of onlookers." Pyrrha's face grew red, her mouth about to open to say something, yet Ruby appeared to be well-ready to get herself into the hot waters that Viridian sailed.

"You can politely... What's the word?" A whimper came from his mouth suddenly as Ruby's fingers grabbed a hold of something and then squeezed, visibly. An agonized scream came from his mouth, as the hand twisted something. "Yeah, you can go fuck yourself. The man I've got my eyes on..." A misty look came to those red eyes, as the hand continued to twist, the front of his crotch growing wet with a growing spot of moisture, as the woman continued to twist, heedless of the consequences. "He's a REAL man."

The misty-eyed look in her eyes was far-off, as the young woman gave a shuddering exhale, letting go of the groin of the teenager, who'd dropped to the ground immediately after she'd let go. Ruby's heel rose and she stomped down once for good measure, only a faint groan coming from his mouth. "You little fucktard crotch-breeders better keep your grubby mitts to yourself." The coarse language seemed to be something that Ruby occasionally slipped in, as her gaze rested on the young man. "And you better keep your thoughts safe and secure, or else I'll really twist that little thing off."

Turning to her again, the angelic smile on Ruby Sustrai's face was back once more. "Let's get some grub." She said, as if she just hadn't mangled some poor young man's groin, her eyes twinkling with amusement, as if she'd seen something terribly amusing. Her eyes seemed to burn with a dark malevolent air as she looked at her with amusement in their depths, Ruby Rose feeling the shudder of something that could be called fear. "But..." She started.

Looking at Viridian Wisteria who had curled into a ball, moaning something about it hurting so much, she could feel some shard of pity erupt inside her, as she knew that boys were pretty sensitive about the thing between their legs. Yang had said that it was for 'later review' about the lessons that she'd missed, but she'd snuck a peek at the material anyways.

"He was just a boy, trying to play at being a man." Ruby Sustrai's voice was resolute, as she walked along, people making space, the dusky-skinned young woman moving with the grace of a dancer, Ruby Rose following behind her, trying to keep herself under control. She glanced back at Viridian, seeing Pyrrha pick him up and start the trek towards the infirmary, his feet dragging over the ground as she half-carried him. It looked to be a thankless job, as the Champion moved her partner towards the infirmary. _'How could she DO that? Just right... twist, snap... Oww, I just hurt whilst thinking about it.'_ The day was just starting out and already had Ruby Sustrai made herself out to be some person who'd do such a cruel thing.

' _I know that she's a bit different... but I hope that she won't be some sort of bad person. Yang only busted one whole club of bad guys up, but...'_ If Ruby had to measure herself to a certain standard of being, Yang would definitely be a paragon in her eyes. Confident, assured of her own self and her beauty, as well as being able to frustrate her with the puns that occasionally darkened the atmosphere around her _. 'I'm sure that Ruby Sustrai is just... trying to adjust.'_

"This food is better than anything I've had back at my home." Ruby Sustrai said, brilliantly smiling at her, the Haven uniform that several of the other students wore being tailored to their form, the difference in attire something that had been a marker of the odd girl, even as Pyrrha sat herself down next to Ruby and leaned against the table.

She could smell the shampoo on the young Huntress' hair, as she looked at Ruby Sustrai. "That was pretty... rough." Ruby Sustrai looked at her, her eyes widening. "Ooh! You're the cereal girl! Saffy always liked your brand, so we made Daddy get it from the sods who he encountered." Ruby was pretty sure that there was something she was missing, even as Pyrrha nodded. "It's not very healthy for you, really... But he was bothering people for a while now." Ruby Sustrai nodded her head. "He wasn't a man. Just some boy that thinks that he can be someone with the power to command my loyalty..."

Pyrrha stiffened a little as she heard Ruby say that, the red hair of the champion framing her face for a moment. "He is still my partner." She said, though her heart wasn't in it. _'She still misses Jaune.'_ Ruby Sustrai immediately seemed to understand, a sympathetic sound in her voice. "Was he a replacement?" She asked, Pyrrha's face showing surprise. "Wha- Yes, he was. My team leader was killed in a cowardly act."

Ruby Sustrai nodded, seemingly understanding it. "You don't sound as affected as if he had been your partner beforehand. Emmie might be a bit of a sneak at times, going on with her girlfriend's kinky little sex games, but she's always had a good balance with her head." The giggle that Ruby Sustrai gave was girly and a little crazy, Ruby Rose thought, even as Ruby Sustrai stretched lightly.

"Still... You must've liked him a lot. I can see it in your eyes." The empathy from the girl seemed to be in the right spot, as those red eyes met with Pyrrha's green ones, Ruby feeling suddenly a little embarrassed. The champion's face seemed to redden a little, as she coughed. "His name was Jaune." The girl nodded, understanding.

"I figured that the little boy who had his little shrimp twisted was not your first partner because he speaks in the Mistralian dialect. Not a big change, but he's like Uncle Bear, trying to get some of the girls to come back to his trailer so that he can pig em _._ " The look on Ruby Sustrai's face was regular, the dark skin of her face never showing any traces of a blush, as she looked at Pyrrha with a look that was conspiratorial. "Now, little miss Moochums-Pookums... Did you want to pig your team leader?"

' _I don't think I want to know what 'pigging' is.'_ Pyrrha's face turned pale, her eyes looking between the girl who'd apparently said something quite adult to her, as she coughed. "I mean..." Redness crept onto her face, as she looked everywhere but at Ruby Sustrai's face. "I would've... liked it. He was a great leader. A good man." The soft humming that Ruby Sustrai did was enough to make Ruby feel a slight tingle inside her, her whole body lit up with the thoughts of what could be. "He's dead, though."

Ruby Sustrai smiled. "Would that stop you?" The suggestion made Ruby Rose inhale deeply, Pyrrha's eyes cast down, as she took a deep breath. "It..."The champion did not finish her sentence, her eyes downcast, as she wrapped her arms around her. "Would you have an issue with loving another, if his body was found?" Pyrrha looked at her fellow redhead, Ruby Rose feeling a little left out of the conversation. _'Just because I've not really had any boy that I like, doesn't mean that my opinion is invalid. Jaune was a great friend to me as well!'_ "We were at the funeral. All they recovered was an arm... and it wasn't even that well-muscled either."

She had to be honest about that. Jaune had not had a physique that'd shown his dedication to the craft of a Huntsman, who would have honed it to a razor's edge during their training. She wasn't going to let her mind carry itself off to that dark and gloomy spot again, as she had for a few weeks, whilst her own team meandered around aimlessly.

"At least you have seen the flesh of your friend..." Ruby Sustrai said, as she took a deep breath, her eyes looking up. "Of my older sister, Topaz... She was nought but bones when I found her... Watched it happen too, had the whole flesh sucked right off her..."The grin on her face was definitely icky, with her tongue sliding over her lips. "I mean... Daddy was ripped right apart. Screaming all the while about never being taken down... Ooh... The thought just gives me shivers." Her eyes met with Ruby Rose's, full of fire and passion. "Seeing them die… Hmmm…" Her arm wrapped around Pyrrha, pulling the champion close. The Mistralian tournament winner seemed to stiffen. "It was marvellous… They went all still and quiet, accepting their fate as they were torn apart by the Grimm…"

' _She's seen her family be killed by the Grimm… Oh my…'_ She couldn't help herself from joining in the awkward hug. That was what was expected, right? Ruby Sustrai smelled of Dust, of some sort of scented perfume that smelled a little like blood and spices, as well as something that she couldn't quite put a name on. "You've seen your family die? I've… I mean, not to sound like I'm trying to lessen the hurt, but I've lost a mom too." Ruby Sustrai smiled at her, her eyes benign. "Little Emmie doesn't know yet about the thingies with daddy and the sisters. I'm trying to safeguard my sister from the big bad spectre of doom that'll be lurking in the shadows." _'Just like Yang, always trying to make me go away when the bad things start happening...'_

She could feel how Ruby Sustrai seemed to pull a little closer, the sudden touch of lips against her ear. "You're my friend, Ruby Rose... Don't tell Emmie about this, alright?" The voice of the young woman was a little breathy as she spoke, the soft shudder that went through her whole body making itself be known to Ruby. _'Is this what it's like when you go and be with another girl? I know that Yang and Blake are... sort-of-dating? They try to be sneaky about it sometimes, but Yang can get REALLY loud.'_

"I won't tell her." She said, as she heard the soft laugh of the young woman, bright and cheerful to an extent that seemed hard to fake, as the woman's grip on Pyrrha seemed to increase. "We'll be friends! Sisters, as it was! Redheads!" Pyrrha cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, but..." The look that she sent to Ruby Sustrai was one of mistrust and perhaps a little fear, as if Ruby Sustrai had done something that would be considered out of the ordinary for the circumstances around her. "I really can't... I mean, you're..." Pyrrha Nikos was stumped for words, Ruby Rose could see. "I feel sorry for you for witnessing those deaths... Losing a family member can be tough on you, I know... well, I know what it feels like. Like a void being ripped open inside you."

Ruby Sustrai giggled, the sound far more innocent than her earlier revelation had shown. _'Whatever damage she had suffered... it must have affected her mind. It's like she doesn't think before she speaks.'_ The thought was sudden and explained much. _'The poor girl must have some sort of condition... Or a lack of medication. She must be so terribly affected that she's...'_ The pity inside Ruby Rose got up, as she hugged Ruby Sustrai just a little harder. "It feels bad, yes... But you've got to look at the good side of the world. Don't let the darkness swallow you." Ruby Sustrai seemed to make a soft snickering sound, as she released the two of them. _'Whatever she's going to say...'_

"Miss Sustrai, if you would kindly follow me? There is some news that has to be divulged to you." The short and business-like tone of Professor Goodwitch pulled her attention from her 'friend' to the woman, who stood there like a statue, ready to go and lead Ruby where she had to be at. The impatient look on the woman's face seemed to be etched there, her eyes sharp and attentive, noticing the two of them and dismissing them with her gaze. "Sure thing, Prof Gee Wizz." The stern woman didn't even twitch about the mangling of her name, merely indicating the exit of the cafeteria for Ruby to go. With a little skip in her step, Ruby Sustrai followed the deputy headmistress and combat instructor with good cheer in her features and not a single hint of the heavy topics that she'd discussed beforehand, as if it were just mentioning the weather.

"She's... A little strange." She said to Pyrrha, who looked at Ruby Sustrai with a guarded look. "She's not native to Mistral City, at least... An outlying settlement... I swear I could've..." The surprised look on Pyrrha's face was sudden as it appeared, replaced with one of disgust. "Oh no... She must be Wind Pathian." The look of disgust on Pyrrha's face that followed the surprise was enough. _'What's a Wind Pathian?'_

"Wind Path is a city in Mistral that's known for its loose moral codes. You can get anything there, with enough Lien. My agent has warned me about the people who come from there... It's a bunch of bandits and murderers, apparently." Ruby could feel the hesitation in Pyrrha, her body language having shifted a little to be more guarded than before. _'So what if she's a bandit? Yang's mom is apparently one too, if we can believe Uncle Qrow... So, since Uncle Qrow is a good man, she must be a good woman too... even if dad doesn't seem to think that so very much.'_

"She's still a friend. She's not... She's not the best in her mind, I mean..." She didn't really know how to convey it to Pyrrha, who sighed. "Not being fully about her wits is not an excuse, Ruby." The champion said. "She could've been a murdering bandit who'd killed hundreds..."

"Then why was she admitted to Haven? She's even got a sister! She could've changed her ways!" Ruby Rose wasn't going to lose hope! She'd already lost one friend due to the Grimm, and she would defend the new friend! Weiss was fabulous in her own respect, but friends... those were worth protecting! They'd have Ruby Rose as backup, yes!

' _I'll make sure to save them all! That's what a Huntress does! Swoop in and save the day!'_

* * *

 _Tedious tidings (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

The clicking of her heels on the stone floor was loud, as she guided the Haven student towards the auditorium, where the general meeting would be given. With the news of the death of the Headmaster of Haven Academy, a few decisions had to be made whether to inform the students and what-not. In her personal experience with the man, his style of pandering towards the people who he was supposed to guard against the dangers of the Grimm had not endeared the man much to her.

' _Would we be in a similar situation if Salem came to our doorsteps with an army of Grimm, to seize the Relic?'_ Her body showed none of the signs of her musings as the student that she had fetched joined with her team, hugging the only boy on the team. Her eyes slid over the gathered students, taking a deep breath.

' _The body of Arthur Watts was also found within the hall, torn apart by the killer of Lionheart's hands... A disgraced Atlesian scientist, found within the halls of Haven... Have you really been so merciful, Leonardo?'_ She tapped the small microphone that was attached to the speakers. "Students of Haven Academy."

Her voice boomed with the strength that she held, with the power that her office as deputy to the headmaster granted her, their backs straightening out immediately, as their faces showed the bright attitude that they should have. "As of last night, your headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart, has perished. I have been called upon to inform you of that event and announce that for the foreseeable future, you will be lodging in Beacon Academy, the Vytal Festival, for which you have all earned the right for to participate in the matches to secure glory for your institution." The formal tone was something that she managed, the improvisation of speeches... not so much. _'It sounds like I'm delivering the news, not the gravitas that was expected.'_

The looks on the faces of the students varied. Several of them were a little upset, yet the majority of them seemed not to care. "Services of a licensed therapist are available, as well as grief counselling if it is required. Rest assured that everything will be done to catch the perpetrators of this heinous crime." She stepped off the stage, making her way towards her office, having delivered the message that she had received earlier. With Ozpin out of commission, it fell onto her shoulders to manage the students and their permissions.

A message blinked on the Scroll that had been set aside for her own use for official business. The message was another attempt from the Council to get her support in order to oust Ozpin as the headmaster from the institution. **'The offer is still open. The headmaster position can be yours, if you so wish it. His talents are needed elsewhere, where the good of Vale can be propagated.'**

She pressed the dial button without thinking much, the call connecting through the servers of Beacon, routed immediately through the lines to the receiver. The screen flickered into being, the tired-looking face of the councillor that had been trying to lure her over to the side of those who were entrenched in power. "Professor Goodwitch, what a surprise to see a call from you arrive. Have you given thought to my proposal of earlier?"

She was a woman of principles. To guide students and other Huntsman aspirants into the role of defenders of Humanity. For that principle, she would die. _'There is no right place in the world but at the place where there are students to teach. I, Glynda Goodwitch, have been selected for that task by Professor Ozpin, who has faith in my skills to educate._ ' The smile she put on her face was not friendly in the slightest for her doing, yet it was polite to at least make an effort to communicate a good intention, in the game of sharks and bleeding meat that was politics. "I have, indeed." She said, her eyes looking at the expression the woman's face made, with her eyes scanning for any discrepancies that she could spot. "Your offer is declined, for the time being. Beacon Academy is currently in need of the Headmaster and my own talents can only assert a measure of control."

The politician who she was speaking with, adopted a neutral expression on her face. From some place deep inside her, she could feel a sick sense of amusement, as the woman nodded. "Logical, yes. You have more duties when the headmaster is incapacitated due to a... Fall, was it?"

The scepticism in the woman's voice was great, yet Glynda stuck to the official answer. "A fall brought on by exhaustion, I'm afraid. We are still only human, after all." She knew that toeing the line around politicians was a thing she should do at all times, as their lot was a vicious and unpredictable one, who would suck the joy and life out of any who dared be present around them, without fail.

"I hope that the headmaster recovers swiftly, Professor Goodwitch." The councilwoman's voice was curt and clipped, even as Glynda cleared her throat. "I am calling for a reason, other than denying your generous offer. The Headmaster of Haven Academy has been found murdered within the great hall of Haven, you should have been briefed on that, I presume?" The knowledge had spread from the council of Haven to the other councils, as Leonardo Lionheart was still a member of the Council of Mistral, aside from his position as headmaster.

"I have been. The Huntsman shortage at the time... It has been unfortunate that a great deal of Huntsmen have been on missions beforehand, or we might have caught the perpetrators." Glynda knew that the councilwoman wasn't telling her more than the official stuff that had been told by the council of Mistral, who would be serving their own interests just as much as they would serve the public interest. She knew that with the Council of Mistral, there had always been a mix of the criminal element as well as the legal element, working together when it suited them. "Have there been any leads on who might have caused it? The body of a scientist was found nearby, yes?"

The councilwoman nodded. "I would require a concession from you before I unveil this matter to you. Would you be available for a public appearance in... say, two weeks time?" The offer was no doubt something peppered with a bit of a lure for her to get, the look on the councillor's face not eager, yet Glynda could detect the entertainment in the woman. Checking her schedule for a moment, she knew that there was a good chance that her evening would be free. Ozpin had never fainted in such a fashion before, yet the increased Grimm activity around the world had seemingly been affected by whatever it had been that had disturbed the headmaster. "I will be free then."

Quite a lot of things had been sacrificed for the cause. The private time that she had once had, abolished in order to arrange for the things that needed to be done to keep Amber alive, her own peace of mind, disturbed due to the changes that the Headmaster was making. Her whole body glowed with her Semblance, as she exhaled slowly, the sight of the glow not witnessed by the woman on the screen. "I will see you then... But, do allow me to tell you that the body was confirmed to belong to Doctor Arthur Watts, the mechanist. How he came to be there is still a mystery, as is the identity of the assailant who slew the two men. The current line of thought is that the good doctor worked together with several people in order to obtain... something, and was double-crossed." The councillor was all smiles as she said the polite goodbyes, the connection cutting out, leaving the deputy in her office.

Getting up and walking towards the small bathroom installed in the side room, she let herself gaze in the mirror, looking at her own reflection for a while, as she continued to try to compose what had happened into a logical timeline. As the prime executive of Beacon at this moment due to the Headmaster being incapacitated, she would have to be the one who would direct the order of things. Her fingers brushed through her hair, the wetness of the water that she'd tapped only a moment before smoothing out the strands, refreshing her purpose once again. _'You can do this, Glynda. You're able to take the reins for a day or two, until Ozpin returns.'_

The niggling doubts within her body continued to come, as she walked back to her office, opening up the Scroll once more with a swipe of her fingers over the pad, her eyes looking at the name that she'd not personally called in what seemed to be years. _'The lost hopes of a tin man...'_ The pause was enough for her, as she slid the number towards the call button with a push, the sound of beeping audible, as the Scroll connected through the network, waiting for the one on the other end to pick up.

The image opened up, unveiling a red-haired girl with brilliant green eyes, a green dress and several of the hallmarks of Ironwood's technology, mainly in the wires that came from her back, the eyes looking at her with a boundless curiosity. "Salutations! You have reached the office of General Ironwood, Councillor of Atlas! What can this uni- I, do for you?"The girl made a save, the knowledge of the android technology that Atlas had been developing over the years well-known to her. "Miss Polendina, right?" She queried, her voice sounding a little snappier than it should be. Calling the man was rankling enough, even with the status as it was. "Get me James."

The girl looked at her with eyes that seemed not to comprehend. "This un- I cannot do that, ma'am. Your number is not registered as permitted by the Atlesian Council to receive an audience with General Ironwood. The General is a busy man." The android's adherence to its programming was one of the flaws that Glynda had pointed out more than once. "Penny, allow her through." The voice of James reached her ears, the man's face appearing in the camera's view. His face was half-shaved, the morning hours of Atlas showing clearly that there was no time for the man to really work, the shaving cream left behind on his face indicating the state he was in. "Glynda, it is a pleasure to see you again."

' _And it certainly has not been a pleasure to see you again.'_ She firmed her heart as she looked at the man, taking a deep breath. "The situation with Ozpin, you know of it, right?" The man nodded, his face growing more solemn. "Do we have any indication what caused this? Any sort of attack that She sent?" The wording was obfuscating, due to the android still being present. The man looked beside him. "Stand outside, Penny. Remove all knowledge from your data banks of this conversation, authorisation Ironwood, James, Thirteen Five Sixty-Nine." The android made a buzzing sound, her own breath growing harsh, the numbers holding little significance to others... yet she knew them well.

The date was one of the times that she had been with him in the personal sense of the word, her body fitted to his own. _'Before the metal, there used to be a man.'_ The thought of those moments was like a shadow wrapped in desire, him, a man who was older than her by several years, her, a woman who had just ascended to the level of deputy to the Headmaster, a woman who taught students how to properly be prepared for the real world.

"Authorisation granted. This unit will stand guard, to return when bid by General Ironwood." The mechanical clicking of the internal processor switching to the directives that had been installed into the brain of the android was loud, but she knew well that it worked... sometimes. "It might be Her, yes. Leonardo has been killed and..." She didn't dare voice it out loud, yet she gave a meaningful look. "The egg may have been stolen from the nest." Eyes widening, the General looked at her, a pensive look on his face. "Spring must have aided. Is Fall still with you?"

She nodded, knowing that the Vault would continue to keep her safe within its hall. The machinery that cared for her life would do well to prepare her for the eventual transfer to the next Maiden candidate. _'I cannot access Ozpin's files in his office, but I can try to select a young woman based on her personality.'_ "She is." She said, nothing more needing to be communicated with the other man. His face softened a little, as his hand brushed over the half-shaven chin, the mechanical implant on his brow glistening in the light. "I will be in Vale in two weeks. Escorting our students is the top priority." The man paused, as he seemed to think about something.

"Are you..." He hesitated, his voice turning human for a moment. It was a recollection of emotions, memories and thoughts that welled up, as the stern visage of the man softened up a little, unveiling the flesh below the iron shell he was usually wrapped in. "Are you willing to go out with me for dinner? Just like in the old days?" She felt a cold chill slip through her body, imagining how that date would go. _'First the dinner, then the trip back. He would laugh and make me feel comfortable, like some girl who was with a man she liked, before the regret hits in the morning.'_ Her green eyes were sharp as she looked at him, the sternness of her gaze frosty and collected. "We have the Vytal festival to organize, James." She said, voice resolute. The man nodded, understanding that there was no chance for him.

"Will Oz recover?" The man asked, her eyes closing for a moment, as the possibilities went through her mind. "Regardless of whether he will, I hold the reins of power now. I will let him take them back when he recovers." The man was capable of doing things on his own with the aid of whatever magic he held, yet she did not think that the man would be alright. Whatever had happened, it had knocked the man out straight, without any sort of internal marks left on his body. With there being no physical signs save some bleeding, it was a mystery what had occurred.

The door opened up, her head turning to look at the entrant, finding the subject in question standing there, heavily leaning on his cane. "Glynda." He said. She got up, setting the Scroll on her desk, to offer him her seat. He looked wearier than before, as he sat down, leaving his body to rest for a short period, in order to recoup some strength. "Are you alright, Oz?" The General asked, in his own detached manner. The headmaster's glasses were a little higher up on his face, his eyes looking at the headmaster of Atlas Academy. "Lionheart is dead?" The man said, as he looked at the man's image on the Scroll. "Indeed. Preliminary results of the investigation indicate that he was executed with a Dust round that hit him right in the jaw, exploding with the force needed to completely shatter the cranium and lead to death. We still don't have any knowledge of the Vault, as investigators on site have not detected its entrance yet, as far as I know."

The headmaster's eyes looked a little misty, as he seemed to make an accurate summary of what had happened. It did not conflict with her own information, gathered from multiple sources. "The council of Vale wishes you to assume office beside them, Oz." The man looked up at her with eyes that were curious, yet with the definite hint of something more in them, judging and waiting. "They will be disappointed. Do those findings match with your own, Glynda?"

She nodded, assuming the position of his aide immediately. "According to the councillor that I spoke with, the body of Dr. Arthur Watts was found beside it. Reports indicate androids with Type-Five combat equipment being found nearby." The look on the General's face was sterner, as the knowledge of the Atlesian scientist was connected to his internal files.

"Watts was known for deviance from the standard protocols. Illegal experimentation on Faunus, regrowing limbs and such for inhuman surgical procedures... The man was a menace, yet he went off the grid nearly five years ago." The General's tone was hostile and suspicious, the memory of the man no doubt drawing something out of the ire that he kept contained. "He was one of Her agents, undoubtedly. No man could hide from Atlas' might for long without the aid of Her."

Glynda took a deep breath, as she looked at the Headmaster, who seemed to find something terribly curious. "How would they have breached the Vault, without the Spring Maiden?" He mumbled out loud, the faint hints of wonder in his voice sounding like uncertainty to her mind. "The matrices were all calculated perfectly to resonate with Knowledge, in order to spread..." The man's musing was cut short as he seemed to realize what he was doing, coughing and returning to the order of business. "I will assume my office as Headmaster once again. James, you will be arriving shortly, yes?" The man on the screen nodded.

"Good. The Relic of Knowledge is not in Her hands." Ozpin's voice sounded certain, even as his eyes showed doubt. "It is in the hands of someone else." She sucked in a mouthful of air, even as James' face paled. "But... The relic was protected, right?" The Headmaster remained silent for a while longer, as he looked at the two of them as if weighing what knowledge to share.

"The Relic of Knowledge, as powerful as it is, can only grant the Knowledge to those who wish for it. In terms of power, the Relic of Destruction and Creation as far greater than Knowledge." The man explained, as if it were elementary knowledge, his eyes meeting with hers. "Knowledge though..." The man sighed very deeply, a mournful look on his face. "Knowledge is imperative in order to use Creation. It is one of the crucial things that allows us to gain wisdom from the knowledge that we have accumulated." She could see the tension in his face, as he looked at the General.

"I'll have a replacement for Leonardo ready in a week's time. Marble has been aching for some more direction in her life, so I'll have to offer her some." Glynda nodded, as the choice of Charity Marble was one of the reasonable ones for the office of Headmaster of Haven. The woman had more than a little strict in her actions, having migrated from Haven to Beacon during Glynda's first year. That she was nearly forty-five did not matter much for Glynda. Standards were looser in Mistral, with several trainees being in their early to late twenties. "I will accept the nomination." James said, Glynda feeling a stab of something inside her, yet she knew of her duty to Beacon.

"I will be back at my office in an hour, or thereabouts. I have to arrange for something that will be able to curtail the damage one to the institutions." The General disconnected the call, leaving the Headmaster to sit in her seat, his elbows on the desk that she'd seated herself at, only minutes before. "Glynda..." The man said, her whole body ramrod straight suddenly, as she stepped beside him, his hand reaching out to touch hers. She took it, the feeling of warmth invading her heart as she felt secure and protected once more, with her whole body feeling lighter than a feather. "Have there been any incidents?"

The man's tone was serious, yet with stress lining through it like a cancerous tumour. "None, aside from Mister Wisteria suffering from a penile fracture at the hands of one of Haven's students." There was a pause as the man blinked at the casual mention of that, a raised eyebrow given, begging for a better explanation of that line. "He encountered a student named Ruby Sustrai, sister of team CREM's Emerald Sustrai, who twisted his manhood and tore the spongy tissue, leading to emergency surgery. The young man is expected to make a full recovery in three days time." The headmaster nodded soberly, the man's eyes difficult.

"Has punishment been dispensed?" The question hung in the air for a moment, Glynda shaking her head. "Punishment has not been dispensed, as the news of Leonardo's death was broken to the students. Punishing miss Sustrai would not have any serious effect. Viridian Wisteria is a known lecher and attracted to women of a certain aesthetical beauty, thus responsible for the results of his... 'flirting'." The headmaster gave a light tap to the base of her wrist, leaving her to feel a warmth surge through her whole body at the feeling that suddenly wrapped around her, collecting in the base of her spine and slowly heating her up. It was comfortable, her eyes closing for a moment.

"Ensure that we keep an eye on the teams that come in. We do not know if we are compromised, yet I wish to leave nothing to chance." The headmaster's words were for the best. The warmth wrapped around her mind once more, as she could feel her heartbeat increase a little, feeling like she was twenty-six once more... and knowing that she was desirable still.

'Perhaps it would be right to give James a chance again... Connect and see whether there's still some life in that metal body of his.' She smiled at the headmaster, a smile that would send many students into shock, her green eyes meeting with his own. 'It is good like this. Ozpin will take care of things, I just know it.'

* * *

 _Ardent defence (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The thunderous roar filled the air around him as he turned and ran, hearing the thundering crash of the claws touching the rocky ground, the crunching and crumbling of the ground below its massive feet bringing a deafening sound to his ears. "Hold him off!" He shouted, hearing the faint echo of his voice in the cavernous ravine, as his gaze turned around and saw the behemoth loom there, the whole breadth of its body covered in dark flesh, the bone plates that had grown around its body lending it an armadillo-like plating, from which the fur sprouted, a set of massive spines growing from where its main body moved. On four legs, like a massive tortoise or turtle or something of the sort it moved slowly through the cavernous ravine that they had picked to rouse it from its slumber.

' _Bad idea! Really bad idea!'_ The power inside him felt fractured, even as Summer Rose's voice sounded loudly, a battle cry shouted from her mouth, even as the ancient Grimm roared behind him, the hissing sound of the molten rock that suddenly erupted from the ground a surprise, as he turned around, his staff raised, a shimmering shield wrapping around him, as the heat of molten rock brushed against him, clothing unruffled.

"Make sure to keep it there!" His voice shouted to the women, even as the thunderclap of a Dust rifle sounded, a blazing blossom of flame erupting from its mask, which was one of the most fragile parts of the Grimm body that was exposed at this moment, Esmeralda's rifle already having spent many of the cartridges on the fighting of this creature.

' _Come on, work... Work._ ' Hope would not blossom inside him as he raised the staff, the Aura around him blazing with the energy of his own lifeforce, amplified by the Staff which had as the core a Relic. _**'Focusing Internal Life-Force through the medium. Spellcrafting modus activated, thirteenth activation. Your life-force has combusted, Young Creation. Do you wish to focus your efforts?'**_ The Relic queried, and the blaze in his mind erupted, as it shaped itself from the tip of the staff, the Relic glowing a deep purple colour before the blazing spear of flame shot from the tip, faster than a bullet, slicing through one of the scales and burying itself deep into the hide of the massive monstrosity.

' _Testudo Vehementi.'_

The name had been ancient before She had taken the reins, one of the creations of one of the brother gods that had been crafted with the _Vitae Tenebris_ into the shape of something that its brother had created, the massive tortoise-like creature having been granted several of the boons of the Dark Brother's design. The rumbling of the earth heralded another gout of flame to spout up from the earth, destroying the solid ground on which he stood. _**"FREEZE!"**_ He communicated to the Grimm, the dominion over the Grimm that would make lesser Grimm obey his will failing to react, even as the creature roared, the rumbling of rocks falling enough to warn him of the anger that he had roused.

Spotting Sienna's flip backwards, her new chain whip glowing with her Aura, he could find no solid reason not to attack again. _"_ _ **Focus power through the Relic!"**_ The glow of his staff empowered him once more with courage, as another blazing eruption of primal energy came from the head of the staff. With enough focus, he could vaporize a good city block with a single channel of his magic, yet it had not grown to such a level yet.

"Jaune!" Kali's voice sounded like a loud accompaniment to his thoughts, as she appeared on the Grimm's back, having scaled one of the cliffs, her Katar raised high. "Strike now!" She brought it down on the massive head of the creature, trying to pierce through the scaled bone plates that guarded its mask-like face, its eyes glowing with the remnant of darkness that it had been imbued with. _'Any lesser Grimm would quail in the power that this one holds... Testudo Vehementi is truly one of a kind...'_ The Relic glowed once more, as the blazing flames erupted from the focusing Lamp, the blazing heat washing over his body as he launched the burning spear at its face. Kali raised her weapons, the Katar drove down into the bony plate, even as the body of the creature rocked a little from his last strike, not even phased by the majority of the attacks that they put onto it. It focused solely on him, the power of the Relic of Knowledge like a lure to its attention.

Kali's Katar sank into the flesh below the plates, a bellow coming from the beast's mouth as it moved its head, the plates on its body parting slightly, as a reddish glow pushed its way from the dark flesh below the plates, heat increasing after a second, Kali's Kris raised as well, the Dust in it glowing, as she brought it down into the wound, trying to inflict damage on it. Testudo Vehementi roared, the ground around it quivering, as white-hot steam rose from its body, the maw filled with razor-sharp teeth opening, a baleful glow of crimson sparks coming from the depths of its body. _'Flame element... I should've known that from the eruptions...'_

He cursed himself for a moment. "Get back! We need to come up with a new plan!" He was sure of the success of this mission, as he watched the flames appear from its hide, licking along the plates. Kali was lucky to have leapt off before the beast fully ignited, even as he scanned the surroundings. _'Nothing much that I can use... The two walls of the ravine are too steep to really use with my agility.'_

Out of the five of them, only Kali, Summer and Sienna had the agility to be able to scale cliff walls and other such surfaces. He was rather bound to the ground, with Esmeralda acting as his long-range support. "Jaune? If you want me to, I can get you up close." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding like it held the determination of a woman in it, her eyes blazing with the intellect of a woman who knew her value, her eyes burning with the intent that she felt. She knew well the darkness inside her, and he knew of the darkness within her as well. _'The conversation was over in an instant. Complete acceptance, as long as it would help me... Don't I feel like that bastard now.'_

The loyalty that the Grand Witch held for the Grand Wizard had been near-unbreakable. Those feelings of lust and love that the Grand Witch held for the man... He could hardly fathom them, as she seemed to be such a different person during those times. _'It was their fate, and this woman... She trusts me to lead her towards safety once more. She accepts my corruption because of its power, surely...'_ The thought of someone ever loving him in the way that a woman loved a man was ludicrous. _'Even Pyrrha has been nothing but supportive...'_

He had to admit that the thought of his partner now brought on a complicated and mixed emotion inside him, his whole body brushed with the indignity that he felt all of a sudden at having lost Pyrrha's presence. _'I was supposed to be her partner... And now, undoubtedly, she's got someone as a partner who is worthy to study at Beacon.'_ "Ice will stop it! It's got a flaming breath as well!"

He warned, and as he did so, the flames shot out from the depths of its maw, burning through the ravine. With his staff extended and his aura blazing, a wall of iridescent energy shot up around him and Esmeralda, the flames battering against it, yet not breaking the hold that it had in their defence, their bodies safe from the flame breath.

"Strike it quickly, if you can! It's head is the weakest spot, right under the mask!" He shouldn't have to repeat himself, yet within his body, his Aura stores were rapidly draining, the usage of the Relic consuming ungodly amounts of it, until refinement could have been done on the Relic's powers. _**"Sub-Optimal use of Life Force. Use Vitae Tenebris?"**_ The Relic's voice was heard, and he could only feel the burning sensation spread through his body some more, as he felt the last dregs of his aura sputter, the icicle that he created hovering in front of him. His arm, crafted from the _Vitae Tenebris_ would need to hold the staff in order to unlock its full potential if he were to switch to the _Vitae Tenebris_... But that would be a sacrifice that he would make, gladly, for the benefits that it would afford him down the line. _**"Use it."**_

The icicle in front of him grew in size, a dark ichor covering it like some sort of slimy coating, before it shot out, piercing through the mask and letting the Testudo Vehementi feel the pain that he could cause. Inside his body, the _Vitae Tenebris_ sang, as he pulled on it to use its strength. He could feel the patterns for Grimm appear in his mind, the knowledge that he held being added to by the Relic, its knowledge seeping into his echelons of mind-space, without any stopping. He could feel the Grimm around him, aware of his presence, yet deterred by the Testudo Vehementi's presence, the Grimm creature roaring loudly once more, as its head raised, dark ichorous _Vitae Tenebris_ oozing from the wound that he had caused. Dark amusement flared inside him, as he could feel the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside those around him.

Summer Rose's body was crafted from the _Vitae Tenebris_ without any flaw to it, her whole body moulded according to the shape that she preferred, as her spectre still came from his depths. With her body absorbed, the pool would grow once more inside him... yet her skills would serve the cause he fought for well.

Another icy projectile formed, the wellspring inside him slowly shrinking, as the projectile shot at the Grimm creature, the blazing rush of flame that washed over the ground as it exhaled a long stream of flame being blocked by a barrier that he put into the world in front of him. **"You will not take what I have rightfully obtained!"**

Jaune's voice was darker now, as the red of his eyes peered at the creature of the Grimm, his whole body language changed to something far more aggressive and dark than before. The faint explosion that he could hear in the distance did not herald anything good in his mind, yet he knew that the Testudo Vehementi would not give up until the threat was being neutralized. _'With such a large body, it would require a great deal of effort to squash something like a human... provided that the human wasn't an idiot who went underneath the bone plates of its belly.'_

"Get ready!" He could hear Kali shout, and his next icicle formed even quicker, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside his body slowly draining through the Relic. The divine nature of the Relic allowed the viscous dark liquid to go through without corrupting it, the nature of divinity something special, as it had been the foundation of everything. _'Not a moment later and...'_

He formed the Grimm within his mind, the crude sophistication of his own technique now polished to a shine and improved by the Relic. Several Beowolves the size of a regular Goliath were summoned, immediately roaring defiance against the massive Grimm that they had been summoned to fight against. Jaune's will dominated the minds of the Grimm, blocking out the natural deterrent that Testudo Vehementi emanated like a psychic wave, the Grimm he had created leaping forward and tearing into the bone plates. The facial features of the mask that the Grimm wore hardly changed, as it lifted one of its feet, slamming it down. Jaune's feet quivered, as the ground splintered around him. The creature came ever closer, and he could feel the Relic pulse with more knowledge. _'I know...'_

The report of the rifle was loud, as he looked at the gargantuan creature, its shadow long on the cliff walls, the sun illuminating the darkness slightly, even as flames licked from its scales. The wounds that he had created on the body of the Grimm were enough to distract it a little bit... but the hard part came. "Get me up on its body." He said to Esmeralda, one of her weird platforms appearing. She had been elusive about what it was called, save that it was her Semblance and that she knew how to use it, her father apparently having had the same Semblance. _'It isn't my business.'_

The glowing platform seemed to buzz as he stood on it, the gravity that it controlled pressing him tightly to it, his legs quivering for a moment, before he was launched at the creature, the behemoth roaring loudly once again, a wave of super-heated air meeting him. The Relic in his staff pulsated, a burst of air to dispel the heat around him, leaving him to fly at the creature. The ragged wounds that he saw on its bone-plated hide were enough for him to realize the effect that his team had on the creature, the bone plates generally able to take care of the minor assaults of a Huntsman, without any real investment. _'Regular people would have become barbecue meat by now... There aren't any weapons available that can manifest a shield of nullification around.'_

He landed on its head, the Grimm roaring once more, trying to shake him off. Sweltering heat and craggy bone plates met his sight, even as he looked at the bleeding wounds that Kali had created with her Katar, the spot only a small prick in the massive creature's hide, yet enough to make one worry. This creature was the size of the mountain that supported Mistral city. A massive creature that moved slowly, which held the malevolent will of one of the gods within its very memory. _'The progeny of this creature... It is a lucky thought that it has never spawned anything. With its resistance... It would just move over all opposition and destroy...'_

There was a reason why She had never used the ancient Grimm before. They were notoriously hard to control, without the lure of something that held interest for them. With their strength, they could be used to destroy an entire kingdom with only one of their class present. _'The Wyverns are still manageable... A good cannon could wipe out a Wyvern upon approach, with rounds infused with enough Dust to burst through the outer armour plates into the innards... but that would require luck.'_

The physiology of most Grimm he knew by heart. Their way of moving and their way of animation, it was all information that was stored inside his mind, not a shred of that knowledge out of place. He knew that _Testudo Vehementi_ was one of the eldest Grimm with the lowest threat to them as a team. _'Without anything impeding my effects...'_

The shackles of darkness that had been woven through every Grimm in existence would tie it down without any difficulty, forever forcing it to remain as it was, immutable and unable to grow in anything but experience, unless influenced. For their control, even She would have to divert her whole attention towards the Grimm. _'With my powers and the Relic..._ '

He watched as another blast of radiant flames slammed into the carapace of the Grimm behemoth, the spikes that shot out of its shell looking like they would be annoying to deal with. "Get off its shell! I'm going to try to channel through the Relic!" The warning he shouted was heard, the women getting off the beast and out of the way. With _Testudo Vehementi_ moving as slowly as it did, it would recover from any of the damage that was done to its exterior with enough time, the regenerative properties that it had, boosting its own defence. _'I hope this works…'_

The Relic thrummed with power as he channelled, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him slowly draining, drawn into the darkness that he controlled to fuel the spellcraft that he was forming. The roar of the creature sounded, as its spines seemed to push outward, growing ever greater, the glow of flame-like particles around its mouth, its eyes looking straight at him with a look that was not interested in his survival, the Grimm's massive maw opening and another loud bellow forming.

The fierce powers inside him pushed through the Relic, a white-hot lance of flame shooting outward, a straight beam that pierced through its maw, shooting straight through its insides. _'This isn't enough…'_ The _Testudo Vehementi_ roared loudly once more, the wound that he had carved into its flesh slowly mending, its eyes focusing on him, as he had damaged its perfect shape before, the slow exhale that it made letting the rumbling of the ravine increase.

Below him, the ground cracked and split open, the heated air washing over him. _'We should regroup…'_ The magma that shot up then was enough to sear the flesh from the bones of anyone who did not anticipate it, yet his body moved by reflex, backward and without any sort of hesitation. "Alright! Attack!"

The fight was on, once more.

* * *

The _sagacity of others (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

His shield creaked as it slammed into the body of one of the Grimm, his blade cutting right through the hide of the Beowolf without any issue, the sharpness of the metal guaranteed to last for a while, as he looked at the defensive line that had sprung up, ever since the Grimm had surged. "Defend the line! Let none of them pass us!"

His eyes were weary, as he could see the horde of Grimm advance, his shield clicking into its greatshield form, his eyes watching carefully for the difference in the Grimm assault, the cawing of the Nevermores above giving another hint of danger to the situation, his eyes carefully judging the freshness of the defenders of the settlement. _'It'll be a tough one if they continue to surge… Whatever's gotten into those creatures…'_

His thoughts went to his family, his daughters and wife no doubt safe. A stinging sensation in his heart reminded him of the loss that he felt for the son, squashed without mercy. _'Remember the pills… You need them.'_ The box of pills that'd been locked in a special pocket on his hip would calm the mood he was in. His eyes looked at the Grimm, one of his fellow Huntsmen leaping forward, the massive axe with the fragments of Dust in it glowing, as a Beringel was cleaved in two, his shield moving to block two Alpha Beowolves from passing through. "Got them!" Arsella Blanche shouted from someplace behind him, as the Dust rounds destroyed the consciousness of the Grimm, the dissipating effect on their bodies something that he had no time to study or care for. _'Have to take a pill…'_

"One moment, Arry!" He shouted, planting the shield in the ground, pulling out one of the pills and then swallowing it after mustering the saliva for it, his eyes fiercer, as the calming effect of the pill once more induced the need for tranquillity. _'If I didn't have these…'_ The thought of his eldest daughter came to his mind, as his face turned grim and expressionless, as his shield was jerked from the ground and he slammed it into the side. Half of his face grew stubble, the two days of fighting that had ensued from the sudden stop in the settlement having not allowed him to have any sleep that could invigorate him. _'Emmy, I'll be home a little late…'_

His wife worried about his health, the look on her face never something that would really sit well with him, despite the knowledge he had of the way that she loved him. It was not something that could easily be expressed in words, even as the faces of his daughters came to his mind, his blade, Ferrum Mors, slicing clean through the head of one of the Ursa that came after the Beowolf pack that'd assaulted them. He could feel the blood trickle down his cheek, the strike of one of the Ursa having barely been blocked in time, the swipe adding yet another moment where he could only bear the irritation. _'Another scar, if left untreated… Aura will fix it.'_

He functioned like a machine, his own Semblance working with him to keep the formation clear of any traces of emotion, the machinations of others formed into the perfect tactical plan. _'For the additional benefit…'_ He looked at the defenders, a snap judgment made. Eight Huntsmen to guard a settlement of three hundred…

' _Far too little to actually do much if the assault keeps up like this. We will run out of Dust before we can get them all taken care of.'_

The calculation that he made would allow them to focus their defence for the time being to certain key areas, denying the Grimm the meal that they no doubt had smelled. The food of the Grimm, emotions and emotional responses, was something that would undoubtedly leak from the village, without any sort of interference from a cloaking Semblance. _'Not many people have a Semblance that actually blocks emotions…'_ His own issues were largely hidden from the children, his wife and Ozpin only to know of his flaws. With Heather an outlaw at times, running around the world for her own flow, Rowan's condition and Bianca and Ashley's own technological acumen… it definitely was something that Sage Arc thought a lot about during the expeditions where he had been required to function, despite his issues. _'I'm slowly running out of pills… I'll have to get another dosage made or I'll collapse.'_

His blade cut through the hide of a Boarbatusk as the shield blocked its charge, the jolt of the weight running against his spine's flexibility, even as he pushed the dead Boarbatusk away. "Get me a sniper!" He shouted, the tactically sound method of ensuring a sturdy defence of both ranged as well as melee fighters enough. The exit to the settlement had been built through using the stones from the quarry up ahead, the walls of the city stopping at the natural mountain that had been used to guard the settlement from the dangers around. ' _Without natural borders, Vale would fall without question… The walls would need to be manned all-round the year, and manpower is as much as life can bring…'_ The apprentice system would hardly be of use in this day and age, yet Sage recalled fondly the time when he had been one to an older Huntsman, three weeks out of Beacon.

The bluntness of his emotions now, forced him to work according to the plan. The report of the rifle from behind him and the squawking of the Nevermores, as several of their number were taken down, was enough to bring a jolt of what might be joy to his mind, had he not been under the influence. _'Better shift to the smaller mode, just in case.'_

The button was pressed, the shield slowly switching to its smaller mode, the blade on his sword clicking into place, as the edge widened with the click-hiss of the mechanism. He picked out several of the Grimm, watching them approach with loping gaits, their maws slavering for the blood of the innocent, their eyes holding nothing but death in them, enough to bring the haze of battle down over his eyes, if the control was not as rigid as before. His blade cut through one of their necks, as his shield moved with a thrust to block the massive form of the other Beowolf, the creatures of the Grimm in greater amounts than before, even as he watched the Grimm freeze, their movements awkward and haltering, as if they held a communal instinct of some sort, their eyes looking clouded for a moment, the one that resisted against his shield whimpering, as the blade cut through its head without any issue, the dark vapours that came from the bodies of the Grimm wrapping around him like a shroud.

"Sage! Watch out!" Someone shouted and he turned around, seeing one of the Beringels that'd been left for the right flank to take care of barreling towards him, the sight of one of his comrades laying a few meters away, neck in an angle that seemed to be counterproductive to actually breathing. _'Another one out of the running permanently. Adjustments have to be made to account for our battle strength.'_

His blade moved with an accuracy that was aided by the clear state of his mind, his shield catching one of the massive arms of the Beringel and his blade cut through it with little effort, Aura-infused muscles blocking the stress of a night and day of fighting, as he continued onwards with the rational chain of events.

A push with the shield and a swift stab under the mask, shattering the Grimm bone below the flesh and then tearing the blade loose, dispersing its life-force. As the Grimm dissipated, he could feel the strain on his flesh lessen, his shield dropping to the ground as the tide of Grimm waned, his eyes picking out several of the creatures turning and running instead of coming to the assault and trying to test their defence. _'They will attack if they see weakness… So there must be something that is distracting them from doing so…'_ The conclusion he reached was enough to push him to straighten out his stance and to assess the defenders of the town, seeing most of them in the positions that they'd taken. _'They are going to be the front line…'_

He could only hope that they would be able to meet the next tide of Grimm with fresh faces, as his gaze drew to the watch on his arm, the time reading clearly that it had been near three days since he had started the counting of time. _'Three days… I guess it's sleep time soon.'_

"We done, Sage?" One of his fellow Huntsmen asked, the Mohawk with the additional technological baubles that he sported lighting up like some luminous organ, the man's eyes looking at the Grimm. "Watch for a while, check whether they're coming back to mop us up." Sage's voice was resolute, even as his body righted again. "Rest up as much as you can."

He did not know whether there would be relief anytime soon, but one of the things that was apparent now, was that the Grimm had gone crazy. _'Something out of the ordinary like this has to be reported on.'_

It was then that he noticed that, below the watch that he wore, there was only broken bone and torn flesh, blood gushing out of the wounded flesh. He turned his head to his fellow Huntsmen. "I need a medic here." The broken shards of what had been his hand still gripped the shield, even as he sighed, the pain only dulled by the medication that he had taken. _'Let's hope that the medics will be able to get my arm back in fighting form.'_

* * *

 _The descent of shadows (Jaune Arc.)_

* * *

The darkness that blanketed the land was nothing to him as the Dust round blazed on the skin of the _Testudo Vehementi,_ ichors oozing from the gaping wounds that had been torn into its hide, the massive beast moving sluggishly, with noticeable difficulty. The Relic in the staff that he had crafted glowed white-hot with the energy, as the last dregs of _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him ignited, a searing flash of heat impacting against the outer shell of the Grimm once again.

"It's nearly down!" He warned, Summer's body rising high in the sky, swords flickering in the shattered moon's light, as she brought it down onto the head of the massive Grimm, the bone-white mask tearing under the assault, as Kali slid herself into the same place through the use of her shadowy clone, who braced itself against one of the holes in its hide, his whole body aching from the amount of _Vitae Tenebris_ that he had spent. _'If I did not have the Relic to purify it, I would have been dead long ago.'_

He could see Sienna's body move like an agile serpent, the whip's metal links blazing with flame dust, the sizzling of flesh that had been animated by the _Vitae Tenebris_ louder in the air, as his eyes blazed with that hope that they would be able to down the creature. _'With its Vitae Tenebris, I can grow in strength… I can help them.'_ The situation with Kali and Summer and Sienna was worrying to him, the darkness inside Kali the most malign, yet without the ability to work it on a larger scale, his own manipulation would only spell the demise of the Faunus woman. _'I would not want Blake to become an orphan. Kali is such a nice woman…'_ The hope that he felt for her was perhaps a childish version of that idealism that he had tried so hard to keep a hold of, watching how Esmeralda's rifle once more sounded like the crack of thunder, a blistering sound of flesh cracking and crumbling as the Ice dust tore off a large chunk of its flesh. _'If I had to give it a health bar… It'd be at 1% or something like that…'_

This was not a game, sadly. With its health at such a low level, it was still perfectly capable of wiping out a Huntsman team. Only through his usage of the Relic, did the greater impulses of the creature get nullified, the whole breadth of the ravine in which they were fighting the gargantuan creature under the spell of dampening, as he had crafted it beforehand. _'I have to replenish soon… Even if it's just half of my supplies…'_

"Jaune!" Esmeralda's voice sounded urgent, as he looked at her direction, the woman looking grave. "I'm all out." That would mean that she would have to start getting into melee range, which was far from optimal. _'Can I do another burst of energy?'_ He wondered, even with his strength currently as it was, trying to flag himself down to such a level where he could be able to ensure the safety of his fellows. _'I think I…'_

The Relic in the staff responded with an affirmative, even as suddenly, a hand grabbed a hold of him from behind, pulling him closer and then feeling a woman's lips on his skin. "Take the darkness inside me and use it." He could hear her whisper, and felt how the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her continued to roil and bubble like an eternal sea that had been founded upon a small droplet of salty water… yet it was foul and corruptive. With the Relic, he took only what he thought he could, as she connected with him, her skin to skin contact enough for him to leech it out of her through her mouth, the woman's hair in his side, as he grabbed a hold of the staff and then blazed. A fierce ray of energy particles in a mauve colour appeared, shooting right through _Testuda Vehementi'_ s massive form, the Grimm slowly sinking to its knees, the wound something that he could only judge as lethal. _**"You…"**_

The voice of the creature was a laborious sound, the rumbling and growling of a thousand mountains being ground together in one massive cataclysm, as it looked at him, one eye socket burst open, the lava-like bloody sludge that oozed from the cavity making a trail slide down its eye. " _ **You have bested me… I…"**_ The creature looked at the skies with its single remaining eye, as if pleading for something. _**"Father… I have tried to do as you had asked… Did I do right?"**_ The creature asked, as its gaze lingered upon the starry sky, the sudden rush of something invading his consciousness being a novel experience, as the creature's massive eye looked down at him and his companions again.

" _ **Little creatures, borne of my father's brother and my father's whim… I do not hate you for slaying my body."**_ The voice bellowed with the sound of a hundred horns, as it spoke directly to them, slow vaporous exhales coming from the rents that had been torn in its bony armour, the creature's eye meeting with his own. _'Is it… apologizing?'_

The thought of a Grimm apologizing would be something that would be considered ludicrous, even by those who would imagine the Grimm to be misunderstood creatures, _Testudo Vehementi_ looking at him for a while. _**"Young creature, bearer of the sparkling Gem of my father… You are not like the Grand Witch."**_ He could see the looks that Kali and Sienna shared, and felt how Esmeralda's finger gently ran through his hair.

" **My name is Jaune Arc."**

He didn't know why he announced his name so boldly to the massive Grimm, yet its eye focused on him, as the maw opened once more and the sound of its speech came out. _**"I have but moments more to live, Jaune Arc. You have adequately worked together with the Gem to ensure my demise. I hate you not for it, for it is the law of strength that affects me, as it does to you. The grand plan… It used to be so uncomplicated, all these aeons."**_ The words of the creature were ancient, as he could feel the tingling hints of the memories of the Grand Witch invade his mind, the assumptions that she had drawn once the power of the Grimm rested within her physical shell something that could only be inferred from his reading of her memories. _'Her thoughts… they were a jumble, undoubtedly due to the power that coursed through her once upon a time.'_

" _ **My brothers… You will hunt them, yes?"**_ The question came from the massive creature as it looked at him, Summer's sharp inhale something that he could only file away as slightly important. _'It is likely.'_ **"I will. Their power will be required in order to fight against the Grand Wizard and the Grand Witch."**

Its laugh, like the slowly crumbling palace of ancient Mistralian legend, rumbled, as the gargantuan eye looked at him. **"Power… It is not everything that one would need, yet it will help you, little Gemling. Will you take up your weapons and fight for our father's brother's cause, or will you fight for our father's dream of silence?"**

The question hung in the air for a while, as he puzzled about its meaning. 'Would I be doing the work of the brother gods for them, if I answered? I could answer with an answer that would soothe the dark brother's path, or I could be the hero that I have always wanted to be… And pick the light brother.' He looked indecisive, as his face puzzled for the reason. He looked at the ancient creature as its sole remaining eye peered at him, its breath a hot gust of air, ruffling his hair. **"Whatever you pick, Gemling… No, Jaune Arc… Whatever your cause may be… Remember… The Vitae Tenebris inside us makes us closer than brethren, as kin. You know it, Jaune Arc. You know what you will do, even if you deny it to yourself."**

As the gargantuan creature exhaled, Jaune stepped forward, placing his _Vitae Tenebris-_ infused hand against the faux scaled beak that it had, feeling the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside the body of the Grimm pulse and throb. As the animating essence finally faded, he could feel himself be wrapped into the heat of a molten star, forged into something that held shape.

 _Anger. Fear. Hatred. Prejudice. Terror._ A single round globe unveiled before his eyes. A mere infant, pressed upon the rapidly cooling slab of stone, the singular presence of the Father around, to guide and protect. His siblings, wrapped within their own cooling shells, different from him and yet, similar. The presence of others who were like him, yet not like him, as the one who was not his father peered at him, a look of enjoyment on his face, as the creatures that populated the world grew in number. He could feel their awe-riddled stares as he plodded by, only the faintest essence of fear that he felt from them picked up.

The command to strike against those small and fragile creatures with all the wrath that he could muster had been heeded without any issue, only the faintest trace of regret ruthlessly squashed. With his brothers, it was but a pittance for those frail 'humans' to be crushed below the eruptions of the earth, the tension in the crust coaxed by his will, his massive form coated in the thickest of plates, to grant the greatest boon of defence to his form. _'These people are not like us… They must be annihilated.'_

The world was but a field for him, as he plodded along, the ancient rule set out by the father heeded to the limits of its demand, the contract that had been forged between them as a binding agreement. Around the world, he could sense his siblings, lording over their stretch of the world, uncaring of the death that they visited. With his own plodding speed and the large landmass to cover, it was only once every year or so that he found a trace of the human occupation, the blood that crusted on his feet washed off in the rivers and through the rainfall during the wet season.

' _The order must be fulfilled.'_ The words of his father ruled his thoughts, even as the presence of humanity once more became prominent and the thoughts were aligned to the strata that would be comprehensible, even to his kind. With his own body… what was there to fear?

The tendrils of the woman who went by 'Grand Witch' as a title, were a surprise for but a moment. The communication between the woman and himself was hesitant, her question for his aid denied flatly, as the task that had been given had not been completed yet. With the brutal efficiency of the power that resided inside him, he rebuffed her attempt to assume dominance.

It was a pity that her strength laid greatly in the amount of power that accumulated within her lands. The northern place had been inhospitable for years, and so he moved, towards the eastern lands, taking in the flames of an active volcano in order to burn away all opposition. With fire and water, it ruled supreme, unchallenged for millennia, until this moment.

A singular eye peered down at the young man wielding the Gem of the Gods, standing there with a woman in his arm, her lips still pressed against him, the throb of power through his body slowly fading. The last gift could be granted, a boon that would be something worthy of the one who had beaten him and destroyed any option for reconciliation with supreme powers.

Jaune could feel the flow of water within him surge, as the power to manipulate water rose inside him, a torrent within him surging up, yet contained only by the power of the Relic. He could feel his mind snapping back to his own body as the gargantuan creature breathed its last breath, the strange gift that he had been given bringing him only a worried sense, as the deep spark from within the Relic seemed to light up. _**'Control of power: Aqua. Obtained from: The Third Born. Useable?: N. Seal? Y. Accessing Storage.'**_

The information that the Relic gave him, comforted him, even as the sudden rush of power blindsided him. One moment, he was empty… the next, he was full. More _Vitae Tenebris_ flowed inside him than before, filling all the reserves that he could have built up to the brim and overflowing, an aberrant feeling wrapping around him, turning his will into something more fleeting than the merest fancy. _'The power… It's too much.'_

His eyes fell on Kali, as he beckoned her to come closer. _'This will probably be something that'll endanger her, but I have to do this.'_ She moved, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her twitching and turning, even as he could feel the matrix of the world shift, and the raw power touched his flesh once more, as he did what he thought best. She reached him, and his hand touched her body for a moment.

The soul of Kali Belladonna, once pristine and without any meddling of the darkness that he contained inside him, was now within his grip. Unseen to the eyes of the others, yet perfectly clear to him. He could feel the essence of the woman that was Kali Belladonna, the purity of her thoughts and the corruption that had already wreaked havoc throughout her whole self, as well as the divergence of the bloodline that had created the Faunus. Every little fragment that was Kali Belladonna, was before him, the knowledge of the Relic adding parts to the theories that flitted through his mind like butterflies, before the power grew too much, and his reservoirs stretched, as he fed the power into her body, to syphon it from the Grimm body and purify it through his body as a sieve, the foul impurities remaining inside him, whilst the power inside Kali grew.

Outwardly, it was a startling change to the onlookers. Years seemed to fade away as if they had been mere snowflakes on a hot stove, the years slowly rewinding to a point where the woman was in the prime of her life, her eyes bold and fierce, glowing with an amber glow that seemed to resonate, as the body seemed to be primed and ready for the bounty that he was to unload upon her. _'I have to do this… I can't hold on otherwise.'_

The power that flowed from him into her was something that he could only handle briefly, the purified _Vitae Tenebris_ like a perfect ink stain, darkening the soul that had been once pristine. The cracks in the psyche that he saw, he filled. Her body would be as it should be. The Semblance of shadows that he encountered seemed to embrace the darkness, as he could feel the presence of Kali nestle itself into his mind. _"Jaune?"_ Her voice was mental, as she communicated with him. Only through the preservation instincts, did she not combust, his own powers stretching out, as the darkness inside him seemed to flow and the power from the _Testudo Vehementi_ finally ceased.

" _Yes?"_ He replied back, and the trickle of power between them seemed to snap. She moved from him immediately, her eyes wide, as her lips opened and closed a few times. "You…" Her voice sounded louder, more girlish, younger in the respect that it had lost the mature tone of a mother who was in her later years of fertility, the lines on her face a little softer, even as her hair hung from her head down to her buttocks, her eyes looking at him with an indecipherable expression.

' _I've done it… My first Acolyte, Kali… Let's hope she doesn't blast me with lightning or something.'_

* * *

 _The shadow cat (Kali Belladonna.)_

* * *

Her whole body felt like it was doused in an icy bath, wrapped into the shape of him. The power that flooded her body was different from the Aura that he had awakened within her soul, the Semblance that she had obtained from the depth of her soul singing in joy. _**"Finally, we will be able to be whole!"**_

The words made little sense, even as she could feel the tingle go up and down her spine, working to instil within her the power that she could feel within him, Jaune's whole body lighting up with the strength that he had obtained only through the defeat of the massive Grimm, sharing it with her in an equal measure, as if she were special. _'Ghira, what would you think of this…'_

Her husband's shape appeared before her eyes as she closed them, the exultation in her very soul as the darkness wrapped through her whole being like clingy glue, the image of her husband fading slowly, replaced with that of Jaune, only for a moment, her husband's voice rumbling in her ear, the comforting sound of it bringing her great peace. _"No matter what you are and how you look, I will still love you forever."_ The words were spoken nearly nineteen years before, the small ceremony having put them on the books as husband and wife, the first tryst of their youthful days having been sullied due to an intervention from the official peacekeepers, the embarrassment on her husband's face as they had to dress swiftly due to the Grimm swarming around the village walls something that she would forever remember.

She looked at the young man, feeling his touch recede from her soul and body, a wholesome sensation worming its way into her heart, as she could feel her Semblance sing the praises for this man. She could pick out the small twitches on his face, the slight peculiarity of his scent that was both human as well as not human. "You…" Her whole dimensions felt different, as the tightness in her chest seemed to be even greater, the heaviness of her body feeling somehow less than before, as she let her gaze watch clearly the young man before her, as her eyes sparkled with barely veiled interest. _**"What harm is there, Kali?"**_ The shadowy doppelganger spoke, as if it were completely normal for her to speak. She felt in control again, as the darkness of her emotions slowly quietened, under her own control.

" _ **Thank your lord and master… You know…"**_ Whatever her Semblance said next, she did not recall, though the suggestion would be considered awfully crude, yet she could see the truth in that manner. _'I am a woman of a certain age, without a husband…. And I feel great. White… She's always going to be waiting if she's letting destiny take its course. Husband…'_ She thought back to the man who she had been wed to for such a long while, her whole body thrumming with the power that Jaune had sent through her body and soul. _'With this power, Ghira… I could have saved you.'_

Flashbacks to those moments when she had been protected by her husband, who had done all that he could to remain with his family as High Leader of the White Fang, who had fought for their safety, whilst trying to foster cooperation with the humans who scorned them and derided them for simply being born as they had been.

' _You would have liked this young man, Ghira._ ' Her thoughts were saner now, as the affirmation of power inside her seemed to have pushed into place those few thoughts that had been the moment of truth for her awakening, her whole body feeling like it had been born anew. Power surged from her fingertips, the shadows around her like a physical realm, at her disposal whenever she wished. _'You would have been a friend to him…'_ The twitch inside her body seemed to be strange to her, as she felt a shudder go from the depths of her body to her spine and then travelling upward. _'Ghira…'_ Loss flashed through her as she looked at the young man, whose face held a difficult to read expression.

Stretching slowly, she allowed herself a little smile before she reached out and gave him a light peck to his cheek. "Thank you for that." She said, her voice light as she felt the tingle again, the power that he radiated making her feel like she was twenty again, her fingers feeling a little numb with a sudden crash of endorphins blowing through her system.

She turned to White, seeing the woman for the first time since this… change. The darkness that ran through her body was like a throbbing and pulsating vein, the fear that ran rampant through her interior not showing on the frosty-looking outside of her. No matter the hair colour, the look in the woman's eyes was one of challenge, one which aroused the darkness inside her and made her feel the flash of power rise up inside her, as the shadows wrapped around her physical form and she felt for the first time her body pushing towards a space that she had not occupied before, a dissolving effect on her whole shape and her body appearing from the shadows once more, without any feeling of stress associated with it, watching the others stand there, nearly three hundred meters away. She could feel the shudder of the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her, controlled by her own will and her power and the serenity that fell onto her was like a cloak of calm, as she inhaled and slowly exhaled once more.

This new evolution of her powers of her Semblance… She can work with this. She would have to if she wanted to see her daughter safe. The nexus of her powers, the focus through which she was empowered… it was all within her sight, the radiance that he gave off like a pulsating beacon in the distance, his warmth and power attracting her.

She appeared from the shadows, looking at him with a look that held respect, her hand tapping lightly on her hip. "Jaune." Her voice sounded lighter than she remembered it, his eyes looking at her with surprise. "That wasn't the intention…"He mumbled, seemingly surprised by something that had happened.

Her power stretched out like a muscle that had long-since been unused, her whole body clad in shadows with but a thought, the darkness that housed itself within her singing, as the dark blood pulsated through her veins, infused with the powers that he had granted her. _'If there is such a thing as gratitude, he has earned it.'_

Her thoughts were of her husband and of her daughter. The daughter that she had carried in her womb for nine and a half months, an early birth, by Faunus standards. Raising the young girl into the young woman that she had become, until she had been taken from her by the militant zeal that the White Fang espoused these days. _'You will help me reunite with my daughter, Jaune Arc.'_ The conclusion was simple, even as her gaze swept to the others present. Summer's face looked dour, the flash of brilliant silver making Kali's body flinch, the bright and radiant ray of light that emanated from the eyes of the woman bringing her thoughts to a halt, primal terror suddenly rising in her mind, as she looked into those silver eyes of the woman.

Her gaze slid away, to Esmeralda, who looked uncomfortable, Sienna's ears flattened to her head. "Kali! Stop it!" The pained sound of Sienna's voice was enough to make her halt… whatever she was doing. Sienna's breathing grew harsher, her hand brushing through her hair, the sweat that'd covered the woman's body sudden and smelling of fear. "Whatever he has done to you… Your fear effect is even stronger."

Jaune stepped forwards then, as he cleared his throat. Kali thought that he looked particularly apologetic as if he had done something wrong, like eating cookies from the cookie jar when it wasn't allowed. "Kali…"He seemed to be getting his courage up to say something, the placid smile on her lips all that she could give in this moment. "I'm sorry, but…" She laid a hand on his hand. "Whatever you did… I feel great." The tingling in her body increased to a pleasant buzzing, as her whole blood sang to the tune of his rhythm, just touching him sending waves of appreciation and happiness through her mind.

"I… I made you an Acolyte." He said, getting the crucial bit out in time, a guilty look in his eyes, his mismatched eyes showing his great regret that this had happened. She could feel the mingling emotions inside him, a neat side-effect of… whatever he did. "I didn't think that it'd be like this, but… I am sorry." Kali's eyes met with his own, her golden yellow eyes meeting his for the longest of times, before she slowly relaxed a little, her whole body feeling like it had arrived back at that point which could be called 'Home'. "Whatever that is… I feel good. You've done something to help me with…"

He spoke, without stopping to consider whether it was appropriate. "I messed with your soul, Kali…"His voice sounded disturbed, the sharp inhale of Sienna's coming as a startling thing, his eyes looking at her. "I separated the conflicting emotions and made you whole… and by that very process, bound the elements of power inside you in a shape that you can manipulate."

Summer spoke up then. "You have made her a Maiden. A vessel of power that has been infused with the strength of the Wizard." The explanation didn't mean much to her, but the tale of the maidens of the seasons rose to her mind. "Like that old fairytale about the wizard and the maidens?"

Kali was not terribly up to date with some of the things that happened in the world, courtesy of the fact that in Menagerie, news always took some time to propagate to their slice of the world. The tale of the seasons and the maidens had been one of Blake's least-liked stories, always asking whether there was a Faunus maiden amongst them. _'I don't know, but you can imagine that there'd be one, little Blake.'_

"The very same. The wizard…" Summer seemed to be conflicted, whether she should tell the story or not, her eyes looking down, Kali reading the emotions through the link that she had with Jaune, her whole body lighting up with power as the darkness inside her trembled. _**"You should invest in something a little more… Exposing."**_ The dark shape of her semblance whispered in her ear, a living creature that seemed to wrap around her innards, contained within her, yet with the care for her well-being.

"The wizard gave his powers to four women, below the age of thirty. Why it was thirty… I don't know." The helpless look on Summer's face was enough, even as Summer sighed deeply. "The Relics were guarded in the four Academies on Beacon. You need a Maiden to open the vault."

Jaune spoke up then, as if it were his cue. Kali suppressed a smile, as she saw him ache to correct Summer. "Actually, if you know the proper runic signature, you can emulate the efforts and unlock it through that method. It's standard wizardry, yet the domain one holds in those arts is determined by Aura. An acolyte infused with the corresponding spell matrix would suffice if one were to be located." Summer's gaze at Jaune was hard to imagine, the look of suspicion on her face something that she could not wipe away before Kali's eyes. Jaune seemed oblivious to it.

' _If I have to ensure the safety of him… I'll have to…'_ Her weapons felt like they would be insufficient, her eyes going to Sienna for a moment. She shifted her stance a little, a gesture made with her fingers that would convey to Sienna that they would have to have a chat later on. **"** _ **The Master is to be protected at all costs…"**_ The shadow inside her murmured, and Jaune sighed. "It's like this… That guy with the robots that we fought in Haven, yeah… He's one of the Acolytes of the Grand Witch." His eyes flickered nervously around, to search for something that would allow them to have a momentary distraction. _'He is obviously nervous about something.'_

"So? We'll still be beating them up whenever we encounter them! We've got you!" The cheerful voice of White seemed to add yet another spark of hope, even as Jaune sighed, his face complicated. "You should not glorify me like that… I'm just… I'm not…" Kali felt for the young man, his doubt clearly written on his face. _'You don't believe that you're someone worthy of our respect…'_

She looked at him and wrapped him in a hug, her arms feeling remarkably strong, as he let her, seemingly caught unaware. "Don't you think like that, Jaune. You're someone who has a strong connection to all of us. We were all strangers, before we met… Didn't you say that strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet? We're all friends here." Her eyes met with Sienna's, the orange eyes of her friend meeting her own, as she motioned for the others to come closer. Only White seemed to be getting the hint, appearing at his side immediately and hugging him.

"I believe in you." The words were honest and blunt, laced with nothing but the hard truth, with her friend's emotions running over, her emotions showing the warmth that she felt for the young man that was in their grip.

"But… I ruin everything. I couldn't even get the _Vitae Tenebris_ out and now…" He sounded like he was close to giving up, Kali's heart bleeding a little at the thought of the young man giving up. "You've made me feel better. Isn't that a reward in its own right? You should look at the upside… I feel like I can challenge the world. I feel like I'm a teen again!" The tone of her excited voice seemed to have no difference to her ears, yet it was White who pulled out a small compact mirror from a pocket in her outfit, handing it to her.

"You should look at yourself." Holding the mirror up to her face, she could see the lines of age having faded away, her own sharp eyes looking back at her, the expression on her face definitely curious, and with the additional benefit of her hair being long once again… _'Hmm, I haven't had it this long since I was in my twenties…'_ She looked fifteen years younger, at the very least. _'Blake and I could pass for twins if we dress the same… I hope she hasn't grown in cup size since she left… That would be a shame. We can go shopping together for clothes, once we're back together. Yes, that would be nice to do! Clothes shopping with my little Blake. Ghira would have…'_

Thoughts of her husband sent a surge of emotions through her again, raw and untamed. The equilibrium of emotional highs and lows seemed to have been restored, her whole body giving a shudder, as she realized that she looked like she was young once more. _'This is like… the clock being reset.'_ The time with her husband, a loving affair that had culminated in a daughter who had been the light of their life…

' _No…'_ She felt the loss of her husband, as she started to sob, holding on to Jaune like a lifeline. His presence stabilized her emotions, as she felt the comfort within him, the guidance that he seemed to give to her by just being present in her general vicinity. _'Ghira… You'll never get to see my beautiful young face again.'_ The emotions surged, as the tears flowed from her eyes.

The memories would remain with her forever. The love she had for her husband would never fade. He had been the sun, as she had been the moon. Their daughter was Remnant, and they alternated. His fiery anger at some points, with her social tendency to intrude and calm down those moments. _'I miss you, my husband.'_ She could not stop the tears from coming, as she straightened out, her whole body feeling the shudders. Jaune's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, the similarity to her husband noticed, and she allowed it. It was comforting and familiar to have a man's hand on her, similar to the times when she had still been with her husband… only two months before. _'Oh, my darling Ghira… Would you be upset with me for accepting this power?'_

" _ **He wants you to live your life, happy and free."**_ The darkness inside her purred, the face that it held that of her own, older self. She could feel the burning within her, as her body seemed to shift a little, the shadows wrapping around her, her facial features changing before the eye of the mirror, the shade of skin a little tint darker, even as she could still make out the new features below the skin. _**"He would want you to find love once more, Kali… You know well your own innermost feelings… You have spoken about it, before."**_

The conversation had been a tough one, his travels bringing him in contact with unsavoury sorts of people all the time. They had conveyed that once upon a misty morning, when his words had been full of love. _'To find love once more, once one of our flames is extinguished… To remember the light of our love forever, yet to never let that burning flame of love within you extinguish…'_

Her mind slid to those phantoms of memory, slowly exhaling.

' _I love you, Ghira Belladonna, my husband. I will never forget what love we had between us.'_

* * *

 **The first of the ancient Grimm has fallen! (And before someone goes and points out 'PLOT HOLE, PLOT HOLE!' the reason for its demise has to do with the Relic.) Kali Belladonna is now a Maiden! (With additional face-lift.) Jaune struggles with his nature and his goals. Kali… yeah, she's got some more steps to take on her journey to recovery.**

 **Ozpin File 003627, from the main server at Beacon**

 **Name: Rose, Summer**  
 **Age: 24**  
 **Status: DECEASED/MISSING IN ACTION**  
 **Semblance: Unknown, not unlocked**  
 **Aura: Unlocked, A-rank**  
 **Hunter Ranking: S+**  
 **Partner: Branwen, Raven.**  
 **Team: STRQ(STARK)**

 _ **Bio: Entering the combat school at age seven, Rose, Summer has**_ **managed to consistently score highly in tests requiring teamwork and reasoning skills. Rose, Summer has also managed to score high evaluation on the ranking of possible operatives for Type-S missions, stimulating her advancement through the rankings of Huntsmen.**

 **Rose, Summer shows great critical ability to make judgments on perceived faults within enemy movement and has been known to follow orders to the letter, with interpretation of said orders often varying in the measure of which the execution is performed. Together with Branwen, Raven the ranking of S++ can be obtained due to in-depth communication with Branwen, Raven.**

 **Personality: Warm and friendly towards people who she considers to be aligned with her interests, increasing to a zealous need to defend the innocent when under circumstantial pressure, with the ability to switch to an objective-focused personality when it is required under mission parameters. Rose, Summer has the ability to decisively shut her emotions off until the mission is completed, yet with increased emotional fragility afterwards, according to testimony by Xiao-Long,** **Taiyang.**

 **Last mission: Eradication of Grimm near Beigenholm. Suspected Geist and Beringel presence. Rose, Summer has been missing ever since, presumed dead.**

 **Addendum: Has procreated with Xiao-Long,** **Taiyang** **. One offspring, Rose, Ruby. Slayer Project candidate? Refer to file 0057-BDP for** **hypothesis.**

 **There's the file on Summer Rose, dated around 14 years before the current era. The next chapter will have another file, from another member of the main cast of characters!**

 **If you've liked the chapter, leave a review! I always enjoy the sight of people's opinions (even with some people being very passionate about it.)**


	25. Catatonia

**Chapter 25:Catatonia**

 **A new chapter, a new opportunity to come and ensure that you get your bi-monthly A Grimm Tale fix! I thank everyone for sticking to the story for 25 chapters! On to the next 25!**

* * *

 _The morning dawns (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He slowly roused himself from his slumber, the spectres of his memory still remaining in the forefront of his mind, his eyes opening to the sight of the skies above him, the blue stretching out as the sun's rays illuminated the world once more, the night's events having been exhaustive in his eyes. _'My whole body, it feels like I'm…'_ Muscles ached, his whole body feeling like it had been hit with a sledgehammer in multiple places, the damage that had been done to his internal organs not too hindering in his motion, even as he noticed that he was not alone in the sleeping bag. Curled up against him was Kali, whose head laid on his chest, a shadowy spectre of her standing at his side, looking like a vigilant guardian, waiting for anything to come and disturb him.

He could see that Esmeralda had already been awake, her eyes looking at him with a look that seemed to hold envy and some other emotions that were too much of a jumble for him to discern, the emanations of emotion from Kali strong, due to proximity. A pleasant dream she seemed to have, from the joyful little sounds she made, the face that she had right now so much akin to Blake's that it was hard not to see her as the daughter of this woman. The bamboo that grew around them was a good natural shelter, the Grimm that lurked around these parts not easily going through it due to its density. His eyes wandered back to Kali, as the shadows of their surroundings covered her partially.

' _The power that I have given her…'_ She seemed to have a moment where her body seemed to shudder, her eyes opening up slowly with a smirk playing on her lips. "Having naughty thoughts about a poor widowed woman like me, Jaune?" She teased, her voice sounding much calmer and reasonable, as her hand ran through her mane of hair, her ears twitching slightly, the studs that had been put in there moving slightly, her eyes shining like gold. _'Does she do it consciously, or is it subconscious?'_

She yawned, flashing a set of teeth that were meant to tear at flesh, the large canines definitely belonging to a cat, her eyes meeting his own, mouth closing once more and regular teeth appearing to be within her mouth. _"Did I just… see that?'_ The giggle on her face was enough for him, as she continually

"N-no. I mean, who wo-" He halted his sentence before he would say something out of line that'd offend her. A pulse of the _Vitae Tenebris_ through her body showed her amusement as she got up, sensually swaying her body as she approached him. "Such an easy boy to tease..." Her finger brushed over his chin, the audible growl that came from the throat of one of the other women breaking the sudden stillness that had fallen. _'Was that Esmeralda?'_

"Kali, you can't..."The gaze that swept from Kali's eyes was enough to make the shadows darken, the woman's eyes holding a fierceness that seemed to bring with it a new dynamic in the relations that were held by the people there. Only Summer seemed to hold no reaction to the effect, even as Sienna shot up to her feet, her eyes wide, Esmeralda's face showing horror as terror forced its way through her body, forcing her shudders to cease through sheer force of will.

" **Stop that."** His voice was commanding, the effect immediately ceasing, the Vitae Tenebris that welled up from the core of her being calming down immediately. Kali looked surprised, as her eyebrows rose a little. "Your... little trick is a bother." Summer said, her voice sounding grimmer than before. Summer's silver eyes looked at him, the frown on her face something that had been present for as long as he'd been awake, her eyes looking straight at Kali with no hidden emotions, simply judging her with a stare.

"Can you, please... not do that?" Sienna muttered, uncomfortably looking down at her legs, the faint brush of her thighs together enough to clue him in what had happened. _'The effect seems to be even stronger now that she's assimilated some of my powers...'_ The Acolytes that he knew of, would be able to channel some of the strength of their master, the focus that they had inside their bodies allowing him to tap from another well, should it be needed. _'One extra storage...'_ The link between the two of them was stable and without any variation in the power output.

' _With his system...'_ The power of the acolytes depended on how well versed the magician was who empowered them. _'It would require a graduate to ensure that the power returns where it has come from.'_

He was not good enough yet to do it like the Grand Witch and the Grand Wizard could... _'The Acolytes are never told of the powers that they use... Even that Watts fellow did not know what selling his very soul meant...'_ He had only awakened Kali's aura, yet he had infused her with the _Vitae Tenebris_... and he was a user of that as well. _'The darkness inside me...'_ The darkness that was the _Vitae Tenebris_ was something that would hardly be understood by any of those who were aligned with the light brother. _'There is always a price to pay... always a burden that comes with power.'_

She had never forgotten those days of studying. Those days when her emotions had still been capable of feeling love and lust, of desire and of joy.

' _What do I do?'_ He questioned himself, even as the flow of the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside Kali seemed to pick up. "Jaune?!" The shrill shriek of a woman's voice reached his ears, and he became aware of how he was positioned. His hand laid on Kali, the effect of her Semblance bringing the shadows alive. _'Did I do that?'_ The power of Kali that she held within her had been enhanced by his own Semblance and the _Vitae Tenebris_ that created Grimm.

"J-Jaune?" Kali's voice sounded tense, as she seemed to look clearly uncomfortable. His hand had grabbed her own, the power of his Aura like a physical shell around the two of them. He felt his aura power down, and Sienna heaved a sigh of relief, getting up slowly. "I'm sorry." He apologized, even as Kali looked at him, her fingers grabbing his own. "It's alright, I should... I should control myself a little. My Semblance... she's changed a little..."

The shadows wrapped into the shadowy version of an older Kali, who smiled at him and then disappeared into a mass of shadows. _'A physical manifestation... Not too shabby.'_ The materialisation aspect of magic was something that most students would learn in their later years, but he did not spend too much time thinking about the possible applications just yet.

' _With practice... The effect can be tamed...'_ The look on her face was hesitant, all the teasing that she seemed to have desired to do gone, her eyes burning with the look of bright intelligence, as Kali pulled herself away from him, his eyes going to Esmeralda, who was in the process of stripping her pants off. "You should keep a lid on that, if we want to keep dry." Esmeralda said, voice sounding a little annoyed to his ears. _'I wonder what she's talking about.'_

It might be just his own sensitivities that were not affected by the palpable aura of dread that Kali emanated, but to his eyes, Kali's skill with her powers would increase only with practice. _'Acolytes generally are taught to shape their powers by their teachers...'_ He wondered how he would be able to do so. _'Perhaps Grimm materialisation? That might be a good exercise... Although I don't think that she would be up for that just yet... the power is newly granted, so the restful periods are needed to let the essence sink in. I could do it thanks to Her memories... There's no guarantee that Kali would be as able as I was.'_

It was a grave thing to consider for him, as his mind continued to simulate the results of Kali using the _Vitae Tenebris_ as a resource. She was a reservoir of it, yes... But the magic that had been taken by Her and the Grand Wizard would not be easily tamed. It was a power borne of the Dark Brother, whose darkness covered the world during the night. _'With just a few things more...'_

An image of the order of Magi coming once more into fruition came to his mind, banished after a mere errant thought of what it would mean. _'We don't have 200 years to study the soul...'_ He looked at the women around him, his eyes scanning their potential. _'Esmeralda would be most apt to the role of Witch, though I would not be able to spare the time. The physical training would be light, yet... it would not suit her at all. An Acolyte, though...'_

It was a daring thought, one of those that had spurred him on in the moment to shift Kali to an equilibrium that would be able to maintain the stability whilst also being capable of getting the objective done. _'A woman who is so kind and friendly, twisted into something that is fully capable of murder... What a monster you are, Jaune, to corrupt, just like She would have.'_

Kali's eyes looked at him with a plaintive look, her tongue flickering over her lips in a swift fashion, inhaling sharply at the thought of something, her eyes intrigued as her mouth opened. "You." Sienna's curt voice cut through anything that would be said by the other Faunus woman. His head turned to the woman, who had changed her pants, for some reason. He didn't know why, but she looked ready to tear his head off. "You're going to practice the staff with me. Get your weapon in a suitable condition. We've got a moment, right?" There was a gleeful look on her face, her eyes brightly blazing with the anger that was so characteristic for her. _'The flame of wrath, misplaced and tempered with the experiences of her life.'_

He didn't know why she would want to do something like that. The Relic of Knowledge could impart the knowledge without any sort of issue. It was knowledge, after all. The forms would all be perfect and able to be executed without any problem ensuing. "But-" She looked at him, the anger inside her body blazing greatly. "No but's. You're getting up from your lazy ass and getting into a proper stance. I've been taught how to wield a staff to protect others, and you will learn how to wield your weapons precisely. That over-sized butcher blade that you wield might be able to just chop through some person with enough strength, the staff is mostly a weapon that will be wielded in order to defend people."

There was a hint of pride in her voice, as she got up, limber like a cat and graceful in her manner, as she walked to one of the bamboo stalks, checking it for balance before her foot kicked at the base, tearing it off without any issue. "You use this." She tossed it at him, his hand failing to grip it and it smacked him in the face with a dull 'thwack!' as she continued to get into the mode of a trainer. _'She does sound direct.'_

Her eyes blazed with a greater fierceness, as she took a stance, a length of bamboo in her hand that was perfectly straight, her eyes fierce and aggressive. _'She looks like she's going to tan my hide.'_

She loosely shifted in her stance, as she held the bamboo stick in her hands, the wood looking like it'd cause some hurt. "The art of the staff is one of defence. You strike your enemy and move them to your pace. It does not hold the rough cutting power of a blade, yet it will break bones and disable." The way she spoke was as if recalling something, her eyes misty as she seemed to recall those lessons that she had been taught, the length of bamboo swishing through the air with a sharp sound as she vertically swiped it down. "You will be striking to disable, to divert, to keep yourself and those that you care for safe. You will be blocking every strike that I will send at you, Arc."

The no-nonsense look on her face was intimidating if he had still been the Jaune Arc who had just entered Beacon, his eyes meeting with hers and meeting that challenge head-on. "I guess I will be fighting you then, Sienna." The Tiger Faunus woman gave a soft grunt, as she struck, her staff's tip coming at him with a swiftness that took him aback, his own staff just coming up in time to block the strike, Sienna's body moving with it, leg sweeping out and knocking him off his balance. "You might have survived through luck alone, boy, but you will not disrespect the staff."

Her voice was full of confidence and ferocity, her gaze at him full of arrogance and sureness of her own skill. _'She looks like one of the good guys.'_ He smiled at her, which made the fires of rage ignite with a frightening ferocity. The murderous expression on her face was intimidating him... although compared to Her, Sienna Khan lacked in dread. She still struck a very imposing gesture, her eyes nearly glowing in the light.

* * *

 _The ways of the guard (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

His stance was pitiful, even as she swept the staff that she had made from crude bamboo down at him once more. Bruises showed on his skin, even as she decimated his weak defence, his eyes looking at her with the respect that she was due as his teacher. _'I will not let Kali be protected by some man who does not even know the basics of defence.'_

The way that Jaune fought was with full conviction and attack, without even deciding on a proper target to defend. It was one of the things that she had noticed about his weapon and the general efficiency with which he fought. If he had the backup of the Grimm with him, his chances of such a style working out was easily worth the lack of defence... yet with the staff weapon that he had, infused with whatever eldritch powers that the Relic had given it, it would still lack in defence. _'With such an obvious effort to compensate, if that huge sword is an indication, I wouldn't be surprised if he thought only that a good attack was needed.'_

In the fracas that she had been in as a young woman in her early teens, she had experienced well just how cruel some people could be. Had it not been for her own skills in ensuring her personal safety, she would have just been another corpse in the slums, unable to fully reach her potential as the leader of the White Fang. "You will need to block seven strikes and counter attack me." Her voice barked at the young man who stood before her, the morning not fully realized yet.

The break that they were having was enough for her to impart some of the skills that she had been taught during the training as a bodyguard. Preferring the Dust whip with Dust crystals set in it had not allowed her own skills to diminish. A backup weapon was a good thing in most respects. With the skill that one had at wielding one weapon, if it broke, then you would be as good as dead. _'They'd never have allowed a woman to assume the mantle of High Leader if she did not have the skill to back it up... Now with Tallow in command of the White Fang_...'

The image of the woman firmly in her mind, she growled softly, the look on Jaune's face changing barely, yet she knew that he had noticed. Her whole body felt warm and comfortable at this moment, as she tried to push herself to such a level that she would be able to do the best she could. The fact that it was a young human man who she was instructing in the art of defence through the use of a staff was not lost on her, even as she squashed that inner voice that told her that it would be a crime against her own creed, never to let a human so close to her... but it was for the benefit of Kali.

With Kali's powers as one of Jaune's acolytes, maidens or whatever sort of witchcraft... she would need to have the best defence available, in the case that Sienna herself could not be there to take care of her defence. The words of Ghira still echoed in her mind from time to time, the order to guard his wife still in effect. In her own mind, the protection of the client was still paramount to her own values, even with the current situation being akin to being a traitor to her own people. _'The people would never understand why I would teach Jaune the arts of staff fighting... nor would they ever accept him for his powers.'_

The use of the personal name of the human in her thoughts was something that had slipped in from the way that Kali referred to him in their private chats, the way that the woman spoke about him being typical for the older Faunus. _'It's only training him to better protect Kali, Sienna... You can do it.'_

Her heartbeat rose a little every time she knocked him to the ground, the smile on his face causing a flood of feelings inside her to blossom, even as she inhaled his scent, the olfactory organs of the Faunus being enhanced greatly to some degree to pick out the different pheromones that were used to engage in the communication between different Faunus species. It was not something that was consciously done, and with great assistance of her own mental fortitude, she managed to ignore many of the signals that were sent by others around her.

' _The bothersome thing about the way that our bodies respond, is that there is a synchronisation that occurs.'_ She did not mind a bit of play with someone that could be trusted, but ever since Kali had... changed... there had been something that was a deeper and darker twist to it, as if there had been something unleashed upon the world that held a spice of danger and darkness... and the young man who she was drilling the basics of staff combat into, smelled of that danger and darkness, attracting the primal desires of a woman once more.

It infuriated her, as her anger swallowed the brief hints of desire, the after-effects of the heated state that she had entered as well as Kali leaving only the faintest tingle inside her, yet she knew that none of the humans would GET the feelings that she felt. It was a mixture of crazy shame and embarrassment, as his face seemed to be so close to hers, yet her inner distaste working against her. _'it would just have to be in this time, wouldn't it? Any time in the past few months and I'd have been able to get a cute guy in my bed, and now I'm thirsty for some action and there's only Kali and a human here to consider.'_

The sexual desires of the Faunus were closely linked to their origin. As a Bengal Tiger Faunus, she would have these moments. She could scarcely imagine what a Rabbit Faunus would feel, the constant need to have such engagements undoubtedly bringing something to the world that would rival the most ribald of tales. _'This is just a minor hurdle... I just have to clear it and get over it.'_ Her eyes looked at Kali, who was engaged in a conversation with the Schnee.

Anger blossomed inside her, yet she had not called attention to it yet. If there was to be a vengeance obtained, she would do so when she had the opportunity, when they were assured that there was a way out for them. _'The Schnee should pay for their crimes... Even if this is just Whitney Schnee. She should not be allowed to live, thanks to her husband's crimes.'_ The feud between theSchnee family and the Faunus ran too deep. Tales of the mines were told in every city, of the Faunus slaves that worked for meagre pay and under bad circumstances, not like when Nicholas Schnee had still been with the company, his daughter and him going out on expeditions in search of more Dust.

"Sienna?" She heard Jaune ask, even as her stance tightened up. Her gaze went back to him, seeing him stand at ease, his face showing his concern. Her heartbeat started to go up a little, the look in those mismatched eyes showing perhaps care. _'How long has it been since I have had someone look at me like that, like they actually feel something for me beyond intimidation of my space in the world?'_

The time with the Belladonnas was not something that she would count. The mutual respect between Ghira and her was well-documented and well-established. With Kali Belladonna as the only anchor in this mad world, she had still maintained her own status. _'Going out into the world and proclaiming my survival would just antagonize Tallow. There is no telling what that bitch would do to hunt us down.'_

"Are you alright?" He asked, and she growled at him. "Of course. Why would you think otherwise? Come on, attack!" Her voice barked the order and she swung her staff to block his first strike, moving in close and then disturbing the root of his stance, his body hitting the ground once more. The clothing was well-used to such a thing, it seemed, as it was hardly damaged in the slightest, the top having gotten off, the undershirt only covering the torso, leaving the arms bare. _'Why should I not be alright? I am Sienna Khan, a damn good woman, Ex-High Leader of the White Fang.'_

"Oww!" The human cried out as he landed on his back again, her eyes dispassionately staring at him as he got up again. "So... You're teaching this to make it better to use the staff, yes?" She nodded, as she put the tip of the staff against his chest. "Enough for today. We will need to travel, yes?"

The plan of the young man to go to Vale was something that she had been cautious about. With her current knowledge of the White Fang's movements, she knew that the Dust thefts in Vale were linked to her organisation, the whole scheme of getting the Dust from the Schnee having been something that she had signed off on, the vindictive feeling that she felt as she heard of the success that they had held for the first time in a while having tided her over, until the meeting and the subsequent chain of events. _'Would I willingly stick my hand in a hornet's nest in order to get a young man to his friends and family again?'_

Had he been a Faunus, she would have said 'Yes' without any sort of issue. Any Faunus who bore the power to control the Grimm would be someone who would make waves in the international power structure whether they wanted to or not. The Faunus would be respected, for the fear of Grimm attacks... but this... This was a human.

' _I would've done much to assure his loyalty, even casting away my own body in order to serve the Cause if he had been a Faunus.'_ The White Fang had dominated her youth and her faith in the primacy of their species was something near-unshakable. To see the young man who had so much power, gift Kali with some of that very same power... It would cause a revolution just with the mere mention. _'If only he was a Faunus... Not that I didn't appreciate Kali's assistance, but really... A woman has needs for a man's company, sometimes.'_

Her tongue flicked over her lips in an unintended gesture whilst she looked at him, coming closer to her. "Tonight we'll try this again. Thank you for teaching me." The honest smile on his lips made a little shudder go through her nethers, as she inhaled his scent, her whole body twitching. A sharper inhale, more of the pheromones of a man invading her body, as the flames of desire and her own judgments on the use of humanity clashed. Her body trembled lightly, as she set the staff she'd furnished from bamboo into the ground, leaning on it. "It's alright..." She said, a dismissive wave with her free hand, as he turned away. Her gaze came to meet with Kali's, a brush of heated feelings going right down her spine as those golden eyes met with hers and fear clashed through her body.

The vehicles had been intact still whilst they had battled that massive turtle Grimm, had been able to transport them for the while that they would. Buying them had only set them back three thousand. It was enough for them to make do until they would get to the port. _'Travel by boat... Safe and secure with a Grimm sensor around, and not too eye-catching. Travelling through the air would put too much attention onto us.'_ The knowledge that Sienna Khan and Kali Belladonna were dead had spread clearly through the people of her kind as well as the Humans, so their official identities could not be used. _'The Schnee would be able to get us through without a hitch, her money having guaranteed save passage without any issues, yet she was listed as 'deceased', undoubtedly by the hand of her husband.'_

She could understand the anger that the Schnee would feel, a strange sensation to her, as if it were something that linked the three of them together. They had all been maligned. The Schnee by her husband, according to the tale that Kali had spun, she and Kali by their own organisation, for the power that was vested in them... _'Taurus would take the lead, if he was allowed to. Tallow will probably allow him to do as he wishes, that crazy woman is unstable... but has always carried a torch for him. Hell, it wouldn't be surprising to see her demanding that he'd be her lover. She always was a crazy one.'_

It was a strange gathering of people often at the meetings with the upper leadership. Tallow and Taurus on one side, the Albain brothers and Sylver on the other. The five people who had headed the White Fang at this time, where there had once been only one High Leader and several adjutants, decisions made by a single person. _'Have we fallen so deeply?'_

"The White Fang has some good training methods." The Schnee commented, as she got her stuff together in the bag, loading it into the vehicle. Anger roused itself inside her, as she opened her mouth with a vehement statement, only for Kali to speak up. "They were pretty effective back in the day, Es. Sienna amongst all, was a very good recruit." An odd flash of pride she felt at being praised by Kali, whose eyes seemed to meet hers, imparting a warmth and affection inside her.

As she climbed onto the Dust cycle, her body feeling for the grips and adjusting them a little so that it would be easier to move, she let her gaze fall onto the Schnee, who was in the process of adjusting herself a little so that Jaune could have a seat as well. _'It would not be out of line for me to comment on his progress. It is not a bad start, but has a need to be improved as well.'_

The carrot and the stick might just be the method to teach Jaune how to wield the staff. The memories of her family and the White Fang she shoved aside, as she did the first check of the systems, testing whether it would work as it would need to.

That evening, nearly three hundred miles further, did they finally get to finish up the training. The burning ache inside her had lessened, even as Jaune stood opposite of her, his bamboo staff held up, blocking one of her strikes. Her smaller figure would have less striking power than a man, yet she worked around that with technique, agilely moving through the motions and sweeping him to the ground once more, the tension shooting through her as she helped him up once more.

"Dinner is ready!" Kali called out, halting their training session. Her stomach rumbled in the need for food, as she looked at her friend, who was currently holding up a cup filled with the soup that had been prepared for dinner. With their supplies of food replenished at Mistral, it would not be hunger that would kill them. _'Soup is good. Maybe we will even have some meat.'_

Easy to carry things were a necessity if you lived a nomadic lifestyle. With her own experiences in the White Fang, she knew that having to subsist off ration bars was not out of the ordinary. _'At least we won't be starving, with this method of travelling.'_ Fuel was something that was a necessity, yet the gas stations that they would encounter were an easy fill-up, the Lien cards generally accepted everywhere. _'Why someone would get a gas station set up in the middle of nowhere really baffles me... But it is handy.'_

"So, Sienna..." He started, as he sat down next to her. "Esmeralda said something about the White Fang... Do you think you can tell me in your own words what they are about? I haven't really been... y'know... watching the news." Bafflement was a feeling that she did not often get. _'Does he even know of the difference between Humans and Faunus?'_ "Well... The White Fang is a force for liberation of the oppressed." He made an accepting sound, as if that made perfect sense to him. "It is meant to ensure that the Faunus get the respect they deserve, through claw and fang."The mission statement was a little broader than that, the Schnee giving a snort of derision, her own anger flaring up once more, as she saw the dismissal in those eyes.

"A bunch of terrorists who crow for the blood of the Schnee family, because of Jacques Schnee deciding that cheap labour is better than investing in the mining communities." The woman's voice was scornful, as she looked at Jaune. "In my eyes, the White Fang are merely extremists who bully the people who have something to do with Dust mining. In my youth, there were just the mines. I remember, with my father..." A misty-eyed look on the dark-haired Schnee's face was something that showed to Sienna that there were memories of better times playing in the woman's mind. "It was a glorious time. We had this old Faunus lady who was a deft hand with the pickaxe and the Dust Drill, readily carving a path through the earth for us. She had mole heritage if I remember right." The woman's lips curled into a smile, to be replaced with a scowl. "The White Fang has taken from me...around three cousins." The words were laden, as she took a deep breath. "Hunted them down like animals, then executed them and lauded the work as 'great progress for Faunus equality'. Like we deserve to be hunted by a bunch of..."The woman snarled, anger bristling inside her, Sienna feeling a measure of respect well up inside her, despite her own beliefs about the Schnee.

' _If it was my family being hunted down, I would feel anger as well.'_ She could imagine it, yet the anger inside her squashed itself in place immediately. "We fought for justice! To get the respect that we are due!" She hissed, her voice trying to convey her emotions, the woman looking at her with a look of disgust. She seemed to be about to say something but Jaune's hands clapped together with a fierce sound that rattled her ears, an immediate silence falling.

"Now, I don't want you to grow to hate each other, because of some perceived traits or what-not." His voice was solemn, as he looked between her and Esmeralda. "I don't know what's happened with the White Fang. I don't know who or what they are, because I'm dumb and I wasn't raised around Faunus." Sienna could feel anger rise inside her. He knew nothing about Faunus, it seemed. _'Has he been living in a fantasy land, where everything is pristine and good and there's no evil?'_

The anger surged inside her as she tried to keep it under her control, her eyes meeting with his, the look on his face sterner than before, his eyes piercing and intense, giving her a shudder of fear that seemed to come from the very core of her being, her eyes cast down all of a sudden. "I don't know about the big things in the world. I just..." He seemed to trail off, his gaze on her making her feel naked, as if all the safety had been stripped away from her and she was just Sienna, just some woman who had ideas that would be revolutionary.

"You don't need to know everything, Jaune." Kali leapt to his defence, Sienna suppressing a small stab of pain inside as she looked at the woman who she thought to be a friend, immediately picking his side. _'Doesn't our friendship count for anything, Kali?'_ The woman's gaze was on her, as her hand stroked over Jaune's shoulder. "The White Fang... Well, my husband was one of the leaders of them. Sienna used to be the High Leader, and we fought for better terms of employment for the Faunus as a whole. It isn't something that easily gains traction with the Councils of the kingdoms, after all... So we protested."

The memory of those protests and how little it actually did for them, was one of the points that had spurred her on. "With every protest, we got the idea that we were fighting for something. Several among us..." Sienna didn't know why she was speaking, only the yearning inside her making her continue onwards, the feeling of loss inside her swirling like some fading echo of mist during the morning. _'Am I really...'_

She didn't finish the thought. "It was startling to see how many of us came to the rallies. The Belladonna's, a family who had been reasonably well-off due to Ghira's influence, came forth as one of the leaders of the movement. The Albain brothers, younger than me by several years, Jennifer Sylver... Harmony Tallow, a madwoman if I ever saw one... and Adam Taurus." The day on which Adam had taken a stand had inspired her, as it had several of their compatriots. Seeing him raise his weapon and fight against the oppressive humans had lit the fire inside her and the others, to fight for their freedom, to ensure that the Faunus would be feared and respected... _'We did nothing wrong. It is right for an animal that is cornered to fight for its life.'_

She looked at the three others, the absence of the woman known as Summer Rose telling, yet understandable, since she seemed to be around Jaune the most, a sort of summon of some kind. "We had to take a stand. We will fight for our rights, for the respect that we are due!" She announced with the fire that her voice held, Jaune's eyes meeting her own, a shiver going through her body.

"You fight, through causing death and terror." The Schnee's voice cut through the triumphant statement, as her eyes met with hers, the cold blue colour of the Schnee's globes of vision meeting with her own bright Orange, the colour different enough to make sure that she felt right, that the human was wrong and not right. _'I am the one who will be bringing the Faunus into a new age of glory, and we don't need the help of humans like you in order to reach our ascension.'_

Her eyes caught the light of the fading sun, as her gaze met with the Schnee's still, only for Jaune to clear his throat. "The anger and aggression that you are feeling is going to attract the Grimm." His voice was curt and sure, but it quietened them immediately. With his powers over the Grimm and his claiming of the Relic, it had been explained to them that the intelligence behind the Grimm would immediately attempt to locate them, which was a thing that she could get behind.

' _The powerful search for those who hold power as well, in order to better be able to maintain it. If they cannot bend them to their way, they must be eliminated... Just like how I was eliminated.'_ It filled her with a cold anger that seemed to burn like the flames of a kindling fire, the blood inside her veins burning. "The White Fang used to be like a family to me. A lot of cousins, uncles and aunts, all working for the betterment of Faunus in society." Kali added softly, her voice unusually loud in the silence that had fallen. "It was all for the betterment of our position... Because who else could we trust to lobby on our behalf? What representation do the Faunus have, aside from one headmaster?"

' _Former headmaster.'_ Sienna thought, reminded of the Headmaster of Haven Academy, and how he had been executed by the Schnee. _'I suppose he could have made our lives a lot harder, had he used his resources to hunt us down.'_

"Humans and Faunus... There really isn't much of a difference between them aside from some of the animal traits." Jaune's voice sounded like it had reached a conclusion, fingers brushing through the hair on his head, the blonde hair with the white streak in it looking like an exotic combination of hair dye. _'What?'_ Her puzzlement showed on her face, as it did on Kali's.

Jaune shrugged a little, his shoulders moving back, leaving her feeling flustered, as he inhaled and then exhaled. "I mean, the Faunus still like to be around humans, right?" She could not deny it out of hand without sounding like she advocated segregation, to be caged in a fashion like some animal at the zoo. _'Human and Faunus relationships do exist and there are even women that selectively go for Faunus partners, with vice-versa occurring as well... It's not like it's forbidden or anything.'_ The troublesome thing with such pairings often was that the Faunus had different conditions relating to their special trait. It was the special nature of their senses that allowed them to excel in different ways in their daily life. Owl Faunus were great hunters, with horse Faunus having greater stamina in long-distance running. It was specialities like those that made their race better than just the average human, in some people's minds. _'Do you really... hold such a naive view?'_

"So, why should they be treated any differently? I don't know about how it's done generally in the world, but where I grew up, people didn't have signs with 'No Faunus Allowed' or something. I mean, Old Man Hendrick was a bit of a grumpy old coot but that was just because he'd been in the tail end of the war and still remembers the... eh, Faunus Rights Revolution?" She growled at the term, the shame of the previous generation enough to bring the anger to her mind.

"Because we are different. We are BETTER than the humans." Jaune's eyes closed for a moment and fear gripped her heart as Kali cleared her throat, her attention directed right at her. "Sienna!" The woman sounded scandalized, as she seemed to react to the statement in itself. _'It's true, isn't it? We have the best of the best in instincts and bodily capacity. Humans can hardly match up to what we're born to be good at.'_

Humans always looked at them with disdain and fear for their myriad differences, the shape of their trait always changing in expression, even in the families who had many children. _'We are all born unique, with our own mark on our body of our greatness.'_ Her gaze went back to Jaune, only to find that his skin had paled, the veins standing out like tendrils of darkness, a suffocating sight that took her breath away. **"And what of the Grimm? Are you better than the Grimm?"**

There was a threat in that statement, as his eyes were a pure red and black colour, as his gaze captured her and made her feel weak and frail. She felt like she was but a mouse before a big predatory cat, ready to be devoured, as the coldness suddenly seemed to wrap around her like a thorny blanket, ripping at her skin and rendering her in aching agony, as her breathing ceased completely. A whimper came from her mouth, even as the internal thoughts continued. _'This... I won't give up. I will not bow before a-'_ Her eyes turned to look at Kali, whose face was covered in shadows, the ominous yellow eyes looking right at her, as she could feel a dark emotion fill the pit of her existence with a dark and foul dread. As she inhaled the air that had been fresh for a moment before, now stale and with that fetid taste of despair in it, she wondered whether she had made an error or not.

She could feel the terror inside her well up, as he appeared before her, standing like some man who was there to teach her the error of her ways, his hands on her shoulders suddenly, the gulp that her throat made like a wet, nasty sound, as he bent low before her, those eyes staring into hers, merciless and without any positive emotion in them. **"Sienna, you should know that before the eyes of the Grimm..."** His voice whispered in her ear, yet was loud to the ears of everyone else, as she could smell the urine that had leaked from her, the mind-numbing fear growing ever stronger inside her as the anger and hate seemed to resonate with his presence.

His touch seemed to send dark clumps of wickedness through her body, her whole hate swelling once more, replaced with the wrath at being put in the spot, only the whimpering coming from her mouth as one of the side effects of this treatment. **"Faunus and Humans are the same. You are no different in Her eyes, not a single shred. She and Ozpin... The war that has been orchestrated for hundreds of years..."** His voice spoke truths, that much she could tell.

He was not one capable of lying to her, his voice like the crack of thunder in the quietest meadow. His voice held that hypnotic dark quality that sent tremors through her whole body, as she gasped for breath and found nothing but the stale air there, smelling of darkness and foulness. His mouth so close to her human ear, it was almost like every breath he took was yet another indictment of her own failure to witness the grandiosity of the life that she had been granted, discriminated against or not... She was still alive.

" **What if I were to tell you..."** The man's voice was low, and she could not think of him as an awkward teenager with supernatural powers anymore, only as a man who held terror at a razor's edge to her throat, as she tried to find the words to say something, only for that seductive voice to hum in her ear. **"That you can be free?"** The offer was something that she might have gone for, had she not been entangled by the Faunus Rights movement that the White Fang had spearheaded. She could feel the trembles of her body increase, as she took another deep breath, trying to find her equilibrium still, as his body moved away from her, leaving her feeling sticky and wet and a mess. _'What does he want of me? What am I...'_ A feeling of loss came from her very core, as she looked at him, his eyes blazing with the sign of his power, as he sat himself down once more, his voice addressing the three that sat with him. **"I am Jaune Arc. I am going to ensure that Humanity as a whole will have a chance against the machinations of those two. "** He looked at her with a look that showed his empathy for her, even as he seemed to understand the crux of the matter, her whole body feeling lighter, as he seemed to have found a way into her good graces, her whole body feeling the pressure slowly ease up. **"I consider Faunus to be like Humanity... A creation of the two Brothers working together. You are not different from any other human, Sienna. Neither is Kali. Esmeralda and I are no different from those who hold hopes and dreams. You may think it naive, childish or perhaps a mere dream... But I think that Faunus and Humanity can be walking alongside each other. Hand in hand."**

She would have hoped such a thing, had she had the faith in Humanity that he had. She was but a woman who held the reins of power for a while, who knew the ins and outs of an organisation that spanned the globe... Power would attract those who would wish it. _'How long can you stay true to your words, Jaune? How long before you will become a tyrant, executing those who do not agree with your vision?'_ Her eyes caught a glimpse of her friend Kali, looking at him with a misty look in her eyes, as if the words that he spoke had ignited within her the hope for something positive and changing, as the words had been the herald of something new.

The Schnee herself seemed to be a little more critical of the words that he had uttered, the formal style that he had used being different from his regular tone of voice, less formal and more boorish and rough, like a boy that had issues with announcing his presence and interest to a woman. _'The day that the boy grows into someone I would follow, I will personally buy a collar and inscribe it with 'Jaune's Pet Tigress'. As far as it looks now though, that day will be far off still.'_ The look on Kali's face was wistful, as if she saw something that she craved. _'Kali acts like he is the one who drew her from the darkness... Yet I don't know if the darkness he holds is something that is good for her.'_

She could not hold back her opinions though, as she tried to make sense of the issues that had been hanging over them like the shattered moon. With the power that the young man in front of her held, he could conquer a Kingdom... yet with his strength, it would also require him to have wisdom to know when to use that strength. _'The big Grimm we fought... well, that's a start. I can respect his strength, even if I do not feel that he is cut out to be a leader as of this moment.'_

Her eyes fell to the Schnee once more, spotting the glint of a dark craving in the woman's eyes, as she seemed riveted by the young man's charisma, whatever it seemed to be. Sienna could feel a primal attraction happen slightly, no doubt due to the proximity to the man, but she resisted it. She was not a woman who would drop her undergarments for some pretty boy... That was more the job for Adam's fan club. _'Why such a pretty young man continues to focus on Blake Belladonna is beyond me...'_

"Now..." Jaune's voice cut through the silence that had fallen after his last words, the darkness having receded from him and his face looked regular once again, save that the skin was still pale and the dark veins seemed less pronounced, his eye turned back to the blue colour that it had been. "We should go and eat. The food might get cold." The smile that he gave her was guileless, innocent and genuine, enough to make her heart skip a beat, her nostrils blazing as she inhaled the scent of a man, the smell of her own urine reaching her nostrils as well, making her frown. "I'll just be a moment. I've got to change." She mumbled, getting up gingerly and going for her bag, in search of a fresh set of underwear. The stream nearby would allow her to wash up a little as far as her clothes went, without any major issues. She felt conflicted inside though, as she realized that, in the case of picking sides...

She would likely pick his side. Against the Grimm and their mysterious controller, a woman who had the title of 'Grand Witch', she would prefer to have as much assistance as she could obtain, even if it meant working together with humans. She was a proud woman, yet if it involved the lives of those who were innocent, she would not hesitate for a moment and accept the help of humans, if it defended the poor and downtrodden.

' _Is he right? Would it be better to possibly work together with humanity in order to ensure that we get to see another day?'_ An image of her working together with Jaune crossed over her mind's eye, as she stripped her pants off and let them soak in the stream for a moment, her hand brushing over the front and rubbing it together, trying to wring it a little, sighing deeply. Her reflection was perfectly clear in the darkness thanks to her night vision, her own face looking back at her.

Lines of weariness and stress had made her look a little worse for wear, yet she was still Sienna Khan, leader of the White Fang, defender of the poor and downtrodden Faunus. She was still a woman nearly the age of thirty, unable to land herself a man who appreciated the position that his wife/girlfriend would have, a woman currently ousted from her seat as High Leader and now on the run from forces that she had no knowledge of, from the ravenous hordes of Grimm that wished to take the head of the man who led them. _'A very fine mess that you've gotten yourself into, Sienna.'_

Her face frowned, the image crystal clear, as she exhaled slowly. _'Perhaps... I'll have to give him credit. We might have been... a little extreme.'_ The methods of Belladonna, peace through pacifism, had hardly worked. She had been so against Humanity that she had advocated for creating fear to demand respect... and where had it got her? A coup that had been arranged around her by people who wished nothing but the wholesale slaughter of Humanity.

' _Fear through strength... not fear through murder. I fought for equality and RESPECT, not the genocide that seems to be looming on the horizon...'_ The fact that Harmony Tallow was a whacko was not lost on her. With Tallow at the head, Humanity would be in for an uphill battle... If they survived the first strike.

' _All the plans that you'd made, Sienna... All of them are now useless. You have a Schnee, Kali and a young Huntsman who can kill Elder Grimm with the spectre of a Huntress living within him... You should make a better plan, capitalizing on those advantages before they will be out of your reach.'_ Her eyes looked at her own reflection, noticing the stars in the skies above her, casting her gaze up.

She did not notice the darkness around her twisting slightly, oily blank liquid seemingly pushed out of the pores of her hand and forming a singular eye with a red pupil in it, blinking once before it faded out of existence once more, leaving only a dusky-skinned hand, when her gaze fell back on it.

She felt like she had both gained something as well as lost something. The anger simmered inside her, yet she could contain it with her will. _'I'll have to be there for Kali and my people...'_ Her gaze drifted to Jaune once more, seeing the shadows cast over his features from the light that they had up. He looked innocent, like a teenager who had only just cast out his web over the world. _'I hope that we'll be able to survive the trials ahead of us... God, I don't even think that we have any sort of gear that's fit for swimming with us."_

It would undoubtedly take a while to get to Vale, but she knew that with the changes that were happening, she would have to adjust. She was a survivor of assassinations, a guardian of the oppressed Faunus who had looked for leadership in the dark times of oppression.

She was Sienna Khan and she would do right by her friend, even if she had to help a human.

* * *

 _Brilliant Mesmer (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She dragged herself out of her bed, letting the feeling of weariness shirk her own sense of awareness, as her head drooped, the pillow having a lure of its own, the weariness that she felt throughout her whole body something that only seemed to bring her more bother. _'What's the time?'_ The clock looked indiscernible from the rest of the decor of her room, her eyes finding the blinking lights and reading the time. _'Half to twelve, I guess I'll have to check whether there's something for lunch.'_

It was a slow lurch that gave her speed, as she got out of her room, the bra tightening around her, the loose shirt that she had worn to sleep having little in the way of comfort, with her whole body still jetlagged due to the time difference. Her eyes blearily looked at the doors that housed the members of their family, Cremea's door slightly ajar, pushing it open to find Rowan rummaging through one of the closets, a dress hanging on her arm. "Rowe?" She asked, her older sister turning her head and looking at her, flashing a waning smile. "Hey Heath."She said with a murmur, pulling out a dark green dress. "Which one'll look better on me?"

' _Oh dear...'_ She put her warmest smile on, as she gently laid a hand on Rowan's shoulder. "You shouldn't be rummaging in Cremea's closet like this." The eldest of the seven daughters of Sage Arc looked back at her, the dress in her hand put back in the closet. "I guess you're right. Creamy would be a little peeved if I'd managed to crease them." She said, as she hung the other dress back. "I've got a few dresses that you might like." _'Not like I wear them much. Last time I wore them was... three years ago?'_ The look in Rowan's eyes held a flame, not unlike Heather's own semblance, the older sister's arms wrapping around him. "I figured I'd go out, dance a little..." She heard her sister murmur in her ear.

' _Dance, where?'_ The thoughts jumbled in Heather's mind as she dragged her sister out of Cremea's room, the girlish colour of pink and beige left behind, as Rowan looked at her. "I love you." She mumbled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. It was warming to Heather to know that her eldest sister still cared, even as she let go and walked to a door. "I guess I'll check up on little Jaune." Rowan said, Heather's eyes widening at those words. _'Oh no...'_

The door creaked open, the plate with 'JAUNE ARC' on the front of the door reflecting some of the sunlight that fell in from the room, Rowan's voice soft and gentle - "Jaune! Time to wake up, lazy bug." She got to the bedroom after Rowan, looking at her eldest sister standing at the side of the bed, the covers in her hands, her eyes looking at the empty bed, her hands clenching the sheets with a death grip. A soft hiccup came from the young woman, as the humidity in the room increased. "Rowe..." She said softly, her eldest sister's eyes looking back at her. "It's just..." She tried to explain, but Rowan's throat produced a sound that was fierce and pained, as tears leaked from the eyes. "I... I forgot." She said, as she collapsed down onto the bed, looking up to the ceiling where an X-ray and Vav poster had been hung up, the smell of the room almost exactly like how it had been, the smell reminding her of that time when she had come home again and shook Jaune out of his bed, his cheerful 'Hey Heather!' coming like the warm bath after a long and tiring mission.

Rowan had curled up in the bed, quivering and shaking, her hands still holding a grip on the sheets. Her eyes were red from the crying that she had done, her knees up to her chest, as she looked at her standing there. "I was going to..." She made a gesture that Heather knew full well, the motion something that she'd seen before. A sharp inhale followed. "No, Rowan, you know that that is forbidden!"

Rowan's eyes met hers, a cool defiance in them. "The rules aren't fair, Heath... They aren't fair." The sob that came from her mouth as her hand brushed over her knees, holding them for a moment, as her eyes looked at her with the expression hardly changing. "Why... Why couldn't we have taught him, Heath?"

She knew damn well why they could not. _'Rules... All those rules that we have to follow. Dad was strict about it too.'_ The constant dismissal of Jaune's wish to learn how to become a Huntsman, the suggestions that he focus on becoming a farmer, her own desires to help him improve... Oh, the nights that she had spent with him, teaching him everything that she had almost forgotten from her formative years in school, yet hearing his happy sounds as he worked through things with her. Rowan's long hair had been one of his draws too.

The image of a happy Rowan was replaced with the sullen one that laid on the bed now, her eyes desperately threatening to water, as she sighed deeply, her gaze drawing down as the shudder went through her body. _'You aren't as happy as before, Rowan... Where did my cool elder sister go, with her easy smile and her jovial attitude?'_

She could only see this Rowan now, the walls around her being up high, yet scalable still for her. _'Every mission that we go on... Well..."_ The look on Rowan's face was starting to show the signs of her further deterioration, mood-wise, as her eyes met with hers. There were hot tears brimming in them again. "We should have kept him safe! Not let him get off to Vale and get KILLED."

Heather wrapped her arms around Rowan, the dampness of her skin heated by her own semblance to a pleasant heat, as she held her sister. "It's not your fault, Rowe... We weren't going to let our little Jaune get off to places without being properly prepared... He went without even informing us, so..." Rowan's throat made a strangled sound as her head moved. "Heather..."

The whisper to her ears was soft, even as she tried to process the information, feeling like she had been dunked into frigid waters, her whole body feeling the chill permeate it, as she tried to find her equilibrium once more, her whole body feeling the tension spread through it, as she tried to find the breath once more to get herself back on the regular path. "Rowan, no... No, that is not what-" Rowan's eyes met hers, bloodshot and full of emotion. "You don't know what it's like! You want to have..." Her hand clapped over her mouth, stopping the next part of her sentence, yet both Heather and Rowan knew what would be said.

' _Oh my gods, Rowe... If someone ever hears you say that...'_ She felt pity for her older sister, as the hug increased in strength. "I feel so lost now, firebug." Heather felt her heart beat faster. "I miss him too, Rowe." She whispered in her elder sister's ear. "I wanted to go out and dance a little, see whether I could think on different things than just..." Her eyes looked out the window, the pleasant summer weather like a hollow irony for them to enjoy.

' _You don't dance, Rowe.'_ The knowledge that Rowan was one of the worst dancers of the Arc family was something that the sisters knew, yet Jaune had never really gotten to know. Whilst Rowan was extremely graceful in a combat setting, she had three left feet and one bad compass when it came to dancing. _'The dancing thing was more Cremea's thing anyways... Jaune never really noticed that Rowan sucked...'_ The look on her sister's face was just one of numbness, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, Heather's hand rubbing over her sister's back. "It'll be alright, Rowe." She mumbled, as she could feel her sister pull even closer to her. "It might be." She could hear her sister murmur in her ear.

She didn't know that for certain yet, but there was the thought in her mind that it just might be. _'I should send a message to that Pyrrha girl that was on Jaune's team.'_ The thought of contacting the young woman rose from seeing Rowan looking like a mess. "Want to get up and tinker a little with the weapons?" She suggested, Rowan's eyes looking a little brighter for a moment, as she seemed to think of something. "Can we get Bianca as well?" Her sister suggested, to which she nodded. "Of course. She and Ashley should still be around... Did you have any thoughts about modifying your weapon?"

Rowan nodded, her eyes looking at the picture that stood on the bedside table, the photograph showing their entire family in a single shot. Rowan and her at the back with their father and mother, Rowan's hair still long whilst her own was tied back in a simple ponytail, Cremea and Saffron slightly kneeling, Saffron's face still holding her pair of glasses that had long since been replaced with lenses, Cremea's face looking a little annoyed, the allergies that she'd had during the time the picture had been taken having frustrated her, with Ashley and Bianca at Cremea's side, Azure and Jaune half-kneeling before them, the look on Jaune's face having been blithely oblivious to the fate that would await him later in his life. _'Jaune... We miss you.'_

As the second eldest daughter, it fell to her to be the leader of the pack. She dialled the number for the 'research lab', the ringing continuing, as the click of the connection being established was heard. "Yes?" Ashley's snippy voice came from the side. "Rowan asks whether Bianca would like to tinker with some weaponry." The sound on the other side was like an engine starting up, the crash that followed afterwards loud, audible even in the room they were in. "Give me ten minutes! The Dust compactor's clip exploded!"

Heather sighed, knowing that this would be another ten minutes ahead of her to wait. "Rowe?" She said softly, shaking her elder sister. Tired blue eyes looked at her, with something in them telling her that there had been a bad call, the eyes meeting her with a hesitation shining in them, Rowan's hand brushing over her head, the tears starting to flood once more. "Heather..." She said, before Heather received the sensation of being dragged into a hug again, sounds of groaning and moaning and pitiful whines coming from Rowan's mouth, her hand awkwardly brushing over her elder sister's back. "I know, Rowe... I know. Let's get us some excitement, shall we? You need to stretch your legs a little before that mission from Ozpin comes up..."

Her sister's tears leaked into her shirt, yet Heather Arc did not think anything of it. Her eyes were closed for a moment, as her hands continued to affirm her sister's sanity and safety, as Rowan broke down again. She mumbled something incoherently, the words mingling together into a blur, as her head rubbed against her shoulder, her sister's grip on her stronger. "Hush, Rowe... I'm here."

Heather watched her reflection in the mirror. Her sister's body obscured most of her own, yet she could see the expression on her face, tears leaking from her eyes, slowly trailing down her cheek. _'All because of one foolish boy...'_ The face of the young man came to her mind, broken and shattered. _'Forgiveness... To forgive someone who has caused the death of your brother or child, is that not stabbing the burning needle right into the eye? Were it up to me...'_

Her Semblance activated without her own wish, as she remembered that moment when it had all broken down inside her. The ashes, now interred in the crypt, were all that was left of Jaune Arc, only son of Sage and Emerald Arc. She was there to witness how her father put the urn in the slot, the plaque freshly made, no eye dry as they looked at the remnants of her little brother, her only brother. _'Rowan is still a mess... Ashley and Bianca throw themselves into their work, Azure and Cremea are still not sure what to feel... It's been nearly two months now...'_ She didn't think about Saffron, who had been gone for stretches of time now.

"It'll be okay, Rowe... We can get through this. Let's do something fun, shall we?" She could see the shudder go through her elder sister's body, as the woman raised her head, eyes still wet with tears. She was just a sister, helping a sister. Rowan's answer came to her ears, bouncing around in her mind, even as she looked at her sister, the softly muttered. "Oh, Rowan..." coming from her. _'This is mom's job, not mine... But we've got no time... The work must go on.'_

She felt Rowan get up, pulling herself out of her arms. _'Time to go and get the weapons.'_ "I'll fetch my weapon." Rowan said, her voice sounding lacking in emotional depth and her eyes hollow, burnt from the emotions. Heather could see the shoulder exposed through the shirt that she wore, loose and fitting. "And get something worthy to fight in on. You look like a bed bug with a cold." The look in Rowan's eyes was fiercer now, as she mock-growled at her. "Little firestarter... I'm still your older sister, remember?"

"Sure thing, big sis. Right and ready for the retirement home." Heather could see her sister's body stiffen, yet relax a moment later on. "You'll see how well I've kept in shape." Rowan mumbled as she stumbled out of Jaune's bedroom, leaving Heather there.

' _Rowan... Can you even function if you don't take good care of yourself? I remember you taking three showers a day... not once every three weeks or so.'_ She straightened the bed out a little, the fluffing of the pillow enough for her sense of propriety. _'It still smells a little like Jaune.'_ She could not help herself, as she leaned against the wall and looked at the decor, the stack of comic books in one of the corners reminding her once more, as the tears started to flow. _' Jaune... We don't forget our little brother.'_

* * *

 _A daring caper (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

She buzzed like a bee, the smile on her lips something that was near omnipresent these days, her steps holding a little spring to it as she walked alongside her totally radical awesome boyfriend, whose hand was touching hers in a HAND HOLDING manner! She was holding the hand of her most uber-delicious boyfriend! Yesss!

 _'Tonight we'll go out on a date, have something nice to go with it, I'll drag him into an alley and I'll be getting my desert right and ready and probably run from the cops again or be arrested for public indecency... maybe!'_ It was not unnatural to think that her thought processes worked slightly different from the average Huntress in training, even as she squeezed the hand a little, the pale pink eyes that looked back at her full of what was undoubtedly the love and affection of her chosen mate, the grandiose and awesomeaduperiffic Lie Ren the Magnificent!

' _Oooooh! I wonder if he's thinking about stripping me right now! So exciting! Wooh!'_ A blush came to her cheeks, even as she opened up her mouth to suggest something in those lines, yet his own voice beat her to it. "Not now, Nora." With those three words, her mouth shut itself, her gaze looking at him with that wonderful expression. _'He's a mind-reader! I KNEW IT! I LOVE YOU, REN!'_

The bright smile on her lips was enough to her, as she nuzzled herself against him. His hand brushed against her hip, leaving her to feel little butterflies doing loops through her bellybutton. _'Someone's going to get lucky tonight! Someone's going to be seeing what mama's been keeping in her closet toniiiiiight! It's sexy tiiiiime!'_

"Nora, contain yourself. You're numbing my arm." His voice brought clarity to her mind, as she realized that she was sending off sparks. _'Woops! I should know that I do this every time my internal dynamo goes off... Ooh, I wonder if that'd be a good exercise to try out...'_ The thought brought on some more thoughts of a more adult nature, a giggle coming from her lips. "Nora..."

"Whaaaat, Ren? You afraid of widdle old Nora?" He looked at her, the minute change in his expression conveying his seriousness, as he stiffened his grip on her hand, giving it a fiercer squeeze. _'He should be rougher! Nora likes to smash! Come on, show your girlfriend what a sexual animal you are, Lie Ren!'_ "Nora..." He said again, firmly. She quietened down immediately, as the pleasant absence of emotion surged through her. _'Perhaps now is not the time to be feeling like this.'_ She figured, even as she saw Viridian and Pyrrha approach. The cup that the young man wore as an additional accessory to his battle outfit was enough for her to break out in a snicker under regular circumstances, yet with Ren's Semblance working to blunt her emotions... it didn't happen.

"Hey." Viridian's voice sounded demure and docile, whilst Pyrrha merely shared a look, mouthing – 'I'm fine.' – to her. It had been something that they'd set up during the earlier stages of Viridian's crusade to get all the pussy in Beacon. _'The silly boy hasn't had a girlfriend yet... It makes me wonder...'_

She didn't wonder out loud though, as she saw that he was approaching rapidly to them, looking at her with a look that was almost... shy. _'My, cows do learn how to float... That's actually not a look directed to my boobies for once! Only Ren is allowed to look at them! Ren Only!'_

It wasn't like she was desperately trying to catch attention from the other guys, after all. She was a chaste and virtuous young lady, no matter how often she pounced on her Ren and made sweet hot love to him. _'A girl has needs! Pyrrha knows when to stay away when the sock's on the door!'_ The fact that Viridian spent less time around them than with Pyrrha was an additional benefit as well. _'With just a bit more pep, he could be a worthy teammate! Just needs to straighten his act out a little.'_

"Hey there, Viri! How's it hanging?" She grinned boldly, watching him flinch and whimper. Whatever the redheaded Ruby had done to him, she had definitely straightened his act out a little with a twist and a BANG... or not so much of a bang. _'I'll have to find out how she did that. He's acting much meeker than before.'_

"Hey, Viridian!" Someone shouted, and her head turned to the direction of the voice, at the end of the hallway someone approaching, a broad smile on his face. "How've you been, buddy?" The warmth in the young man's eyes was something that she recognized as genuine. _'One of Viridian's friends?'_ The thought was unusual, as she felt Ren stiffen a little, the grip on his hand something fierce. _'What's he getting all uptight about?'_

"N-Neptune, bro!" The young man seemed to be genuinely relieved, hugging the young blue-haired friend of his with what seemed to be an excessive passion. _'There's a story behind that.'_ She guessed, and the blue-haired young man turned to them. "Hey! You must be Virry's team." The smile on his lips was definitely one of those toothpaste smiles, which would beguile most of the simpletons who had not seen the tense half-smile of Ren! _'And nobody else can compare!'_

"Has he been treating you well? He can be a bit of a handful, I know." The teen from Haven seemed to have little familiarity with his words, as he smiled genuinely, Nora's eyes picking out the smile on Viridian's face, as if he was genuinely glad to see his friend again.

Pyrrha's face showed a stiffening of the muscles, as her eyes looked between the two of them, her lips thinning as they pressed together. Her gaze met Ren's, a spike of something that might just be a TEENSY sliver of jealousy working its way through her body, as her boyfriend seemed to get the hint, but the two young men just continued their brotherly hug. "He's been a charmer! Always going after the girls." She put on her best smile for that, as she looked at the young man opposite of her, with plenty of that charm given to the smile she'd gotten put on her face, her eyes blinking not a moment, as the young man... Neptune, apparently, seemed to catch the hint that he'd have to do introductions. "Ah, my name is Neptune Vasilias." The way that he said it made her feel a little spark of something, as Ren moved subtly in front of her. "Lie Ren. This is my girlfriend, Nora."

Pyrrha's face changed slightly, putting on the smile that she'd explained to them as the 'media smile', the muscles of the face moving, yet there being little warmth in it. "Pyrrha Nikos, it's a pleasure." She looked at Viridian with a questioning look. "Yeah, he knows me. Nep, this hot babe is with her boyfriend." There was no doubt an undercurrent in his words, as she could see Neptune holding the other guy's hand, something moved through fingers, her eyes watching the taps increase. _'Ooh, hidden code! Let's see if I can crack it.'_

The casual way that the blue-head smiled was something that she picked apart immediately. "He's a bit of a handful, isn't he?" The smile was something that seemed practised, yet a little bit distant, as if the image was to be preserved and kept, without the emotions felt. _'Does he care about what he's saying? There's obviously a friendship with Viridian, if he's being so intimate with him, hugging and the like...'_ The monkey Faunus that they'd ran into a few weeks ago had said that he was from Haven, and the uniform that the blue-haired teenager wore seemed to be from there. "You're from Haven, right?"

The nod came from the young man, as he seemed to snap back to the current discussion. _'A little scatterbrained, perhaps?'_ She could see Weiss moving past, the blue-haired man's eyes lingering on her for a moment, the similar look compared to Viridian's face earlier enough of a clue about where the blue-haired young man's attentions were at the moment. _'Another boy who's got his eyes on the goods... But Ren isn't sharing mine! Nope!'_ "Wise, we should catch up, if that's alright with your team?"

Viridian looked back at them, Pyrrha giving an encouraging smile. "It's alright. Go and catch up with your friend, it's the day off, after all. No work on a Sunday." There was homework, of course... But that meant that she would have to crunch it all in a day! She can do that! Yep, Nora the Magnificent, smashing the homework with gusto!... and ample aid of Ren. She wasn't stupid... but being with Ren made it all the more worth it.

She sent a hidden smile to him, staring into his pale pink eyes, noticing their wonderful depth and giving a soft sigh. "We're going out on our DATE tonight!" She said, exuberantly. The excitement in her voice was genuine, even as Viridian looked at the two of them and... actually smiled at them. "Have fun, you two." The genuine human behaviour caught her on the off-stroke, even as Ren lightly tugged on her sleeve. "We should get our bag ready for going out. We don't want to be unprepared, do we?"

When they were out of earshot, Ren let go of her hand, taking a deep breath. "He smiled at us, Ren! He smiled, like 'teeth out and looking happy', smile! That's amaaaaazing!" The energy that ran through her was enough to make her jittery, as her gaze met with his own once more. "Nora, tranquillity is a laudable goal." The words of the young man calmed her immediately, as her gaze lowered.

"Sorry." She mumbled, even with her excitement still running through her nerves. The electrical impulses granted her strength, even with her whole body feeling the jitters of nervousness and excitement burning through the veins. _'Ooh, Ren has this really complex expression on his face!'_

Her lips pressed against his own, as she smirked. "Boop!" She whispered, her eyes brightly shimmering, as her boyfriend looked at her and his hand ran through her short hair. "I love you too, Nora."

' _Annnddd there goes the sexual dynamo, full power! Lie Ren, tonight you are going to ride the lightning!'_

* * *

 _Strength through method (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

He could feel the muscles tense a little with every flex that his hand did, the metal that replaced it having been grafted to the wrist. _'Unsalvageable, replacement surgery required when I came in.'_ The calm state of mind that he had achieved through the use of his Semblance was something that kept the emotions on losing a hand contained, save for the occasional flare-up when the medication was wearing off.

' _I've got to call Emerald._ ' The logical part of his mind whispered, as he continued to move towards the communication tower, where the relay was located to connect with people outside of the settlement. _'Three days of hell... And a week's recovery from the new grafting.'_ The metal of his hand was enough of a testament to the skill of the doctors, even though there was little in the way of state of the art medical equipment here. _'I will need to requisition a prosthetic. Type-three. Heavy duty.'_ The current one would suffice until he was recalled.

"Sage Arc?" The voice of the receptionist sounded calm, yet the tremor of her emotions could be seen running through her shape, as her eyes looked at him, seeing the scars on his body, as the cloth barely hid them from sight. Those three days of fighting had been harsh on his body, yet he knew well that he would still be himself at the end of it, provided he did not breathe his last breath. "Reporting for duty." His voice sounded, the clarity of it undoubtedly surprising the woman, who had been briefed on the status of the Huntsmen who had defended the border settlements.

"Your call has been arranged, Mister Arc." The woman said, as she pointed towards one of the terminals. "Booth four is yours." The automatic transfer of the call to the terminal that was set up in their house was only achieved through the technical prowess that the CCTT had with communicating with the far-flung reaches of the world. As he pushed the door to the booth open, he pulled the chair up and sat himself down, allowing himself a moment to gather himself, as the screen showed that the connection had been made.

He tapped the screen, the Huntsman Identification code entered with a swift movement of his real hand. _'I'll have to get used to using this when I'm back with the family.'_ The screen shifted, showing his second eldest daughter, who was all smiles, her hand brushing through the hair that she had done up loosely, her eyes holding some of that cheer that she had, had kept going when she had been younger, less jaded by the world's ails. "Dad!" The excited tone of her voice was enough to bring what would be a stab to his heart with emotion, her gaze bright, as he raised his hand. "Is that... a metal glove?"

He shook his head. "I've been injured in the line of duty. They are sending me home when the reinforcements arrive." Heather's face turned grave, as she realized what that meant. _'Adjustment to the changed status. The ranking to be re-evaluated. The additional paperwork that has to be filed in triplicate, before active duty can resume. Further scrutiny to our family, if done improperly.'_

"You know the rules, don't you?" He asked his child, who nodded. "I'll get on to it immediately. Does my record still show…" She asked once more and he knew immediately what she was referring to. _'The folly of youth, with the power of your Semblance…'_ The look on his face was stony, as was the effect of his Semblance. He nodded once, in answer to her last question.

"Thanks. Is Rowan alright?" He asked, Heather's face a grimace. "Better than before. She was in Jaune's room before, all cuddled up in his bed." The gravity of the situation was apparent to him. "Any change in her moods?" He asked, even as his own mood was like the placid surface of a lake, her whole body stiffening slightly. "She's thinking about Jaune, dad… No…"

The pain flashed over his daughter's face, showing clearly what the thoughts were that went through her mind. He would have sighed, had he been capable of such an action. _'The pain is only dulled by the Semblance I have… I've got to keep my mind together.'_ The pain impulses were just blocked by the emotional register, his Semblance working perfectly to let him keep a clean tactical slate of his assets and how to best make use of them. "It's going to be alright, Heather. We won't let what happened to Jaune happen to any of you." That much he could say with absolute surety. The daughters that he had brought into the world with the aid of his wife were all talented in their various specialities.

"I know, dad." Heather's eyes looked moist, as his mind categorized the emotion. _'She is emotional.'_ The sign of his daughter's emotions brought a feeling of loss inside him, yet with his Semblance still blocking the majority of his illogical emotions, it was muted. "Just… come home safe, alright?" The man nodded. "You have permission to go down the crypt. Take Rowan." The permission was granted like that, his eldest daughter's face showing improvement, as he saw her eyes brighten. _'It would be logical for them to receive some support from seeing the remains of their younger brother, scattered to ash as they are…'_

A regular man would be emotional after such a thing, yet Sage Arc worked straight off the logical path. "See whether you can get the whole family together again in… a week's time. The reinforcements should be here then and I can take a bullhead back to our home." Heather's face looked a little worried, as she let her gaze dart around. _'Something is bothering her. Logic points towards the issues with the younger siblings she has.'_

"Is everything alright with your younger sisters?" He inquired, the look of relief on Heather's face something that was noted down and subsequently shoved aside. "Yes dad, they are fine." She said, her voice quivering slightly, the stress showing in her face clearly. _'It will show clearly when I return home.'_

"Dad…" Her voice was hesitant, as if she were to ask something forbidden, her eyes meeting with his own, lips ghosting the words that he knew would be coming. "Is it possible yet?" She asked, the steel-like glint in her eyes there. "No." He said, voice as calm and collected as it could be. "You should ask your mother what she thinks." His metal hand raised up and the fingers twitched, another tug to the nerves that had been attached with the surgery. It was a curious thing that he manipulated easily, the technological advances that had been made since his youth there.

"We still have that right, Dad. We can make a change, if we want to. Rowan isn't able to anymore, but as the second eldest…" The plea came, with enough emotion in it to move most people. _'The end result would merely be another upset to the family.'_ The look on his daughter's face, her own blue eyes meeting with his own, full of hope and desperation.

"I need to, Dad… If you'd just let me… I'm willing to sacrifice myself." The words would make no sense to the outside listeners, yet Sage Arc knew well what they meant. _'That will not happen.'_ The love that he felt for his family was dull now, shut away from his consciousness as his mind spun the strategies that could come from this. _'I can go home, as it was assigned by the higher-ups. Recover my strength.'_ The face of his son spun into his mind, one of the eight children that he had.

' _Jaune is gone. He cannot take up the reins. I might have to resort to making another son. '_ The image of his son faded, the smiling face banished into complete darkness, the faces of his daughters showing their varying expressions. A smiling Rowan, her hair long, once upon a while. Saffron with her weapon out, her eyes bright and fierce, readily smiling. Two marks pressed onto those depictions, discarded from the selection.

Bianca and Ashley, both linked together with the strands of their own status as twins, moved aside as worthless as well. The strategic approach to things would allow only the best to rise to the top, with the greatest result. He could see how his daughter's face looked, the façade that she had put on slowly shifting to concern. _'She does not like seeing me make this face.'_ The mechanical parts in his new hand crunched, as he looked at the three that were left. Heather, Azure and Cremea.

His mind threw Cremea out of the selection. _'Incapable. Unable.'_ The two remaining candidates were the youngest, Azure, and the second eldest, Heather. _'It would have to be between those two.'_ The thought rose and those two rose to the pile, the darkened splotch which had held Jaune having been regrettable in the emotional sense. _'The Arc family will survive. It must, that is our duty.'_ The prime directive, as had been told from father to son, from grandfather to grandson.

' _An Arc will stand against the Dark, until the last breath is gone and battles have left their mark. When the Beacon's light illuminates us all, the battle will be won. Against the shadow of hopelessness and despair, of division and showing none others any care, we will rise and fight. An Arc's word is their bond, until the end of their days, they will stand strong. Against the shadow, by the progenitor's light, the Arcs will shine brightly.'_

The creed had been told from the origin of the family to the latest heir, upon the day that their eighteenth birthday came. Whether they had been instructed in the arts of combat or whether they were but a clerk, they continued to wage the war against darkness and the Grimm. _'Jaune…'_ The unity of the family had been shattered by the death of his youngest child. _'I wish that you would have_ _been kept innocent, to never know the hardship of life… We've kept you safe…'_

His eyes moved to the crest that stood emblazoned on the wall. _'You'll never be a Slayer, my son…'_ His eyes met with Heather. _'Yet I know that if my daughters choose to have children, they would name one after you.'_ The relationship that the family had with each other was close and solid, without any major squabbles that could upset the balance. Through his younger years, Jaune had been the baby of the family, with enough of his elder sisters' coddling to make him grow into the fine young man that he had once been.

Sage Arc felt his Semblance flicker and die away, as the wave of pain hit him, the dull grunt of his mouth sounding like an utterance. Heather's eyes were worried. "Dad?" Her voice sounded worried, as he raised his hand. "Just a moment." The Semblance blazed once more, as he took one of his pills, the calmness sent through his nerves, as the chemicals dulled the impulses from the brain long enough to let his Semblance come into full force once more. _'It takes a toll on the body.'_

"It's acting up again, isn't it?" She asked, her voice sympathetic. He could not feel the sympathy, though he recognized it. The emotion was foreign to him now, as he assessed the benefits and the additional burdens that it would bring to him. "It is." He said, Heather's eyes looking a little moist. _'Emotional response. Tears.'_

"I'll make arrangements, I can reach out and contact them and-" He held up a hand to silence his daughter, the mechanical hand creaking a little, a faint emanation of pain surging through his hand, yet he felt it not. His eyes looked at his daughter, her face looking twisted and torn, as she slowly exhaled audibly. "I will take care of the matters when I return. Tell your mother that I appreciate her."The love that he regularly felt whilst not in this state, was absent. All was mere numbers and details that had to be fitted together in order to assure victory. The screen shut off with his hand tapping the disconnect button.

He was Sage Arc. He would bring victory.

He had to. It was his destiny.

* * *

 _The nights (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He looked up at the skies as he laid in the sleeping back, the audible chirps of the crickets in the air, as the fading summer light crossed the skies with a nigh-purple colour, the breath of the long night stretching before him as his senses reached out. _'Two weeks since we left Mistral city and we're still not there.'_

His body ached with irritation and frustration, the road that they had been travelling along having not held a single gas station for miles on end since they had departed the last settlement that had been founded along it. _'It makes sense that it'd be hell to travel through, but really…'_ The path straight to the northern harbour was still well-maintained, with only the irregular speed bumps to be had, which usually caused him to lose control of his stomach, his regular schedule of waking up and having breakfast being somewhat interrupted due to having to travel. _'It's not that I mind not eating much until we get to a rest spot where we can just unwind a bit. Sienna seems a little more open, nowadays.'_

The progress that they had made through the continent was swifter with their vehicles than by foot. _'With my powers, I probably can…'_ The suggestion had danced at the back of his mind, with the faint hint in his consciousness that he could do it if he wished to. _'The danger is still too great to really calculate… She would be on her guard against all the things that would come through the world, her eyes everywhere…'_

The sudden addition of a weight on his stomach was enough to shake him from his thoughts, as he looked at the woman that had settled herself on his stomach like she owned the place, the coy smile on her lips enough for him to realize that she was playing her games once more. _'Such a change…'_

Kali Belladonna looked at him with her amber eyes, her gaze full of bemused interest, as she moved swiftly, her legs parted, straddling him as it was. A familiar ritual, that had occurred more than once. "What are you thinking about, Jaune?" The voice with which she spoke held amusement and a bit of playfulness, as her hands gently brushed through his hair like they were mere blades of grass and she was gently arranging them with her fingers.

"How we should proceed." He said, Kali's face looking a little scrunched up, thoughts undoubtedly coming to her mind about what they had to do still. He knew, as well as she did, that their position in this world was threatened from all sides.

The simple movement of power. One of the Relics, a remnant of the brother gods who had shaped Remnant, was within his grasp, the power that it contained leagues above anything that mankind could furnish. Two sides that had been in a balance of sorts, disturbed by his actions. "I know…" Her body shifted and she laid herself atop him, the sleeping bag of little objection for her. "There are many things to consider, right?"

' _The Grand Witch and the Grand Wizard are no doubt going to come after me.'_ The mess that this entire situation had become was of his own making, yet he knew that now, his destiny would be one of his own making. _'I am now someone who wields the power of Knowledge.'_ The Relic could boost his knowledge in different fields, instructing him in the proper methods, yet it did not boost his wisdom.

"They are both hounding me, even if they do not know my name." The words were harsh, yet they were true. Sienna's little flicker of Aura moved into his view, the woman's face showing more concern than there had been before in her actions. An agreement had been reached, after such a while. The training in wielding the staff was good practice, even with his body not fully adjusted to staff-fighting. _'It is a miracle that her instruction is as good as it is… or perhaps I simply require the wisdom to deal with the knowledge.'_

"And what does that mean for us, Jaune?" Her voice was soft, as she leaned forward, whispering the words in his ear, the whispers curling around. _'I damned you to your fate, Kali… I am guilty of that, alone.'_ The woman's lips were so close to his ear that the devious whisper of her words still rang through his head, as he took a slow shuddering breath.

"I will do my best to make sure that you are all safe." His voice cracked a little, as he realized the responsibility that he had for them, the care that he would need to provide. No longer was it just four companions, five if you included Summer… It was him, Kali, Summer with Sienna and Esmeralda. The perspective that the _Vitae Tenebris_ gave him was enough to make him aware that the seed had been planted and only through the connection that he had with those two, he could fully express his desire. _'Like the reservoirs of strength, kept for those moments of need…'_

His mouth gave a humourless laugh, as his eyes looked at the heavens, wondering whether there would be a place for him amongst the legends. Four women, gifted with powers beyond their knowledge, to wield the will of the one who had granted them those powers…

' _Am I no better than the Grand Wizard? Will I be like he is, distant and yet close to the people, crafting the world into the image that he had desired once upon a while?'_ He could see Esmeralda look at his direction, her eyes looking oddly moist, as Sienna's gaze rested on him, the simmering anger within her body like a physical haze around her that he could spot alone, Kali's darkness wrapping around him. "And you will be our protector, Jaune." Kali's voice was soft and matronly, as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, the conflict inside him swelling once more.

Every one of the women that travelled with him had some contact with the _Vitae Tenebris_ that had originated from him. Summer was practically made of the stuff… Esmeralda had the greatest amount of it tainting her very core, yet her desire to help him with anything that he needed was something that was a great help. He didn't fully understand why Kali muttered something about density, but he had just smiled and done a slight tweak to the density of his body. "Jaune?" Esmeralda sank to her knees beside him, the smell of something that might have been perfume on her skin, her eyes looking at him, making his gaze slide to the side, Kali's head turning as well.

He could hear Sienna mutter something about wild cats or something, shaking her head as she went to poke at the fire that they'd used to cook tonight's dinner, the smell of the fire still in the air. "Yes?" He replied, as Esmeralda looked at him and then gave him one of those smiles that made him feel at ease. _'Just like Pyrrha used to smile… I miss Pyrrha, she was fabulous. Always so supportive to us as a team.'_

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Her voice was a little hesitant as if the offer was something immodest, yet he knew that she meant well. She had been someone who was willing to teach him the things that he knew little about, finance and management, something about the nobility of the world that they currently lived in as well as how to gauge the proximity of Dust crystals from the scenery around them. _'That was pretty cool. Just seeing her stand on a hill and point at another hill and telling me to make a few Grimm to dig in that spot. Jury-rigging some Dust rounds up from just a few shell casings with a rough grinder was exciting.'_

"Of course." The woman smiled at him, the smile showing her teeth as she sank herself down to the ground beside him, her fingers gently tracing over his side. "Scoot over, kitty." She said, as she snuggled up to him in the fashion that he had remembered Rowan doing when he was younger. _'This is just like with my sisters.'_ "My, so forceful, White."

The dark-haired woman smiled as she slipped into the hold of him, the sleeping bag that she'd taken with her quickly laid out, her arms wrapped around him, her head laying on his shoulder, just staring up at the skies. "Do you wish to get married, Jaune?" She asked suddenly.

' _Marriage?'_ The laugh came from his mouth before he'd stopped himself, his eyes looking up to the skies. Someone who'd be able to bring herself to love him and wish for him as a husband would have to be mad, power-hungry or just a manipulative woman. "J-Jaune?" Esmeralda's voice sounded hurt, as if he had done something that he shouldn't have. _'Her emotions are a mess… I probably did the wrong thing, laughing… But who would want to marry a monster like me? I can control the Grimm, sense emotions… I can MAKE Grimm, if I so desire…'_

A tear leaked from her eye, as she seemed to be getting up again, seemingly hurt by the laugh that he'd given, without intending to. "I can't see anyone willing to marry me." He said, honestly. Her eyes widened and more tears came from those eyes, as her lips thinned to a tight line. "Jaune…"Her voice sounded hurt, broken in more than one way. "Jaune…" He heard Kali mutter, as his head turned to look at her, the face that was so similar to Blake's staring back at him, her eyes holding unshed tears, her hands wrapping around him.

"When you feel like someone completes you… When you feel like someone is just that little key to your lock, you'll want to be with them." It was Kali who spoke, as she looked at him, her gaze not leaving his, her hand having restrained Esmeralda, as if to keep her present. The woman was struggling against the grip, the emotions inside her awhirl.

"My husband was such a man." The sadness in Kali's voice was less than the emotion that she felt, even with her whole body radiating the sadness. "My husband and I have a loveless marriage." Esmeralda said, her voice sounding torn up about it. "Even the children… They've got to live with the knowledge that their parents do not love each other." The emotions inside the two women were like contrasting whirlpools, as he saw Kali meet gazes with Esmeralda behind him.

"Who would want to marry a freak like me? I'm..." He halted, the emotions welling up inside him as well, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him quivering and shivering at the sensation. His whole body seemed to vibrate as if the world was twisting, as the dark maw of despair suddenly wrapped around him. _'I am nobody. I have not set down any lineage, save for the one of my own family, I have only found some companions that would stick with me...'_

The face that he made was hard to describe, yet it touched Kali, as she gently ran a hand over his head. "Oh, Jaune..." Her voice whispered as she pressed her lips against his forehead. "You're the one who saved me when I was lost in despair." The words were something that seemed to have come from her heart. "You saved White when she was lost within the world, not a single soul aside from us to care for her..."

"Turn around, Jaune." He turned, slowly, seeing Esmeralda there, looking at him with an expression that was half-torn between something that was despair and something else that he could hardly identify, her heartbeat racing faster than most rabbits it seemed, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her body shivering and quivering, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, the gaze that she held with him being half-tear-streaked, yet her emotions not seeming to fade.

"Jaune, you are not a freak." Her mouth seemed to say more words, yet those were the only ones that really seemed to hit him, as her eyes teared up, two pools of azure looking into his own, slow exhales and inhales following, as she hugged him all of a sudden. "I may not have held much experience in the ways of love... But please... Don't ever think that you are not worthy to be wed to someone." Her eyes looked at him with a plea in them that he could barely recognize as one, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled. "Let's sleep." She said, not stopping to keep a firm hold on him. He was surprised to feel Kali wrap herself around him as well, one of her nimble legs wrapping around the two of them and keeping them locked there.

"We'll come and greet the morning as it goes, right?" Kali said softly, as she nuzzled against him. Her feline behaviour seemed to have been enhanced, with only a firm 'Tssk' coming from Sienna, who had witnessed all of this. "Silly humans." He could faintly hear her say, yet he paid it little mind, as Esmeralda nestled herself against him in a manner that his sisters had nestled him against them when they felt he needed it.

Perhaps... Perhaps this was something that he could work on. A hero... That was perhaps merely one of his goals, finding a partner to live his life with being the second...

' _Getting to become a legend and having myself a legacy that I can be proud of... That are things to work together. No matter the cost... I will have what I deserve. The world will know the name of Jaune Arc, the Grand Warlock. Throughout all the ages, there will be only those who WHISPER my name.'_ The thoughts of his own legend caused him to drift off, imagining the view of a beauty in a white dress, her hair as cool and calm as the icy drifts of winter.

' _With Weiss as my wife.'_

* * *

 _Memories of the foregone times (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She felt comfortable, as the sun hit her face and roused her from the deep sleep that she had been in. Spotting the face of the young man beside her for a moment, her hands patted herself off, to check whether she had held a lapse of her own mental judgment during the night and had taken him for her own. _'No wet spots, nor any lack of clothing…'_ The shirt that she wore to sleep was still thin enough to be counted as an improvised little bit of nightwear, yet her eyes roved over the sleeping form of the young man.

' _If only you knew how much that hurt me, Jaune…'_ The question about whether he would marry had been one of her own interest, as the prospect of marriage to a young man who DID seem to embody the positive traits of a Huntsman and hero (to her own humble understanding) was something that she actually would not mind. _'If Jacques just were to keel over and die…'_ The hope of that happening was something that was very slim. The man kept a very rigid schedule, planning out everything in the finest details, with the meals supplied at the exact minute. _'Poor Klein must be understimulated in his job as butler. Jacques is very particular about his food schedule.'_

Her husband, his name be damned to nine degrees, was anything but a kind man. He held only profit margins and increases in market share in his eyes, exploiting the name of Schnee for his own ends. The noble name of Schnee, elevated to the higher ranks of Nobility, had been something that he had cherished. Who would have desired to do business with a Gélé, if they could have a Schnee do it?

His schedule by the day varied, yet his habits did not. Strictly at twelve in the afternoon, he ate for approximatively fifteen minutes and forty seconds at the longest, his food a few slices of prepared oatmeal bread, baked in the morning fresh, every day. The leftovers usually had been handed out to the staff, when there still HAD been staff… But those had been phased out slowly. _'Klein could manage everything, as his service was unpaid.'_ That they paid him a wage was mostly for show. Her heart thumped a little faster at the recollection of the butler that had been with the family for longer than she had been alive. _'He would be around… sixty now?'_

Her husband's schedule was mutable, yet predictable. Two hours of firm exercise at two, followed by thirty minutes of rest and a fresh suit to be worn, selected from the closet. Public outings were to be arranged beforehand and with the full security detail. _'Weiss always hated going out in public with such a large gathering... I think she liked it better when Winter took her along...'_

Her eldest daughter had the distinction of being blessed with a middle name, as was common amongst nobles of the varying Kingdoms. Despite the abolishment of the monarchy, the hereditary titles that still remained had not been abolished, yet their own power had been bound strictly. The middle name that some people had was just something that only the commoners would be able to notice as 'unusual', even with the way that Nobility held itself in the public sphere. _'Whitney Esmeralda Schnee... That name holds more power than any Jacques Schnee would ever have.'_ The laws of Mantle that had been transferred towards the current government of Atlas had been given special stipulations and amendmends for nobility and their titles and positions. _'Without a full military tribunal, it is unlikely that anyone is able to shake Jacques from his position as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company... and even then, it would be a revolt worth talking about for years. We fought against oppressive Kingdoms and their wars for years... Why should a single tyrant be something that we cannot rise against? Money though... that is the stranglehold of a corporation upon the people.'_

Her lips pressed against Jaune's for a moment, stealing a kiss gently. Her whole body surged with the dark power inside her, bubbling and burning through her veins, the warmth inside her loins cloying together until she could feel a surge of heat and a shudder went through her body, as her tongue licked along his lips. _'My blonde Hero...'_

She smiled once more, as she nuzzled against him again, content with stealing that little hint of her own affection, her whole body basking in the glow of his power. Whatever he desired from her... she would grant it and those who would stand in her way would feel the fear of her desire coming real.

* * *

 _No time for snowmen(Nicholas Schnee)_

* * *

He looked out of the window as he was ferried towards the airport, where the transport would be waiting for him to take him to Vale. With the international flights not operating to the schedule that he had set, Nicholas Schnee could only take the private form of transportation... accompanied by six of the Schnee Defense Forces. It would be folly to travel anywhere without the escort of professional people. _'They are all hired with my own funds. Jacques would be a fool to get me killed, especially so shortly after my Whitney has died... Suspicion already is roused about my daughter's death... James Ironwood would crack down on him like a Dust Mine collapse if he found something out that was off about my daughter's death.'_

"Sir, I feel that it is unwise to leave the manor in such a condition that the young Master and Master Jacques would be left unattended." Klein said, the thought rousing to Nicholas' mind as well, as he tapped the communications screen, tapping the number that belonged to his Son in Law. The connection was near-instant, the face of the man who had wedded his daughter and driven his legacy into the ground appearing on the screen in a flash. "Nicholas." The man was curt, yet polite in his tone.

' _Too much depends on your own handling of the affairs of my wife, Jacques...'_ The look on the old man's face was kind and paternal as he looked at Whitley seated at his father's side, already busy with pushing some of the papers towards his father, seemingly in the process of doing so. "I actually am calling to inquire about the issue of having staff." The look on Jacques face was taken aback, seemingly a little caught off his guard. "Staff?"

He smiled at Whitley, even as he spoke. "With Klein being assigned to my own management, you would need to have someone to provide you with food, Jacques." The man grit his teeth. _'He wouldn't know what it is like, eating bread that's gone nearly stale... Whitney and I...'_ The memories of yesteryear came to his mind again.

His grandson smiled, as if it had been within his calculations. _'If Jacques is teaching him well, there may be hope for the company yet.'_ "Grandfather, I have already foreseen the issues that could arise from that. One of my associates has a fully trained butler and majordomo available for hire under a moment's notice. I have already sent out the notification and Jean-Claude has been serving us our meals already." There was a smile on the child's face that Nicholas remembered well, one that had been similarly spotted on a younger Jacques' face, even with his eyes holding slightly more warmth than the cold Jacques' ever had.

"Ah, I was just concerned. I would not wish to have my grandson be harmed by a lack of proper food. Teenagers these days... all they eat is junk food and the like." The excuse was enough, even though Nicholas did not really know what to do. _'Was this pre-planned? Was this a measure of control that Jacques has built in, after he had gotten rid of Klein... or was this pre-planned before my daughter was killed?'_ "We will be well cared for, grandfather. I hope that your outing goes well! Give my warmest regards to Weiss and tell her that her spot as the Schnee Dust Company's heir shall be well looked after by me."

' _That is awfully cold of you, Whitley.'_ The man thought, yet his face showed none of those thoughts. "I will let her know." He paused for a moment, as Jacques looked at him impatiently, the moustache bristling slightly. "We have a business call in a minute, Nicholas. Have a good trip, be well and all that stuff." The connection cut out as the head of the Schnee Dust Company shut off his connection, leaving Nicholas Schnee to sit there, his eyes blinking slightly. _'Interesting... and expected. Jacques does seem to have less patience than before.'_

"Master Jacques seems to be more irate than before, Sir." His butler commented, as he guided the vehicle towards the lane that would lead towards the private aircraft. "I could not help but overhear his comments." It was a note of sadness that pervaded the butler's tone. _'He's been there to see my grandchildren grow up. It is logical that he would feel some closeness to them.'_

"It is not how I would live my life, were I his age." He knew that it was hitting close to the mark, yet he would stick to the family that he knew was still somewhat true to the Schnee ideal of being reputable. _'To think that it would come down to a choice between Winter and Weiss...'_

"We will arrive in ten minutes, sir." The butler said, as he continued with his driving, his attention focused on the road. The sight of the various aircraft that were arranged around the special VIP area were something that would awe many first-timers, yet Nicholas Schnee knew it well from experience. _'Time to go and meet with my youngest granddaughter... Weiss... I hope that you've found some good friends.'_

* * *

 **Plans are afoot! The chapter is a little shorter than the that I write for a reason, because I've cut some stuff out of this chapter that would be much better fitting for the next. Don't worry, it's all going according to the overly nebulous plan that you might perceive to be plot-hole-driven!**

 **For those inquiring for a general timeline of events thus far -  
JAUNE ARC**

 **– Jaune Arc loses an arm and gets transported to Salem's pool of doom.  
– Jaune's funeral, introduction to the public face of the Arc family.  
Around that very same time – Jaune emerges from the spawning pool after establishing a connection with Salem.  
Same day – Jaune and Summer Rose meet. Jaune absorbs Summer as well as the Vitae Tenebris from the cylinder she is kept in. Summer Rose and Jaune Arc escape from Salem's Keep, manage to hitch a ride on the magical whirlpool of darkness towards Mistral  
– Jaune arrives at the first village nearby, gets to kill a Beringel, discovers that he cannot control it, due to inability and inexperience. Finds out that absorbing them brings strength. Clings to the idea of heroism. Summer has her first crisis of faith.  
– Bear Beornir abducts Jaune. Ruby Beornir takes an interest. Tetch is introduced and escapes through sheer luck. Ruby Beornir is not happy.  
around that same day – Beornir Camp is exterminated. Summer Rose rescues Jaune from captivity. Topaz Beornir is murdered by Jaune. Ruby Beornir survives through as-of-yet-unknown-means.  
– The White Fang attempt to assassinate Sienna Khan and Whitney Schnee. They fail and Ghira Belladonna dies. Team JESK is formed. Jaune ignites Whitney's aura, Whitney using the name 'Esmeralda' to ensure that she will not be recognized that easily. Kali Belladonna goes along with it because she knows of Sienna's opinions.  
– They encounter Tetch once more in a village, getting some more clothing and a riot ensues. Kali Belladonna is stabbed and Jaune ignites her Aura with his own. They meet with Shay and Vernal, who lead them to Kuroyuri.  
\- The Nuckelavee is killed by Jaune, a family portrait is obtained from the ruins of the Ren home. Raven Branwen knocks out every member of the group.  
-Jaune and Raven fight, Raven is defeated. Jaune obtains Raven's aid due to Summer's convincing skills.  
-Team JESK arrives at Mistral, getting new gear and outfits. Kali obtains a katar and dagger combination, Sienna has her staff weapon reinforced. Whitney opts for a rifle.  
-The Battle for Haven's Relic. Arthur Watts dies, as do his four androids. Leonardo Lionheart is shot through the head with Whitney Schnee's rifle.  
-Jaune Arc becomes the Grand Warlock. Bestows a sliver of knowledge to Kali in order to grant greater comprehension of martial skills. They convene to the weaponsmith's shop once more with the aid of Raven's portal, Raven departing afterwards.  
-Summer murders a huntsman to cover their tracks. Sienna obtains a Dust Chain Whip.  
-Testudo Vehementi is fought and defeated. Kali Belladonna is empowered through the use of the Vitae Tenebris of the Testudo Vehementi. Jaune and company now go towards the nearest port, towards Vale. The ladies wish to see their daughters.**

 **I was going to put out an outline for the histories of each plot as well, but the main Arc would be Jaune's. Cardin's perspective lends a view on how some things are moving in the background and how the public perceives things, whilst Glynda's perspective puts it more from a broader perspective, from the position that she holds as one of the mightiest women in the world. Salem's perspective is mostly wrought by emotions and is not hugely important YET. Team RWBY's though...**

 **There are a few things that you can probably glean from how I've written them. They have been impacted in different ways by the events that have come before. For people** **who are** **like 'Oh, but this is a really long fic, omg, how can you do this to us...', I am very sorry to say that it will probably hit the one-million mark sometime. I've nearly hit** **half a million words now and it's about six months since I started writing this thing. I have a lot of** **great stuff in store for you still.**

 **Ozpin File 006124, from the main server at Beacon Academy**

 **Name: Schnee, Whitney Esmeralda**  
 **Title: Lady**  
 **Age: 39**  
 **Status: DECEASED**  
 **Semblance: Glyphs**  
 **Aura: Locked.**  
 **Hunter Ranking: D.  
** **Bio: The only child of Schnee, Nicholas to have made it to adulthood, Schnee, Whitney has shown an incredible strength of character, comparable to her father and Schnee, Willow (See File: SCHNEE DUST COMPANY). Schnee, Whitney has been known to be an apt negotiator and miner of Dust, her skill in the art of rifles more than sufficient to grant her the status of D-rank in the official Huntsmen categories. Due to an incident (See File: Schnee Family, 70 AV) in the relationship with her husband, Schnee, Whitney spends the majority of her time secluded in her homestead. A cursory inspection of the status of Schnee, Whitney by Specialist Schnee, Winter at the behest of Ironwood, James has unveiled intelligence that the woman is spending the majority of the time with a heightened blood alcohol level, leading to a decrease of the skills that she had learned during her younger years.**

 **As a member of Atlesian nobility, the allowances for Schnee, Whitney and the eldest heir to the name of Schnee have been granted up to the Duke level of wealth and influence due to the position that the Schnee Dust Company occupies in Atlas. Upon the death of Schnee, Nicholas, Schnee, Whitney will inherit the title 'Duchess Schnee', her eldest male and female child inheriting the titles of Lord and Lady, in accordance with the AV 29 treaty to establish the rights of nobility.**

 **Schnee, Whitney is assumed to have perished in an assault on her transport, orchestrated by the White Fang (see WHITE FANG), leaving her inheritance to be released to the care of her father, who shall thus hand it to her children once they achieve the age of twenty-one or graduate from their chosen forms of education. The order of inheritance is as follows – Schnee, Winter (21, ineligible until dismissal from military), Schnee, Weiss (17), Schnee, Whitley (14.)**

 **End of File**

 **Hidden attachment -**

 **Personal comments by: OZPIN**

 **Whitney Schnee is a woman who has perseverance and work ethic honed to a fine degree under optimal circumstances, yet shows frightening instability when emotionally pressured due to her upbringing. With the proper guidance and care, she could have been an asset to the stability of the world, yet as of the writing of this comment, no such progression has been made. She has secluded herself in her chambers following an altercation with her husband, drinking her days away. Truly a wasted opportunity to realize her potential. Her daughter, Winter, will make for a much more pliable galvanizing force. James Ironwood has been instructed to nourish her seedling, in order to ensure that the Schnee legacy will spread. Her younger sister, Weiss, has been enticed to join Beacon Academy. Let their dedication to the safety of Remnant be the shining light upon the darkness that has been wrought upon the name of Schnee.**

 **A Grimm Tale MIGHT have some stuff that is definitely 18+ and NSFW. I'll consider uploading it when it's written to some site like AO3 or something, but I am not sure whether it would be the right direction to take. Your thoughts on that would be appreciated.**

 **Pay attention y'all. Things are going to get Grimm in Volume III!**

 **Leave a review if you feel so inclined! See you all in two weeks with Chapter 26!**


	26. Claustrophobia

**_Chapter 26: Claustrophobia_**

 **There are things afoot! You're going to love it in the end! I'm hyped!**

* * *

 _The burdens we take (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He hit the ground HARD, Sienna's snickering sounding remarkably loud as she returned to the original position that she'd taken, the length of bamboo that she'd crafted into a staff having remained in perfect shape, even with his own body moving in tandem to the moves that she had taught him. Her eyes glowed slightly with amusement, her whole body shimmering with the energy of a person who had achieved another victory. " Get up." She barked at him, his hands pushing himself up again.

It would be the daily grind of travel, then training. They were getting closer to the port which would allow them the chance to get a boat or something of the sort to take them to Vale… or at least to Vytal, through which they would be able to get to Vale. Travel by air was too risky, in his estimation. Too many people would be curious about why three women and a young man were travelling, customs enforced a great deal harsher than before.

' _Perhaps when I'll be with my team again…_ 'The hope blossomed in his heart, even with his body assuming a ready stance again. Sienna's staff was in motion a moment later, slamming against his own weapon, the savage smile on her face something that would not look too out of place on some villain's face, even as she whirled around, the staff sweeping low. "Focus on your defence!" Her voice barked, clearly holding the authority of someone who had practised long and hard on the skills that she was trying to impart on him. The dull thock of the staff hitting his own was loud to his ears, as he blocked, jumping up in order to block the next staff strike, the staff in his hands shifting slightly as he began to change his form, the strike back at her trying to reach her, yet the Faunus woman turned at her heel, the staff striking his upper body. "Not now."

He found himself hitting the ground once more as her foot hooked behind his one and her staff knocked him to the ground once more, the impact dulled by the Aura that blossomed to shield him from the damage. _'This will be the day…'_

The morning came too soon, a trip that was continuing once more, the tingles in the back of his scalp starting up once more as he spotted the presence of the village that he had known. They had been travelling for nearly three hundred miles now, and it was a trip that had taken them a while, yet the familiar wall still stood. _'Thank the gods that they are still here… With Her talent for wiping out settlements…'_

"Jaune, are we…" Esmeralda spoke up, his grip on her from behind still firm, even as his empty stomach roiled as the settlement of Kuromasu came into view. _'It might be a bit of a delay…'_ He owed it to the people, to at least visit them on the way back. His eyes watched carefully the wall, hearing the click of Dust rounds being inserted into a weapon. "Who're you and what'dye want with this place, eh?" The voice of Shats came from the wall as he slowly got off, Esmeralda's concerned look at him enough. "I'm back, Shats!" He called out, spotting the man's face peering over the wall.

"Well, I'll be darned… It's the sonny boy!"The look that Sienna gave him was one of amusement, as Kali and Sienna slowly climbed off their vehicles, the man barking something at the people in charge of the gate. As they pushed their vehicles through the gateway, Jaune could see that there had been some damage done to the houses in the time that he had been gone.

' _It's been only… two months or so?'_ There was more to travel than the average person would think, as he watched carefully the men that were in charge of shutting the gate once more, his paranoia starting to rise up once more. _'I was so innocent before…'_ He realized, even though Summer had been more active in his mind than before… He guessed that that was because she was the only one that he could talk to, Summer's voice having a good effect on his own sanity. Loneliness caused the most insanity, or something like that he'd heard.

"Maiko will be glad to see you've come back to us, Sonny." Shats said, his face broad, as his gaze slid to Esmeralda and Kali and Sienna, a frown on his face. "These're the people ya travel with, Hunter boy?"

Kali stepped forth immediately, her face a smile, her voice changing to something a little lighter as she bowed to the man _. "Wǒ de míngzì shì kǎ lì, wǒ shì tā de péngyǒu. Zhè shì wǒ de mèimei xī yé nà, lìng yīgè nǚrén shì tā de qiè."_ The Faunus woman indicated Sienna first with a small gesture of her head, keeping the bow as she spoke, before indicating Esmeralda. Shats' eyes went right to him and a laugh came from his mouth. "Getting the cats ready to do the formal stuff, right? You work fast, Sonny boy!" The man patted him on the shoulder, as he looked at Kali, who winked at him. _'What did she say? If it is like this…'_

He heard some of the snickers of the men around and figured that Kali had said something that was either embarrassing or something that went right over his head, her eyes sparkling with an impish delight as she stood at his side once more. "I just told them about you, Jaune." Sienna's face looked grimmer than before, giving Kali a look of minor disapproval. Esmeralda's face was surprised as well, not quite comprehending what the Faunus woman had said. "I never took Mistralian at the schools I went to." She mumbled, shaking her head slightly in thoughtfulness.

"Nothing untoward was said! I just said it like it is. Sienna is like a sister to me." The frown on Sienna's face was growing darker, as her lips pressed tightly together. "I don't approve…" She mumbled, her voice audible to Jaune's sharpened senses, even as Shats led them along, their vehicles pushed along with their strength, Kali walking with the man and speaking in a hushed tone.

Whatever was being discussed, seemed to have little impact, Kali's chattiness in the Mistralian language something that was well-known to him. "I didn't know that she spoke Mistralian." Esmeralda mumbled whilst she looked at her friend's back, Jaune feeling a similar feeling of isolation. _'It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to learn the languages of the lands in which one travels. Didn't Kali say that she had lived in Mistral for a while before she married?'_

The house of Maiko and Liren still looked as untouched as before, yet he knew well that something had changed. A long white cloth hung at the door, undyed and unmarked, the door looking to be a little more weathered than it had been before. A single mass of emotions, thick with depression and sadness, moving through the room towards the door. "Maiko! John's back here!" The voice of Shats called, the door opening to show Maiko. The woman had lost weight, her face looking gaunter than before, bags under her eyes showing clearly that she hadn't had a good night's sleep.

Kali gave a sound of empathy as she looked at the woman, clearly noticing that there was something off about her. _'It's the loss of a husband, I reckon…'_ The state could not have been induced by anything but the misery that one felt from losing one's loved one. Anger and rage would have mingled if there had been a raid of some sort, the sensitivity that he had about the darker emotions coming solely from the experiences with the Grimm that he had.

"Ah, John." The woman said, as she looked at him. Her eyes held a special kind of despair, as she looked him over, her eyes with a certain hunger to fill the void, as her gaze slunk to his companions, dimming slightly, as her head turned and finally found Shats. "You've brought him to me." She said, her voice flat and without much emotion, her eyes turning back to Jaune's face once after she'd addressed the man. "

Figured that he could stay with you again. His women friends are all polite and stuff, despite two of em being Faunus." Maiko's eyes seemed to be shrouded in darkness for a moment as she let her gaze linger on the two Faunus, suspicion and a hint of fear going through her. "They can stay in the barn." The words of the woman were enough, Kali sighing slightly. _'People still_ _discriminate against the Faunus.'_

" _Wǒ de míngzì shì Belladonna Kali. Xièxiè nǐ de rèqíng kuǎndài_." The formal bow that she gave to the woman was still something that he marveled at, the grace with which she moved something that surpassed his own, if pressed in a similar situation. His eyes caught a glimpse of Maiko's surprise as Kali spoke so gracefully, her lips pulling to a slight smile. "Yǒurén lǐmào, wǒ míngbáile... Kěxí tā zhǐshì yī zhǐ māo."

Kali's face showed no response to that, yet Sienna's anger ERUPTED at Maiko's comment. He could feel the anger burning through her as her lips pressed tightly together, clearly unsettled by the way that the woman had spoken. He didn't know what the woman's thoughts were as her gaze turned to him. "John, it is a pleasure to meet you again." She spoke with genuine gratitude, as she gave a small bow. The white clothes that she wore gave her a pretty appearance, even as her eyes met with his own. "Please… It has been too long…" Her arm found its way with his, and he felt her tug him along.

A scandalized look came to Kali's face, as he could see Esmeralda's disapproval of the woman's gesture. _'She's just going to get me inside, right?'_ The woman's smile was thin as she noticed Esmeralda. "Another of your friends, John?" The voice was a little pinched, as her head turned and she looked at him with a look that begged an explanation.

"Yes, she's Esmeralda." He said whilst Kali cleared her throat. "Tā de qiè. Bùyào bǎ zìjǐ fàng zài zìjǐ de shìyè shàng." An ugly look passed along Maiko's face, as she looked as Esmeralda. He was aware that Esmeralda seemed to have something that riled her up, yet he wasn't sure what it could be. "A good friend of mine." More depressive emotions came from Esmeralda, yet it might be due to whatever was going on in the back.

Marriage… It was such an unfathomable thing to him yet it was also something to worry about. Maiko's face seemed to change a little. "Come inside, please… Much has happened in the time that you have been away." The woman's voice sounded a little desperate, yet he allowed himself to be led inside.

A small shrine dominated one of the corners of the room in which they'd eaten, the incense that burned slowly in the holder looking like it would be able to keep on going for a while, her bow before the altar something that seemed natural. Her eyes looked at the shrine for a little longer than was proper, as she turned to him. "He died a month ago. A fall. Unavoidable." The words were soft, yet he could feel a welling of support inside him, feeling the pain that the woman no doubt must have felt when her husband had perished. _'Oh no, that is just…'_

She smiled slightly, even as she looked at his companions. _'My own team… A little different from Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, yet they are willing to help out to fight against Her…'_ She grimaced then, as she looked at the two Faunus women. "I shall pour you some tea." The woman moved mechanically to the counter, starting the preparations for tea. He sat himself down in the chair, Maiko rummaging around and his own mind immediately starting to work more on how to fix their current situation.

They would only be able to rest here for a day or so, before they would have to get going once more. It would be time for them to continue on shortly afterwards. "John… Could you do me a favour and make sure that the barn is prepared for your… friends?"

The question wasn't too far out there, as he got up and smiled. "Of course." He said, as he felt a strange surge of emotion coming from her, as he walked from the house to the barn, recalling the time that he'd spent in it, allowing himself to recuperate a little from the transfer. _"She really has degraded…"_ Summer commented in his mind, as she made her presence known once more. _"It's visible in the way that she mourns her husband… Jitters, a little abrasive…"_

He felt bad for her. Losing a loved one wasn't something that he was good at dealing with, as he had not really lost anyone, save for his team… who likely were still safe and sound, unharmed in most respects. _'They would be able to manage… At least Pyrrha had the training to do whatever she wanted, she is the Champion of this and that, after all.'_

In Mistral City, there had been a few of the banners that declared Pyrrha to be some champion of the fighting circuit, but he hadn't paid it more attention than a mere look. Pyrrha meant more to him than just the accolades that she had achieved in her career. She was Pyrrha, after all!

As he rejoined the women, he could see some tension in the room, disappearing the moment that he entered. Maiko's smile was a little less radiant than before, a steaming cup of tea set before him at the space that Liren had regularly occupied. Kali's eyes were looking at him, her gaze shifting slightly, as the Vitae Tenebris inside her pulsed. "It's done, Maiko." He said, the woman smiling a little. "I was just talking with your partners."

He could see that Sienna obviously had issues with restraining her opinion, her eyes blazing with a fire that seemed to be barely extinguishable, her orange eyes meeting with his own, as she looked at Maiko with a look that seemed to be on the verge of just leaping up and starting to get what she was owed from her hide. _'She looks ready to pounce like an angry tiger.'_

"We are feeling enlightened already." Esmeralda said, her tone frosty, as her gaze never left Maiko. "What some people do in these places… It is a novel experience." There clearly was more which had gone on behind the scenes than he'd thought, as Esmeralda motioned for him to sit, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Maiko has generously offered the bed in the master bedroom to us." The woman's voice held a warmth that seemed to be coating the icy tone with which she spoke, her eyes brimming with something that was like a live viper, slowly uncoiling and unwrapping. Teeth that had to be white as snow showed in her smile. "We do need to get up early again, don't we?"

"Of course." He said, Maiko giving a soft wince, for some reason. "Would you be able to help me with something, John?" The woman asked, his heart immediately going out to her. _'What's wrong about helping her with something, right?'_ "Of course. What do you need help with?"

A smile played on her lips, one that seemed to tell of victory. "There are a few things in the barn that need a big strong man to take a look at it… Could you be a dear and help out?" The question wasn't that bad. _'With the relic of Knowledge, I can probably figure out how to fix up whatever's broken…'_

His hand touched over the miniaturized staff, the Relic's shimmer curling around his fingers. It was in a smaller shape now, easily carried with him, the link between them being akin to a tether. "I'd hate to see you struggle. Of course."

Esmeralda spoke up as well at that moment. "And I'll help out as well. I've got some experience with handling Dust-powered engines." That made sense. She had said that she had been into Dust mining a while ago, to his own recollection. It would make sense that she'd know a bit about engines. "We'll make sure that whatever it is, will be fixed!" The bright smile that he put on his face and the excitement that he felt, didn't seem to be shared by Maiko, as her smile seemed to be awfully forced. "That is wonderful, John."

The woman led him towards the barn, to the spot where several of the engines that were used for cultivating the land were kept. "Here, at the back. The engine seems to stall once it's started up." The woman said, her voice sounding like the soft encouragement that his mom would give him. _'Helping out women with their issues is a man's job, if they ask.'_ His father had once said, when he was in one of his states where there would be no stresses on him.

After all, what harm could it do? He tugged off his coat and shirt, hanging them on a peg, wringing his hands. It was time to get busy.

* * *

 _Alley cat business (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She was not pleased in the slightest with the reception that they had gotten. If not for Jaune being friends with the villagers, they would have travelled further, heedless of the Grimm that they'd encounter. With the way that this woman was acting, it was as if there was some sort of obstacle in front of them that they could not easily scale. _'Such a rude… bah.'_

Her Semblance chuckled softly in the back of her mind. **"** _ **It is not the reception that you deserve, Kali Belladonna… But the reception that you receive. Sienna knows Mistrali thanks to her heritage… Yet you know it because it was the only language you spoke, until you learned the language of the humans."**_ The dark shadow of her own Semblance coalesced in one of the nooks, the mature form of her own self standing there, even as her revitalized body was like a spark in a Dust mine, the burning of her own aura lighting the path before her.

" _ **You desire vengeance."**_ The shadow whispered, dark ichors inside her bubbling and burning, her fingers touching the hilt of her Katar, leaving her to feel the burning rush of adrenaline for a moment from phantom memories, as she watched the human widow move through the house, with her attention right on the three of them. _'All three of us are different. Sienna is a young Faunus… I look young, which makes me look like a sister… and Esmeralda is good enough to look like a mother…'_ The differences between the three of them had been pointed out by Sienna first, as they had sat at the camp that they'd made, Jaune having gone to fetch some water from a nearby stream.

"We're all different. You look young, Kali."Her friend had spoken so casually, yet it had been something that had drawn the interest of Esmeralda, who seemed to be looking at her for a long while. "You, human… You've got your semblance and your intelligence and skill in the dealings of business. I make no aspirations towards knowing what an impact you have in the world but… We're in this together." The look on Sienna's face was tough, as if it took great pain for her to say something like that, the words coming out, yet the dissatisfied look on her friend's face told the greater story, as Sienna slowly exhaled.

"I… I've got my skill as the High Leader of the White Fang." The woman sounded bitter to Kali's ears, as she shifted slightly. "I'm good with my weapon, yet now…" Her gaze went to the direction which Jaune had went to, the woman's eyes a little darker as the anger seemed to boil in her. "We are going to be bound to a man who holds a nefarious power." She had activated the fear aura without thinking, the wave of fear showing its effects on Sienna and Esmeralda by the flinching that they did. " **I hold a nefarious power too, Sienna."** Her voice had warped into that dark manner that her powers lent her, similar to how Jaune's voice turned a little more primal when he did. It was not an unpleasant effect. **"With my Semblance, I can cause fear…"**

It had been a bit of trial and error to find out how it worked, exactly. The shadowy form of her Semblance was herself at her previous appearance, the look of Kali Belladonna remaining there, even as her actual appearance could pass for her daughter's elder sister, if there had to be a comparison. Her piercings would put her as the senior, though. That was tradition. To put her and Sienna together was enough to make a statement that they were sisters. Faunus genetics were dominant enough that differing skin tones could easily be explained away as a genetic drift, a different father or mother involves.

" **Am I a nefarious person as well?"** She questioned, Sienna feeling the effect of her Semblance the most, even as her gaze lowered, none of the frustration showing anymore. "No, Kali, but…" She tried to get out of the situation, even as the shadows appeared to form her clone, the shadowy woman grabbing a hold of Sienna. **"You should be aware, Sienna…"** The decadent purr that her shadowy copy gave was enough to send a shiver running down Kali's spine, as she looked at Sienna. **"Your safety is dependent on how Jaune feels… I know that you've been softening up towards him."**

It was the truth. No longer did Sienna seem ready to erupt like an angry volcano, as her gaze cast down, a grudging expression on her face that Kali had seen before. **"Admit it to yourself…"** She coaxed, Sienna's gaze sliding up. Her lips parted, before she exhaled slowly. "I may be accepting of his status." The admitting of that issue was something that brought a bigger grin to Kali's face, as she peered at her friend's face, checking whether there was more to be gleaned from her expression. It certainly seemed that Sienna might be warming up to the young man who had become their rock in desperate times.

"That does NOT mean that I'm going to act like a needy bitch and make love to him!" Sienna warned, Kali grinning at her friend, as she slowly wagged her finger. "Now now…" She teased, the shadowy copy of herself mingling once more with her own Semblance. _"_ _ **Coaxing her into accepting the dominion of the Master would allow her to feel as we feel… We are strong, Kali Belladonna."**_ The voice of her Semblance rumbled in the mindscape, as Esmeralda coughed. "I wouldn't want you to take that option." The woman said, her voice sharp.

Sienna's face was ugly, as Kali realized that there was something that wasn't being voiced by Esmeralda. "And I'm back!" Jaune said as he walked back, carrying the can full of water towards them. Immediately the conversation stalled as different topics were accessed, leaving Kali alone with her thoughts about Jaune's importance… and having gleaned that Sienna was not as against him as she had apparently been.

"This woman's husband has died… I should be feeling something that binds us together, but that response…" The diplomacy training that she had received whilst Ghira was mainly occupied with the White Fang would pay off, if the way that the woman had so rudely greeted them could be ignored. _'The audacity of her to immediately… urgh.'_

Sleeping in a barn wasn't that bad, indeed… But it could be better. The little dig that she'd gotten in on the woman had been purely done on impulse, with only the backing of her words. It would be something that she'd have to communicate to Esmeralda before they went to bed, so that they'd be able to get the stories straight. _'I don't think that she'd mind too much… I mean, she has had her eye on Jaune for a while now._ '

That she'd done such an underhanded trick in order to get some vindication for being treated like this would have been an unfathomable thing if she still had been married to her husband, unwilling to deal with the prejudices of the people around her. She had been sheltered, yet engaged with people in the social sphere as equals easily, having cast off her past and embraced the new life, with her husband.

The void inside her yearned for something to fill it. A purpose that she could glean from the interactions with the young man who had saved her from the despair of losing her husband. She could feel the yawning maw of death loom just out of sight, hidden from her view, waiting and watching, yet with his own body, he protected her from such terrors, not even ceasing his everlasting vigil in order to ensure that she would be kept safe. _'His care for his fellow companions is what makes him worth following.'_ The sense that he had made in her world was undeniable.

She could feel the thrill of something go through her, the look that Esmeralda gave her one of trust and perhaps hope. They got along well, well enough to be friends and to know each other's secrets. The confiding in each other was something that she had only started with White, yet the simplicity of their relationship was also its strength. White wanted Jaune, she wanted Jaune and White to be happy. _'Ghira, would you have done the same if you were in my shoes? Would you have chosen one side, or would you have sat on the fence, waiting for which side presented the better argument?'_

Her husband had been a man who had been thoughtful and focused on his own values and worth. A passionate lover like her did not compliment him well, but their love had brought them one daughter, the light of their heart. _'Blake… Your father would be proud of you for being who you are. I know that he is still out there somewhere in spirit, watching over you.'_

Thinking back on Ghira brought a sigh to her lips, as her fingers fiddled with her side. The skintight suit that she wore was comfortable, yet it did not leave anything to the imagination, exposing her shapely contours to the eye of whoever watched. It was not something that she minded though. Her semblance allowed her to function in the shadows just as well as in broad daylight… yet with more of a preference for the darkness of night than for the brightness of day. Huntresses and Huntsmen often wore different types of clothing. Where huntsmen preferred thicker armour, the huntresses tended to prefer clothing that outlined their personal expression. _'Who would want to wear a combat skirt, eh? This is nice and form-fitting. Sienna wears those jeans and the sleeves to hide her tattoos… but I guess I'm rocking this nice outfit.'_

She glanced at the image of the woman's husband, even as the tea was being served. White, with her elegance in her handling of the teacup, struck a particularly noble appearance, as she raised the tea to her lips and sipped it, her eyes closing. "The tea is pleasant to the taste." The woman, Maiko, smiled in a manner that resembled that of a viper or some other predator. "Anything for an honoured guest." The woman's voice sounded like she'd say something else, Kali feeling the sensation in the woman's body.

Cultural significance was something that many people often glossed over in these days of the network of the four kingdoms and the latest inventions to drive children wild with imagination. She could already see the strain on their host that they had. Faunus were tolerated at best within Mistral, their attitudes towards the Faunus changing frequently, with the times spurring them on to fear, disdain or loathe their presence. _'With every breath that we take, another resentment builds up in their heart… These people have not learnt anything from the past.'_

"It would be bad manners to deny the host the pleasure of a compliment." She said, her formal training taken over, yet she could see the woman strain against the bounds of formality. _'A huntsman, decently young… Still desirable in the eyes of a woman.'_ The image of Jaune that she had, would not change much. The young man was a delight to witness with his naivety as far as it went. _'Over these months, we have only seen the side of him that is busy with ensuring our health and safety… We've only seen him when he worried about his own presence corrupting us.'_

Her thoughts were apparently not as guarded to her own Semblance as the dark voice purred through her mind, the seductive quality that it held sounding far different from her own imagination. _**"He holds the power to surge us from mere mortals to something more… The powers that you hold, my darling Kali…"**_ A visceral shudder was audible from the spectral representation that the Semblance held, her mind dancing with images of brutal and visceral murder, anathema to her regular behaviour and strangely twisted. _'Is it really…'_

The drive for vengeance against those who had taken her husband from her was something that could lead to a dark and wicked place for her to remain at, the thoughts of death and murder leading towards a grisly half-life that would never be sated. Her thoughts returned to the current issue at hand.

The average period of mourning was three years for spouses, after which they would be picking their life up again. Kali knew that if she followed those rituals, she would have to wait three years before she could open her eyes again to look at other men. It was not that Ghira's memory was automatically defiled and sullied forever, if she partook of the pleasures of the flesh with a man, at least not in Faunus society. Humans might have more issues with the affection that Faunus brought to themselves, yet Kali knew well that her husband would have wanted her to be happy. _'If I feel happy when I am with another, then I shall be happy. He would have known that I would have wanted him to be happy as well.'_ The image of Ghira and Jaune together, working their way through the perils of the world with Sienna and Esmeralda was one that brought a small sliver of amusement to her mind, as she could just imagine her husband, pacifist to the core, try to negotiate with the people who would rather see them dead. _'Sienna could have taken my place as his wife… Maybe temper his expectations…'_

The image of Sienna with her husband brought a bad taste to her mind, as she knew that those two would not see eye to eye on a lot of things without divine intervention. _'Too much of a radical change… it would never work out.'_ She knew well the strengths of her husband, no matter how well he would hide them from the outside world. A gifted speaker and statesman, yet chronically shy and abrasive at the same time, trying to give the image of a rough and tough man, who nevertheless was as gentle as a kitten in her hands. _'Even when we make love… To think that I've had to coax him to pull on my ears… Hmmm…'_

She did not mind a little bit of rough play in the bedroom. Just thinking about it sent a hot sliver of desire through her, the heat that had been banished through the aid of pharmaceuticals having left the heated flares of desire, yet she squashed it in a flash. She knew that if she gave in now, she would be left weak and frail, without anyone who would be able to stop her from just taking care of the urges. _'Sometimes, it sucks to have a higher sexual drive than many… Ghira was understanding when I made the case, but Sienna…'_

Their fooling around to take care of their heat was something that she did not particularly find too distasteful. Most Humans would find it odd, yet she knew that several would also embrace it. _'Sienna…'_ Whilst Sienna might be straighter than an arrow, Kali had decidedly less issues with ensuring that it was gratification, instead of aggravation that they got. _'At least we won't have a flare-up for another year or two. These periods suck.'_

She could only prepare herself for an evening full of awkwardness, as the human would be their host…

' _If she pulls one move on_ _ **our**_ _Jaune, she's going to see how bad a cat's claws are…'_

* * *

 _The first night together (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her whole body tingled as she looked at the young man, the room that they had been given by their host looking to be the master bedroom. It had been custom or something, as Kali had explained it, to let guests sleep comfortably, something about honour… but she did not place much stock in that.

Her eyes roved over the shadows that lengthened in the room, as she took a tense breath. He sat there, dressed in only a set of underwear and a shirt that he'd gotten for the night. The pretence that they were in a relationship was something that she could accept, even though Jaune had been a little hesitant when Kali had suggested it on the sly. _'Such a pretty young man should be with someone young, not an old and withered woman like me.'_ She knew that she was not the youngest member of their little gathering. That courtesy went to Sienna, who was twenty-nine if she'd remembered it right. Kali, who hovered around thirty-nine was in her age range… and well, it wasn't really as if things were that clear-cut with them.

"S-so." He said, an adorable expression on his face, his eyes looking at her bosom, clad only in the nightshirt that she had appropriated to her own self back at Mistral, the payment in Lien inconsequential. "Let's sleep." He said, his voice sounding like it was deliberating on something extremely dangerous. _'Hmmm, I would rock your world, Jaune…'_

It wasn't that he was fully unaware of the women around him, she had concluded. He thought himself as less than worthy of them. _'Grab yourself by whatever girl-balls you have and be a woman! You've got the opportunity, now TAKE it!'_ The encouragement that she gave herself was marginal in the grand scheme of things, even as he opened the bed for her, her feet entering first, the pale skin of her body still looking as lustrous as if she were still in her teens. _'You look good. The man you like is right beside you…'_

She crawled up against him, her whole body feeling his own against it like a hot warm radiator giving off heat during the cold winter nights. Her arms wrapped around him in a possessive gesture, as she laid her head against his own. _'I wonder what Winter would think of this if she saw it? Her mother, laying her head against the chest of a man who was not her father, desiring him to take her like some needy whore in all kinds of different ways…'_

Her eldest daughter would be scandalized. Utterly scandalized and ready to ignite in anger and frustration about her mother getting railed by what must be the most glorious man in the known world. _'If he wanted her to serve his needs…_ ' The dark thought strayed through her mind, as a shudder went through her whole body. Her eyes looked at his face, that pensive look on it again that seemed to encompass the thoughts of the world, without any sort of issue behind it. _'I would gladly pin her down and let her know… A harem full of Schnee's…'_ The thought, impure and depraved, set her body aflame with a dark desire, a heavy pant coming from her mouth. _'Come on, Whitney… You can do this. You can keep together…'_

"I…" She heard him start, as his hand brushed over her head. The touch sent shivers through her body as she moved her head against it like some needy, randy cat, like how the Faunus often had been described in those unsavoury stories that were sold to ladies of desperate need. "It's just for a night, alright?" He spoke at a low whisper, just for her ears. Despair welled up inside her. _'Just for a night? What for a night? Does he think himself a burden on us?'_

Aside from Sienna, who obviously would have issues with sleeping with a human, there was little that could not be done by either her or Kali. They had talked before, even as a strange kinship seemed to have arisen, something that went beyond friendship and into… a sisterhood, of sorts. _'No, you have to be clear. If you tell him that you want to be with him… We can make this little fantasy real.'_

"Jaune…" She had a throaty tone to her voice, as she pressed against him. His eyes met with hers, inhuman red and cool, human blue. Shudders ran up and down her spine as she began to feel the need inside her burn like a furnace. His eyes looked away, his cheeks turning slightly pink. _'Embarrassment… or…'_ with a surreptitious manner, her thigh brushed against his groin. Ice-water seemed to brush over her body, as she felt nothing but… flesh. _'I must be horribly ugly to his mind…'_

"Esmeralda?"His voice was still that low tone, as she felt him move a little in her hold, turning to face her. Something brushed against her knee and she could feel… a certain squishiness. "Please… Don't think of me as being strange." Her mouth moved before her mind could catch up fully with his words. "Never." She said unashamedly.

"If you could…" He seemed serious, the darkness inside him quivering in fear and something more, as his eyes looked up. "Can you watch over me tonight?" His voice sounded fearful, as if there was something to burden him, his eyes looking up once more, her whole body feeling like it was lit on fire, the blood in her veins singing as the purity of that darkness seemed to well up inside her as well.

Being with him here completed her. Her whole mind was aflame with the potential, as her body shuddered in desire and need, her head pushing against his chest. "Of course, Jaune." Her fingers wrapped around his hand. "I'll keep you safe."

The genuine smile on his lips drove the nail even harder into her heart, as she could feel the relief through the bond that they had, her whole groin a hot zone as tingles shot through her body. _'Is this what love is? Wanting to crave them, to own them, to be safe with them?'_ The power that he held was like a lure to women, who would see him as the alpha male that he was. He would protect them, care for them and ensure that they would be happy. "I've got to check up on… Her." The name was not spoken, yet she could feel the envy inside her well up, squashed ruthlessly by her own mind. _'Do not be jealous of the woman who controls the Grimm… She's going to be dealt with eventually. I've got faith in Jaune…'_

"Have you been doing this a lot… to keep us safe?" He looked at her, a faint smile on his face. "Of course. It's the least I can do for you all… You're all travelling with me, so that means I need to take care of you all. You're my friends, or at least… I think you are." She could feel the tears creeping up again. _'Just friends? Why do you hurt me so by saying that we're just friends? I would want…'_

"It's all in order to make the world a better place. I want you, Kali and Sienna to be happy and safe." She felt trepidation through her. _'Tell him how you feel! Tell him that you want him to make you happy by being with you. You're not a coward! Show him what Schnee Pride is!'_ Her gaze went down, as she could feel a weakness inside her well up. She couldn't say it. "Thank you… for going along with this too. Kali said that it was culturally significant, but I don't know…"

He was talking about being in the same room with her, in the same bed. They had slept together in the same bed before, her whole body lighting up whenever she was in the same bed as him. She could feel his breathing still, as he seemed to wait for her answer. "Jaune…" Her voice didn't quiver, it was not the Schnee way to show her own weakness. "For you, I would do anything."

It was the truth. She would kill, steal and betray if it pleased him. Her own youth had been one of fierce independence, of her father teaching her how to be a woman and a Dust miner, yet now… She had found a goal worth living for. Her eyes were riveted to the sight of his face, as he gave a soft smile. _'Even when he smiles, it is enough to make me want to give him so many kisses that he'll look like a big heap of kisses.'_

"Now, that'd go a little too far." Her heart seemed to flash-freeze again, her breath halting in her lungs as she looked at him. A sharp fear rose in her mind as she looked at him, eyes terrified… and his gaze away from her. "I'm nobody special… You don't have to swear that you'd do anything for me." He smiled, her whole world starting to continue, as his gaze locked with hers. Her breath escaped her mouth, as she began to feel that burning urge inside her again. "I'd like for you just to be who you are."

' **Just be who you are.'** The words resonated with her in a way that she could not remember. The words were similar to the ones that the King of Vale had uttered when he had decreed the laws that they still followed to this day, his words showing the expressiveness of one's own character. That he had spoken those very same words to her and had meant them, was something that set her whole body ablaze with the portents of something that was incalculably the best option to take.

"Watch over me, please." He said, as he laid his head on the pillow. A slow exhale made his chest shrink, as his eyes closed. "Of course." She said, as her hand grabbed his own, the calluses of his palm felt by her fingers, her whole body lighting up with the dark desires, and his consciousness took flight. The fire inside her was stoked, as her hand adjusted the shirt slightly, the nipples peaking against the fabric.

"Jaune?" Her voice questioned, as her hand tugged his own down. _'You shouldn't do this.'_ Her rational thoughts told her, as the fingers of her hand gently brushed over his own tips. It was his human hand, not the one where the darkness had been concentrated. "Are you sleeping?" She questioned, as she pushed herself back a little, the other hand sliding her underwear down. _'Come on, Whitney… Don't be a coward. Let…'_ Her fingers teased over the front of her womanhood, a moment where the grip on his hand tightened, her nose pressing against his skin, a low moan coming from her mouth. She could nearly taste the sweat on his skin, dressed as he was in only a flimsy shirt that felt so tearable to her senses, the fabric holding the unique mix of scents that showed that he was a man, different from the body of her husband, who had valued cleanliness and pleasant scents, not the raw scent of a man who knew how to work with his hands. _'Hmm…'_

Her finger delved in, the shame and fear welling up inside her, as her fingers stroked over his hand. She dared not to go further, just enjoying the brief nip into her own depths, the finger slowly stroking the pathway that had not been traversed for a while, her whole body arching slightly as she could just imagine the fingers that HE had, entering there. _'Anything that you want, I will do.'_ Her fear wrapped around her like a bubble, working to instil in her the desire, even with her own hand squeezing his own. His touch sent the blazing flames in her loins into an even greater fervour, sweat beading on her brow as her fingers started to move, working towards the crescendo.

Her eyes were unblinking, looking at the shadow-covered form of Jaune as her fingers worked herself to a release, her breathing heavy, the soft moans of 'Jaune, Jaune, Jaune' turning more guttural, even whilst her fingers continued that pace, an impulse giving her the boldness to push his hand down below, between her legs. A single finger entered her…

And her world exploded. A shudder went through her body, her teeth chattering as her eyes rolled back, the darkness inside her quivering and shivering, tsunami's of undulating pleasure pushing through her every nerve as she felt connected, felt the touch of the man that she longed for, even pushing further into her, as a low animalistic keening came from her mouth, tears leaking from her eyes as she shocked and shuddered, the aftershocks of pleasure still burning through her veins and nerves like a wave. She became acutely aware that she'd let herself go, the finger that had been pushed into her feeling like a warm and stable factor as she just languished in the pleasure, her whole body feeling the stress evaporating like it had never been.

Her gaze looked at the young man that she had chosen, his face so innocent and calm in his sleep… and then the shame hit her. _'Oh no…'_ Her lips pressed against the finger, as her body twitched some more, her hand pulling it out. The slickness of his fingers was enough, as she looked at him with horror budding inside her. _'I've gone too far, I…'_ She didn't want to think about it, a wave of conflicting emotions warring inside her, despair shooting through her whole body as she realized that she had essentially used him as a tool to get off, heedless of his own emotions. _'What if he finds out? What would he think of me? He trusts me not to do something like this, yet I…'_

A dark voice inside her mind told her that it was alright, that she had taken what she craved and desired. The tingles in her toes were still there, yet the icy bath of terror that she felt had only exacerbated the stress that she felt. Her eyes were wide, as she watched him sleep, her underwear half-way down her legs, her crotch boldly on display, as the covers were off, the wet stain on the bed reeking of the scent of sex. _'This is bad manners.'_ She thought to herself, a Glyph appearing in the room, summoned by her will. The time dilation effect was not the greatest thing to have happen during combat but it worked decently in a pinch, speeding up personal time and reaction to a fringe, as she slowly applied it, a fire dust crystal slipping its way into the next glyph that she summoned, the heat washing over the spot where she had lain. As she inspected the spot where the stain had been, she noticed thankfully that it hadn't been large enough to really make a mess of things. _'The scent is something I can do nothing about… but alas, people would have the idea when a man and a woman sleep together…'_

Now that her need had abated for the moment, the clarity of her mind immediately surged to fill in several of the spots that were needed, her attention going to the young man who laid there on the bed still, his breathing as moderate as it had been before, her eyes looking over those features of his and feeling the love inside her swell once more. Her fingers dared to snake down to between her legs once more, yet the shame that rose inside of her was something fierce and temperamental, something that stalled her from just taking what she craved. _'He's younger than you! You've just masturbated next to him, just because you saw an opportunity and you used his hand to do it! You're filth, Whitney Schnee! Your father would be ashamed to call you his daughter!'_

She laid herself down, her eyes peering up at the ceiling, the Glyphs long-since gone, as her mind whirled with the dark thoughts. He seemed to notice her lack of presence beside him, as his arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close. Her heart leapt a little, as she tried to imagine what it would feel like when they were finally joined… yet the shame rose once more. _'He is Winter's age, Whitney! You've just fucking robbed the cradle AND the bloody house with your impulsive actions! Are you a cat in heat? Can't you control your urges for one moment?'_

She felt guilt go through her, her gaze drawn to his face, which was in a restful manner still, only twitching slightly to show a look of discontent. _'Undoubtedly, if he had been awake, he would be disgusted with me.'_ An older woman like her, taking advantage of a young man's good nature. It was something that you only heard about on the news, of older teachers taking advantage of some nubile young thing, using them and getting found out… _'You're no better, Whitney. You've just gotten one of the best orgasms of your life thanks to your own lustful desires, abusing a young man who was asleep… if not safeguarding our safety with his own powers of control over the Grimm.'_

Her desires were the issue, as she continued to move through the world. These last two… or maybe three months… well, she had experienced a lot of things that she had not experienced before. She'd made a friend, who would have her back. She'd found a young hero, who had caught her when she was cast out of the life that she had led. She'd been an asset to get a powerful relic of a foregone age… and she had found someone who made her feel tingly on the inside, like how she'd once described it to her daughter.

The fondness of the memory drew her to that recollection, a young Winter sitting on her lap, her hair brushed through with a pearl-inlaid brush, her own stomach as round as it was, Weiss growing inside. "Mommy, what is love?" The question had come as a surprise, the hair of her daughter giving her no difficulty at all, as she thought about the answer that she would give. "Love, Winny?" She responded, her daughter giving a nod.

"Love! The governess said that you'd have to show love to your family, or else you'll not turn big and strong." A flash of irritation had come to her during that moment, a stern talking to the governess in the future, as she smiled. There was little that Jacques would do with her, the world's burden seemingly resting on his shoulder. _'It is just sex sometime, when he's got time in his schedule for it.'_ She brushed over her stomach with a hand, Winter giving a curious look at her. "Love, Winny… Love is something that's hard to describe." Her first child looked down at her stomach. "Do you love Weiss?" She asked in a tiny tone of voice, as only a child could.

"Of course I do." She said, the truth easily coming from her lips, as her gaze looked at her daughter's face. "More than me?" Whitney's face did not change, as she warmly smiled at her daughter. "I love the two of you very much, Winny." Her daughter smiled at her, clearly cheered up by that news. "Love… Love is like a feeling of tingles that starts at the stomach. It's when you feel happy in someone's presence, just by being near them." She sighed softly, as her hand tugged the brush through her daughter's hair.

"It's when you want to be with that person forever and want to be around them." Winter's eyes met hers. "Like with Father?" The formal address to her father had been something drilled into the young heir to the Schnee name, as Whitney sighed. "Like with your daddy, yes." She still used the term daddy, just because it would fit more with Winter's age. Father was… so awfully formal for a child. She didn't like using that term around her daughter. "Do you love father?"

"Of course. Mommy loves him very much." The words had not sounded so hollow then, as her body had still not been as it was now, ravaged by time and with an air of being let go. _'You've just broken his trust, Whitney… If Jaune finds out…'_

A shiver ran over her spine. If he found out, he would be upset. He would be angry at her for taking such liberty, when she had been entrusted with the safety of his body whilst he cared for their safety.

She did not get any sleep that night, laying awake as the horror of her own choice, spurred on by her biological urges, played through her mind. "Good morning, Esmeralda." His voice was warm and cheerful as he spoke so softly that it was almost like a fairytale lover. "G-good morning." She mumbled, her sleep-deprived state leaving her a little bit brittle in her greeting. His hand brushed over his nose, giving a soft sneeze, as he sniffed his hand. "Hmm." He mumbled, licking his palm. "Salty."

Mortification ran through her, stiffening her up. His eyes met with hers, fear coiling around her like a live snake, ready to crush her. "I must've been sweaty during the night, haha. There's something afoot though…" His eyes were suddenly serious, parting from her gaze and looking up. "We'll have to leave, either way… It's not safe in Mistral anymore."

She watched as he got up, her gaze lingering on him as he went for his pants again, no longer checking him out. Her body felt the shame linger as she looked at him, catching the faint outline of his muscles, growing after the time that he spent training, every day. _'I'll make sure that you get a girl who loves you, who is your age… That's what you deserve, at the least. I can be the rich aunt, if it is needed… Just your smile alone is enough.'_

His words of the night reached her mind again, echoing. _'Just be yourself.'_ The shiver that went through her was visible, and she suddenly could feel something be draped over her shoulders. "You're cold. You should get dressed." Her eyes looked up at him, half-dressed in his undershirt, the pants on already, and the shoes still standing there to wait for him to put them on. "Thank you." She said, gratefully.

"Hey, a hero is supposed to care for his fellow heroines, right?" He winked at her, the gesture something cheesy, but… she found herself laughing with him. "Oh gallant hero, escort me to my golden castle, so that I might reward you properly for your services!" She wasn't half-bad with affecting her voice with that tone of needy noblewoman-ness, as her eyes met with his own. They were ungrudging in their lustre, the gaze that he gave her being one that showed that he valued her contribution. "I shall lead the way, my noble lady!" An exaggerated bow made itself known, as she giggled softly, feeling like she was just twenty-three again, meeting with a young man who wished to court her. _'For another chance at youth… another chance with him…'_

The thought was grave, yet as she looked at him, she could desire something like that. Her whole body, wracked with the guilt of what she had done, the guilty tingles inside her satiated and yet burning still, seemed to lean towards him, the darkness inside her providing a mixture of pleasure and worry for her to care for, as her whole body seemed receptive to him, if he wished it. _'His will… My command.'_

She squashed the perverse thrill that came inside her of her body being put to use by the young man, who would rise through the ranks of power like a meteor, his strength imperative in the claiming of his spot. _'You will be a hero, Jaune… Huntsman, Hero… Husband.'_

Anyone who stood in his way, who would be the one to put even a little stoop in his way for him to stumble over… They would be killed without mercy and without any care from her. _'For your dream to reach fruition, Jaune…_ '

If Winter, Weiss and Whitley could have seen her face, cast in the half-shadow of the morning light, they would have felt fear. The darkness covered half of her face, leaving only a set of glimmering blue pools of radiance there, sharply peering at him, her dark hair falling over her face like an accompaniment to the feelings that she felt, as her lips quirked in a smile that was beautiful as well as terrifying to behold. Her eldest daughters first and foremost would be aghast at how their mother's face, usually stuck in a manner of inebriation and utter apathy to the world, seemed to hold the fires of determination in that very expression, whilst Whitley would feel the nervous dread of coming face to face with an animal that seemed to crave only the fulfilment of one of its desires, to the detriment of everything else.

' _I will become your dark acolyte, even if it destroys my body. My body, my soul, my very being… It is yours.'_

* * *

 _Leaving behind a mess (Heather Arc)_

* * *

The door in front of her had been opened too many times in the last ten years, ever since she had been down here for the first time at age eighteen. Her whole body seemed to automatically feel a surge of something go through it, her Semblance feeling supercharged as the threshold was crossed and the ancient stone door slowly slid open, the space that it occupied being worked with a mechanical shifting construction that would keep it functioning nigh-indefinitely.

The dust that had collected in the ancestral tomb was something that her Semblance could deal with, as the flame collected on her hand, the large hall in which she found herself located straight below the hill, the ancestral crypt that had been built into the hill having stood the test of time. Ancient statues stood like sentinels before her eyes, sliding over the crest that made the Arc family's weapon look distinct, the sword and shield combination that had been passed down from Arc to Arc for generations on each statue. The names of the men and women carved from stone were below, etched in the metal plates that had been bolted to the stonework below.

"Heath?" Rowan's voice sounded behind her, as she looked at the statues for a short while longer. Her elder sister's eyes were wandering through the crypt, even as the smell of death lingered in this place. It was one of the things that would never fade away, as the people were laid to rest here in an age when incineration was not the proper way, yet. "We're going to see Jaune, right?" The childish tone with which Rowan spoke was something that brought a stab of pain to her heart, as she turned and saw her sister, dressed in casual slacks, her eyes looking at her with that look that she knew. _'Rowan, I wish…'_

"Dad said that we'd have his permission to go down here." It was not often that the Arc family members visited the crypt. The motto of the family, the creed that they adhered to, had been etched into the statue that stood in the middle of the crypt, at one of the sections where the crypt could be witnessed in every direction, the statues facing towards the single statue below which the creed was etched in the golden plate. _'I thought it so impressive, all those years ago…'_

She remembered the time when she had been young, her eyes still full of that boldness as she had been brought here, to look upon the Arcs that were great. The statue, of a man whose hair resembled a shaggy mop, cloak falling from his shoulders as his armour looked resplendent in its ornamental manner, the stone carved with exquisite detail, his features standing out clearly as aristocratic whilst he raised his sword in defiance against those who challenged him, the sword's sheath, collapsed back to its regular form hanging from the belt-loop. Crocea Mors had been placed back in the hands of the statue, after Jaune's remains had been put back where they belonged, in this crypt.

"It isn't fair." Rowan whispered, loud in the silence of the crypt. She was looking at the spot where the urn sat that contained the ashes of their brother, the look on her face emotional, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled. Despair and frustration seemed to show on her features as the tears seemed to come ever harsher, her inhales and exhales slow and deliberate, the intent in her eyes clear, as she looked at the urn. "Rowe, you know…"

Her sister's head turned to her direction, the tears flowing now from those eyes. "It isn't FAIR, Heather! It isn't FAIR!" Her hand pointed to the urn, then to the empty spaces beside it. "Uncle Verdigris and aunt Gloria were taken from dad too! We never met them!" The dates of death were marked clearly below the empty space. **Verdigris Arc 42 After Vytal-51 After Vytal** and **Gloria Arc 44 After Vytal- 53 After Vytal**. Heather sighed deeply. Her own year of birth, 52 After Vytal was something that had only been shared with the birth of some of the popular stars of the early seventies.

"Life isn't fair, water louse." She murmured, looking at the urn that contained Jaune's ashes, the sadness inside her starting to grow even more than before. They did not carry their sadness with them, yet the sorrow of losing a brother was still heavy on their shoulders. "We're all going to die eventually… but Jaune had to go first." Rowan's tears came loudly, the sobbing and pleading that her elder sister did being a normal occurrence now, as she pleaded for the chance to see her little brother again, to offer anything for a chance to say goodbye, the pleas echoing through the empty crypt, their forebears looking at them with their haunting gazes.

She did not find great solace in being in the crypt, yet it lightened the load on her shoulders. The blood in her body would not relent to the thoughts of being a failure. She was an Arc, she would stand proudly before the grim reaper and find herself not wanting in its eyes.

"But…" The plea from Rowan was enough, as her lamentation turned to shrieks, the words that she spewed adding yet another dagger to the tender heart she had. To the outside world, she was cold and efficient, her faith in others nigh-destroyed ever since… that day. To her family… She wrapped her arms around Rowan, hugging her elder sister and making shushing noises, trying to calm her big sister down a little. "Hush little Rowe… It'll be alright. Heather is here…" The sobbing and shrieking that echoed in the crypt hurt her ears, as Rowan thrashed in her grip. "…and then, we'll b-"

Heather's hand fitted over her elder sister's mouth, silencing the next utterance that she could make. Her eyes were stern and rational as she looked at her sister. "Rowe…" She said, her voice soft and yet firm. "We're not going to make a mess in front of Jaune, are we?" The nod that her sister gave was enough for her, as warmth flooded her body with its heat. "We're going to be respectful." The next nod was even fiercer, as Rowan shrank back, Heather's guidance required at times. _'Sometimes, it sucks being one of the few people who's able to deal with her…'_ She loved her older sister, but…

"Sorry, Heath." Rowan's voice was a whisper, as Heather pulled her hand from Rowan's mouth. "I'm sorry." The apology was a little louder, as heather smiled softly. "It's alright, water bug… It happens to all of us, sometimes." Heather remembered Azure creating a small earthquake under high stress, her whole mood having nearly collapsed several of the basements under the house. A scolding later and Azure had been much less damaging to the surroundings, reining in her Semblance. ' _It would be much more terrifying if Jaune's Semblance had been something like… gravity.'_

The natural forces of Remnant had been well-represented within their family, her own Semblance allowing her a pyrokinetic ability that would easily be able to char the bones of anyone who was hit with it. Rowan's own Semblance held control over the forces of water, Azure's own skill at creating localized earthquakes and shaking the foundations around her a massive annoyance to many… but its battle prowess could not be misunderstood. _'Fire, Water and Earth… and if one of the Twins comes along, we'll be able to have the four elements all gathered up…'_

She grimaced at the thought, as she knew the battle prowess that they had. Seven experienced Huntresses, going from a newly graduated Huntress like Azure to Rowan, who had been out in the field for over eight years. _'None of us really have any sort of real plans for the future, now…'_

She had desired to see Jaune take his place amongst them as the newest member of their family. _'The Creed… Damn it. Why do we have to adhere to it? If it wasn't for dad…'_ The words were like the lure that was dangled before her eyes, yet she could not resist it. Her whole body lit up with the plain surge of her Aura, as her finger rose in the air, heat coalescing into a flame. "Time to go, water louse." She said to Rowan, who looked at her with a look that was lost and forlorn. Her fingers were tracing over the urn that contained Jaune's ashes, her eyes meeting with her own. Rowan's lips moved, the sound heard by her ears but not processed fully, as Rowan rose slowly, fingers tracing to the lid of the urn, pulling it off and then taking a deep inhale, a shudder going through her as she watched how her older sister shivered for a moment and locked eyes with her. "For Jaune." Rowan Arc said, her voice even steadier than before, the sharpness in those blue eyes coming once more to the fore.

"For… Jaune." The words were hard to say, as she struggled to come to terms with what her sister had said, the words not even daring to be thought. _'Why? Why Rowan? Why would you DO such a thing?'_

The reasons behind her older sister saying as much… _'Oh gods, oh, gods…'_ The terror clouded her mind as tears came to her eyes and she hugged her sister, whose hand put the lid back on the urn. _'Rowan, please…'_ Her sister's eyes were dull once more, the sharpness that they'd had moments before now gone, just looking at her.

"We should go and see whether mom is home, r-right?" Heather chanced the opportunity, Rowan's eyes meeting hers, the older sister looking like a doll that was waiting for its owner to move it around. _'Rowan, please…'_ The bright smile that blossomed onto Rowan's face was something that made her heart feel some more relief. _'Thank the gods…'_

"Mom will want to know that we've been to visit Jaune." Rowan said, as she looked back at the urn, the plaque below it still bare, as the commission hadn't been finished yet for the plaque. _'She'll probably scold me for taking Rowan down…'_

Heather knew that it would be for the best if she did not mention too much about Rowan's state to their mother. The woman cared for them all as a mother should, yet with their father's detachment from things due to his Semblance… _'Sometimes, it is as if mom balances out dad.'_

The row of ancestors that they walked past held several empty spots. These were the people who had been born before them, who had belonged to the branch families that bore the name of Arc, gone before their time and buried here.

' **Argent Arc 1 After Vytal – 28 After Vytal'**

 **'Aurum Arc 1 After Vytal- 44 After Vytal'**

' **Blau Arc 15 After Vytal- 32 After Vytal'**

' **Edelweiss Arc 49 After Vytal- 52 After Vytal'**

' **Robijn Arc 40 After Vytal-49 After Vytal'**

The names were the last remaining memory of their presence within the family. Heather would grow melancholic if she'd thought too much on them, knowing that with their passing, they had not left behind any remains. _'Our family, adrift… So many have yet perished…'_

As the crypt was left behind and the skies above stretched out once more before her gaze, Heather Arc let out a deep sigh, knowing that it would be soon time for her to continue with the stresses of the life of a Huntress.

Life sucked at times when you were good at the job that you were doing… but she wouldn't let down her family.

* * *

 _The burning (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

Her eyes opened the moment that the first rays of sunlight came from the horizon, darkness slowly fading away from her world as the light claimed its dominance once more. A yawn came from her mind, as the worries of the day came to the forefront of her mind again. Her hand brushed through Sienna's hair, the younger woman's body nestled up against her, the hay in which they'd been sleeping comfortable for a certain type of living, yet she would've preferred a bed. _'There's no moping about a night of bad sleep…'_

The fingers traced over Sienna's face, the woman's mouth quirking slightly in a grimace, her eyes opening up to look at her, as if there had been something that had changed after the suggestion that more time should be spent together. _'The pulsating beat inside you, Sienna…'_ The tongue slowly slithered over her lips, as she exhaled softly, the question in her friend's orange eyes unspoken, as the Bengal tiger Faunus looked around. "We're still in the human's… barn." She stroked a finger through Sienna's hair, letting it touch the delicate strands. _'Just a few little adjustments…'_ The shadows around her quivered with the power of her Semblance, the weapons that they had obtained from the weaponsmith still stored within reach.

"We are, indeed." She said, watching Sienna get up. The darkness around them slowly faded, as the rays of light started to illuminate the world around them, their vision during the night as clear as it was during the day. Her whole body lit up with new moments of clarity, as she saw Sienna get up, the shirt that she wore for sleep during the night slowly peeled off. "You're such a good help." The words came without being bid, as she got up, laying her hands on the other woman's hips and then sliding them up, her breath against her friend's ear.

"H-hey!" Sienna's embarrassment was something that was clear, even as Kali's hands slid up, seizing a good handful of the mounds that were there. "Such a good, solid body…" The feeling of those mounds only enhanced the feeling of depravity that she had been suppressing, tingles going through her body as the darkness inside Sienna pulsated in harmony with the darkness inside her.

' _The first step has been made…'_ The feeling of the flesh of her friend slowly adjusting to the grand power that she was witnessing within Jaune's body was something nigh-divine to her senses, even as Sienna stepped away. "K-Kali, I don't think…" The hesitation on the woman's face was clear, even though she recalled that moment when her own resistance had been weak and she had passed the gift onto Sienna. _'No, we're not going to let you get away. There will be a tithe paid, Sienna… One that you will have to pay.'_

"You shouldn't think." Her voice was a low purr, as her teeth sank into the soft flesh of Sienna's neck, the shirt keeping her hands occupied, in the position that they were at. The rich blood tasted of strength, vitality and the darkness that was slowly creeping into her. It sang to her like a rich, fine wine. "There will be tasks ahead of us." The fingers delved down over the other woman's groin, having a feel for the other woman's nethers, the underwear that she pressed against somewhat silkier than expected. "Kali, please…" The woman's words were pleading, as she managed to get out of her grip, Sienna's cheeks flushed, as her eyes looked at her, nervously. The sultry smile did not slip off Kali's face, the shadows whispering to her clearly. _**'There is only one purpose for her… to submit.'**_ The thoughts of anything but her complete victory were far off, as she looked at the other woman, innocence shining in her eyes. "Would you deny me, Sienna?"

There was a fragment of the voice that she'd had, so long ago, when she had still been with her husband, her eyes driving the gaze into the woman's mind, not even daring to let her gaze switch. _'If I don't observe her cautiously, she would be gone… Her fanaticism towards our kind outstrips personal loyalties… yet it can be swayed.'_

"I'm not like you!" Sienna hissed, her voice low, tears coming to her eyes. "You've changed, Kali!" The accusation was just that, an accusation. _'Have I changed?'_ The thought was ludicrous to her. _'I'm still the same as I've ever been… I haven't changed in the slightest.'_ Her husband had died, which had sent her onto the path of destiny to ensure that her daughter would not have to suffer anymore. _'It is all for the right cause… The greater cause!'_

"Why do you think so?" The shadows warped into the shape of her Semblance's shadow version, keeping a firm hold on Sienna. Fear showed in those eyes of hers as she approached. Her appearance right now might be younger, yet there was the threat within her motions, as Sienna looked at her as if she were a particularly dangerous animal. _'I just want what's best for you, Sienna… Why can't you see that?'_

The family that she had with Ghira was now somewhat smaller, the daughter that she loved more than life itself far away, and with her husband dead… The void that his space had been was now filled with someone else, someone who could fill the hole that was within her. _'His presence suffuses my very being, guarding and protecting me.'_ "Y-you a-" Sienna stammered, fear locking her up. _'Aww, she fears…'_ Her fingers traced over Sienna's delicate jawline, the soft pouty sound of her lips loud within the barn. Outside, the sound of work starting up was heard, even as the shadows restrained Sienna. "All I want is my little sister to feel happy…" The words were spoken so casually that it was almost an afterthought, yet Kali could see it.

Her and Ghira as the founding members of the White Fang and as the parents… then those who followed their lead. Sienna Khan, bodyguard to her family for a while before she ascended the reins of power to become the next High Leader, riding on the coattails of Ghira's gifted public speaking with her own powerful rhetoric. People like Adam Taurus, who held great conviction for the cause, who were instrumental in spreading the message towards those who held similar views. Zooming in on those connections, she could feel Ghira's presence ebb, whilst Sienna rose in her own right. _'Like a sister, who would be better suited to it?'_

"Little sister?" The words were echoed by Sienna, whose eyes were full of fear. "Kali, what?" The words were muffled as the shadows covered the mouth of her friend, her own body pressing up against Sienna's. _'Humble, yet with its own appeal… petite.'_ Her eyes looked into her friend's, as she seemed to come to a realization. _'She doesn't know the benefits of the great gift yet…'_ The shadows retreated, Kali's arms wrapping around the other woman and pulling her close. "You're the closest thing to a sister that I have." She murmured in her friend's ear, even as she could hear the heartbeat race in Sienna's chest. A savage grin on her lips, hidden by the way that her head was angled, as she could feel the darkness inside Sienna rage with her.

"Kali, I'm worried." Sienna's voice was clear, as she seemed to consider something, pulling back a little more. "You've just been…"The words seemed hard to say, and Kali laid her head back. "Yes, Sienna…" The way that the world had changed for her was enough to upset even lesser minds. "I've become a monster as well."

The statement was simple, yet seeing the eruption inside Sienna's body, the heat of anger swiftly spreading through the darkness, igniting the patches of darkness and creating even greater shadows, as the sharp flare of the woman's nostrils showed her fierce fighting spirit. "You are NOT a monster. Jaune… He could be called such, but…" The woman's conflicted gaze was somewhat comforting, Kali's hidden smile showing her pleasure. "He's the most inhuman human that you've ever met, right?" The soft whisper was something that lured Sienna's attention, the shiver going through her body. "Would it really be so bad to make him an ally, Sienna?"

The seductive whisper in her friend's ear was enough to coax more of such dark thoughts from her friend, knowing her predilection for the political side rather than the physical side. One should not think that Sienna was at the core a mere politician who would be unable to act… yet there was diplomacy mingled within her hard-handed tactics and the spreading of her philosophy.

"He's…" The young woman's eyes looked so confused that it made Kali feel a tremor inside her, the shadows in the barn quivering with her anticipation. "He's not all bad. He could be better at staff-fighting, but…" The look that Sienna gave her was pleading, as the woman took a slow breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "It's something that I'm not going to go…" The resistance was still there, Sienna's eyes looking at her with the look of a woman who had given it her all, her eyes bright with that flame of resistance.

"You are afraid." The words were easy to say, even as the fear wrapped around her like a cloak, Sienna's eyes skittish and wild, as the darkness inside her crooned. "You're afraid to let him in…" The fingers tapped lightly to her hip, as she looked at the young woman who had been as close as a sister to her. "You've been deluding yourself… thinking that it wouldn't matter if your feelings would never be brought to light." The woman just had a bad string of boyfriends, never committing to any of them out of 'obligation'. Kali had seen the stress that it had brought to her friend, even with the way that the world seemed to treat the White Fang.

"You think 'He's somewhat alright for a human', Sienna… But you SHOULD be thinking 'He might just be what I need.' There's a difference between humans and Faunus…"The teasing grin was back with her again as she leaned up to her friend. "We're much more in tune to our instincts than the humans ever will be." The sunlight caught her eye then, falling over the two of them. The shadows slowly disappeared into the recesses of the barn, as she heaved a sigh of relief, as if the burden had fallen away from her. "Allow me, Sienna… I'll make sure that you get with Jaune."

The scandalized look on her friend's face looked to be genuine, but Kali could see through it perfectly. _'You're just hiding your true feelings, Sienna… Soon, you will wish to be the Master's acolyte as well…'_

As she entered the woman's house, the first thing that she did was to inspect the surroundings, the shadows creeping around her, working with their grand design to her will's impact. _'Everything is normal…'_ The sight of White sitting there at Jaune's side at the breakfast table was something that she had come to see many times whilst they travelled, yet the haggard look on her face and the paleness of her skin made her look even more pristinely so, fragile and yet with that hint of elegance that only the finest of women could have. _'The smell…'_

Inhaling deeply the scent of released pheromones, she could feel her own loins growing slightly damp as she sat herself down on one of the available chairs, Jaune's oblivious look good enough for her senses to stretch out. Sienna sat down without a word whilst their host continued with the working on getting breakfast out. "Do you need help with anything, Maiko?" Jaune, in his ever-beloved helpfulness, suggested to the woman. Kali could see the slight uptick to the woman's smile, as she scooted a little closer to White.

"Did you have fun last night?" She whispered into her friend's ear, hearing the stiff intake of breath by her friend, the shudder that ran through her body looking like it was an affirmation. Eyes looked at her, nervous and afraid. _'The fear inside you is at war with your desires, White…'_ Her lips showed a benign smile, as she leaned closer. "We can smell it." The small relief that the woman felt, was seemingly a blast of fresh air in the staleness of the day. Kali could feel the restlessness shift from the woman's shoulders, her gaze meeting with her own once more.

Seeing Jaune there with their host, working to get their breakfast ready, she let her gaze slide over the woman before settling on Jaune. "She's going to try and lure him in. Huntsmen, in villages like these, are a resource that is nearly invaluable. Someone unattached… or at least, not in a relationship worth mentioning… That is a prize." She could feel the surprise go through White, although it made perfect sense to her. The outlying settlements depended on a wall and the defence of their men to keep safe and secure. The Grimm were an omnipresent threat in the world…

Seeing one's children reach the age of 20 was already one of the major accomplishments in the outlying settlements, let alone seeing a Huntsman take pity on them and teach them the skills of their trade, to ensure that the village had another defender when the Grimm came.

"So, you're saying…" Sienna started to hum then, their conversation obscured by the sound. Sienna's eyes flashed between her and White, the look on her face showing her conflicting emotions, something in those eyes flashing that Kali found appealing. _'With just a little push, White…'_ The look on White's face was one of jealousy and possessiveness, one that was at odds with the tired look that she'd sported before.

"Here, breakfast." The woman's attitude was curt as she set the bowl in front of her, the freshly steamed rice looking like it would soothe the hunger of those who had just roused from their slumber, Jaune's smiling face showing clearly that he was well-pleased with it. "Thank you!" The compliment made the woman smile as well, her gaze moving to White, who Kali had definitely pointed out. "I hope that you and your… friends, will be back someday." The woman's eyes held a tint of disapproval, even as Kali smiled, showing her teeth.

"Perhaps! We've got a while to go yet, so we'll have to make sure that we get to the port soon enough to make our way to Vacuo." Kali knew that they would be going to Vale, yet when he had said Vacuo, it was a moment of surprise that went through her, as she wondered what he meant with that. "Oh? Are you sure that you wouldn't want to stay a little while longer?" The woman leaned forwards, the cut of her clothing a little lower, even as Jaune shook his head. "It's a very nice offer of you but we really should be making our way over before the next ship leaves." The polite tone of voice that he used was something she had heard before, when speaking to people who were higher in the rankings than either her or White.

"Fàngqì, wúyòng de nǚrén. Yǔ wǒmen xiāng bǐ, nǐ yǒngyuǎn bù huì gǎnjué dào tā de yīnjīng huá rù nǐ de nèixīn. Zhè shì wǒmen de... Wǒ de jiějiě, wǒ de péngyǒu... Wǒmen de." Her tongue formed the words so crudely that it was easy for the woman to get what exactly she meant with it.

The challenge had been issued, the woman's cheeks paling slightly, as anger rose inside her. "Nín! Nǐ méi yòng zá wù! Nǐ zài wǒ jiālǐ wǔrǔ wǒ?" The woman did not hesitate, speaking with a heated tone. Jaune looked confused with the going-ons, as he saw Maiko growing angry with her. "Now, I'm not sure what's being said, but please…" The young man's willingness to diplomatically solve an argument was great.

"But-" She said, his eyes meeting with hers, a hint of something in them. "Kali?" His voice was like a strict father to a daughter. A brief fleeting thought of her wearing something totally scandalous, like a schoolgirl's outfit, standing before him and then getting scolded, came to her, a shudder going through her. _'It's not like Ghira and I did not have our… wilder moments.'_

Her gaze slid to Sienna. _'Hmm… We're definitely going to have to get you something nice and fitting, Sienna…'_ The tongue slid over her lips without the intent behind it, her eyes roving over her friend's form, with not a moment spared for the judgement to come down on her. "I want you to apologize." He said, as he looked at her with a look. "Fine…"

"Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn cūlǔ." She said, her tone neutral. She knew that she would have to make a formal apology, as he had asked her. She would feel bad if she did not do so, her whole body winding up suddenly, as the woman said nothing, only giving a nod.

The issue would have to be done with for now, as she glimpsed White and Jaune looking at one another, as if there was something hidden between the two of them. _'They didn't have sex. I would have noticed it if they had… but what…'_ The thoughts ran through her head, her bold thoughts burning, even with the day still ahead of her. _'This is just like being in love with Ghira…'_

"We should get going." The rice had been delicious, despite the woman making it. It must have been the additional effect of Jaune having made it working in tandem with the fact that it was better than the rations that they'd been persisting off, the saltiness of the rice something that must've been local, or her taste buds no longer holding such great affection for salt. Her eyes glinted, as she looked between Sienna and Jaune, a moment of thought spent on the dressing up of Sienna… and the dressing down of Jaune. _'With the right incentive…'_

She felt like a lewd woman at this moment, already putting Sienna in her sights. As they prepared to leave, the woman grabbed Jaune's hand. "Please… pray with me at my husband's altar." The worship of those that had come before was something that was still practiced in Mistral, the lands that had once been a centre of culture and creativity having held the dead in veneration. Kali knew that there would be no snide comments made for the foreseeable time, as the woman guided Jaune to the altar of her husband, kneeling before it. He looked a little awkward, but knelt as well.

"Wǒ de zhàngfū, wǒ dàile yī wèi lǎo péngyǒu. Wǒ de xīwàng shì tā huì huíguī bìng fǔwèi wǒ de jìmò." The woman's voice spoke up, Kali's anger burning like a flame, as the woman spoke to the portrait of the man, the odd look on her face reflected in the frame that held it. Her own reflection was there as well, as she remained standing. She had not been bid to pray with her. "I hope that your soul finds its way back to this world, to be reincarnated and to stay with your wife forevermore." The words that came from his mouth were familiar, as Jaune's hand patted the woman's shoulder. "It'll be alright. In this life, there will be more people for you to love." The insensitivity of the words were lost on him, as Maiko looked at him, the pain in her heart like the siren's song to her own darkness.

' _It is customary to be in mourning for one's husband or wife for up to five years… It's not something that you can get over…'_ The words were useless for now, as the young man had said them, a look on his face that was rather gentle. "At least you… You've got better chances than me." The tone he took was mournful, as his hand rubbed over the woman's shoulder. "Your husband was a great man. A great person who made you happy." The woman's eyes were on him, a thing that set Kali's blood ablaze. _'Nobody but us should look at him.'_

The possessiveness was like the dark pit of despair that had once been filled with that hopeless emotion, yet had been filled with darkness and PURPOSE. "He did, indeed." The look on the woman's face was hesitant, as if she had seen something that was not right, as Jaune rose.

"I hope you'll have a good life ahead of you." He said, honestly speaking once more. Kali could not fault him, his eyes meeting with the other woman's, trying to give her the hope that he himself clung to. "But what of you? You can be…" the woman's hand laid itself on his side, her eyes imploring.

"Who would ever want to love a monster, hmm?" The depreciative manner in which he spoke had been something that she had been trying to break him of, his eyes looking at Maiko as if there was something of a flaw in the system. "I am nobody who is worthy to be loved." The feelings were true, yet she knew that it was false, his words inflaming the tensions, as White seemed to be caught in emotion. "So, live your life. I am but a passerby on the stream of time." The maturity of his words were at odds with his age, as he patted the woman on the shoulder. "You are his wife."The words were thrown in the woman's face.

"I am not even able to have my own house yet… So…" The words were calm, as he got up. "You can stay here. I will cook for you, clean for you, make you happy." The desperation in the woman's tone was enough, as Jaune looked at her for a moment, his eyes a mismatch of colour, hate and love shining in those eyes, as he took a deep breath. "It's not that easy… I've got people that're waiting for me to return." He indicated to the women that he had come with, Kali feeling particularly proud. "Sienna, Esmeralda, Kali… They're my team." The woman cast a dubious look at Esmeralda and Sienna, looking to the apparent eldest.

"I've got to get back to my family too…" He sighed deeply. "We should get going, ladies." The smile that Kali gave him was brilliant, as she grabbed his arm and White grabbed the other. "Shì shì dāngdì nánrén de yùnqì... Zhè shì wǒmen de. " She said, as she guided him out. "Come and see us off, if you would?" He sounded so hopeful, as Kali gave a proud little smirk back at the woman.

The woman remained kneeling before the altar, seemingly frozen, Kali feeling a spike of vindictive pleasure rising through her body as she realized the pleasure that she could gain from this. Her whole body lit up with that dark desire, working to bring happiness and joy to her.

"We need to have a talk…" She said to White, as she let go of Jaune, getting ready to get their vehicles out of the place where they'd stored them, the villagers looking at them with impressed looks. "I hope ya have a good trip, Sonny boy." The man who went by the name of Shats spoke up, Kali giving a slight smile to the human. For all his prejudices… He would still with their Jaune a good trip.

"We will." As he climbed on the vehicle after they'd wheeled it out of the gate, White getting on first and his arms wrapping around her, he looked at the villagers that had come to see him off. "Stay safe, people!" He called out, to the response of the villagers, positive in their mannerisms towards her light in the darkness.

' _If they had scorned him and tried to separate us…'_ The darkness inside her quivered in eagerness, as she could already imagine the shadows falling over the settlement. Her dark blood quivered to the desire inside her, as her whole body shook. _'_ _ **We hold the power… If you wish it…'**_ The sight of the woman who had tried to steal THEIR man, who had made such insinuations that would never be forgiven… that was one of the things that Kali would not forget easily.

Her shadowy self split off from her for a brief flash, creeping in the shadow of one of the trees on the wayside. _'All who wish to selfishly use our Master…'_ As they sped away, the link remained. The tremors of the vehicle below them continued to rock her body, leaving her to feel the slowly fading irritation, with only the desires within her continuing as she held on to Sienna, her mouth close to the woman's human ear. "We're going to be alright…" She murmured, only for Sienna to stiffen a little, the vehicle lurching forward with an extra spurt of power. "Are we really?" The nervous sound from Sienna's throat she ignored.

Sienna would know the power that was inherent within the station that she now occupied…

She was, after all, Jaune's first Acolyte.

* * *

 _Hitches in the plan (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

The roar of the people of Vale always managed to ensure that his ears were clogged with the different sounds of the people around him, his Semblance causing him to feel little of it, yet the distractions were real, bothering him only on some level. He could see the Huntsmen ready to make off towards a mission, fighting bravely against the forces that had been arrayed against them since the dawn of mankind.

"Mister Sage Arc?" The voice drew him from his musings, the metal hand that had been grafted there crudely being something that he had only to use until something more fitting could be made. "Yes?" The young Huntsman looked nervous, as he held out a Scroll. "Mission briefing, sir." The man's tone was nervous, as if there was more afoot than the things that he knew of. "I'm on leave." The answer came automatically, raising the replacement hand that currently would have to do. "The councillor insisted." The man looked genuinely uncomfortable with having to be the bearer of bad news.

' _The logical reason for them requesting my presence is that they would need a field commander to deal with the issues of the Grimm.'_ His analytical presence in the upper echelons would easily allow him to assume a position of General, if Vale adhered to that system. The tactical information that was processed through his Semblance would allow him to deploy his forces for maximum efficiency, until the enemy was beaten back.

It had saved many a life in the days when he had been most active, for nigh-on thirty years now. _'it has been so long already.'_ There were five more huntsmen that appeared, obviously as an escort of such. Sage recognized several of them from previous expeditions, their faces set in a grim manner. _'Not so pleasant.'_ The pill was in his hand before he knew it, swallowed down with saliva, keeping himself in control as he looked at the men that approached, their faces looking at him with trepidation. Ferrum Mors was still in its collapsed state, the armour that he wore by default having been well-cared for by the support divisions of the Vale Huntsmen forces.

"I'm sorry to do this, Sage." One of the other huntsman, a woman by the name of Amarylliz Maize spoke up, her sigh deep, as he shrugged, the calmness starting to wrap around his senses. "Whatever the councillor needs me for, I will do." It was truly a sad thing to have no time in-between to get himself fixed up, yet this was the harsh reality of life. Aside from funeral leave, a Huntsman could hardly get time off. There always was a village in need of saving, some defenders needed on the wall or some power play from the council in order to reclaim Mountain Glenn, failure as that had been.

As they moved through the crowd, he could see the guardsmen that had been assigned to the council move with them, confirming to him that there was indeed a councillor that was waiting for him. It would prove to be of little difference to him though, as the Huntsmen guided him along. _'This is too much for a single operation. Containment procedures to the third level… So they are evaluating me as an A-ranked threat.'_ The clinical side of his mind immediately assessed the situation, as he was led towards a building that showed the marking of the Valean council, the door opened up and the group entering without any fanfare, leading Sage towards the office that the councillor was using for this meeting.

Plush carpet below his boots, a set of banners that showed the emblem of Vale and the personal crest of the councilor, as well as muted orange colours, a woman seated behind a desk with the formal pin of the Vale Council upon her right breast, the business-like attire that she wore giving her more of an air of a businesswoman than one of the councillors of Vale. "Mister Arc, take a seat." The woman indicated the sturdy chair in front of her, the reinforced wood looking like it would be able to weather a few strikes from a weapon. "Councillor." He gave the woman her respect as it was due, as he seated himself in the uncomfortable chair. The Huntsmen that had escorted him moved around, taking up the strategic positions around the room. _'Bought with Lien, utterly unreliable.'_ The wink of Amarylliz that she gave him as she took her position was enough to clue him in to the state of things. He had worked with several of these Huntsmen over his career, each of them below forty. Amarylliz had been a member of a team around four years older than Rowan's, yet had struck up a friendship with her during the detachment for the 'exploratory mission' that the teams usually were sent on.

"I am Maroon Syfres, of the council of Vale." The woman's hands moved over the desk, the in-built installation easily calling up an image of a set of transcripts. He tightened the grip of his hands on the armrests of the chair, looking at the image of Jaune on the screen. _'Motive? Unclear. Why are they opening this case up?'_ The look on the councillor's face was without pity, as another screen appeared in the air next to it. "From preliminary findings, we have concluded that you have been in violation of article nineteen, section three-thirty of the Vale Constitution, as instituted by the Vytal Pact."

' _Accessory to a civilian gaining entrance to a confidential military site. Carrying a five-year sentence in prison if convicted.'_ The legalese was something that he knew from recollection, as he looked at the woman, whose smile looked sharklike in its manner, her eyes piercing. "Mister Arc, you know as well as I do, that it is not the right of those with your station to go against the laws that have been put into place by the Vytal Pact."

"I see no reason why anything that Jaune Arc did should have any impact on me and my family." The clinical answer, given without shame. His eyes looked at the woman as she seemed to redress herself for a moment, a meaningful look given. "That is the issue with you nobles…" The woman nearly laughed, as she looked at him in an accusing manner. "You cling to traditions for as much as you can, so that you will never forget the glory days of old. Face it: The nobility will never achieve the power that they had once held. The councils are the right of law now." The woman's eyes pried at him, trying to evoke a response from him. His stoic expression he kept, as he ruminated on her words.

' _They know not of the duties of a noble. They know not of the pride that we hold in our lineage. What can an elected official do but impose things on the world that they wish to see?'_ Sage leaned forwards slightly, as he looked at her. "The connection is extremely nebulous, councillor." The words rang true, in the official matter of things, the woman looking at him with the smile on her face as fake as her empathy for others was.

He could recognize the sort immediately from his own personal experiences with them. "Is it? A civilian, caught unaware by the real dangers of the world, entering a Huntsman Academy and getting killed… Is that really the thing that one would be able to do with just some false documents? No record of Jaune Arc has been found in the databases of any of the preparatory schools for Huntsmen…" The woman's accusation was true, Sage Arc could not deny that. _'You would not know the trials that one goes through to become a Huntsman.'_ The manner in which this woman had reached her position had been through the political manoeuvering that was present throughout the whole Council of Vale, the city-state having its ruling caste consist entirely of those who had held the power for years, grooming their successors within the least amount of time needed.

"What do you want?" He asked, his eyes narrowing, as he looked at the woman. "You know what violating the law means, Mister Arc." The woman's smug tone of voice was something that would have riled up Sage Arc before, yet his Semblance made him keep his cool admirably, his attention sliding from the woman towards the Huntsmen around the room. "This is a setup." He said, his voice lacking in emotion.

"Of course. Did you think that we would be restrained by the nobility after we had finally been able to do away with the system that the King had personally abolished? Your people…" The councilwoman's eyes looked at him with pity mingled with disgust. "You think you are all so special, that your blood grants you an inheritance."

He did not think so, yet he did not voice his thoughts. "And so, you go after the Arcs." The woman nodded, her eyes sharp and clear. "Families without an heir die out, Mister Arc. The loss of your son, a criminal conviction for your second eldest daughter…" The woman's eyes scanned the file. "All seven of them?"

She looked at him, a strange expression on her face. It seemed like surprise to his detached gaze. _'Realisation. The implications of what it would mean.'_ The registration of his family was in order. Every member of his family was booked publically. The records often were not consulted with each mutation, yet the knowledge that there were eight children who bore the name of Arc was something that was not easily spread. _'The spread of information is well-contained. Only Heather has a criminal record, whilst Bianca and Ashley have only minor achievements of note.'_ The cold side of his mind immediately went to the youngest of his daughters. _'Cremea and Azure are the weakest, as of this moment. Saffron's own skill allows her to evade the worst of the eventual fallout.'_

"Why haven't you informed the administration about your children, Mister Arc?" The question hung in the air for a moment, Sage Arc's face expressionless as his mouth opened. "Due to the status as a noble of Vytal and Vale, I do not have to declare my family's members as eligible for conscription and recruitment, as outlined by the Vytal Pact, section seventy-five, article three. 'None who bear the legacy of those who have bravely fought against the tyranny of those who would wish to upset the freedom of humanity to express itself, shall be conscripted by any of the Kingdoms, unless personally volunteering themselves for such a duty. Their sacrifice shall have been to die for the ideals that have granted us our freedom.'. The stipulations of the Pact do not imply that a noble's family can be conscripted without a declaration of war preceding it." The councilwoman's eyes looked at him, her lips a thin line.

' _Reason dictates that an amendment would be needed, signed and ratified by the councils of the Kingdoms, before the Vytal Pact can be dismissed.'_ The look on the councilwoman's face returned to the smugness once more, as she looked at him. "Your daughters though…" The woman's eyes were sharp and predatory, clearly looking at him with the eyes of someone who had plans and designs that were far outstripping their capacity as a councillor.

"They are their own people. Our youngest, Azure, has graduated early, becoming a Huntress only a year ago." The woman tutted softly, as she shook her head. "Ahh, yes…" The file was pulled up, the woman's eyes reading through it. _'No single iota of knowledge about Huntsmen, yet the information is all there, as mandated…_ ' Sage Arc preferred the harsh and cold truth compared to the lies. "Are you willing to ask young Azure to intern with us for a while? The Council would be willing to reimburse you for the time that she has to remain under our contract."

"That is not a possibility that I will entertain. My daughters are free to pick whatever line of employment they wish." The man's eyes were fierce, as the woman gave a sound that could be pitying in its manner, if her eyes had not looked with such ambition. "Sage Arc, you are hereby under arrest for obstructing the laws of Vale." The woman said, her eyes meeting with his own.

' _So this is how you wish to play it, Miss Syfres?'_ The thought was not unusual, as he looked at the woman as the cuffs were brought out, the fake hand guided through the cuff and the snap digging into the raw flesh. "Inform my representative that I would like to see him before me at his earliest convenience, Miss Syfres." The woman looked coolly at him, her face the perfect expression of one which held power. "I'm afraid that will be impossible, Mister Arc. A criminal's due… The trial will be soon enough. Unless you agree to our terms… It's just one daughter, Mister Arc. You have seven of them."

His lips formed a thin line, as he looked at the councillor. "I'm afraid I will be in your custody then, councillor. The Emperor of Mistral could not have found a better successor in you if he had lived to this day and age." The woman's face showed irritation, her gaze fierce and with fire burning in them, yet she said nothing.

' _To do away with the nobility under the guise of 'equality'… A shrewd plan. A pity that the Vytal Pact does not allow for a single person to sit upon the throne of a Kingdom once again, as a council is needed to preserve the image of democracy.'_ As he was led away to the prison facilities, he knew that he would be in for a while. _'The Council of Vale has grown weak and arrogant. Peacetime does not breed leaders who are willing to go to the extent that we Huntsmen do.'_

He looked at Amarylliz, giving two short winks with his right eye. She nodded slightly. _'The message is out. Good.'_ Contingency plans had always been a strong suit of his.

They would never get what they desired when up against an Arc. They might have captured him for now, but with a good legal defence as well as having his daughters away from the management of the Valean government…

' _All that Vale does is to keep the system intact by expanding its forces and paying top Lien for those Huntsmen who are willing to forsake the good of humanity for mere money…'_ He knew his duty to his family, though. Vale, as a nation, craved control. Seven huntresses who were unattached to someone… A credible threat to the established order. _'The news about the Aura capacity has not been leaked yet. There is a good chance that it will not leak, if Ozpin does his job properly.'_

' _All that I have to do is sit tight and wait. They can only give me a misdemeanour on my record, expunged after five more years of service.'_ The law was on his side, for this. Sage Arc was nothing if not meticulous in his work. _'Ambition, the desire for control… You should be careful, miss Syfres… That ambition may yet burn you.'_

There were greater terrors out there than the Council, after all…

* * *

 _The long stretch (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The vehicle soon pulled into the port, the sounds of seagulls and other maritime accompaniments coming right to his nostrils, the smell of decaying fish and other irritants bringing the sense of the place to his mind. His eyes caught a glimpse of the Huntsmen who guarded the port, their faces looking wary, yet welcoming. "Here to get on a boat?" One of them, the one responsible for letting them in, asked, Kali climbing off the vehicle and stretching. "Obviously." Esmeralda said, making herself out to be the spokesperson for the group.

"You've got quite the attitude, Miss…" Esmeralda smiled. "Arcadia." The name that he'd taken for his own during his first few days in Mistral came back once more. "My husband, Jaune." The Huntsman looked between the two of them, raising an eyebrow. _'He's going to think about the age issue, right?'_ A snort came from him. "If she doesn't want to tell, she doesn't want to tell." A woman with dark blue hair combed over a long scar at her temple spoke up, hefting the twin flails on her shoulder, stretching slightly. "A Huntsman team, aye?"

Esmeralda nodded. "We will need transportation to… Vytal, was it?" He nodded. "Vytal, indeed." The Huntress looked him over, whistling softly. "That's a nice sword you got there, buddy." The large two-handed sword glinted in the light of the late afternoon, as she looked at it. "It can cleave through a Beringel with no difficulty." He said. The test of the blade had been nearly a week earlier, when they had ran into a clutch of Beringel, their movements blocking the road before them. One of the vehicles had gained a few more dents, whilst they dealt with the additional dangers that the Beringel presented. Kali's smile had been radiant for the last week, mentioning something about 'the shadows' that he hadn't paid much attention to.

She was a nice lady, even if she looked like Blake's twin with a bigger chest. That hadn't escaped his notice. "Anyplace where we could go buy some swimwear?" Kali asked, as she curiously looked at the Huntress. Sienna looked at ease, for once. Her eyes went to the people around, her breathing a little calmer than before, as she let her eyes dance through the crowd, gauging and judging, assessing.

"Ah, sure thing!" The Huntress said, looking between them. Kali made a light indication with her head towards him, as she grinned. "Where there's the sea, there's something to wear at the sea!" Most Huntsmen did not have the time for such frivolities as frolicking on the beach, yet Rowan had always taken the time to go out with him someplace when the weather was hot and he needed to have some entertainment.

' _Perhaps we can go and relax a little? I know a great beach near Vytal, Rowan took me there plenty of times.'_ That the women wanted to buy swimsuits wasn't too unfeasible. His sisters had several pairs that they frequently modeled for him to get 'a man's perspective' on. It had been embarrassing for the first few times. The funny antics of the boys trying to impress his sisters was something that only happened if they didn't notice the weapons stashed close by. They usually made quick excuses when Heather pulled out her weapon.

' _Relaxation is a good thing at times, yes… And some swimwear wouldn't be that bad.'_ The thought of swimming once again brought to mind a vision of being in the _Vitae Tenebris_ , entangled with Her for a moment that seemed everlasting. _'I don't think…'_ He looked at Esmeralda, already busy with speaking with the leader of the Huntsmen that defended the port settlement, her hands gesturing towards the harbour.

"Not like there's much to do aboard of a ship aside from chasing off some of the weak Grimm, heh. You'd best go to Old Mari's place, she's got some stuff that'll be shipped over to Mistral city in a few weeks, see whether there's something that you'd like there." He was glad to see that there was little prejudice towards Faunus here, the port city undoubtedly having its Faunus residents. He saw none of those at this time, yet Sienna and Kali were treated almost like full citizens. Their status as 'Huntsmen' might have something to do with it as well, the weapons that they had in full view of the men and women lending them the might of their office, however fake it was.

"We'll go to the liner. It's departing in three days, a maiden voyage." The man's voice sounded optimistic, Jaune only able to imagine what it would be like, as Kali snagged Esmeralda's arm with a loud 'Let's go shopping!' sounding through the direct vicinity, Sienna dragged along as well as the Huntress walked along with them.

Coming to a large vessel that laid anchored to the stone floor, Jaune whistled, impressed faintly with its size. "It's huge!" He could not hide his excitement, feeling for one of the first times like he was just a teen again.

The Huntsman grinned. "It's unsinkable, buddy! The best engines that Dust can make, fitted with three laser turrets and a single main cannon! It'll survive everything, I'll bet my life's savings on it!"

As they walked towards the bow of the ship, he noticed the sailors that were getting ready, readying the ship for the voyage on which it'd depart. "The Titanic, best ship of the Mistralian shipyards! Guaranteed to never sink!"

Jaune shared the optimism. After all, what was it if not a ship that'd been built to traverse the waves, right?

* * *

 _Bright Red (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

It wasn't like she was SUPER busy, or anything. As she looked at the large list in her hands, she groaned out loud. _'Yang better be happy that I'm doing this for her. Why she wanted to have some time with her partner to work on their combination attacks... I dunno, they work together well, don't they?'_ She thought, as she stepped through the threshold, the sound of people already making its way to her ears.

"We should get some new underwear too." Ruby Sustrai said, her voice cheerful and warm, the look of the place something different from what Ruby Rose had expected. The racks filled with feminine products were all starkly different from the image that had popped up in her mind. _'You can do this, Ruby Rose… Your big sister isn't able to due to the cramps and you're going to be a good sister and help her with her… issues.'_

"I think your big sister would like this." A lacy brassiere was held up by the other Ruby, whose bright smile seemed to hold within its depths a hint of something that ignited within her the fire of embarrassment, even as she turned red. "Ruby, I don't think Yang prefers to have a hot pink bra." The fact that the older girl had come along with her was a boon to her. She would've asked Weiss if she was willing to come along… but well… _'She's not exactly going to be happy that we'll be shopping for some amenities for Yang.'_ The Heiress had been prickly to say the least, as she looked at the rest of the team with her eyes all broody and irritated. "We just need to get the stuff…" The grin on Ruby Sustrai's face was broad and warm, as she looked at the bra and then grabbed another from the rack. "I'll just be trying this on." She said. _'Oh, but won't we be late?'_

She didn't stop the older girl from getting into one of the stalls, looking a little abashed as she remained there. _'I should find them... It's not nice that Beacon doesn't have them.'_ She could do this for her big sister. ' _She always looks out for me... It's not that bad to go out and get something for her. I would do the same for Weiss.'_

She wasn't going to go and betray her friends on the drop of a hat. _'They are MY team. My team of wonderful people! Team RWBY will never falter! We're the good guys!'_ The wait for Ruby to appear once more was growing on her, as she saw Ruby's head poke out of the dressing room. _'Hmm?'_

She saw the motion of the dark-skinned woman's hand before she'd heard the "Check this style out, Rube!" She scooted over, the package of extra-thin inline pads put into one of her pockets, entering the dressing room for a moment, witnessing Ruby leaning against the mirror. _'Woah, it actually looks good on her.'_ Ruby Sustrai grinned at her, teasingly, her hands moving to cup the breasts through the fabric. "How's it looking, Rube?" The older girl teased, leaning forward. The crisscrossed scars that appeared on the side of her hip were bold and stood out clearly, the dark skin mangled there, undoubtedly by some Grimm's bite. "W-well…"

She didn't know why she stammered, only that it felt a little unusual, in such close proximity. "C'mere, Ruby." The older Ruby said, her voice snapping in the manner of a teacher to a student. Her hands grabbed her own and she jerked them towards the brassiere. "Feel that?"

She did. _'Round. Full.'_ Her silver eyes watched as her fingers sank into dark flesh, the skin colour like chocolate, the dash of perfume that Ruby Sustrai wore on her skin suddenly coming out. The red-haired woman moved her lips close to her ear. "That's how a woman feels, Ruby…" The teasing hint of that voice of hers was enough to send a shudder through her mind. _'no, no, this is just like dad said. I'll have to... deny her. It isn't proper.'_

"And this is something that's been reserved for..." Ruby Sustrai's tongue traced over her ear, the hands that gripped her own and kept them planted on those soft round masses of flesh. "Not you." The cackle of laughter came from the woman's lips as the hands let go, Ruby Rose's hands pulled back in a flash. "But you..."The hand stroked through her hair.

"You look a little like the angel of death, Ruby... Such pretty hair... Such a pretty set of eyes." She was blushing now. Blushing like a beet, red in the face. "Sh-shouldn't we go and buy what we need?"Her voice was like a whimper, as Ruby Sustrai gave a soft snicker. "We should, my little Ruby." The shudder that went over her spine was one of unease, as she squeaked softly, getting out of the dressing room, waving her hands. "That's okay, that's fine! I'll see you outside, bye!"

She was crimson-faced as she put the pack on the counter, the price rang up with a little ping, the comfort of being able to tuck the items for Yang in her pocket, whilst mentally lamenting that her elder sister couldn't be bothered to go herself. _'She's always such a go-getter, forging ahead without a care and being so... Yang.'_

She saw Ruby Sustrai emerge, the brassiere slapped onto the counter. "This." The girl said, as she looked at the assistant that was handling that order. A Lien chip was placed on the counter, the look on Ruby Sustrai's face something that was hard to pin down. "Ah, there's ten Lien more needed, miss." The redhead looked at the assistant, as if she didn't comprehend what was being said. _'Oh no, I don't want to see her make a fuss.'_

A ten Lien chip was put on the counter, Ruby's hand flickering back into her pocket, the wallet placed right back there. "Come on, Ruby, we should go and get ourselves something nice, once in a while." The red-haired young woman looked at her before she smiled, the cashier looking at her for a moment before shrugging. "Do you want it bagged, miss?" The wallet that Ruby Sustrai put back in her pocket was decidedly empty, yet Ruby could see that there had been something in those eyes that had changed. "Please." She heard the redhead say, even as those crimson eyes peered at her with an interest that seemed to be far less benign than before.

"You're like Daddy." Ruby Sustrai said to her, once they were heading in the direction of their next destination, the Dust store. "That's good. Daddy always took care of me, called me his little genius." The smile on the older girl's face was something that made Ruby Rose feel warm in her heart, knowing that there was some genuine warmth in the other woman's nature. _'You might be a little awkward at times, but you really care for people, don't you?'_

"My older sister... well, you've heard about her a few times, called me a loon, once." The frown on Ruby Rose's face was hard to deny, the behaviour of her friend Ruby somewhat odder than most, yet still something that brought a feeling of 'this person feels like a good person' to her mind. They were all studying to become epic saviours of humanity, right?

"That's just not right! You're such a nice person!... well, even if you did put some ouch on Viridian."The young man had been nervous around Ruby Sustrai ever since, but that was just his just due. Ruby Sustrai grinned at her. "Yeah, him. No-show. I should've totally seen the Tat on him, I mean, uncle Bear always talked about them." _'What's she talking about?'_

"But yeah, big sis called me a loon, so I went and blew up her home." The nod that was self-satisfied and smug was enough to make Ruby's heart sink a little, a low groan coming from her mouth. _'Who blows up someone's home? That's not a good way to deal with family!'_ "Just a trailer, actually. She got a better one because Daddy said so." The grunt that came from Ruby's mouth was enough to show her displeasure. "Daddy had the servants mine alllll the Dust in the mine for me. We were just getting so good, that we'd get the MPF on our hides, but daddy always made sure to hide us well."

' _What's the MPF?'_ She wondered, but Ruby Sustrai's arm wrapped around her, pulling her close. The same perfume was heavy in her nostrils once more, as Ruby tried to pull herself out of the grip of the redhead, who seemed to be lost in a little fantasy world, as she had, every once in a while. "Ruby, please, urgh!"

She struggled, her body shifting a little to get herself loose. _'This is just like with Yang! She'd make sure that I was immobilized first too before she'd start being a big sister!'_ "We should get the Dust!" Ruby Sustrai's voice was full of cheer, even as Ruby Rose's head was mashed against the older woman's chest. "Make glorious explosions!"

' _Type four Dust-Shotgun rounds.'_ The classification immediately came to her mind, as she went into weapon-mode. _'Alternate rounds for Ember Cecilia include Type four Dust-Shotgun Multi-Dust Rounds.'_ The thoughts were back on track again, as Ruby Sustrai continued on her merry path, cheerfully skipping a little. _'She's really upbeat... maybe just being around me is making her feel a little more like being a big sister... Emerald is a bit... different._ _Colder.'_ The act that Emerald Sustrai put on before them was something that Ruby Rose pricked through without even trying, the sincerity that Ruby Sustrai had being lost on her younger sister. _'Ruby is genuine, at least. Emerald... she might be the younger sister, but something's off with her.'_

It might be the constant reminders that Ruby Sustrai gave her about her family life, out there in the wilds, but it certainly was something that had been on the back of her mind. _'But perhaps, Ruby is just what I need. Another friend, not influenced by Beacon's rumour mill.'_

Yang had always said that she should branch out and have many different friends, after all. She was just doing what her sister had told her to do, yep! Ruby Rose, glorious maker of friends!

* * *

 **Another chapter done! Another moment in the lives of Jaune and company! Don't worry, the next chapter will have some stuff that's a bit more engaging than the dreadful drudgery that you've all been subjected to! (I can just anticipate the reviewers going 'but this didn't say nothin'.) Bonus points to those who can read the Mistralian that I've put in it. I shall add the translation to the next chapter, just for the ease of reading. I figured that Mistralian would sound similar to the Asiatic languages, just for that extra appeal!**

 **Ozpin File, from the Beacon Servers**

 **Name:Arc, Sage  
Age: 52  
Title: Lord (Exempt from Vytal Pact)  
Status: ACTIVE  
Semblance: Tactical Awareness/Detachment  
Aura: Unlocked, A++ ranked  
Hunter Ranking: A-  
Weapon: Ferrum Mors  
Partner: Solo/Emerald Arc (SPOUSE)  
Team: SEMN**

 **Bio: The oldest child of Arc, Aurum, Arc, Sage has spent the majority of his youth on the Arc grounds at their ancestral house in the Vytal region. As the sole heir to the family after the events of the Surge, he has made a name for himself through the usage of his weaponry as well as his keen analytical skills.**

 **Tactical assets that are appropriated by Arc, Sage will exhibit a 50% increase in use by general direction of Arc, Sage's semblance, at the expense of his emotional cognition. Arc, Sage remains a solid supporter of the Huntsman Academies and abides by the traditional norms.**

 **Personality: When medicated, Arc, Sage shows a blunt and cold exterior. The medication that was issued (See File: Arc, Sage, Medical) allows for greater cognition of the issues around, with slight atrophy located within the emotional sensitivity parts of the prefrontal cortex due to extensive use, leading Sage, Arc to apparently hold little regard for anything not a part of his family. The capacity to care for his family is a part of his personality. Evidence shows that Arc, Sage has planned for the eventuality of death in regards of the inheritance of his family's title and aggregated wealth.**

 **End of file**

 **Personal comment by OZPIN**

 **Sage Arc is a man of good tactical skill, serving as an example for the new generation to aspire to. His tactical acumen is on par with James Ironwood if put in charge of a large-scale defensive perimeter, yet his offensive capacity is greatly diminished due to preferring the safety of the people over the elimination of threats. When pressed, offence is an option, yet Sage Arc has shown time and time again to prioritize the safety of the people over ensuring that the opposition is wiped out. The long-term tactical evaluation that he brings to any situation is invaluable. Induction into the ranks shall be put to the vote once every member has returned from their assignments.**

 **Let there be no doubt that the Arc family has not faltered in the fight against the darkness.**

 **There are things afoot. Now, for the important stuff... One of my reviewers, Jigentou, has given a pretty comprehensible review, for the ease of people reading it through. When I read it, I was like 'Damn, that's actually looking like some good book review' which is why I'm addressing it in this little author's segment.**

 **Another person that reviews pretty often, Mo Eazy, has good points too! Can't address anything, due to author confidentiality and the like, but thanks for your extensive reviews! Always a pleasure to see them!**

 **SentinalSlice, I'll say this... If you thought that chapter 22 was great, just wait until... chapter 29. That's the planned Season Finale for the Raiders of the Last Arc-Arc!**

 **And to those who were confused about Jaune still putting Weiss on a pedestal and thinking about her... Well, it isn't easy to forget about that hot chick who called you cute, has her style and skill and is just kick-ass. It's just been two-three months since he's been taken from Beacon. Jaune is still labouring under the delusion that he'd have a chance, even though on some level he already sees himself as a monster unworthy of love.**

 **There are a great deal of things that I could say about A Grimm Tale. I write (compared to some people), chapters that are around 20.000+ words, in about 2 weeks. I can definitely up the word count and deliver chapters quicker (I used to do it weekly, now sadly, it's no longer an option), but I don't want to sour the great ideas that I've got for A Grimm Tale by over-stressing myself. Just be mindful... You're in for the long haul and it's going to be AMAZING.**

 **Thank you for your reviews, everyone! I take great delight in seeing your eager (and not so eager) reviews!**

 **As a small question, though – what sort of swimwear do you think the ladies would be buying? I've got a general idea, but your thoughts are important too!**

 **See you around the Halloween time! (And I just might post a short ficlet about Halloween with the Arc family from A Grimm Tale.)**

 **Reviews are MUCH appreciated!**


	27. Nyctophobia

**Chapter 27: Nyctophobia**

 **Another chapter, another time for your bi-weekly dose of A Grimm Tale!**

* * *

 _The burden of proof (Heather Arc)_

* * *

Emerging from the crypt with Rowan in tow, she allowed herself to heave a sigh of relief, realizing that she'd gotten out of the hot and heavy part without any significant issue. There would be no problem with anything if Rowan was kept relatively calm.

Tears leaked from Rowan's eyes, meeting with her own, the watery orbs looking like they were going to burst into more tears, their deep blue depths enough to hint at things. A soft beeping was heard at her side, the Scroll buzzing slightly. Pulling it out, she looked at the caller, noticing that it was Bianca. " Yeah?" She said, patting Rowan on the shoulder. "Heather! Dad's in trouble."

The soft curse that escaped her mouth was enough to startle Rowan, who looked at her with a confused expression, as if not comprehending the events around her. Eyes that were wide were looking at her. "Daddy's in trouble?" Heather tensed up, taking the effort to pull Rowan in closer, her Semblance heating the air around them so that there would not be a tsunami sweeping through the surroundings. "I'll be right there." She said, clicking the Scroll off and then tucking it back in her pocket. "We must go home, water louse." She smiled, for Rowan's benefit, the look in her sister's eyes terrified, as if something had happened. "It can't happen to daddy." Rowan's soft murmur was like a thunderclap.

"Not daddy too…" The painful sound from Rowan's throat was fierce and without any sort of emotion aside from pain. "It won't be so bad, water louse. Perhaps he's just waylaid by the Grimm." The frail and brittle smile on Rowan's face was something that would make her feel an even heavier burden on her soul, as she guided her older sister back towards the house, the protections that it afforded them enough for them to be relatively safe.

Catching sight of Azure already present, Bianca and Ashley standing there with a serious look on their face, as they looked at their older sisters. "We've received a message from one of dad's friends." Ashley started, a look in her eyes that didn't bode well. Heather knew it rather well, as she got the impression that something really bad had happened without their knowledge.

"Of course, the information is being suppressed by the authorities. If it wasn't for dad saving the life of that woman more than once, it is likely that we would not hear of it until they came knocking." The anger in Bianca's voice was clear, as she looked at her sisters, Heather seeing some aspects of their mother in them. The look on Ashley's face was particularly grim, as she called up some hastily sketched plans on the screen that hung on the wall in the conference room.

A large circle around the word MOTIVE was made, with tendrils reaching out to different words, sketched in a hurry it seemed, as Ashley's hand pointed at the topmost one – 'Control' -. "What I theorize happened, especially since they seemed to have nabbed dad when he was in Vale, was that the Council of Vale is going to instigate a purge of the nobility." The look on her face was angry.

"That isn't good." Azure mumbled, her face looking worried, whilst Heather's own face schooled itself in the mask that she often wore in public. _'If this is because the woman decided that I was a good target, I'll flay her myself and make her into bacon strips.'_ Ashley nodded. "Of course it is not. Rowan, Heather and Cremea have been responsible for aiding several class P missions." The look on Ashley's face was helpless for a moment, as if needing more information.

' _Class: Purge. Elimination of unwanted elements that threaten the stability of the realm.'_ The orders always came from up high, about some offender who had threatened the stability of the realm. Heather was not ashamed to say that she had once been good at the destruction of people. With her Semblance, everything before her would turn to ashes if she desired it. "Class: Purge. A total elimination of the designated opposition in a locale, branch or family, with no mercy or care given about the survivors. Rewards tend to be at the level of fifty thousand to a hundred thousand Lien, based on difficulty and opposition." Rowan's voice recited the official definition of the mission type, usually known only by class S Huntsmen who wielded the power to ensure that the elements were executed without pity or remorse.

"It is not feasible for them to attack us now." Ashley continued, as she looked at the screen, tapping the next point. 'Power'. "The next line of thought is about us, as daughters of Sage Arc. Political pressure could be put on us to marry and produce offspring." The frowns on her sisters' faces were clear about their line of thought on that subject, her eyes catching Rowan's for a moment and seeing the anger in them. _'They once asked for Jaune's hand in marriage…'_ The love that they had for their only brother was something that the Arc sisters held as important above many things. You could have boyfriends by the dozen but a brother was something special when you only had sisters.

"With our little brother now gone and dead, it is logical that they would wish to get the lineage of the Arcs under some measure of control. We are a pedigree, after all." Ashley's voice was clinical and cool as she spoke, her eyes looking between her sisters, Heather meeting her eyes. "Nobility is born inside us with our first waking breath. We are not the Schnee family, born with a Semblance that is ours to wield, yet we all have a high capacity for Aura."

Ashley's eyes went to Rowan and then returned to Heather, sliding over to rest on Azure next. "We are all above A+ rating, as far as official tests done have shown. I have verified the findings myself with a double-checking test done on my own blood as well as your generous donation of last year." The look on Ashley's face was something that showed her fervour for the scientific nature of things.

"So, the Arc family is oppressed by the Valean council…" Heather voiced her opinion, Ashley nodding. "According to Amarylliz, it is a move from Councillor Syfres in order to obtain… something." The shrug that Ashley gave made it clear that she did not know what was desired by the woman, yet her eyes were sharp.

"We cannot rush out and reclaim dad. Mom will be back in six days." The warning in her eyes was sharp as she looked at her sisters, Heather understanding it perfectly. In this world, there was no free lunch. There was no sign that things would change so easily under the might of their weapons and Semblance. _'If we go against the Council of Vale, we will be hunted…_ '

Another word was tapped with her hand – 'Nobility' – and Ashley's eyes were sharp. "Out of all seven of us, only three have a middle name." The rules of nobility were different in Vale than they were elsewhere. A middle name was often reserved for the eldest male and the eldest female child, yet Heather knew well that it could be bestowed by the patriarch of the family if it was so desired. Upon their eighteenth birthday, a noble child could be determined to hold the necessary skill in the manner that a middle name would be able to show their excellence.

"It is unlikely that the other noble families of Vale would be trying to ensure our fall but it is not something that I will discount out of hand. The Winchesters only have one heir, so it would be hard to take action, in the case of… events. We are fortunate in that manner."The look on Ashley's face was cold as she looked at them all. "I'll take care to inform Saffron and Cremea of the battle plan. They should be incoming in… two weeks, if I've got my numbers right. They've been away for the long haul, so they'll be gathering up…"

The look that Heather sent to Ashley was warning, as the younger sister nodded once. "Heather's got some thoughts on the personal protection as well, right?" That was her cue. Already she was theorizing on the subjects that came before her, her own mind not as great as her father's on the subject of strategy, yet still apt at making those snapshot decisions that would impact well on any who dared to offend the Arcs. Stepping forward, she looked at her sisters.

"You two are good at defence. I've seen the after-action reports, mom pinned them to the board in the second seating room. How assured are we of our safety with you two guarding this place?" Ashley and Bianca shared a look. As one they looked at her, a grin on Ashley's face. "It'll be safer than trying anal on Azure's tight little pucker." The snicker that Bianca gave was enough, as Azure flushed and a tremor ran through the room. "H-hey!" The indignant sound from their youngest sister made the twins chuckle.

"Now, I DID check out your Scroll a few weeks ago…" Azure's face turned a queasy shade of white, as her eyes looked at Ashley, mouth half-opened. "Ashley! That… No, no, you!" The tremors made the paintings shake slightly. "Azure, control yourself. Ashley, shut your mouth. We can talk about Azure's questionable addiction some other time." The command in Heather's voice shut both up.

"Safe as it can be, sis. If you and Rowan go out, we can be secure and without any issues." The assumption that they would be safe had to do with the defences around the manor, the ancestral barriers that had been thrown up with stone, now reinforced with the newest technology that Dust could only further heighten. To the unwary, it would merely look like a house that had a wall before it, the gate made of some elegant craftsmanship, yet the turrets that had been hidden through the gardens would know when someone was intruding where they were not wanted.

"Up to Rank S huntsmen would find it hard to infiltrate our domain without us being aware and ready." The prowess of the Arc family was not to be trifled with. Seven sisters, each a capable Huntress in their own right, with Semblances that complemented them. Heather herself was able to lay waste to a large region with her Semblance, her Aura as the energy for her powers. "Travel together. We can't have them steal us away using overwhelming force." Cremea and Saffron would be alright. Those two had been more than able to take care of themselves, their weapons lending itself to defence and offence. Their Semblances on the other hand… were a different matter altogether.

"Gather up, then do the mission that Professor Ozpin has set for us." Heather said, Ashley nodding. "Use his goodwill to get dad free. The man is connected enough that we can have dad free before a month is over." The others followed her lead, as Heather sent a look towards Rowan, her eyes catching the look in Rowan's eyes. "We'll be getting dad out, Rowe."

Her sister's eyes were bloodshot suddenly, the look in them dangerous and without reserve. "Rowe…"

"We'll get daddy out." Rowan said, her lips peeling back to unveil her teeth, white and well-cared for. It was a sign that Heather had seen well, the moment when that fight lust came up in her sister's head once more. "Now we'll have to sit tight for a while… Who's up for some sparring?"

The snicker that came from Ashley was rough, even with her hand switching the screen off. "I guess we'll have enough time to get ready for stuff… So I bet we'll be out on the training space in ten minutes?" The suggestion was met with acceptance from her sisters, and Heather Arc could feel some kinship settle in between the sisters.

' _No matter what happens… We're prepared. Dad's always said that if it came to something like this that we'd have to be together, even_ _if we had to knock Jaune out and carry him off to Mistral or something.'_ That would have been amusing. One man with seven sisters. It sounded like some cheesy plot from a novel.

* * *

 _Maiden's Voyage(Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The weather on the third day was somewhat muggy, the hot air of the inland blown into the seaside, with the port's smell of rotting fish and the faint hint of the factory smoke that lingered, as the Titanic laid in the harbour before his eyes. It was a prize of a ship, clearly built for the purpose of ferrying people through the dangerous seas that allowed one to get to Vale or Vacuo or Atlas.

The Relic of Knowledge hummed, displaying the information about the ship to his mind, the tonnage and difference in armaments in comparison to the known weapons on most of these ships, the main cannon clearly showing signs of improvement. _**'**_ _ **Thirty-three different establishing Dust Rounds for the shared Compression Dust Particle Encapsulator. Fifteen different Dust types in-chamber, revolving to produce thirty-ounce thrust for the-'**_ The technical information was nothing to him, as he let his gaze go over the people that were with him. Esmeralda, Kali and Sienna stood there, Summer silent, as she had been for nearly a week. The woman seemed to have been restricted in her speech, not emerging from his body again.

"We should go." He said, Kali smiling at him. As it was currently, she posed as the younger sister of Sienna, their shared Faunus heritage bringing with it some security, Whitney and Jaune playing the parts of Team Leader and youngest subordinate. There was no way that he could play at being the leader, despite it being the case.

Kali had been in a chipper mood, ever since a few days ago. Something seemed to have lifted off her shoulders, as if there had been a weight pressing down upon it, with only relief gained a moment later, as if something had been clicked back into place and she had been allowed to breathe once again.

Her whole body seemed to quiver under the stress that it held at times, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her seemed to try and reach for him, wishing to be moulded to whatever form he thought was best. It was both scary as well as attractive, the surface tension that she seemed to be under not letting him deny that she looked pretty.

The image of her husband and the tears that Kali had shed during that moment still brought with it that sense of disjointed grief, as he knew that it must be hard for her to survive in this manner, as his own desires to take the _Vitae Tenebris_ of the _Testudo Vehementi_ had been something that had influenced him to empower her…

' _I damn them by merely being around them…'_ The hope in his heart was that he would eventually be able to control these impulses, Esmeralda's eyes full of shame and fear as they looked at him, some conspiratorial whispers from Kali and Sienna, speaking about something called 'pheromones', which honestly confused him.

Consulting the relic about it had given him an entire layout of the Faunus genome, the traits that had been built into the genetic material and the construction of how they had been originally created. The overload of information was enough to make his mind short-circuit for but a second, his grip on Esmeralda having been tight enough to make her show bruises, yet she had not complained one whit.

"The captain's offered us a cabin in order for us to be at the ready for any Grimm attack."The nautical Grimm that She held under her control were varied, compared to the land-bound Grimm that only were known to appear to the Huntsmen as Beowolves, Ursa, Boarbatusks, Beringel and Tajitu, with the Nevermores and Lancers more of a support than anything that was really bound to the land. The rarer Grimm she kept in reserve, just in the case of things going south and needing some reinforcement. The Grendel were a good sign of that, as well as the Chimaera…

"We're ready." Esmeralda said, her hand running through her dark hair, the edges starting to grow slightly white again. It wasn't unusual for people to dye their hair, he figured and yet wondered whether she'd picked black to be her hair colour… and dismissed it as too unfeasible.

"Let's go then." He said, giving a confident smile to his friends, as they boarded the Titanic.

* * *

 _The Vengeance (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

Her eyes opened wide in a different location from where she rested, the shadowy copy of herself that had slinked off into the shadows replacing her in the campsite, her whole body shuddering faintly with the mode of transportation that she'd used to get there. The small settlement laid there before her, the lights still on, as she knew that the people there would still remain as innocent as before. A savage grin lit up her face as she stalked through the shadows, nothing more than a mere shadow moving from place to place, stealthily creeping through the shadows and then pulling herself back into the light, her claws digging into the wall as she pulled herself up, a cat's grace something that she'd be undeniably gifted with.

With a soft sound of her feet hitting the ground, she glanced around, checking the shadows for something that might draw her attention, her mind already accentuating the people there with a strange hale glow, their emotions like visible colours accentuating her sight. A grin slid off her face, to be replaced with a placid look of understanding, the Katar in her hands moving slightly, as a man who had been there at their first meeting walked past. _'The look of disgust on his face for Jaune choosing to travel with two Faunus…_ 'Her other hand looped around the man's waist, pulling him back within the shadows, even as her Kris bore down into his tender and frail body, the twist of the knife drawing blood, the shadows oozing with it as she continued to move, the man's body not even able to utter a cry as the shadows wrapped around him.

The smell of blood was something that she grew used to, as her body moved swiftly from shadow to shadow, the lamps that were lit only casting their baleful light in a circle or in a cone, her whole body unveiled but for a moment as she stalked through the shadows, her whole body drenched in that feeling of fear that seemed to rouse through the village as the efforts that she had made with the slaying of those who would think badly of the Master were discovered.

A woman who had scowled at her and Sienna found the Katar's blade sliding right through her back, exiting the front, the punch-blade coated in blood as she tore it back out, the snap-hiss of the Dust on the blade's edge searing the wound shut, the body hitting the ground a moment later, as Kali's eyes lit up with that dark radiance as the death and pain flowed into her, mingling with the fear that she had created.

Leaping into the ground, propelled by the shadows, she bore down on a man, dragging him down with the sudden addition of her weight, her Kris burrowing itself into the body of the man, her amber eyes glowing with the sickening radiance of fear as the people noticed her… and her body turned into misty shadows once more, her eyes appearing from the shadows.

"It's a _devil_!" One of the villagers screamed, Kali feeling the power of the fear as she absorbed it greedily. Her body shimmered with a dark lustre as the shadows shot out from her body, appearing behind four villagers, the ghostly blades as firm as the steel that composed her own, gouging through the flesh and letting the crimson spurt. Shapes like feline demons were there, the hellish amber of her gaze like a radiant beacon that drew attention. Burning with a dark desire, it was only something that lurked in the recesses of her mind, as she saw the bodies hit the floor.

The darkness was there, and the guilty were found swiftly. Blood splattered onto the ground as she roved through the village, the lanterns hardly any impediment, the fear enriching the dark ichors within her to be as pure as they could be. Cathartic the pain was, as she could see their eyes, their guilty faces…

' _They would never give us the respect that we are due as the Master's chosen… He filled me with his darkness, to fill me with HOPE. There is no other truth than the hope that he has given me, his Acolyte. I am_ _ **Kali**_ _, I am_ _ **FEAR**_ _.'_ A soft laugh came from her mouths, as the shadows surged at her command. Her shadowy clones emerged without making a sound, the blood of the guilty dripped and gushed, the fear like an intoxicating wave of something that could only empower her, her eyes glistening with that maddening radiance, her whole body twitching in that pleasurable exultation, as she strode through the settlement, coming to the door that she had been waiting to reach. With the cries and screams of those who had harmed the master, it would hardly be an issue for her to do as she wished, the fear feeding into the dark ichors and making the power inside her grow even stronger. _'Without a doubt…'_

Her hand grabbed the knob to the door, turning it and finding the click there. "Who is there?" The Mistralian was definitely the language of the land, even as her senses stretched out, finding only a single person. Her hand turned to shadows as she pushed herself into a nebulous state, the feeling of the shadows in the darkened house like a warm place for her to emerge from.

A second later, she was inside the house, her whole body feeling like it'd been wrapped in icy water and then pushed through the smallest space available, looking at the woman who had barred the door, hoping that it would stall her from coming in. "Who are you?" The woman called again, Kali's soft chuckle sounding like a cruel wickedness to the woman's ears.

" **You should be watching your step, woman."** Her voice was like a fiery burst of energy in a polar region, her eyes looking at the woman, her whole gaze filled with the interest of one person, her gaze never leaving the woman, who turned around.

"What are you?" Maiko hissed at her, Kali materializing in front of her in the form that she had been granted, her eyes peering right into the fearful ones. **"A nightmare."** The savage grin on her face was truthful to her nature, as she slowly stretched. "A cat like you will never have the guts to-"

Kali's hand motioned, a shadowy clone of herself grabbing the woman, forcing her down to her knees, another supporting that bid for control, as Kali looked down at the woman, a look of barely suppressed irritation in her eyes, the smell of urine heavy in the air as the fear rolled off her in waves. A savage growl came from her lips as she looked at the woman, reaching out with a hand which held claws tipping the fingers. **"You think that I do not have the guts? Silly little woman… You should never have tread where you have… You could have stuck to the locals…"** The words were an echo of the words that she'd given to the woman, her amber yellow eyes burning with that anger, as her fingers traced over the woman's chin.

" **And now… You are in your own living room, kneeling before a creature of pure nightmare…"** There was no disguising her own powers, as she looked at the altar to the woman's husband, a snap of the fingers giving the clones a reason to move, dragging the woman towards the altar. Where Kali Belladonna had not been a strong woman, the clones were clearly amplified by the force that had empowered her.

" **Your husband would be ashamed of such an unfilial wife… It is as if you have decided to spit in his face…"** Her claws tapped against Maiko's cheek, as she could feel the fear rise even more. Sorrow, fear and hate boiled in the woman.

"You are a Faunus!" She shouted, yet the sound would not come past the shadows that covered the house. "Born a foul infiltrator, ruining our noble bloodlines!" The hatred was understandable, as Faunus were genetically inclined to be stronger, better adapted to conditions, able to do what they wished better than humans could. **"So?"**

Her eyes looked dispassionate at the woman, her hand reaching out to trace a slow finger over the woman's cheek. It was truly regretful that there was but one of these… The darkness inside her yearned for more, for more fear and agony and pain.

It was a simple fact of life… Kali Belladonna LOVED what was hers. Be it man, woman or child, if they had gained her love and devotion, she would fight like a demon for them. It had been thus and it should be forever… **"What does that have to do with it?"** The woman struggled in the grip of her shadow clones, her eyes meeting her own, fear and yet defiance shining in them. "You'll pollute his bloodline!"

Her eyes widened a fraction, then narrowed, the fear wrapping around her. **"So?"** Her voice was cold, as her fingers traced over the woman's chin. **"I know my place in the Master's ranks… I was his first acolyte…"** The traces of need in her voice were mere afterfragments of that desire, as she looked into the Mistralian widow's eyes. **"You, a mere mortal with the thoughts of seducing OUR Master, the one who has brought light to our shadows of despair and fear… Are nothing. Your bones will turn to dust, your flesh will sicken and decay… You will remain as nothing compared to the greatness that is He!"**

Her eyes locked with Maiko's, her breathing heavy, the shadows creeping around her and blocking out all the light, leaving only her own amber eyes to gaze upon the woman's form, as if she were the judge, the jury and the executioner in one go. **"His mere TOUCH sends our bodies aflame! Even with his hesitation, we will remain patient! His will is our LAW."** Her voice held that lack of sanity that she realized after she had spoken the words, how true they rang for her.

' _Would Ghira bear to look at me if I said such things about him?'_ The answer to that thought was a resounding 'No', as her husband would not wish for a wife who was so selfish…And the thought about her husband faded like snow under a heat lamp, as her gaze locked with the woman's. "You… _demon_!" The woman's life was in her hands, yet she knew that with a mere thought, the body would be shattered and broken under her own will, her eyes glinting with the power over fear and shadows that she held.

" **We are hardly innocent. Sienna has the blood of many on her hands. Even my own hands are no longer as clean as they were before… But He…"** A shuddering breath escaped her lips as her eyes met with the woman's, tongue rubbing over her lips, a slow exhale coming from her mouth as bated breath escaped. **"He makes us complete… That one moment when we were connected, when he stuck his hands into my very soul… I beheld the truth."**

It had been amazing. One moment of sanity, of beholding the universe as it truly should be, where her body was intact and fresh and new, ready to help the world become a better place. _'A hero… that's what he wants to be and that is what I will make him.'_ The powers that she had over the shadows and fear was one of the gifts that he had given her… And she would make use of that power. Her daughter's Semblance, according to what Sienna had told, was to create shadow clones in order to help her evade attacks.. so it would stand to reason that she would have a slightly different Semblance, as she was her daughter's mother.

The woman screamed something, yet her ears could not hear it. As her prey struggled to get away, her claws traced over the woman's cheek, leaving red gashes there to remain as a testament to what she had created, the rich blood dripping down the cheek. **"Nothing but a woman who wishes to stray from her husband's side in order for something new and young…"**

The shadows hoisted the woman into the air, the arms and legs held by the shadowy tendrils that she created with a thought, her eyes looking at the woman as her claws ran down the body, tearing through the clothing without any issue, her body feeling tremors of rage and frustration go through it like the beat of some inhuman pulse, her fingers continuing to slide down over the flesh as if it were merely the issue to attract attention, her whole focus laying on ensuring that this woman would suffer for it…

Blood dripped onto the floor, her eyes watching with some pride as her claws had carved 'Adulterous Woman' in Mistralian on Maiko's stomach, the whimpers of pain loud in the air, as she looked at the work that she had done. The woman seemed to twitch every once in a while, the smell of the house too rough for Kali's own delicate nose, the lack of control that the woman seemed to have had over her own bowels something that was merely an afterthought for her.

' _None who would wish for the Master's body will escape our wrath.'_ The thought was so natural that she didn't even contemplate where it had come from, as she let a finger trace over the unmarred flesh, a whimper coming from the woman's mouth as Kali's finger brushed the blood away, a long streak left behind. **"Are we happy, adulteress?"**

The question was softly spoken, with the woman's body shivering once. "Y-Yes?" The question was audible, as Kali grinned. **"Your husband must be lonely… I guess it's time that you get to meet with him."**

The woman's knees hit the ground, as Kali grabbed the woman's neck, her muscles straining slightly, the claws digging into the flesh. An animalistic execution, she would call it, bereft of the grace and murderous agility that she was known for. Her claws dug into the neck and she tore, the flesh parting from flesh easily, as her claws tore back, the blood gushing like a geyser from the wound, hitting the ground with a sound like meat hitting the ground.

The woman's body sagging slightly as the lifeblood shot out of her throat, staining the picture of her husband and leaving a puddle on the ground as she laid there, Kali's eyes watching dispassionately as the emotions of fear continued to ebb, absorbed by her very being. **"It is time to go."** She said to herself, the shadows moving away from the house, the door suddenly quivering, as someone seemed to wish to get in. Her body turned to shadows, flickering into the darkness, her golden eyes watching as the villagers came into the house, her whole body slipping past their feet, the darkness her home now.

Her Kris moved, as she mowed down two more who she recalled as having looked upon her Master unfavourably. This was her vengeance for the maligning of her Master. This was what she thought was best, an approach that would end the tangled web of those who knew her Master. _'This is all for the best… If I stain my hands with the blood of those who would be willing to take from us what we hold in the highest of regards… Sienna will not have to.'_

Sienna was one of the people who she held in great regard, akin to a sister of sorts. Sienna, a woman who despised humanity for oppressing the Faunus, who believed in fear to ensure the dominion of Faunus with humans. _'And as I wake in the morning… I will find myself with her and the Master once more.'_

The shadows guided her back to where her primary shadow clone sat, waiting for her to return. As she dispersed it with a brief thought, the whispers of it reached her mind. _**"The Master approves of us, Kali… We'll make sure that nothing harms him. Anyone who would dare to hurt him will be met with death."**_

She knew, as she cuddled into her comfortable sleeping bag, that she was not a person who would be liked if her deeds came out. There was no redemption for those who killed mercilessly and without due reason… yet she felt that she had taken back that which had been taken from her, her body aware of the skill that she held with slaying people. _'For Jaune…'_

' _I will do whatever I must. His presence is like the sun in the darkness of despair. I may lurk in shadows… but he is the light that shapes me.'_

* * *

 _Hearing of news(Bianca Alba Arc)_

* * *

As she tinkered with the final bit of ammunition, the shells having been customized for the use on human targets, she knew that what she was going to do was nearly an impossibility. Her mind told her that it would be going against all the laws of the Kingdoms to randomly murder people.

' _Dad is captive… Mom still isn't there.'_ The thoughts rummaged inside her mind as she realized the pains that they would have to suffer to spring dad free. An assault first and foremost would only have a small chance of succeeding, with their family being hunted afterwards.

' _Come on, Bianca… You know that Dad has his Semblance. He can keep his cool.'_ There was not a sign that she didn't know, no moment that would leave her taken aback. The words of Amarylliz Maize came to her, the woman's communication with them having been brief. _"This is on the sly, but your dad's been captured by the Vale council. If it wasn't for him keeping us all safe during the expedition… Well, y'know. I figured you should know, just as a favour to Sage."_ The message had been brief, enough for them to get the gist of it. The woman would undoubtedly have some sort of inspection done to assure the Vale council of her loyalty, Bianca knew well the ways that people's information could be leaked and disseminated.

"It's not fair." Ashley said, Bianca's face twisting slightly as she realized that her sister, dear to her as she was, was not happy with the way that things were going. First, Jaune had been killed by some brat who didn't know how to properly program a rocket locker and secondly, their dad had been taken from them. She knew that he had some issues with his emotions from time to time, yet their mother had always been supportive of him. The love that they held for each other was something that Bianca and the other sisters could only hope for to find in their lives. _'As if we would be able to get a boyfriend anytime soon, with what's happening to us all.'_

There was always the threat of a Grimm invasion, people looking for people to blame for that, their minds were not wrapped up with solving the issues, but on making more issues. _'With a spray of bullets, silence can be gained.'_

"I've had thoughts, Bi." Her sister's voice reached her ears, as she looked at her twin, Bianca feeling that this was one of those moments where she would have to be paying more attention than before. It was not something that Ashley often did, as her sister started to undress, showing more skin than before. _'So it's like that.'_

The metal of the implant on the spine showed clearly, as the pants laid a small ways away. "You need a bit of a hand, don't you?" The soft shudder that her sister gave was enough, as her fingers found the latch, the snap-hiss of the seal slowly pulling away, unveiling the entrance port. "Don't worry, Bianca's got you."

They were in tune. They were able to meet with the demands that had been given to them since birth. Bianca's implant would be allowing her to move without the pain. _'All because of me.'_ The other sisters did not know about Bianca's pain, after she had surgically put the implant in on the spinal cord, her hand grabbing the specialized sterile cleaning tool. "It feels a little…"

A pleasured moan as she brushed the tool over the tender part, a side-effect from the surgery. _'Cremea wouldn't approve of it.'_ They had never gone to the beach again after the mission. For four years, Ashley had been able to hide its existence from her sisters, the biological-infused implant giving her the strength to keep on going… as well as some work with her own Semblance.

"Don't worry…" She said, in order to give her sister the comfort, as she slowly rubbed the tool over the tender input jack. "Oh, if you wanted me to worry, I'd be sneaking up on you at night and making you feel the piston-master three hundred." The snort of amusement that came from herself was nothing that Bianca was overly worried about, her fingers looking for the small slot, as she grabbed the can of lubrication fluid, pouring some onto the small brush that she pushed into the socket. A soft shudder, the smell of something leaking from below, and she knew that her sister had felt it. _'Damn it, Ashley…'_

Their bodies were the same, as it came to their physical capacities. There was a solid reason for their differences in personality, even with the way that they worked through the world. _'If I had been faster…_ 'The haunting thought always came to her when she was busy with taking care of her sister. _'The lubrication is just there to make sure that the inner workings don't corrode.'_

"Hey, Ash?" She questioned, her sister's head turning slightly, looking at her. "Do you think you can whip up something to clean the insides of this thing?" Her twin sister gave a low sound in the back of her throat, her whole body shifting slightly to the side, letting the internal workings move slightly. "Possibly." The pain would be less, even as she interfaced with the constructs that she'd made."I just…"

The sound of Ashley letting out a deep sigh was loud, as her sister shook her head. "We've been over this before, Bi." The resignation that she had in her voice was enough. "I am not going to the hospital to let them fuck up my spine." The knowledge that Bianca had of the medical procedures was marginal at best, but Ashley had her doctorate in bioengineering and medicine, a side-study that had been spurred on by her own Semblance. Knowledge was power, after all… and a lot of medical enhancements required mechanical components.

With how often the Arc sisters could whip out elemental forces to destroy and break, it was no surprise that one or two of them might know something about medicine, Ashley being the doctor, by most respects. Saffron herself knew emergency triage, in the case that it would be needed. Team SCAB (Saffron, Cremea, Ashley and Bianca) was well-known for its massive overspecialization on firepower and defence. Saffron's own weapon would hardly be passed by, even whilst Ashley would interface with the devices that she'd set up.

' _Queen of Technology and Lady of Bullets, that's who we are.'_ She wasn't afraid, at all. She knew well the trials that lay before her, as if it were mere happenstance that would be washed away later on. Her eyes were clear, as they always were, pulling up the chord that would connect Ashley once more.

 _ **INTERFACE UPLINK: ASHLEY ARC.  
PERMISSIONS: GRANTED  
STATUS:ACTIVE**_

The defences around the household were enough to be controlled by Ashley, when she was present. The efficiency of the Ferrum Mors armour only heightened the amount of control that she could have, the tethers of energy allowing her some greater manipulation of the defences around her that she'd set up whilst the armour was in the vicinity.

Machina Mors and Ferrum Mors, the armour, would be working in conjunction. Having seen the edge on it drive through a solid steel door, Bianca knew that her sister was wonderful in that respect, despite… naming her armour after their father's weapon.

"So, how's Machina Mors doing?" She asked as she stepped away, leaving Ashley to continue the boot of the defences, the screen on the side of their little workroom flickering with the images of the grounds. "Oh, I've added a Dust chamber to the side, to work with the missile launchers in the tit department of Ferrum Mors."

"You've got no creativity with your naming sense, Ash." She teased, her sister's head turning to look at her with a gaze that could be called ominous. "Ferrum Mors? Are you going to call your first kid Sage or something, with how much you idolize dad?"

The growl of her sister was something that she'd heard a hundred times, the snapping of the cable taut as her sister turned around, a fire blazing in her sharp blue eyes. "You think that you've got the wisdom to make such a statement, Bianca ALBA Arc?" The tone in her sister's voice was irritated, as the information on the screen showed aberrant glitches. "I may love dad and look to him as a guiding figure, but I would never-"

"Hey, Hey! Don't put your daddy fetish into this! I'm not like that!" Her sister's fist smacked against her cheek a moment later, Bianca's head whacked to the side, even as she glanced at her sister with accusing eyes. The punch hadn't been hard at all, something of a correcting tap. "I don't have a daddy fetish!"

Bianca knew well that she was just teasing, and Ashley played along. "But then again… Weren't you all excited to be teaching Jaune about the birds and the bees?" The audible groan that came from Bianca's mouth was enough to let her sister know that that'd struck a chord. "Shut up… I only messed up one time when it came to the demonstration bit!"

Her sister gave an 'uh-huh' in a tone that didn't convince anyone of the benefit of it, her eyes glinting as the screen started up on it.

"And this is how you-" Bianca's hand was on the volume button, pushing it down and shutting the sound off, as she looked at the image of herself taking it upon her shoulders to educate Jaune on the difference between boys and girls. "You were so embarrassed when that came by on the video feed." Her sister's smugness had been up for a few weeks afterwards as the embarrassment died down slowly.

It had been amusing to see Jaune turn red as well, even as her tone went into the clinical details of procreation, as well as the requirements for a relationship. "… with plenty of thrust, a satisfactory reaction can be achieved by the female partner. We call this the moment of orgasm." The tone of her voice had been factual, even as Jaune spluttered something. "But if you want to do something like that with your big sister, I'm sorry…"

"Bianca! I'd never!" His voice sounded scandalized, even as the image of herself on the screen raised an eyebrow. "Am I not pretty enough?" She heard herself ask, remembering that moment of fun that she'd allowed herself to have, pulling open the blouse she wore. "Very pretty! But, we're family! We can't!" Sauntering over to him, she'd placed a hand on his chest, looking at him with her best seductive look. "I won't tell if you won't."She purred, before taking a step closer on the screen. Her fingers slid down, as her eyes met with his, the look of her own expression even now somewhat dorky and not at all seductive. _'He was such a dork, stammering and blushing about a little bit of innuendo.'_ "I don't think we should! Heather said that she'd like to talk to me about something too!"

She'd pulled her hand back at that time, giggling softly as she winked. "You're released for now, squirt." Her wink was cheeky. "Well… Unless you'd like to have a few pictures of yours truly to really get things… off." He had flushed, the cackling laughter sounding even tinnier on the speaker, even as she'd trailed a finger over his chest up and down. "T-that won-won't be necessary! Heather said that she'd get me some magazines…" The 'Ooh!' that she'd given at that time had been more curiosity than any real shock.

The recording had caused most of the family to give her an odd look, their mother and father having mostly shook their head, Rowan having been the one to actually voice her disagreement, as she seemed scandalized that they'd actually given the talk to him about the birds and the bees. _'How long ago was this… two years? Three? Jaune was just a teen. Hell, he wasn't even twenty when he died.'_

The loss of a brother was something that she was getting slowly used to, the lack of his presence around the house was still something that she missed. From his collection of X-ray and Vav comics to his constant help around the house with keeping things tidy, there was always a moment where she could find herself in his presence, even if they had little to say to each other.

It was more Rowan's, Heather's and Azure's brother than her own, yet… she could love him still. No matter what would come, she would still love him as that adorable little brother who came and joined them when Azure was but two years old. _'Looking at him in his little crib, Mom away for the time being and just having Rowan to care for him…'_ She had been only eight when she had seen the small body of her youngest brother, brought into the world to scream loudly. Ashley had thought it more of a bother to have a little brother around than she did, but as they settled into their new life with their youngest sibling, they knew that they had gained a brother and someone who would love them as much as they loved him.

' _It's such a shame. I would've been one of those people who'd support him from the shadows if he'd just…'_ It was to her shame that they had not been able to get into contact with him, not realizing that he'd gone to Beacon. _'The family hasn't been together for more than three weeks in the past five years… If it was everyone together, there would have been no chance of Jaune managing to make off to become a Huntsman.'_

The potential that laid under the surface of the skin was something that she had noticed before, even if it did mean that their records in Grimm Annihilator II: Revenge of the Ravenor still would be beaten. _'He's much like dad, tactics-wise…'_ The strategy games that they had played against him had been mostly lost by them, due to his tactical acumen. _'Give him time to invent a counter to you and he'd roll over you like you were old news.'_

That his tactical prowess was so good meant that he definitely would have been a boon to the Huntsmen forces, as tactical acumen often meant a safer position behind the front lines, managing the defences from the safety of headquarters and not dying due to some Grimm horde's lust for human blood.

If it came to paying the final price, an Arc would do as they had promised and give it with their whole soul. She was ready to pay that price, if it came to such a moment of decision-making, yet she would never forget the family that had reared her into the woman that she was now.

"Thinking about Jaune?" Ashley's voice was a little more subdued, the imagery on the screen having shifted towards something a little less memorable, a readout of the amount of Dust required to keep the family's weapons operational. Machina Mors, shiftable from a staff form with a cannonball launcher to an attachment to Ferrum Mors, was boldly displayed above, with the chemical makeup of the Dust cartridges outlined below, as well as the amount of Dust currently still in storage.

"It's just…" Bianca sighed as she sat herself down on one of the couches, laying her head back and just looking at the ceiling. "It's not that we don't miss him, it's…" The words were hard to say, as she looked at her twin, the look in her eyes somewhat tender. "I know what you're feeling, Bi."

She could feel her sister's arms wrap around her, her twin's face so similar to her own that it was like looking in the mirror. "I am not mad at you, Bi. You've always had the best of intentions for Jaune…" They'd been the older sisters to him, always trying to make his life easier and fun. They'd been big sisters when Heather and Rowan were out on missions and mom wasn't around to care for them.

"Remember that time when we laid on the couch and he'd came to us with that bucket of ice-cream?" The giggle that escaped Bianca's mouth was something that held a tinge of sadness. "You screamed so loud when he put it in your hand that it slipped and hit you in the tits." The snort that her sister made was both sad as well as humoured. "Hey, at least he gave me a creamy surprise between these knockers." Bianca gave a soft tssk, her hand stroking through her sister's hair. "Oi! Who's the lewd one now, eh?"

Ashley grinned briefly. "We both are, sis. You're the one who came up with the Stress Relief Device, after all." The flush settled on Bianca's cheeks, her eyes looking down at the ground and then up. "It was… for a good cause. I mean, Saffron and Cremea didn't MIND… It's all to keep the spirits high!" Ashley's face showed her mirth, as she shook her head.

"Four sisters in one tent and with the others complaining about the noise… Bunch of busybodies, trying to stop us from getting the mood up." The emotional load of depression was something that drew the Grimm to your position. Positive emotions, powerful ones, could at least blunt such negativity to a point where it was somewhat less of a bother, the euphoria something that many people would crave. "Doesn't stop Cremea from actually trying to get us to make her something like that for missions with Saffy, though…" As one, they both snorted with shared humour, shaking their head at the same time.

Cremea and Saffron were generally joined at the hip. It was due to their closeness in age as well as not quite fitting in with the other members of their family that had put them together, Saffron's defensive line something that was hard to pass through, whilst Cremea knew just where to press to get the best results. It was a teamwork that had been something that Ashley and Bianca were exemplars of, before Ashley's minor adjustment in personal integrity. _'If Cremea would be able to get herself under control before she'd go out and do whatever she thought of, that'd be a better option… But we can't judge just yet.'_

They were a family, as odd and peculiar as they were. If you had to be able to keep a cool head during times of stress, you also had to be able to bear with the issues of society's perception of you. _'Heather's criminal record would only impede us for… maybe two to three years, if we were to go all-out. It's not like Vale has Huntsmen aplenty, so the first thing that they would do…'_

The situation around their father was something that sat badly with Bianca, knowing well that her father, as patriarch of the Arc family, was the final say in most of the ways of the family. Without an heir of the male lineage, all that the sisters could do was to marry outward into other families.

' _Good luck getting Heather to commit to anyone. She's open to dating, but ever since that little bit with the exploding Dust container, she's been hesitant.'_ There were options for her as well. She was twenty-five, the same age as her sister, of a prime age to spread her legs and pop out fresh babies. _'Fat chance that I'll settle down before I'm thirty… if I even make it to thirty.'_

The world had seemed to be so empty now, without her younger brother to boss around, wish well and hope that he'd have some hot vixen for them to bully as a sister in law. _'That Pyrrha girl was nice enough…'_ She could already see miss cereal getting it on with her younger brother, the thoughts turning into a soft chuckle, as she shook her head. "Thinking about something, dearest sister?" The words were fraught with danger, as Bianca looked at Ashley.

"Just thinking about how Jaune would be doing 'relaxational combat exercises' with his partner." She said, chuckling again as she'd imagine how dorky he used to be and how uncertain he appeared to act around other women. _'He was most at ease around us. He knew that we wouldn't treat him unfairly… But we might've coddled him a little too much. Some of the little floozies from the village even dared to try and get him to 'see them under the moonlight'.'_

The scion of a noble house, male as he was, let a lot of the local women think that it would be in their best interest to get some action with him. Thanks to him being a complete and utter dork with little thought about what such things would involve, it hadn't come to anything, yet Bianca and Ashley knew very well that any child of Jaune's would have to be considered for the nourishment of their talents by the Arc family. _'As if we would allow anyone to stake a claim on our little brother…'_

She could still remember the look on one of those girls' face as she pulled the shirt open and exposed her bosom. Thanks to Jaune looking rather girly most of the time and height being something that ran in the family, they could easily pass for him with a bit of chest-binding and some creative use of a cup. _'The little bitch didn't think that she'd be stroking some tits, and when she stammered and asked whether Jaune was going to come… Oh well, it wasn't like we broke anything terribly important. Silly little bitch got herself knocked up three months later, so it's not like much of value was lost.'_

The damage that they did to those would-be suitors of Jaune could mostly be counted as merely some roughing up. Nothing too scandalous like broken bones and the like, but more of a stern reminder that if one wishes to get one's hands on the Arc Rod, you'd have to fight through seven sisters to get it!

Of course, Ashley and herself were some of the roughest. Heather was downright vicious when it came to protecting Jaune, Rowan included in that same category of 'bad-ass sisters who'll treat you like a ragdoll during a thunderstorm'. Rowan and Heather seemed to take any insult to Jaune like they'd been the one insulted. _'There is being a protective sister… and then there's Heather and Rowe, fucking shit up.'_

There was little reason for them not to fight for their little brother's chastity. If it had been something that Jaune wholeheartedly supported and felt strongly about, they would not lift a finger. There was something of a line between love and lust that they knew well, and would never cross themselves. The fact that their brother might have a girlfriend was something they had counted on… but with how dense he acted most of the time, even Bianca had wondered whether he might've been gay. _'Of course, if he was actually into men, we would support him through thick and thin… and make sure that the guy knew the folly of crossing the Arc sisters.'_

They were allowed to be protective of their little brother, ignorant of the cruelty of the world as he was, as he was their only one. Bianca firmly believed that they would be able to get their own families in order the moment that Jaune had been married to someone who would be able to support him in his times of need, emotionally and physically. _'A good base. Just like mom and dad.'_

There was only the issue with ensuring that they'd all make it through the coming tribulations… But they were the Arcs. They knew the stakes, they knew the score… And they would be able to defeat anything below the sun and the moon if they worked together.

That was their way. An Arc never forgot family.

A family that slays together, stays together.

* * *

 _Casting off (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

"So, m'name's Jack, but you may call me Cap'n Jack." The man's hand ran through his glossy blonde hair, giving a wink to him, Jaune's face passive as he looked at the man whose mecha-shift weapon resembled a crossbreed between a pistol of the olden days and a long knife with a serrated edge. "This is my partner Rose, she's a real cutie." The wink that he gave to his partner was reciprocated with a sickly sweet smile, the long blonde hair that she wore long contrasting to her partner in its shade of blonde. _'This is just too much…'_

"Jaune, a pleasure." He said, offering his hand for them to shake. As one, they shook it, Jaune's eyes looking at Kali and Sienna, who were standing listlessly at his side. Esmeralda was leaning over the railing, busy with losing the remnants of her breakfast, looking awfully pale. _'If it wasn't that I haven't eaten anything, I'd be right there with her…'_ "Kali." Kali said, her voice soft, as Sienna merely looked at them. "Sierra." The Huntsman and his partner looked at them, a low whistle coming from his mouth. "A Faunus and her daughter, eh?" He looked between Kali and Sienna, the latter's irritated look noticed immediately by Jaune.

"Actually…" He said, as Kali smiled. "I'm thirty-nine." The man whistled. "Ya look young, toots." He winked as he said so, clearly not believing the words of Kali.

His partner's elbow found his side immediately, as she growled something at him that was a cross between 'fuck off' and 'shut it', her eyes looking between Jaune and his two companions. "We're sorry, Jack doesn't really know how to deal with people… Ever since mom and dad kicked us out, we've been on our own." The look on Jack's face was pained, as he rubbed his side. "Big sis, don't you go blabbing about ma and pa."

Sienna looked at the two and sniffed the air, before she shook her head and mumbled something low under her breath. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you." The man grinned, as he held his hand out. "How'd you like them rings? Rosie says that they're a bit too gauche, but every kick-ass dude needs a ring, right?" A wedding ring showed on his ring finger, worked with the fine silvery trim in the name of 'Rosalyn Chardonnay'. He could spot a similar ring on Rose's finger, with 'Jacques Chardonnay' on it, clearly telling of the love they felt for each other.

"Clearly." Kali's voice was droll as she spoke, her eyes looking at Sienna as she paced away, the sound of 'Ohgods,pleasemakeitstop' from Esmeralda sounding worrying to his ears. _'I remember that dad always spent most of his time in-transit laying on his back, sick to his stomach.'_

"We'll see ya around. C'mon, snuggle-rose." He took his sister's hand, the giggle of the woman more amused than anything else, as they walked towards the bow of the ship, their bodies melding together like a couple should. _'Aww, that's so sweet. They look to have found each other…'_

"Are you alright?" He asked Whitney, whose face was pale, her hair hanging over her face as she groaned audibly, rubbing her back in order to make her feel better and more at ease. She seemed to shudder for a moment, something of a plaintive moan coming from her mouth as she looked at him, her blue eyes bloodshot. "I hate ship travel."

He winced, those eyes looking at him. "Are you alright as well, Sienna?" The woman groaned slightly, as she seemed to be trying to get herself under control, her eyes meeting with his own for a moment, as the ship continued its trek northwards, in order to swing around the upper branch of the continent. _'Two weeks, at the most… Two weeks of this and we'll be right back home.'_

"How…" The woman seemed at a loss for words, incomprehension showing in her eyes, as she took a step towards him, pointing a finger to the two Huntsmen who currently were standing at the bow, Jack holding Rose up, her arms wide… and something being whooped about being kick-ass awesome. "How can you accept those people?" He didn't understand what she was getting at.

"They're a couple, right?" He said, as Sienna's eyes looked at him with a dawning look of comprehension. "Human senses, dear." Kali added, her gaze going to the other passengers as she leaned against the railing. "They don't sense stuff like we do." That seemed to put Sienna a little more at ease, as she exhaled slowly.

"I suppose… But you aren't going to be talking much more with them, unless we have to fight against the Grimm." She looked at Jaune, tapping him on the chest, his eyes looking at her finger, then at her. Her cheeks were a little flushed, her eyes meeting with his own. _'Inside her…'_ The darkness seemed to well up inside her as well, as it had been with Kali.

' _There is so much, growing by the day…_ ' He knew well that this was still an acceptable level of corruption, that Sienna would not suddenly grow horns and declare herself Empress of the Grimm or something like that. The image of Sienna with horns was amusing enough to draw a smile from his lips. "Something funny, Jaune?" The woman growled, her petite stature something that would only contrast his own.

"Just thinking about how amazing you are." He had heard from Kali that Sienna was someone really important for some organization that he'd barely known much about, Faunus Rights or some-such, so that meant that Sienna was someone worthy of respect.

She seemed to freeze for a moment, as something seemed to brush through her heart, the dark ichors forming a network through her whole body, her eyes looking at him with a wide look, as her breath stalled in her throat, tongue sliding out over her lips for a brief instant. ' _I wonder if I said something wrong.'_

"Jaune, buddy?" Jack came to intrude on them for that moment, as he looked at the seaside, where the coast seemed to be passing them by. "I heard from the Capt'n that we'll be getting to go to the ocean soon, and we'll be finding the strait that we need to go through. Tact'cal stuff, y'dig?"

He nodded, the man's grin easy, as he winked at the ladies. "Ladies, don't you worry… He's in good hands with Cap'n Jack and his little Rose-shack." His sister's elbow found his side once more, the growl that she gave something that was audible and loud to the ears. "Oww, Rosie, please… I need those kidneys to work!"

His sister's comment was fierce and without any pity as she spoke, her eyes glowering darkly, the deeper shade of purple that was similar to her husband's looking fierce and with determination. "As the missus says, I gotta go and bring myself with you guys to the capt'n." He said a moment, lamely making a motion to his wife.

"My name is Esmeralda." Esmeralda introduced herself, all smiles, a few hints of the morning's breakfast still clinging to her lips, wiped off a moment later as she popped in a fresh breath mint, her eyes vivacious and ready to tackle whatever issue laid before her. The charity in her gaze was something that seemed to have sprung from the practice of being social, as she shook the man's hand, his sister's eyes looking at her. "You ain't the youngest anymore, are ya?"

He could see Esmeralda stiffen a little, as she straightened herself out. "I am not the youngest of people present, indeed, but I am the one who keeps them in check." Her gaze went to Jaune, who was playing the part of 'youngest member of the team'. "Team ESKJ has some differences in management, but we are an effective fighting force." Her weapon was pulled out and put in a comfortable position to lie against her shoulder, ready to be brought to bear. Jaune had, for security purposes, put the Relic in one of his pockets, the Aura link between him and the Relic as firm as it could be, it's size shrunk.

He walked to the Captain's Cabin, the man who was the captain of the ship looking out over the wide seas whilst a console in front of him buzzed and blinked, the man's fingers sliding over the screen to move certain gauges and power the engines, the mechanical processes all taken care of. "Ah, you're all here." The man's eyes looked at the Huntsmen teams that were assembled, eight of the people who had the skills to defend the passengers of the ship in the case of Grimm attack. Jack and Rose stood at the side, leaning against each other, two Huntsmen who looked like they were twins standing to the side and wielding their strange chakram-like weapons, a flicker of blips appearing on the edges. _'Dangerous-looking'._

"We should only be getting some of the lighter Grimm on this trip, as this part of the sea is regularly scoured by the deep currents. On encounter, try to keep her intact… Because the Dust inside the cargo hold is more than enough to send us all flying right to the moon."The captain explained, his eyes looking at each of the Huntsmen, Esmeralda stepping forth. "And with far-off threats? How should we handle those?"

It was a good tactical question, Jaune realized, mentally congratulating her on her acumen, as his mind whirled to the forms of the Grimm who could do such a long-range assault. Not many of the Grimm were any good past three-hundred meters, and even if they had the ability to hit that far, it was still hit-and-miss for the majority of it. From below, the ship could suffer an assault as well, yet he figured that the sonar device would give a warning if the Grimm decided to come from that direction.

"When they come closer, lass. There's not much choice that we have. The worst that I've seen is a Feilong in the coastal waters of Menagerie, back upon the days that I still did that stretch of land… Horrid creatures, able to tear a hole through the hull in no time." The man shook his head, as he straightened out. "You're just here in case we get attacked. I'm paying you for the privilege of travelling with us and getting to Vytal intact." The sloppy salute that Jack and Rose made was clearly something that they'd improvised, the 'Yessir!' that came from Jack's mouth making him smile as well with how improvised it seemed to have been.

"We'll certainly get you there, intact." Esmeralda said, giving him great hope that they indeed would be able to make it there, intact.

After all, this was a newly built ship! Supposedly with the latest inventions towards safe crossing of the seas. What could go wrong?

* * *

 _Fires of Jealousy (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Her eyes fixed the young woman before her with a blazing glare, the crimson of her eyes like the pits of hellfire that she felt burning through her. "Y-yang? W-w-" Slamming Blake bodily against the wall, the audible slam heard by her ears, even as her eyes blazed. "You know what you did."

Amber-coloured eyes met her own, surprise and fear in them. Fear that she would not have imagined in them before, even as a pathetic sound came from her throat. "Y-yang, I don't know wha-" The image of before had been burnt into her brain, the dark-haired Faunus looking so frail right now that it belied her own senses. "I've seen you, Blake." The door rattled lightly, someone outside trying to enter. "Yang? Open this door this instant! I need to change my dress! Nora's made a mess all over it!" The voice of the white-haired member of team RWBY came through the wooden door, even as Yang growled, her voice a deep and dark sound full of the anger that she felt.

' _How does she DARE to act innocent, even though I saw what she did!'_ The Faunus sank to the ground, legs unable to support her weight anymore due to the sudden stress she was under. "Stay right there." Yang snarled, her voice sounding like the hiss of a dangerous animal about to strike, walking to the door and slipping the lock open with a simple swipe of her own Scroll, the timed lock there to allow some privacy for the students, to allow Weiss entrance to the room. "Get in." She barked, her irritation visible on her face, as she turned to Blake, who hadn't left from the spot, her eyes wide. Weiss looked between the two of them and then seemed to come to a conclusion. "I'll… get dressed quickly. I want no part of a lover's quarrel."

Yang walked over to her partner and 'girlfriend', as far as they could be counted that still, her eyes accusing and cruel, the look on her face not pleasant in the slightest. Her uncle might even liken it to her mother when supremely pissed off, as Blake's eyes were looking up at her, frail and weak and tender. _'Like a child who doesn't know what she's done wrong… Just like me, young and naïve…'_ The thought softened her eyes for a moment, as she looked at Blake.

Hearing Weiss start to get dressed, she nevertheless did not slide her gaze from her partner. "Just… don't make too much of a mess, alright?" The heiress said, yet Yang did not answer. The sound of a dress being pulled on once more was enough for her, as she fixed Blake with a glare. Her mind went back to that one moment when she'd been barely conscious, coming to the point where she'd roused herself from her sleep.

A glimpse to the parted drapes had confirmed to her that her sister was awake, her own heart starting to slow down a little from the sudden burst of adrenaline that had surged through it. Her ears perked up as she heard a soft squeak come from her sister's mouth, fondly reminded of the times when she'd found Ruby in her own bed, squeaking happily as she snuggled up to her. Another squeak brought the emotion to well up inside her, a soft shuddering moan coming from the bed. _'It'd be around time for her to have those... dreams.'_ The experience that she had with Blake having given her more than one orgasm every night was something that she would like to savour, yet some curiosity propelled her to shift a little, peering down at the bed below her and finding it... surprisingly empty.

' _Did she go to the toilet?'_ The question rose to her mind, even as a shuddering sensation was seen through the muted moonlight's glimpse, showing the outline of her sister shuddering for a moment, even as her insides seemed to freeze. A slow exhale came, hesitant, another squeak from her sister enough to make it something that brought the maternal instincts to the fore. With bated breath she waited, forcing herself to breathe in and out, leaving only the softest of momentary weakness to be uttered. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the curtains opening and a lithe form getting off, her eyes capturing for a moment the sight of her girlfriend, no doubt having done to Ruby what she had done with her...

' _Touch MY little sister?'_ The sound of Weiss disappearing from the room was punctuated with a crack of the door slamming shut, her whole attention directed towards the feline Faunus who sat there, awaiting her punishment, her destiny with the grand executor of her fate nigh. "What were you THINKING, touching Ruby like that?"

Eyes looked at her wide with fear and then seemed to show a wholly different emotion. "Yang, I-" Her hand grabbed the Faunus' throat and through her prodigal strength, she raised the Faunus up, bringing her fist to her partner's cheek. "I swore to my dad that I'd protect my little sis." Her eyes bored into her partner's eyes, a fierce red gaze, as her hair started to catch fire, her eyes burning with that anger and rage. "I swore to myself that I'd go all-in when I met someone I liked, that I'd do my best to make them happy."

' _To Summer's grave... I promised that I'd never be like my own mom... Like Raven. I'd never abandon what I thought was my family and my partner...'_ Hurt flashed in her heart, as her fist moved away from that cheek, the fair skin of the Faunus still holding some of its lustre. "Yang, I-" She stopped her fist a moment before it would hit the traitor's face, no doubt to bring the hurt. "What?" She breathed, her eyes blazing.

"What can you possibly say to me that would cause me NOT to beat you bloody, Blake?" She knew that it was not generally accepted to beat your partner into a pulp, but right now, she did not care. She was Yang Xiao-Long and she would be there for her family, to the very bitter end. She would be better than Raven Branwen, who had forsaken her father and her stepmother to go off and be a bandit leader or something fancy like that. "B-but-" The look in those amber eyes looked vulnerable and weak, as the fight seemed to go out of Blake.

"Just hit me, Yang." She said, as she went limp in her grip, losing the will to fight. Yang would have hit her if the change had been natural, the dead eyes that looked at her with barely any response giving her the feeling of having done something wrong, the anger inside her simmering still, but the lack of caring from Blake seemed to have had an effect. "Come on... Hit me." Her voice sounded so emotionless, like a doll who wished to have nothing but to have its owner break it.

"You're disgusting." Yang said, her voice full of the disgust that she felt for the little... the little... traitor. Her hand let go of her partner, as the tears flowed from her eyes. "You're going to stay away from my little sister." It was not a statement, but an order. The sharpness of Yang's features likened itself to those of her mother, her eyes still that hellish crimson glare. Blake looked up at her, quivering a little. She could smell something that she'd smelled before, an acrid scent, the whimper of Blake enough for her. "Hey, leave her alone!"

Someone shouted and Yang could feel her ire shifting, as she saw outside the window a young monkey Faunus, whose face was full of righteous fury. Incalculable rage surfaced inside her, as she gave a last look at Blake and then growled – "Stay RIGHT there, Blake." – as she leapt out of the window, right through the frame and glass, her aura igniting in a blaze of glorious fighting. "MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!"

The monkey Faunus' eyes went wide as she flew at him, Ember Cecilia put right into its full weapon form, covering her fists, the click of a shotgun shell pushed into the right firing chamber enough, as she blazed a trail towards him. "Oh sh-"

The tree-limb splintered as she hit it, careening down to the ground with the Faunus himself managing to land on all fours, her anger blazing even greater as she saw the look on his face. "Don't you dare fucking judge me, bitch." Her anger rose, the flames literally scorching the ground around her.

"I can't let you do that to her, she's too-" Her fist aimed right at his head, the quick dodge that he did only managing to save his head from being slammed against the ground and bursting like some overripe melon, her anger rising even greater, as her other fist came up in an uppercut, the blazing of her Aura intensifying.

Anger granted her strength, as did the power of taking hits that would hurt. Her blazing soul felt the need to extinguish the one who had called her out, right as she was getting the little traitor cat back in her proper place, to not ever lay a hand on her sister. _'What if she has done something to Weiss as well?'_

The Haven student dodged in the nick of time, as she felt the anger rise within her. "You should MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" She roared, as she nailed him in his abdomen, the muscles there tensing for a moment even as the explosive strength that she had hit him full-force, nearly feeling the organs quiver under the blow. He bent over, eyes tearing up, his mouth vomiting forth the remnants of his breakfast and lunch, his hand grabbing Ember Cecilia, yet the click that was audible stalled him from making any swift movements. "Hey hey hey! Don't go beating up our Sun! If he's done something wrong, we'll take care of him."

Her angry gaze met with a young man with blue hair, a set of goggles on his head and an attire that she would say would be a little tacky in most cases. Her eyes looked him over, finding that his weapon was already in his hands, the monkey boy's voice sounding weak, something like 'lmmgwaanhhh', as she nudged him to the side, the imprint of her fist in his stomach undoubtedly bruising him for the next few days.

"Whatever he's done, I'm sure that we can mitigate it..." The blue-haired young man said, no doubt cowed by her irate state. "You can start by telling him that it is terribly rude to intrude on a conversation that had to be had between partners." She looked at the blonde young man, her eyes blazing. _'He fucking dares to stake a claim on Blake, thinking I'm abusing her... Who the fuck made you Lord of Menagerie, huh?'_ The blue-haired man looked a little pained as he heard that. "I'll... eh, take care of him. You go do that thing." Her steps as she walked back to the dorm were measured, as the anger inside her slowly bled out, forming the core of frustrations inside her. _'Ruby wasn't harmed... but what would this do for her own sexuality? I mean... I can get that I'd be a little gay, but Ruby? She is still too young... Hell, I'm too young to do any of this stuff, yet I'm doing it.'_

Her eyes looked at the door to the room she was in, flicking her Scroll over the lock and unlocking it, coming into the room to find Blake still there, the wet stain on the ground around her indicative of the little accident that she'd had. _'Look at her, pathetic, a mess...'_ The tears that dripped from her own eyes surprised her, as she knelt before the Faunus, the amber eyes looking up at her.

"Tell me, Blake." She said, her voice strict, imitating Goodwitch in tone. "What made you decide that it was a good time to start snacking on my little sister's crotch? Am I not good enough for you, huh?" The door was closed, as well as Beacon having relatively good isolation as far as sound would go, the window still shattered, yet fixable with a new window and some creative fixing. _'It's not like we haven't requested the carpenters to make some new fixings to our dorm room before, right?'_

Her partner and currently her ex-girlfriend looked up at her, those amber eyes looking like they were on the verge of tearing up, yet it was her own eyes that were definitely moist. _'Damn it, why am I crying? Why does this hurt so much?'_ Blake's gaze shifted down, a look on her face, as she took a deep breath. "Isn't that how you show someone your appreciation?"

' _What?!'_ Surprise rocked through her as her own surprise banished all surges of anger within her, replaced with confusion. Blake continued, though. "It was... Repayment, I suppose. Ruby helped me with something about Gambol Shroud's inner mechanics, so I figured... I'd show my appreciation." _'Oh no... Was all she did just 'appreciation'? Were my feelings for her just something that she went along with, for the sake of being appreciative of me for being her partner?'_

Her eyes watched, as Blake started to undress, her pale skin showed without any hesitation. Her eyes were dead as they looked at her, her whole body now exposed, the clothing laying to the side, the puddle of urine in which she'd sat no doubt soaking the clothes. _'Those won't be good anymore after this... Well, not without a good thorough wash.'_ "I just want to show you all how much I appreciate you!" The touch of her lips against her own collarbone brought Yang to a halt, as the naked Blake pressed herself against her. _'She never told me why... Oh gods, she never told me why...'_

Her eyes teared up more as she felt Blake's hands gently brush over her fingers, the smell something that she'd not really wish to have around her, yet the sound of a needy moan coming from Blake's mouth made her blood freeze. "Appreciate me, Yang... Please?" Her voice was desperate, needy, the mood having swung around completely.

"Please?" The pleading tone that she used sounded like the last call for rescue, as the Faunus pressed herself against her in a desperate attempt to regain the favour... _'All I've been to her was someone to cling to, someone to 'appreciate' in her own twisted way..._ '

She shuddered as Blake's tongue traced over her cheek, the roughness of that tongue being comparable to a cat's. _'I don't...'_ Her hands grabbed Blake and pushed her away, keeping her in her grip. "Blake..." She started, yet the eyes that looked dead before seemed to turn into a deep despairing amber swirl, as if the nature of the young woman before her indicated her mood. "Y-Yang?" The quiver of the voice of the Faunus seemed hardly to matter much, with the whole body of the Faunus shuddering, her eyes meeting with Yang's. "I must be of use to you, Yang... Please..." The desperation in her voice sounded like something. "Please, use me. I'll do anything, just please..."

' _No...'_ Her hands wrapped around Blake and she just held the Faunus, holding her tightly. "We need to talk about your priorities, Blake." Her voice was warm and maternal, as something inside her blossomed that was better than before, that held more warmth in the core than most of her own self.

' _I'm not giving up on you, even if you've done me wrong, Blake... Whatever caused this... It isn't normal and I want you to be a regular Blake, not one that yearns for approval...'_ She could feel Blake shift slightly in her grip, as the low groan came from her mouth, with enough of that throatiness to really sound sensual. "Get yourself cleaned up, Blake." She said, looking at the mess that she'd made of the room. A frown came to her face, even as she realized that she'd probably have to take a shower as well. _'Ice Princess won't mind it if we use her shampoo.'_ She got the cleaning products out, starting with the stain on the ground first, the clothes shifted to the side, perhaps to be salvaged. _'This is like taking care of dad... Alright Yang, you need to focus on the cleaning first, or Ruby is going to comment and embarrass Blake...'_

She was starting to change, just a little... She would make sure that there would be nothing that would harm her little sister... and she'd make sure that Blake would get alright again. _'No matter what caused this behaviour... I will find it and beat it to a pulp. Yang Xiao-Long does NOT abandon her partners and her family!'_

* * *

 _Black reminiscence (Blake Belladonna)_

* * *

She looked at her partner, seeing how the girl's tears came out as she went to get the stuff that was needed to clean up the mess that she'd made, her own mental punishment already raining down on her. _'You're nothing... Always making yourself a bother for those people who would be there for you... Didn't Adam tell you about the cruelties of humans?'_

Her mind went back to that one moment when she had first met him, first seen that handsome face...

Her eyes were wide as she looked up to the tall man, perhaps just a teen in his mid-teens who held out the bit of candy, holding tight to her father's side. "Come on... Take it." Her eyes looked at the young man who offered her the candy, even as the soft smile on his face was enough, the red hair looking a little messy, the locks needing a good comb through it whilst the bullhorns stood like mementos to his nature.

"Not much of a talker, is she?" The man's voice was amused, as he righted himself. Her mother gently brushed her hand through her hair, tickling behind her ears, as she laughed softly. "It'd be something if Blake did take to you... My little kitten is such a shy one at times." The smile on his face was something that drew her in.

"Hey, Blake." He was at her height for a moment, his eyes meeting with her own, the smile on his face making him look like a prince out of the fairytales that her mother liked to read to her. "You're a regular beauty, aren't you?" She shyly smiled at him, trying to give him a chance.

"H-hey." She said, her eyes cast down, his hand reaching out softly to tip her head back up. "A little rose that is just starting to bloom." The language was flowery, her heart beating a little faster, her thoughts looking at him. _'Oh!'_

"I'm going to teach you all there is about wielding a weapon, Blake." His voice was a little deeper, a little more masculine, her breathing a little deeper as well, as her amber eyes looked at him.

"Together... Let's make the Faunus get what they deserve." Her hand left her father's side and she took his. Calluses on his hands touched her delicate skin, as he took her hand gingerly.

"I'm Adam." His smile was warm and friendly, her own sense of self lost within its depths. "I'm going to make you into my little darling..."

Whatever her mother or father said after that, it was all background noise. The excited squeal of 'She's taken to him! Ghira, watch! Our daughter's talking to him!' to the more muted 'He'll have to prove his worth' did not matter anymore, as she looked into his eyes. _'My own prince...'_

He smiled at her, pulling her a little closer... and she let him do as he wished. It had been her first love.

Thinking back to those feather-light touches on her skin, of the soft caresses that he gave her that told her of her own worth, of how he was protective of her, it all made a twisted sense to her... even with the burden that he bore. _'I just... I just want to be there for her.'_ Her eyes looked at Yang as she scrubbed the spot where she'd let go of her bladder, her heart aching and pounding, as the blonde worked on the stain to get it out. _'I should do something nice for her...'_

Her sensitive nose picked up the scent of her own waste as she leaned against her partner, her tongue tracing over her ear, a thing that Yang used to like, yet pulled away immediately. "Get yourself clean, Blake." The lack of emotion in Yang's voice cut deeply, as her heart started to pound even louder, the whole ground under her feet sinking away. _'She doesn't want me anymore?'_

The fear rose through her, the desire to run away rising inside her as the tears came. "Get yourself washed clean, Blake." Her partner commanded, and she rose without making another sound, walking to the shower, locking the door behind her and running the hot water, washing herself without any sort of comment, the fanciful shampoo that Weiss always kept on going on about put in her hair, washing through the dark strands and letting her know that the fragrance blocked out all other scents, her body feeling the sudden ache in the absence of her love...

' _Perhaps just a little cut...'_ Her first instinct was to run away once more, yet there was no choice for her to run away now. Yang was outside, her eyes were trained on the door, waiting for her to come out once more and face her. _'It's not you, Yang... It's me. I can't handle things anymore... What use am I to anyone?'_

Life had made sense when Adam had been there with her. His touches on her skin were like fire, of which she was the kindling, her whole body quivering with need the moment that he touched her. _'My darling... How long has it been since someone has uttered that?'_

She couldn't recall anyone calling her that aside from Adam. _'He has changed... All that hatred... and yet...'_ The need to mend that broken man's soul was fierce inside her, even as the face of her partner came to her mind. A burning light, that would make her feel like she was cast in shadows the whole time. _'A sun...'_

The claw pricked through her skin, as she dragged it down, the feeling of her Aura trying to resist the wound being akin to the warm blanket that it was often thought of by those others, even as she squashed that reaction. Her aura remained absent, as she could see the red mingle with the shampoo in the drainage. ' _What am I good for? If Yang doesn't want me...'_

The pain was nothing to her. For her cause, she would bleed, even if it meant losing her life. To be thought of as someone worthy and someone who could live up to the legacy of her father... that had been a goal, once upon a while. Before the dreams of being His, of being of great service to Him and Their people...

' _The conditions for Faunus still are bad. We are maligned, broken and twisted, without any of the facilities that the humans have access to.'_ The blood started to make her feel lightheaded, even as she watched it drip down into the drain, the familiar sensation starting, as she knew that she could only escape now. _'It will be for the better... It won't be a shame to die in this fashion. Many of the famous Mistralian poets chose suicide over living in a world where they would be thought of as wrong and useless_...'

Her eyes looked at the reflection in the mirror, her eyes a sharp yellow colour, even as she could feel her legs weaken, sinking slowly to her knees. _'This is alright. If I sink into the eternal sleep... Perhaps someone will be happy at my demise.'_ The hope inside her for justice, peace and equality slowly flickered out.

' _So... tired.'_ The thought was enough, as she started to see spots at the edge of her vision, a sure-fire sign that she was ready to die. All the books told her that it was but the start. The door to the shower rattled once, as the doorknob turned, and the sound of her partner cussing was heard. "Blake?" The angry sound of her partner's voice was like another stab right to the heart, as she took a deep inhale and then exhaled ever so slightly. _'And as I lie here, forgotten and abandoned, may my body be seen as a beacon of which to pull strength.'_ The words were one of the final poetic words of a famous poet of the Pre-AV years.

The door splintered as Yang punched it down. "You're not allowed to lo-" Blake's eyes locked with Yang's for a moment, as the claw pressed further into the vein on her arm, ripping the flesh open whilst keeping her Aura suppressed. "Oh fuck."

Blake smiled tenderly, a soft "Yang." Uttered, before blackness claimed her, the feeling of her head shifting a little, as she was lifted up on the arms of whatever angelic creatures ruled the afterlife.

' _And so, Blake Belladonna, daughter of Ghira and Kali Belladonna, meets her end. Useless and unwanted, yet forever free.'_

* * *

 _Pyrrhic Victory (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

The feeling of being able to relax and unwind was one that she cherished, as it hardly happened that she would have a moment to spare, to allow her body to recuperate a little. Ren and Nora were out on an expedition in order to 'achieve perfect harmony with the universe', according to Ren, Nora having a smile on her face that plainly stated that there'd be some personal harmony getting done as well, which only made the void in her heart grow ever deeper and darker.

Her personal dating history was absent. She had not dated anyone ever since she had started to grow famous in the competition, and in Beacon her own hopes of finding love had been dashed by the death of her partner. Her hands gently brushed over the skirt that she wore as part of her combat apparel, her fingers sliding over the smoothness of the fabric, trying to look picture-perfect, just in the case that someone decided to bother her.

' _Jaune, what would you do? Would you relax, trying to strike up a conversation with me about some silly nonsense, or would you be someone who would wish to go out on a date?'_ The door to her room was kicked in at that time, her head turning to look at the sudden entrant, Yang standing there, looking like she had been caught in some sort of sudden blaze of madness.

"Do you know medical stuff, Nikos?" The surname use was fierce, as there was a dangerous look in those eyes, Pyrrha's eyes going down to see that Yang was holding something that was wrapped in a blanket of sorts, her mind idly recognizing it as one of the shower curtains. "I-"

The shock of dark hair and the cat ears that showed to peer through them was something that identified Blake immediately, Yang looking at her. "I need someone who's able to tell me if she'll make it to the infirmary."

Her eyes looked at Blake, who seemed to be pale and unresponsive. "Get her on Ren's bed." She said, voice snappy, as Yang did as she ordered. _'Thank the gods for having to sit through emergency medical training since it would look good for a champion to know how to help people... Yang doesn't look like she's got the ability to function under this personal stress.'_

Her eyes ran over the nude Faunus, well-aware that the first signs that she should check for was the breathing, moving close to Blake's mouth, noticing that there was some breath. "Get that door back up." She snapped at Yang, placing some pressure on the bleeding wound, trying to stop the bleeding from taking place. _'If it doesn't work...'_

The blood was soaking into the sheets, her mind already starting to work through the proper steps. "Get something to bind it with, something that'll be able to get some stress on it." _'Aura-assisted jump-starts should work... Jaune's Aura basically blasted his whole body into perfection with its activation alone... so if her Aura's going to go down, we'll have to fix it up.'_

Her fingers grabbed a hold of the hand, even as Yang pulled off her scarf and then wrapped it around the bleeding wound. _'That'll at least soak for a while..'_ "Hold her arm up. Blood doesn't flow up easily, so there'll be less blood coming out that way."

She opened up the medic kit, getting some gauze out of the kit, the brief thought about whether Yang knew where the medical aid kit was in their dorm room, yet focusing on the task at hand. "Get the scarf off." She said, as she applied some of the gauze to the wound, the bleeding stopping slowly, as she looked at the wound, the blood that was there a little vivid in colour. _'Not so good...'_ Her eyes went to Blake's body as she looked at the pale features.

' _Mouth to mouth isn't going to work with this... But I can...'_ Her hand grabbed the wound, pressing the gauze to it, the gel pulled from the side and applied liberally between her hand and the gauze, rubbing against the wound. _'Now with a little push...'_

Her aura pressed against the other woman's, the glow suffusing her body, as her Semblance activated, the Aura snapping into place as she worked with the iron in the blood to clot it, the breathing of Blake good enough for her to work with.

"Is she alright?" Yang's voice was loud to her ears, even as the door had been put right into place, Blake's face looking pale, as the blood seemed to return to her face again slowly. "I think... I think she'll be alright." The look in Yang's eyes was scary, as her gaze looked at the Faunus partner that laid there on Ren's bed. "I never should've left her out of my sight... oh gods, what if she'd died?"

Yang's voice muttered absently, her eyes barely blinking as they looked at the unconscious form of her partner and teammate, her eyes watching every little rise of the Faunus' chest, her eyes without any other emotion but that care that she held high. _'They are in a relationship, right... That'd make sense.'_

Yang's head turned to her, looking at her with eyes that were remarkably moist-looking. "Thank you." She said, her voice sounding oddly choked up. _'Not unusual if you have to deal with your partner trying to kill herself...'_ She'd heard something of a crash, yet had written it off as inconsequential, as she'd not have to deal with it herself. She knew well the amount of time that would go into the rearing of a Huntsman, as she had been at the top herself. _'What could have made Blake decide to escape from life?'_ "I don't mean to pry, but..."

She could see Yang's eyes, as her gaze met hers, then looked back at Blake. "I've..." She paused, softly whimpering. "I've had some issues with her, I saw her doing something that I didn't like." There was more to that tale, Pyrrha knew, as Yang's blunt personality of just bashing through her issues was well-known to her. "And so I confronted her... Fuckboy McMonkey decided to be the gallant white knight and mess things up, so I told her to... to take a shower. She'd made a mess. So... I told her to shower..."

The shoulders of the blonde started to shake slightly, and Pyrrha did not need to look at the Blonde's face. "So when I was done cleaning up her mess, I decided to check up on her. I... Oh, gods." The sound of a fragile woman doing a half-choked sob was loud, and Pyrrha's hand was on her shoulder. "I should've never left her out of my sight..." The blonde's hand brushed through Blake's hair. "Blakey..."

"You did the best that you could... Perhaps we should have her taken to the infirmary?" That was the logical choice, yet Yang's head turned to her, eyes resolute. Pyrrha had thought that the purple colour of Yang's eyes was unique before, yet the crimson colour that they held now was fierce, fiery and determined. "Nobody is going to know. She's MY partner. My responsibility." The look on her face was stern and resolute, speaking of conviction and determination that laid in the realm of legends. "She's decided to abandon me..."

Her head turned to Blake again, as her finger stroked over the Faunus girl's chin. "You don't abandon Yang Xiao-Long. It's not allowed." Pyrrha simply watched, as Yang placed a tender kiss on the Faunus girl's lips. Her eyes went over the bandaged wound, letting go of the pressure. "Keep the pressure up, so that she'll heal quicker."Aura was good for making sure that there wouldn't be any scars remaining. The only way that you'd scar is if someone took a good while to tear the flesh out and not apply anything to get the bleeding under control. _'I'm going to have to explain to Ren why his bed's gotten changed... oh well, I can just blame it on Nora stashing something there that fell over.'_

She did not have much in common with team RWBY. At this moment, the most they were was neighbours, as their room was opposite of team RWBY's. She knew well that there would be issues with this if this got out, but it was important that Blake would remain among the living. The look on Yang's face, for an instant after she had said those words, had been terrifying. _'She was serious about that...'_

"Do you want me to go and check whether you've attracted more attention?" She asked, Yang giving a soft nod. "Blakey, I'm here for you." The soft whisper made her face look slightly less grave as she pushed the door aside, the creak of the wood like a familiar tune, looking into the half-opened dorm room that team RWBY had occupied up until now. She could see the shards of glass on the windowsill still, and she figured that there'd be a good reason for that...

Moving back into the room, she grabbed the scarf that had served as a momentary bandage and took it along, making haste in order to get into the room. She peered out of the window for a moment, spotting that the tree had been mauled slightly by something breaking through it, before she rubbed the blood-soaked cloth along the sharp glass edges. _'You're committing a crime...'_

Jaune's face appeared in her mind. _'Wouldn't I do this for him as well, if he were asking me to hide something?'_ She would have, as she smeared the scarf onto the glass, putting it below, where there'd have been a puddle, her body moving swiftly and without any sort of reason. _'Now, for the piece de resistance…'_ The blood-soaked scarf she put into the washbasin in the sink, making sure to show some bloodstains. _'Watching those detectives did pay off… even if the flights were always horribly long.'_

She returned after a minute or four of laying some more tracks. _'The only thing that's missing is the shower curtain… But that makes some sense.'_ The blood would undoubtedly have to be washed out, but it'd be something that could be fixed.

' _Hiding something like this…'_ She stalked over to team PRWN's room once more, her eyes catching sight of Yang gently brushing her fingers over the back of Blake's hand, like an attentive girlfriend should. It wasn't fair to her, it felt, as the look in Yang's eyes seemed to be something that focused solely on Blake, the hum of Yang's mouth soothing and gentle, like that of a mother caring for her child.

It made her yearn for that future with Jaune that had so cruelly gone up in smoke, the feeling of pain lingering in her heart still as she saw the play between lovers, who held each other's back during the times when things got tough. Yang's face was emotional, yet with a softness that lent her a motherly look, as if things were going to be alright with Blake once more.

"Yang?" The soft voice of Blake reached her ears, the brief glint of Aura visible again, as Blake's eyes opened slowly. Amber pools held only a look for Yang's face, as the blonde's eyes teared up. "You're so silly, Blake." She felt like she was intruding on something private, getting up and then getting in front of the room, the door shut behind her. She did not want to have to face the issues of things getting out of hand, even as she saw the busted lock on the door that belonged to team RWBY. _'There's no telling what people would think… But it might've been something that'd look improper.'_

Her eyes met with Ren's as he rounded the corner, Nora's eyes looking at her and widening. "Pyrrha! Hi!" The cheerfulness of Nora's step was like a bounce, up and down, Pyrrha's eyes following the motion as the two approached. "Is there a reason you're standing in front of our door?" _'Perceptive.'_

"Just… things. I'm sorry, but can you… take another walk? Please?" She pleaded, Ren's eyes meeting hers for a moment, Pyrrha's ears catching a loud sob behind the door. The young man in front of her seemed to have also heard it, grabbing Nora's arm. "We're going to see whether there's something for us to eat. Come, Nora." The look that Nora gave her meant 'explain, later', her cheerful – "Sure thing, Renny-man!"- sounding like it was as cheerful as before, yet Pyrrha knew that there would be a need for explanations later on. Opening the door to check on the two young women, she caught sight of a teary-eyed Yang looking at Blake, looking up at her. "Help me get her back to our room." Blake's mouth opened up, and Yang's head turned. "No objections, Pussy. I'm not losing you." The mouth closed, as Blake's eyes looked at Yang, the hope in them looking like the beacon of light that would banish the darkness. Pyrrha's hands grabbed a hold of the Faunus, pulling her in a bridal carry and then carrying her along, the door opened up by Yang for her to carry her through. Once Blake was laid down on the bed, Pyrrha allowed herself a languid stretch.

"I used your scarf to bloody the shards of glass."The grateful look in Yang's eyes was enough of thanks, as she nodded. "I'll have to buy you something nice." The blonde muttered, as her attention went to Blake. "And you… You aren't escaping me anytime soon." The blonde crawled into bed with Blake, careful not to upset the wound on her wrist and arm. "Scaring me like that."

The look Blake gave to Pyrrha was one that sent shudders through her, the emptiness of those eyes reminding her for a moment of the loss that she had felt when she had lost Jaune. The eyes kept looking at her for a moment and she didn't know what to do. _'What do you want me to do or say?'_

"It'll be fine. You've got each other." The realization that she had nobody to back her up made her feel even worse, the darkness inside her starting to well up like a dark wave, her eyes flashing for a moment, the green tinting slightly deeper. _'At least you still have a partner…'_

Jaune's face flashed in her mind and her head turned. "Have… have a good day. I hope your window gets fixed soon." She left, going across the hallway to their own dorm room, getting the bloodstained shower curtain out, bunching it up and starting to change Lie Ren's bed, making sure that it looked perfectly appealing once again, the bed sheets and other stuff in the washing machine. Yang could do the rest of her stuff herself, Pyrrha thought, as she crawled up on her bed, watching the door open up.

"What's wrong with Yang?" Nora succinctly asked, concern in her voice, the look around the room that she gave being typical for those moments when she was unusually perceptive. "Blake's had a bit of an accident." She said, Ren's soft 'hm' coming as a reminder that he would understand.

"Oh, did you help out?" The question was logical, Pyrrha merely giving a soft nod. She didn't feel like she had the energy to speak. "She used the med-kit that we have in the room. Yang probably was too distraught to do so by herself." The sensible side of Ren always made things sound so sensible. "Perhaps she'll have a cool scar! Rennie, we should go have matching scars!"

"We're not going to have matching scars, Nora…" Her boyfriend commented, Pyrrha feeling the urge inside her well up to hug herself, feeling the loneliness inside her well up. _'Who do I have as an equal now that Jaune is gone? Viridian seems to be more interested in his relationships than in any serious training…'_ The thought of her new partner filled her with an irritation that was hard to shake, her eyes closing as she took a deep breath.

"We're here for you, Pyrrha." Nora's voice sounded close to her ear, a soft 'eep' coming from Pyrrha's mouth, as she suddenly was wrapped in a hug by the excitable ginger girl. "Now, don't be mopey! That's Blake's look, you're too cool to be mopey! Be cool Pyrrha! Remember the glorious leader who spurred us on to work as hard as we can!"

She smiled sadly, remembering Jaune as he had been. _'Jaune… For just another moment with us, I'd gladly sell my everything… I miss you.'_

* * *

 _Marine Madness (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He could feel the burning inside him before he roused from his sleep. On the other side of the wall, the guttural sounds of a couple making love could be heard, soft yelps and squeals that were barely muted by the steel wall, enough of a distraction that he would've been awake for long even if the slumber had not sapped his awareness when he'd laid himself down to sleep.

As he roused, he could see Sienna stir, her eyes looking at him in the muted darkness, the Tenebris Vitae in him shivering, as he looked at her. _'Out of my companions, she is the least affected…'_ The thought of empowering her as well, as a counterpoint to Esmeralda and Kali, appeared to his mind as a solution, yet the image that She had brought to his mind about controlling her subjects dissuaded him. "Es?" He shortened Esmeralda's name, gently nudging the woman. She slowly stirred, sleepily opening up. "Jaune? What's the matter?" Her casual inquiry did not stop her from grabbing a hold of his arm, dragging it into the warmth of her bedsheets, wrapping around it like a lover would.

"We've got business to do."He said, even as the darkness below seemed to grow even fiercer and fiercer. He could feel the darkness starting to swell, as the titanic forces below seemed to gather themselves. Esmeralda's stark blue eyes opened up, her hands letting go and just getting out, heedless of the fact that she'd only worn a top that covered her upper body, giving plenty of cleavage. The wall received an audible thump as someone moaned loudly, a groan, definitely from a man, coming from that side. _'They must really love each other…'_

He didn't bother with the small stuff, as he straightened out, his eyes looking between the ladies who had travelled with him, Sienna and Kali already getting ready in their outfit. "You're ready to fight, are you?"

"Come on, let's get going!" He shouted, emerging from their cabin in a rush, Esmeralda hot on his heels, Sienna and Kali taking a little longer. To the bow they got, the space there clear enough. "Alright… And look towards… That side." He wasn't a nautical expert, but he knew where they would be coming from. Confused looks were given, even as he saw Jack and Rose appear, dishevelled clothing and their eyes a little irritated. "What's the matter? What're you up to, banging your door open so early."

"Grimm attack." He said, the feeling inside him bouncing around back and forth, as his eyes looked towards the darkness on the horizon. The water there was distorted, as the bone-white masked Grimm stood out against the still waters, the skies still as dark as before, with only the pale moonlight illuminating them.

' _Three of them… standard hunting formation…'_ There were of course more Grimm than he could count on, yet he knew well that they would hardly be a challenge before his eyes and his team. "Time to get busy, guys and girls…" He caught sight of Sienna twirling the chain around, her eyes looking at the approaching Fei-Longs.

"Because we've got some company!" He felt the adrenaline flow through him like a surge of power, his eyes focusing on the lead. _'We should be able to handle their lightning breath… It's not like this ship is made out of wood or anything, the steel construction should be able to…'_

"Let's fuck up some Grimm harder than I fuck my wife! YEAH!" The loud SMACK that resulted from that statement was enough for Jaune to glance at the couple, the woman giving a glower to her… husband. "Keep that shit under wraps, Jackie."

"Hey, you weren't complaining when I did that little trick with your kisser, Sis!" Whatever was with the nicknaming between the couple, Jaune didn't dare to guess. "They're weak at their mouth! When they channel a lightning breath, get yourself up close and then hit the back of their throat!" He could probably construct Sea Fei-Longs himself if he so wished, yet the secret of his powers should remain hidden. "Alright ladies and gentlemen! The Huntsmen will be dealing with some Grimm! Do not be afraid! We can deal with anything! Relax, and I'll say when it's over!" The captain's voice was loud through the loudspeaker, Jaune realizing that the effect could only be to further incite fear, yet there seemed to be little to do about the issues that came from the human condition.

It was just three Sea Fei-Longs, after all… Not like this'd be hard for any of the regular hunters, right?

Looking around, he could see a hint of nervousness in the eyes of the other Huntsmen who'd come along with them, their faces looking doubtful, as if dealing with the Sea Fei-longs would be too much for them. _'It's not like they are that fast…'  
_

* * *

 _Defining enjoyment (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her body moved swiftly as she dodged one of the lightning strikes, the third Sea Fei-long charging at them, ready to make them into mincemeat. The darn things just continued to assault them, even with the other two having been dealt with. The bullet casings dropped to the deck with every shot that she took, the glyphs magnifying the force that the bullets could put on the target, even with the ammunition depleting slowly.

Her gaze went to Jaune, whose large greatsword cleaved through one of the wings, grounding the beast, the hissing roar that it gave like a declaration of vengeance, even as Kali appeared from the shadows, arm raised, the Katar flashing down as it impaled the snake through its bony mask, Dust flashing with a brilliant flare, the Sea Fei-Long crumbling under the assault. Kali's feet hit the deck once more, Jaune panting and groaning, his arm looking a little worse for wear, the electrical burst that the creature had unleashed on him a cause for worry. "Is everyone alright?!" He called out. "Fine!" came from the direction of the couple, Rose's weapon slowly folding back into itself. "We should be safe for…"

He froze, his gaze turning down sharply as something seemed to distract him. "Create me one of those platforms!" He barked at her, the Glyph forming a moment later, the Dust infused with it barely denting her reserves. The Glyphs themselves took very little Dust to infuse properly, a by-product of the hereditary Semblance that they had. She watched him throw the sword to the side, pulling out the staff, enlarging it to be in its combat form. For a brief instant, she thought that she could see an azure glow around him, even as he looked at her. "Angle it to the stern! Make sure I get plenty of altitude! Inform the captain that he is to get out of the area as quick as possible!" The power of the Glyph increased, even as she added more gravity Dust to the Glyph through infusion. "Alright, let me loose!"

As she felt the pressure explode from the Glyph, his body rocketing into the air, she thought back to the stories that she'd heard of the Beacon initiation tests, which apparently included a launching pad, for some reason. "Good luck, Jaune." She mumbled, as she looked around, spotting the captain in his cabin, a worried look on his face, her legs carrying her up to the upper deck, making her way towards a cabin. A glance at Jaune showed that he was still in the ascent of his launch, his hands firmly gripping the staff and his gaze was directed downward, towards the sea. The sudden pressure that she felt upon her very body made her feel unsteady, as she grabbed a hold of something, her whole body feeling compressed and sluggish, as she pulled the door open.

"Get this ship away as fast as possible!" The command in her voice was not to be denied, the Captain giving a nod. "There's always more Grimm on the horizon. I got ya, Lass." The ship burst forward with speed, her body moving from the cabin outside, seeing the sight of Jaune slowly descending. Dust crystals were slowly drifting down around him, a brilliant haze of purplish smoke wreathing him. _'What are you doing?'_

The sea BULGED outwards as something moved up from the depths, a massive scaled head breaking through the surface, bone-white mask on its face, its mouth open with sharp teeth visible, Jaune's form shimmering for a moment as the gargantuan Grimm rose up from the seas to swallow him. _'Oh no…'_

She watched as the mouth shut around the firm rock that she had found to cling to in the storm of her life, her whole body feeling numb and fragile as she heard the thunderous sound of the maw shutting itself.

' _No! NO!_ _ **NO!**_ _'_ Her dreams were shattering. Her mind was numb and cold as she watched how he was swallowed before he could do whatever magic to save him. _'_ _ **Not again… I… I haven't told him what I feel for him.'**_ Her heart felt heavy, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ wrapped around it, the chill of the dark ichors not cooling down the heat that she felt, her eyes stinging a little with the heat, as her mouth opened up and she called out to him, the frail hope that he would live igniting that little spark into a frail and small flame.

" **JAUNE!"** _**  
**_

* * *

**Soooo... We're seeing another Grimm pop up from the sea! Jaune is making waves! There are ripples in the pattern of the canonical tale of tragedy... and he's not going to be the one who'll be unaffected solely.**

 **This is the translation (roughly!) of the words Kali said in Mistralian**

 _ **Wǒ de míngzì shì kǎ lì, wǒ shì tā de péngyǒu. Zhè shì wǒ de mèimei xī yé nà, lìng yīgè nǚrén shì tā de qiè."- My name is Kali and we are his friends. This is my sister and she is his concubine. (Basically insinuating that Whitney is his not-legal-wife)**_

 _ **Wǒ de míngzì shì Belladonna Kali. Xièxiè nǐ de rèqíng kuǎndài**_ **." – My name is Belladonna Kali. Thank you for the hospitality. (About as formal as you'd get with a slight hint at it being a slight to herself.)**

" **Yǒurén lǐmào, wǒ míngbáile... Kěxí tā zhǐshì yī zhǐ māo."- Courteous friends, I understand… Unfortunately, it's just a cat.**

 **Tā de qiè. Bùyào bǎ zìjǐ fàng zài zìjǐ de shìyè shàng." – His concubine. Don't think about it (imagine it). Basically boils down to – Hands off our Jaune)**

 **"Fàngqì, wúyòng de nǚrén. Yǔ wǒmen xiāng bǐ, nǐ yǒngyuǎn bù huì gǎnjué dào tā de yīnjīng huá rù nǐ de nèixīn.** **Zhè shì wǒmen de... Wǒ de jiějiě, wǒ de péngyǒu...** **Wǒmen de."** **\- "Give up, useless woman. Compared to us, you will never feel him/his mark on your flower and your heart. It is ours. My sister, my friend….Ours." (Once more, claiming kitty)**

 **"Nín! Nǐ méi yòng zá wù! Nǐ zài wǒ jiālǐ wǔrǔ wǒ?" – "You! You're trash! You dare insult me in my own house?"**

" **Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn cūlǔ." - "I am very sorry for being rude"**

" **Wǒ de zhàngfū, wǒ dàile yī wèi lǎo péngyǒu. Wǒ de xīwàng shì tā huì huíguī bìng fǔwèi wǒ de jìmò." – My husband, I have brought an old friend. I hope that he will return and soothe my loneliness."**

" **Shì shì dāngdì nánrén de yùnqì... Zhè shì wǒmen de.** **" – Try your luck with a local man… This one is ours."**

 **As for some of the other parts… The Arc Family has to form a unified front against the government of Vale. We'll get to see the point of view of Ruby Rose again in the next chapter! (And Ruby Beornir appears as well.)**

 **There'll be more Yang sections in the next chapter. She's going to deal with the fallout of Blake.**

 **Ozpin File 058324, from the Beacon server**

 **Name** : **Khan, Sienna**  
 **Age: 29**  
 **Status: DECEASED**  
 **Semblance: Unknown**  
 **Aura: Unlocked**  
 **Hunter Ranking: B**  
 **Bio: The only daughter of Khan, Temujin, Miss Khan has been raised to value the core ideals of the White Fang after coming under assault for her heritage. The public face of the White Fang, Khan, Sienna has great oratory prowess and skill to inspire her followers into a frenzied state, leading to great strides in the recruitment of the dispirited Faunus. Her personal past is shrouded in mystery after her late teens, with only sporadic mentions of the activities that she participated in as well as serving as a bodyguard to the High Leader of the White Fang at the time, Belladonna, Ghira.**

 **Intellectually, Khan, Sienna shows great skill in the management of people and long-term strategizing, managing to ensure that the public image of the White Fang remains as untarnished as it can be, weathering a brief storm of media frenzy about alleged comments about Faunus Supremacy.**

 **She is thought to have perished in an assassination attempt that also led to the deaths of Belladonna, Ghira and Belladonna, Kali.**

 **Personal comments by:** **OZPIN**

 **Miss Khan had great prowess as a leader of the Faunus as a species, her powerful rhetoric appealing more to the primal core of her people, opposed to Ghira Belladonna's speeches of peace and mutual coexistence. Her training as a bodyguard, as relayed by Operative Branwen, has allowed her to easily maintain a solid front, though reports of her engagements in the activities of the White Fang prior to her ascension as High Leader have spoken of a skill with a Dust-Chain whip weapon that is not insurmountable. Her skill as an orator is far more insidious than most people realize, hitting the raw nerves and stimulating the people with the arguments that will propel them into action. Remnant has truly lost a wonderful seedling by letting Sienna Khan be born a Faunus, as her political acumen is like a razor's edge.**

 **With Harmony Tallow taking up the reins of the White Fang, we can only hope that she follows the path set by her predecessor, though evaluations of the woman's skill in management are casting a dire picture for the future of Faunus-kind.**

 **There are more things afoot in the background! Next chapter… Fighting the big bad Grimm! Ruby Beornir and Ruby Rose! The Arc Family! More Yang too!**

 **Leave a review! It is nice to see your reactions to things and to hear your theories on how the story might go… and what your thoughts are on how the story has gone thus far!**

 **See you in two weeks!**


	28. Hydrophobia

**Chapter 28: Hydrophobia**

 **The next chapter. Volume II is nearly at its end!**

* * *

 _The swallowing despair (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The blood inside his body boiled as he looked at the ship that continued along with haste, even as below the surface of the water, the presence of the Elder Grimm wakened. _'I should have known that it would be like this! They're not going to sit quietly whilst I travel the world.'_

The water's depths distended the surface as the massive Grimm erupted, a mouth that was like a craggy mountain range opening up, teeth flashing sharply in the light of the evening, the Sea Fei-Longs being something smaller than this one, even as the staff fully deployed. **'** _ **Requesting input: Input Received. Forming energy internally to wield for wielder. Preparations: complete.'**_

The power coalesced into a beam, burning brightly through the space it occupied, the blood bristling in his veins, the _Vitae Tenebris_ gurgling and slithering up and down the veins as he fed it into the Relic, the foul essence turning into power.

The maw shut as the beam lanced through the flesh, the tough outer hide barely denting from the burst of power inside, the guttural roar sounding like the cacophony of hell to bring a swift death to his ears. Blood clotted inside his ears as he felt the pain, the flesh mending slowly under the careful attention that he gave to his ears' recovery. The flesh below him pulsated, the maw opening up once more as the tongue pushed him back. His body went flying up once more, the head of the massive Grimm moving to let him rest upon its masked face, his shoes messy with what passed for saliva in the maw of the beast. _**"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED!"**_ The rumbling vocalization of the Grimm was like a low drone in his healing ears, the roar heard by the ship that was departing still loud, the water rippling under the sonic pressure.

" **I did what I had to! The fight must continue!"** The words were his own, as he realized his destiny. Nothing, no Grimm or human would stand in his way to dispense justice for what had been done to the world. His eyes looked at the features of the Grimm, its massive bulk rising from the waters without any haste, the beast easily clambering from whatever trench it had hid in. _'I should have noticed its presence! It's not like the Testudo Vehementi was alone… The others undoubtedly will know of my presence now…'_

" _ **YOU HAVE SLAIN OUR FATHER'S CHILD!"**_ The creature's voice was resonating with the air, even as Jaune felt how the solid mask under his feet started to whip up in a lightning-fast manner, the Elder Grimm's mouth opening once more. The Relic informed him that more power was available, yet he did as he thought best.

Forming a Nevermore with his will and the _Vitae Tenebris_ , he felt the power coalesce inside him once the bird was created, the shriek that it gave as his weight landed on its back, his gaze watching the Elder Grimm with a grim sort of calculation.

The Jaune Arc who joked with his friends and who had been a stalwart member of team JNPR would have thought it distasteful with the way that he regarded the world, yet the desire to be a hero and save the world was something that only allowed him to gather his will and bring forth the new future for the world. His eyes riveted to the sight of that gargantuan Grimm, his gaze watching the draconic features of the creature.

' _Draconis Rex'_ The name of the creature was but a mere echo of its force. He had not spotted its wings fully extended yet, still buried below the surface of the water, as the massive head alone would be the size of a massive ship, bigger than most things that could travel the land.

The facial features were much like the Wyverns that She had created in imitation, the bones that made its face up looking like they'd be akin to a lizard, massive jaw opened wide, spikes jutting from its chin as its mouth opened wide. _**"YOU WILL DIE!"**_ The challenge was given, the power was met, willing the Nevermore that he had created to rise, he watched as the behemoth of ill intent rose from the waters. He caught sight of the ship slowly being dragged along by the massive suction of such a large creature emerging from the water, its engines powering through, yet the fight was on now.

The pinpoint of his massive assault bore down upon the body of the massive serpent, his gaze locked at the extremities as the maw opened wide once more, a bristling of lightning appearing within its depths. _**'Preliminary charge ready.'**_ The warning of the Relic was enough, the beam that came from the tip of the staff like a thin line that shot straight down, the brightness of the beam similar to the lightning that gathered within the maw of the creature, the bright spark that lit up illuminating the surroundings, as the beam pierced into the mask once more, Jaune's gaze watching with mild horror as the sea of torrential lightning shot out at him, the Nevermore below him disappearing in the crackle of electricity, his whole body shooting in the air, awash in the power that he deflected, the burning smell enough to drive him nuts.

The staff pulsated once again as another pulse of power surged into the Elder Grimm's body, the roar that shook the seas apt, even as another Nevermore took its place below his feet, his body steady once again, looking at the damage that he had done. Half of his arm was now bare, the skin blackened from being flash-burnt by the lightning discharge, the blood that welled up from the skin only an afterthought to him, his mind focused on the results over the damage to his body. **"Whatever happens… Whatever will be…"**

Esmeralda's face, tear-streaked and worried, flashed before his mind. Kali's face, worried and concerned, looked at him with a look of faithful trust, as if he were the light of her life. Sienna, grudgingly looking at him with an expression on her face that showed her emotions being calm and cool, nodded once before her gaze turned grimmer. Summer, her expression much like Ruby's, looking at him with her silver eyes, as she seemed to draw attention to herself, her gaze telling him that he was more than enough.

' _I can't fail them.'_

The thought rose in his mind as the moment passed, the burning inside his heart increasing, even as he looked at the beast below him, the Nevermore carrying him further from it. ' _The Testudo Vehementi had inordinately high defensive traits…'_ It would stand to reason that there was no other duty for him but to slay this draconic Grimm, so that his friends would be safe.

" **Whatever will happen between us, let it be history once I obtain your power!"** The words came out, the desire inside him flaring up as he realized that he would only go to become a true hero when he had defeated all the challenges before him. All the challenges, even those that he thought would not be able to be fought alone.

He looked at the Elder Grimm with a resolute look on his face, as the Relic clicked a little, the golden working on its exterior shifting slightly to cover the blue radiance from within. The whispers surrounded him, bringing with it more of the indulgence of knowledge, even as the burning shaft of light formed like a lightning bolt. The maw gushed forth a barrage of lightning, streaking along the skies with him, the hellish light once more burning itself into his irises, even as he leapt, the blade of light dissipating slowly as his grip on the staff with the Relic in it slipped. _'_ _ **Connection lost. Reestablishing control. Initializing matrix.'**_ The voice of the Relic continued, as the gold on its surface shimmered, the blue shining through small cracks in the metal.

Another blast of energy sizzled through the air, even as he lost himself in the fight. _'Whatever happens… I will triumph. I will be a hero… no matter how much I have to kill or to destroy.'_ He would not let the world be lost in complete darkness, one that She would bring with her plans…

The hero always saved the day in the end… and they slew the dragons and took home the princess…

" **Prepare yourself… Because I will end your existence in this world."** The challenge was given, even as he mentally ran through his options.

" _ **HOW CAN YOU STAND AGAINST THE INEVITABLE, MORTAL? WE ARE IMMORTAL!"**_ The bellow rumbled through the air, as he heard the words, his gaze directed to the draconic Grimm below him, the Relic's exterior slowly unveiled.

" **What lives must also perish!"** He shouted back, his voice barely audible in the roar of the wind, his eyes twin pools of crimson lustre, his gaze beholden to the Elder Grimm as he brought the staff up to the heavens.

The energy in the heavens swirled, forming a torrent of power as it pierced down.

' _I'm going to be a hero! No matter the cost… Even if it costs my soul… I will be a part of history and break the cycle!'_

* * *

 _Bereft (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her eyes watched the colossal maw swallow the one that she regarded as the focus of her current universe, the one to whom she had sworn her service, who had taken from her that moment of joy and life and given it to her in spades. Eyes wide, she looked at the form of the Grimm even as they continued to move away. "Es? ES?!" She could feel something tug on her shoulder, even as she could hear a thunderous roar. "We should get ready to defend."

Kali's voice was business-like and cool in these circumstances, her eyes showing focus as she looked at the massive maw. "What?" She wasn't feeling particularly eloquent, as she could see the massive maw in the distance. "Defend. You know, that thing that prevents the Grimm from coming and murdering everyone here?" The woman's eyes were fixed on the distance. "That big Grimm's undoubtedly bringing in more of its minions." The woman's eyes were undoubtedly sharper than hers, as she looked in the distance. Something moved, one of the dragon serpent Grimm speeding through the water towards them, the look on Kali's face turning even grimmer.

Inside her, she searched for the darkness, trying to connect to it, touching it and feeling the kinship with the Grimm that had swallowed her Jaune, the one who was the light… Her heart throbbed once, the dark veins distending with the ichorous fluid as her gaze turned to the Grimm, feeling the presence of Jaune there, her heart beating another time for reassurance, the burning sensation inside her swelling up even greater as she could feel the power shift inside her, the ache inside her turning into what she could feel was determination. _'As long as I feel this power inside me… I know he will be alive.'_

"He's still alive, Kali." Her voice was determined, as she put her rifle down, closing her eyes, going through the motions of putting in new rounds into the weapon, her eyes opening slowly, unveiling light purple irises. **"He will have to be…"**

' _You are going to be his woman. You will not shy away from your feelings any longer.'_ The weapon was up once more, as she took aim, taking her time to line up the perfect shot. "What are you doing?" Her ears picked up the sound of Sienna saying something, yet she dismissed it immediately from her mind. _'Judge the distance…'_

Her fingers pulled the trigger with a dull thunk sound, as the metal barrel of her own weapon shot forth the bullet that would hit, the bullet traversing through several glyphs, a dark black colour instead of the pristine white that it should have been. _'One shot… Enough?'_

The dust round slammed into the tender membrane of one of the wings of the Sea Fei-long, the creature roaring and speeding towards them ever faster, her eyes watching with interest as the creature came ever closer. "It didn't work!"Sienna's voice sounded pissed, yet Whitney allowed herself a moment to recalibrate the sights. _'Weak points are of no objection… ensure that there are not any more issues with the delivery… and shoot.'_

She could feel the burning inside her arm as she felt the rifle shock slightly with the next round unleashed, a blossom of explosive Dust from the creature of the Grimm, ice growing over its wings. "It's grounded as much as possible! Get ready!" She announced, Kali and Sienna already readying their weapons, Kali's katar and kris looking like they would be tasting Grimm once more this night.

' _Jaune, come back to us whole and alive…'_

* * *

 _Deluge (Heather Arc)_

* * *

Heather's eyes looked at the request as she held it up, the Scroll message too convenient for her tastes to be right out of the blue. The markings of the message bore all the hallmarks of one of her old colleagues, even as Rowan mumbled something before making a move.

Her gaze turned back to the board, watching as the pawn moved slowly through the squares, Rowan's move tactically sound. _'I should probably…'_ The fingers moved to the message again, opening it up.

 **Hey Heather, remember me?**

 **It's me, Alturias. We ran into each other three years ago at the mission to defend Buronu village. I was wondering if you'd like to go out to have something to eat with me in Vale, say… next Sunday?**

 **Keep your head high,**

 **Alturias Sonnenstrahl**

The words looked so simple on the Scroll, yet her eyes saw them for what they were worth. Her gaze was only fit enough to land upon those individuals who would be approved of by the whole family… and still, the man was found lacking. With the current circumstances, she felt the tendrils of paranoia curl around her once more, as her gaze went to the message once more.

' _He was an ally for one mission, yet the request came out of the blue.'_ "Rowe?" She asked, her elder sister looking up. "If I started to date again…" She paused, looking at the woman that sat opposite of her in the living room, the board still between them, Rowan's eyes looking at her with judgment in them.

It was not that the Arc family was forbidden from dating someone, yet there was the rule between the sisters that they would ensure the safety of the sister who dared to go out and date someone. _'It's not like we haven't gotten any action…'_ Her eyes looked at Rowan for a moment, sighing, the unreadable expression on Rowan's face enough. "I guess…" She said, her voice picking up a little, even as Rowan shook her head.

"You're free to do so." The words of her elder sister drew surprise from her, as she inhaled deeply, the blue eyes meeting her own holding an unusual emotion, her older sister's hands laying on her shoulders. "You shouldn't restrain yourself for us, Heather…"

' _Rowe…'_ Her lips felt oddly dry, her memory going back nearly twenty years. Her sister had still been there when she had been taken out for the first training under their father, the foundations already laid for the job that they would be doing in not too long.

"Look at me! I'm a SLAYER!" The giggles that Rowan gave as she waved the sword around, her fingers holding the grip in a way that she would later recall being grossly incorrect in her stance and manner, her eyes having been fixated on the weapon.

"You're amaaazing!" She had spoken, even as their father came to them. "Three sets." The man's voice sounded unlike the father she knew, even as her older sister's grip changed, the man's eyes following every moment of the strike, even as her sister struck at targets that only she could see.

Her father's eyes were watching carefully the movements, watching his oldest daughter go through the motions of fighting, the wooden weapon only an aide to the skills that she practised, her eyes burning with the intent to do her family proud. "Good, good… Now, make sure that you get yourself in top shape. You're going to practice."

The excited squeal came from her older sister's mouth, even as Heather could see her father's complicated expression, the soft voice that she used standing out. "Daddy, can I become a Slayer too?"

She had heard the stories of the brave people who wielded the powers of good against the creatures of the Grimm, her father's expression stiffening for a moment as he took a deep breath, seemingly thinking about the words that he was going to say. It was so typical of the man that it was nearly second nature. She would soon have another sister to join them…

"We'll see later, Heather… Your big sister is going to be the first who gets taught… we'll see about it later, alright? Go and talk to mom."The man tried to encourage her, even as he sent a worrisome look at her oldest sister, the motions of the wooden sword still continuing. "Alright, daddy!"

Her voice held cheer as she darted off to the house, leaving her father and her oldest sister to practice, bounding through the house and coming to the room that her mother had claimed, her eyes bright as she pushed open the door. "Mommy!" The childish term of affection was still in use as she looked at her mother, currently in bed, bouncing herself onto the bed and hugging her close. Little Cremea was in the crib next to the bed, gurgling softly, a pacifier in her mouth to silence her, content for the time being.

"Easy there, little feather… You wouldn't want to hurt your little sister, right?" The woman's belly was round and full of that little sister, the woman's eyes bright as she leaned close and brushed a hand through her hair. "You're going to have to care very hard for your new sister, Heather. She'll be weak for a while and can't handle much… But you'll love her either way."

Heather nodded, a smile on her face. "You've told me before, mama. Always be there to help out little sisters! Rowe said that she would be helping me out, even if daddy says it wouldn't be allowed." That would've been a secret, but her mother smiled at her, patting her head. "Oh?"

"Yep! Rowe is going to be a Slayer! Fighter against evil Grimm who want to harm mama and daddy!" The conviction with which she spoke was enough, as her mother's face seemed to be a little pinched. "Hey, little feather?" There was strain in her mother's voice, as she pushed herself into a seated position. "Can you go and get daddy?"

She nodded in understanding, skipping off once again. Her eyes caught sight of her younger sisters Bianca and Ashley, currently in the process of getting their newest high score in Grimm Terminator One on their Scroll against each other, her mind continuing to think about the sight her mother had made, her eyes glinting, as she continued on with her steps, her eyes catching sight of her older sister laughing and smiling, her father's eyes soft, as he instructed her.

"Hello there, little one." The voice of the young woman was soft and gentle as she spoke, appearing suddenly behind her like a spectre of death. Fear gripped Heather's heart, before she could see the pale white cloak that the woman wore, a rose-crest visible at the clasp. "Is your father home?"

"Daddy is outside, practicing with Rowe." The hesitation in her voice wasn't faked, as she looked at the woman, whose hands appeared from the cloak, a smile on her face. "Alright then, little one… Lead me to your father."

She didn't look that much older than she did, the pale white of the cloak standing out, as the woman held pace easily with her. _'She looks to be busy… Perhaps daddy will be out on a mission and miss the birth of the baby!'_

"Daddy!" She called out, her father's head turning in her direction, his face carefully neutral as he looked at the woman who stood at her side, eyes expressing more emotion than before. "Hey, Heather." The man smiled at her, yet he made a gesture to her older sister to continue training. "What are you doing here?" The voice was strict enough to be sincere, the woman giving a light click of the tongue. Clearly, she was here on important business as she held out a letter, written on paper that seemed to have been folded a few times into neat squares.

"Mission." The woman's voice was softer than before, Heather seeing something in those eyes for a moment as she held out the paper for her father to take, the man's tongue poking out of his mouth in a thoughtful manner.

"My wife is due to give birth to our next daughter."Her daddy's voice sounded doubtful, as the woman shifted a little in her posture. "I have my orders, Arc. You have yours. Consider this a benefit of being one of the few families to still remember the old ways." The rose crest on her cloak caught the light, the woman's silver eyes looking between her and her father.

The woman looked at her father again, a smile on her lips. "If it is not too much effort…" The woman said, as she looked between the two of them, ready to comment, yet holding her tongue still, as she let her gaze rest on Heather for a while. "I can come here and-"Her father's voice was sharp. "You will do no such thing."The resolution in his voice was enough to make the silver-eyed woman look up, as her hand touched Heather's head.

"Our training is our training." The man's words were firm, as he looked at it, the woman's face looking pained for a moment. "I get it, I get it…" She murmured, shaking her head some more. "Don't worry! I'll bring you girls something nice when I come here again, promise?" Heather and her sister smiled. "Come back soon!"

The woman smiled softly, shaking her head good-naturedly. "Of course."

The sight of her older sister's face looking so reverently to the young woman, who seemed to be only in her late teens, was one of the spots that she would remember, yet she knew that the woman had not come around again after that first meeting. Her father did the mission after the birth of Saffron, returning after what seemed to be an age and starting to train the family members in the art of fighting with a renewed zealous dedication.

She remembered that well enough, the look in the man's eyes as he watched her and her older sister spar against Ashley and Bianca, calculating with mild wonder as they went through the forms. Their Aura was unlocked when he thought it right, the training that she had gone through landing her an easy spot in the training academies, her own Semblance making it easy to find a weapon tailored to her own skills. _'Where I make people wet, my younger sister would make them dry…'_

Her oldest sister's smile had never been something that she had paid attention to before, but her eyes had always been expressive in those moments when they were still children, growing up with lofty ideas of being heroes and being professional ass-kickers.

"I have a good feeling about this, Heath." Her oldest sister's voice was light as they stood there at the harbour, their sister's smile warm and her eyes twinkling slightly. Heather knew that it would be something worthwhile, their father standing beside her older sister. "Goodbye, Rowe." She said, not ceasing to use the nickname that she had used ever since she had been little. Her sisters and little brother used it as well, the nickname having become something of an informal name now.

"I'll bring back some coconuts and a girlfriend for Jaune!" The excited tone of voice that the twenty-one-year-old had was definitely one of the warmest points about her, her long hair falling behind her, the spark in those eyes never fading. "H-hey! I can get myself a girlfriend!"

Her little brother spoke, Heather leaning to the side and running a hand through his hair that was scowled at adorably by the little bugger. "Sure you can, Jaune. Just like you dumped water all over Bianca's boyfriend." The snickers of her sisters were enough to encourage her, even as he seemed to grow red in the face. "He was telling her that he'd love her forever! He wasn't being sincere!"

Heather was spared from giving a comment to that by Rowe, who grinned and tapped Jaune's nose. "You got a nose for that, Jaune? Truth, honesty and justice?" The smile on Rowe's face held her natural beauty, her long hair done up in the style that she preferred. "They'll have to fight me first before they'll be allowed to date you!"

Rowe's eyebrows rose, as she smiled brilliantly. "Looks like I've got a protector, ladies! A valiant knight!" Cremea coughed. "Technically he isn't quite a knight, since he lacks training, proper armour and weaponry as well as a horse." The droll explanation got her a look from her sisters. "Creamy, stop being like dad. You know that we're just joking."

Cremea had the most adorable pout on her face, as she looked at Jaune. "He is good as he is. A good little brother." Their mother shook her head then, clearing her throat audible. "It's time for her to go. Have a nice trip, sweetheart! We love you!"

Heather watched her older sister step up the ramp that led towards the ship, her eyes catching the hesitant look that she threw behind her, as if waiting for something. "Have a nice trip, Rowe!" Jaune's voice sounded bright, the Arc siblings giving a smile, as her sister's brilliant smile flashed on her face. _'She's going to be half-way across the world…'_

The look on Rowan's face currently was one of apathy, her eyes holding that burning spark, yet expressing it in the manner that was unnatural, her eyes losing that spark as the hand moved the chesspiece forwards a little. "Your turn."

Heather sighed, shaking her head, watching as Bianca draped herself over one of the couches, lazily flicking the remote and turning on the news.

' _in other elections, Councillor Syfres has been a paragon of the people, yet never forget that the true power of the council lies with you!'_ The electoral speech of Councilman Winchester was enough to draw eyes, Heather's gaze going to the man, the short hair that still grew on his head grey and sparse, the bold features of his face reminding her of the young man who had been an accessory to her brother's death.

' _It is thus that you should pick the safe option! Do not think yourself above voting. Winchester… for the win.'_ The man said, the scene shifting once more to show another councilmember, as they gave their speeches for the election, to be done after the Vytal Festival had concluded in nearly four months' time.

"Do you think there'll be something yummy at the faire?" Rowan asked, Heather giving a soft smile, brushing her hand through her older sister's hair. The blue eyes were clouded yet again, the sad smile on her lips a remembrance of things that had been.

"How about we find out after we do that mission for the Headmaster, eh?" Rowan's head nodded, Heather feeling a sigh of relief escape her, as she met Bianca's eyes. "I'll go with you… Well, we'll ALL go to Vale, after all."

' _With how the family is currently in dire straits, with dad locked away… We'll have to act as a group. It won't do to have us be distracted by mere things such as the elections.'_

* * *

 _Remaining incident(Bianca Alba Arc)_

* * *

' _This seriously sucks.'_ The thought was not something unique to her current mood, as her eyes looked at the sorry display on the screen, catching Rowan and Heather out of the corner of her eyes, a talk show flickering past her eyes as she changed the channel on the screen to something a little more jovial, the ceremonial music of Mistral coming by with a wonderful flute assembly that was trying to bombastically ensure that the spirit of Mistralian ingenuity on the fields of art and music were to be enhanced to the listener's ears.

' _Nothing on TV that's any fun to watch…'_ She got up, pulling her personal scroll out of her pocket, noticing one notification that popped out. _'I wonder what that asshole wants…'_ The message opened with a tap of the finger, unveiling its contents to her.

 **Hey Bianca,**

 **Heard that you're doing well. How about going out for some drinks with me tomorrow? Bring Ashley if you want to.**

 **Cheers,**

 **Ferd.**

Her eyes narrowed as she mumbled something under her breath in an unflattering term, her eyes meeting with Heathers. "Hey, Heath?" Her elder sister looked at her with a raised eyebrow, moving her piece on the board. "Ferdinand decided to hit me up again for dinner."

Heather frowned. She looked a little odd like that, as her face was usually kind enough to not show such emotions outwardly, but there clearly was some thought being pushed around. "Wasn't that the guy you dated… nine years ago?"

"More like eight. Remember that Jaune sat himself in front of the gate in order to properly tell him that he wasn't allowed to take me out on a date?" The smile on Rowan's face lightened her heart slightly, as Heather's snort and shake of the head was enough.

"Of course. 'You have to prove yourself before you can date my sister!'." The imitation of young Jaune's voice sent a wave of sadness through her for a moment, as Heather did a near-perfect imitation. Even Rowan, with her attention elsewhere, chuckled softly, shaking her head. Bianca thought that she could see the smile turn even broader, the eyes moistening slightly at the memory.

' _He used to be so cute when he was growing up.'_ She had been at the birth, when he had taken his first breath. Azure, Saffron and Cremea had been young enough to barely remember it, but she had been eight, together with Ashley. _'He used to cry so much when he was little…'_

The Arc children had been taught to value their own independence. Their desires, interests and skills all varied. Where Cremea Arc was the greatest at calm analysis, Ashley Arc held the title of being able to create everything that she wished with the required tools and materials, from defensive systems to a barrier that could create a force field.

She looked at the message again, her eyes looking at the words for a while as she let her mind ruminate on the meaning of those words, her whole attention swallowed by the message and trying to think about what this could mean.

' _Dad was taken away and now… jerks seem to be getting out of the woodwork to get together with us.'_ It wasn't usually the case like that, the Arc sisters forming a unified front on the dating field, carefully making sure that none of their boyfriends would decide to 'upgrade' to one of their sisters. It had been one of the benefits of the large family that they had, one which had borne fruit often enough. _'Out of all of us, only four of us are still virgins. Five, if I have to count Jaune… Damn, if I'd known he'd be getting out there with no training, I would've called in three of my friends to give him a 'happy birthday' free of charge.'_

Not that she had many friends, but one of the perks of being a Huntsman was that you were fit, in tiptop shape and knew how to exercise your muscles. Ashley and her had only had the joy of some boyfriends, never going much further than just some kissing and a little groping. It wasn't like they were in any fashion… eager, so to say, to get their cherries popped and their womanhood explored.

They were twins and thus, held some appeal to each other's sense, even if they did not acknowledge it. The one who they would enter a relationship with would have to be wary of the appeasement of the other. It had not been unusual during dates for them to switch spaces, the hair arranged in a different fashion for each sister, easily switched up with a moment of time in the bathroom. Identical twins, identical tastes…

A lot of being a twin was just acceptance of the other's flaws. Bianca liked to listen to neo-rock, Ashley preferred techno, yet both enjoyed classical string quartets. The favourite way to relieve stress was something that they shared, even though the tools and implements to relieve that stress were strictly separate with each sister.

As she got up and made her way to the room that she and Ashley shared, she could see Heather guiding Rowan back to her room, their game of chess forgotten. Heather's eyes looked a little dewy, as her hand rubbed over their oldest sister's back, mumbling something barely audible in her ears, another round of soft whimpers coming from their oldest sister's mouth, something about Jaune, undoubtedly.

Bianca knew that Rowan probably held the most affection for Jaune out of all the sisters of the Arc family. She was the eldest of them, with Heather as second eldest, Jaune having a special spot in their hearts. It wasn't like Bianca didn't like her youngest sibling, on the contrary… he just wasn't as special to her as her sister was. The connection that they had with each other trumped everything in the world. They'd been together for eight years before Jaune had come around, and even then…

Ashley saw things differently, of course. She was always up for making fun things for Jaune, having made several of the games on the gaming system from scratch, play-testing them to ensure that they'd have a source of good entertainment for a while. Suuure… The Legend of Arc was still worked on a bit on Ashley's off-time, but saving princess Arc was really something that the hero had to do. That Crocea Mors featured in it was just a nice thing. The green cap with a stylized A and the symbol was just a bit too much at times.

The door to her sister's workroom opened up, the mess of wires that led towards the massive screen enough to make ordinary people trip up, Bianca's eyes watching the lines of code scroll by on the screen. "Time to get going, dykeface! We're going to do important shit and talk." The words were crude, even as Ashley disconnected, the hiss of the seal unlocking audible to her ears, even as the body slowly got up, the tired yawn that came from her sister making her look sleepier than she actually was, stretching slowly to get the kinks out of her system, her eyes brightly regarding her for a moment, snickering slightly at the terms.

"You've got the same face, Bitchanka." The retort wasn't filled with anything worthy to be called fire, as Ashley ran a hand through her hair. "We should get some stuff ready for the defence of the house. Remember that Hernando guy?" The face she made told enough, Ashley nodding.

"Sent me a nice message, telling that we'd be getting together again for drinks soon." Ashley's eyes narrowed, as she sent a gaze at her. "Did you get one as well? I could check with the mail system if you have, but…" Bianca nodded, as Ashley growled slightly.

' _She knows more than we do. She's in the system.'_ Ashley stripped then, exposing her back to her. "Get me cleaned up, sis." She said, as she took a long shuddering breath, her eyes closing, reflected in the screen in front of her. Bianca rubbed the towel over Ashley's back, the shudder hard enough.

"They want to breed us for our talents." The clinical analysis was something that Ashley had at times, as Bianca gently put some of the cream on the raw edges where the flesh met the metal. "It doesn't happen often, y'know? Seven daughters out of one woman." A chuckle came from Ashley's mouth, yet it held no humour, only the grim nature of the effects of her realization.

"Do you think that…" It was a reasonable guess, after all, Bianca had to voice it. Ashley's tongue clicked lightly, as she stretched slightly, the inner workings of the link giving a stretch. "Set-up? Likely. Orchestrated by the council of Vale, I think."

Bianca knew well that her sister's own desire to keep them all safe had often had her work overtime, the mechanical suit that she wore composing most of her offensive force. "Azure and Creamy never really dated." She added, Ashley giving a nod. "Good on them that they didn't. They'd be getting messages from their exes, asking whether to 'hook up' again."

The images on the screen displayed a genetic profile of Ashley, the data all composed of infinite numbers and loops and calculations that would have her mind boggled with the knowledge, yet Ashley did it so easily. "Breeding a trait true in the animal kingdom has led us to domesticate the wolf into a dog…" The disgust in her voice was true, as she looked at the sequence.

"Here, look at this." The code was gibberish to her, as Ashley pointed it out. "Three markers for genetic dominance. Three! Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall. If that doesn't tell you something about our genetic purity then I don't know what to tell you." Bianca shrugged, still cleaning the socket up with the rag. "I don't know much about genetics."

Ashley sighed deeply, as she put something on the screen. A picture of their father appeared, his name bolded as **Sage Aaron Arc** , the link to their mother with a little x, indicating their relationship. **Emerald Arc-Sepia** was at his side, the branch of her family not noted down in detail save for some references to the files that held that bit of detail.

Their names were all bolded, with their pictures showing their features in their best state. _'Rowan's still had her hair long when this was taken.'_ The stylistic changes of the Arc family were myriad over the years, even as the genetic files seemed to make up large images. Clicking onto their father's portrait through some sort of sorcerous technomancy, the large table of contents was unveiled to her eyes.

"I'm sure that nobody has done deep research into our genetic makeup." She heard Ashley mutter, her attention riveted to the screen. She continued to rub the lubrication into the socket, making it easier to plug Ashley in once more. "Without at least some help…" The screen showed the image of their father's bare upper body, the scars on his body looking like they had been there for years, his face much like Jaune's, even as data appeared on the screen.

 **Aura Capacity: A+  
Intelligence: High  
Skillset: Variable**

The information was bland and generic, even as Ashley continued to call up data in the screen, images of the two of them standing next to Heather and Rowan, descending in age.

 **Aura Capacity: A+  
Intelligence: High  
Skillset: Variable.**

The information was generic and yet, true. Bianca knew that she did not have much skill in the art of technology, yet bullet trajectory and long-distance aiming were something that she excelled in. Out of every member of their family, only Cremea had an Aura Capacity of A-, the lowest out of every member of the family.

It showed in her Semblance, which allowed her a lesser version of their father's perception, suited more towards defence than towards offence. It was one of those traits that had led to Cremea being one of those people that you trusted to have your back, despite her being a bit slow in some respects. Certain skills just came easier to those members of the family whose Semblance defined their very core.

A raging torrent, smouldering embers, technological prowess and intelligence, the tempestuous nature, Methodological tactics, the lightning strike and the earth-shaker… they were all connected to the manner of Arc that held those Semblances. Heather's fiery disposition, hidden at first behind shyness and a lack of confidence, Ashley and Bianca's own intellectual approach to a situation as well as the ability to unleash the fury of a storm, Cremea's ability to reflect and to ensure that there would be plenty of time to defend, Saffron's occasional hyperactivity that came with the shifting of her moods and Azure's ability to move the earth out of their path… all held the skill within them to be great people. Heroes, if one viewed them properly.

Elemental Semblances were rare. To see them spring up in a family like this was a rarity and a peculiarity, which was not widely advertised, despite the intimidation effect that it held. It was through a careful ability to hide one's powers that they had flown under the radar thus far. Saffron never used her lightning Semblance whilst fighting unless it was to defend against a blow. Ashley and Bianca worked well together to occlude the prowess of the latter's Semblance in aiding the trajectories of bullets.

With Semblances like Heather's it was hard to do, as she literally set ablaze creatures of the Grimm, yet it was only noted as 'control' of fire in the official files, instead of fire generation. The weapon that Heather wielded helped a lot with keeping that illusion up for the onlookers. A proper grasp on tactics was something every Arc had. It was in their blood.

"The makeup of our family is so convoluted that you would normally need months to filter out the debris of marriages and the genetic lines that ensue from that." The technical mumbo-jumbo continued on, as Ashley looked at the statistics on the screen, her eyes looking at the screen, a tense nod coming from her head as she seemed to be resolute.

"We're going black, starting from the time that mom comes home." The words were enough to make Bianca perk up, her eyes looking at the Scroll and then at Ashley. "Are you sure?" She asked, even as the conclusion seemed a little sudden to be reached.

"It's the only choice we have, Bi." The tenderness in the tone of her sister was something that seemed to have come to the fore, as she turned her head to look at her. "We've got to go black or else they'll get a hold of us. Dad told us…"

Anger showed on her face, as she looked at Bianca, frustration in her eyes. "These old men would want to see us wedded off whilst the patriarch is no longer able present to curtail such advances." Bianca shuddered. The nobility of the land had different rules than those commoners, the ancient Arc family having held to the traditions for much of their existence. Women, no matter their strength, would have to make concessions when they were with a partner.

"We still have the freedom of choice. It's not like they can just waltz into here and start making demands that we spread our legs, Bi. I know…" The look on Ashley's face was wrathful as she showed the pictures of the Council of Vale on the screen. "We could do a tactical assassination if we wanted to."

Bianca knew well that her sister's technological prowess was something far beyond the average, the link that she had with the systems around her working to such an extent that she essentially became the defensive plan of the house when hooked in. _'You'd make yourself a cyborg if you could feasibly do it without dying, Ash.'_

The thought of assassinating the members of the council filled her with some minor excitement, yet she also knew that there would be repercussions for them if they did that. Their whole line would be banned from the annals of history, entering infamy as those who had gone against the council of the kingdom.

"It is not feasible, however. Whilst I am sure that Rowe and Heath are up for it, I do not think we would be served by having to put in the additional work." The young woman's voice sounded heavy, even as she knew the duties that came with planning such a thing.

"After we go black, do we… y'know?" Bianca made a motion with her hand, conveying her thoughts to her sister, who smiled faintly at the thought. "Of course. The connection between the house and the outside world will remain."

'Going Black' was a term for doing undercover work, to go off the grid and do the stuff that you didn't want anyone to know of. The missions that involved killing people who otherwise would have been members of the community that were unassailable by other means, through status or their bodyguards. Heather and Rowe had been on several of those missions before, the eldest sisters always working together. Azure, who had graduated recently for the sisters, continued with her daily practice regimen, yet she knew well the difficulty of the missions that had to be done at times.

A Huntsman had to cull the weak before the strong could rise up. Villages who had decided to not pay the tithe were rewarded with a huntsman, maybe a whole team of them, dropped close by and 'forced' to get the money to the Council. The cullings were extremely dangerous for the members of the team, yet the money that it generated was good enough for them to live off for a while.

Her fingers touched along her hips, as she wondered briefly whether she would need to bring anything. It would not matter much, in the grand scheme of things. _'Whatever we do, we do it together.'_

If it had to be the slaughter of the innocent in order to free their dad, it would have to be so.

The Arc family stood together. One for all and all for one. Against the shadow's might, with their back illuminated by the light.

She was an Arc. She would do as was expected of her.

* * *

 _Bright mornings(Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She opened her eyes up to the chirp of birds, spotting a large raven seated on the windowsill, looking straight at her, the cool breeze that flitted in from the window cooling the morning down quite a bit, its eyes almost human as they looked at her with a red gaze.

Her eyes went down, seeing Blake snuggled up to her, her eyes closed, her ears twitching slightly as she seemed to be protected by his nature. "Don't worry." She mumbled softly to her partner and girlfriend. "You're going to be just fine."

The girl had been quiet, yet Pyrrha knew that it was only the silence before the storm. _'I should have her talk to someone…'_ She hadn't had the time to change anything about her partner's method of dealing with things, Weiss having entered the room and given them a speech about proper decorum and what a Huntress was supposed to be doing, instead of 'fornicating like randy animals'.

She had borne the Schnee's tirade, Ruby joining midway, her friend leaving her at the door, those eyes skittish, until they focused on her. Weiss had been distracted afterwards by Ruby's appearance, starting to complain about how cold the room was and how they would have to go and find something to deal with the issues of the shattered window. _'How Ruby deals with the Schnee princess is beyond me. I'm lucky for having Blake.'_

She pulled the Faunus girl a little closer, Blake giving a soft murmur in the back of her throat, carefully snuggling up to her. "Yang?" Her voice sounded hesitant, as her lips found their place on her neck. She hadn't had the heart to let Blake sleep anywhere else. "I'm not going anywhere, kitten." Her voice was soothing, like she'd done to dad when he had been caught in the grips of despair.

"Feels bad." Blake whimpered, snuggling a little closer into Yang's chest, the ears on her head twitching slightly. "Don't worry, pussycat…"

Her fingers gently stroked over Blake's side, the girl going stiff as the hand lingered. "I'm going to make sure that everything is alright again." She whispered into her girlfriend's ear, kissing her cheek softly, holding her a little tighter.

' _I don't want to lose you…'_ The thought of loving her as a partner was something that she'd considered when they'd ran into each other in the forest, a silly little thought that had allowed her to think on the circumstances of the world and just how Blake fit into them.

It was a silly gesture actually, but Blake seemed to reciprocate. "I love you." Blake murmured softly, her voice so frail and tender, as she held her closer. _'I do too… You're my partner. You're one of Team RWBY.'_

Losing someone who chose to step out of your life was a familiar feature in her life. Her mother had done so, intentionally shunning the company of her father, to be some bandit chief in some other place in the world. Her next mother, Summer, had been called on a mission, leaving Ruby alone in the world to contemplate how to best survive with the absence of her mother.

Dragging her father out of bed every morning, putting the teakettle on the stove and ensuring that the morning tea was ready for him had become routine around the age of four, her father's malaise leaving him much in the state of need that she had seen before. _'You would have killed yourself if I hadn't come in… Blake… Dad couldn't kill himself because he had us... But it was a close thing. If Uncle Qrow hadn't been on Patch…'_

"I'm here for you." She whispered in her partner's ear, the look on her face tender, as her partner's amber eyes met her own, a shudder tracing its way down her body at the instant the contact was made, the look on Blake's face turning even more tender. "I want to repay you." Blake's mouth formed the words, yet there was little fire in them.

"Hush, Blakey…" Her finger placed itself onto the Faunus girl's lips, immediately suckled on by the cat girl. If it wasn't a situation like this, she'd have done something with her finger and said a phrase in the vein of 'Cat got your tongue', yet with this circumstance…

She knew that Weiss and Ruby had bought the sudden news that they'd held the need for a new window through a little bit of a tiff between Blake and her, interrupted by a certain monkey Faunus. Blake stretched slowly, her mouth pressed against one of her breasts, giving it a soft kiss. "Easy there, kitten. I ain't mama Yang yet…"

Blake's eyes looked up at her for an instant, her tongue licking over the nightshirt that Yang wore to keep her joy-pillows in a modest state. "But…" Her finger tapped that nose of her partner again. "You are good in the way you are."

"But…" Blake's eyes started to tear up. "We love you too, Blake." Ruby's voice made Yang freeze up, noticing her little sister peering at her from at the bedside, a sharp "Jeez, Ruby!" coming from her mouth as a curse slipped from her lips. "Ah, bad word, Yang! If you don't want me to tell dad that you've turned into a degenerate…"

Her sister looked at her with a look of pure wickedness, one that Yang had seen before. "Get me some strawberries for breakfast… ooh, and some of that chocolate pudding. Ruby said that they'd taste grrreat." The mention of the other redheaded friend that she'd made was enough to make Yang raise an eyebrow, the wet spot on her shirt forgotten, even as Blake's mouth pressed to her ear.

"Thank you." The Faunus murmured again, Yang feeling something hot and wet hitting her skin. She could not imagine anything else, as she shifted Blake a little in her grip. "Easy there, Ruby. It's not time for breakfast yet."

Ruby grinned, shaking her head. "Nope… But Ruby's going to show me how to play poker. So I have to get up early!" The enthusiasm that Ruby held about her friend was worrisome to her, yet more important issues that cropped up could be waylaid for a while. "You should go, Ruby." Blake said, her voice the picture of control, even as those eyes showed her uncertainty.

"Don't forget…" Ruby's eyes met hers. "Degenerate." Yang shook her head slightly at the thought of Ruby being some sort of evil manipulator, but shrugged it off immediately. _'Ruby's just happy to meet with a fri-'_

She froze, as she saw a mark on her younger sister's neck, her hand shooting out faster than it'd ever been, grabbing Ruby by the hood and jerking her back. "What is that on your neck?"

The crimson blush that crept up on her sister's face was something that she'd categorized as 'Ruby Blush of Embarrassment number three', the full-duty blush that showed on occasion when she'd caught Ruby doing something out of the ordinary. Her other hand shifted past Blake, exposing the stretch of skin for what it was…

A hickey stood out on her skin, anger and fury erupting inside of her like a rampant volcano, starting to burn ever greater with every moment that she realized that some son of a bitch had kissed her little sister. "Which mongrel dared to kiss you?" Her voice was deeper, more dangerous than before, her eyes looking right at Ruby, the silver meeting her own eyes, having long-since turned red.

"H-hey! Little sister in danger! Don't look at me like that, s-she didn't mean anything with it!" The stammer told her enough of a story that she could envision what'd happened. _'That little Sustrai tart must have been trying to muscle in on my sister! I knew that it was a bad idea to have her hold contact with Ruby… Her little sister Emerald is gay, according to her, so that means that she leans that way as well… so little Ruby is getting herself seduced…'_

She was barely aware of her hair catching fire, her Semblance roaring to life as she held her sister up by the cloak. "Yang?" Blake's voice sounded softly in her ear, the feeling of emotions still high, quelling slowly as her partner pushed against her. "Don't be mad at me. I'll be better."

' _I'm…'_ She sighed, forcing herself to calm down. Her eyes met with her little sister, a sharp look given to her. "I suppose you're just…" She paused, not sure what to say. 'Good luck on finding love'? 'Don't date a crazy girl'?

"Just be careful, Ruby." Her voice was warm, even as she laid her hand on her sister's head. "If you need me… I'll be right here." She tried to assure her little sister, the smile on Ruby's face showing the hope that she had. "Just… Try to keep it down with Blake. I couldn't sleep very much a few days ago."

She would be mortified down to her core, if she hadn't experienced the trouble with Blake the other day. "Sure thing, sis." She said, giving a tender look down at Blake. "We'll keep the pussy yanging."

The bad pun was enough to draw a snort from Blake, who realized what she'd done, looking up at her with a startled expression on her face. "You're my partner, Blake. I'm not going to let you fall."

The tremor was enough, as Blake turned from Yang, her sister flitting out of sight, out the door a moment later. "Thank you." Her partner said softly, voice bitter and desperate, the voice too soft to be very audible to others.

"That's why my name's Yang Xiao-Long… Because I'm going to be bringing the sun in your shadow, Blakey." Her partner stiffened slightly. "What did happen to Sun…"The question hung in the air. "Who?"

"The monkey Faunus… He's the one who helped me on the docks." The idiot from the last day came to her mind and she shrugged. "Beat his little monkey ass for interrupting our little lovers spat, Blakey… He should know what is proper and what isn't."

Blake stiffened again, as she pulled out of her grasp. "I'm going out." The words were soft, as Blake grabbed her outfit and dressed, out the door in a flash. _'Fuck, you blew it, Yang.'_

Blake was sensitive about these topics… and she'd just called him a monkey…

' _How can I mess things up like this again? Am I turning into mom?'_

The raven cawed at that moment, reminding her of the mother who'd abandoned her. Yang Xiao-Long's face was cast in shadow, as she looked troubled.

* * *

 _The red roses(Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She darted through the hallways of the dorms towards the room that held her friend, excitedly knocking on the door. "Who is it?" The cranky voice of the team leader growled, the excitement in her chest growing. "Is Ruby there?" The cheerful tone of her voice was something that she knew irked the leader greatly, the woman opening the door, her hair combed in a formal style, the clothing that she wore somewhat better fitting for going out into town than anything like 'studying to be a Huntress'.

"She's waiting for you… Chipper and happy." The woman said, her voice sounding like a sigh, her eyes following after Ruby as she dashed into the room, Ruby's sister and their fourth member seated opposite of each other, the latter busy with pulling on a set of long boots, which complemented the formal look he was going for. "We will be away for a while, sis!" Ruby Sustrai said, as she kissed her little sister on the cheek, the kopesh strapped to her side immediately, as she heard the groan of her sister.

It was funny to see how different the two were when together. Ruby was the more extroverted one, whilst Emerald tried to put people at ease by being affable. Ruby Sustrai's insights into the psyche of her sister were much more varied than anything Ruby Rose could come up with.

"So, where are they going?" She asked her friend, whose arm was wrapped around her shoulder. "Vale, I think. Something about the council or the other." The older girl sounded like she would hardly have any issues with that, although it made Ruby wonder why they'd be going to the council. _'Is it because of the Vytal festival?'_

She didn't think much more as Ruby dragged her into the cafeteria, her body pressed tightly to the older girl's, her prominent front compartment pressing against her, a heated flush coming to her mind at the thought of what had happened before. She had been… kissy with Ruby.

' _Ohmygosh, is this the start of a romance? Are we going to be BFF's and include Weiss in all sorts of things like that book series that Blake reads with the massive fold-out?'_ Ruby Sustrai smiled, filling the plate up for the two of them. The strawberry mound was put in front of her whilst the breakfast snacks were piled up high before her. "Pumpkin Pete's, my favourite!" She seemed more excited about the prospect of getting some cereal than about actually going out today.

"Soooo… You wanted to teach me poker, right?" She asked, her legs swinging back and forth as she could hardly contain her excitement, Ruby Sustrai's eyes meeting with her own. "Not quite… but it'll be poking, yep." The grin was on the older girl's face with no small hint of amusement.

"Remember when we went bra shopping, Reddy?" The blush returned in her face, realizing that Ruby Sustrai would be so crude as to do something like that. _'It's not that I don't like her… but she can be awfully blunt at times…'_ She nodded with a squeak. "We're going to get something for funsies! We're going to be BFF's, after all!"

The proclamation was met with an amused smile, as Ruby Sustrai patted her on the back. _'Weiss is my BFF, but you can be one of my best friends! You're nice, when you're not being a little wacky, hehe.'_ "Let's spar!" The excitement in Ruby Sustrai's voice could be heard, even as Ruby's mind worked a mile a second to get herself to that state where she wouldn't make a squealing sound. _'This means I get to see her weapon! That's so awesome!'_ The kopesh had only been at her side, as Ruby Sustrai did not have to attend mandatory sparring class, so Ruby did not know the full capacity of the woman before her… but going by her attitude, it should have been amazing!

She found herself in front of her friend an hour later, warming up the muscles to get ready to kick some ass. Ruby Sustrai grinned at her, a wink coming from her as she shifted a little on her feet, the matured form of the young woman having curves that made Ruby Rose's own look childish. _'As if Yang needs competition in that field… I can be good without some hunks of fat to slow me down.'_

"Allllrighty!" The cheerful tone of Ruby Sustrai's voice was enough to draw her out of her thoughts, as the other girl stood in front of her, Kopesh at the ready, the gun that'd been slung over her shoulder looking like it meant business. "Gotten your stuff ready, Ruby?" The older girl's eyes sparked with something, as Ruby Rose nodded. "Right and ready!"

Crescent Rose hummed as Ruby Sustrai moved, the Kopesh in her hand slashing wildly, the hand that held it letting it sweep through the air, heading towards her side, Ruby Sustrai's body twisting to avoid the blow, the blade of the scythe slicing through the air, even as the Kopesh slammed against the scythe's grip, Ruby Rose's body twisting around as she sped up with her Semblance, rose petals left behind, as she got distance between her and the older teenager. "Ooh, fast…" The barrel of the gun that Ruby Sustrai wielded was aimed right at her, the flare of Dust visible as the gun fired once, the round impacting harmlessly on the blade of the scythe, Ruby Rose spinning around, her Semblance enhancing her speed greatly.

Through the red haze she could see the older girl, the confident cocky grin on her face enough, as Crescent Rose bore down onto the defenceless girl's back, her head turning around to give a dashing grin, before the girl's body twisted around, her hand reaching out and grabbing a hold of the cloak, giving it a sharp tug.

Her neck felt constricted as she could feel the grip that Ruby Sustrai had on the cloth, as she released the clasp with her hands, the relief that she felt as the garment was dragged off her and Ruby Sustrai threw it aside. "Sorry about that, little Ruby." The older girl apologized, even as the gun reported once more, the Dust round slamming into Ruby's aura, the hit depleting her aura somewhat, even as Ruby Sustrai moved swiftly, her Kopesh bearing down once more. Ruby Rose brought Crescent Rose up once more, blocking the strike and then pulling the trigger, the sniper rifle component sending a little pulse through the metal workings, enough to give her some leverage, her baby swishing swiftly, as she regained her steps.

"I'm not giving up yet!" She said, as she blurred into the world of rose petals once more, her body moving in a flash, the scythe mowing through the air, cutting steeply towards the midsection of the tanned redhead, Ruby Sustrai grinning slightly, as her Kopesh blocked the strike, sparks flashing, before the leg shot up. "Gotta go fast, Ruby…"

Ruby's hand was on the trigger when the shoulder slammed into her, the sudden appearance of Ruby Sustrai at her side enough to stall her, the weight slipping from her scythe as the woman let go of her weapon, grabbing a hold of her and then throwing her. "Cuz otherwise…" The hard ground met her face, her aura shimmering before it broke, the dull 'THUNK' of Crescent Rose hitting the ground as Ruby Sustrai pinned her down, a knee on her stomach and the barrel of the gun right in her face. "You're gonna get iced."

Ruby Sustrai winked, as she got up. Ruby Rose… did not feel so very much like getting up, the ache in her body feeling like it wasn't going to get away anytime soon. "That… That was a good match." The smile on Ruby Sustrai's face was enough. "Of course, Roobee. Ruby people aren't fighting any different than the fiercest, baddest of bitches." The wink that Ruby Sustrai added to that held a different meaning, Ruby Rose flushing again. _'Is she… flirting?'_

"But let me tell you though…" The hand that was extended, Ruby Rose's smaller hand taking the one that was extended to her. "That there's a little secret that I've been hiding from you. Daddy always said that I wasn't allowed to say much… But I can trust you, right?" The look in those red eyes was delicate, as if the girl seemed to really be conflicted about things, her speech turning more like slang than before, yet Ruby could see the hesitation in those eyes, as they wondered about what was going to happen, those fingers tightening in a grip, as she was pulled closer. "Sure. Shall we… go out? Into Vale?" Ruby suggested, hoping that her friend would open up a little more.

Ruby Sustrai smiled, nodding once. "That'd be best." Her eyes looked strange, as she grabbed something from a pocket, holding out a small hand-written note. "Can you… get me these?" The question was spoken a little louder, as she held it out. Ruby took a hold of the paper, looking at it.

 **Type Nineteen-Eight-Four Dust Rounds**

Ruby puzzled for a moment, trying to recall the serial numbers of the dust rounds, the varying canisters and rounds shooting through her mind like sparks of lightning, flashing before her gaze as she tried to pick out the right ones, her whole body stopping with movement, before she remembered the exact type.

"Oh, these… Sure. I can get them, dad has special dispensation to get them, comes with the Hunter License…"They weren't the worst type of Dust rounds to use. Weiss used them frequently, yet Ruby Rose wasn't going to be stealing any from her female bestie and partner! That would be rude!

Finding suddenly that there was something warm hugging her, Ruby Rose felt the bountiful orbs of useless fat that she totally was not jealous about pressed up against her, as Ruby Sustrai smiled at her, giving her a hug and a quick kiss to the cheek. "Thank youuu!"

"Let's get to Vale!" The cheer was met, as Ruby bent forwards to get a hold of her cloak once again, checking it for any damage that'd been done to it during the spar that they had, her eyes peering at the fabric and noticing that there thankfully hadn't been any damage to it yet. _'That's a relief… it's one of mom's, so I have to be careful with it.'_

"Y-yes!" She sounded less enthused than Ruby Sustrai was, even as she walked behind her, the sway in the older girl's behind attracting her attention, another small spike of jealousy entering her mind, the girl being four years her senior, if she'd remembered right. It was natural that she would have a far more developed body, yet…

"See something you like, Ruby?" The teasing tone of Ruby Sustrai's voice was enough, as she stopped and did a little jiggle with her behind, attracting Ruby's attention completely. _'I'm not going the way of Yang! What Yang and Blake do together is none of my business!'_

"H-hey!" She said, trying to find a way to convey that she was not… like that. _'Boys are icky at times… but I don't think I like girls… Well, Weiss is likeable, of course. Ruby is a sweetheart as well, and Blake and Yang make the cutest couple… But I am not gay! I like men! Uncle Qrow is so cool and kick-ass!'_

"I've got my eye on a boooy~… so you'll have to go without, little angel of death…" the wink that Ruby Sustrai gave her was sultry, as she stepped up. Ruby Rose peered up to the taller girl. "But that doesn't mean that you can't be curious… Let big sis Ruby guide you onto the path to womanhood!"

A few students that passed by actually stopped, looking at the two of them, Ruby's cheeks flushing, the cloak's hood pulled down to avoid looking at the people. "N-now… T-that isn't necessary…"

The cheerful manner in which Ruby Sustrai acted had her flustered, even as the chestier girl pulled her up. "Don't you say that! You'll be slamming your scythe into people sometimes! A real woman knows how to blast some little grungy cocksucker in the face before she rips his head off, yep!" The language was uncouth, yet the attitude clearly was present with the woman, even as the slow exhale of embarrassment came from Ruby Rose, who wished to be elsewhere.

It wasn't like Ruby Sustrai was… bad… She just acted like a mix of Yang and a grumpy rabid badger. A bit odd… But Ruby Rose wished that she'd keep the rough language to a minimum. It was a little embarrassing to hear the older redhead cuss like a sailor, though she kept a lid on it whilst in her sister's company. _'Yang, I hope you'll understand.'_

She wasn't going to give up on her friend, even if she wasn't perfectly alright. Friends were friends! They were all here to learn how to defend humanity against the evil guys, right?

Her gaze ran over Ruby Sustrai's face, as the older girl smiled, leaning close to her and wrapping the arm around her in a possessive manner. "So…" The older redhead whispered in her ear, as she let her hand point towards the distance. She could see several of the Bullheads already departing, no doubt to do something with the saving of people.

"What do you say we go for something nice?" The question was voiced, even as the womanly curves stood out. "We'll go have something to eat, something that'll fill us up and make us feel yummy… Ooh, and I'll tell you a SECRET!"

The excitement in Ruby Sustrai's voice was so thick that she'd almost sounded like Yang did when she was getting to go out on some sort of exciting venue, ready to smash heads and ensure that there'd be burning buildings left in her wake.

"To Vale, please." She said to the pilot of the bullhead, the man's head nodding once as he took off, the card that Ruby Sustrai swiped over the pad accepted. _'It's so handy to see that Ruby's got the permission to go off-campus… I mean, we have to be together if we go down. Team RWBY has to be present, but as a foreigner, Ruby can just get it done.'_

As they sat in the bullhead, Ruby Sustrai pulled a scroll out, looking through it. Ruby looked sideways at the pictures, shuddering slightly as she saw the bloodied wounds on flesh, a horror scene. _'That's creepy… But she's got a lot of creepy things… I think she's just like Blake and her books. Dad likes scary things as well, heh. He said that marrying Yang's mom was like a nightmare, though he laughed afterwards.'_

The pictures turned for the grimmer, as the light shone on a back, a slow R being carved into the flesh, Ruby Rose catching sight of the look on her friend's face, one of intense interest, as the pictures changed. A young man, no doubt little older than she, was there, his head wrapped with a bag, as a set of small fingers slowly drew a knife over his flesh, the flesh parting with little difficulty in the pictures that she could hear.

Ruby Sustrai looked up, smiling at her, turning the image away and pulling out a set of earbuds, sticking them in her ears, swiping her finger over the Scroll's surface and then listening. _'Please, don't, I need that to be a hero!'_

The voice sounded hoarse and a little familiar, even as the giggles continued, a voice that seemed to be a little lower in the register speaking up. _'No, silly… you're the boy that's been gifted to me!'_ Ruby Sustrai's mouth was slightly opened, as drool dripped out of her mouth, the gaze at the Scroll almost reverent, the creepy feeling inside her starting to go up to her spine and then down again. _'She's really invested in that horror movie…'_

' _Ruby, please! Please! I'll… Ah… AHH!'_ the pained shrieks of the young man turned even higher, Ruby shuddering slightly in pleasure. "Is that a horror movie?" She asked, finally unable to keep herself from inquiring, the red eyes looking up at her, seemingly distracted by her sudden question, as if she'd been caught trying to steal from the cookie jar.

"Eh…" The sound of screaming was continuing, as the pained sobs seemed to intermingle, Ruby Rose feeling a little queasy as she saw the blade carving into the back once more. "It's a movie?" The doubt in Ruby Sustrai's voice was there, as she shut the scroll off, the earbuds put back into her pocket. "You like scary movies, don't you?"

Ruby Sustrai nodded. "There's this thing…" Her gaze was awkward as she spoke, her eyes glinting slightly as the bullhead stopped. "You girls get off, I hope you'll have a nice day in Vale together!" The pilot looked unconcerned about what was happening, Ruby Rose squeaking lightly as Ruby Sustrai got up, the hand grabbing her by the cloak dragging her up as well.

"You're coming with me." The determination in the voice of the older girl seemed to have firmed, those red eyes looking at her with a quality that Ruby Rose found to be similarly intimidating to her own sister.

They walked, or more like, Ruby Rose was dragged, over into Vale, the shops looking like intriguing prospects to speak of, yet as Ruby Sustrai passed them all by, the small spark of something inside Ruby Rose seemed to dim slightly, as if her hopes for the future had been dashed thus far. "Where are we going?" She asked, her voice soft and questioning, as Ruby Sustrai looked at one of the maps of Vale. "Grimmdy's."

Ruby Rose blinked, even as they entered the establishment. Cheap fries and badly grilled burgers were the domineering scents in this place, as Ruby Sustrai set herself down in one of the booths at the end, telling her to get seated as well.

"What'd you two girls like today?" One of the waitresses asked, a bored look on her face, chewing some chewing gum as she seemed to attempt to stave off boredom. Ruby Rose wondered briefly, before Ruby Sustrai spoke up. "A strawberry milkshake for her and a Beowolf platter for me." The look on her face was enough, as she took a deep breath.

"Make sure that she gets a nice chocolate chip cookie to go with it too. We're here as a bit of a rest stop." The look on the waitress' face was one of impeccable boredom, even as she sauntered off with the gait of those bored, her eyes going to different places, trying to find some other customer to bother.

"Ruby?" Ruby Rose's eyes went to Ruby Sustrai, whose face showed a noticeably darkened expression as if the words that she was going to say were something out of the ordinary. The Scroll was in the hands of the older girl again, even as she could see in the eyes of the girl a rare sort of sanity.

"Watch." The Scroll was turned to her, showing the grainy image of what seemed to be a settlement of sorts. The trailers and other vehicles looked dilapidated, uncared for and rusted, yet the people there being still able to eke out a living. Right as of that moment, there was a flicker of light, a massive Beowolf's body flickering through the air as the body of one of the humans bounced onto the ground, landing in the muck.

' _Oh no…_ 'Horror flickered across her eyes, as the sound was cut out, Ruby Sustrai's fingers pushing the earbuds jack in, holding them out. The Beowolf's maw was splattered with blood, the body no longer moving in any respect, as the creature looked up, Ruby catching sight of the Kopesh swinging, slicing right through the neck of the Beowolf. _'And that's how you fucking die, bitches!'_ The voice of Ruby Sustrai sounded, even as she could see the burning trailers, the imaginary pain that the people would have felt hitting her as well.

She could hear more screams as she put the earbuds in, feeling the terror working through her whole body as she realized that Ruby had been there, had been aware of what was happening and had been fighting against the Grimm. _'I'm glad that dad and uncle Qrow keep us safe…'_

The clip continued, the body of the young woman moving as she hewed through the Grimm like it was just an evening breeze and she was out on a stroll, catching sight of a large man as he fought against several Grimm, ending in his own demise. _'Fuck, Dad! DADDY!'_

She could see her father in that same position. The goofy smile was gone and had become twisted into a pained grimace, as the Grimm tore into him. The image destabilized, the strap that the camera had been attached to coming loose, a jumbled movement of the camera enough, as Ruby Sustrai clicked the Scroll, halting the view. "You got out…" She said, her voice soft.

' _I can't imagine what it must've taken for her to get out.'_ The milkshake was plopped in front of her by the same waitress, who put a chocolate chip cookie next to it, wrapped in a Grimmdy's wrapper, the platter put in front of Ruby Sustrai, as she looked at the waitress and then produced a Lien chip, far greater than the amount she'd shown before. "Got change for me?" The waitress took it and produced the appropriate change, the Lien chips disappearing as fast as Ruby Sustrai got a hold of them, the serious look on her face not changing much.

"This place… it's loud, kids are screaming, people don't pay attention." Her eyes were sneaky, as she looked at Ruby with eyes that had seen too much. "Sit next to me." She said, as she patted the seat. Ruby Rose got up slowly, sitting down on the spot next to her, the older Huntress-in-training's arm pulled around her. "So…" The scroll that Ruby Sustrai placed in front of her, was her own. It was unlocked, and Ruby Rose felt the loss, as Ruby Sustrai pulled up the map with images.

"Who is this?" Ruby Sustrai said, as an image of her and Jaune, taken three days after they had been assigned as team leaders, stopped. The smile on the young man's face, never to be seen again, had seemed so innocent, the confidence that he had about him having sent a strange tingle through her heart, as Ruby Sustrai's intense look at the picture was fierce.

"He was…" She could feel her throat clogging up, as she seemed to try and suppress the tears, as she reminded herself of the ceremony, of that single arm that had been retrieved. "He was Jaune Arc, a friend of mine… My first friend." Her voice quivered a little, knowing only that she would be feeling the hurt again.

Ruby Sustrai's eyes looked at the picture for a long while, her eyes not blinking. "Hmm… Jaune." She pronounced the name almost like 'John', the Mistralian accent thicker than before. "Ruby…"

Her eyes met with Ruby's, as she leaned closer, the Scroll slid over to her, pulling Ruby closer than would be considered proper. A set of breasts bumped against her own, as the womanly form of Ruby Sustrai pressed against her. "I want you to know…"

There was hesitation in the woman's voice, as if her whole self seemed to have been some sort of stressed contrivance, those eyes of hers locked with her own. "My name is Ruby Beornir." Her voice sounded shy as if introducing herself for the first time to someone who she didn't quite know very well yet.

"Beornir?" Ruby Rose asked, Ruby Beornir giving a tense nod. The look of uncertainty came to her face, clearly having regrets now of telling her. "Don't worry, if you're like… uncertain about a last name… So, do you and Emerald have a different mother?" The question seemed to make the older girl wince, as she dug into the burger and fries with gusto. _'You made her upset, Ruby… That's not what a friend should do!'_

"She's my little sister…" Ruby Beornir said, as she looked thoughtful. "Jaune… Arc, was it?"

Whatever went on behind those eyes was a mystery to Ruby Rose, as Ruby Beornir seemed to mull over the name. "He died a little more than two months ago." To say it like that was doing a disservice, but Ruby Beornir seemed lost in thoughts.

"Jaune… Arc."She mumbled, her eyes far-off. "So… Do you call Emerald any-" The hand was on Ruby's mouth in a flash, as Ruby Beornir looked at her. "She will kill you if you call her by our last name." The seriousness in Ruby Sustr- no, Beornir's voice was stark, as those eyes met with hers. "She's…"

Here Ruby Sustrai paused, shaking her head. "Not the time." She mumbled, shaking her head. "Promise me, Ruby Rose…" The use of her full name surprised her. "Promise me that you won't talk to them. My little sister… She's alright… But her girlfriend… Cinder… Promise me."

' _Something's wrong… My friend wouldn't warn me if it was nothing…'_ Ruby Rose glowered slightly at the thought of someone daring to harm her friend Ruby! _'We've got the same name, we're pretty cool together… and she's one hell of a Dust wielder… So we can do this!'_

She was Ruby Rose! She wasn't going to give up on her friends!

"I promise you, Ruby. We're friends, so if you want me to stop talking to her… I will." Emerald was not a very great sister, she thought. Who'd want to give up on such a nice sister, even if she liked horror movies?

* * *

 _Lightning strikes (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The sizzling energy coalesced over his form, the burning brush of the pain only numbing his extremities as he felt the throb of the Relic in his grip, the staff unmarred with the divine object protecting it, yet his arm not having a similar protection.

His body was already layered with the pained wounds that had sprung up over the length of the battle, the descending sun starting to once more pound into him the fact that he had fought for a whole day and not defeated the Elder Grimm yet. **'You will perish!'**

Another roar rent the air, yet he let his gaze rest upon the body of the creature, ichorous _Vitae Tenebris_ mingling with the sea, hissing steam casting clouds up to the air, as he let his gaze look at the draconic maw, the Nevermore that he had created only minutes beforehand cawing once, as it flew up, directed by his will.

" **Still I draw breath, still I fight…"** He looked at the creature, his eyes narrowed. Jaune's fingers gripped the staff as both hands were added, a searing beam shooting from the tip, piercing through its hide once more, scales looking matted with blood as the creature's body shifted, maw opening wide once more. _**'Output decreasing. Vitality low. Vessel empty in thirty minutes. Escape advised.'**_

The Relic's tone was formal and stiff, without the interpretation of emotion, as Jaune felt his aching body force another pulsating buzz of energy straight through the focusing of the Relic, the Lamp purifying the stream of power into something usable.

The arm that had been created from the _Vitae Tenebris_ seemed brittle, the veins distended and shrivelled at the same time, skin looking like it had aged thirty years in the span of a moment. He could feel the resistance of the Elder Grimm push upward, the whole breadth of its powers burning in the back of his mind. _'For Esmeralda, Kali and Sienna…'_

He could feel the power burn, even as he felt the heat increase, the flash of light brushing over his retinas and then impacting with the body of the elder Grimm. _'Please… be alright.'_

' _ **Initializing Materialization Protocols. User: ARC, JAUNE. Exceeding parameters. Installing buffer overflow. Joint Intelligence Neural Network activating. Avatar created, J.I.N.N. protocols installed. Materializing… Materialization complete.'**_

* * *

 _Light's disappearance (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

The deck was abandoned for the night, as she stood at the railing, waiting. Inside her, the _Vitae Tenebris_ boiled and thrilled, the dark blood mingling with the darkness inside her, skin as pale as freshly scattered snow petals, her hands gripping the railing. Her eyes were directed towards the space where she could feel the concentration of the _Vitae Tenebris_ , feeling the one to whom she owed everything there.

"Your boy sacrificed himself to keep us safe." The voice of the young man who went by 'Jack' came to her ears, her head turning to the bow, seeing his wife stand there with a forlorn look, her hands gripping the railing, looking out over the boundless sea. "He'll be back."

She didn't know why she said that, yet her conviction was firm. Jack's face turned a little, his expression changing to one that showed his thoughts on the matter. "We can't go back to him. That big Grimm… Biggest I've ever seen…" The man shook his head.

"He's more than adept at getting out of dangerous places." Kali said, joining her at the side. The huntsman grunted, shaking his head lightly at the thought.

"Still ain't going to put hope in that basket, lady. You and your sister're all fine, but y'gotta pay attention to your leader." Whitney's face did not change much as she stoically regarded Kali, a light tensing of her facial muscles enough to show her disapproval.

"We're a team." Her voice sounded harsher than before, as her gaze went up to the moon once more, the white luster that it held illuminating her features, her body leaning forwards as she sighed softly.

"No matter what… I'll be here if ya need a chat. Rose says that I've got a knack for consoling the ladies." The snort was audible from her as she cast doubt on that statement, her head turning to regard the man, an eyebrow raised slowly.

She felt the sway of the ship, another wave of nausea coming to her as she struggled to keep herself intact, trying not to hurl at the thought of the movement. "I'll be joining my Rosie again. Stay safe, ladies."

As the other Huntsman walked off, Whitney's eyes went to the sea, the placid waves only enhancing the beauty of the ocean, even as she knew that there were more things to keep thinking of than the absence of the man who she had sworn herself to.

"You miss him, don't you?" Kali's voice was soft as she leaned against the railing, her body lingering there as she let her gaze wander over the seas, her attention directed completely to her friend. Whitney could feel the wave of pleasure wash over her then, warming her body with that gentle touch and keeping her feeling pleasant, whilst her whole body felt burned by the lack of his presence.

"I do." Her voice was pinched, as the emotions surged. Like a void inside her had opened up, they were swallowed by a dark wave of desire and craving, the thought of his blonde hair messed up, her hands stroking over his sweaty skin as they lay entangled in the bedsheets, the mattress decidedly damp.

Her breathing automatically deepened, as she looked back in the direction where Jaune was. Every moment that she was without, her skin tingled. Fear and shame warred inside her, fear of rejection and the shame for loving and lusting after a young man who was old enough to be her daughter's boyfriend of a similar age.

"A wise man once told me that you should never hesitate when you see something that you crave." The words were faint, as Kali looked out with her, Sienna's footsteps coming closer. The sensation of unbridled wrath that Sienna emanated from time to time was something that seemed to have sprung up as the darkness inside her worked its way through her system, the woman silent for most of the time.

' _What do I crave…'_ The face of their young leader came to her mind, as well as the sensations of how it felt to be held by a man. _'Only my father has held me in a way that was affectionate…'_ The decorum that was to be expected of a woman in high society was generally restrictive in personal affectation.

' _It's only been sex for procreation… and even then…'_ The bed was cold without another body in it. A cold bed, a husband who did not love, yet cared only for the status that her name brought with it. The feeling of sleeping next to a masculine form, his whole body trusting her with his safety as he fought off the demon that lurked in the distance. _'Wedding band or not…'_

The look on her face changed, Kali giving a soft hiss, as she nudged her. "Scary look." Whitney's face changed slightly, lip pushing outwards into a pout. The look on Kali's face was a little warmer now, as she nudged her again. "Better. Now…" Sienna leaned against the railing as well, her dark skin contrasting with the lights that illuminated the ship, her eyes roving over the sea. _'She does not feel as we do.'_

"I'll let you have the first go." The admission seemed to pain Kali for a moment, those amber eyes flickering slightly with hesitating emotions, yet the woman seemed to be resolute on that point. "We can come afterwards." The look in Kali's eyes was rough, as she looked at Whitney with a long look.

"Kali?!" Sienna's voice cut through the air, even as the older Faunus woman clicked her tongue in minor disapproval. "You'll be third. Don't worry. You'll love it. I've always had a few tricks to ensure that my man is in prime condition for another go." The look on Sienna's face was scandalized, as the woman shuddered. "Too much information."

Kali giggled. The sound would sound most accurate for a girl in her late teens, the light sound not holding any of the strains of life to burn through that vitality yet. "You haven't found the best out yet…" A conspiratorial grin was on Kali's face, as she moved her mouth close to Whitney's ear. "Just let me take care of him after you've had a go and Sienna will be meowing like a kitten…"

Whitney wasn't sure what the woman had planned for Jaune after she'd finally confessed her love and gone through the appropriate measures in order to sleep with him, as a woman and man should do, but it certainly was something that she would have to keep in mind when she did pop the question to him about firmly settling their relationship. _'Even if he does not want me… I still want to be of use.'_

"I do NOT need to know that." Sienna said, though the fire in her voice was mostly gone, her eyes closed for a moment. Whitney did not need to feel to see that the Faunus woman was struggling against the urges to fight. _'Soon… Even you will feel the flames of desire lick at you…'_

Her hand rubbed over the railing in an absent-minded manner, her whole attention diverted towards the far-off moon. "You're welcome to join us." The invitation was there, hung out for the Faunus woman to take. She knew that it would take much for the Faunus to accept the offer, yet…

"I'll accept on her behalf." Kali said, Sienna's startled sound making itself be known to her. "Kali!" The indignation was real and fierce, orange eyes lighting up in the darkness of the night. Another trait of their empowerment, one which lent Kali a set of luminescent amber eyes, containing the fear that she instilled inside others. "Whaaaat? You need to let your hair down once in a while… Just let Es take care of that need inside you and let him put a collar around your neck."

Sienna's apoplectic face was enough for Whitney to nearly lose her cool, her head turning away. "You make such insinuations…" The tone was stiff and formal, as Sienna straightened. Kali and Sienna were nearly at a height, Sienna only taller than her by the mere happenstance of genetics, yet the Panther Faunus merely winked at her. "They're going to be fucking…" The older Faunus woman jabbed a thumb at Whitney. "Do you really want to have to use toys to get pleasure?"

Sienna's face looked horribly conflicting as she showed signs of breaking down, the irises flaring up with the strands of the darkness pushing through the iris, her orange eyes like lit flames as they took in the light, the shudder that went through her like an advance warning. "I…"

The Faunus woman halted, the anger flashing over her features like a brush-fire, her eye twitching slightly, her expression changing several times, as she took a deep breath. "Alright, alright…" The laborious sigh that Sienna issued was an indication of how far she had sunk into her depth.

"I'll admit… he isn't half-bad." The woman's admission was enough to stoke the fire inside her, as Whitney could feel the brunt of that pleasure go through her before she gathered herself once more, her gaze drawn to her companions. _'With Summer, we're four…'_

"But that doesn't mean that I want him. He is still a human…" The argument seemed to be feeble enough to really make any sense if this were some distorted world, her eyes hesitantly looking towards the distance.

"I felt… confused, for a while." The woman's musing tone was something that was not spoken loudly, loud enough for Kali's ears to pick up and Whitney's own senses to barely make out. Whitney could understand the emotions as she had felt them before, had felt confused and afraid and left adrift.

' _And that is why he is our beacon… The light that gives us something to yearn for in the darkness.'_ "He's our leader." She said, her voice confident in her tone and in her words. "He means much to us all."

They could talk like this, the noise of the sea blocking their conversation out to most senses. Sienna's eyes looked into the distance, mystified seemingly. "Perhaps." The White Fang's former High Leader said, as she nibbled on her lower lip.

"He is still a human…" She said, as if that were the only barrier to accepting him. "She's not getting over her human kink anytime soon… I guess we'll have to do some acclimatizing for her." The suggestion by Kali was one that Whitney Schnee automatically rejected, the thought of sharing a bed with two women not being entirely out of the question, yet spending time in that bed WITH them in the sense of being with a woman…

' _Not that I've got much against skinship… but it's just not proper.'_ That Faunus were loose in their sexuality did not mean that properly raised Atlesian women were. _'I would consider it if I had an audience…'_ She thought of her leader, imagining his gaze as she kissed Kali.

The tingling sensation in her lower body made itself known immediately, knowing that the mere suggestion of him would let all those presupposed conditions slip away. _'For him…'_ The thought was not as strange as it could be, as the desire inside her flared up.

"I do _not_ have a human kink!"Sienna hissed, as she looked at her friend/bodyguard, the heated look making Kali chuckle. "Oho? Didn't I see that little thing on your Scroll when you were twenty-two?"

Sienna's face turned slightly queasy, as she seemed to consider that. "W-what?" Kali nudged her gently. "You know…" The woman leaned forth and Whitney only caught the motion of the older Faunus' lips, a soft utterance of a name and a mention of 'that little story'. _'Are they talking about a novel?'_

Sienna's expression turned redder than before, Whitney's eyes catching a widening of those orange eyes, the darkness receding from the whites of her eyes, her gaze cast away. "Eh-hem…" The younger Faunus woman coughed, shaking her head slightly. "Youthful indiscretions will remain, I suppose…" The Faunus did not elaborate on what that youthful indiscretion was, or why it seemed that she was struggling with the thought of that happening.

"I'm sure that it wouldn't be a bad thing to at least reach out…" The suggestion was spoken gentler, as Sienna's eyes closed, a pained expression coming on her face. "After what…" The woman shook her head and growled. "We were READY, then…" Kali's expression revealed pain, as the slow sigh came from the woman's mouth.

"I know you were… The protection of the High Leader was always the highest priority for the guard…" The woman's voice sounded tense, even though her physical appearance was that of a young woman. "You helped, at least."

Sienna's grip on the railing firmed, her eyes open, fierce anger shining in them. "They won't understand… Nobody will ever understand…"the words seemed to be more to herself than to them, as the far-off looks came to her eyes. Kali's hand laid on the younger woman's back, rubbing over it gently. "You called their family, didn't you?"

Kali's mouth was shut. "It's not like I could not… but…" Whitney noticed the expression shifting to one of pain. "Gods, that woman just said 'we don't speak to Faunus' and closed the call. I mean, what's with that? Who would…" The strangled sound in the depths of her throat was enough to showcase it, as Kali's rubbing over her back continued.

"They are a closed-minded lot, Valeans… There was nothing that you could do about it… It happened. People die." Whitney couldn't help but clear her throat. "What… happened?" Sienna's eyes blazed in anger, as she opened her mouth to give a violent response, Kali looking at Whitney with a look that was troubled.

"Sienna was…" The woman's attention shifted, as her gaze was cast to the sea, watching the waves, something drawing her attention… and then she felt it. A corona of power wrapped around a figure, approaching swiftly. Something that went so deep inside her that it vibrated the very core of her being, a yearning inside her like the gaping maw of doom wringing out every urge inside her.

Whitney's gaze went to the heavens, catching sight of something as it moved. Her weapon was in her hands in a moment, as she put it up, the sight magnifying the image, spotting a familiar shape atop the Nevermore. The corona of energy lingered around it, relief flooding her senses as she looked at the creature approaching.

It flew higher than the cannons of the ship could reach, the figure that stood atop it leaping off, the Nevermore whisked away into mere shadows as the body descended. Her arm was stretched out immediately, a massive Glyph appearing before her, infused with Gravity Dust, slowing the descent of the figure, his body arrested in mid-air, her arms reaching out to wrap around him. "Jaune!" Her voice was louder than intended, even as she could smell the smell of ozone cling to his body, his whole form seemingly wrapped in the tension of the powers that he held.

She could see that his false arm was missing, obviously used up to provide for his powers, the flesh slowly knitting together on his chest, bone exposed and bleeding. Eyes that held an indomitable will stared at her, blue and red meeting her gaze, as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. The wounds on his chest slowly closed up again, the sparks of his Aura converging around the bone and growing flesh once more, faster than she'd imagine it happening in the medical wards.

"I'm back." He said, voice sounding like it had just suffered through the worst of stresses, as the hand that held the staff that kept the relic locked within its grasp moved the Relic against her skin, the flash of something burning inside her. His body was blackened, as if it had laid in a fire, not a remnant of his clothing remaining on his body, the blisters of subdermal fluid from high temperature mingling with the blackened and cracked skin."Let me go." He said, his voice direct, commanding her.

She did as he asked, his hand, the one that held the staff, letting go of the artefact. The burning rush through his body was like a furnace, as his hand laid itself on Sienna's shoulder. " **You will receive my gift."** The voice was rough and the desires inside of her burned like the live flames of a hearth as she watched Sienna's eyes grow wide as something seemed to force itself into her body, a shudder coming from the Faunus woman as the darkness spread through her from the very core. A feeling of anger inside her surged, as she could feel the yearning for his touch, the craving for his own mark to lay upon her as well. She could feel the desires within her burn as something seemed to replace the wrath inside her with a boundless darkness.

Sienna's head snapped up, looking at him, her eyes meeting Jaune's, pits of dark radiance inside them as they looked into his own, the blue and red meeting hers without any fear inside them. "You… **What have you** done?" The voice sounded warped for a few words, yet turned back to its original tone after a second. Whitney shivered at the warping, knowing the mannerisms of Kali well.

Those eyes met with Sienna's still as the power warped her, the hand on her shoulder like a physical tether that restrained her with his might and will, eyes burning with that indeterminable power that seemed to be ever-present within his body, forming into Sienna the core of what would become her own power.

The Faunus woman shuddered, her eyes closing slowly as the power seemed to pool inside her. " **The power will become yours as well."** The voice of Kali filtered into her ear, her friend embracing her from the side. **"Sienna is not fully convinced… She will see the world as we do…"**

Kali's eyes were gazing at the changes that worked through Sienna, even as the skin seemed to darken for a moment, a set of fierce teeth, much like that of a predatory cat, visible, her body shifting slightly to show the coarse fur of a tiger, as Sienna's body seemed to distort. An image of a half-human half-tiger woman stood there, the hand on her shoulder enough, as the warmth wrapped around her as well, the darkness inside her quivering and twitching, Sienna's eyes finally closing. Not a single shred of her body seemed to be changed or twisted… yet the presence was like the darkness had wrapped itself around her, as Sienna's eyes opened.

Darkness, filled with two orbs of orange fire and wrath, a slow exhale following afterwards as the woman seemed to gather herself, the tail that wrapped around her waist enough of an indication that she had calmed down.

Whitney blinked as she looked at the tiger's tail that was wrapped around Sienna's waist, the markings on Sienna's skin looking more life-like than the tattoos that had been there before. A shudder worked through her body as she recognized the change that had gone through the woman, even as Jaune collapsed, a faint murmur of 'Jean' coming from his mouth. _'No…'_

Jealousy rose inside her, knowing that the powers that he had bestowed upon Sienna, could have gone into her…

Kali's words went through her mind then. _'Sienna is not fully convinced…'_ The statement held the belief that there was something of a truth to Jaune's words, something that he could see that they only caught glimpses of… something that they could use to compile the truth of the world.

A heat blossomed inside her as she realized Jaune's ploy… _'Dissent is not allowed… Whilst I may be the one who holds none of those powers… I am not without my own.'_ The Glyphs were a powerful Semblance in their own right, even as she could see the palpable waves of power that emanated from Sienna. The Faunus woman looked comfortable, as Jaune was held up by her, her arms possessively wrapped around him.

' _I will get my due…'_ The unconscious face of the one that she loved looked so beautiful to her that it eclipsed her thoughts for a moment. _'No matter what the cost is…'_ Her gaze went to the approaching footsteps, spotting Jack and his wife approaching, stepping in front of Jaune, who was being hauled back to the cabin that they shared. _'I will pay it if it means that I will make him happy.'_

A woman's life was one of sacrifice. Sacrificing oneself for the benefit of those that were beloved came natural to a mother. "Is that your teammate?" The question came, Whitney pulling herself together quickly in order to provide a response. "It is."

"Woah… Must've been some Semblance that he's got…" Whitney's mind went to certain places, even as her lips curled. "There is a reason we keep him around, other than his manly charms." Her gaze went to the woman who Jack referred to as 'Big sis' sometimes, the woman giving a faint nod.

"Keep him safe… We'll inform the captain." Whitney's head turned, spotting the Relic-topped staff and walking over, the husband and wife pair disappearing out of sight, grabbing a hold of the wood and lifting it up. Pain lashed out from where she gripped the staff, the wood feeling rough under her fingers, as she pulled it along, the whole length of the staff like searing hot iron to the touch, yet not a single mark put upon her skin. A forbidden presence seemed to emanate from the staff, a set of piercing blue eyes opening up in her mind.

She set the staff down in the bunk that Jaune laid on, Sienna's breathing heavy, as she watched the sleeping Jaune, recovering his strength as it was, the Relic's glow increasing the moment that it was put close to him. _'The Relic… It's got the power to fix things…_ '

Knowledge was a powerful thing. With its powers unlocked by the young man, there would be nothing that would remember their presence within its range of activation…

Her gaze went to Sienna again, watching the Faunus woman for a moment as she laid on the bunk, her eyes up to the ceiling. "Do you feel different?" Her voice sounded loud in the darkness, as the cabin door seemed to be shrouded in pure blackness, Kali's hands grabbing the door and shutting it with a dull click. Her eyes burned in the shadows, as Whitney looked at Sienna.

" **Is this…"** The voice of the deposed High Leader of the White Fang sounded distorted, a little lower in the register and more guttural and vicious than before. A wave of anger and wrath rolled over her, as those eyes looked at her. A strong impulse to do violence upon others washed over her, warring with the desires within her.

A shudder that was dismissed immediately followed, as her gaze met with Sienna's. **"These powers…"** The woman's hand rose, the claws lengthening to look like they'd be able to tear through flesh. **"My body… It feels different. Stronger."** Her eyes looked back at her, the gaze holding that sharp edge now, as the woman's eyes met her own.

" **The power is different… Stronger in body… You are much stronger than I will ever be…"** Kali's voice whispered, loud in the darkness. The shadows dislodged her, wrapping around her legs and leaving her upper body bare, her eyes glowing faintly as the fingers stroked over Sienna's cheek. **"You always were more of a fighter than me…"**

Sienna's eyes met with Whitney's, some sort of decision reached… and the woman snorted, audibly. **"I'll allow you as a friend. Do not reject my generous offer."** The tone in which she said it was almost as if she had resigned herself to that fact, yet the eyes were fierce. A sense of camaraderie seemed to blossom between them, the bonds that they had forged enough for now.

' _With the help of Jaune, even the ex-leader of the White Fang and the wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie have come to regard a Schnee as a friend… It seems miracles still happen.'_

* * *

 **As a small announcement: There will be another chapter before the finale! I decided that it'd be a better fit if I work hard on ensuring that it all makes sense at the Volume II finale! I'm also debating whether to put in the first chapter - Skip to Chapter 5 for the Jaune part... Might help a bit with keeping people interested.**

 **Also… I saw Episode 2 of Volume 6 last Saturday… And I was like 'oh god, oh god… They actually put a genie in the lamp!' and went through this chapter again, just to get ready for the alterations… Just to realize that I'd not have to change much from the actual writing thing.**

 **I write several perspectives from the characters in one go, so I don't lose the flow. Unless of course, they are two different characters in the same scene.**

 **Ozpin File 19572, from the Beacon Servers**

 **Name: Arc, Ashley  
Age:25  
Status: ACTIVE  
Title: Dr.  
Semblance: Technological adeptness.  
Aura: Unlocked, A  
Hunter Ranking: A (A+ when working with Arc, Bianca.)  
Weapon: Technus Mors/Ferrum Mors  
Partner: Arc, Bianca  
Team: Arc Family.**

 **Bio: The eldest daughter of twins, Arc, Ashley has shown incremental marks in intelligence assessment tests and other such measuring tools. The tactical influence of Arc, Ashley is not to be misunderstood. Her Semblance allows her to control electronic and mechanical tools, allowing the automated defences of any mechanical grid to be fine-tuned to a degree that borders on the super-human. In less technologically adept communities, the tactical view through tools such as the Scroll network can aid.**

 **Arc, Ashley has recently developed a suit of armour to wear on the battlefield, working in conjunction with her own weapon to allow for longer ventures into the wilds. Her preference for defensive encounters makes her a match for her sister, Arc, Bianca, whose aggressive style of combat is boosted by her sister's acumen for creating rounds and ensuring the well-being of those around her.**

 **Personality: Driven by reason and technical interest, much akin to her younger sister Arc, Cremea, she has shown great vision on ensuring that the mission is completed. Deriving support from her twin sister, clearly the more active of the pair, she nevertheless does as well as can be expected of a young woman her age.**

 **Notes by OZPIN:**

 **Unconventional and able to adjust the tactical plans of the opposition, Ashley Arc has the benefit of the current technological age working in her favour, as the emplacements and technological edge that is present in most Valean settlements allows her greater expertise to ensure the defence of a town, in tandem with her sister. Slight aberrations in behaviour have been noticed after successive missions, fading out with restful periods. Response after the death of Arc, Jaune has been muted, as far as could be assessed from the official record. Minor references to exaggerated sexual behaviour by the sisters have been found and expunged due to lack of corroborating evidence.**

* * *

Omake segment… because I felt it'd fit. Episode 2… If Salem's an Arc, I'm writing a JaunexSalem thing after The dance of tigers is done.

The beast roared and he threw up a wall of viridescent energy, Relic blazing atop his staff, the energies sizzling through his veins, bringing with it the fresh scent of ozone and terror. A shudder worked through his body as the voice inside his head spoke clearly – ' _ **J.I.N.N. Materialization complete. Initiating power overflow.'**_ – before the brightness of the light zapped him and he felt himself adrift.

He noticed a feeling of weightlessness, before his body accelerated, a loud 'Woah!' coming from someone in the distance as he hit the snow-covered ground and skidded, his body feeling the coolness of the snow and frost tickle against his skin. He laid there for a moment, his sole hand still holding the staff that contained the Relic, its whispers of Knowledge starting to fade for a moment as a clear feminine voice spoke in his mind – _**"Materialisation complete. Detecting Alternate Universe Barrier, Coalescence maintained." –**_ He slowly got up, even as he noticed the feeling of the icy cold snow against his bare body, groaning as he did so. _'This is going to be annoying to get myself out of.'_

His gaze went to the direction where he felt a familiar pulse, a floating blue woman looking at him with an intrigued manner. **"My… It seems that we have a visitor…"** The voice was familiar to his ears, his gaze going to the Relic, then to the spectral woman that hovered in sight… before slipping towards the people arranged before the woman. A man he did not recognize and an old woman who he did not recognize, standing together with a young teen who couldn't be older than fourteen in his estimation…

Ruby Rose looked different. Gaunter than before, her cloak a ragged-looking mess. She held the Relic with some sort of death grip, her eyes looking right at him with their silver shine, Blake and Weiss standing in front of her, with Yang rounding it out. He could feel his hand grip the staff a little tighter, aware that this might very well be ending in a fight, if he did not remain cautious.

"Why're you here, Kid?" The man with the large sword spoke, his voice sounding like the gruff combination of liquor and failed relationships, his red eyes paranoid in their gaze as they looked at him.

"What happened to your arm!? Jaune?" The concern in Ruby's voice was enough, as he found the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him and then willed it to form a new arm. One should remain consistent in one's appearance, after all.

" **It seems that the young Master has appeared as well… How do you do, Warlock?"** The voice of the spirit spoke, the Relic humming its assent immediately, as it recognized a similar vessel. The complexity of the matter was immediately apparent to him. Another dimension, he must have been thrown into, during the fight with the Elder Grimm, undoubtedly when the JINN had materialized.

"I'm cold." He said, the arm pushed out of the stump that remained, the feeling of flesh growing and bones materializing in the darkened ichors something that he would never quite get used to. The weapons were ready and waiting for him. He could see Yang looking at him in a hostile manner, one that swore vengeance upon him if he dared harm a hair on Ruby's head. "What are you, trying to imitate one of our friends?!" Weiss shouted, a flinch going through him.

"I am as I've always been!"He shouted back, as anger flared inside him at the assumption. "Why do you all look older?!" It was the truth. Ruby Rose had never had such a look on her face before he'd seen her. "What date is it?"

"The fourteenth of Purpura." _'Nearly six months from now… so… I'm six months in the future.'_ He could work with that. The Relic gave him enough strength to fight his way out, the Grimm would heed his command…

And his gaze fell onto the Relic in Ruby's hands again, realizing its presence now for the first time, fully. _'If there is another Relic with a spirit… doesn't that mean that I'm somewhere else…'_

" **I will return you, once the barrier firms up once more. It is the least I can do."** The spirit winked at him, placating his worries for the time being. He felt weightlessness settle in on himself, as the Relic in his staff pulsated a similar sensation. "So… you're Jaune, right?" Ruby seemed to try, as the young teenager gave him a look that was calculating and shrewd. _'I don't like that look.'_

"As sure as I can be, Crater Face." The look on Ruby's face was one of surprise, before the smile caught up with her again. "Sooo… What's new in your life?" The hiss of Weiss of 'Ruby!' came with an exasperated look from Yang, their weapons lowered slightly, yet their gazes still cautious. "Traveling the sea back to Vale. We're going to my family in Vytal before getting back to Beacon." Ruby gave a soft 'uhuh', her attention directed straight at him.

"So… You, Ren, Nora and Pyrrha?" The question hit home, as he grimaced, feeling the pain inside him rise up. The look on his face was noticed by all present, the old lady tapping the weird goggles that she wore. "No… Kali, Sienna and Esmeralda."

" **Would you like me to materialize images of them, Young Master?"** The genie hovering behind team RWBY asked, the young teenager seemingly about to ask something, yet catching himself. "If you could, please… I think the Relics are interfering with each other."

" **That is the case. The Prime Universe's Relics will negate the presence of Alternate Universe Relics through sheer potency. Calling up images of AGT-101, Associates of Arc, Jaune.'** Holograms of his team members appeared, standing boldly there.

Sienna in her full glory, her outfit covering her up well, her fierce gaze undiminished. Kali, her young-looking guise staring out at whoever dared to question her validity, the katar and kris in her hands and ready to be used. Esmeralda, standing there with the emblem of her Glyphs behind her, her hair an odd shade of white, as she looked ready to shoot someone with the rifle that she had in her hands.

The living members of his team. He could see that their appearance had little impact, Blake's head tilting to the side, as if looking right at the images. "She looks like she could be related to me…" The Faunus mumbled softly whilst Yang and Ruby both stared at Esmeralda. "She looks awfully familiar…" Ruby murmured to herself, Yang's head tilting to the side, as if unsure about who it might be..

It was Weiss who seemed to have had the blood drain from her face, her gaze snapping to him. "You! What are your intentions towards your team!" The snappy tone made him rise up a little, as he straightened out. "They're my friends!"

"And Winter is included as well?" He didn't know who this 'Winter' was, but he shrugged. "I don't know about her, but…" The narrowing of Weiss' eyes was enough, as the spectre snapped her fingers. **"You will be placed back in the same spot where you came from, Young Master… May you gain the knowledge that you wish from those that contain it. Also… You will always be loved. Even though you may not notice it yet."** The genie winked and Jaune felt himself be transported away, out into the open seas again. A moment of queasiness…

He didn't know why he felt like this. One moment, he had been focused and now, the draconic Grimm was bearing down on him again, the Relic glowing, as if freshly empowered with new strength. He looked at his arm, which had somehow regrown, before he continued onwards with the fight, the oozing _Vitae Tenebris_ in the waters making an ominous sight of steam and froth mingling together to form a sea of darkness.

* * *

Ruby felt odd. Seeing the burnt-up Jaune had rattled something inside her, something that seemed to be connected to the young man. Seeing the faces of his team members, even as Jaune disappeared with a faint pop, she looked at the genie once again. "So, Jinn…" The genie met her gaze, amusement playing in those eyes.

"Where… Where's that Jaune from?" The soft 'No!' from Ozpin she ignored, as the genie shifted a little in her manner of floating, her body leaning back. **"This information is free, as it pertains to the past of one of the alternate possibilities."** The concession was pretty large, it seemed, as Professor Ozpin seemed to be relieved that the genie of the Relic would not use up one of her questions, as the genie spoke. **"Once upon a time, there was a boy… He wished to be a hero in order to live up to his ideals and his family's honour, yet his journey was sadly cast adrift by a number entered by mistake. Through his trials, he has gathered friends and foes, with the lofty ideals that he holds as at his core, yet danger looms around every corner."** The words did not mean much, yet the scenery around them changed.

She could see Jaune's body floating in a sea of pure blackness, the ghastly face of the woman who had been visible for a brief instant in Haven appearing to float before him. **"A kiss, stolen from the monster, a rescue that had been forthcoming for years…'** An image of a body that had its limbs amputated, a ragged mess of scars and flesh marked by the wounds of torture, silver eyes peering up at the young man who stood there in the buff.

It was all so swiftly over, as she stood there in the snow, the trails where Jaune had stood dissipating into the blank whiteness. **"Does that give you a hint?"**

Weiss was the next to speak. "What did he do to my sister?" The snappy tone was not respectful at all, yet the genie seemed to take it in stride. **"Nothing, Weiss."** The casual use of her name was dismissed by Weiss, who growled, the image of the woman standing there.

"That is my sister, I KNOW her. She might look like… like a ruffian, but that is my sister!" Ruby could see Winter's shape in the woman, although the facial features seemed to be slightly different. **"Oh?"** The woman quizzed, as she looked at Ruby with an amused look.

"What… What doesn't Ozpin want us to know? What is he hiding?" The question came out, as the spirit moved her hands, a misty haze settling around them. **"Once upon a time… There stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl… Named Salem."**

After the secret of Ozpin was unveiled, Ruby Rose looked at the spirit for a moment, before rubbing the lamp. "You can… go in, I don't know." The look on Weiss' face was something that seemed to be hard to hide, as her attention drew fully to her team leader.

" **Of course, Ruby… And Weiss?"** The spirit's form seemed to lose consistency for a moment. **"It was your mother, instead of your sister. She wants some of the Arc charm inside her."** Ruby blinked… as Weiss turned a deathly pale colour, shivering, not because of the cold, but because of the imagery. **"You should try it yourself as well. It's great for getting rid of that pent-up stress. Well… Your mothers definitely won't mind a bit of a man's charm, given what they've been through."**

It was Yang who finally added the nail in the coffin, her voice more amused than anything else.

"So… Does that mean that you're going to be meeting up with your new daddy when we get to Argus? Getting a bit of a one-on-one jousting match with your gallant saviour?"

Weiss' scream of frustration was loud enough to echo through the terrain, whilst the Relic was kept under safe circumstances with Ruby. The final comment from Ozpin, before he went to his slumber inside Oscar was – "Jinn always enjoyed practical jokes…"

* * *

 **Annnd this is it for this week's update! In 2 weeks, another chapter! Anticipation! Terror! Sienna in a swimsuit!**

 **And the above omake/alternate take scene was inspired by Episode 2 of the 6** **th** **volume… so I'll be checking out Ep 3 on Saturday! Should be fun! THIS IS NOT CANONICAL TO A GRIMM TALE AT ALL. THIS IS JUST A SPOT OF AMUSEMENT THAT I THREW IN BECAUSE I WAS INSPIRED. (The first name for the genie of the Relic was 'Direct Judicial Interfacing Neural Network', before it became what was the current iteration. I put thought into what's happening in the universe I create.)**

 **Still gonna go 'Oh yeah!' if Salem turns out to be some sort of forebear to the Arc family.  
**

 **Please leave a review… I'll try to do a bit of review-answering in the next chapter.**


	29. Philophobia

**Chapter 29: Philophobia**

 **This is chapter 29. Within it, is the fear of love. Y'all should know that the titles mean something.**

* * *

 _The restful moments (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The door creaked as one of the cabin's occupants pushed it open, the morning greeting them with the sounds of the sea as a rush in the background, the salty air of the seas prickling his nose as he pushed himself a little deeper into the covers, trying to keep himself in that pleasant state of fugue, knowing that if he woke up, he would have to face the world once more. _'I don't feel like being out of bed today…'_

"Jaune?" Her voice reached his ear, his eyes opening up to see Esmeralda standing there, a tray with what passed for food showing off her go-getter skills, her smile warm and friendly as she directed her gaze at him. His body felt like an ache, as he slowly got himself up.

"Thank you." He mumbled, taking the bun and starting to butter it, noticing that she'd already done something like that, the sheen of butter on the inside of the bun already made. "Oh, thanks."

She nodded her head, as she sat herself down on his bunk, against his legs. Her hand reached out, touching gently over his body. "Sienna and Kali have decided to go out. It's a good thing that Sienna bought herself some loose-fitting clothes." The memory of what he had done last night came back, as he looked at the small cup of jam that'd been set aside. Blueberry flavour… not quite his favourite, but it would do.

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice soft, Esmeralda's smile gentle as her hand traced through his hair. He pushed his head against her stroking touch, reminded for a moment of the love of a mother, as she let her gaze meet with his own.

"It's alright." She said, yet the darkness inside her was starting to bubble and seethe, the emotions inside her darkening to such an extent that it was like a thunderstorm, twitching and thundering inside of her. Her eyes were pools of blue, looking into his own. "You did what you thought best…"

She sounded like a jilted lover in the books that his sisters liked, the feeling of being abandoned showing through. His hand reached out to gently squeeze her hand, his hand domineering her own. She seemed to freeze, her lips parting for a moment, her eyes looking into his own, tears welling up.

"Jaune." Her voice was hoarser than before, as she suddenly moved, the darkness inside her pulsating, as he felt her push him on his back, the fingers remarkably strong, her pale cheeks burning with heat as her eyes looked over him. "My Jaune…"

He was reminded of his sisters when they did something like this, pinning him down and not making him get up until he'd called them the best sisters ever. "Esmeralda?" Her mouth opened, but she did not speak, the door opening up once more as she looked down at him, heedless of whoever it was that came in.

' _This looks awfully intimate to anyone else, no doubt.'_ The sudden cough behind her was enough to draw his attention, spotting the captain of the ship standing there in all his glory. "I see that you have found your missing member again." The man said, sounding like it was just an everyday thing, Esmeralda straightening herself out and getting off him. He thought that he could smell something that was like perfume or something as she came off him, standing before the captain of the ship, her bod language telling him that she acted braver than she felt.

"He came back to us."The relief in her voice was near-palpable as she looked at the Captain, who smiled a little at her, as if trying to convey the message that it was alright. "Such a Semblance…" The man looked at him, Jaune giving a small shrug. "I can teleport to people I've been close to, Sir."The man nodded, his hand stroking over his chin, the rustling sound of his beard making it sound louder than it had been.

"Nevertheless, I am glad to have you back. I came to inform you that there will be a mooring in three days, which allows the passengers to go out and take a rest at the beach." The man's tone made it sound like he didn't quite approve of the visit, yet necessity made it more or less a mandated thing. "I would appreciate it if you went along with some of the guests to ensure their safety, Miss Gele."

Esmeralda's face was business-like as if she had switched to the mode in which she would be able to make the decisions, her eyes sharply pruning the man for some sort of weakness, like a predatory creature would. "Will we be able to enjoy ourselves as well?" She asked, the Captain shrugging once, showing little care or concern for the concept.

"As long as the customers are safe and the Grimm are kept away or dead, I'd not care whether you did it in your skivvies. You Huntsmen are always able to whip out a weapon out of some small pocket or bag or something, so I don't busy myself with that. The mandatory refuel is something that we can't miss if we're going around Cape Hope." The man said, his hand scratching his cheek. "Your Faunus teammate went ahead and decided that there'd be a need for refuelling your Dust supplies as well." Clearly the man was not up to date with the Dust usage of a Huntsman, clearly.

' _I know that Esmeralda uses Dust rounds for the majority of her shots, the effect they have clearly outlined, yet wasteful.'_ He let his hand go for the bun again, putting it in his mouth and chewing on it. "How about you rest up a bit, son? You've been through quite an ordeal, it seems." The captain good-naturedly commented, Jaune about to agree, yet his mouth was full at the moment.

"We need him for his skills." The voice of Esmeralda held a certain strain, as she looked at him like how his mom used to look at him as if he'd done something bad. "He's just been returned to us and we are not letting him out of our sights yet." Her voice brooked no argument, the Captain grinning and giving him a little nod of the head.

"Have a good day, son. Recover well, I know that you Huntsmen are a different sort than us mere civilians." The man disappeared, leaving him alone with Esmeralda, whose faint smile seemed to be more ominous than before, as if there had been a change in her nature, her eyes glinting for a moment as she looked at him. "Right back in bed with you." Her voice was strict, matronly and without any patience.

Her hands tucked the covers over him, as she held up the glass, a straw sticking out of it, held at his lips. Jaune swallowed for a moment, before his lips wrapped around the straw, sucking at the juice, feeling the clarity of his mind start as he cooled his mouth with the drink, a slow inhale and exhale sending a shiver through his body, his mind ordering things. _**'Initializing protocols. Starting recovery. Input data? N.'**_ The voice of the Relic reached his ears, discernible as feminine in nature, the recollection of the battle coming to his mind.

The stress on his body had finally faded from his mind, even as Esmeralda made him drink, her attentiveness like that of his mother when he was ill, her hand brushing through his hair, a caring look on her face. _'She looks really pretty when she cares for me…'_

It was not a usual thought for him as he looked at the older woman, whose fingers were trailing through his hair, the strands mussed up after her fingers had passed through, her whole body shuddering for a moment as she leaned forwards and then pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I can feel your energy being low, Jaune…"

Concern and worry shone through in her voice as she looked at him, her expression hardly shifting much, save for the bubbling of the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her, worry mingling with concern as she did so. "I'm fine." He said, her vicious growl out with no restraint.

"You're NOT. What if you had died to that creature, Jaune?" Her voice sounded pathetic, worried and with a franticness. "I-We wouldn't have been able to survive it." Her voice quivered, those eyes tear-filled, as she laid her head against his own.

Menthol breath hit his nostrils, her forehead feeling cool against his own. "We care for you, Jaune… I care for you." Her voice seemed to crack for a moment, as if she began to gather her will. Her hands gently pulled the covers up a little, exposing his skin. Her fingers pressed over the skin for a moment as she looked at him, her lips pressing to his nose. "I'd not want you to ever abandon me." Her voice pleaded, as her lips moved ever lower.

His breath stilled in his throat as he could feel the brush of her lips against his own, the touch soft and fluffy, even as the door opened up. "Good mooooorniiiiing!"

Esmeralda's head whipped up with a 'BONK!' sound, the woman hissing something that was definitely not the Valean dialect, something like 'Heisse' coming from her mouth as she rubbed her head, looking at Kali as she stood in the door opening.

"Ooh, did I interrupt you two lovebirds?" The teasing tone of Kali's voice was loud to his ears, even as the woman entered, Sienna following behind a moment later, Esmeralda straightening herself out, the glass having fallen from her hands, emptied of juice, thankfully, and her eyes went towards him.

"It's not like she'd be…" Jaune started, Kali's arms pulling him close in an embrace. He could feel her push his head against her chest, wrapped into the warmth of her body as she held on to him. "Don't do that to us again, Jaune." Her voice whispered in his ear, her voice slithering and sliding like a King Tajitu on a mission, another, matured voice in his ears. **"Without you, we are but kittens lost in a storm of blood and thunder…"** The voice belonged to the matured form of Kali, crafted from the very shadows, at his side, bursting from the shadows like a specter of death. The expression on the shadowy Kali's face was one of sternness, even as the Kali that was seating herself on the bed beside him seemed to have some effect, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her quivering as her hand laid against his cheek. He noticed that Esmeralda seemed to have slunk off, as if her mood was something mercurial, the look on her face none too pleasant.

"You know little of a woman's heart, do you?" He heard Kali say, as the amber eyes met with his own. "What's this about a woman's heart?" He asked, Kali's soft laughter sounding like a charm that hardly was spoiled.

"No, I won't spoil things… this time." Her gaze went to Sienna, who sat on her bunk, her eyes looking at him like orange suns, the look in them promising a painful demise as she gazed at him with an inscrutable look. "What did you do to me?"

He felt his breath stall for the second time this day, her eyes burning with the wrath that he had felt within her, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her burning like a fire that had been lit in a liquid Dust Fuel pond, the look of pitiless mercurial death in those eyes nearly frightening, if he did not know that Sienna restrained herself when around Kali.

"I…" _'Corrupted you. Made you my Acolyte without informing you. I have taken from you the freedom of choice… Like a villain.'_ The words did not come, his gaze cast down as he felt the darkness wrap around him, the sensation never changing from that dark pallor. Kali made a soothing sound as she brushed her hands over his back, trying to soothe him like a caring friend would. _'Who would ever be a friend of a man who cannot do anything but hurt others?'_

* * *

 _The pride of wrath (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

Sienna stood at the railing, peering out over the morning sea, the fresh breeze tousling her hair, the short cut of it still as perfect as it had always been. Her lips curled back into what might be a smile if it did not look so fierce, the feeling inside her like a radiance that seemed to never go away. Pure power, inside of her…

She felt better than she had ever felt before. Anger and wrath and hatred seemed to bring themselves together to lend her the fire that would propel her to great heights, the strength of her muscles altered by a great deal with just a few simple tests.

Her body was like a lithe graceful murder-machine, like the tigers that one saw within the Animese zoos, captive and without much fire in their veins. Her arms felt like they were on fire as she whipped herself to a fevered pace, her body moving through the system of exercises, every strike that she made giving her the power to control herself and her own destiny. _'Do I need a human to guide me anymore, with this power?'_

The dark ichors inside her seemed to spread through her body, the flames that were within her quelled not by the dark inky fluid that tainted her very core, spreading with the flow of the darkness, igniting her body's natural wrathful disposition. _'There will be nothing but the flames of vengeance… There are…'_

"There you are!" Kali's voice interrupted her train of thought, even as the morning sun greeted her sight as she turned towards Kali. Her arms lowered as the older Faunus embraced her, a broad smile on her lips. "So… How was getting Jaune's love infusion, hmmm?" The tone of voice that Kali used was teasing, yet Sienna did not rise to the bait.

"I wouldn't call it a 'love infusion', as you say." She said, yet her voice held no fire of irritation in its tone.

The feeling of being connected to him for a single instant, of seeing his whole body loom over her as his hand moved and the wave of darkness erupted from her inner core, washing over all of her dignity, was something that she would never forget.

It went beyond the intimacy of being with a man, beyond a shower with a trusted subordinate or friend… It was at the raw core, where her innermost thoughts laid, the perversion of the values that she had held dear once bringing with it yet another perspective…

' _Was I wrong?'_ The thought rose to her mind as the darkness wrapped around her tightly like a cocoon, that one moment when the darkness finally sluiced itself into her innermost well of power, her Aura dampening for a moment before igniting once more.

' _ **He… cares.'**_ She would never have believed it for a moment, if his mind had not been opened to him. Her suspicions of earlier, washed away with that one moment of clarity, as she saw herself and her friend how he saw them. A playful woman who teased like an elder sister and her dear friend, biting and fierce in her own nature, aware of the world and willing to go to any length to protect it. A heroine, if one could see it…

' _ **By the gods…'**_ She would never admit it out loud to anyone, yet the seed had been burned into her heart and germinated. The thought of being with this young man on an adventure that would right the balance of the world once more, to show the world that the Faunus and the Humans could work together to achieve something great like saving it…

Was that worth swallowing her own ideals? Was it worth, working under a human, against the ideals of Faunus getting their respect through force of arms or political maneuvres? Was it worth, betraying all that was Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang, a woman who had stood side by side with Ghira Belladonna as the decree of Menagerie becoming its own safe haven for the Faunus throughout the world, just to become a human's friend, to help him…

' _ **You're betraying your people…'**_ She found herself not caring a great deal about the nagging voice, as she looked at the still image of Jaune, the moment that the power had flowed into her leaving her with an indelible experience on her very being, her core now… actually changing slightly. _**'Sienna…'**_

The voice continued, the nagging little doubts inside her mind starting to come to the fore, as the anger inside her erupted like molten hot magma in her veins. _**'Subservient to a human… They will all laugh at you, Sienna… There will be no more parading about with the title of High Leader of the White Fang when you lick the boots of a human….'**_

The insidious voice inside her mind told her those things that she could not refute. The human's face was enough to ignite within her the burning wrath that had been building up within her. _**'If humanity will not change… Then I will change humanity.'**_ Her own mental voice drowned out the whisper, as she felt the anger burn through the assurances of failure.

' _ **I am Sienna Khan, I bow to no-one!'**_ An image of a blonde human came to her mind, of a faint afternoon in the summer sun. The staff in her hands as she decked the human to the ground once more, her eyes looking at that cute face and the blue-eyed gaze that peered back at her, before Kali came to intrude once more with one of her weird comments and suggestions. _**'I am the pride of the Faunus! No matter what people say about me, I will not let those I love and care about, fall!'**_

She was the beacon that drew the Faunus to the White Fang. Adam Taurus and Harmony Tallow held the charisma in their own way, yet they held none of her rhetoric and ability to sway the crowd. As aides, they would do well, yet her mind was on the soul of the Faunus.

' _ **But what of those you travel with…'**_ The doubt within her mind asked, and her mind flickered to the faces of her companions.

Ever-present Jaune, with his clumsy method of handling himself and the arousal that he tempted inside them with his well-meaning manners…

Whitney Schnee herself, her face composed most of the time yet her glances of barely veiled worry and care for their leader, her own fleshy needs like a distraction with every whiff that she could get, the scent clinging to the woman, barely soothed by her efforts to quell it.

Kali's own body betraying their cause, her eyes fastened to the young man who had saved the day during the assassination attempt, the woman's heart now completely conquered by the man who had saved them, her loyalty to him unquestioning… and her own starting to become dubious as a result to that.

Summer Rose, the one who spawned from the darkness inside Jaune… Who had designs of her own, unperceivable and mysterious, yet her aptitude as a killer was well-shown in her manners, odd and unfeasible for many… yet the danger that lurked within those silver eyes was real.

She knew what to do right now… She knew that there would be an action to take, even as the power flooded her Aura with that darkness, the feeling of her tailbone warping and twisting, as a tail grew there, a trait of the Faunus of the ancient past, when human and Faunus had still been rumoured to be on equal footing. She could feel it there, moving as she willed it, another limb for her to care for.

' _ **You will be betrayed by your own friends… You are alone and powerful, Sienna Khan…'**_ The voice rumbled in her mind and she could feel herself twist, the burning inside her ceasing as she felt the tranquility return, her wrath burning below the surface of that calm.

' _ **I am Sienna Khan. If I must protect my friends and unleash all my wrath and anger…'**_ The fear lurked in her heart, the fear of being abandoned again, of being unworthy and unable to ensure the safety of her friend. _**'So be it. This power… He has shared it with me for a goal that I cannot perceive, yet… But it is better than death. Death is the end of things… So I will live.'**_

"You… **What have you** done?" Her voice quivered as the world came back to her, the image of him dissipating, the firmness of her mind and the discipline that she had held once more snapping into place. There was only herself to guard her, with no worries for anyone but her people.

She could feel raw pain shoot through her, her body changing under the influx of physical darkness, the darkness inside her welling up like a flow of wickedness, her body shuddering once as she could feel it wrap around her, the tail that grew behind her already there in her mind, yet with only a moment for her to adjust, it was futile to try and change her mind. She knew what was needed… What would be needed. _**'We will not be vanquished easily…'**_

His hand on her shoulder slackened, as his consciousness faded. "Jinn…" The word was some sort of mystical code, as she knew not what to do with it, her eyes glinting as they looked at the women that had become like sisters, the raw power inside her burning, as he dropped

She caught Jaune before his body would hit the ground, her arms wrapping around that wonderful giver of power and strength, looking down at him with a gaze that she would have normally reserved for those who had earned her respect. The blue eye and the red eye had closed now, yet she knew well that they had trusted her for a moment, to show no danger to him…

Her body was on fire, even as the couple came towards them, her body rising to the challenge as the flames burned in them, their prejudice flaring at the sight of them. She could feel it, feel the barely veiled irritation at their presence, of Her and Kali being akin to mere animals. Their glow was like the flickering fire, with nothing to show for it, their own rage paling in comparison to theirs.

She let the others take care of them, as she helped Jaune into the cabin, getting him into bed. The Relic-containing staff was put on the side of the bed, the Schnee looking like she had difficulty holding on to it, Sienna's eyes watching clearly for any signs of weakness, her breathing heavier than before.

She held out a hand, noticing the claws that topped her fingers. Ancient history had told of those who held more animalistic features, primaeval nature having eradicated those traits in later generations. A singular trait had been all that was left, yet their dominance of genetics was one of the few prideful parts of the heritage that she kept high, her eyes a shade of orange that was like the fire that burned in her breast, the spirit that would allow her to stand up for her people and to be what they needed her to be.

Kali's voice intruded on her thoughts, leaving her to feel off her guard. **"Is this…"** She spoke for the first time with her voice, lower in the register, much like Kali's was now, her whole body giving little tingles as she spoke. She could feel the tendrils of power through her muscles, the darkness inside her very core bubbling and oozing like terror wrapped in violence to beget anger from. Her wrath felt like it was going to explode. Her gaze looked at him, his whole body lighting up with the same feeling of wrath and anger and darkness, the shudder that went through the Schnee's body subconsciously showing her ill ease with the change.

" **These powers…"** She could not put it into words easily, as she tried to find the right way to phrase it. Her body felt like it was bursting with energy and power, like she could fire up the world and break it on her body. _'I feel like I can tear this whole ship apart…'_

The humans were like flares of emotion, white-hot against the cool night around them. Every one of them lit up like a rainbow, flaring with heat as she could feel the tension through them. Like Kali, she felt the power, knowing what Kali had meant with 'presence', feeling how the colours hung around certain people. The claws emerged once more, her body's shape shifting slightly. **"My body… it feels different. Stronger."**

It felt like she was the one harbinger of doom to those who would scorn her and her kind. She was Sienna Khan, Faunus. Those who harboured ill will against her and her fellows lit up like a flare of white light in the darkness, their emotions carrying their beliefs in it… and she could feel the urge inside her well up to tear and rip and kill.

As Kali spoke in her warped voice, a spark of dark recognition came to her. The manner in which Kali spoke, was alike to her own. A warped and twisted mockery of what had once been the voice of rationality, of sanity… all cast away before a tide of violence and terror. A hope that had been shattered and spat upon, like the lives of those who had been lost to the hands of humanity. **"You always were more of a fighter than me…"**

The words meant a lot. Kali had never raised her voice or a weapon against another, before this ill-fated trip. Before this ill-fated trip, she had been a pleasant aunt, a good friend, someone who would be able to be relied upon. Hope, within the darkness.

Her eyes went to the Schnee then, looking at her, feeling that the light inside her seemed smaller than those around her, the darkness wrapping around it, prejudice and fear tearing through the body, wrapped and silenced. She could feel the throb of her own body, working to guide herself to that place where she could be safer.

" **I'll allow you as a friend. Do not reject my generous offer."** The concession was enough for her to make, as she would allow the Schnee the privilege of being her friend. If Kali okayed the woman as a friend, it would be false of her to bear such a grudge against her… despite being a Schnee. _'Nicholas Schnee was a friend to the Faunus… so perhaps his daughter has not fallen from her roots as things have indicated.'_

It was her paranoia that festered in her mind, a lifetime of harsh decisions and training working to ensure that she would be in her fittest shape, that she would endure the strain of life and fight for her rights, to ensure that there would be no harm done to her or her friends and companions…

And if a blonde young man was to be a friend and companion as well… She would allow it. But only if he made sure that Kali was well-taken care of.

As she leaned against the railing, aware that her mind had drifted back to the events of the last night, she could see the captain approach, with the two Huntsmen who shared the room together, the latter stopping before the room, allowing the captain entrance. They departed after a moment, heading towards the bow, her gaze sliding from them for a moment, peering at the room, ears primed to catch any little hint in the air about their manners when speaking to her companions. A low 'ooh!' came from the side of the bow, her gaze diverted.

Casting a look at the brother and sister pair, she scowled at them. They were standing at the bow, spreading their arms and the brother was making lots of 'ooh' and 'aah' sounds, her eyes picking out every detail about them, the lack of concern for Jaune one of the few points that sprang out at her. _'They would hardly focus on one young Huntsman who has returned after fighting the Grimm…'_

It was the hypocrisy of humans to not care about one of their own, where the Faunus would know to cherish their young and the strong. Every warrior for the species was another who rose in esteem, to carve their own path in the jungle of life.

They were the apex of the world, the downtrodden who were oppressed by the frail humans, the Huntsmen culling them when it was needed, yet needing them when their backs were against the wall. The history of their kind was something that had stigmas attached to it, interracial pairings hardly working out.

Humans would sneer at those of their kind who would bear Faunus children or even date a Faunus. In this current climate, after they had won their freedom and independence, they knew only that there was a divide between them and humanity.

' _Here I am, serving a young man with the power to create Grimm… To fight against the malignant one who ensures that war is a constant and the Grimm are ever-present.'_ She could see this as a moment for her to step in and bring freedom to her people…

Kali's face appeared in her mind, the joy in the woman's eyes visible when she spoke of helping Jaune and the Schnee, of how good it felt to be of use, other than a mere woman who could pretend to have some worth in discussions where the men held sway. _'It is tough, nevertheless…'_

She had power now. A great deal of it, wrought with the darkness that was inside her and inside the Schnee, without any regard for humanity's lot. She could work with this. She could figure things out on her own… without the aid of the young man who was recovering from wounds that would kill a lesser man.

A tingle of heat pooled inside her, a dark desire welling up inside her as she thought of the young man, the rush of endorphins throbbing in her temples as she began to feel the warmth shoot through her like a pleasant mug of soup, her groin feeling the desire shoot through it. _'Not again…'_

With her own biology, it was annoying to feel the sensations of such need once more. She could hear Kali press against the railing, as she looked out over the seas. "It is worst for the first few days, dear." The older woman's voice sounded far-off, as her gaze was resting on the far shore. She could see that the woman was hardly stressed at this time, seemingly soothed by the way that Jaune had returned to them.

The antsy behaviour, the ill-focused manner of speech and the fidgeting had been driving her slowly round the bend, her whole body feeling like it was prepping itself for the fight that was to ensue, the presence of Jaune in the far distance the only thread that seemed to keep Kali in any shape and form sane.

The frightening part of it was that Kali's manner of behaviour did a radical shift when Jaune was around, the manner that she addressed him and the attention that she gave differing, although those who knew her only on the surface would only find that they would see a warm woman…

Sienna knew better. When there was a time to fight and she would be needed, Kali would rip and tear until nothing was left, unlike her husband, who preferred the more passive approach towards things. Had Kali been the leader of the White Fang instead of her husband, a more radical approach might have been the default baseline…

For a moment, she chanced to think about how the world would be, had the Belladonna's remained in Menagerie instead of meeting with her. The way that their schedules aligned had been an aberration of her method, calculated upon by someone's desire to ascend to the throne of power…

Who knew the future? It very well might have been her betrayed by Adam, left to rot within a coffin as he took the world through blood and struggle…

' _You are too short-sighted, even though you hear the cry for vengeance from our people, Adam…'_ The thought of the young Bull Faunus made her grimace, as she exhaled slowly. "What do you plan on doing when you meet with Blake again, Kali?" She asked, her voice not warped by the taint on her very being, the darkness continuing to shroud her with the need to do something about it, the shudders that danced up and down her spine bringing with it a dark sense of joy.

It was the biological impulse to create progeny, coming once more after such an intense one before. The thought of herself engaging in such acts with Kali once again brought a flush to her cheeks, the natural appearance of her own body now grossly distorted with something far more primaeval than before. She was now nothing but an aberration, a freaky Faunus who held within her the power to shatter all preconceived notions of the Faunus…

"You should…" The older Faunus woman pressed against her in a camaraderie-like manner, her lips pressing to her ears. **"Be aware that he is claimed by White… She has the first right."** The tone of Kali's voice held no sign that she would budge on that stance, as the woman's hand reached down, giving her rear a pinch, the yelp suppressed in her throat, her eyes burning with what seemed to be a dark passion that allowed the facial features to seem lined with shadow.

It was a dark nature that erupted, one of death and menace, eyes that seemed to hold within them a depth of primal fear of the days of old, the shimmer of those eyes roving over a body only deserving the shudder that followed, if one did not freeze up afterwards. She felt her own menace wrap around her, buffering herself with that darkness, her eyes meeting those of Kali's.

The sclera were as dark as night, whilst the amber pools stared back at her, the feeling of fear no longer as present as before, the amber eyes meeting hers, a smile on Kali's face. **"You know how to control its effect…"** The voice was mature and yet with its own edge, a mingling of Kali's daughter's voice and Kali herself, seductive and yet with the manner of a woman who brooked little nonsense.

Her own eyes, sclera as dark as night, burned with an orange glow, the violent urges within her warping her perception. The one opposite of her was like her, not a single heated glow of that light coming off her, only the darkness that came within her, like a wave.

" **We'll be the best of friends…"** Kali's hand gripped her own, her head suddenly nose-to-nose with her. **"Because we're fighting for the same cause."** A memory of the earliest days of the White Fang. Surviving along with Ghira and Kali during their travels throughout Anima, Blake only an infant. It had been near-on eleven years since she had been chosen as the one who would be guarding them…

But she would not relent in her duties. She was Sienna Khan and she knew loyalty to one's own ideals and the goal that had been set.

Never allow a brother or sister of the White Fang to fall if you could help it. Never let them down or destroy that faith that they hold in you. For the Faunus, you sacrifice everything…

Because in the end, respect must be earned through force of arms and strength of body…

That's the only way that Humanity would learn, after all.

Woe those who stood before her in opposition to her goals, for Sienna Khan was now wrath incarnate.

* * *

 _The last supper(Heather Arc)_

* * *

The look on her sisters' faces was a grave one as they met the gaze of their other sisters, clearly stressed by the lack of their father, the burden on their shoulders as heavy as it was on hers. All seven children were gathered in the same room, their faces grave as the time had passed and they had all arrived. At the head of the table, where their father would usually sit, their mother took his place, her eyes grave and her interest flaky, as she seemed to be distracted by her own thoughts.

"To do something like this…" The woman said, the lull in the conversation making her voice audible to everyone at the table. From Heather's perspective, she could see that Azure's face was showing clearly the marks of mental disturbance, Saffron's face looking like it'd been wrapped in a thunderstorm. "It isn't natural. Why would they imprison our father?"

The woman's face looked graver with the moment, as she took a long and deep breath, as if trying to come up with a good reason as to the hows and why's of the situation, yet Heather could hear her older sister give a soft sound, as her head turned to their mother. "Jaune is dead, mama."

It was a statement of fact. Their youngest brother had been killed recently, the body not recoverable. Heather could see that her mother was torn on something, as she seemed to want to say something to her older sister, something to distract her from her malaise. "I know, sweetie. I'm not mad at you." Her older sister's eyes were hollow as they looked at her mother with an uncomprehending look, her eyes craving some sort of answer, yet there had been none forthcoming from the woman.

"You'll be keeping her safe, won't you?" Her mother asked her, Heather nodding, as did Azure. "Of course." She said, as if it were natural, her hand brushing over the tabletop.

"Of course, mama." The soft tone of Azure's voice was there, Heather grimacing a little at the thought of managing her older sister's manner. _'There's no denying her effectiveness… but she'd…'_

"Good. I don't want to lose any of my children." Heather sighed softly, her fingers touching over Rowe's, grabbing her older sister's hand, which squeezed back gently, as if it were affirming the love that she held for her.

"The mission… What will you be doing?" The question came, and Heather recalled the mission's parameters, giving a shrug. "Mountain Glenn. Exploratory mission in preparation for the presence of students. Rowe and Azure will be enough as backup for me when we're with the students, but for the initial exploration…"

Emerald Arc, her mother, looked back at her, her hand tapping a small rhythmical number on the table, her behaviour something that had been learned after hundreds of hours of impatience and planning. "I won't stand for it."

The tone their mother took was one of stern conviction, as she fixed Heather with a look. "You're not going anywhere near Mountain Glenn without me." The look on her face was enough to show clearly that their mother would not budge. The woman's eyes slid over the table. "Ashley, Bianca… You'll guard the house. I trust the two of you will keep it safe." The nod from her younger sisters was synchronized as one, Ashley's eyes meeting with hers for a moment and a little smile on her lips flashed. _'That'll be another marathon, I reckon…'_

The memory made a smile appear on her face, remembering that moment of flat-footed embarrassment that Ashley had on her face as Heather'd walked in the room, Bianca's unconcerned attitude towards what was happening as the eldest twin gyrated her hips to the beat. _'She shouldn't hide her enjoyment for dance… Cremea would love to find out that Ashley was into breakdancing.'_

"Saffron, Cremea… we'll go together to reinforce your older sisters. Make sure that you pack for two weeks at the minimum. Mountain Glenn is not a place where we can easily restock." The dangers of the Grimm were only one side of the dangers of Mountain Glenn. The plague that still clung to the rotten bodies that lingered within the darkness of Mountain Glenn could turn anyone into a festering agonized sack of pus and blood, the rot and waste coagulating into something unhealthy.

"We know." The sisters said, with little inflexion in their voice. Saffron's eyes were guarded, as she looked between Heather and her mother, knowing that they would be the leaders of the 'Arc Team' that'd go and explore. _'There are no guarantees when you go into Mountain Glenn… You could only spot Beowolves or you could run into a pack of Elder Goliath's and a whole mess of King Tajitu's…'_

"Ashley and Bianca…" The woman hesitated for a moment, as she tried to come up with the words. _'She never is as concise as dad can be…'_ Heather felt bad for her mother, knowing the struggle that the woman put up sometimes with her convictions and her beliefs. "Just be careful, alright?"

' _The political pressure is getting to her. She only married into the family, so her say is nil.'_ The dynasty of the Arc family had been something that had been standing tall, a beacon in the darkness for those who wished to seek shelter. Hundreds of family members had been once upon a time mere pawns in the games of kings and queens, of kingdoms and of republics. _'Mom knows that she should do as dad has…'_

There was the faint hope there, as Heather could see it. A bristling of her mother's eyes, burning with the brightness of a soul who would not flinch away from the pressure and would rise tall, like the bird that incarnated from the ashes, according to Vacuan legend. "Heather?"

"Yes?" She answered, realizing that she had been addressed by Cremea, whose face seemed unusually focused. "Are you sure that we won't be interrupted?" The worried tone that Cremea took was a sign of her own Semblance being off, the manner in which she spoke at odds with how slow she could be at times. _'A semblance like hers is not something that you'd enjoy, even if you have moments of clarity.'_

She could remember the dancing lessons that Cremea had taken, taking Jaune along with her as a choice to impart on him some more culture. _'We all had our little thing with Jaune.'_ The birth of the only boy of the Arc family had been an event that had changed their perception of the world, even with the way that the family had been structured. The birth of Jaune had changed the dynamics…

And she had risen to the position of being an older sister with no difficulty at all. Caring for the baby whilst their father was off saving the villages and settlements around Vale, allowing the little child to listen to her tell fairytales of the old days. Rowe and she had always taken turns, the eldest and the second eldest, reading him the tales of the girl in the tower, the two brothers and even that of the wizard and the maidens…

She noticed that there was liquid dripping from her eyes, droplets trailing down her cheeks, her attention focused on the spot that had remained empty. She could still see the ghostly outline of the young man sitting there, his elbow resting on the tabletop as he brought a spoonful of Pumpkin Pete's to his mouth, the soggy food tasting like sugary death annihilation to your taste buds when you weren't prepared, yet they had persevered through the packages, just to get him that hoodie and the atrocious onesie. _'It was sort of cute when he came waddling out in it and Ashley decided that she'd be getting cuddly with him instead of her boyfriend.'_ It had been a big one, so he'd grow into it.

"Remembering Jaune, Heather?" Their mother asked, a sad smile on her face, Heather feeling her older sister's arm wrap around her own. "We all miss him." Ashley said, her voice sounding pleading, Heather noticing that her eyes looked a little moist as well, their attention turned towards the seat that was now empty, set in the spot. Their mother's seat stood against the far wall, their seats always the same. Woodcrafters had been hired to make seats for members of the family, an effort to support the local economy, the tailoring of the seat towards the stature of the Arc that it belonged to hardly something that had much thought to it.

Heather's own seat had been high-backed, whereas her father's had been low-backed, the man leaning back at some times during their dinner, to look at what was on his plate, before taking his medication. Jaune's own chair, standing there as a memento to him for at least a year, as was customary in the family, stood, high-backed as well, just as Rowe's was, a working of the Arc family crest into the woodwork. It was customary for the style of eldest male and eldest female child to hold such a chair.

"I know, I just…" She didn't think that she would have to explain herself. Her eyes closed, her fingers ceasing their tapping on the wooden table, as her attention swiftly turned to their mother. "I apologize." She saw the benign smile on her mother's face, as she took a long deep breath. "Of course, Heather… It's not like you should apologize for missing your brother."

The woman's eyes were sharp, her fifty-one years of age giving her more than a little experience in the art of dealing with grief. Heather knew of the circumstances, as the Arc Matriarch spread her hands on the table, rising from her seat slightly. "What I want to know is what we'll be doing now." She said, Heather perking up on the seat.

"Ashley has told me about your plans to keep together." The voice that their mother took was the one that their father also knew well, the empathic side of the family holding greater sway with the Arc sisters than their father's oft cold mannerisms. "It has merit, hence why I am staying here with you. Ever since your father has been in custody, the pressure on me is mounting." Ashley nodded, as their mother finished her sentence.

"With the current council of Vale, there are few that could lay claims comparable to our ancestry. That we have an abundance of women here is to our demerit." The assessment was critical and tactical, Cremea nodding once. "Defence of a family with only women would allow for pressure to be relieved if one of us weds." That was the logical assessment, yet Heather could see the hidden emotions on her sisters' faces.

Rowe's hands gripped the table, her nails digging against the wood, the look in her eyes fierce as she heard those words. "I volunteer." Cremea said, her voice clear. Saffron's eyes went wide, as she looked at her sister. "Cremea, please! You can't!"

Cremea looked at her, the look on her face a mimic of their father when under the influence. "I am the least valuable to the family. Jaune is gone, dead." The words hung heavy, a tinge of something in those words that showed how Cremea thought about that.

"If he was still alive, this disaster would have been averted. Primary heir inheritances are hardly challenged." The law was clear on that, Ashley speaking up with her knowledge working to fill the blanks in. "He isn't alive anymore. Don't think that you're expendable, Creamy." Ashley said, her voice filled with pain, clearly not happy with how events had gone.

Cremea looked at Ashley, a cross look that showed on her face, clearly showing her anger at being called out like that. "You know what I feel, Ashley! You both know it, you… You… Stupid twins!" The shout was loud, the dining room that they occupied having no echo, yet Cremea had risen from her seat.

"Always calling me the slow one, like I cannot be… good like you two. So what if I have to take a little more time… You both suck at defending a building! If you don't have your gadgets and that monster that you pleasure yourself to sleep with, you are NOTHING, Ashley Arc!" Heather could see those eyes of her younger sister blaze with anger.

"Don't say as if you know how to work with the technology, Creamy! Who was the girl who threw up three times in Rowe's face when she was out on a trip, eh? Who's the girl that nearly drowned Jaune because she forgot?!" The anger in Ashley's voice was a clear difference from her regularly composed self.

"I had nothing to do with that, he should just have-!" Cremea's voice reached the higher registers, mouth opened to deliver a conclusion to that sentence, if it had not been interrupted.

 **BANG**

The sound of a fist hitting the table was loud, as someone spoke up. "Shut up." The voice of Rowe reached her ears, the eldest sister's face showing her irritation. Cremea froze, Rowe's Semblance making watery tendrils rise from her body, as if ready to lash out like some sea-Grimm's tentacles would.

"R-ro-" Cremea could only speak the first syllable of the name of her oldest sister as she looked at her sister. Heather shuddered, knowing well that the clock was ticking. A glance at the arms of the clock showed her that it was closer to nine than she'd like. "Let's not quibble, girls." Their mother said, soothing both Rowe's irritated disposition and Cremea's heat.

Rowe's attention was fully on the clock. "I know that you've had your differences." The look on Azure's face was confused, Heather could see that from a mile off. She knew that Azure was the youngest and not fully used to the temperament of Cremea and Ashley when they were together in a room. Of course, the twins and Saffron and Cremea worked together great as a team, yet the personal grudges between them still came up at moments like these, when stress and tension was high.

' _I'll be hearing them apologize to each other later on, then hear them laugh it off, like nothing ever happened…'_ That was the relationship that they had, even though Ashley's intellect was clearly something that was more suited towards a different style of tactics and command than Cremea's. Technology was just an aide to Cremea, whilst Ashley lived and breathed it.

"Mountain Glenn. We leave in the morning, getting things ready for the mission and eking out a base camp for the mission. The old Bysler building would do nicely for that." Her words held a certainty in them, Heather knowing her mother's history with Mountain Glenn, as did many of the older siblings.

When Mountain Glenn fell, it had been a tragedy. Their mother had been one of those who had to ensure that nobody escaped from Mountain Glenn, a tragedy written for the ages, unflinching in her desire to follow the letter of the orders to the end.

Expeditions into Mountain Glenn were a steady part of the missions that their mother took, exploring the ruined city with a team or on her lonesome, her weapon kept in perfect shape, as she tasked herself with finding the remnants of people and ensuring that the trinkets they carried made it back to the family that they had left in Vale. _'Mom's own penance for adhering to orders… Anyone else would drink… Yet she fights on.'_

"I have also reached out to professor Ozpin." She said, the matron's voice standing at odds with the expression on her face. "He has promised to interfere on our behalf." What bargain the woman had struck, Heather did not dare think of. Her own presence, a blight on her record with the charges that had been levied against her, would only add fuel to the fire.

"It's nearly nine." The woman said, as she looked at her daughters, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Let's get some rest, before we depart." Heather looked at her older sister, taking her by the hand.

"Let's get you to bed, water louse." The frail smile on her sister's face was something of a vestige of the smile that had once proudly challenged the world.

"I'm sorry, Cremea." She heard Rowe say as she led her towards her room, the sulky steps not hurrying her along, as the hand on Rowe's back pushed her along. Her head turned back to see her sisters already rising from their seats, a look on her mother's face that showed the wear and tear of a life of stress and need.

As she opened the door to her sister's room, the smell of weapon oil came to her, shaking her head slightly as she looked at the weapon that was currently displayed on the workbench, the light still on. "Sleep well, water louse." She heard Rowe mumble a response as she crawled into her bed, grabbing something in the shadows, Heather's eyes turning a little wetter as she could see it, the humming starting already, as the clock in the room struck nine.

"Good night, fire bug." The response came as she shut the door, leaving her to stand before the door for a moment, the click of the door shutting itself bringing with it a sensation of loss, as she brushed her sleeve against her eyes, the hot moisture of her tears soaking into the fabric. She took a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself a little.

Family meetings had been less loaded when Jaune had still been there. Her eyes looked at the door that stood there next to her oldest sister's room, a sad look on her face as she opened the door up. "I guess…" She murmured, as she pushed the door open, coming into the room. The smell was still the same, of boy-sweat and fading hope and dreams of the future. She sat herself down on the bed, allowing herself a moment, soaking in the atmosphere of the room. Her eyes closed, as she slowly pressed her hands together.

Her lips formed the words of the prayer to the two brothers who had created Remnant, her eyes opening up to look at the picture that hung on the wall. A smile was on her lips, even as the door opened and her mother entered, wearing her night clothes. A single bedrobe, wrapped around the waist once, the blade at her side, as was always the case.

She sat down without another word, leaning against her. Heather could feel the coolness of her mother's skin, the brief touch that seemed to only leech heat from her, as the older woman wrapped an arm around her. "You've been caring for her often, right?"

It was a question that she had expected. "Yes." She said, the woman's mouth opening as if to say something, before it closed once more. "You're a good sister sister." The woman said, her sad face showing her emotions. "You're so good for her, even…" The look on her face was stern, as she seemed to gather herself.

"What do you suppose we do with the room? You should have a say in it, I figure that'd be the best course of action…" Heather felt uncomfortable when that question was being asked, knowing that the subject was one that would need to be decided eventually. ' _We can't keep this as a shrine to Jaune…'_

"Mom, please…" She tried to speak up, yet her mother looked at the room with her eyes shrouded, her eyes looking filled with tears. "I was there when he needed his nappies changed." Her mother spoke, looking at several of the pictures that hung on the wall.

"We all were." Heather said, remembering those first few days of panicking. Ashley and Bianca had been eight when Jaune had been born.

"To make him get ready for his swimming lessons was a terror." The woman's eyes teared up as she looked at the pictures on the wall, her eyes blinking slightly, trying to push the tears away. "He was always trying to get us to go swimming with him." Heather said, a smile involuntarily coming to her face.

"You know your older sister… She'd always gladly go with him, taking the burden off your shoulders. Her Semblance made it really easy as well." The fact that her own Semblance was fiery and hot was easy for the winter months. A picture of her, Jaune and Rowe, Ashley and Bianca all snuggled up under a blanket, her own semblance having been used to work as a radiator of heat and warmth, had been hung up in a corner of the room. Above it hung one of the camera's that had been linked up to the security system.

The camera blinked with its own lens as she looked at it. The security system worked as intended. Every room had a camera installed, just in case of events happening. That Ashley was often plugged into the system with whatever techno-voodoo that she came up with, did not mean that she wished to peek into the personal affairs of her family… or so Heather at least hoped.

' _Even if she did watch us all for a perfect little image of how her sisters treated themselves to some stress relief, why should we care? We're all mature women and it's not like she's going to spread the images anyways.'_ The assurance of the system's files being purged ever two weeks was something that kept her mind focused and her thoughts out of focus, as she looked at the pictures. "I'd like to have some more time to think. F-for memories' sake, of course." She said to her mother. The stutter was unintended, her emotions coming once more to the fore.

The woman gave a nod, understanding the reasons behind it. "After your mission to Mountain Glenn has been completed, then. We'll all come together and find the time to get this place cleaned up." The memories would never fade, yet their children might need the space to live in. _'An Arc's duty ends at the moment of their death.'_

"Are you sure that you can sacrifice yourself for the good of the family?" She heard her mother ask, grimacing at the thought. _'If I must…'_ The uncomfortable feeling settled in her gut. "If I have to… Only if there's no other option."

She knew that her mother meant well, yet the thoughts inside her own mind continued to whirl, as the flames of her Semblance burned within her. She could feel the disturbance in her soul for a moment as her mother's hand touched her own, the flames desiring to burn and sear and scorch, controlling the urge to do so with her willpower.

"Good. This is for your own good." The words of her mother sounded hollow, yet Heather knew well that Ashley's plans of a violent revolt would only bring them more ruin, even though she personally approved of those plans… their mother did not.

"We're going black after we leave, right?" The look on her mother's face gave an answer before she heard it. "Of course. That is what your father has dictated. We are not officially on any mission, after all." The lack of communication would not allow them to be pinged by the sensors of the Valean Network, their identities kept a secret for the type of preparation work that they were doing. The signal of a Scroll or of a communication device would be trackable easily through the sensor network that alerted the citizens of Vale to the Grimm invasion, should it occur as such.

"Good… I wonder what Jaune would have said if he'd been on a mission with us." She mused out loud, her mother's face showing a pained expression. "Undoubtedly he would have said something like 'This is awesome!', like he used to do when you were younger…" The woman trailed off, taking her time to remember those memories of spending time with her brother, her mother's face showing clearly that there was more to the emotions than she showed to her second child.

"Dad… Did he…" She asked, her mother's face showing her thoughts on the subject. "Of course. Sage always planned ahead for the moments where he'd be out of our life. We've spoken about this a lot." It was perhaps not the full truth, but she knew that she could trust her mother in that regard at least.

"Thanks, mama." She said it so lightly, yet her heart felt clouded by doubt. Was this the right choice?

* * *

 _The Grimm tasks of Ruby and Ruby (Ruby Rose.)_

* * *

She did not like movie theatres much. Yang was more of a girl that loved to go out with friends and mingle, Ruby Beornir's hand in her own feeling forced, as they entered Grimm Extermination Elimination Part III: The Darkening, a movie that she'd never get in with her sister. Ruby Beornir was a young woman who easily could pose as an adult, with her charisma and her ease of 'Go get us some popcorn, Ruby.', before she'd speak to the cashier for a bit.

The man seemed to have been intimidated by the arguments that Ruby Beornir proposed, as the cheerful smile that rested on her face was enough for Ruby Rose to endure, as the older girl took her by the arm. "Thank you, Arnold." The cashier flushed, the older girl's glare lasting for a brief instant, a soft 'hiih!' heard, as they entered.

A hand dipped into the popcorn, plucking a few of the delicious treat out and popping them into her mouth. "Ahh, it's so great…" The older redhead murmured as they went for their seats. Many of the seats already had been filled, enough of the spots already occupied by couples out for a thrill, so when Ruby sat down, she could see several of them in the process of making out.

"Daddy never let me go to a movie… Said they were wastes of time." The words of the older girl made Ruby Rose feel another pang, her hand grabbing Ruby Beornir's hand. It was awfully close, but the older girl seemed not to mind. "Dad liked watching movies with us. Yang always went for those that were spooky and well… They didn't really watch any 'adult' ones like this."

The older redhead's dusky skin seemed slightly flushed, her eyes far-off with their gaze, as she took a deep breath. "I liked making little movies." She mumbled, leaning close all of a sudden. "I like making a lot of personal movies, Ruby." The soft chuckle that sounded so mature came from Ruby Beornir's mouth, even as her head nuzzled up against the silver-eyed redhead's cheek. "My cute Ruby… We'd be great bandit queens, y'know… your scythe…" The hand rose in the air, as the trailers started to play.

' **An adult adventure, for the star-crossed lovers of Jolia and Meoro!'** The bare breasts that came on the screen were enough to make her eep slightly, the squeeze that Ruby gave her barely calming the young Rose. _'That's… oh…'_ The cloak and her cheeks shared a colour, as Ruby Beornir leaned against her. "I've never done that." She said, her voice soft and with a gentleness, as she brushed against her.

' _A guy's… thing.'_ She couldn't help herself from thinking about Jaune for a moment, as she realized that he was the only guy that had really shown an interest. Nora and Ren were inseparable… and Jaune was dead. What other boys were there around for her to have as a boyfriend?

' _It's just like Uncle Qrow said…'_ The motions on the screen were passionate, as the screen continued to show the tumultuous relationship between Jolia and her lover Meoro, a Vacuan who had only his name to his credit… and dangerous alliances with a band of ruffians. _'I don't think I was supposed to overhear though… but he was drunk.'_

Her uncle had always been an infrequent guest around the house, though his job kept him from being around too much to be a bother to their family. Every time that he came by, he had a little trinket for her, something that he'd tuck in her cloak with a wink and a nod. It seemed that he only drank heavily when he came home, as he seemed to be so sad at times, just sitting there on the couch, looking aimless and lost. _'I feel bad for him… He's got nobody aside from us. Well, Yang's mom… but dad said that 'Raven was a stone-cold bitch', to which Uncle Qrow agreed.'_

He liked it when she joined him for a game of Monster Basher, the man's nature as it was during those moments of enjoying her presence changing to something that could almost be called 'good uncle-man-ship'. Those memories pulled further those moments of being around Uncle Qrow, making her think back to… a time when things were worse than before. When he had been surrounded by a haze of alcohol and barely veiled consciousness, as he had dumped himself on the couch beside her.

She had worn her mother's cloak that day, just as she did nowadays, the blood red cloak having its hood up. She'd made sure that it looked especially neat, just as mom would've worn it. _'Uncle Qrow looked so sad…_ ' She did not know what to do, not at the time that it happened. His arms wrapping around her and his alcoholic breath scrambling every sense in her nose, her eyes wide as he pressed her against the couch and, for a brief moment, those wine-red eyes seemed to be so lost, the scruff on her uncle's chin even worse.

Her father had gotten really mad at Uncle Qrow when he'd gotten home, though Ruby knew that her uncle was just lonely. A grown man like him, without someone to be there for him… She knew very well how lonely things could be without any friends. Small mistakes were just small mistakes, right? _'It's alright now…'_

She knew that the stress of being a Huntsman could get to weigh heavily on someone's mind. Her father's own breakdown had put him under for nearly five years, when Yang had finally kicked his ass into gear and went 'I'm not taking care of Ruby anymore, dad, so you go and do it!'.

"Stop squeezing my hand." Ruby Beornir's voice came close to her ear, as Ruby startled herself back into the present. The screen was displaying a gory explosion, the blood splattering on the screen as a vaguely familiar face, painted green appeared on the screen. **'Fuck you AND your little dog!'** The trailer ended with a set of bold letters rising from the blood, declaring this to be a movie called **The Wizard from Ross**.

"Scared?" Ruby Beornir inquired, her voice a low register as she nuzzled against Ruby's cheek. "Afraid that the big bad man is going to catch you?" Ruby felt herself flush, realizing that she'd let her thoughts trail off. _'Uncle Qrow wouldn't want to go to a movie with me, he'd flirt with the girls around here…'_

The faint trace of that memory came back, the bloodshot eyes and the soft whispers in her ear as his arms wrapped around her. It had hurt a little, she knew, but Uncle Qrow had been hurting so much. The blood got out in the washing machine with plenty of laundry soap and she threw his clothing in the washing machine with a few of her own red clothes once he'd changed into a fresh set, so that he'd be wearing a dyed pink shirt for a while. Her dad hadn't liked it much, but he had accepted it, uncle Qrow an absolute miserable sight afterwards.

Uncle Qrow was hospitalized for nearly two weeks afterwards, though. He looked terribly guilty afterwards, spoiling her with a few strawberry sundae's, mumbling a "Sorry for what I did."- whilst his eyes looked at her with a look she didn't fully understand at the time. She understood it now, though. It had taken her nearly five years to understand.

"No, not at all." Ruby responded to the older redhead, who gave a soft snicker. "Hey…" The Beornir pressed her lips to Ruby's ear. "Those guys are already busy." The finger pointed towards a couple in front of them, the young man's hands busy with moving in the woman's skirt, a soft heated murmur in the air coming from her direction.

It was unlikely that they were Huntsmen, as they did not have the awareness that she could see in everyone around her. No brief glance around to assure themselves of their safety, no brief flicker of muscles that had been trained to respond, as hands mashed against tender parts of the body and brief sounds of tongues duelling came louder.

"Did you take me here on purpose?" She whispered at her friend, Ruby Beornir shaking her head, patting the Rose on the shoulder. "Nah, I like the thought of watching a movie." Her attention was directed to the screen. "If you want though… Y'can give me some attention down below."

She wasn't going to allow her thoughts to think about something like _that_ right now, as she looked at her friend's face, set in a smug manner. She remembered a blushing Blake who emerged from Yang's bed, suspiciously absent of anything aside from underwear. _'Nope… I'm not going that way.'_

She had enough issues to deal with. Team PRWN was an acquaintance at best and whilst they did hold some friendly contact, they were not as close as they could have been, due to the disappearance of the one who should have been their leader.

' _I'm thinking about you again, Jaune…'_ There was still hope inside her, hope for something to have come from his death. _'Even if you're not here anymore… I won't turn into Uncle Qrow.'_ The thought of turning to the bottle and being unable to move past his problems was something that filled her with distaste.

She wouldn't become another Summer Rose. She was Ruby Rose and she was the kick-ass leader of Team RWBY, wielding Crescent Rose and being a bad-ass babe! Yeah!

Even if Weiss would not agree with the assessment that she was a bad-ass… it still felt GOOD, yeah!

As the monstrous creatures of the Grimm dissolved on the screen, a smile played on her lips.

She was with a friend, someone who trusted her to let her know things she hadn't known before.

It was all going to be right in the end. She just knew it.

* * *

 _Bikini tops and titillation (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

The port that they had moored at was something of a ramshackle thing, Whitney guessed, as she stepped off the ramp that led towards the harbour. The smell of fish and other less savoury things came to her nostrils, itching slightly from the coarse smell, even with her eyes going straight to the place where there'd been a beach set-up, downwind from the worst of the smell. Within the confines of the settlement, she supposed that it would be feasible. It was not the white sandy beaches of Mistral or Vacuo, yet a good facsimile, created for those rich people who travelled through the world to unstress and unwind a little.

Her head turned back to the Titanic, which was getting a fuel pump attached to its side, the liquefied Dust crystals pumped into the fuel tank, ready to be put to use when the need was there for propulsion. _'The astronomical costs of the Dust refinery have been streamlined and decreased thanks to daddy's work…'_

Her gaze caught Jaune, standing at the railing still, looking a sight better than before. It had been a few days, his clothing having been a sudden adjustment, the shorts that he wore were the only garments that remained of his wardrobe, the Huntsman outfit having been destroyed due to the assault of the Elder Grimm.

She'd been worried for a moment, as he was taller than she was. The shorts did not look too odd. The shirt that he got from one of the workers on the ship fit him oddly, his arms a little too long to fit comfortably, the letters spelling TITANIC on the front giving him a look of a lost sailor. _'We should get him something to wear, whilst we're at it. Someplace here must sell clothing.'_

Not that she was going to skimp out on getting some sea, rest and relaxation, all with the benefit of providing 'security' to the visitors of Vytal. Whilst the ship mainly contained goods and other such cargo, there were some people who did not enjoy the thought of Dust-propelled flight. She herself was not particularly fond of it, given the events that had transpired earlier. _'The dashing hero saving the falling damsel… I would have offered him my chastity if it were a play.'_

The White Fang had been a hindrance to that. It was not something that she actually enjoyed the thought of, as the White Fang held a threat towards those of her family, as well as those who worked for the family.

The power inside Sienna was a mess of violence and anger, wrapped around a tensed coil of Faunus justice, ready to come out and sear the world with her wrath. She could feel it burn against her when she laid in their shared cabin, ready to burn through whatever stood in their way and brush aside those trivial matters. _'I suppose we would have been opponents in the manner of mortal foes, had we still been at odds with one another. The perspective that an assassination attempt can grant you is… intriguing.'_

The sandy beach stood there, as she put her Rifle against her shoulder, spreading the towel on the sand and checking the watch, watching with crystal clarity for the signs of impending Grimm. The darkness inside her was a warning of their presence. A clenching inside her blood vessels was all that it gave her, yet with that clenching, she knew well that there would be some battle to be won in the near future.

Jaune was like a lightning rod that attracted her attention. A comfortable chair was under his left arm, carried with the grace of a young man setting himself up for victory. Her eyes lingered a little longer than would be considered appropriate on the definition of his body, the shirt that he wore covering him up still, as she let her gaze roam over that body, noticing the definition and the lack of a tan in certain places. _'The scars on his back must be hidden. People would not understand how he has bled for us.'_

She had little doubt that people would think oddly of the young man if he were to unveil his scars, even as she pulled the sunglasses out of the pocket of her outfit, putting them on her. "Jaune?" She could see Sienna and Kali getting into one of the changing rooms, her own mind going to the preparations that she'd already made beforehand. A little bit of interest, a bit of skin...

"I'm going to get changed." She said, trailing a hand over his shoulder, the veins on the arm that he had constructed out of the darkness inside still looking like they were full of the darkness. _'How I wish...'_

Whitney knew well the acts of propriety. A woman should not act lustfully towards the targets of her affectation in public. A woman should observe decorum and allow her object of affections to ensure that she was properly cared for. As long as she was with the one she loved, she could bear all difficulties.

The desire to just rip his shorts apart, press him against the hot sand and just stake her claim however, was something fierce and dark inside her, telling her that it would just be something that she should have the rights to. _'So what if it's going to be a bit of a struggle... He saved me... he should have my 'thanks'.'_

She would love him, as Esmeralda Gele would. A passionate woman with iron discipline. Whitney Esmeralda Schnee was a woman who stood on decorum. A woman whose name was her bond with the world, who would never have been associated with the act of rubbing herself against the body of a young man in his prime, whispering hushed words in his ears about defiling whatever last vestige of decency that remained on her body. _'Not that I would be shy about my affections...'_

Kali's face flashed before her mind, the smile on her lips broadening slowly as she imagined the Faunus woman's teasing murmurs. _'She has been urging me to do something about the situation...'_ "Eh, Esmeralda?" Jaune's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, noticing that her hand had slid from his shoulder and was stroking over his upper arm. "O-oh..." She swallowed, saliva suddenly more prevalent in her mouth. His eyes, mismatched as they were, looked into her own.

Innocent blue and a malevolent red and black, ready to peer into her very soul with both temptation as well as redemption. _'You would ruin such a specimen of a man with your sinful body, Whitney Schnee?'_ She mentally asked herself, as she cleared her throat. "I'll... get changed, yes."

She grabbed the bag that contained the swimwear that she'd selected, although it had been a pity that it was just swimwear. The changing booth smelled of sweat and feet, as she shed the clothing and tucked it into her bag, the top pulled on, fitting her upper body like a charm. _'If it's fashion, I've got a knack for it.'_

She opened the door to the outside, her eyes closing for a moment as she felt the glare of the sun hit her in the face, the sunlight streaming from above, the fresh scent of the sea bringing with it some relief, as she let her gaze slide over the passengers of the ship, mingling with some of the locals. Port cities such as these were usually fully loaded up with defence emplacements, ready to defend against whatever Grimm would come to interrupt the joy of those living there with their malicious presence.

With the sensation of people around, she could see the looks that were sent her way. A dashing smile on her face, she turned around to see Kali on the verge of seizing her, intending to scare her for some reason, Sienna looking ill-amused with an expression of exasperation on her face.

' _She's almost like a younger sister to you, isn't she?'_ Whitney thought, Kali's choice of attire being minimalistic in nature. Two short strips of cloth covered her front, right over the chest and meeting in the groin. It would be a small miracle if it didn't slip off during swimming, yet Whitney spotted some barely perceivable wire wrapped around the Faunus' upper body.

Whilst Kali looked as immodest as they came, Sienna's body was modest and covering. The tattoos on her arms stood out, as the Faunus woman stood tall and proud, yet covered for the majority of her body. _'It wouldn't kill her to wear something like Kali wears... but with the tattoos that she has, it'd be hard to remain anonymous.'_

The large tattoo on Sienna's back usually went covered by the clothes that she wore, the White Fang emblem made out of red ink standing as a contrast to her dark skin, apparently something that she had gotten around five to six years earlier.

Whitney had seen it a few times when in the shower, Sienna's own status as a Faunus leaving her paranoid. Kali was less restrained than her in all respects, easily talking about subjects that would've allowed others who did not know her very well, to assume that she was a decade younger than her age, the gossipy manner that Kali adopted from time to time something that was both informative as well as a bother.

"Are we ready?" Kali asked, her bold grin enough to show that bright spirit to others, the eyes flashing with amusement, their amber pools enough, as she stepped onto the hot sand, her ears twitching slightly.

Whitney could feel the looks rest on them as they approached Jaune, her weapon laid against a shoulder, a clear symbol of her own prowess in the field of fighting, as she continued along. _'They are but hindrances to the prize I have before me.'_

She took pride in the looks that she got, her eyes riveted to the sight of Jaune as he prepared the spot for them to relax in, a large umbrella put up for the pleasure of shade in their spot. Despite being in her late thirties, she could still draw the attention of the young men, their gazes resting on her.

If she had not her sights set upon the one who was truly worthy, she might have languished in the attention, her husband's previous interest in her waned… but now, she was a woman who was out for the prize of a man who could truly commandeer her respect and affection. "Jaune?" She called, his head turning slightly, mismatched eyes glinting in the sunlight, the smile on his face warm, as the strand of white hair fluttered in the faint breeze.

She let her gaze slide over him, as his eyes went over her body. She shifted her poise slightly, as her breasts were thrust up, a little spring in her step letting them move, a coy smile on her face. "She's good-looking… I'm going to see whether she'd like to have drinks with us tonight." She ignored the young man who said that, her attention fully on Jaune, her body aching and craving, her tongue sliding over the teeth for an instant, as she let her whole body vibrate to the ache, her groin feeling already like it had been set aflame.

"That looks good on you." The compliment made her smile, a ravenous smile, as her gaze slid onto the towel that he'd smoothed out for her. Kali gave a soft thrill of laughter, as she struck a pose, not dissimilar to her own. The soft groan of Sienna was enough, as she did not enjoy the looks that people showed her, her discomfort barely visible, as her ears twitched slightly.

"And you look scrumptious, Jaune… If I wasn't grieving my husband…" Kali's hand pushed against her back, Whitney's eyes widening as she was pushed forwards. "Catch!" She lost her balance after the first step, his arm shooting out immediately to wrap around her.

"My hero." She murmured, her tone full of endearment as those eyes met hers. Concern and worry and warmth warred in them, as he looked into her own eyes. She felt like she was embraced by the tangled vines of love once more. Her husband, distant as he was, had never given her the attention that she craved, nor did he give her anything but the affections that were required. _'Whereas he was the sperm donor…'_ Her stomach clenched slightly, as she imagined the things that would come before her in the future.

"Soooo… Are the two lovers done with staring lovingly in each other's eyes?" Kali's voice intruded on that moment, Jaune giving her a look that contained all the passion that he felt, Whitney's body feeling gooseflesh appear all over, Kali appearing in her field of vision.

Jaune's eyes went to Kali, his eyes widening slightly as he saw what she was wearing. "Woah." He said, voice a little more impressed than with her. She pressed herself against him a little, to let him feel her womanly charms. _'I'm not going to lose to someone who had the equivalent of a facelift happen to her.'_

"If you can stop it with the mating dance, I can get myself comfortable." Sienna's voice cut through the sudden tension like a hot knife would cut through butter, her voice droll and without much inflexion, Whitney's whole body feeling like it was doused in a bath of ice, Kali's eyes glowing faintly, barely perceptible in the sunlight. "Hush, Si."

Kali's voice spoke with no harshness, yet the demand for Sienna's silence was clear. Whitney pulled herself out of Jaune's embrace, getting back on her feet, ready to take the next step towards her own independence once more, seating herself on the towel and getting the bag with sunscreen and other essentials for the beach out. _'I'm surprised that those kept intact… I guess there are some small miracles everywhere.'_

Her fingers grabbed the bottle of sunscreen, before she turned to Jaune. "Put it on me." She said, her voice demanding it from him, as his attention had diverted to Kali, who was in the process of getting herself comfortable in his seat. "My, how bold…" Kali said, Jaune looking at her and giving that smile that she was so fond of. "Lay on your back, I'll need some space to get you covered."

She did as he asked, her breasts pressing against the towel's rough surface, her nipples already in a state where they'd be poking against the fabric. The 'splut' from the bottle of sunscreen was loud, as the sound of him rubbing his hands together to warm the gooey stuff up a little, so as to better allow her to adjust to the sensation of the cool sunscreen.

"Jaune?" Her voice sounded hesitant, though she knew not why. His hands pressed against her back then and the sensations of tiredness and weariness seemed to melt away. The rough fingers pressed against her skin, the pale skin illuminated by the sun's light as his hands worked. Her hands moved back, an interesting motion that brought tingles to her body as her front rubbed against the surface of the towel and the sand, a shuddering breath inhaled. "C-cold." She mumbled, as the hands flattened against her back.

"I'm sorry." His voice was the loudest to her, all other sounds blocked out, the hands moving with a grace that she would not have expected, as her hands undid the bikini top, leaving her skin there. "My sisters always enjoyed having me rub their back with sunscreen." He sounded fond of his sisters, a spike of jealousy inside her quelled swiftly, as she wondered whether he would be so kind as to do her front as well. She could smell the Dust cartridge oil in her nostrils, her rifle laid before her. The mechanism was clear of all sand, thankfully. The conditions of most Huntsman-class weapons was paramount to the defence of the world, so mechanisms were guarded against the elements and the natural world with the natural guards against such a thing. Of course, if you dunked your weapon in a pool of grimy mud, it would still become grimy… but it was easy to clean at least once you would be able to get the time for it.

' _Don't feel jealous… It is a normal thing for your beloved to care for his sisters. It shows the love that he shows to us as well…'_ The squashing of her jealousy was easily done, as those hands continued to massage. She could feel him straddling her from behind, the faint 'splut' of another blob of sunscreen being spat into his hands, the chill not as bad as before, as she let her mind wander off.

The hands continued to move with skill that made her muscles ache and pulse underneath the skin, her fingers clawing into the sand, breathing heavier as he worked her over. "All done!" He said, clearly happy to have done it for her.

It was undoubtedly due to that pleasant state that she barely remembered that she'd undone the back, about to get up and turn to her front, once he got up again. A hand grabbed her breast, surprising her by touching the sensitive part of her nipples.

"Tie it at the back, Es. Wouldn't want to give the world a show…" Kali said, her smile enough for her to realize that she'd almost flashed the people around her. This was not a nudist beach by a long-shot, so she was glad for it, tying the top back again, the slickness of her back enough. "I need a word with our Jaune." Kali whispered, as she offered a hand. The young-looking Faunus woman looked serious for a change, her eyes holding something inside them that was like a dangerous predator, Whitney's heart thumping slightly faster.

"Is there a problem?" She asked, her voice not as loud as it could be. "No, but there might be one later on." Her gaze was enough to tell Whitney that the woman was serious about it. "Don't go stealing my man." She cautioned the Faunus at a low whisper, the Faunus woman's only response a grin. "I give my friends treats… Not messes."

Whitney got up, looking at Sienna. "We're going to go for a swim." She said, taking the sunscreen from Jaune's hand and then applying it to her front, her eyes meeting Sienna's. "We'll be back later." Sienna's expression was guarded, yet she got up without a complaint.

"We're being sent away, aren't we?" Sienna said at a low tone, her usual fire more muted than before, her eyes looking back at Jaune, who was spreading some of the sunscreen on Kali's back, acting the part of the devoted team member… and Whitney didn't think that it'd be any different from the regular manner that he interacted with them, given his nature. _'Such a kind young man, one who is worthy to hold the love of a Schnee.'_

"Kali said that she'd like to talk with him." She said to Sienna, a soft 'ah' uttered by the Faunus. Sienna walked with steps that were cautious and guarded, undoubtedly a learned pattern that she'd adopt during those moments when she was guarding someone. As they reached the shoreline, Whitney let her gaze slide over the sea, the azure depths lurking beyond. "It has been a while since I last swam." Sienna gave a sound in the back of her throat, seemingly as an affirmation to those words. Whitney knew that it would be different if Sienna were someone else, yet the affirmation showed the closeness that she held with Kali and now, with her.

Stepping into the water, the chill was banished with a mere thought. Her whole body shivered for an instant, even as Sienna dove in boldly, the athletic body moving like a fish back in the water, swimming out towards the boundary that had been marked, her head bobbing above the water, Sienna's orange eyes challenging her.

"Come on, slowpoke… Time to race me!" The excitement in Sienna's voice was faked, she knew, yet equally well she knew that the guise of being a team was something they should uphold. Many different teams roamed Remnant, after all… so it would not be wrong to have a bit of playfulness between the members. Only Atlesians tended to be mostly without humour, the smile on her face more genuine than it'd be if she'd still been at odds with Sienna.

"Coming!" She called out, as she advanced into the water, getting ready to catch up.

It wasn't a bad thought to have a bit of exercise, after all.

* * *

 _The Issue (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

Her eyes flashed angrily as she looked at him, his hands working on her front, after she'd 'politely' coaxed him into doing so. He wasn't straddling her like a lover should, nor was he being as rough as she'd like, yet her eyes met with his own to convey her dislike.

"What is wrong with you?!" She hissed, her voice not as loud as it should be, her eyes looking at his face. "Is this about…" She hissed, a feline hiss this time. "Not about you giving my breasts a grope, Jaune…" That was a lie, after all. He'd stayed strictly below the joy-pillows. Such chivalry in a man was to be admired. Somewhat. When you weren't wanting them to shove their hand into your groin and moan about being a good kitty.

"You were giving White a good massage whilst you were at it, and you…" She wouldn't admit that she'd been checking him out. Any response from him massaging the woman's back, any swelling that could only be explained in that way. "Are we that ugly to you, Jaune?"

He looked confused, not quite getting what she was getting at. "You're not ugly. Never." He seemed to be sliding back, his eyes confused. She could feel a tinge of something that approximated fear come from him, muddled by the nature that he held as her superior, the one who had granted her clarity in a maddened world. "You've been treating us like…" She didn't quite know how to phrase it, her eyes blinking once, a scowl settling on her face.

"Like we're just… acquaintances. We're not!" She said the last part with vehemence in her voice, her eyes locked with his own. _'Don't tell me that you only see us as a problem, that we're just people you take along for your own egotistical beliefs… I can bear that… but it would destroy White._ ' She could already see the Schnee's face turn, hear the report of the rifle and see the body drop. Fear was one of the things she knew and, whilst their friendship had been only for less than half a year, she felt a steadfastness within the woman that would allow her to draw the strength to keep on going on.

"Please, Jaune." Her voice was breathier and huskier, tears starting to form in her eyes. "We're more than just acquaintances, yes?" She did not remove her eyes from him, as his gaze cast down. He waited a very long while, as she turned her head, looking at Esmeralda and Sienna in the sea, doing a few laps of swimming together. "Don't they look good?" She tried again, as he seemed to quiver a little, face complicated. She got up, her hand trailing up his neck and cheek. His head moved together with her, as she leaned forward.

"Are you…" She didn't dare to voice it, did not hope that it would be the case. If he was… thus inclined… well, they would not do anything about it, but it would sour White's mood permanently.

' _Things had been going so well between the two of them. Making doe eyes at him, every day she would spend time just touching him. It is clear to me that she loves him as a woman loves a man.'_ She was not the sole one that had noticed. She had heard the brother and sister pair mention it a few times as Jaune and White stood together at watch, ensuring that there would be no Grimm coming close to them.

' _They would fit well together…_ ' He looked down. "Come closer." His face looked graven, his eyebrows low, as he beckoned for her to come closer, her body scooting close to his own. "I'm just…"

He looked uncomfortable discussing it, Kali knowing that she'd have to say something. Her arm wrapped around him. "Even if you prefer men, we won't judge… You're our Jaune."

She genuinely meant well, yet his face seemed to change, a confused look to his face as he analyzed her words. "Like men?" He quizzed, voice surprised, yet he did not change his thoughtful expression, his eyes looking at her with pain flashing in them. Her mind registered a large fear building up inside him, radiating out from the spot where his consciousness gathered. "Are you gay?" She asked at barely a whisper. "We don't mind, Jaune…" She tried to assure him, her eyes trying to see whether she had hit the Grimm in the head or not.

He shook his head, as he looked at her, then went to Sienna and White with his gaze. The two women were still doing laps on the water, Esmeralda having a considerable lead on Sienna, who seemed to be taking it easier for the lap. "I'm not gay, I mean… I like girls, women…" His voice sounded confused, a little surprised.

"But?" She knew that she was prying where she shouldn't, as her arm pulled him a little closer.

"I don't want to hurt you guys. You've been so nice to me, so understanding… Even though I'm a horrible creature." The words drew on her empathy, as she shushed him gently. "You are not a horrible creature, Jaune." His eyes met her own, crimson dominating the blue, slowly changing them. His hair did not change, as he seemed to contain himself.

" **She loved him, you know…"** He said, as he sighed. _'Who loved who?'_ The question bounced around in her mind, as she posed the question. "Who loved who?" She asked, his face looking down. " **The one who… left in darkness.** " The name he did not need to mention, as she could understand. _'And how does it impact you?'_ She wondered, not sure whether he was going in any direction.

"Jaune, no matter what happens…" She whispered in his ear, as she pulled ever closer to him. He smelled like he did, the sweat on his skin giving him a faint tension. The engine in her lower parts was starting to stir again, her eyes looking into his own. _'If Blake could see this, she would be aghast. Her mom nearly riding up against a boy her age.'_

It was a good thing that her daughter could not see this, for it would have made her feel shock. _'Poor Blake's always had a problem with sudden shocks.'_

"We're here for you." Kali said, her fingers tracing through his hair, her head against his forehead. "No matter what." She reiterated, her fingers brushing through her hair.

" **I don't want to drag you down with me… You deserve better."** He said, her heart feeling a throb of what might be pleasure shoot through it.

Her eyes teared up, her lips pressed to his nose. She could understand that. The person that she was now was at odds with the one that she'd been before. _**"You feel better than you've ever felt, Kali… The Master's presence soothes your urges… Does he not deserve you? Your husband is gone… Yet you remain."**_ The nagging voice in her head continued, images of herself spreading her legs, beckoning with a finger towards the man who had given her hope and darkness.

" _ **To be his fully is your destiny… The blood you have shed for him will flow like rivers… The pleasure that you get from him is your reward. We deserve this."**_ The seductive lure of the shadows was present even as the shadows around the beach called for her. In this sunlit place, she could still feel the darkness within yearn for her to take her place within them, to ensure that the blood would flow.

A vision of herself at his feet, leaning against them as his hand stretched out and the world quivered in fear, came to her. Her gaze going up, to see his face look at the world with bold, fearless eyes, his body emanating that miasma of security and belief that he would be the saviour that would pull her out of the light and into the safety of the darkness.

His pale face held the look of one who could command them into action with but a mere utterance, his power like the blazing flame that would ignite her own soul with that action that she craved. As the blood rained down on them, the droplets hissing as they came into contact with their skin, her eyes went to her fellows, who looked like they were in the process of preparing themselves.

She followed their gaze with her eyes, looking at the one who their gazes rested upon. A woman who might be similar in age to Sienna, standing there with two men and a single woman, their bodies shrouded in shadow, yet the pale features of the woman looking as they did, a mockery of Jaune's own. Where his false arm was crafted from the same flesh, it did nothing to hide the similarity to this woman.

' _So she is the one that he does not wish to turn into…'_ It made sense for her that he would be hesitant to love, if love dragged this woman into the darkness, to remain hesitant. _**"Comfort him. Squeal his name as you ride his gargantuan piston of lust and become his woman. Show the world that Kali Belladonna is fear and that none will harm the Master."**_ The desires inside her own body roused themselves as she took note of his appearance, a quiver going down her legs.

"Jaune…" Kali hesitated to continue for a moment, her gaze directed to Sienna and White again. _'They'll be good… But are they really able to? An experienced woman…'_ Her own mind started to contemplate it. It was not being unfaithful to her late husband… no… it was being faithful to herself. _'It would not hurt a bit…'_

"We are here for you. We won't let you fall because of love." The unspoken – 'We love you' – went unspoken, her heart clamming up with the fear that he would misunderstand. The smile on his face lit it up as she watched him get up, stretching himself a little, the shirt that he wore lifted up to show an abdomen that had the work of a Huntsman carved into it. There was a start to a six-pack already. _'It would be hard to remain chaste if you've got such a man around.'_

She got up, walking towards one of the shower stalls, feeling that the need for a cool shower was just what she needed. She didn't want to pull attention to herself, yet the need inside her had been stoked. A glance back at Jaune showed that there were already predators coming to check on whether the young man had been freed up.

' _They'll have to compete against us…'_

She was _NOT_ going to listen to Jaune fucking some other girl. Her pride as his woman would not allow her to suffer such a disgrace. White would explode if she did.

* * *

 _Summer beach (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The sun beat down on his head as he stretched, the slow motion of his back muscles flexing under the shirt enough to rouse his awareness to the muscles, the scar tissue tugging lightly on his back muscles, even as he moved himself to a seated position once again.

"Hey there, cutie." He heard a voice say close-by, his eyes catching sight of a long set of legs, ending with a set of bikini bottoms with a bold VFL emblem at the front, a toned stomach and a set of smallish breasts wrapped in a bright green top. "H-hello?" He didn't know why he stuttered, yet he felt that their attention was too focused on him.

The young woman's face was pretty, he would guess her age to be around his sister Cremea's age, give or take a few. Dark reddish hair was parted over one of her shoulders, the other side a deep blue colour, obviously dyed that way. "Oh, he's a cute one." Another young woman, dressed in a single-piece swimsuit with the logo of the Mistral Falcons, a team that apparently was some sort of famous sports team, stood at the girl's side. Her face was bolder than her friend's, her hair tied back in a simple ponytail, dark green blue hair matching the colour of her swimsuit. "Are you occupied, Mister Huntsman, hmm?" The one wearing the bikini asked, Jaune's gaze going towards the sea, where Esmeralda and Sienna were still doing their laps. "N-not quite. W-why?"

Their eyes held an interest, one that seemed to be awkward to deal with. Their emotions were a mess, mingling the same emotions of Sienna and Esmeralda together, yet flinging at him a look that made him feel a little hot under the collar. Bikini reached out towards him, her fingers tracing over his shoulder, feeling the scars that had been there ever since he'd been entertained by the Beornir woman.

"I like a man with scars… Say, Marble… How about…" The girl looked at her friend and then looked at him, as her hand grabbed a hold of his shoulder. "How about you show us your weapon, Mister Huntsman, hmmm?" The other girl laid a hand on his other shoulder, leaning forward to sniff him. _'Do I smell bad?'_

He swallowed. "Eh… I'm not sure whether that's a good idea." The sword was stuck in the sand for now, the dust that'd been put in it still in an inert state. "It's a Dust-Greatsword, so it's not exactly something that's… eh, safe to handle for civilians."

His second eldest sister had gone into great detail about why her weapon was so important to keep out of the hands of civilians, the casualty figures of civilians triggering a Dust-based weapon being something that she cited especially so. That it basically threw flaming sludge around was a good reason.

"Oh…" The girl named Marble was somewhat less daring, as her gaze rested on his stomach, as the bikini-wearing one's hands dove under the shirt. "Hmmm… strong muscles." Her voice was warm and gentle, as she felt the muscles below the skin, her teeth digging into her lower lip. "I like a strong man…"

"Please, I'm…" The bikini-wearer gave a growl, his gaze searching for where Kali had went off to. The young woman named Marble looked at him and seemed to come to a conclusion. "You're not shacking up with the beasts, are you? That'd be a real shame…" She asked, her voice low, so as to not offend the people around her.

' _What does she want?'_ He wondered, shaking his head. "I'm friends with her daughter." He said, the two women sharing a look. "How old is she, then?" The bikini-wearer said, surprised. Jaune shrugged. "Thirty…nine, I think? She looks really well for her age, though."

The young women shared a look of disbelief, before the bikini-wearer one whispered something that sounded like 'jackpot' to his ears, as the hand continued to rub over his stomach muscles. "How about you take a moment to help us with our… issues, eh? It'll be fun, I promise… Your greatsword won't be disappointed."

The two women were obviously deluded if they thought he'd bring them to a Grimm-infested area to show off his prowess. Of course, the Grimm would hardly do any damage to him, yet they were not great combatants, and neither was he, in his own opinion. "I'm sorry, but…"

"We'll double up. Don't worry." The bikini girl said, as she pulled her hand off. "Melinda Syfres, related to the Councillor." He didn't really know who that was, but shrugged either way. "I'm sorry, but I really can't abandon my teammates." The pout on her face was enough, before Marble nudged her. "Just… be blunt. This one's a bit thick." Melinda snorted. "That's what I'm hoping for, Mar."

' _How do they mean, thick?'_ The frown showed on his face, the two women taking a step back, seemingly impressed with his glare, or intimidated. "We want to fuck you. I promise, you'll feel good."

"He'll be feeling even better when he's doing the job that he was hired for." Esmeralda's voice added, her damp hair still dripping some droplets of hair, plastered against her flesh. Her eyes blazed with what seemed to be a challenge, the flames inside her roaring a challenge to any who dared to come in-between her.

"We've been hired to protect you all. Your safety is our utmost concern." The woman said, outlining clearly the duties that they had. Even now, he could feel that his alertness had barely changed, his attention going to every nook and cranny within his sight. He could see the woman's stance change, the bikini that she wore sticking to her body.

"Ah, yes, thank you." The response came, as Esmeralda took Jaune's arm and pulled it close. "We need to discuss tactics… and find out where that silly cat went." He was sure that Kali would not mind being referred to as a silly cat by Esmeralda, yet he frowned either way. "Why do you two put up with those… animals, anyways?"

Marble inquired, Jaune's frown appearing on his face. He did not like the thought of his friends being referred to as 'animals'. Esmeralda's lips pressed tightly together. "Animals or not, they are still our team members. They will have our back, when we need them to guard it." Esmeralda's arms went to rest on Jaune's shoulders. "I would be happy if you would leave my daughter's betrothed alone, though."

The word 'betrothed' called to mind images of the times that his father had taught him about his duties to the House of Arc, which involved the proper customs and the other things that were important. A Huntsman's life did not usually have those customs, as the noble families around the world did not often enter the lines of the Huntsmen, yet he knew well how to properly speak to those higher in standing.

"Ah?" Marble said, turning away and giving an embarrassed cough. "Ah, I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Her friend Melinda nudged her in the side. "We apologize, Mister Huntsman." The apologies were not sincere, as the woman's eyes looked at him with a hungry look still, as if he were something juicy to eat. It made him feel slightly sick. "The consummation of the marriage has to wait still."

It seemed like Melinda was about to say something more, yet Esmeralda's gaze seemed to firm up, as her hand patted his shoulder. "It's, as we say… A job for this young man to unify our families." He was well aware that the olden days held such customs, tying families together through the bonds of blood and hope, yet he was surprised that Esmeralda would know of those things.

' _She might've been in contact with the nobility… or they may just have very extensive schooling in… eh… I think she came from Atlas, right?'_ The details of where they came from were starting to blur. He had been with them for such a while that it was almost second nature to him to rely on them. _'I can create Grimm if I so wish… I can dominate the will of lesser Grimm.'_

' _ **Whatever you seek, you will not find through strength of the body.'**_ The words echoed, as his face frowned. "We'll go and find some other good-looking guy, Mel. We need to make sure that we get our fun quota out of the way. Staying in that dump of a port wasn't going to make this trip any more fulfilling, after all." Marble dragged her friend along, their conversation faintly audible.

"… Told you that he might've been taken. Now, look at what you did! If Aunt Maroon was here, she'd have smacked you on the head for being disrespectful towards people with a title." He knew well that the nobility did no longer hold the power that it had once held. Ever since the Great War, there had been no real power invested within the houses who held a title, yet the reverence for the people who held a title had not faded yet. There were still those who thought that those who bore a title would have an exceeding reach with the people of the land.

Nobility, as it had been traditionally defined, still held the imagination of the masses, as indicated by the plays that had been made about the Emperor of Mistral and his many concubines, who had held the imagination of the people for a while.

"Thank you, Esmeralda." He said, his head shook lightly, the woman's eyes looking right at him, her gaze holding worry, as if he had been doing something. "Those girls were…" The woman's lips were a thin line, giving him a flashback to his mother when she was particularly annoyed, her fingers brushing over her scalp, the pale growth at the base of her luxurious dark-tinted hair showing clearly that her natural hair colour was something pale, something blonde-like, if he'd gotten a good indication of her colour. "Don't worry, they're just trying to eh… flirt?"

He wasn't sure whether to feel impressed by the way that he had handled things, and well…

He was surprised that he hadn't stammered or blushed or anything when they had done so. Kali's words about the distance that he kept between him and his friends had hit him hard, the introspective manner in which the two young women had intruded giving him little time to think about things. That they wished to have sex with him was… not very great for his chances, in his opinion. _'They don't know the alertness that a Huntsman needs to keep, in order to keep everyone safe.'_

 _Touching against her neck with cold fingers, a rousing flame surging through her body with that touch. 'Touch me.' Her voice whispered, as his head pressed to her neck. The suckle on the flesh that was bared there was enough, as her tongue slid over her suddenly dry lips, as she whispered needily in her lover's ear – 'We can stay away for a while… it is not like the court needs us…'_ \- _to which the touch was pushed further, her rear pressing against the hardening length that grew in his groin, a soft 'ah' coming from her lips as her head turned to face her beloved, feeling only the touch of his hands as she pushed open the dress, her lips forming the words before she'd known them. 'Shy, Oz?'_

"Jaune?" Esmeralda's voice sounded rich and for a moment, her face changed to one who held no blood save for the _Vitae Tenebris_ that pulsated throughout her whole form. Her dark sclera and red eyes were looking at him with a questioning look, her mouth forming the question, yet as he shook his head for a moment, he became aware that it indeed was Esmeralda. "Thank you." He mumbled, shaking his head. The shard of memory was gone now, leaving only Esmeralda standing there.

"Oh, it's no problem." Her voice sounded slightly strained, as if there was a problem, her eyes looking at his face for a moment, as if gauging something inside of him. He knew that look. The look that his father had given him more than once, his eyes as cold as they could be, a side-product of his Semblance. The mandatory lessons on how to act in public, on how to appear to the commoners… whilst he could just be Jaune, working for the neighbour's orchard, filling the apple baskets whilst the old man told stories of the earlier establishment of the Vytal enclave, the island that lent the name to the treaty that sealed the Great War away as a history lesson. _'Old man Hendrick has many stories…'_

The burden of nobility was something that his father spoke at length of. The polite gestures towards others of their station, the manner in which one addressed the noble ladies one encountered, the need for certain matters of protocol… and the vaunted middle name that was so cherished by those of the aristocracy.

Jaune had learned to address the wives of nobles of similar standing with the formal address that was required, as the eldest male child. His father had been prudent in his education, teaching the subjects that had been required for his general education degree, his sisters filling in the blanks where needed. They had been more than eager to provide help to him, his oldest sister going beyond the average need, taking the time to ensure that he knew the ins and outs of the mathematical system.

' _She always would have some more exercises… But I guess it was a good youth.'_ His oldest sister had been his champion in the art of dealing with physical exercise, enough training going towards the fundaments of his body, yet not enough to really use in combat, the style of fighting that she used more tailored towards working with her Semblance.

"Hey Jaune!" Kali's voice sounded in his ear as he found her leaping on his back, her scent clinging to her as she brushed herself against him, legs wrapping around him. He froze, feeling how the wounds on his back seemed to ache and burn, as if Ruby Beornir was reapplying them afresh, yet he felt the comfortable darkness of the woman surge against him. "Sooo… Were you looking at our cute and sexy Es with your lustful gaze, Jaune?" The woman's voice teased, and his gaze, which had rested on Esmeralda still, seemed to see her as a woman for the first time.

He stared a little longer than he possibly should, feeling the ghostly memory of kisses and hugs, of evenings spent listening to the tales of his sisters as they came home from whatever assignment they had come away from, their regretful look as their father once more forbade them to teach him.

The man's will moved the household, the skill that he held in the tactical application of battle plans also helping with the strategic movement of the family. It was a struggle at times when he called out to his father to be allowed to train, the looks that were shared between his sisters and his mother's soft "I'm sorry Jaune, but it can't be done." The rejection that his mother gave him only increased his drive.

They just did not explain WHY he was meant to not take up arms to fight against the darkness, to become the hero that was in his blood. His father, known for his defence of the land around their village, brought to the point where he would bend him over his knee, speaking to him about the duties that were expected of the young noble heir of the Arc family, the respect that had to be given to those of higher status…

" _There are none with higher status living around us, dad!" He cried, as his father's hand smacked against his bottom once more. It was a dispassionate look on his father's face, stony in its expression, as the man's hand swatted against his bottom once more. "You do not need to know what you will be doing. The creed is as it is."_

 _Another hit against his bottom, the tears leaking from his eyes. "Dad…" He could hear his oldest sister's voice speak up, her eyes looking at her father with a glint in them that spoke of business. "Please, stop." The soft plea from his oldest sister was enough to stay the hand for a moment, before it hit twice as hard, the skin splitting under the calloused hands of his father, the pain making tears well up, as the hand descended once more. "He must learn his place." The man said, as the hand rose once more, his oldest sister's hand grabbing the man's hand._

" _That's enough, dad. Please…" The plea in her voice was heart-rending to him, the man's eyes unseen from his perspective, as the hand did not descend again. "He's bleeding… Dad…" He could feel her pick him up, her long hair brushing over her face. "I'll take care of him." She said, her voice at a whisper, audible to her father._

 _He could see his own mother looking at him with a grim expression, her eyes cast in shadow, yet she had not spoken out against the treatment, even as he had stormed into his father's study, demanding to be taught._

" _Educate him on his place in society." His father's voice said, stone-like, his oldest sister lifting him onto her shoulder like a bag of grain, rubbing gently over his back. That his bottom had been bared had been embarrassing, the whacks of the man's hand even more embarrassing. He could see his father's hand wet with the blood that'd came from the red rump that he had, the man's hand quivering as he went for another of his medications, his gaze directed towards his mother. The man's mouth spoke no words as it moved, the features of his mother unusually solemn, as she opened her mouth and the door closed shut, a shriek of anger coming from his mother's mouth that was quelled by the sound of the door shutting, the isolation of the room leaving no sound to leak out._

" _Are mama and papa fighting again, Rowe?" His older sister's fingers gently stroked over his back, as she had done whenever he had a bad dream, her footsteps easily carrying her towards the room that had been hers. "They'll be fine, Jaune." Her voice was the best, as it was warm and friendly, her hands gently assisting him in getting down. "Lay on the bed and show me your bottom, Jaune. I've got some cream for your pain." Her eyes were sharp, even as the smile on her face was comforting._

" _I'll talk to papa when I've made sure that you're alright… Perhaps we can get you some exercises that'll make you strong." Her voice was so soft that it was almost like a whisper, as she went for the small medicine storage that she kept next to her bedroom. A faint smell of disinfectant came from that area as he laid on her bed, looking at the massive poster of the Vytal festival that she had won, her team displayed there in full splendour, her eyes showing her indomitable will._

" _It's alright, Jaune…" Her voice said, as he felt the sting of something cold being applied to his pained rump, the heat of the pain slowly evaporating to be replaced with a coolness. "Now, you're a big boy now…" His oldest sister's fingers brushed the cream over the stinging wound, leaving him to feel nothing but a pleasant sensation. "That tickles."He said, even as his sister's laugh came._

" _It's supposed to tickle, sweetie… Now…" He could feel a set of lips press to his aching bottom. "It's all better now." He felt her pull his underwear up again, his sister's fingers having swiped a disinfectant wipe over the flesh. "You're alright again, little Jaune." Her voice was soft as she tidied him up, her face still as beautiful as any princess ever would be._

" _I love you, big sis." Her eyes looked faintly misty as she looked at him, her finger tapping him on the nose. "I love you too, little Jaune. Whenever you need help with anything, just come and find me." The warmth of the hug that she gave him was soothing and he could feel himself softly drifting off to sleep, the warmth of the embrace bringing with it the soothing sense of security._

His attention returned to Esmeralda, her womanly shape standing out as Kali had indicated, the woman standing half-way to the right, the sand giving her no even footing, yet her body was on display, the bikini that she wore outlining her curves, his eyes sliding up and down as a shudder went through him. "She's…" His throat felt awfully dry now, as he began to feel the urge come once more, as he felt Kali's body against his own.

"We care for you, Jaune." The whisper that Kali uttered in his ear made him once more aware that she had latched on to his back, her weight a comfortable sensation that seemed to never be enough to sate the sudden flames that burned inside of him.

"Let's go." Esmeralda's voice cleared his mind, turning around and his eyes followed the sway of her hips, Kali giving his ear a little tug. "Just remember…" Her voice teased, as her body let go. "You should remember what I said."

He was out of sorts for most of the afternoon, even as the ladies strolled through the hot sand, their weapons ready to deal with any Grimm that might occur. Only when the signal had been given to return to the ship, did he finally relax.

That evening, he watched Kali sit herself down in front of him, a smile on her lips. "You're sleeping with me tonight." He could hear Esmeralda inhale sharply, as the Faunus woman's hand was held up in an attempt to forestall any sort of commentary.

"Now, that's not negotiable… We've got to switch up sleeping arrangements! You can't hog Jaune all the time, White!" The grin on Kali's face was something that she'd become known for, the grin looking like it'd just been announced that she'd won some sort of prize. "But…"

She smiled at him, her eyes bright and amber-coloured. "It's just for a night… so hop aside and let me sleep with you!" The wording could have been different, yet her eyes seemed to be determined. He caught sight of something that was tucked into the shirt that she wore as night clothing, the curve of her breasts exposed for a moment, a shrug given, as he did as she asked, giving up the arguments. _'I should sleep. It's not right to keep awake for much longer, whilst I've got to ensure that we aren't ambushed by any Grimm during the night.'_

The Relic pulsated in the air, his fingers touching the shaft of the wood as Kali settled in comfortably on his other side. "Sleep well, Jaune. Don't worry about anything… Just leave yourself to me." Kali's voice sounded more teasing than before, as if her mind was off in different places.

He was in a restful state immediately after his head hit the pillow, the soft touch of Kali's arms around him as she cuddled up to him enough of a moment of repose for him to be able to wrap his senses out towards the world around him, ghosting along the touches of Grimm that were left in the vicinity. The Seers did not extend greatly towards the seas, yet the Grimm that were found within the seas held a feral instinct, ready to roam through the seas and destroy.

The words of the Elder Grimm bounced in his mind still, even as he could feel the weariness of the day sink in and his slumber start. He could hear Kali's breathing slowly shift as she pushed him onto his back, her fingers touching over his skin. _'She's just concerned.'_ He told himself in his mind, as his consciousness faded, the tide of Grimm movements blanking out his vision as he attempted to get some rest.

In the morning, he felt a shaking of his shoulders, his voice scratchy, as if he had slept with his mouth open all day. His underwear felt a little tight, as he adjusted himself a little. "Ooh, did you sleep well? Any exciting dreams?" Kali's voice reached his ears, the catty woman giving him a warm smile as her nose brushed against his own. "I'm sorry, but…" He tried to say, even as her eyes blinked for a moment.

Cat-like, her expression teasing and playful as she leaned forwards, lips pressing against his nose. "You're always sorry, Jaune… Sometimes…" Her voice turned smoother, with a warmth in it that held not a single hint about her truths. "If you have to bear a burden, allow others to share in it as well."

Her hand grabbed a hold of the front of his underwear, giving it a little squeeze, flashing her teeth in what was a cheeky grin as the hand departed in a moment's notice. "I know all about growing boys and girls! I've got a daughter myself… So if you need any tips, I'll be right and ready! Aunt Kali, at your service!"

He could hear Sienna's groan, as he ruminated on that brief touch of his groin, where the fingers had seized a hold of his masculinity, only touching for an instant as if to outline her words, and found to his surprise that the touch had not been as unwanted as before. _'Perhaps it is time to do as she says…'_

He looked to the side, Esmeralda standing there, dressed already in her huntress outfit, her eyes looking at Kali, scandalized. "Kali!" The woman said, her voice scandalized to the extreme. A loud 'Aww yeah, push your ass out some more, sis!' interrupted any conversation, a woman's panting scream of 'You sisterfucking bitch, spank me like you mean it!' interrupting his thoughts for the moment as all four occupants turned to the direction where the sound had come from.

' _What the…'_ He didn't finish his thought as Sienna spoke the words that'd gone through his mind before. "What the fuck…" She groused, her eyes lighting up with frustration and irritation. "White, catch!" A measuring tape seemed to fly through the air. "You'll get the measurements later."

He could feel a spike of emotions from Esmeralda, anger and frustration and something else that he could not quite determine, a flare-up of what seemed to be love and something else coming from the couple on the other side of the wall, the loud 'ugh, unghh, unhfff' sounds that they were making having quite lost the appeal of investigating. "We should…" the woman shook her head, sighing. "We're going to check when we'll be travelling once again."

The woman's eyes looked slightly distant, as she motioned for Kali to get out of the bed, Jaune feeling how Kali crawled over him. With the awareness that'd been literally laid out before him, he could feel that things had changed slightly, with how they seemed to act. _'It's like…'_ Esmeralda's head turned to him, her teeth biting down on her lower lip, her eyes doubtful. _'It's like they think I'm… hot.'_

To be regarded by a woman in such a fashion had been his desire, once upon a while. Frenzied sessions of 'polishing the lance' had been done, oftentimes with the material that he'd managed to scrounge up from other places. Contrary to his current situation, where he had not thought much on the subject of women's bodies, he knew well of the pleasure that one could get from such activities.

He was a healthy young man, on the cusp of adulthood. A young man who had been torn from his home by cruel hands of an enemy whose will enshrouded the world, whose creatures had been ravaging humanity since before the dawn of time. To think of the women that accompanied him as… women…

Jaune was not in the habit of doing so. To his mind, they were older women. Married and widowed, one who wished to have nothing to do with him… All a part of some grand scheme in order to bring some semblance of order back to this world that had been caught between a Grand Wizard and a Grand Witch's feud. _'Nah, they couldn't possibly think I'm some sort of catch… They must just be grateful. Kali has lost her husband, Esmeralda is… I think she's still married and Sienna… She's not going to accept being with a Human. She was outspoken in her beliefs.'_

Sometimes, even the smallest moment of progress can be halted by the sheer denseness of one young man who thinks ill of his own skill.

* * *

 _The moment that it all breaks down.(Blake Belladonna)_

* * *

Her steps took her up, towards the higher rungs of the dormitory. She could not stop herself, as the urge inside her welled up. _'Dismissed so easily… She's just like Adam.'_ There were tears in her eyes as she pushed the door open, coming to the roof. Faint illumination in the distance showed Vale, full of its citizens opulence.

' _Different to Mistral… to Menagerie.'_ Memories of a time when she had been happy came to her. Feeling Adam's touch on her shoulder as he pulled her along, even when the bruises on her body ached and her whole body cried out for that dark oblivion of sleep, his drilling of the forms indefatigable as he continued to issue the orders for her to continue.

The moments when he shed his long jacket to expose his muscular upper body, unmarred by the marks of the enemy, the humans who would regard them with fear and loathing, simply for being born. _'I thought you were a hero…'_ Her mind went back to that sweet time, when her body screamed for his touch, when his hands were on her neck and he choked her, that soft touch of barely-conscious existence just sending sparks of pleasure through her as she clenched around him and his hands left prints on her neck, not to mend for nearly half a day. _'A use…'_

She could not remember the times when he had not been with her. The coaxing of his words _'I love you. I'll always love you.'_ , as she assisted in keeping camp morale high, his eyes always watching her, no matter the scratches on her body. Even as she washed, she could feel his presence close to him.

' _I loved you once, Adam…'_ The face of her partner came to her mind. She was… not sure whether she would be willing to categorize her feelings about Yang so easily, as her mind went to Yang's angry face, the worry in her eyes as she woke up once more. _'This is what is needed… She'll be better off without me.'_

If she had no value, she would not live. There was nothing for her in this world. _'I'm sorry, Yang… If by my death, you will feel happy again… I made you upset.'_ The need was fresh, as she could feel the push for her own mind to be at peace. _'I didn't mean to… but I made you sad.'_ The bitter pain in her heart was enough, as she knew that Yang was yet another human.

' _Don't feel sad for the humans, they are a cruel and unwieldy lot.'_ Adam's words had been so soothing, during the times when she had been with him. Even the domestic tasks for the White Fang in the camps in which she and Adam were stationed had given her no issue, as she trained with the weapon that she'd soon master, the regular moments of relief intermittent with those for Adam's own personal gratification.

Even as her body felt sore afterwards, the pills downed with a glass of water, she could only feel the brush of his hand on her hair, his soft shudder indicating that he felt good. The marks never lasted for long, anyways, even when she did her other duties for those who needed it. The Belladonna name had a lot of leverage amongst her people, her father's own name something of a messiah towards those who still believed in the White Fang. _'A fight for justice for our people…'_

The hopes and dreams of a generation of the maligned and oppressed, mere external parts. They could not see the Faunus' soul, could not understand the agony that many of the Faunus went through in their journey for equality. _'And now, my partner has betrayed me once more…'_

Her feet stepped ever closer towards the edge, knowing that she was on the precipe. _'Yang, you've shown your true colours… I thought I could depend on you… You saved me, yet you scorn me for doing what I do.'_ Her mind realized at that point that there was nothing but the edge of the building remaining, a slow exhale coming from her throat, even as she realized that she was on the verge.

' _What use does a mere Faunus like me have in this world ruled by humans?'_ Ruby's face flashed before her mind's eye, those silver eyes bright and hopeful, as she looked at her and smiled, accepting her for as she was. Weiss Schnee's face, cold and distant at times, yet warm and friendly at others, appeared with the look of scorn… and she knew that she should have focused more on squashing her distrust and fear of the Schnee, for perhaps…

Yang's face came before her mind's eye once more, the warm feeling of gratitude and betrayal coming once more like the bittersweet memories of Adam as he had been and as he was now. _'You betrayed me, just like Adam…'_ Her eyes peered at the edge, even as a raven's caw disturbed her thoughts. The bird sat on the railing, looking at her with a set of red eyes that seemed to be highly interested in her, as if the bird held some sort of intellect that was beyond the collection of food.

Dismissing the raven's presence from her mind, she focused on what made sense. Yang was her partner. Selected by the sheer luck, a good partner. She cared for her like she would care for another sister of her blood, even with her half-sister on the same team. _'She was like mom… Willing to fight for us.'_ The image in her mind flashed once more, as Yang's face of only half an hour before came to flash before her face. _'Only now does she show her dislike for the Faunus… Sun did nothing wrong.'_

She had gone to apologize for the poor boy's misfortune, her partner's actions out of proportion to the offence that had been caused. "Y-yeah, sure. It was just a scratch." The monkey Faunus had said, his teammates looking at her with concern, as the young man's abdomen was covered in bandages. "S-so… How're things between the two of you?"

His wavering voice had shown once more the effect of Yang upon the world, of how the confidence that he had had had been turned into something that was a mere shadow of the young Monkey Faunus that she'd met in that moment when things had gotten out of hand at the docks. "Fine. I would just like to apologize…" Sun's eyes had shifted down, as he sighed. "No, it's okay. Your girlfriend said as much… I shouldn't but in where I'm not wanted." The tone of resignation was enough, even for her. _'If he doesn't wish to stand…'_

She had toyed with the idea of depending on him. A few words of encouragement and the breaking of Yang's hopes for her would have her securely within the young man's grip, yet another moment where she could feel safe. _'Anything that he would wish, I would do.'_

"Just… tell her I'm sorry." He said, as he limped away, his teammates assisting him. Blake knew how much Yang's punches could hurt if they were aimed straight at you.

It was thus that she stood at the edge, ready to throw herself off it, ready to join those who had come before her in the fight for Faunus rights. _'Yang… Adam…'_

She stepped onto the railing, ready to leap off it. A hand grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her away, throwing her with little strength, her body hitting the ground shoulder-first, her pain sense flaring up, as she looked up at the one who had prevented her from taking the final step. _'No!'_

A Grimm mask was worn by the woman who had pulled her back, looking at her for a moment. "Stupid girl. Yang would not approve of you dying on her." The voice of the strange woman sounded oddly like Yang's except older with something slamming into her forehead, her consciousness fading immediately as her Aura shattered.

Blake Belladonna was down for the count.

* * *

 **The next chapter of A Grimm Tale will be posted in 3 weeks. Taking extra time for the Volume II finale is desired so that I can make sure that it'll be something that'll amaze the lot of you. I'll be posting 2 updates for The dance of tigers though. Something to keep people tided over. It's a somewhat-serious-ish romance thing between Jaune and Sienna, starting up around a month before he went to Beacon. Dramatics. Sienna Khan. Faunus Rights.**

 **As for people who get all bent out of shape about the Ruby Rose thing... No. I'll say right now that there was nothing that happened to Ruby that was in any way or shape sexual. It's a reason for Qrow to get some more screen time in Volume III.**

 **I've also put a small note at the first chapter of A Grimm Tale to have people skip to the 5** **th** **chapter. That will at least allay some people's initial distaste for the aftermath, or so I hope. A Grimm Tale is going to be big.**

 **Volume III is going to be awesome, though.**

 **Ozpin File 19571, from the Beacon Server**

 **Name: Arc, Bianca A.  
Age: 25  
Status: ACTIVE  
Semblance: Aerokinesis  
Aura: Unlocked, A+  
Hunter Ranking: A+ (Cooperation with Arc, Ashley provides optimal results)  
Weapon: Ventus Mors  
Partner: Arc, Ashley**

 **Bio: The younger daughter of twins, Arc, Bianca has proven herself more than adept in the art of unleashing massive amounts of devastation. Instrumental in the defence of three settlements (See File: VSH-EC-200-204), the second name has been bestowed upon her for meritorious services by the Valean Noble Conclave, her manner of defence providing Senft, Martina, Worchester, Sangus and Mole, Tawney a chance to evacuate.**

 **Personality: Driven to do the best job she can, she takes great joy in working together with her sister, preferring a less-mobile role than Arc, Ashley has. Due to the skill with her weapon as well as her semblance, a certain drive to be as good as her sister has spurred her on to ensure that there will be no objections whenever they enter the battlefield, her will greater and more aggressively focused than her sister.**

 **Notes by OZPIN**

 **Miss Arc has shown great inventiveness with her Semblance, yet her ability to remain in a single place often leads her to take risks when under siege by a Grimm horde. Her skill is thus that it will take severe numbers to threaten them, yet her overconfidence often manifests. Her skills could complement Goodwitch, Glynda if nourished properly. The lack of a physical ranged assault weapon would bolster the Deputy's fighting capacity by a large amount. Further investigation and interrogation to be done after negotiations with Arc, Sage.**

 **Expect Yang to burst onto the scene next chapter! More Arcs in the next chapter than you can shake a stick at! Whitney finally deciding to snap! Expect some Salem!**

 **Leave a review! I like seeing them pop up! Always good to know what the audience is thinking!**


	30. Zoophobia

**Chapter 30: Zoophobia**

 **The Season Finale, Part I. To reiterate once more: Qrow did nothing to Ruby that was in any way beyond a hug. Ruby is unreliable with her memory at times, given that she was younger when that happened. Qrow was grieving (again) and very drunk and mistook her for Summer, as she was wearing Summer's cloak. Taiyang mistook his actions due to coming in at the wrong moment. Qrow Semblance magic at its finest. I have an outline of how the different storylines should go and how they occasionally meet up. You will get to see Qrow in the 2nd part of the finale, as that is where he'll be popping into the story again.**

* * *

 _Heroes (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

The manacles around his arms were tight, restricting the blood flow to his arms a slight bit, as he sat in the cell that they had allowed him to graciously have to himself, his eyes looking at the whitish blue forcefield that was in place, with enough time for his mind to start thinking on possible solutions.

' _The word undoubtedly has reached the family of this situation. Ashley and Bianca would be able to maintain order and peace among my children, as they search for a way to combat this injustice.'_ His hand already started to shake, the dependency on the drugs starting to work slowly through the exposure of time, as his eyes looked at the fluctuations of the force-field, the soft hum of it allowing his mind a moment of distraction, as the emotional backlash hit him full-force.

' _Do I really have time for this? Will they worry about me?'_ The emotional rush and emotional need were growing larger, his gaze drawn up to the camera that sat in the corner of the space before his cell, the force-field enough to keep him restrained, even with the shackles that effectively bound him to the spot. _'Huntsmen-proof shackles, with the special detention centre that's been set up to handle A-class Huntsmen. Food three times a day, good enough to keep the balance of energy and activity up whilst not being opulent or fancy.'_

Super-powered people like Huntsmen warranted their own facility. The Atlesian military held more faith in the 'pods' that they brought with them to their battlefronts than the old-fashioned technology of a cell forged from Dust-infused metal with a set of shackles tuned to the force-field to keep the prisoners in.

A low hum sounded, the door sliding open with a swish-click sound, the councillor striding in once again, flanked by one of her aides, holding a Scroll. The woman's face held a trace of amusement as she stepped forward. "Mister Arc, we meet again. Have you given thought about our arrangement-to-be yet?"

Her eyes were bright, as she motioned for the assistant to step into the cell. It was as much for her own protection as well as to give him the ability to see what was on the Scroll. The 'arrangement' that she spoke of undoubtedly was the linking of his family to some other family of import, furthering the political career of the woman.

 **Name: Winchester, Cardin  
Age: 17  
**  
The picture of the young man was taken at the Beacon initiation ceremony, an image coming to his mind of the young man being present at the ceremony to consign his son to the flame, the guilt that showed on the face of the young man something that he was more than aware of. _'Unsuitable to deal with long-term stress. Retirement in ten years of service, if not earlier.'_ His gaze went up to the woman.

"Your daughter Cremea would be a perfect fit, don't you think? Only six years difference, with little issues compared to fertility. We pulled her records from the hospital servers and she seems like the aptest, compared to the troublemakers that your eldest are." The woman's callous manner of speaking held some threat, even as his mind went to assess the possibility.

' _Statistical chances of it working out… 20%. Grudge too big to overcome, unless trauma is rectified by intense therapy. Other chances? Nil. Genetic drift and predisposition are moderate. Hospital files…'_ He looked at the woman, raising an eyebrow. "Which hospital?"

The chancellor responded coolly. "Vale General." His eyes closed for a moment, mind racing. _'Secondary backup, alteration of records bribed 20 days past birth. Ensured silence through ensuring careful selection of doctors. Natal ward private, documentation witnessed and signed 21 days after original.'_ His outward face did not shift much. "You could have a favourable match in your hands there, Maroon." The use of her first name was disrespectful, according to the customs, yet Sage Arc did not find that he cared for them much at this moment.

"If my daughters did not blame the young man for the accident that befell my son, it might have been a bargain that I would be willing to make." It was simple logic, after all. Maroon Syfres would be a political animal for her whole career, able to compromise where it was needed and accentuate where it would be requiring some adjustment. "As it stands, no deal."

The woman's face showed minor irritation, as she clicked her fingers, her aide sliding the image to the right.

 **Name: Beauregard Senft  
Age: 28**

The face of the young man didn't look so bad, in Sage's opinion. Could do with a bit more trim, a little more additional muscle, yet it didn't look so bad. "Mister Senft has extraordinary prowess in the business world. Together with your daughter Ashley, they could become exemplars of business." His face did not unveil his thoughts as he pieced together the imagery. _'With her technological prowess, she could innovate the logistical element, thus causing a technological revolution, yet her sister would not approve. Statistically, chances are low of Ashley ever doing something without Bianca's approval.'_

His twin daughters were a particularly finicky lot. One ensured the safety of the other, through method or action. _'They both would have to agree to marriage if one of them were to get married. I can't see that working out.'_ His eyes snapped to the woman. "I am afraid that I will not be able to consent to such a match. My daughter's back injury is still not fully mended." It was an excuse, yet it had been documented. That she had managed to install herself with an armour that had been named after his own weapon… well, that was just something that he could feel an odd flash of pride about. "Was her file not amended?"

The councillor inquired, the assistant pulling the Scroll back and speaking in a clear tone. "Apparently the injury is still fairly recent. It seems that Miss Arc has only been in-combat in a logistical fashion ever since she injured her back during the Reddeau mission, Councillor." The official line of reasoning had been thus, even as Ashley had recuperated swiftly. _'To be a Huntsman is to bleed for others. Never show them your full skills, lest you be stabbed in the back.'_

"Such an issue…" The woman groaned, clearly not having read through the medical reports fully. _'The second hospital was indeed a safe bet to make. The internal systems do not correspond with each other frequently enough.'_

"Well, Mister Arc, I must-" The door opened up, unveiling a tall man with pale hair and a set of deep brown eyes, a green set of glasses upon his nose, a cane in his hands.

"Maroon, I see that you've made yourself familiar with Mister Arc." The man's smooth voice was easy on the ears, as his gaze met with Sage's for a moment, the headmaster's eyebrow lifting for a brief instant, conveying plenty of questions in such a single motion. Sage's fingers wriggled slightly, as his left eyebrow rose slightly, with his tongue poking out of the left corner of his mouth, mouth firming up once more after that was done.

"What are you doing here, Headmaster Ozpin?" The woman's tone was respectful of his station, yet with a pinched tone that showed her irritation with his presence. The man smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with a manner. "Mister Arc, as patriarch of the Arc family, has the right to see his legal counsel, Councillor Syfres."The man's voice was polite on the surface, yet Sage could see the twitch of his left ring finger, indicating the time. _'Three weeks. I can hold out that long.'_

"It's simply gone so swiftly that we haven't had the time to properly ensure that the proper authorities were informed, Headmaster." The councilwoman looked frustrated for a moment, even as Sage could see the headmaster's expression turn victorious. "It is lucky that I have had my sources to ensure that Mister Arc has his legal counsel ready, right? Mister Arc? Your trial for… What were the charges again, Miss Syfres? I seem to have forgotten them."

"Aiding a civilian in getting access to a military installation." The councilwoman said, the Headmaster's smile more amused than anything else. "Your trial is in four weeks, Mister Arc. I have arranged for one of Beacon's legal team to represent you and your case. You can expect him at your soonest convenience."

"You can't do this, Ozpin! He is not a member of your family, nor are you his employer! He is just Sage Arc of a fading family!"The Councillor said, the headmaster turning to her and raising an eyebrow. "Can I not offer aid to a member of staff?" The question hung in the air, as the councillor looked at Sage with a frustrated look on her face.

' _Diversion. Signing the form has allowed me to be conscripted as teacher for Beacon Academy. Ozpin seems calm and collected. Best option: Accept aid.'_ The nod to the headmaster was enough. "As dictated by the terms of my Huntsman's license, before Revision Seventeen of the Valean Huntsman License, I am to serve as the teacher of the next generation if required to by the Headmaster, when asked."

It had been precisely due to that addition to the Huntsman Licensing Codex that the revision had been implemented, to ensure that there would be more control over the Huntsmen. Ordinary Huntsmen had the freedom to do as they wished and take whatever jobs they wished under the current system, though the Kingdoms still gave more generous incentives to work under them, as was dictated by political and personal interest.

The councilwoman swallowed deeply. "I hope that you will be proven innocent, Mister Arc."The woman was backed in a corner, the vocal assent given by him of accepting the job enough for the Headmaster to accept him immediately. _'The benefit of working for the Headmaster for a year or three outweighs the possible legal route that they could take in order to take my children away.'_ The faces of his daughters and his wife came to his mind, even as the councilwoman left the cell block in which he was kept, leaving him alone with the headmaster. He thought he could hear the aide say something about a 'Lady Veil' or something, the councillor's steps angry.

"You have gotten yourself in quite the mess, Mister Arc." The man said, an enigmatic smile on his face. His eyes met with his own and Sage could feel how some sort of invisible pressure seemed to push against the tranquillity in his mind. "I have." He said, voice as neutral as possible, whilst the pressure continued to mount.

The headmaster moved through the force-field, seating himself on the bench beside him. The smell of hot chocolate hung around the man, slowly filling the cell, the man's gaze directed to the force-field, a slow sigh coming out of the man's mouth. "I will need your eldest daughters and your youngest daughter for a mission. May I?" The man inquired, Sage feeling his Semblance shatter instantly as the Headmaster's hand laid on his shoulder.

"Yes." The words came out, as he felt some sort of coolness settle in the depths of his mind. The missions that the Headmaster asked his family for never were as easy as they looked on the surface. _'They are tough, my daughters. Azure is still a young one, freshly graduated, but it doesn't mean that she's not willing to take up arms if it is needed.'_ The headmaster's smile was warm and friendly, as the hand patted his shoulder. "Wonderful. I would not wish to pressure you into anything, Mister Arc."The words were friendly, comforting, knowledgeable. They spoke of things that were not spoken, the man's hand appearing in his view, a ring of silver visible on the index finger, the emblem that was depicted on it immediately drawing his attention. _'Slayer.'_

He showed no sign of relief, even as he felt it. A long exhale came from his mouth, even as the headmaster smiled before he spoke. "Mister Arc… What is your favourite fairy tale?"

* * *

 _The drifting tides (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As he looked at the long stretch of the harbour before his eyes, he felt safe. The buildings still looked the same, the old harbour lighthouse looking to have been refurbished in the short while that he'd been gone. Only four months and it had been enhanced with more metal plating around the crown, the light that shone from there in the darkness like the light of hope for those ships traveling by night, the remnants of an earlier Grimm assault still to be seen in several of the harbour defences that had still been under repair, the work nearly done at this moment in time.

"Happy to be home?" He heard Jack say, the Huntsman looking at the harbour whilst he joined Jaune at the railing. Nearly two weeks had gone by ever since they had stopped for a brief refuelling at one of the ports, Jaune's closeness with his fellow Huntsmen still at arm's length, yet the man seemed to have gained a sort of understanding."Yeah." Jaune said, breathing in the air of home once more.

"It feels like I've been away for years." He could not deny that feeling, as the settlement stood out clearly against the morning skies, the engine below deck rumbling along with the smooth operation of Dust. "Will you be alright though?" He inquired.

Jack shrugged. "Rosie and I'll be going together with the capt'n to Vale. We gotta see whether the Kingdom'll hire us." The man's eyes looked out over the settlement. "What's so special about this place, though?"

Jaune laughed, a genuine one. "Apple orchards and some of the best brandy that you'd be able to get… if I have to believe old man Hendrick's words. He says he's been at the Great War, making sure that the soldiers got drunk enough to fight." The smile on his face as he recalled the old man who had taken care of him a few times when the family had been otherwise occupied, the stories of the great war and its ebbs still ringing that bell of beautiful memory in the man.

"Oh, a war veteran? That man must be around… a hundred years old or so." Jack spoke casually, leaning against the railing. "You should cherish those people… They know a lot of what went on, all those years ago."

Jaune could imagine. The memories of the grand balls in the great hall, the faint touch on his cheek as the dinner was shared, the orders given by the King of Arcadia who would once become but a fading fragment. An endless life, wrought with endless death. Clashing against the one who had betrayed, who had framed his world with the terror and madness… and who had made him into what he was.

The statue in the harbour was dedicated to the King of Vale, the crown on his brow something that was an inaccurate depiction. _'Only through the light of illumination, can one pierce through the hidden choices that are upon the road before you.'_ The words had been spoken of in the Vytal Address, carved and etched into the base of the stone, an excerpt from the speech that the man had given before the congregation of nobility from the other Kingdoms.

"My family… They know a lot about the history of the nobility as well." He said, though why he volunteered said information wasn't clear, Jack giving a shake of the head. "You must be one of them fancy lads… Guess the women ya travel with're just there to guard your noble little behind, ay?" The man nudged him good-naturedly, Jack's attitude at odds with his rough manner of appearance.

The bit about the women guarding him wasn't quite accurate, yet to the eyes of the crew of the ship, Esmeralda was still the formal leader. When she cornered Jack and Rose, the verbal barrage finally erupted, the dark-haired woman's tirade about 'propriety' 'sexual antics' and 'that gods-damned banging and moaning until late in the nights' had the effect of cowing the husband and wife pair (which he would later learn, were half-brother and half-sister) as well as several of the other Huntsmen that traveled with them. Esmeralda's manner had given her a sense of intimidation around her, her no-nonsense manner something that he could approve of.

She was downright sweet in her personal interactions with him though, offering him a backrub once in a while, trying to skirt around the scars on his back, the soothing manner in which she handled him somewhat of a speciality of hers, even as Kali seemed to know more than he did. The trip to the beach on the following day had been less exciting, Esmeralda sticking to him like a ghost, her arm ringed with his own. Her emotions were remarkably even during these days, as if some sort of burden had fallen off her. She seemed more reasonable, her adoration for him… pleasant, if he had to put it into words.

"You should do something about your team leader." The man spoke softly, looking around. The mooring ropes were already prepared for the anchoring, allowing the passengers who wished to depart from the ship to prepare. "Oh?" Jaune inquired, confused about what the man was going to.

"It's not me place ta say much, but…" Jaune felt the man's arm wrap around him. "Between us guys… She's a fine bird, y'know? Fine lady. Them animals… They ain't got that spark that this one has. Y'know, Rosie said that you'z got the betrothal thingey… But if y'need a load off…" The man's grin was broad, as he winked.

He snorted. His teammates had made it more than clear that they were all attached in different ways. "She'd never see me as a man. There's twenty years or so between us." The huntsman chuckled, his head shaking lightly. "Boy, if I had a Lien fer every time my sis said that I'm a numbskull, I'd be living the high life. Trust me… That lady wants ya. She wants ya bad."

Jaune laughed. "Right. And I'm the last son of the line of the King of Vale… Riiiight." He was sure that Esmeralda just cared a lot for him, in the way that Sienna and Kali cared. The two Faunus had been more secluded for the past days, speaking of some things, the words 'period' and 'time' thrown around a few times, enough for him to realize that retreat was often the best option when those words were spoken.

"Hey, yer highness… If ya need some sort of squire of sorts, 'm at yer service." The Huntsman made an exaggerated bow, a touch off from how the formal bow towards those of sufficient status should be. "Kneel before him with one knee and touch your head to the ground." Esmeralda's voice spoke up behind him, the woman's hands moving swiftly, the Huntsman pushed into the proper position, whether he wanted to or not. Jaune could see the man's wife stand there, amusedly looking at the sight of the forced bow, not giving any indication that she was going to help her husband out.

"Hey! Ya can't do this to me! Rosie! Help!" The man's body was put in the approximate position, the head thunked against the ground with unnecessary roughness, as Esmeralda looked at Jaune, winking at him. "Say after me… 'I, a low-born mongrel, of whose blood is mere rubbish and litter…" The woman's voice held a tone of steel as she spoke, mimicking that of the man's wife.

The snort that came from the woman's mouth was enough to show that the action had been condoned. "Ah, a low-born mangrel, of whoosh blood is meah ruby and glitter." The man's accent made it almost comical, a smile visible on Jaune's lips. Esmeralda's eyes met his own, a warmer smile on her own lips. "Swear fealty to the line of this noble-born soul. Until death, my breath defends. Until Grimm jaws rend my flesh, does service extend. My bloodline to be bound to ancient line."

The man's head tried to raise, yet Esmeralda pressed it back against the ground. "Say it, peasant boy." The woman growled, as she held that head there, the onlookers of common birth looking on with interest. "Alright, alri-" The sound of Jack's forehead hitting the steel deck once more sounded. "Sweah felty ta th' line af this nubbie-born soul. Until deaf, mah breath deafens. Until rim jobs rend my besh, does service bend. Mah bloohdline ta be bound ta ancient slime."

Jaune facepalmed at the words of the man, who had managed to mangle the ancient words with such ease that it could not be accepted, shaking his head. "My ancestors would cry if they saw this." He said, shaking his head, hand disappearing from his face. "Just… let him up, will you?" Esmeralda's eyes narrowed, seemingly unwilling to let things go. "He offered his blade to you." She said.

The formal history lessons that his father had pounded into his head came to the fore once more, the protocol of nobility something different than what had been taught. _'You must remember, in the event that you meet with those of noble blood, that your manners are impeccable. Any oath of fealty, you are to speak with clarity of voice and with clear purpose behind it.'_

"It's not going to work with the Atlesian oath." He said, knowing the proper forms by heart. He spoke them softly. "With my blood I cherish thee, noble soul. My lineage forever entwined with yours, until my dying breath. Your children, my eternal charge, I bestow my alliance and allegiance to you, my sovereign." The first few words were commonly known, the iteration that he knew by heart only passed on from father to eldest son of the main line. The 'noble soul' was the part where common knowledge ceased, the drama's filling it in with the most aggrandizing manners of speech, flowery and unwieldy in the common prose.

"Ah, can we just… forego that part?" The man's wife asked, her eyes looking at him, a smirk on her face. "I don't want my hubby to traipse after some boy with his three mistresses." Jaune did not flush, even as Jack groaned something about his spine being bent like a pretzel, his gaze meeting Esmeralda's, her face showing surprise, as she closed her mouth again, shaking herself and getting up again.

"Nothing to see here, ladies and gentlemen."She said, the picture-perfect model of protocol and obedience to the rules. The passengers that had stared seemed to wish to inquire more, yet Esmeralda's sharp glare was as good a deterrent as the rifle that she had slung over a shoulder. _'There's a charm in superior firepower.'_

"Jaune…" The woman said, her voice oddly thick, as her gaze went to Sienna and Kali, who were approaching from the other side of the ship. He could feel their presence even if they were not physically in sight, their presence much like the Grimm that he created, his whole body tuned finely to those. "Do you have marriage vows as well?" She inquired, her voice sounding particularly urgent as her arm locked with his own. Several of the people that stood on the harbourside motioned for the mooring ropes to be thrown to them, the anchoring procedure starting with the clanging of metal and the engine slowly winding down from its active state to an inactive one.

' _Why would she want to know about marriage vows?'_ He _knew_ the vows, of course. Every Arc sibling held within them the blood of the Arcs, and thus was beholden to matters of protocol. Only through the vows could the standard of blood be kept pure, as it was the sign of the blessing by the gods. "Of course."

He wasn't going to voice them aloud. They were a private thing. An unreadable look came to her eyes, before they widened perceptibly. Those eyes looked at him in a new light, as she mouthed the words that he had spoken before. When she came to the latter part, she actually uttered the last words – 'I bestow my alliance and allegiance to you, my sovereign.' – with a voice that was barely audible for anyone except the pair of them.

That she would do such a thing… It would be unthinkable in this current-day era, where the nobility was but a relic of the past, uncared for by those who held the blood of commoners in their vein. That his status as the only boy from eight children had made him somewhat special was known to him, his father's words speaking at length about the 'importance of his existence', even with Heather explaining some of her own difficulties in the interpersonal sphere due to the Arc name.

' _But that is not the full pledge…'_ The spoken words that he had was but a part of the creed. The section that held the most significance he did not even dare utter aloud, even as the words danced through his mind. _'No…'_ He knew that the pledge would mean sacrifice, a choice…

"Jaune, I've been thinking…" The woman said, pulling him close, intimately so. "So, what are you two lovebirds doing? I saw that you were pressing that idiot to the ground… So, what's hanging?" The words were typical for Kali, high-energy and high-empathy working on him, as he smiled at the Faunus woman. "Just talking a little about oaths." He said, as he heard the murmuring of the crowd of passengers, those who would disembark from the ship and enter the settlement to do… whatever they wished.

He spotted Marble and her friend, standing there on one side of the deck, their eyes looking in his direction, clearly watching him with an expression which he identified as wistfulness. He didn't want them to have a bad impression of him, even though Esmeralda had assured him that it would be no issue for him in the future. The looks of the pair were a little glum, yet there was little that they could do about it. "We'll have to disembark as well… I've got some great places that I'd like to show you guys!" Excitement ran high once more through his body as he knew that there would be some great stuff to be shown to the women who travelled with him. _'We can go to the baker for something nice to eat, Maurice ought to be still working for his father, maybe visit old man Hendrick and see how he's doing…'_

Sienna smiled gently at him, a contrast with the emotions that often bubbled inside her, her eyes meeting with his own, a placidness that was unusual covering her. "I'd like to see the settlement that you grew up in, Jaune." Her voice was moderate, without the heat of the words of anger and irateness that often came with her moods. Her eyes were bright and with a slight warmth to them.

"I'd love to show you all around." He said, the genuine smile on Sienna's face definitely something that he enjoyed to see. It brought a sense of peace to him, of having achieved at least one good thing in his journey towards becoming a Hero. "I'll have to inform the Captain that we're leaving." Esmeralda said, as she moved out of his presence, her smile set on her face. There were many smiles among his companions. _'It's a pity that Summer seems to have disappeared…'_

He had not seen Summer ever since they had beat the Testudo Vehementi, the woman disappearing as if she'd never been there. The space inside him was still occupied, it felt, yet there was something about it that made it hard to penetrate with his own gaze, as if she had shut out the world with a silver shield that blocked his powers. A little egg within the mass of darkness that was running through his body, guarded against everything.

' _If she wants to… She can come back.'_ He would give her that choice at least. She was a woman who had helped them out. Without her, they would still be in the bandit camp… or dead. _'She's owed that much, at least…'_ The hope in his heart was that he could bring the women back to Ruby and Yang, hopefully reconciling them with their mothers… or just Summer Rose, if it came to that.

"You four are leaving us, right?" The captain of the Titanic said, his eyes flicking from person to person. The man's hand was resting on the board that controlled the engines, the man's uniform still crisp and well-cared for. "My family lives here. I wanted to introduce them to my family." Jaune could see the man's eyes rest on Kali for a moment. "You young ones have all the fun… Old-timers such as me are locked to a single wife… But I won't begrudge you for it. A man chooses his home and his family." The man's hand reached under the board and pulled a case out.

"Here's the amount of Lien for your services in guarding us. It's been a pleasure to have you and your team with us, Son." Lien chips were held out, Esmeralda taking them, tucking them in the pouch that they used to keep Lien on their person, her eyes meeting with the old captain's. "He's your leader, isn't he?" The man asked, Esmeralda blanching.

"No, I am the leader." She said, as if to affirm that once more. The captain shook his head. "I've been a sailor all my life, lady… I recognize a true leader when I see one. Me old captain, a man named Ahab, used ta be in the Valean Navy… Went down fighting this big ol' white Sea-Grimm. He was a fine man, yet he'd sacrificed hisself for the crew to survive. 'S why we named this ship the Titanic… Cuz the Peaquod was destroyed by the Sea-Grimm itself… Th' sacrifice of a man for them people he loves…" The man shook his head, as he sighed deeply. "Y'may be th' oldest an' th' other women may be Faunus, yet yer lad…"

There was a look that seemed to settle onto the man's face, as he exhaled slowly. "Yer lad's a good example of what a leader should be. Yer a good woman, ain't a doubt about it… But he's gonna make waves. I wish ya four luck." The Captain's face barely changed, as he turned away. "Go an' be good, you lot. Make humanity feel safe… It's what we need." The man's voice sounded distant, as he turned away.

"Could I have your name?" Jaune asked, as his emotions felt disturbed by the man's passionate words, his voice cutting through the silence that fell. The man's head turned, his years looking even more than before. "Call me Ishmael, mister…" The man had never taken much interest in knowing the names of their team.

"Jaune Arc, sir." He said, giving the salute that he'd practised for years. His eyes watched the man's face change, the man's lips pressing tightly together. "A pleasure, Jaune." The man said, as he mimicked the salute, getting off his chair and performing it slightly differently.

Jaune knew what it meant. Saluting someone mean that you were acknowledging them in a formal capacity, the man's downturned hand indicating his past as a sailor, his own salute more formal and denoting his own rank in the manner of being a member of the nobility. _'It's a good thing that he didn't go the full route of inquiry. A simple salute is more than sufficient, as the official manners would take too long.'_ "It's an honour to have been with you on this trip, Captain." The deference to the man's status as the ship's captain was natural. Nobility was only land-bound. The captain of any vessel that one travelled on held automatically a higher rank than one's own.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Esmeralda had given a similar salute, her fingers turned down. _'Countess?'_ He wasn't fully sure whether it was the official salute for a Count or not, or whether it was that of a Baron… But he did not care at this moment. Whether Esmeralda had earned the right of a second name he knew not, yet the woman's capacity as his companion was not in question. "For your service, you had been rewarded. May the gods watch over you."

Jaune turned around, looking at Esmeralda, whose hand lowered immediately. The two Faunus women, often vocal in their chatter, had gone silent. "Jaune Arc, disembarking." He said, the formal code for 'leaving the ship' spoken with ease, as his steps hurried towards where they had their bags already packed and ready. He checked his own bag, the framed picture of Ren's family still wrapped there, a faint smile coming to his lips.

' _I'm going to bring this back to you, Ren… From what I've seen, it must've been one hell of a fight that your parents put up against it…'_

* * *

 _Baked goods and fruits (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She was on her guard now. She could see the looks of the humans on them as they disembarked, her eyes glinting in the sunlight as she adjusted the shades a little, her looks more benign than Sienna's, whose appearance stood out. Her dusky skin was a shade darker than her own tanned one, even as she hooked her arm around her friend. "The humans are watching us."

She heard Sienna give a sound in the back of her throat, as she looked at the humans, Jaune and White a little further ahead, as they conversed with each other about… _'Are they talking about inheritance?'_ She didn't quite know what to do with those topics, knowing that there was a difference between Jaune and White at least in status… though it was not important in the slightest to her. She was just a woman who cared for those around her.

Jaune turned around, his eyes meeting with hers and Sienna's for a moment, the glint of light reflected from his eye bringing a surge of dark emotions to her heart. She could feel the loyalty brim inside her, the desire to be close to him. _'You've been so good to us.'_ The darkness inside her whispered that she should vow her loyalty to him immediately, claiming him before the White one would, to place her mark upon his flesh to forever linger. She quelled the thoughts, as her eyes closed, a smile on her lips.

"We should get something to eat. Mister Bark has some of the best buns in town." Kali's lips twitched into a smile. "Oh? And did you get to glaze those buns?" She could hear Sienna inhale sharply, her voice sounding as if she were talking about the weather.

His face was marked by a fond smile. "No, but there were some really nice glazed cookies that are only made on the anniversary of the Vytal pact. Dad used to buy them to support the local defenders." Kali nodded, even as she followed after him, the main street standing before them. The settlement's streets were arranged in the manner of a honeycomb, allowing for an easier defence of the settlement if it were to come under attack. With the barriers of the settlement raised up high, it would be a good plan to defend against a Grimm invasion, Kali knew.

As they walked to the bakery that he had indicated, Kali could see the signboards, paying no real attention to them, familiar with them as she was. _'Faunus are refused service' 'No Faunus allowed' 'Humans only'._ The establishments varied, from bars to grocery stores, the people of the settlement looking at them with distrust. _'Typical Valean nature… Always trying to distrust our kind.'_

Sienna's teeth gnashed as she bore the looks and whispers, her ears twitching a few times, yet she was still armed, following after Jaune still. Jaune's own appearance, with the massive two-handed blade strapped onto his back and White at his side, gave him the impression of a leader leading his team. _"Dirty animals, only good to follow after a human…"_

The whispered voice was heard, Sienna's voice soft to her sensitive ears. "I hate this." Sienna muttered, her gaze directed at Jaune's back, her steps a little faster. Kali could feel her tigress friend squeeze her arm just a little tighter, restricting the blood flow without any real issue. _'She's tensed up because of the racism…'_

Kali could bear it. It wasn't something that she would think too much on whilst it was happening. It was like water on a smooth surface that curved down. It could all just slide off. _"That blonde guy is hot… Do you think he's single?" "No, he must be with the brunette… or even be a deviant with those two pussy-cats."_ The whispers were enough to make her grit her own teeth, the gesture something that she hid as she put her best smile on, trying to hide the frustration inside her. Jaune looked back at her and stopped, White continuing on, before he made a motion with his hand.

The universal gesture for 'join us' was given, even as White stopped and waited. Kali could feel his arm wrap around her, Jaune's head tilting to the side for White to join him. _"Oh god, he's actually touching the freaks." "I think they're more of a Huntsman team… We shouldn't talk like this." "Such a good-looking boy… A pity that the Arcs' youngest died during an accident…"_

Kali felt the shadows inside her bubble and boil with a heat that seemed to freeze her insides, a genuine smile coming from the depths of her self as she looked at him. She was shorter than he was, his body tall and manly. _'Just like my Ghira…_ _'_

Sienna's head turned to her, raising her right eyebrow, as she leaned close. "Bit easier on the pheromones, Kali..." She grinned though, Kali's side feeling a nudge of it as Sienna's face brightened slightly from the expression of cold neutrality into something a little warmer. _"He must be sleeping with all three! How scandalous!" "Hey, how about you go up to him and ask whether he'd want to have something with you? You've had a drought for a while and he's a pretty hot dude." "He looks a bit too much like Jaune for me... I'm sorry, but I've still got the memory of that oldest sister of him in my mind... It was like my heart was going to explode when she suddenly appeared like a demon from the shadows and put that thing around my neck."_

The rumours that were thrown around were crude and without any base, yet Kali held to Jaune tightly. The shirt that he had gotten from the Titanic crew had been replaced with something a little more fitting, a spare outfit cobbled together from the outfits available at the port. The jeans that he wore had been selected for appearance alone, White taking the first step in that.

Remembering that was actually pretty fun, as White had pushed Jaune into a dressing room and then said – 'Stay there.' – whilst she went into the proper. The red shirt showed off his muscular physique pretty well, if Kali had to say something about it... and the socks and shoes that had been bought just outlined the entire 'suave sexy blonde man' look... But then again, she might be biased and influenced by her own thoughts on the subject.

' _Hmmm, only a nice set of shades and he'd look like Agent Blonde...'_ She knew the series well, having seen it come out in the movies that allowed Faunus customers in Mistral. It was hard to deny the Faunus some space, after the Faunus Rights Revolution, yet cherished customers they were not.

Walking past a large cinema, she could see the movie titles on display, several of the movies that were more or less ending their run being announced as half-price for the remainder of the month, her eyes noticing the date being around a week off. _'It would be nice if we could go to the movies.'_

She knew that if they would run into issues with the humans of the town, that Jaune would be able to mediate. There was the fact that they appeared for all intents and purposes, to be a Huntsman team. More leeway was given to those who defended the land, in most cases. _'The poor are kept downtrodden and the strong and rich are given benefits.'_

Her eyes looked at Jaune's face, as his head tilted away from her, the blonde hair with the single white streak tussled by the breeze. "Always managed to get out unscathed, though. Heather was so panicky when I did it for the first time." _'That's his... sister, right? How many did he have? Five?'_

It was perhaps a little silly that she didn't remember, yet the burdens that had been laid on their shoulders were many, with enough worries to keep them distracted. She knew as much as White did, that Jaune was someone who held some status, she knew his teammates, as well as the boy whose family picture they were carrying along towards Vale once more, the manner in which he seemed to be oblivious towards the advances of his companions. _'I did ask...'_

She didn't LIKE the answer that she got, though. It was a sad sight to see that he was so... dense. _'If I didn't promise White that I'd let her...'_ It would be over in a good hour. Strip his clothes off, tie him down and make sure that he knew what the meaning of love for a man and a woman was. _'Ghira never minded... And so I doubt that he would.'_ The thought set her loins aflame, the catty smile on her face even bolder than before as she rubbed herself against him affectionately.

"Welcome to Bark's Bakery. How can I help you?" The cheerful voice of a young man sounded, as Jaune held open the door. Kali and Sienna walked in first, White staying back for a moment, taking the door from Jaune and then letting him enter. "Hey, we'd like to-" She started, the human behind the counter frowning for a moment as the delectable treats that were laid out on the shelves smelling delicious. She could see the frown on the man's face. "Hey, your kind isn't allowed in here!"

Sienna's anger was like a flame lighting up a dust refinery, the look on her face still as frosty as before, yet the anger inside her blazing. Kali herself controlled the urge to lash out, even as she tempered herself with the need that this would be yet another moment for Faunus rights to take a step back. "Ah, we'll just-" She started, as Jaune moved forward. "Maurice! You wouldn't be putting my friends out in the cold, right? Give me four of the best Vytalcakes you have!"

The clerk looked at Jaune for a moment, seemingly puzzled by the way that Jaune referred to him. "Who are you?" The young man asked, Jaune grinning at the man. "You dated Ashley for a week or so before Bianca decided to blow up your sorry little car. It's me, Jaune! Is your old man in?" The casual manner that Jaune slid himself into the conversation, not even counting the slight against his people, the frown on his face speaking volumes about how he thought about it.

"J-Jaune? You're alive?" Maurice, who knew their young blonde leader from the earlier days of his life no doubt, looked Jaune over, looking pointedly at the large weapon that was attached to his back, a clear indicator of the profession that he had chosen, a sign of his skill in the art of dealing with people who would harm those that he cared for. "Yep. That's me." Jaune seemed to be casual about it, as he made a motion. "Esmeralda, Sienna, Kali. That are their names." He indicated to each person, as he smiled.

"I'd like you to apologize to them." Jaune said, a hint of sternness in his voice, as his normally open face looked shrouded in darkness for a moment, the effect sending tingles over her face. "H-hey, I don't need to-" The clerk called Maurice said, as he looked at Jaune.

"Apologize, Maurice. " Jaune re-iterated, his eyes meeting with the clerk's still. "They can punch you through the wall just as easily as my sister could." Maurice groaned, clearly the allusion of previous events enough. "Alright, alright..." The clerk said, clearly intimidated by Jaune's words. She could feel the delicious fear inside him swell.

"I'm sorry, alright? Store policy's just... store policy." The young man looked helpless, even as Jaune's humourless smile seemed to stiffen a little. "Get the Lien." He said to White, the woman pulling the bag out and pulling a few chips out. "I don't want to be seen as someone who doesn't pay for his order." Jaune's voice was tight, as he laid the chip on the counter. "Four Vytalcakes, please." The back door opened behind the clerk, a bear of a man who obviously was related to the man stepping out, taking a double take of Jaune and his company, clearly taking a moment to put everything in order. "Oh, if it isn't the little Jaune. Maury, give the lad his Vytalcakes. His companions..." The man did notice her, a longer look given at the two of them, Sienna's face as passive as it could be, a side-effect of her political training and bodyguard services. "are welcome here." There were no other customers at this hour, a thing that seemed to be rare, if Kali held any sort of guess.

"So, we heard you'd passed away. How'd that come about, son?" The man said, as he looked at his son. Jaune seemed to be possessed of an extra sort of charm, perhaps due to the familiarity with the people. "Well, you know what they say that it's only fun and games until someone loses an arm, right?"

She smiled slightly at that thought. The arm that he had crafted out of the shadowy darkness itself seemed to have little in the way of hiding itself. The baker looked at his arms, clearly wondering what that referred to. _'They don't know the specifics... Naturally.'_ It would have been enough to say that Jaune had died for most people who did not have a background in Huntsmen life to accept it. Accidents happened, after all.

"There was an accident." Jaune said, full of smiles, yet she could feel the workings of his mind weave through his emotions. In the shadow of his eyes she could see the will that domineered those around him, that showed her the true path towards freedom, to instil in others the fear that would finally light the path towards their own annihilation.

She could feel the shards of the conversation slip away from her, as her mind went towards the shadows, her view changing to a point behind her. Sienna's face was as calm as the woman could make it, the baker's voice sounding much like it was, even as an older female human entered, Kali's body moving aside with no hint of her vision changed at all, the weird manner of vision somehow freeing, as she could feel the shadows pull at her once more.

"Hey Miss Jellow. Is everything alright with your husband?" Jaune's casual manner of speech was enough, as she could see the older woman, who seemed to have only noticed Jaune at the moment that he spoke up, the disapproving gaze to her and Sienna enough to show that the human element in this settlement ran strong. "Jaune! We had thought you dead! Is this going to be another case of your older sister?" Jaune shrugged, giving what amounted to a smile that had been practised over the years to be disarming and charming. "Gee, I don't know... But Ashley and Bianca didn't quite tell me about their time. Bianca still has it out for that Grimm who hit her in the face, though." The woman gave an uncomprehending sound, clearly showing surprise with Jaune's candidness.

"Now now, dear... You should be aware that we're not all so skilled as your sisters." The woman's attention went to the others, Kali spotting Whitney leaning against the display, as she seemed to be the one waiting. "These are the ones that're in my team. Esmeralda, Kali and Sienna. Without them, I've never had made it out. I'm not skilled yet... but they've got faith in me."

He could see the woman's response, as could she. Well-aware of the woman's nature and the need for clarification so that nothing would be misconstrued, he elegantly moved them from 'mere Faunus' into 'huntsmen' territory, the woman's mouth forming a small smile. She looked between the two of them, then at White, as if trying to come to a conclusion on her own.

"Ah, can I have two loaves, please?" The woman ordered, the clerk working with diligence to get the order filled.

"You come round again, Jaune. It's good to have you back again." The father of the store clerk said, crossing his arms like he meant business, a look at his son given that showed that there would be 'words' had about today, if not as swiftly as when the door was closed. _'There's a story behind that... And Jaune, familiar with these people as he is, knows more than he tells.'_

The guess in her mind was that he had been around when his sisters dated, the names of the sisters being elusive to her usually categorical-oriented mind. She knew well the difference between 'family' and 'friends', wondering briefly whether she would fit in one of the categories herself or whether she would be cast aside, worrying not about the difficulty and merely subsisting as 'there' for him.

She craved... something. Her gaze slid over Jaune's body, the delicate features of the young man, delicate for a human, who held the definition of a Huntsman yet none of the... Well, she supposed that that'd be lying to herself. The need within her was great... The seeds of discord had been sown, the fear had been overwhelming her needs ever since... but she knew well that there was an order to things.

With her acute senses, Kali could smell the difference in pheromones between Humans and the Faunus, their needs bringing to such a level the caress of love, lust or envy. She reeked of the envious nature herself, something only dampened by Sienna's own wrathful desires. Whereas she lived for the pleasure of the man who had lifted her from the mire of darkness and depression, Sienna lived for the vengeance that she had been denied, those who had moved against them having brought nothing to the world save for the need to be brought to justice, their disloyalty to be punished.

' _The White Fang definitely moved against Sienna... and my husband and I were mere casualties of circumstance. The transport that White brought with her was a good diversion, yet...'_ The blood inside her felt sluggish as she exited the bakery, the 'Vytalcakes' that he had bought at the store smelling delicious.

"There's a nice place below the statue of... The King of Vale." The hint of bitterness in his voice surprised Kali, even as a quick search of his emotions found the distaste to be visceral and cold, as his eyes seemed to harden, looking at the face of the King, the crown atop the man's head well-decorated in the style of that era, only eighty years before.

' _As if it would be so easily done to cast aside the woes of time...'_ The worrisome time that she had found was still there, with the vagrancies of time still to cling to them all. Moving through the swelling mass of people going about their daily business, the weapons that they had at their side as well as the two humans leading the way, let them not be harried or harassed. There were comments thrown to others about their presence, yet she let it not get to her. She was a Faunus and she was proud that she had achieved some sense of equality with some humans.

Seating themselves on one of the benches, Jaune's face looking a little more grave than before, the 'Vytalcakes' were pulled out of the bag. Sienna frowned as she looked at the sugar-coated Vytalcake, turning it around a few times and raising an eyebrow. "How... does one eat this?"

Jaune smiled then, Kali's heart beating a little faster at the sight of that pretty smile, full of the joy that he had once lost, slowly to regain. "They're not that hard to eat. Big sis taught me how to eat it. Open your mouth and then suck on the tip... well, if you can. They're a little tough, yet fluffy when you break through the shell." The smile on his face was something that hid secrets, Kali knew.

' _There must be something about these Vytalcakes that makes them special..._ ' She took a bite from the tip, tasting the sugary sweet outer layer, without any sort of difference in flavour of one of the other cakes that she'd had, save for the fact that it was TOUGH on the teeth. _'Must've been layered with sugar crystal or something...'_

Jaune stuck his own Vytalcake in his mouth and with a cracking sound, tore the tip off. The piece was swallowed immediately, as he put it in his mouth. Kali could spot White looking at her own Vytalcake and then lightly nibbling on the head, her eyes focusing on Jaune. If Kali didn't know better, she'd imagine little hearts popping out of the Atlesian woman's eyes, yet there was no such sight, except the wistful look of a woman in love. _'She needs to make her intentions known.'_

She bit down a little further, tasting a sudden flavour of chocolate, the taste somewhat different from the regular flavour of chocolate. "Ech, chocolate." Sienna frowned, Jaune smiling a little. White's face seemed to change for a moment, as she looked at the Vytalcake in her hand. "It's meant to... Well, you'll know." The words of the young man made her feel a little more comfortable with the sweet treat, biting down and tasting some of the chocolate as well. _'Nice and gooey. Yum.'_

She was more a fan of chocolate than Sienna and Ghira had been. A lady's first love was good food, after all... and she enjoyed the different flavours that she had. It was nothing but the joy of a woman's tastes, after all.

A little further down the cake, she could taste the sudden hint of cherry, jam made of sweet cherry flavour exploding into her mouth as she bit down, her eyes closing and a soft sound of contentment coming from her mouth. "Cherry, ech..." It was White who spoke, as she looked at the Vytalcake in her hand, nearly a quarter of it eaten already. Due to the size of the cakes, a little like a quarter of a bread, they were filling for a person, not only due to the high amount of sugar in the cake, but also the different fillings.

' _If it's got chocolate and cherry in it, then it must have more flavours.'_ She guessed. "Do they call it Vytalcakes because of the different fillings?" She asked, Jaune nodding. "Upon the first anniversary of the Vytal Pact, a baker had an idea to encapsulate the four Kingdoms into their baking products. That is the origin of the Vytalcakes... but we don't really get them that often because too many sweets are bad for your teeth, Mom said."

She could imagine, even as she dug in a little faster, her eyes searching out for the hidden dangers. Inside her mind, the sweet whispers of her shadowy Semblance murmured. **'With just a single word, he ignites your soul... Know your owner, Kali... The master's will is what lights your flame.'** The shadows caressed her insides, her stomach clenching as she looked between the two others who had been marked by their encounter with the young man.

White was absent-mindedly eating, the cherry jam leaking out of a corner of her mouth, her finger absently tracing little circular patterns on her leg, which had crossed over the other, her attention focusing mostly on their gallant leader, her eyes never straying much from him, as her focus laid on him. Sienna, in contrast, was absently looking at the food that she was currently nibbling on, Kali's eyes peering at Sienna's face, which was more shrouded due to the sun hitting her face from an angle, the tattoos standing out on the skin. A faint grimace was seen on the woman's face, as she looked at Jaune, an expression on her face that Kali knew well enough. _'She's disliking the fact that she likes someone... It's been a while since I saw that expression on her face.'_

She knew Sienna better than most, due to spending a great deal of time with the former bodyguard and trusted friend, her idiosyncrasies almost second-nature to her. _'She's trying to hide it, but she is charmed by the taste.'_ There were many things that Kali could write down about Sienna's little tics, from the things that annoyed the younger woman, to the things that brought her great joy, yet she knew well that such knowledge would be akin to giving a cheat sheet to someone who intended to woo the woman. _'Nobody would need to know that she's ticklish slightly below the left breast... And they'd look at me oddly if I said so.´_

Of course, she knew well that there were more than such little facts to tell of Sienna. _'They had been cute together, even though that girl continued to talk about her family and how proud she was of her siblings.'_ The hopefulness that had been seen in Sienna's eyes for a moment when she realized just how close to the Valean records bureau they were, well... _'You can't revive the dead... But you can inquire as to how they died.'_

The hope in Sienna's body lit up like a blaze of light, burning away the hopelessness that had threatened to overwhelm the rage within. Without that rage, without that frustration, Sienna would never have become the woman she was now. Her own convictions, brought on from that one moment when she had let down her guard and had accepted someone...

' _Ooh, cream. I like cream.'_ The smile in her eyes made them light up a little, she knew. The sight of her own face smiling was something that she enjoyed, as it showed her happy side to the world, instead of the bleakness that she felt on the inside. That she looked like she was only a good four or five years older than Jaune was just additional benefit. Blake'd better believe that she'd gained an extra sister... Because a lady of Kali's age could simply not look THAT hot.

She could see several of the civilians look at the four of them, Jaune starting to talk some more to Sienna, whose one-word responses seemed to be evocative of the mood she was in. It was a sad sight to see sometimes, how Sienna just curled into herself, the ball of hate and vile feelings towards humanity something of a shield that she propped up in order to be able to face the world again.

The looks of awe and being intimidated by their appearance was something that she could understand. The skill of a Huntsman was something special, regardless of their origin, of their birthright and of their heritage. With the blood of the Faunus running through her body, she knew that there would be no great challenge during night-time expeditions. Sienna and herself had the trait of night vision, White and Jaune's own manners of being in the darkness dissimilar, yet the familiarity of the night-time was something that still stuck with her.

"So, what is with the big statue?" White asked, the woman having finished her Vytalcake, her interest towards the statue shining through in her manner, as she looked at the gallant figure that stood out towards the harbour, the blade in his hand extended. A frown came to his face as she asked, Kali's own senses picking up frustration.

"The King of Vale." He said, voice sounding slightly bitter. Why he would, she didn't know, yet she could make a guess. _'Something to do with the other ones... The one who controls the Grimm, perhaps...'_ She was not known for making such conclusions easily, yet his face showed clear reasons for not speaking. "He signed the Vytal pact here for the peace of the world, nearly eighty years ago."

His eyes closed then, as he took a deep breath. His lips pressed tight together, the look on his face sullen enough to make him look like the typical teen, his blonde hair falling in his face. "I see..." White muttered, though she was sure that it was more meant to herself, as the woman's hand gently laid on Jaune's back, to offer comfort for the stress that he must undergo. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright." He said, his eyes looking up to the statue, his gaze pensive and with a hint of concern of it. "What's the matter?" She asked, voice sounding a little strained. "You've got a worried look about you." The worry in his body was like a static rumble in the background to her, her eyes watching clearly that face of his, as he looked at the statue once again. "You don't have to tell us... Just tell us when you want to."

Jaune looked up to the sky, his breath escaping his lips in a long-suffering sigh. "It's nothing, I just... Had a bad premonition." The words were easy to say, yet the young man's voice seemed wizened and older than his physical appearance. _'We should get him to shave.'_ The stubble on his cheek was giving her the urge to go and bring her hand to brush over it, just to listen to the sound that it made.

"We should head to my home, though... Mom'll be happy to know that she's still got her son." The watery smile on his face was enough, as White brushed over her hair, as she rubbed his back with her other hand, her eyes looking determined. _'That's the look you want to have. Look like you're going to rip his pants off and ride him like an escaping stallion!'_

Sometimes, a woman needed to get her neediness taken care of by force.

* * *

 _The elegant solution... and the inelegant solution (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her eyes watched carefully how Kali's smile seemed to grow even bigger, the youthful features of the other woman a contrast with her own, the physically eldest-appearing woman of the group that she was a part of. She knew that she looked like the leader under most circumstances, yet she was well aware of the fact that the true power laid with Jaune.

His face had shown displeasure for a moment, as if he knew something more than what they knew, something hidden and shameful that they would be thinking about whenever they looked at him. _'He must be worried that his mother would look upon us unfairly...'_ He was such a caring young man, trying to assure them of a spot within his home. _'For a nineteen-year-old, you'd imagine that the bridal assignment had already concluded...'_ The imagined woman who would be her opponent was definitely two decades her junior, her body still unspoiled by the ravages of pregnancy, with a crispness to her laughter and none of the sour disposition that often plagued her.

She was nothing but an older woman, compared to the freshness that Jaune brought with him. She was a shameful, lustful woman, who thought nothing of manhandling the unconscious body of the young man without a care for her own station, the shame she felt after reaching that peak and shuddering in the torment of her first orgasm in nearly a decade still bringing with it that feeling of release. Every time she was close to him, her blood set itself aflame, as the desires within her peaked and her whole body quivered and twitched in need to sate that desire.

She felt the burning need inside her chest throb with every moment that she spent around him, the burning desire inside her squeezing and squelching like an ocean made of burning blades filling her blood vessels with the thrum of love. She was a woman who loved, passionately, who craved to be touched.

"Are we going to your family's house?" She inquired, wondering briefly whether it was within the settlement's interior or whether it would have a spot somewhere near the walls, where the Grimm lurked as a threat. The houses of nobility often were allowed a certain space around it as 'personal residence', which would make the familial grounds to be something that would need to be maintained with a servant's caress. Her own status as a noblewoman was guaranteed, thanks to her father's efforts. Taught how to act in polite society and to endure the gazes of those who wished to curry favour, she knew that whilst she was able to switch to that state of mind with a mere thought, it was not like her to allow the stuffy nature to take a hold over her senses.

She could not let anyone else take what was hers. Her eyes caught a faint smile on his lips, as she felt one blossom on her own lips as well. The knowledge that he had about the Grimm and the enemy of humanity was one that comforted her, to know that there was a light in the darkness around her.

She was but a singular streak of light in the darkness, even as he brightly shone like the powerful man that he was. As they got up from the bench, she could hear some of the people mutter something about the way that their companions were so close to the two of them, imperiously looking at their direction and making a slightly broader gesture of getting her rifle on her shoulder again.

She was sure that she would be able to get something done today...

Her eyes rested on the young blonde man, licking her lips slightly. _'First, a drug store...'_ She may not be fully aware of where to buy certain products, yet she knew well where the essentials were often carried. _'It's easy to just say 'Hey, we need some more feminine hygiene products' and he'll just nod his head.'_

Some things, a lady wished to procure with her own hands, in order to ensure that there would be no difficulty in engaging in certain matters with the young man who caught their fancy. His eye may be blind towards her advances, yet she was reaching her limit.

"The house is located just a bit outside of the settlement... Dad said that it's because we've got a stretch near the mountain, with an easy retreat option if things get too heavy." The need for such things was still prevalent, as the Grimm were an ever-present threat. The houses of the nobility always were guarded well, with an escape option carefully obscured. Her own home, inherited from her father, had three. One at the first floor, the second and third located on different sides of the house, for easy escape. It had been necessary, once.

The Faunus responsible had been put to death, of course. The death penalty for assaulting a noble family during a time of war. She had not watched the sentencing, her first child still weaning on her tit. She knew her place, then.

"Jaune?" As they walked towards the direction of where his family's house was, she spotted one of the drug stores that were in easy access for the public. "I'm going to get some products for... lady stuff." She was not raised to be a boorish woman, so her phrasing was not too out of the ordinary. Kali's eyebrow rose, as Sienna's face looked a little bemused. "I'll join you. I might need some new pads." Jaune didn't flinch, shrugging. "We'll wait outside." The greatsword on his back moved slightly as he shrugged, the pack that he had hanging from his shoulder barely impacted by the way that he carried it.

As she stepped into the drug store, she immediately checked out the selection of haircare products, mentally categorizing every little aspect, knowing that the best appearance would be the one which won the war for her. A basket she grabbed, putting in the shade of lipstick that best approximated the colour that she favoured, her fingers also tucking a bottle of hair dye remover, the one which the barber had spoken about, deciding that it would be time for Esmeralda to change back into 'Whitney'. "You're really going to do it, aren't you?"

Sienna's voice was soft, as she stood there at her side, a pack of pads already in her hands, flicked into the basket. It was one of the few things that Sienna seemed to have a need for, Kali preferring something a little thinner, whereas Sienna preferred the thicker ones. _'There IS a difference between the Faunus, I suppose.'_ Sienna's chain weapon was wrapped around her arm, the Dust crystals flickering slightly in the store's lighting, even as Whitney let her gaze slide over the assortment of things... stopping at the 'personal pleasure' department.

' _Now, let's remember... Kali said..._ 'Her fingers ran over the different packages, her eyes running over the sizes and the garish colours. "Large. He's not hung like a horse Faunus..." Sienna said, even as she spoke. Whitney's head turned to the Faunus woman, her expression tight. "Size doesn't matter! All that matters is that I love him." She hissed, as she looked at Sienna with a scornful look. Sienna's lips seemed to open up, her ears twitching a little before her lips closed.

"If you feel like that..." Sienna said, Whitney's heart feeling a flash of cold seep through it, as the Faunus' eyes seemed to lose focus. _'She can't be feeling what I feel for him...'_ She was not going to let HER man be stolen by some… pussycat! No matter that Sienna had been blessed by him, she was NOT going to take her spot. Whitney Schnee was a lot of things, but a winner was one of those."Don't forget the lube." She heard Sienna say, as the Faunus woman held out a bottle, an audible growl coming from someone's mouth... Whitney thought that it might've been the Tiger Faunus herself, yet Sienna's eyebrows had shot up, surprise on her face.

"My... That does sound rather impressive. Are you sure that you've not got some lion Faunus in you? Oh, wait... You'll be wanting to have something blonde in you." The Faunus woman teased, Whitney's eyes narrowing at the other woman. _'A woman like you, who only regards us with distrust and suspicion, should not speak about mixing of races!'_

She went to the check-out counter with her purchases, the cashier on duty taking a look at the items, then to Sienna, who looked quietly hostile. "Do you need any assistance with how to use these articles?" The cashier asked, the young-looking woman no doubt around her own age, if Whitney could guess age well enough. She shook her head. "That will not be needed. Thank you anyways." The polite refusal, as she handed over the Lien cards towards the woman, who took it and handed her the change back, was enough. As her 'special shopping' was put in a paper bag with the emblem of the Vytal island on the front, she took it and then put it in her pack.

As they rejoined Jaune and Kali, the latter looked awfully smug. Whitney's eyes narrowed, as she looked at the woman, who seemed like she'd just had a particularly filling meal, as if there had been a weight loosened from her shoulders. Jaune's eyes looked at her, a manner of confusion in them. "Esmeralda..."

Fear lanced through her, fear of being exposed for the scandalous woman that she was. What if Kali had told him about the way that she had been craving his body? What if she'd just laid bare those feelings. Those eyes were caring, confused perhaps a little bit, as he took her hand. "I could've gotten some of those for you as well."

She flushed, as she looked at Kali with a look of utter mortification, warring with a sensation of anger. She seemed to be put on the spot, as she looked at the Faunus woman with her ire flashing in her eyes. Glyphs appeared in her vision, ready to manifest and play pinball with the Faunus woman who had ruined it all. _'It was supposed to be MY confession! How could she spoil things for me?!'_

"But..." She said, as he smiled at her. "I've always been the one who got sent to the store for the pads and tampons. It's no biggie, I've got seven sisters, remember?" Her eyes widened a little, as she looked at Kali, whose face showed a sly smile. "Ah..." She said, even as Sienna patted her on the shoulder. "I got some new pads as well. Don't worry." She said, giving what amounted to a friendly wink for the Faunus woman.

Whitney felt as if she'd been pulled into a different universe where the Faunus women could be considered to be nefarious tricksters, Sienna and Kali looking more conspiratorial than ever before. There was some sort of plan between the two, she just KNEW it. Why else would Sienna be willing to endure her presence?

"Hygiene is very important. Ashley always says that I should get the medium pads for her, but I usually give her the Small ones, because Bianca doesn't like having the big ones..." The smile on his face at the fond memory of his sisters was something that warmed her heart. Would she have smiled so fondly about her own siblings, had she been one of the many instead of the sole daughter?

She had three children, though. Winter, the rebellious one, going to join the Atlesian army under the purview of General Ironwood. Weiss, the heiress of her husband, who would do no wrong in order to remain in favour. Whitley, a young boy who wished to do well... yet who spoke badly about her when he thought she would not hear of it.

' _I can make new children.'_ Her eyes looked at Jaune, as her mind danced the roads of politics, of names and fame... _'One of sufficient standing...'_ Her eyes were not betrayed by her own mind, as she could see the countenance of nobility in the young man. A certain acumen, a certain poise... and it might just be blasted to hell by her own lusts, yet she could believe it if he was someone of noble line. _'The words, you do not know them without knowing your blood.'_

She could imagine him to be at least of equal status to a Baron... if not higher. _'The oath...'_ The words were important, as with every little detail about fealty oaths. What she had with him was deeper, was more intrinsic to her very core. The moment when he had ignited her soul and pushed himself into that empty void, it had brought within her a change, a revelation that surged from the depths of her being to fill her with hope and desire.

"Let's just go, shall we?" She asked, as he nodded. "We've got quite a bit longer to go. Old man Hendrick's orchards are a little outside of the settlement. Vytal is a nice place, I know... but there's nothing that beats the space outside." The wistfulness of the words of the young man was enough to draw a memory of the Vacuan wilds to her mind, of the days when she had been but a teenager, listening to loud music and gambling with the Faunus miners.

As they travelled through the settlement, she could see the differences between the mainland of Vale and the Solitas system of Mantle and Atlas. There were shops at every corner, trade was something that seemed to be a majority of the economy here. She could hear the sound of people taking note of their Faunus companions, yet their weapons and attire were enough to warn them off. With Jaune's new attire, she could not help but hook her arm through his own like a wife should, her smile warm and cherishing the heat that he gave off. _'Like a dutiful wife...'_

Her gaze slid over those who looked at the pair they made with eyes that held envy, the massive greatsword on Jaune's back and her own rifle adding a hint of danger to their mannerisms, even as they continued onwards, the long stretch of road that they walked along occasionally having a few Dust-powered vehicles coming along, fresh produce or supplies loaded, coming to the wall and then departing back from the wall. The large wall stood there as a supplement to the defences, clearly built in order to ensure the safety of those who lived at this place, the gun emplacements on the wall automated by the hands of the Huntsmen stationed there to guard the place.

"Hey, a moment..." He said, letting go of her arm and ducking into a store. Whitney felt a flash of embarrassment, as her hand did not automatically slide back to the default position in order to quickly seize her weapon in case of Grimm assault, yet her eyes followed him, as he emerged, a set of four drinks in his hands. "I thought I'd get you something nice to drink. Mom always said that I should make sure that my guests are well taken care of!" The cheer in his voice was enough for her heart to speed up a little, the burning sensation in her body feeling like the swell of hope, with the burning need to just make love to this young man rising. _'I'm going to drag him into an alley and fuck him right against a wall if he keeps this up.'_

She was normally a woman of romance, of the softly spoken words and the heated kisses under the light of candles. She was not some needy slattern Faunus in heat, willing to destroy someone's pure body with her own dirty one, as the thoughts rampaged through her whole body. She was not going to give up this fight... even if it devolved into three against one.

"Your smile is creepy, White." Kali said, nudging her side, as she composed herself again, trying to look unassuming, even whilst she knew that she had been losing control over her expression. _'Coolness, put the mask on... remember that a lady should always be in control, that she should never wish to rip and tear the clothing off a man and ride him like a whore rides a whole train of miners in a single night...'_ "That's better. Now you're not looking like Jaune's going to be the thing on the menu."

The blonde's eyes were still friendly, even as he put the Lien chip out for her to take. "I had some spare. Sooo... Lemon-strawberry for you all!" The drink smelled like a lemon-strawberry mix, the coolness of the half-frozen treat working well with the summer heat that still pressed down on them. "Thank you." She said, her voice a little huskier than intended, coming across more as a sultry purr. Sienna and Kali shared a look, before mimicking the exact tone. "Thank you./Thanks!"

Whitney gave them a look of disapproval, which Sienna returned. Jaune seemed blissfully unaware, even as he pulled her arm into his own again, clearly showing that he held her within his esteem. To a noble, holding one woman's arm in a certain manner meant that you were close to that person, with intent to be in a positive relationship. A distance between meant that there was more of a harshness between the two houses, yet she didn't think that he thought that far ahead.

"Mark-John!? Open the gate for me!" Jaune called out, the gate still shut before them. The stream of citizens of the settlement around them had faded to a mere trickle, only several of the people looking at Jaune and the others whilst they waited, as someone's head peered out from a small hole. "Well I'll be darned, Jaune Arc! Your dad's given you up as missing, you little son of a bitch!" The guardsman... or whatever he was, seemed to be in better spirits, as the door opened slightly. "Get right through! Give your sister Heather my regards! She'll be keeping me warm in the night, heh heh heh."

Jaune's face frowned, as he adopted the posture of a recalcitrant youth. "I don't know about you, Markie... She was pretty upset about that serenade! I still have your guitar!" The scoff was audible, as the guard pulled himself back into the wall, the opening shut a moment later with a metal shutter. A small sliding door opened and the guard appeared, dressed in the official guardsman uniform for the settlement. "You should be lucky that your sisters are darn smoking hot, or you'd be getting the boss to breathe fire on your little lily-white ass!" The guardsman noticed then that there was company, Whitney the receiver of a stare that definitely went towards her breasts, still captive by the shirt that she'd cut in the style of her favourite movie character. "And who might this beauty be, Jaune?" The amazement in his voice was enough, as Jaune coughed. "This is Esmeralda Gele. Sister to... eh, some guy named Jack. Someone up in Atlas, I reckon. Damn fine shot with her rifle, really managed to bag a few Grimm that I'd have issues getting to."

Whitney could feel a slight flush on her cheeks, as the man's gaze went to the two Faunus beside them. "And two Fre-" Jaune cleared his throat. "Faunus. Kali and Sienna, sisters." He said, as he gave a glare to the guard. "If you thought Rowe was bad enough, imagine what Heather, Rowe and Bianca and Ashley would do to your balls, Markie."

This was a side to Jaune that she hadn't seen before. A side that talked trash to a young man who held designs on his family, who stood for the name of the family... and that excited her just as much as the selfless man who had guarded them all throughout the wild lands of Anima. She could feel the thrill of her own body deciding that it would be alright to let this man regale her in the bedchambers with his manly spear. _'Protective of his family...'_

"Hey! Don't go involving the freak twins! You know that those two lunatics nearly shot me through the knee with their Dust rounds! If they didn't do the proper thing, I'd have made it through without a hitch, instead of being relegated to guard duty!" The look on Jaune's face was enough to show for his response to that. "Making a fuss again, Mark?" The voice of a woman came from behind the guard, a woman wearing a set of armour inspired by the Kingdom days of before, a large shield with a set of spikes attached to the front that looked like they were made to drill into flesh appearing there, with what passed for a massive mace in her hands.

"Oh, it's you." The woman said, as she looked at Jaune, her eyes narrowing. "Get through, stop holding up the crowd. You fancy-pantsy idiots always go out and leave the gate open for too long." The woman looked at Whitney, then to the Faunus pair and spat on the ground. "And don't bring them freaks back here. Gods know that we keep the city clean of that sort..."

"Alright, I've got to get home either way... Thanks for opening it up, Aunt Burnece." The woman snorted, shaking her head. "Alright, git. Get your little bitch butt to your home and don't get eaten by the Grimm... Or get shivved by these little bitch-cats." The woman's stern tone was enough to make Jaune hurry, Whitney right behind him as the gates slowly closed behind them.

"That woman is..." She didn't really want to vent her frustrations, yet Jaune seemed to be much lighter in his mood than she felt. "She's the granddaughter of my neighbour, Old man Hendrick. She cares for her grandfather a lot, but she doesn't like to shirk her duties much." Whitney could imagine. The woman looked like she was in her early fifties, perhaps her late forties. _'Must be an old man, if he's got grandchildren in their forties...'_

The road leading outward seemed to be well-cared for, paved with what seemed to be stones that held their shape, allowing for easier travel by motorized vehicle, yet allowing also those who travelled by land to keep their pace. The silence of the land was enough for Whitney to enjoy, even as she saw a road sign – **'Vale – 400 miles'** – with several additional markers. **'Benedict Apple Orchards – 3 miles' 'Seventrees Farm – 8 miles'**

' _His house isn't marked... but why should it be? There is no value in the noble names anymore.'_ "It's just a short brisk walk... Used to make it all the time with my oldest sister. She was really strict about me not going anywhere without her, heh." Whitney would like to meet that older sister, if she could. She seemed like the responsible sibling that he had, always caring for her youngest brother. _'If my daughters needed an escort to their school... I would make sure that they got it and I'd personally ensured that they got there safely.'_

"Did you go to the settlement a lot?" She asked, curiosity compelling her to speak of it as such, even as a twitch in the back of her mind from her right came, Jaune's head turning to the direction, even as he did not respond. "Kali?" He asked, the Faunus disappearing into shadows, appearing a moment later below the Beowolf that leapt at them, his hand making a slight motion of pulling, as Kali's Katar pierced right into the underside of the Beowolf, its life ended with that simple motion. He turned to face the wall, where he could see the guardsmen already prepared to take care of it, giving a wave. "Just had to show them that everything will be alright..."

Jaune's voice sounded weary, even as he looked at the decomposing Grimm corpse, his eyes looking at the features that slowly evaporated, the burning inside her soul starting to flare up again. "But I was not often in the settlement... We went there for Sunday cakes every week of the month. Dad didn't really like the sweet stuff, but he ate it anyways." He smiled, sadly so. "Mom never really went out for these outings... It was mostly me and my oldest sisters. Azure, Cremea and Saffron didn't really have much time... I mean, with them being Beacon students and the like. Ashley DID have a great motorbike though... But we always got motion sickness when she went over the limit."

The information about his sisters was interesting. He'd spoken from time to time about them, her own memories of her daughters only infrequently mentioned, as the existence of 'Whitney Esmeralda Schnee' was still something a bit more private than she was willing to admit. A world-renowned individual, solely for her importance in the Dust mining industry.

' _I'll tell him tonight... A nice bit of dinner with his family, requesting a moment alone with him...'_ The condoms were already bought, after all. She could not back out now. She was NOT a woman who would be denied that which she craved.

"So... What's the deal with your family?" Sienna asked, as she looked at him, Jaune's warm and fond smile lighting the flame of warmth in Whitney's heart as well. "They sound like... great people." Jaune nodded. "They are great. My older sisters... Well..." There was a shadow that fell over his face, as negative emotions swirled inside of him.

"I get that they wanted to protect me... But they're just so smothering. I know that they'd do everything for me if I asked, Heather and Rowe always willing... But..." The doubt in his voice was audible, as they walked along the path, the hilly mountainous terrain decorated with trees that had stood for a while, the cleared space around the walls of the Settlement allowing for enough space to have decent firing lines for the defenders of the settlement, with plenty of time in order to sound the alarm. "They just..." He looked gloomy.

"They don't understand. I want to do them proud, to be a hero..." Whitney's hand laid on his shoulder, as she spoke with the full confidence that she could muster. "You are already a hero to us, Jaune. Our hero." She spoke from the heart, venting those emotions. Kali's eyes were opened wide, looking straight at her with surprise in those eyes.

"We're not going to abandon you..." There was a hint of need in her tone that she could not banish. _'I will not abandon you. Never.'_ "We're all in this together. If your family disapproves... Let them. We're still free to do as we wish."

He smiled at her, the mismatched eyes looking slightly teary-eyed. "It's hard... feeling emotions sometimes. I've been through a lot." He said, yet a sound of comfort came from her mouth. She embraced him then, Kali and Sienna following suit. "We're always there for you, Jaune." Kali's voice added, even as Sienna's soft uttering of "Yeah." Seemed to be a massive stride for Faunus-Human equality.

Whatever they were... Acolytes, Maidens... something different... They were here and they were there for Jaune, as he had been there for them during their darkest hour.

It was the least that she would do for the man that she loved with her soul.

* * *

 _The predated predator (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

The situation was... decidedly odd, Sienna decided. With the Schnee having seen the light of cooperation with her Faunus betters, there was no barrier to impede something of a friendship from occurring. Of course, the woman's hair was still dark, a clear barrier to seeing her as an actual member of the Schnee family, but she could feel... perhaps a touch of affection for the woman.

The bonds of friendship for a Faunus were different than those of the humans who lived alongside them. Friendships amongst the Faunus could last a lifetime or be shattered if one does not find the friendship to be equal. It was one of the things that had made her friendship with Harmony dissolve, the hard-line stance that she proposed being at odds with Harmony's complete and utter desire to see the humans extinguished. _'We were friends, once upon a while. Before I assumed the leadership of the White Fang, we used to be...'_

The upper brass of the White Fang was in a similar age bracket, with her own age being the eldest, Adam the youngest. The Albain twins had been one of the moderating voices, more adept at the handling of politics than she usually would be, whilst Sylver continued to make inroads with her Vacuan department, with Tallow taking more of a general role of ensuring that things were led in the proper straits. _'Now, with her in control...'_ She could foresee some great revolution about to happen. Harmony Tallow was NOT a woman who did things by half measures.

Adam was the loosest cannon of her whole team, yet he had shown her the truth that had been hidden before her eyes. _'If he can be embraced... If he can be brought into the fold.'_ The strength that flowed through her body was enough now that she would be able to take head-on someone who had trained for years, her body's durability increased, according to her own senses. She had tested it out a few times against the Grimm they encountered on the seas, the power that flowed inside her like a burning rush of endorphins, even as they walked along the road towards Jaune's home. Their glorious leader, for all the lack of a better term, seemed to have retreated in on himself, remaining sullen and silent, even as he looked pensive.

The need for him to guide them was there, as the connection between them was something of a tension-string, something that bound him together with her on a level that was like the bonds of blood. She could not find it odd, even with the manner that he had adopted in order to ensure their safety. That mannerism of primal potency, of that explosive rage and the desire to protect what was his...

She could not find fault in it. His eyes when they met hers made her groin throb with a need that she could deny all she wished, yet her mind's knowledge of her own sense of aesthetics was there. _'So much like...'_ A name flickered before her mind's eye, a memory pulled from the faint damp recesses of nightmare.

" _Of course I'll come back to visit you! You're a friend! My Faunus friend!"_ The words haunted her still, as her failure still brought the bitter sensation to her mind. It was enough to make her emotional, as the friend that she had lost was nowhere to be found.

It was the day on which she had decided to carve a slice of the respect pie for her people. The day at which she had swallowed her pride as a Faunus and had decided to take a human in as a friend... she still remembered it. _"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be friends. You're a grumpy cat, aren't you?"_

' _Kali never let me live that down. A moment when the mask slipped and I laughed... enough of an in that the emissary was amused as well.'_ She had taken that day as one of the first hopeful glimpses of Faunus and Human cooperation. She was not just Sienna Khan, bodyguard to the High Leader but just 'Sienna, friend' to a human.

" _So... Did you ever think about boys? Tell me ALL about them if you have." "I don't have an eye on anyone! I'm guarding the Belladonna's!" "Sure you do... I caught you looking at that guy, Ethan? Amam?" "Adam. He's... the combat instructor. He will teach little Blake how to wield a blade." "He's a bit of a cool guy, isn't he?" "Too young for you. Plus, he doesn't like humans.""I've got the man I need...""Oh?"_

The conversation played itself through her mind once more, the melancholic nature of the thoughts starting to turn her mind into a swamp of ill ease, as she began to piece together the fragments once more. _"What kind name is 'Onyxia'?" "My middle name. It's very important for people of my status." "Sounds dumb. Just like your whole 'Dark knight' name." "It is NOT dark knight! It is-"_ The exasperation of her friend's tone brought the image to her mind once more, her body stiffening absently.

' _No... Don't think about it. She's dead... She's not going to just...'_ Her breathing grew harsher, as she stopped walking, the emotion drawing the attention of Kali. "It's alright." Her older friend whispered softly, trying to comfort her. It was the easy way for her, as she was less affected. _'Nyx was just a friend of mine, the daughter of that man.'_ The lessons of the past had been ingrained in her well. _'Can we even trust humanity?'_

She became aware that they were looking at her when Kali took her hand, squeezing it gently. "It's alright, Sienna." She must've had a moment when her mind was so absent that she was reliving the past, the hopeful days of a friendship that had just blossomed. "I'm sorry, I'm just…" She sighed deeply, not able to muster the anger anymore to drive her on. Darkness inside her bubbled, yet she could not push herself into the wellspring of negative emotion anymore, as she knew that it would not work for her at this moment, the joy of those recollections, the time off and listening to her speak on the importance of the names and… well. Things were interesting sometimes in the baths. Let it not be said that Sienna Khan does not have a playful side.

She could feel the tension in her body just evaporate, as the young man who led them smiled at her. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at that face, for a moment it almost seemed as if her friend had come back to life. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

Her lower lip quivered, as the words seemed to mimic those that Nyx had said, nearly six years ago, when their friendship had finally warmed up to the point where they could be comfortable around each other. "Thank you." Her voice was lighter than she imagined, and for the moment, his face changed, looking at Nyx's face again as she smiled at her. _'I wouldn't be able to imagine…'_

"Old Man Hendrick is just up ahead. It'll be a cinch, don't worry!" Sienna let her gaze roam their direct vicinity, spotting trees that had been growing here for ages, the question rising in her mind as to whether someone would be able to make an orchard work here, or why they had picked the space around the outskirts of the settlement. _'It's even more dangerous for those who are older than for those young people who do not know truly the dangers of a Grimm attack.'_

The road curved along, as a large fence popped up, apple trees looking to be laden with fruit still in their growth period standing tall behind the fence. **H. A. Benedict Apple Orchards. Est. 0-AV** was painted on a board that hung from the fence, the board looking old enough to have been painted during that time, the paint flaking off in some parts already. _'One of those family companies…'_

"Mister Hendrick?!" Jaune called out, as he opened the fence up. "It's me, Jaune!" He called out, the path leading up to a house looking to have been recently repaired, some of the stones still looking freshly carved into the proper size for a path. A large house stood at the attention, the small sentry turrets already popping up, Sienna's eyes gauging the calibre of the bullets that'd come shooting at them, a natural behaviour for her.

She was well aware of the human genius for finding new and inventive ways to deal with the pests and threats that bothered them. Without any sort of safeguard, she would be lost within the dangerous lands that surrounded her, with no Faunus brethren to fall back on.

The door of the house opened up and an old man with a cane came out, his eyes looking in the direction of Jaune, a scowl, or something that looked remarkably like a scowl, on the man's face. "You're late! The harvest has already been done for now! Get your work clothes on! You can't be late again, you hear me?!"

Sienna was taken aback by the man, as Jaune sighed, a smile on his face. "I'll promise to be on time next time, Mister Hendrick… Have my sisters been around as well?" The man frowned, his cane tapping onto the stone. "You look different, boy! Get into the shed, get your work clothes on and help me out! An old man's bones are not so easily moved!"

The man's thick glasses sat on his nose, mousy grey hair standing straight up on his head. The man's eyes looked firm still, magnified by the lenses of the glasses, as he peered at them. Sienna got the impression that she was being looked at with the gaze of someone who was well aware of things. "Who are these people?"

The Schnee stepped forwards, in order to introduce herself to the man, yet Jaune headed her off. "Friends of mine." The old man looked at them, Sienna given a look like many of the others who had been disgusted with her heritage, her eyes glinting faintly in the daylight, Kali's own stature shifting slightly towards the right, an obvious manner to prop herself up. "Them's Faunus women too, Jaune. Don't tell me that you're living in sin with these people!"

Jaune's face changed hardly, as he cleared his throat. "Whether I live in sin or not, they are still MY friends. Mister Hendrick, you can't just judge them on their features alone! Didn't you tell me that His Majesty had always seen Faunus as equals to himself?" The chiding tone seemed to make the man shrink back slightly. "Well, I did… The King was the best fella around, giving us peace and quiet."

The old man looked at them, as he seemed to come to a conclusion. "You lot, follow me. I'll get you settled with some lemonade." The man's eyes met hers, those magnified eyes looking far too clear for a bigot's eyes to be. _'As if I'm being judged on my response…'_

Had it been half a year earlier, she would have been violently against such treatment, ready to go and verbally tear into the man, yet now… she felt like she was being watched and assessed by the man, someone who had known Jaune for most of his life. "Jaune, go to the shed and start with getting the fence at the east boarded up! Keep that… butter-knife with you." The man's voice brooked no argument, even as Jaune's smile turned fond. _'Almost like a grandfather, telling his grandchild to do some chores.'_

Taking another look at the man, she tried to recall something that just looked so familiar, as the man's face seemed to shift a little. "Get in, pussies. And you, Miss." The Schnee went in first, with Kali and Sienna following after, Kali looking more hesitant than before. "Something about that guy just… It feels familiar, like I've seen him before. Do you know any Benedicts?"

' _Remnant History was never my greatest course…'_ She shrugged, mouthing the words to Kali. "No clue… But you've been better at history than I'll ever be." The man hobbled ahead, towards a kitchen, where there was no sign of anyone there. "My wife's gone for the day… So there'll be enough time for you young'uns to unwind a bit." The man's voice sounded just like any old man, Sienna getting a flashback to her grandfather, who had been a fighter for justice and liberty, even before the Faunus Revolution had come along and made the world an even messier place.

"Thank you, Mister Benedict." The man smirked, as he started to cobble together a few glasses of lemonade, tap water pouring from the tap into the sink, filling up some of the glasses and then the lemonade being poured into it, a shaky hand handing her one of the glasses. _'Well, it surely smells sweet.'_

The lemonade had a fizzy strawberry flavour, something that seemed to dance along her tongue, without incurring any sort of negative opinion, the flavour a little off to her tastes, but she had never really enjoyed the fizzy drinks. Natural stuff was better, she figured, even as she watched the women around her drink, the old man giving a little chuckle.

"Heh heh heh. Come along… I've got a thing to tell you."The man's voice was amused, as he hobbled along. Sienna, Kali and Whitney gave each-other a look, shrugging as one, before following after the old man, whose body seemed to move faster than an old man ought to. "Do you know any Benedicts in Remnant History?" Sienna heard Kali whisper to the Schnee, who shrugged. "I know a Benedict Arnold, but…" The woman's gaze went to the door where the old man had just went through, as if doubting it.

"He'd have to be pushing one-hundred and ten…" The woman sounded dubious, yet Sienna felt a shudder go along her spine. The tapping of the cane had ceased, even as the man called out to them. "Come on, ladies." The words of the man were empowered with something that seemed to be full of strength and vigour, even as the Schnee was the first to open the door.

Sienna followed through into the room, a large hall-like construct, where a large painting hung on the wall, a man who could be some sort of male model standing there at attention, a crown resting upon his brow, the shield and sword combination that he had in his hands looking familiar, even with the collapsible mechanism looking like it'd be easily stored with a flick of the button. Behind the man, armoured figures stood, wielding shield and mace, cane-like maces ready to come forth and bring the death to whoever and whatever stood against them.

Sienna recognized the man immediately, boldly depicted on the front. _'The King of Vale…'_ The click of the door shutting behind her was audible, as she looked around, her eyes adapting to lower-light standards immediately, spotting a hunched-over figure, the metal clicking into place. "We didn't have these fancy-pantsy weapons when we were young…"The man's voice sounded stronger, less crotchety and old, as the massive shield was lifted, the cane having long-since been discarded, as the man's eyes glinted behind the visor.

"Fuck." She could hear the Schnee say, as the woman's weapon was brought to an active state immediately, the aim taken. Sienna looked at the armoured figure, standing taller than the hunched-over man had been.

"The name is Hendrick Benedict Arnold, Paladin of His Majesty." The announcement sent a shudder of dread through Sienna, as she recalled the tales of the Paladins of Vale, men and women who had sworn to defend the lands against the other Kingdoms, led by the King of Vale himself. "What do you want with us?" Sienna heard Kali shout, even as the man's eyes glinted behind the visor of the armour, as he walked into the light.

"It is simple, child…" The man's voice sounded amused, as his shield was raised, Sienna's own Dust Whip in a proper position to be wielded, the chain that had been wrapped around her arm loosened, as her eyes watched the armoured figure. "To protect those who still hold fealty to His Majesty. The son of the Arcs…"The man's voice was bitter, as he looked at them. "Get ready." Sienna said, as the old man moved into place.

"He cannot be despoiled! He is too important to His Majesty's grand plan!" The shield came to them with a whooshing sound, as the air was displaced by the man's sweep, the shield flying through the air without any sort of resistance to impede it, Sienna dodging to the side, as she saw it sweep by, the chain attached to the shield enough to pull it back with a tug. _'Old bastard's pretty darn strong…'_

"His Majesty?" The Schnee mumbled, as she armoured old man raised the shield once more. "His Royal Majesty, The King of Vale! Those who are his sworn brothers and sisters have no need of anything but his command! It is a pity that my granddaughter did not enter the services of His Majesty, yet the willful girl will waste herself away defending a settlement…"The man's cane-like mace flicked through the air, the shaft enlarging immediately, attempting to strike at Kali, who dissolved into shadows. "We've got to stop him!" Sienna shouted, as she let the change warp her body.

Bones grew longer as the tail flickered into existence, her whole body shifting into that stronger form as the Dust Whip in her hands continued to blaze with her Aura, enlarged by the change. The darkness inside her quivered and quailed at her form shifting, the blazing Aura inside her burning through the darkness and the anger fueled her.

"Get to the Master!" Her voice shouted the words before she knew that she had shouted them, Kali's head bobbing once in a nod before she disappeared into shadows, the cane retracting as quickly as it could. The blood in her veins throbbed, as the Schnee looked at her. "We've got to deal with him alone. You go in first."

It was a sound strategy, as Sienna pushed herself forth, the mace-like weapon-cane flashing out once more and the hardened skin blocking it with no great difficulty. "You're wicked women, aren't you?"The man's voice was amused, as his eyes seemed to glint. "Ever since the foundation of our order, we have protected the lines of nobility, even with the abolishment of said nobility… His Majesty said that we would be tested through time, even as he took his last breath. It was a time for us to shine… To guard those little seedlings that would eventually see His Majesty's dream come true."

The man's shield was thrown forward against, the shiny front suddenly opening up to let a set of spikes fly out, a Dust round impacting against the surface, a blaze of frost-Dust appearing around it, and Sienna could feel her body be thrown back as she was hit. _'Any regular Faunus would have been smashed…_ _'_

"Jaune is not just some seedling!" The Schnee shouted, as the man looked at her. "Is he not? He is the youngest of eight children… Dare you say that you know others whose families have grown to EIGHT?" The question hung in the air, as the man shifted, Kali appearing once more from the shadows, Jaune in her arms, the shadows disgorging her. "Mister Hendrick?"The man laughed, as the shield lowered, the frost still coating it. "And so, the Arc has arrived. Face me, Jaune! Show me the pride of your blood, as your father has done before you! You may not wield Crocea Mors, yet you are still of the noble blood!"

Sienna could see anger blaze in the young man's eyes, as the set of coveralls that he wore fit him oddly, the clothing that he'd worn earlier no doubt having been discarded in favour of worksman clothing. "Dad said once to me that I should never fear…"

Sienna could feel the emotions flow from the young man's eyes, as his gaze was riveted to the sight of the painting. "That's why you never let us go further into the house…" The voice that he used was pained, betrayed. Sienna could see herself in that voice, of that moment of realization that there were people of the White Fang who actively sought her death. _'He feels as I feel.'_

"No. It was you who was not allowed into the hall of memories yet." The old man said, his voice stern, even as he righted his shoulder. "As your mother has proven her worth, she is allowed to come into this hall and be regaled with the tales of His Majesty's grand exploits. Your sisters, they too have won the right. An Arc can always call upon an Arnold in order to defend their home."

The man's armour clicked and whirred, as the old man stepped out of it, the cane-like mace shrinking slowly into its default state as a cane, the man's eyes looking at Jaune with what might be approval in his eyes. "Your skills are incomprehensibly low, boy. Facing you without my armour will do. These guardians of yours that you have assembled are but mere wheat before the scythe of fate…" The man leapt into action immediately, the cane extending once more, trying to go for the sternum.

Jaune's blade was there, the staff on his back unused, shrank still in order to not hinder his fighting style. The blood inside her thrummed to life, as she took the stance of a ready combatant, watching carefully the old man as Jaune blocked. "Stay out of it!" Jaune said, his eyes ready on the opponent ahead of him.

' _But with four against one, we can win.'_ "Stay out of it. This is a duel between two men." The Schnee said, her voice sounding more resigned than before. Her eyes were focused on the two fighters, Jaune's broad blade slashing down, attempting to put a hit on the old man's body. "Too slow, boy! Your father could have beat me twice in the time you took, your mother with a single use of her semblance! No mercy for those who are up in a fight between men!"

The cane-mace slammed against Jaune's chest, a groan coming from his mouth, Sienna's urge to leap into the fray and offer cover for the man rising, even as Kali laid her hand on her shoulder. "This is something that should be done between men. Without the interference of partners or spouses." Sienna could see the heat on the older woman's cheeks, clearly meaning to add herself to the list of 'partners and spouses' that belonged to their young leader's family. _'She's been… loud.'_

Of course, she wasn't going to think about the subtle allusions to 'love' 'marriage' and 'extramarital engagements'. This was NOT a novel series about ninja's, at all. _'Though I wouldn't mind reading the latest instalment.'_

Jaune's blade crackled with electricity as the Lightning Dust ignited, coating the blade in a sheen. "Fancy tricks aren't going to save you! Your mother nearly stopped my heart with her first charge, that girl could hit! Your dad… His punch was weak but he broke through my defences in one go! Come on!" The old man challenged Jaune once more, standing there like a mountain against the flood of death, as the man's eyes sharply peered at the young man opposite of him.

' _A game of cat and mouse… By blandishment, he lowers the guard of his opponent and by skill he diverts it.'_ "Don't you know your Semblance by now? With those women around, I bet it's more like 'attracting sleazy whores', right?" Sienna would be offended if she didn't recognize the trick for what it was.

"Hey!" Jaune seemed to have fallen for it. "They're not sleazy OR whores! They're all women who have had difficulty in their lives and who've come out the better for it!" Sienna watched with careful detachment how the old man parried the swing, impulsive as it was, the man's cackling laugh enough. "You think I can be fooled so easily? They're all wanting some of your status!"

"You're wrong!" The answer came, as Jaune's blade thrust forward, the man's body dancing out of the strike, as the man's eyes glinted faintly with the hidden portents of difference. A faint grin played on the man's face, as he saw the eagerness in Jaune's mannerisms. "That's a good spirit! Sage also had that spirit, before his Semblance started to really pick up. I bet one of your women will let your booboo's be kissed away… If she's not giving you what you need in the bedroom."

"RAAGH!" The anger inside Jaune made Sienna tremble, as the burning sensation surged through the darkness inside her, her bones shifting slightly, as she assumed her original shape, the tail slipping back where it belonged, her skin feeling loose for an instant, before it tightened once more. A clashing of weapons once more came, as the old man parried. "A foolish mind, Jaune…" The old man's voice rumbled, even as he spoke so clearly, his tone unchanged. "is one easily way-laid."

The cane swept along Jaune's feet, knocking him off his balance. Kali made to go and assist, only for the Schnee to stop her. "We can't interfere… but this won't kill him. I have not heard the official 'unto death' be spoken, so it's not a duel to the death."

"Oh, your woman knows of the official duties of a duel… Have you found a baroness within your group, Jaune?" The man's voice was harsh, as the cane-mace swept once more, Jaune's blade blocking the strike, the man's skill in the art of fighting mostly based on experience, as well as the strength that he'd been imbued with.

"No matter what you say, these women are NOT loose! They have been there to help me out through thick and thin! I've ignited their soul with my own and I have set them free from the shackles that bound them!" Jaune's voice sounded less whining and more 'manly', the faint hint of her own voice coming back to her, of a day long-since gone. _"I want a man who isn't ashamed to be with me, even if I can beat his skinny ass three ways from Sunday. He'll be there to protect me if I need it, and I'll be there to protect him if he needs it."_

A traditional vow, usually for the housewives of Mistral, yet she knew well that there would be no traditional marriage in her future. Her whole body had been geared up in order to prepare for War, without any of the consequences left to linger. She was Sienna Khan, fighter for the world's Faunus to unite under the banner of the White Fang!

The fight was definitely slanted towards the old man, whose strikes held a skill and efficiency of motion that Jaune would not be able to obtain even with another half century's worth of training. As the cane bounced the blade back, the man snickered. "Is that all that you've got on you, Jaune? No magic tricks? No flame Semblance that'll scorch my hide or fancy little bullet-tricks like your older sister has?" Jaune's face hardened, as he stood up straight, pulling the staff from his back and enlarging it. "You asked for it."

Sienna could feel her body quiver, as the staff grew to its regular size in an instant, not even stopping the motion as the swift flick of the staff brought its Relic-topped head in contact with the cane, the old man's cane cracking with that single hit. "A staff, eh? Ti-" The man froze, as he seemed to realize what was tipping the staff. **"I am its master."** The words that Jaune spoke held the warping taint of the darkness within them, the burden that had been his to bear for as long as she knew him… one that she lightened as well with her body reinforced by its powers as well.

The face of the old man showed surprise, before the man knelt, head pressed to the ground in supplication. "Your Majesty, I had not thought…" The man's voice sounded different, as Jaune stood proudly there, the hair turning an ashen white colour with every moment that he kept still, the staff in his hands good enough. **"You do not think."** The staff tapped against the man's forehead, Jaune's hair gaining back most of its blonde tint, the darkness fading away slowly. "But the knowledge of my Relic will be banished from your mind, Mister Hendrick." The words were solemn, as the man knelt still, a moment passing as a blue wave of energy shot through their body, as knowledge was sapped.

She found herself in the kitchen again, holding a glass of lemonade. The taste was a little fizzy, something that she didn't really enjoy. Jaune was there as well, leaning against one of the counters, the fingers on a glass of lemonade as well. His eyes were wary and with that same glint that she herself also had. _'Strange… this feels like I've been here before.'_

"So, Mister Hendrick… What was that you were saying about my friends?" Jaune spoke again, Sienna detecting a note of something that could be called warmth and affection in his voice.

* * *

 _Sins and Crimes (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He did not like the thought of using the Relic on one of his old neighbours, yet he knew that it had to be done. With the _Vitae Tenebris_ flowing through him, the power was enough to push the knowledge out of the house for the time, the Relic of Knowledge ceasing to hold said events, even though the clocks did turn. _'Without the Relic of Choice, what does one have use of knowledge?'_

The old man had been a surprise, the painting that hung there on the wall something that was an unwelcome revelation. His oldest sister had told him about the King of Vale when he was young, of his exploits, even when he had said that he was too old for these stories…

To find one of the old soldiers of that time, ready to fight with his companions, was shocking. He was not going to let anyone hurt what was his… The _Vitae Tenebris_ that flowed through their body was as much a part of him as it was a part of theirs, their organs steeped with it. They would not know of the events that transpired, and they would NEVER know of the choice that he had made… but he needed this man's acceptance.

"They're mighty fine women." The man said, a smile on his face. As the cane creaked slightly, Jaune hoped that the knowledge of the powers that he demonstrated had been wiped away sufficiently for it not to be an issue. "You have proven your strength to me." The man nodded, as the knowledge of the events that had transpired would match up to what the man had said. Moving everyone over in their near-insensate state was harder said than done though, the powers that the Relic governed only belonging to Knowledge, the power focused into the mind of the women something to blank their knowledge out, whilst the old man's knowledge was enhanced with the memories of things that did not happen, the knowledge of a fight that had occurred, slightly different than others.

' _I am turning into the Grand Wizard…'_ He knew that the alteration of memory was but one of the powers that the Relics could grant their wielders, the Grand Wizard's skill in manipulating the memories of those below him only second to the Relic of Knowledge's, which had been imbued with the very power of the Gods themselves. _'Do I really want them to belong to my every beck and call?'_ He wondered, as he looked at Esmeralda, whose eyes had went wide, giving him a look that questioned.

"I hope you'll forgive me for thrashing your cane…" Jaune said, the old man shrugging, the cane snapping at that point. "It is not like I do not have several others. This is my Monday cane… so I have Tuesday's cane to rely on still." The man seemed remarkably cavalier about it, where otherwise he would've erupted in some orders for him to do something. _'One of the differences of having the power to alter knowledge…'_ The shudder that went through his body was enough to tell him that the effects were not as grand on his system.

"Ah, is my family home?" He inquired, the old man's face looking graver than before. "Little Ashley and Bianca have remained home, whilst your mother and the rest of the family have went out in order to prepare for a mission."The man's knowledge regarding the mission schedules was not unusual to him. Old Man Hendrick had always been remarkably knowledgeable about the whereabouts of his family, almost like a kind grandfather that had always been present for them to rely upon.

"Ah, so that means that Ashley and Bianca are home… I guess that's the best we can hope for." Jaune said to himself. His older sisters were possessed of mercurial tempers, Ashley and Bianca both having different interpretations of what was 'acceptable' in society. Of course, that didn't mean that they weren't able to deal with sudden shifts in the household. They were, out of all his sisters, less extreme. Sure, Ashley often DID have some small issues with 'appropriate behaviour', yet Bianca often regulated that… and there were little jokes that he didn't quite get about carrots and cabbage. Whatever a carrot and a cabbage had to do stuck together, he didn't know quite so well.

"Your sisters aren't all bad, boy… You just…" The old man tried to soften the blow, yet Jaune knew well what he was getting at. "Weren't as good as they are." He said, noticing the reactions of his friends.

Esmeralda seemed particularly affected, as her eyes locked with his own. "That's not true. If not for you, we'd all be dead." She spoke with that soft tone of understanding, as she looked at him with a look that was…

' _Nah, she can't be…'_ The hope in his heart flared though, as he looked into those blue eyes of hers, her tongue sliding over her lips. The sight was decidedly erotic, with the woman's eyes looking at him with an invitation. He couldn't help but mimic the gesture, those eyes brightening slightly.

"I just did what everyone would've done…" Jaune said, even as Kali spoke up. "We really appreciate it, you know?" The woman's eyes seemed to be full of emotion, their amber tone lighting up as her smile did. "Seems like you've been a regular hero, boy. Ah, if only His Majesty could see you now." The man's wistful sound made him feel sick. _'I know more than you would… The King of Vale was no average king…'_

The Grand Wizard's touch to the world was enough, even though he surely did not have the reach that he had once had, with how the world had been at peace for so long. Even Her minions had been unable to reach far into the world with the Grand Wizard's attention being set upon the world's ordering according to his grand master plan. _'Whatever it is…'_

He didn't see the end goal. An endless cycle of reincarnation, finding another body to inhabit by force of will and soul to endure the ages once more. _'I'd rather spend time with the people I love than to… do such a thing.'_

He would, if it came to it. With his own power to counterbalance the Grand Witch and the Grand Wizard, he would need to exist, or this game of theirs would continue forever. He was not going to go out like a mere footnote in the annals of history if he could help it.

"We should go to my home, though. Thank you for the lemonade and the test, Mister Hendrick." The old man nodded his head. "As you are, Jaune… I'll carve your name down on the wall of worthy successors."

The man's words triggered a faint recollection of something his father had once said, the words tracing down into memory – ' _The names of the worthy are inscribed upon the stone of destiny'_ – the wording something that he had never forgotten.

He knew well that his own place in this world was something profaned and sickening to the surroundings, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him quivering still with every inch that he moved, trying to make him use its dark essence to fuel his powers. Aura alone would not be able to coax forth such an effect, without the need of infusion. "Does your duty extend to your king still?" He asked, nevertheless. Curiosity compelled him, as the old man nodded.

"Boy, on the day of his death, His Majesty told us to guard our seedlings. Your family is one of the few left... So many of my brothers and sisters have fallen." The old man's voice sounded like it was wistful for a day of past years. "His Majesty is supposed to give a sign when he calls upon us... When the wave of darkness stands at the gates once more and we are called."

' _So it isn't like he's in contact with his fellows again.'_ The Relic of Knowledge allowed one to know whether it was true or false, the knowledge that was being shared. _'It's a tricky thing, keeping the faith of those... Retirement was something that you could only have when the battles were fought...'_

"His Majesty would be proud of your service." Jaune said, trying to put the spark of hope in the man. _'He cannot help that he has been misled and betrayed...'_ There laid the problem with the Grand Wizard's scheme... He did not do anything without proper justification. Pawns that were no longer of use, too old to be functionally deployed, were to be discarded with tasks that would put them in a position to report back if needed, or to die in seclusion. _'To keep one's cards close to the chest and to ensure that the best will be kept safe...'_

"I am sure that he would approve of you as well, Jaune." The old man's voice said, even as the man walked over to the cabinet, pulling out a picture and handing it to him. A picture of Jaune's family, standing with the family of the old man was there. "This is one of the first pictures that we have of your family. My granddaughter thinks that you're a load of rubbish."

"You should keep this." Jaune said, as he looked at the small shape that was being held by his oldest sister, his father and mother standing there at her shoulders, Heather, Ashley and Bianca in front, with Cremea, Azure and Saffron seated before them, Azure little more than a blonde-haired toddler.

"I will, boy. You aren't getting rid of old man Hendrick anytime soon, ha ha!" The old man said as he pulled the picture back in, Jaune's eyes catching sight of the man's inner coat lining, where the man had some additional padding sown into the lining, standing out for some reason, as the man tucked it back into its place in the cabinet. "Now off you trot! Your family was devastated at your loss. Make them happy again... oh, and you?" The man's finger jabbed at Esmeralda.

"Say something, before something happens. I've seen it with my granddaughter as well, now her boy's all fascinated with his sister." The look between the old man and Esmeralda was something of the older generation to the younger, Esmeralda making a stiff formal bow that he recognized as the Atlesian Formal.

"I will try to ensure success." The woman said, though Jaune couldn't quite grasp at what she was saying, the old man nodding. "Success means striking first, in the Atlas Combat Doctrines." That certainly was true. Even in the strategy games that he had played before going to Beacon, he had been aware of the 'First Strike' mechanic that Atlas seemed to have every time they featured in the game as an ally or an enemy.

"I'll walk you four to their gate." The man said, as he fetched a cane from the cane rack, the old man surprisingly spry, yet with his performance earlier, it would come as no surprise.

"Did something happen?" He heard Esmeralda whisper to Kali, who shrugged slightly, not responding audibly. It was clear that his companions had found something in their memory that did not match up to the events as they had occurred.

As they travelled the road further with their 'guide' taking the front, he could hear his companions talk. "How do you think they're going to respond to... well, us?" Kali's voice greeted his ears, her concern audible, as she seemed to worry about the perception of his family. _'They'll accept you for the warm woman you are.'_

His family would understand if he brought home friends that were a little different from the usual, right? He wasn't sure whether his mom would accept the two Faunus women straight out of hand, because she'd been... vocal... but they were his friends! They would get accepted anyways! He just knew it!

As they walked along with the old man, he glimpsed several of the spots where he had played with his sisters during those early years of existence, his oldest sisters always there for him, even if his mother and father were gone. _'Ahh...'_

The spectral image of his oldest sister lifting him up and throwing him in the air, his arms wide and his cheerful 'I'm flying, I'm flying' was a bittersweet reminder. Ashley and Bianca had tried to fill the gap whilst Rowe had been gone, yet he knew that their antics and their games were no replacement for his oldest sister. Rowe had been the cool sister, whilst Heather was more of the responsible one.

Rowe always made sure that he got whatever he wanted, though. She was the best sister that he could have ever wished for. During the nights when he was afraid of the bad weather outside, she'd crawl in his bed and soothe him, telling him that there was nothing to fear because mom and dad were always going to be there. Heather, in contrast, was more hesitant to engage in such things, even though her own nature was warmer than most, although... she'd been hurt in the past as well. He had heard of it, Ashley and Bianca's words not too soft – _'She's had a run-in with her team, right?' "Yeah, I heard that they abandoned her... Poor Heather, I can't imagine what I'd do if you turned your back on me." "The only way I'm turning my back on you is if we're going to be partaking in 'morale exercises', dear sister." "Damn right, you are!" "Oh, hey Jaune! How're things in the land of the cute fairy princess Jaunette?" "I'm not a fairy princess! Or cute!" "Hey, he's trying to revolt against our sisterly authority! What should we do?" "Doll him up even worse, of course! He'll be cute sparkly fairy princess Jaunettelyn!" "Better not let Rowe catch on. She's worse than a dragon if we manhandle her little knight in papier-mache armour..." "Hey! Let go of me! Someone help! Heather!"_

The tragedy of Heather's team turning their back on her was something that had been unveiled during those moments when Heather mingled with his other sisters, who had the wits to keep themselves ready to talk about things whenever it was needed. _'We support ourselves in the light and in the darkness...'_

As they came to the path that led towards his venerable home, opulent and imperial, a gem amongst the mere ilk of the peasants that lived around them (words that his grandfather had once spoken, according to his father.), he looked at the sign that hung there – ' **The Arcs'** – and smiled. The long stretch of wall that'd been overgrown and yet in perfect state of defensiveness had been enhanced with the sign for most of its existence, as far as Jaune knew of it. He'd long-since asked the question as to why they were called 'the Arcs' on the signboard, yet his father had said that it was all part of a strategy. "Give my regards to your sisters. I'll be around if you need me, boy." The old man turned around without another word, even as he shuffled away.

The large gate that stood there before him was broad enough to allow some motorized vehicles through with little difficulty, even with how the world seemed to malign the Arcs with their motion sickness.

"Time... to come home." He placed his human hand on the pad that would allow him entrance to the house, the scan working swiftly to identify his pattern, the gate clicking open once, sliding into the wall that had guarded the house for such a long while.

* * *

 _Terrible truths (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She was not going to drop a friend, simply because of her choices. She was not the type of person to immediately discount someone due to their nature or their heritage, because she was well aware of her uncle's chequered past. Her dad had alluded to it beforehand, even as she began to understand what the man was like. Still her favourite uncle, though.

"Sooooo... What's hanging, Ruby?" Ruby Beornir said, her hand brushing through the long mane of hair that she had on her head, the eyes glinting faintly in the light, as a devious glint filled them, leaning forwards.

They were currently sitting on a park bench, just watching the fading sun, nearly two hours since their little 'cinema date' as Ruby Beornir had called it. "I don't know... We're friends, right?" The question was suddenly spoken, even as Ruby felt a tremor of something go through her body. She was aware that they were not precisely 'friends-friends', not quite 'friends' like Ren and Nora were...

"Sure we are... But I'll have you know that there's no chance of this ever working out between us. My oldest sister always said 'Rubedo, you should pick someone you like! Someone you can love!' but then... poof! Some motherfucker blew her full of jizz and she got preggers!" Ruby Rose paused for a moment, her mouth falling open.

"Your name is Rubedo?" She said aloud, her surprise audible.

'Rubedo' Ruby Beornir frowned. "Don't call me that! Call me Ruby! If I say I'm Ruby, you can't call me Rubedo! Sapphire liked her name! Not me! I'm unique!" The huff that she gave was enough, as Ruby saw the confusion already happening. "What! Going to poke fun at me for wanting to have a cute cool name like a gemstone instead of just some... ergh... concoction? Mom liked to use Dust, daddy said... But why did I have to get saddled with 'Rubedo', eh?"

"I think it's a nice name." Ruby said, trying to lighten the tone a little. "I mean... Two girls called Ruby would be confusing, right?" The frown on her friend's face was nothing but fierce. "I mean... You can go by Rubedo, but we can both go by Ruby, right?" She tried to make amends, tried so hard to soothe her friend's temper, even as those eyes locked with hers, the faint scowl of disappointment on Rubedo's face showing, before a broad grin broke out. "Sure thing, girlfriend!"

Ruby Rose flushed once more, as she looked at her friend, knowing that she was just joking. Looking at the girl with eyes that actually were looking at the parts of the body that were seen as appealing, she could see the swell of Rubedo's breasts, the figure that had been tanned and dark through the living as one of those outlaws of society. _'Even Uncle Qrow has some of his tales from his past, right?'_

"Aww, you got all red in the face... Does that mean widdle Ruby has a widdle crush on the big bad Ruby?" Rubedo's shoulder nudged her friend, the smile on her face warm enough to belong to a loving and caring woman, who had done no wrong. _'I hope that she'll continue to remain a good friend.'_

The hope was enough for her, as it was enough to soothe her worries, the burden on her mind enough, as she recalled that moment when Rubedo had looked at the picture of Jaune. _'Could it be that she's seen someone like him before?'_ There were many people in Remnant who said that a doppelganger existed for everyone around them, so there might be...

' _No, wait... Uncle Qrow said that there is a type of Grimm that allows you to see them as someone that you've missed... Perhaps she had something like that happen? Those do exist... and uncle Qrow would know! He's smart!'_

"O-oh."She felt a sudden kiss land on her cheek, Rubedo's eyes sparkling faintly. "Such a cute girl... We should get you a boy!" Her face coloured immediately, knowing that the impulsive side of Rubedo was something to be feared. _'Oh... no... I don't think...'_

"I can just imagine it..." The arm around Ruby's neck was gripping her in a firm grip. "One cute-as fuck little scythe fiend like you needs a man who can pick her up and twirl her around... Definitely has to be taller than me too!" That wasn't saying much, as she was about half a head taller than Ruby, the manner in which the woman from Haven seemed to get all fired up. "Strap yourself in with him and then go to some nice, quiet place... open yer little kisser and then throat-fuck that mouth of his with your tongue, Red!"

The blush on Ruby's cheeks was atomic, as she imagined something of the sort happening. First, he'd pick her up from her dad's house, Yang merely silently glaring from behind the curtains, working on chores... for once. Then they'd go to a nice place, have lots of fun, ensure that they'd have time to tinker with their weapons... Maybe even let his blonde hair be brushed, and then look into his blue eyes and... _'Ohmygosh, am I thinking about Jaune like that?_ _'_

The sadness came, as she knew that she would be unlikely to ever see him again. Whatever small hope there was of his survival, as an arm was something that could be replaced with technology, had faded. A single arm and no weapons… Even if the bleeding had been stopped, it would have been impossible for him to find help. _'Uncle Qrow would be sad again if he had lost someone like that, who only wanted to do good.'_

She knew that he was a good man, even with his drunken antics. His whole life seemed to be one bad luck charm, if it were up to her to put a name to it. From his failure in wooing one of the older teachers of Signal to the constant chairs that broke around him, it seemed like it was his destiny to forever struggle against the tides of misfortune that fate threw at him.

"I wouldn't… I wouldn't mind it much." She mumbled, knowing that there was more to be said on that than she would casually admit to her friend. Kissing a boy… Was it any different than kissing a girl? She better ask Yang about that… She'd know, if the sight of her kissing Blake was anything to go by. It was kind of strange though, she could've sworn that she'd seen Yang looking at boys whilst being a student at Signal…

Who knew what strange things puberty could bring?

* * *

 **I'm splitting the chapter up so that I can get you all the prelude to the third Arc…The next one will come before the end of the year! The 28th! In it, the 'hot and sexy' parts will be clipped… because this place doesn't accept it. Don't worry… it won't just end with a 'fade to black'. You'll see some of the action!**

 **But Cinder's perspective is going to be… dark. I'm looking forward to that! Her Haven Student Directory section will cap off the Beacon Files segments. For the Third Volume though... I'm taking suggestions! What do you want to see? Small segments from the past? Character commentaries on how they feel? Little tidbits about the characters of A Grimm Tale? Let me know!**

 **Haven Student Directory**

 **Name: Rubedo 'Ruby' Sustrai  
Age: 19  
Status: ACTIVE  
Semblance: Unknown  
Aura: Unlocked**

 **Bio: The biological older sister to Sustrai, Emerald. A member of Team CRME, entering the Vytal tournament under Haven's authority. Decent grades, with preference for Dust-based fighting. Average performance.**

 _ **Under the guidance of our forebears, we find our solitude.**_ **Leonardo Lionheart**

 **Leave a review if you've enjoyed this first part of Volume II's Finale! Your thoughts and reviews stoke the fire that keep the house warm… and wake me up at night. PM's are also a good way to reach me, if you feel so inclined.**

 **Have a very Merry Christmas!**


	31. Erotomania

**Chapter 31: Erotomania**

 **The second part of the Volume II Finale. The story is now over 600.000 words! Wooh! I hope you like it!**

* * *

 _The Fall of the Vale (Cinder Ella Fall)_

* * *

Her makeup was done perfectly, the lipstick applied with the personal touch of Emerald's own little skilful hands, even as the girl so desperately tried to ensure that everything was perfect. It was truly the best… The girl didn't even know the reason why Cinder herself had to be out and about…. But it would all work out for the best.

"Miss Vale?" The question from the secretary was enough, as she put the smile on her lips, knowing that the political animal that she was going to meet now would be instrumental in setting up the plan of her Mistress. A warm smile fitted itself onto her face, even as her mind calculated the odds of just how easy it would be to inflict harm upon the woman. _'You know the goal. Convince Syfres to work for the good of the plan and we'll have made advances already. The White Fang can bear the burden, or so I have been repeatedly assured by Tallow. Those animals… As if they would have some sort of say in the world once the Mistress rules it.'_

"Councillor Syfres will see you now." The woman stepped aside to allow her entrance to the office in which the councillor was located, the ceremonial guard that stood at attention looking at her with eyes that had seen many, the true danger in the body of a Huntsman denied by the elegant crimson dress that she wore, accented with green accents and a crest that was not her own. _'The charade must be maintained.'_

"Miss Vale, it is an honour to make your acquaintance. Have you had a good trip from Anima?" The councillor spoke as if they were old friends, the name that she used in communication with the councillor a fabrication by Watts, who always had given her Mistress great amusement with his gadgets and skills. _'The Beacon infiltration has succeeded, the virus just needs to be uploaded…'_ The plan was a multi-step one, fashioned by the Mistress herself.

The power inside her roiled like the sea, the power greater than anything that she'd ever felt. Her fingertips burned with the power, her whole soul surging with it as she could feel the adrenaline work through her whole body. _'It is just a small measure… Not crucial to the grand scheme, yet a step that would need to be taken to ease the transport.'_ "Councillor Syfres, it is such a delight to see you." She shook the woman's hand, guided over to one of the cushioned chairs that sat before the desk, the councillor looking at her like the cat would look at the canary which would be its meal.

"When I received word from Doctor Watts, it was a surprise. Such a renowned scientist introducing to me the heir to the King of Vale himself."The tinkering with her family tree had been the easiest thing to do. With the work that the man did with his bots and his other work, it was only the minor annoyances that would crop up with actual verification. A pity that he had… perished. The details of that were still unclear.

She personally would not shed a tear about the man. His style was crude and haughty, with a penchant for immoral research and a lack of caution about his manner of address. _'As rubbish deserves to be burned, so did you, Arthur.'_ "It is as it is. My grandmother migrated to Anima and it was only recently that I was made aware of the connection, councillor Syfres."

The woman's eyes gleamed with the barely suppressed need. The heir to a member of a royal house of the Grand War was someone that you would keep an eye on. Royalty might have been abolished, yet leaders always looked towards those with the pedigree in order to legitimize their own position. _'Already you are thinking of accepting the post of Grand Chancellor of Vale, Maroon Syfres…'_ The woman would use the political capital of the 'Heir of Vale' to ascend to such a spot.

Only the hard-line fanatics would be able to deny her the seat, if she succeeded. Testing would prove… difficult. The genealogy of the King of Vale was hard to trace down due to the interim system of reorganization of the Kingdoms. If the man had left any offspring, it would be kept within the family records, the noble members of the households that had sworn fealty to the King of Vale keeping their mouth mum about who held the line of the royal family. _'There are four options… and of those options, one still remains.'_ The efficiency of her Mistress' grand efforts to expunge any traces of the lineage of the man who had tormented her throughout her long life, with only the family of the Arcs remaining. _'And if you are not the family to which Ozpin bestowed his seed to… A pity.'_ She felt nothing about the frail and weak members of society. She was better than them… The power within her proved it.

One could even go so far as to say that she felt very little, yet she was in full control of her faculties and emotions. When it was needed, she could whisper sweet nothings in the ears of those who needed to hear them, to curse and act as one would when incensed, if needed. When working with animals, complete and utter destruction was more than sufficient. The White Fang knew that, of course. They were just the meat shields, those who would be blamed when the plans of her Mistress came to fruition. _'In the end, they will only have to blame themselves…'_

She was more than a little proud of her manner of bearing, as she looked at the councillor. "Miss Vale, it is truly remarkable to see one of the Heirs to His Majesty appear, even on such an auspicious time as the fortieth anniversary of the Vytal Pact." The polite tone of the councillor told her enough. _'Your presence is a nuisance. How can I handle this and get out smelling like roses.'_

"I have had… difficulties, yes. Are there any people who could contend with my status?" She inquired, as was befitting of a noblewoman, one who shared the blood of royalty. The question 'are there any who could contend' would insinuate that she was willing to work together with the woman, even as Maroon Syfres' smile turned shark-like. "Oh, a few… I have dealt with a nuisance already. Sedition against Vale, clinging to the old ways of nobility… Such a pity."

It was a dig at her 'status', she could tell immediately. The woman did not believe in much of the creed of blood, a career animal pur sang. The reports on her were detailed, giving the rise of Councilor Syfres through intrigue, blackmail and networking. "A pity indeed." She said, moderating her tone of voice.

"A councillor such as you might know of the value of a legitimized heir." Her voice was carefully moderated to sound like a plea, a hint of something of displeasure showing through, even as the councillor leaned forwards. "A mutually beneficial pact can be reached, yes?"

The councillor leaned back. _'Such arrogance, assuming that you hold the cards in this meeting. Ever since they abolished the nobility with the Vytal Pact, the councils have been searching for a way to gain more power…'_ Cinder knew well what it meant to crave power. Every little inkling of power that she gained was yet another step on that path to never feel weakness again. _'She will keep her promises… Power shall be mine…'_

"Of course, Miss Vale… If I may inquire though… What is your opinion on the Headmaster of Beacon?" The woman leaned towards her, as Cinder put her neutral smile on her face.

"The man is certainly impressive, able to safeguard the next generation of Huntsmen until they can defend the Kingdoms." The councilwoman nodded, her hands folded together, her eyes sharp. _'Wary eyes, good…'_ "I cannot say that I much approve of him."

The carefully measured response evoked something in those eyes, as the woman leaned forward, her interest peaked undoubtedly. _'Little fish, come for the bait…'_ "A man in his position would be much better suited for the council. With his connections, there is much that he could do for Vale."

"Indeed, as you say, Miss Vale, Headmaster Ozpin could do much for Vale as it is currently. A truly worthy man to sit upon the council." She could see the frustration in Syfres' eyes, her lips curling into a warmer smile that she did not truly feel.

"And what, does a mere scion of the blood which has long-since delegated their responsibilities onto the council, wish to do? I don't think you contacted me out of a sense of altruism, young lady." Cinder knew how to play the woman, as she leaned forward.

"A single heir to His Majesty the King, announced upon the Vytal Festival's conclusion would show the people that the blood of their saviour still lives amongst them." She was not as apt at improvising in the manner that her Mistress was, yet Syfres' eyes turned to regard her.

"An heir introduced… Would you have us make you a Queen? Do you really think us so foolish as to make the monarchy a thing once more, after the people have enjoyed such peace for decades?" The councillor scoffed, yet Cinder could see those hungry eyes. A bargain of political power, ready to be used. An heir to the throne, yet one who chose to step back and merely languish as the heir in relative ignorance. A few interviews, perhaps a speech every once in a while, whilst politically aligned with Syfres.

Out of the councillors of Vale, only Maroon Syfres had been able to ascend from relative unknown origins to become one of the councillors. Councilor Winchester had been the next generation of one of the old stewards of Vale, one of the chancellors of state that had inherited the task from the previous King. Councilor Earp was a known traditionalist, with impeccable manners and little to be hinted about his personal nature.

"Of course not, Councilor Syfres." She said, her voice sounding like it stated the obvious. "There are obvious political gains attached to bringing one of the noble families back into the light… A sense of unity for the people, another pretty face on the news…" The hints were strewn for the councillor to pick up on, Cinder's face the picture-perfect face of innocence.

"Obviously so… But let us not kid. You have some motive, do you not?" The Scroll in her pocket felt never so light as she pulled it out, unveiling a picture of the young daughter of the Syfres household frolicking around with a few Faunus boys in a decidedly youthful manner… sans clothing. "It would be such a shame to hear of your family's plight…Your niece, consorting with Faunus…"

The woman's mask was in place well enough, Cinder knew, that nothing would be seen. The pictures had been taken by an experienced detective, well-known for their side-business of taking incriminating pictures if the amount of money was right. With the loss of Haven and its Relic, according to the Mistress, there would be a void in the world… and if the fall of this Kingdom could be accomplished, terror would be sown without any sort of heavy-duty work on her end. There would be the goals realized… and the power would be hers.

"What is it that you want?" The woman's voice was sharp, as her eyes looked at the image, well-aware that it was just a copy of the originals. Cinder meticulously kept the records safe within a locked box, with the location only known to her… and her associates after a sudden 'accident'. It helped to be prepared.

"It's simple, councillor… You need the political capital… I need my family name recognized. Let us…" She smirked, showing her teeth. It was such fun to see those in power squirm before her. The girl who was currently displayed on the screen was a loose cannon for the Syfres family, yet therein laid the gem that she had found. Maroon Syfres was a woman who valued her division between the light and the darkness of her life. "Work together, shall we?"

The woman looked at her, the picture changing to the next one in line. A shady place, where her own self could be seen standing in wait, a familiar face visible under a bowler hat, orange hair showing clearly that he was a certain criminal. "Oops…" She said, as the woman's features went paler, that picture one of those that would prove irreversibly that Maroon Syfres had colluded with a known criminal.

' _Thirty crates of illegal goods, smuggled to Vacuo… It seems that little details as such would hardly have been fussed about.'_ Cinder Fall always played her cards when they could be of the most value, her finger sliding the picture back to the niece, whose enjoyed expression was at odds with her aunt's.

Cinder Fall walked out of the councillor's office without a care in the world, the Scroll tucked carefully back into her pocket. Her body felt lighter, the power inside her swelling as she got into the car that Mercury had prepared for her, the driver's seat filled already by the assassin's son, wearing a cap and a dress uniform. "Get me to the hideout." She ordered, back in control, as she sank into the luxurious seat, the leather creaking.

' _The only thing I need is the power… Because power in its own right is enough to guard against the things that threaten you…'_

* * *

 _The insurgency(Bianca Alba Arc)_

* * *

She idly looked at the monitor, flickering her attention between the two different screens, the inner workings of her precious weapon open before her, the adjustments that she was making already ensuring that there would be more lethal death-death dispensed by her before it'd get to the point where she'd have to change magazines… But that was the fun of it.

"Assley, give me a number thirty!" She called out, catching the small adjuster in a small torrent of wind, floating it down to her hand, where she adjusted it, the screen showing the enlarged point where the adjuster was attached, giving it a sharp twist. "You're too slow, Bi. I could've done that for you if you'd let me!" Ashley, her sister-twin, commented from her suit, which was currently half-way activated. The metal framework of Ferrum Mors was something that Ashley took great pride in, the frontal chest compartment allowing for an emergency burst of fire if things got a little heated, Ferrum Mors' greatest capability being the ability to shift into a battle form, the chest-launchers just something that Ashley had added as 'a little bit of an extra punch', though Bianca personally thought that her sister found it amusing to see people's faces when she just popped the chest-rockets and followed through with plenty of mayhem.

"Ashley?" She called out, her sister having gone silent. She could see the lights on the suit move, as she heard something crackle in the back of the suit.

"Give me a moment… I need to get…" Her sister's voice was enough to warn her, as the back of the suit opened up, her sister's body pushed out by the hydraulic arm that supported the body whilst she was in it. Metal glistened in the lights, as Bianca watched her sister limp over to the seat, the mark on her back visible. "Come on… Help me out, you little dyke." She heard her sister say, even as she watched the helpless look on her sister's face. _'She tries to keep herself in shape, yet she does not want to show her pain to the world…'_

She was more than a little miffed with Ashley's stubbornness, yet she knew well that Ashley had her own problems when it came to showing weakness. _'If not for me…'_ They kept it from the others. The others knew that the input port of the tube that connected Ashley with the systems of the household was located on her back, yet they did not know where exactly or how deep it penetrated. _'The damage was severe…'_

"Bi…" The question came, as the look on her sister's face looked pleading, Bianca getting up and getting the cloth again. "I'm sorry…" Ashley said, as Bianca walked over to her sister.

The fact that they were naked was something that they did not pay attention to. In the world of the Huntsmen, you were ready to fight against your foe, even if naked or without your weapon. In the privacy of their own little den/workshop, they could be as nude as they wanted to be. They preferred the cool air against the skin, though they did wear clothing when others were around.

"Just…" She said, arranging Ashley slightly. Her sister's body was still as muscular as before, yet the definition of the muscles was different from her own. Ferrum Mors was as good a suit as it was due to her efforts, the gyros and the present technologies that had been added in order to make it as functional as a suit of armour yet three times lighter. "Make sure that you bear with the pain." She said, Ashley giving a soft hiss as she pushed the rag into the cleaning fluid, the smell of the disinfectant heavy to their nose.

"It hurts…" Ashley mumbled in her ear, even as Bianca swiftly cleaned the entry port, making sure to catch any spills of fluid before they would be festering inside Ashley and making an infection spring up. _'It's a pity… but we'll have to get into bed again tonight. I miss the others.'_

Ashley's gaze rested on the monitor, a sharp inhale coming in her left ear. "Bitch-ass fuckbimbo!" The pained curse was enough, as Bianca brushed the cloth over the sensitive plug entrance.

"Now now… What would big sis think of you using that language?" She teased, even as Ashley's face looked at her, irritation in her eyes. "She'd whack you in the face for teaching me wrong, dick-hole."

"Hey… you know as well as I that we're in this thing together. There isn't going to be any dick coming near my entry port whilst you are unfulfilled." The look on Ashley's face turned even grimmer, as her eyes glinted and glanced down, clearly with the intent on something that was both attainable as well as unattainable. _'Would it be a bad choice to make, if we could make it again?'_

Their own status as twin sisters made it… harder for them to find intimacy. From living together under the same roof to sharing much the same preference in their men, they both had the desires of a woman of their age, yet with their own varying differences in taking those traits and finding them. They were, to put it succinctly, more apt at pleasuring each other than at finding a man who could sate those pleasures. _'I'm not going to give up on you, Ash.'_ Bianca thought as she pulled a small bucket filled with warm water. "Let me clean you up some more, Assley… Maybe we'll have some skinny-dipping fun in the bath, eh?" The snort that Ashley gave was enough for her to know Ashley's response to that.

"And we'll be watching down on Heath and the rest from heaven, is that what you're talking about?" Her sister's response came, sarcastic and fierce, her eyes holding a fire.

"Well, murder-suicide isn't going to work out, out of all the options we've got… Would you rather have your ex scrape out that loose little cavern that you call a pussy, bitch? Gotten the tingles for that loser again?" She threw back at her sister, as the girl snorted.

"Jaune would miraculously rise from the ground to fist that little bitch's ass before I'd ever let him… Yeah, right." The shake of Ashley's head was enough to make the insides clench slightly, the metal feeling a little tighter around the cloth that she was brushing over the general area. _'If only…'_

She knew that such fancies would best be left for fairytales. Jaune coming back from the dead… If that happened, she would GLADLY suck the next dick that she saw and declare the man to become her ever-beloved husband. Even if she had to share him with Ashley."It'd be nice to have the little squirt back with us." Bianca said, her voice wistful.

"I miss him too. He turned so red when you answered the door in nothing but a set of underwear and engine grease." Ashley said, even as she shook her head. "A pity…"

Bianca nodded, as she dabbed the cloth into the bucket again, seeing the greasy film rise onto the water from where she'd dunked it in. "Now who's the incestual bitch today, eh? I bet you'd gladly just spread your toolbox open for him and let him have a go, right?"

The punch to her shoulder was enough to make Bianca rock slightly, Ashley's face showing a grin that was both confident as well as sad. Those eyes looked ready to tear up. "As if you'd be getting him out of your grasp, you cheeky little bitch. Who was the one who was so proud of him for dunking that bucket all over Muttley's head, eh?"

"His name was Richley… And mistakes were made." Bianca looked at her sister, even as Ashley looked down, her hand rising and tapping something on the remote control, the screen flickering to a picture of the consignation of their little brother. In high-definition, the arm slowly crumbled into ashes, as the incinerator did its work.

Bianca felt the mass of emotions well up inside of her again, looking at her sister. Moisture trickled down her cheek as she saw the remaining outline of the hand, faintly remembering the things that had occurred during that ceremony. _'We always hold up the pretence that we are something special…'_ She felt the weight settle on her shoulders, her eyes closing for an instant, trying to recall that worthwhile moment.

' _But are we special?'_ She knew her bloodline, as most Arcs did. Even Jaune, oldest male son, had been taught on the specifics of his great grandfather's line… about how special it made them, when mixed with the blood of the Slayers. _'It is really…'_

A flash of blue eyes, of a confident grin as she looked up at the tall woman. _'It'll be alright… I'm here.'_ , the pale grey, nearly silver-shade cloak that she wore at odds with the weapon that she wielded. That moment of strength, that she had never been able to equate. _'All the worries of the world…'_

"I just remember that he'd always call through the inter-house communication system, going like… 'Hey, Ashley? Bianca? I'm home!' whenever he'd return back from wherever he'd gone off to." The background drone of the cooling fans and the ping of the communications array seemed to be more akin to static, as Bianca thought she could hear Jaune's voice speak up through the speaker. "Hey Ashley? Bianca? I'm home!"

"Did you?" She looked at Ashley, who shook her head. "I thought I did but…" There was no more sound coming from the speaker, the drone continuing for a while. _'I must've imagined it… That sounded more real than before. You're losing it, Bianca…'_

"For a moment, I thought I could hear him in his own dorky way, announcing that he was here again…" Ashley's voice halted, as the tears came from her eyes. "I miss him, Bee. I miss him so fucking much. If I could just… for a day…" Bianca didn't need to guess at what she would do if her little brother came again into her life.

First thing that she'd do was kiss him, hug him, then kick his skinny little blonde butt for going off to some combat school and leaving them all to worry about him possibly being abducted and murdered for his organs! And if she was done with that, she'd ask him how he was doing in heaven, how his life was going and whether any of the pretty angels were getting their talons on his skinny little ass and making him sing castrato!

She was damn proud of him for being made team leader. _'I should send that Pyrrha chick a message, see how she's doing. We're the only ones that haven't gone dark, so there's no need for us to be so hidden about our movements… But then again… Ashley'll know better than me.'_

Her natural disposition towards things was to strike hard and fast and with overwhelming force. Her eyes picked the trajectories of the bullets, able to change their course with an instant of her semblance activating. _'It would not hurt to be prepared.'_

She pushed herself under her sister's arm, lifting her up. Ashley was such a girl that would normally object, yet the strain that she was under was enough to show clearly that there was a need for help. "Come on, Assley." She said, her voice carefully light, as she helped her sister towards the plug once more, noticing that the stains on the input device were suspiciously red. _'She's not been telling me everything…'_

She wasn't a doctor, per se. She knew a few things more about bullets and hosing the enemy down with enough firepower to make them crawl back in their evil hiding holes and then come forth once more once they've plucked the shells from their gritty hide. Doctor stuff was her sister's thing. "Ashley?" Her voice questioned.

"Nothing that I can't handle, Bee." Her sister's lie was obvious, as those eyes looked at her with a question. "Plug me in, please?" The question hung in the air, even as Bianca looked at her sister. _'Hiding something like this from me… from the family.'_

Trauma to the body was harder to heal in some areas than before. With her technical skill, Ashley had managed to ensure herself the space of working through her issues, even though the previous input system functioned through a helmet… this one was more pervasive. _'With a flick of the switch, she IS the defence system of the house.'_

"Please, Bee…" Her sister pleaded whilst Bianca looked at her sister. The frailer arms, muscular in a certain manner that was due to the mechanical suit that she wore during combat operations, the legs that had both the scars of earlier encounters as well as the brief shimmer of the subsurface modifications that she'd worked into the flesh. _'You would replace yourself with a machine if you could, Ash… Atlas has been trying to scout you for your prowess in the field for years…'_

It was the nature of their occupation as Huntsmen that they could deny contracts that took them in a certain direction. If they did not wish to serve in the army, they would not be pressed, unless another Great War broke out. "Bee?" Her sister's voice was weak, even as Bianca firmed her resolve.

"Coming right up, you little perv." She said, trying to inject fondness into her voice and failing, her eyes looking right at her sister and shuddering faintly, as she began to burn with the need for more questions. "Alrighty…" The jack clicked into place, turned once, a shudder coming through the whole body of her twin. Together, they were able to conquer anything that they would face. _'If she can hold out…'_

Ashley's eyes opened wide, the inner core glowing faintly as she was plugged into the system, the energy feed on the screen showing clearly that the connection was made, the unique manner of iris movement something that came from the Semblance that her sister had. _'Creamy always said that it made Ashley look creepy… But you aren't creepy, right?'_

"Bianca?" Her sister's voice was angry, as she pointed to the screen. The hall stood there before their eyes, the camera's in the house working to show the interior. A pair of Faunus stood before the large family portrait that had been painted by Rimebrand Von Rein, a famous painter who did pieces for the aristocracy. _'Well… fuck.'_

"It seems we've got a few mangy kittens that've decided to come and play…"Ashley's voice was dreadfully calm, as the eyes glowed faintly, the defensive systems activating. _'If they're here for a feast…'_ Anger welled up inside her, as she looked at Technus Mors and Ventus Mors, both on their mounts. _'They'll find that the Arcs do serve a hearty feast!'_

"Bianca?" Her sister's voice was still, anger suffusing its depth. The machine was already whirring to life, as her sister tugged on the plug. "Get me plugged out and into Ferrum Mors… It's time to show those animals that you don't fuck with an Arc." Bianca grinned, her hands moving to the cable and then gently pulling it loose, brushing the cloth over the socket and then feeling her sister's shudder of pain. "We'll get them, Assley… And then you can have a live dissection…"

The laughter that came from her mouth was not the most pleasant to hear, as her sister's own laughter mimicked it completely, their faces, alike in their expression, as she pulled her sister in her arms and then pushed her into Ferrum Mors.

"Time to get us some pussy pelts… And if you really want to, you can have the tiger one for a treat, Bee… She looks like she's a champ at eating pussy… If she'll have a tongue left afterwards." Ashley's voice communicated through the speakers, as she knew that there would be time enough for that exploration.

"She'll have to be declawed and defanged… But I guess we've earned ourselves a little house-pet. Mom never did let us get a cat." Bianca did not hold a high opinion of the Faunus, not after what they did… spitting in the face of Humanity as a whole, spitting in THEIR face. That was a slight she could not let go of.

 _Home (Jaune Arc)_

The path leading up to the house was showing the signs of the family not being as aware of their maintenance of the grounds as they should be, the grass poking from between the stones that paved it, the smell of the earth around the house familiar, as he trekked with his companions up the road towards that familiar space. "This place is really something…" Esmeralda said, a smile coming to his face as he glowed with the pride that he felt.

"Not so great if you've got to be gardening for most of the summer because your sisters are out in the world, saving it." He said, even as the fond reminiscing came to him. Azure, her skill with working in the garden greater than his own, her eyes somehow able to pick out where the flaws in his own shovelling were and helping him with it.

"Oh, I can imagine a brave saviour of the flower bushes cleaving through the evil Grimm weeds." Esmeralda's hand touched lightly on his bicep, giving it a squeeze. "Isn't that right, Kali?"

The Faunus woman looked faintly distracted, a large stone statue standing there next to a fountain. Jaune knew it well, the statue imitating the Huntsman who had been the founder of the Arc Family… His great-grandfather. The statue was of a man wielding the Crocea Mors, blade raised up to defend everything that was just and right, shield ready to block whatever strikes came at him… A hero.

The man had been a hero, to Vale and other settlements. It had been passed on throughout the family that the man's words were words to live by. An Arc never broke their word or their promise, unless it was something that went against their very core. _'I don't deserve to be called Arc…'_

Esmeralda's hand was stroking over his biceps, her fingers touching over it absent-mindedly, Kali's voice intruding on his thoughts. "That man… Who is he?" She asked, her voice sounding like a distant memory. _'Great-grandfather…'_

"A hero." He said, as he took a deep breath. The door to the house stood before him, and he watched the flickering button on the biological lock, that would allow anyone bearing the Arc blood access to the premises… as well as their guests. _'Let's hope that Ashley is in the system… She usually lets me in…'_

Out of all of his sisters, he got along the best with his oldest sisters. Azure, Cremea and Saffron still held a certain measure of distance between them and himself, something that he figured was mostly due to the awkwardness between their similar ages. Ashley and Bianca though… they were COOL.

The scanner bleeped once, allowing him to release the breath that he was holding earlier. _'I'm still me… The scanner thinks I am Jaune Arc…'_ He had feared that he was but the gestalt consciousness of a young man named Arc, who had been created through the _Vitae Tenebris_ and was yet something utterly alien to this world… a Grimm within the shape of a human. Kali, Sienna and Esmeralda suddenly seemed to have come close, a hug that was tight enough to make him take a deeper breath, their warmth and affection captivating him, as his body responded.

Relief flooded his system, as he felt the tears coming from his eyes. _'I'm still human… I'm not…'_ He couldn't dare voice the thought, as black sclera and red eyes came to his mind, as he remembered the Grand Witch as she was… and the power that he held now. He could feel his breathing picking up, his rushed breathing enough, as he embraced the women who were embracing him, feeling them for the truth and reality that they were, as he hyperventilated, his nostrils flaring, even as the tears continued to come.

"I'm still human…" He whispered, the hug increasing in force. He could feel Kali press her head against his back, even as Esmeralda hugged him tighter.

"We always knew you were human, Jaune…" Esmeralda whispered, her arms pulling a little tighter on him, as she looked at his face. "And you're a beautiful man." The words were genuine and spoken from the heart, even as the emotional stability of him shattered. _'Accepting me for what I am…'_

Kali's words came to mind, yet… he found that he could not… that he would not. _'There's better people out there… She's a noblewoman, why would she go for a simple boy like me?'_

"We care for you, Jaune." Kali said, her voice sounding like the accompaniment to her care, as her head nuzzled against his back, in a catlike manner. "We don't mind whatever you do, as long as you remain true to who you are."

It was a touching sensation, even as he smiled softly, realizing that the true prize was not just their presence, yet also their acceptance. "Let me get you all inside. You're going to love meeting my family…" He didn't quite know how Ashley and Bianca would react, though… They'd never really had much of an opinion on the people he brought home.

Entering in the hall, he took in the familiar décor, noticing that nothing really seemed to have changed in the slightest ever since he had left home. The stairs leading towards the first floor were draped slightly different with the carpet, a part of the railing having been scuffed more, as if someone had accidentally bumped against it. _'It's as if I've just gone on a holiday…'_ The hopes inside his heart were ignited once more as he saw the intercom, fastened to the wall and wired up to the main system. Pressing the button, he heard the familiar connection being made. "Hey, Ashley? Bianca? I'm home!"

Usually one of them would respond, being cooped up as they were in their little work-room, yet he heard nothing in return, shrugging a little. They had their odd moods and could often be found testing out new armaments to their weapons, thus necessitating a set of good earmuffs and sound dampening equipment. _'They'll be around during dinnertime… I guess I better bust out something good for dinner!'_

"Jaune?" Esmeralda's voice sounded from behind him, his head turning to see the painting that hung on the wall. His father, imperial and imposing as always, stared down at him, the man's face painted in the same fashion as his default expression was, his mother's face looking kinder and warmer. Himself, located on his oldest sister's lap, her arms wrapped around him as he put on the best smile that he could.

' _There was a lot of smiling that day…'_ He smiled involuntarily upon remembering that, Heather's jokes having been amusing during that time when the portrait was being painted. The painter had been a funny man, making small jokes whilst he put brush to the canvas. "That is my family." He said, as he spoke the names. "Dad, Mom, Rowe, Heather, the twins are Ashley and Bianca, Cremea, that's the one with the serious expression on her face, below the twins and looking like she'd just stepped in something… Oh, and Saffron and Azure.."

Kali and Sienna looked at the painting, their expressions mimicking each other's. "Oh." Kali said, as she looked at the painting, her eyes searching out his father. She seemed to be unusually interested in the man, possibly due to being only a decade younger than him. He wouldn't guess as to what she was thinking. ' _Probably thinking like 'That's a big family! Woah!'. That's the reaction we get most often.'_

"Do you think you could guide me to a bathroom?" Esmeralda asked, even as she looked a little uncomfortable. He winced slightly. That they were Huntsmen did not allow them to go without the necessities of eating and drinking and going to the bathroom regularly. _'When was the last time that I actually went? This morning?'_ It had been a while for himself as well, and he knew that it'd be just a quick trip to the bathroom located on the ground floor.

"Sure, let me just…" He looked at the two Faunus. _'What's the worst that could happen?'_ "I'll be getting her to the bathroom. I'm sure that Ashley and Bianca will be around soon… Mister Hendrick said that they were home, so…"

He was sure that his sisters would be more than happy to give them a warm welcome.

* * *

 _Home is where the heart is (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She couldn't quite believe it. The young man who had been at the forefront of her mind for the past few months after the death of her husband, had broken down and cried. There had been no hiding his emotions, no single shred of false information given… Just the feeling that there was something that needed to be done, something that was to be fixed and to be mended, and then the restoration of that trust.

' _Sometimes, all you need to do to be cured is to remember that you are human…'_ The doubt in her own mind was not only aided by the darkness that her Semblance conjured up, yet also the feelings inside her, which swelled with every moment that she lingered in his presence, the time where she would be able to strike and seize what belonged to her having long-since passed.

The opulent manner of the household was enough, even as the surroundings spoke of a family that was beloved by those who called it their own. _'A family of Huntsmen, according to Jaune's tale…'_

She saw the painting when Jaune walked to the intercom to inform his sisters. The regal features of the father, the man who had given life to the seedling that was Jaune, and his mother, whose features he also shared. The love that the man seemed not to show was reflected in his mother's face. She could see Sienna's face, astonishment and a hint of something that would be called dread flashing onto those features, no longer the brash kitten that she was. "Seven sisters, he said…"

Sienna swallowed, about to say what was to be expected. Kali knew well that the topic would be a tough one to argue, as Sienna's own family life had been… different. _'A family…'_

She could see another painting of herself and the others who belonged to him. A painting in which they were all together, Blake, the proof of her husband's love for her, and yet another child, a speckle of blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes, Sienna at her side with her hand on yet another child that bore the same dusky skin as her own, yet the eyes shone like the azure of the Menagerian sea… And White, opulent and imperial, her own eyes flashing like the thunder, a child of her own. _'It is a wonderful thing, motherhood…'_

She knew what White had bought, as Sienna had been more or less the one to inform her. _'Tonight, she has the first right. I am not going to interfere with her fun…'_ It was a tough choice.

"Jaune?" White's voice sounded, even as Kali's sharp senses could smell the faint trickle of urine between her legs. _'Oh dear… Someone's had a bit too much lemonade earlier.'_ With age, there came consequences. She was lucky that she kept herself in shape through some Mistralian Yoga…

As Jaune introduced his family, he could not help but sound proud of them. She smiled, even as she saw the happy faces of the people, imagining them as they had been, five years beforehand. _'There had been no word…'_

The hope inside of her was enough, as she looked at the faces of the Arc family, still innocent and young. _'He couldn't have been much older than twelve when this was painted…'_ She wondered how it would have been if her little Blake had been in contact with him at that age, whether something would have sprung up from their interaction. _'Blake always needed a little push or she would run away…'_

She didn't know how long she and Sienna stared at the painting of the Arc family, the image of the once-happy family printed to her mind. She felt the gloomy mood settle inside her, as she began to feel the touch of memories brush against her mind. _'It would be a shame to leave it like this.'_

The click of something was the first indication that she got, even as her head whipped to the direction of the sound, her eyes catching sight of one of the twins that had been painted on the painting, the whirring of the metal spinning to maximum coil, as the muzzle flashed of the rifle and bullets erupted. "DUCK!" She hissed at Sienna, who was already mid-action, rolling to the side, the sound of bullets shattering what must've been some precious vase in the direction where they'd impacted. _'What would you do if you saw two strange Faunus you didn't know, in your house?'_ She knew the answer to that question mentally, as she turned her head to the direction, watching as something humanoid and metal stormed at them, a glowing mace-like weapon in hand.

"Did you really think you could come into our home and rob the place, you filthy animals?" The speaker-synthesized voice was metallic and yet held a female tone to it, Kali raising her arms in order to placate the speaker. "We don't mean-" The mace-like weapon whooshed through the air as she spoke, shadows clinging to her body as the mace shot through the space where her head had been moments before, Kali's heart quivering as she realized how close to getting her head pulped she had been. She could only let out a small shuddering wheeze as she looked at the weaponized giant, the unclear visor glowing a faint green colour.

"You don't mean to be little fucking kittens trying to intrude into a good and upstanding family's home, eh?" The mechanical voice came, even as the body moved into position once more. A bullet whizzed right past her ear, the sound making her wince. Sienna leapt to the fore, using her chain as a whip in order to deal damage, the flare of Dust making the space be lit up as a flare of fire was seen. _'Come on…'_

She grabbed her Katar, even as the armoured giant took on Sienna, the latter having shifted into the form that she had only gained near to two weeks before, the furred tail growing from the spine, even as Sienna ducked around the massive weapon, her agility a boon.

Turning her gaze to the twin that stood there on the railing above them, leading towards another section of the house, she wondered briefly how she was going to cross the distance, before the shadows gave her the perfect opportunity. She melted into the shadows after an instant, appearing behind the twin, whose searching gaze was enough, her foot hitting the twin from behind, right in her back. It didn't do much beside destabilizing the woman, who turned around.

"Oh no you fucking don't!" The burst of rifle fire hit the wood behind her, as she turned into shadows, her Semblance activating and the fear rocketing out from her like a physical wave, the smell of urine being released enough to show her that the fear effect had worked, the twin's face showing stark terror, as she gasped and breathed heavily, the fingers on the trigger unleashing another burst of gunfire, the ceiling peppered with another fast set of bullet holes.

She caught sight of Sienna weaving around the strikes of the armoured suit, her agility at full capacity, her eyes watching every movement of the suit and then moving around it using her natural grace. _'We can do this…'_

She knew well that the Arc family was Jaune's family and that he would not like to see them murdered. The frightening effect of her aura was enough to incapacitate the woman, whose rifle was lowering once more, going right towards the direction. "Fear ain't fucking shit when you've seen some of the stuff big sis has told me about, you little tart!"

Kali lurked deeper into the shadows, as she could feel the need inside her swell to hide, even as a flashlight sent a beam of light into the shadows, her whole body feeling weaker. "That's it, you little cunt-muncher furred cat-whore!" The rifle bullets hit her right in the gut, flattening against her skin before she could respond, her body feeling weakness at the megawatt light that shone on her.

"Die, you fucking Faunus freak!" Kali thought for a moment that this would be it. Her eyes watched with care as she could see the rifle's muzzle flare up, a dark shadow filling the space before her, materializing into a Beowolf that took the hit for her, her aura having been shattered by the sudden assault, the impact having been enough for her to feel pain. It felt like her insides had been punched by an escaping train, repeatedly.

"Ashley! Bianca! Stop that! They are friends!" The sound of her lord and saviour Jaune rang out, and the surprised look on the twin with the bloody large rifle was enough to make her feel a sense of vindication, as she looked sideways at Jaune.

He was striding with strong paces towards the armoured Huntress, who had turned in his direction, an indistinct spluttering sound coming from the speaker. "Jaune?" The huntress twin vocalized at her side, his head turning to her. "As-no, wait. Bianca. I'm upset with you two! That's now how you treat guests! Mom said many times that you shouldn't go in guns blazing!"

Kali thought she could hear a soft 'Unless they're Faunus scum, of course…' from the Huntress, as she got up, her irritation flashing on her face as she turned to look at her. "I'm not even going to be… urgh."

The click-hiss of an armoured shell opening up was loud in the air, as the mechanical suit of armour seemed to open up at the back, a blonde woman pushed out, something snapping loose and a soft 'oww' heard by her ears, as a paler version of the twin stepped out, clad only in a set of thin underwear that barely covered anything. _'No doubt they rushed over here because they saw intruders. It's what I would do, if I saw strangers.'_

"Jaune…" The pale twin was the first to speak, as he looked at her and then wrapped her in an embrace. "You're… alive?"

There were tears in her eye, as soft little shakes of her body were given, her head resting on his shoulder, his frame taller than she was. Kali could see the resemblance, as the tears leaked freely. "Jauney!" The other huntress joined them in the hug, the emotional-sounding voice thick, as the twins hugged their long-lost brother.

It was endearing to see, she supposed. Both sisters looked like they had suddenly been blessed with relief, even as there was some crying involved, a sudden relief working on their bladder. "I'm so glad you're back. I've… We've… Oh fuck, Jaune…"

The language was not something that she'd regularly hear, yet the emotions of the sisters were true. "You smell like piss, Bitch-anca." One of the twins commented, the snort enough from the other twin to infer that the latter was not really pleased with that comment.

"You smell like you just fucking climbed out a bucket of oil, Assley." She retorted, Jaune sighing. "You're going to make him smell like a sewer." Kali could hear the one called Ashley mutter something, the soft 'Jauney Jaune' added to it particularly endearing.

"So, eh, twins?" He tried, as both sisters let go of him, their eyes straight at him, their hands now running over his body. Kali noticed that both sisters held different standards, Ashley's gaze critical of his body's sense of presence, and Bianca more… differently occupied. "I'd like to introduce you to two of my friends."

Kali knew that this was time for her to get back, leaping into the shadows and then appearing from Sienna's shadow, her body stretching slightly. "That was a bit of a close call." She whispered to her friend, who was looking at the twins.

"They're definitely above the average Huntsman, I'd say. They do have the home advantage, though…" Sienna would never admit that she'd nearly been bested by a human, Kali knew. It had been close, the skill with which the armour-wielding woman moved being something fierce and without mercy.

"This is Kali Belladonna." He introduced her, and she did the perfect little bow before them. That she wore the skintight outfit was just an added bonus, the one that went by the name of Ashley giving a low whistle.

"If she's the same as the Kali Belladonna, wife of Ghira Belladonna, supposedly killed in an ambush by rogue elements of the bandit tribes of Anima… then I'd say she's had one hell of a face-lift." Kali snorted, her hand pressing to her face and the shadows slipping over it, her more matured voice coming out as her features changed. "This is what I looked like, before Jaune put his stuff in me."

It sounded worse than it was, yet she knew that the secrets that he held had to be kept under close wraps. It was essential that they not tip off whatever enemies they had. Ashley and Bianca's eyebrows shot up, their heads turning in one shared motion towards Jaune. "Oh, did he?" Their voices were eerily similar in their tonal register, as they locked gazes on Jaune. That they synchronized their words was disconcerting as well.

"Preying on older women, eh?" One of the twins said, the one who'd wet herself. They hadn't introduced themselves… yet. "Aren't we good enough for you anymore, Jauney?" The look of hurt on her face was the typical girl trick to evoking brotherly fears.

"H-hey! I didn't do anything to her! She had to live, so I ignited her Aura! It was necessary!" The soft sob from one of the sisters was enough to clue Kali in that they'd reached about their emotional end, her eyes taking in the mess of emotion inside them. Fear, worry and relief, happiness and love blossomed in them.

"You've… You've got two arms." The one who'd been in the suit spoke, as she looked at the arm. "It looks…" She took it, the hand moved along with her desires, Jaune's inability to act against his sisters yet another flaw that she could see.

"I had to improvise…" He said, even as the door to the back swung open and White entered once again.

"Jaune, I-" The woman looked at the two sisters, one mostly naked whilst the other one looked a mess, the teary eyes looking like they'd been wet for a while. "Good afternoon." The woman said, the picture of a woman who had her wits about her.

Kali envied that poise, as White approached, sniffing the air, her nose crinkling in distaste, as she let her gaze go through the hall, noticing the cracked flooring and the spot where the weapon of the suit had impacted with the ground. "It seems there was some excitement here…" The woman said, clearly keeping her poise.

"You could say that… It seems my sisters mistook Sienna and Kali here for intruders." Jaune smoothed over things, even as White's lips pressed tightly together. Whatever the woman was, it certainly was not a willingness to break decorum. "My name… Oh, you'll introduce me eventually." Her voice was stark, as her gaze went to Jaune. _'She's got ideas on her mind…'_

* * *

 _The filial feast (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As the door closed behind Ashley and Bianca that led to the common bathroom in which the shower had been located, he looked back at his fellows, Kali looking smug, whilst Sienna seemed to have a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Your sisters are quite the fighters." Kali said, her voice holding that tone of mirthful observance that implied that she would be teasing him about… something. "So foul-mouthed, though…"

' _That's a known flaw in the OS… Or so Ashley tells me.'_ It really wasn't their fault though. Something inside them seemed to have been off ever since they had been off to Beacon to become Huntresses. "They're like that, always teasing and insinuating improper things. You should meet Heather, she's got a wild streak with her language that's broader than the Valean channel." He was sure that they would like his family. His family was… special.

"I would like a word, after dinner." Esmeralda's soft voice intruded, as she stood there, her gaze demurely pointed towards the ground, her eyes closing for a moment, as she allowed him to realize that she was feeling some sort of emotions, yet they were too fluid to be accurately determined. "Did anyone get hurt?"

Sienna shook her head. "That painting… When was it made?" She asked suddenly, her gaze going back to the direction of the painting. He thought back to that day. "Around, nine years ago, I think… I might've been nine… No, wait… Yes, I think I was eight." The mental math that they did then seemed to take a moment.

"You mean to say that you're seventeen?" Esmeralda's voice was pinched, for some reason. A wellspring of emotions surged up inside her, a cascade of feelings, never seeming to switch towards the positive, a spiral of darkness wrapping around her. "Eighteen in January!" The words were enough to make those icy blue eyes widen, her tongue licking over those lips and an audible swallow sound to be heard.

He thought he could hear her say – 'Well, it's not like it could get much worse…' – though he didn't know why it would be getting much worse. "I see…" The woman said, her face looking cool for a moment before a warm smile blossomed. Those eyes of hers seemed to contain a fire, as her perfect teeth shone faintly in the light that fell in through one of the windows.

"Jaune?" The door opened, Ashley's head poking out… and he knew that it was Ashley, because she still had her hair done up in the same style that he'd seen her. "Do you think you could get us a few bathrobes?"

' _I bet they've not done the laundry for a while…'_ His sisters were a little lazy like that, preferring to work hard on their inventive solutions to create Grimm murder, even as he ducked into what was informally dubbed as 'the laundry room', coming across the perfectly laid out towels and opening up the wardrobe to see the bathrobes hang there. The initials of the members of the family were all embroidered upon their bathrobes, his own still hung amongst them. It was a step in the right direction, after all…

He pulled Ashley and Bianca's out, walking over to the bathroom again and then holding them out through the opened door, feeling them snatched from his grip a moment later and a refreshed-looking Ashley and Bianca appeared out of the door opening a moment later. "So… Refreshed and fucking amazing, the Assley and Bitchanka combo has arrived!"

If they hadn't struck a 'heroic' pose the moment that they'd emerged, they'd have looked a tad more respectable, the twins looking at him with a glint in their eyes, as they appeared at his side as if by magic. Ashley seemed slower than before though, his eyes catching an actual limp to her manner of moving. _'Did she get hurt or something?'_

"So… big bro… or well, little bro who's taller than us…" Ashley said, as she took a firm hold on his arm. "Who are these women, hmmm? Your little harem? Have you been making kittens with the fuzzy Faunus women?" The insinuation brought to mind a whole new batch of memories, a whole new tale of the woman who had once been the Grand Witch of a Kingdom.

" _They will always listen to us, darling…" The voice was nothing but a soft whimper, as the hands kneaded her flesh with an expert manner, her fingers twisting in his hair. "Nothing but the best for their Grand Wizard…" The heated exhale as the fingers clawed inside her, her body heating up as she burned with the craving. "Our baby…" The swollen belly, the result of their coupling and the rumours at court, none of them guessing who the father was. Her eyes looking at him as he smiled. "We can make more… Remember… It is everything." The allure was enough for her to say 'yes', even as she laid on her back again. "We can make yet another, indeed… My darling." The man laughed. "What is one small life in the grand scheme of thing? They do not hold the power that we do…" His face looked at her, his hair a pale shade, as his eyes met hers. "Remember… Immortality…"_

"N-no… Nothing like that." He said, even as he remembered… "I… I'm going to the crypt." He said, his eyes hurrying, as he realized. _'What if it is true?'_ The knowledge of the Grand Wizard was something that had been hidden, something that was only whispered, of incarnation and separation.

"Jaune!" He heard Bianca call out to him, as he hurried towards the back of the house, the door opening automatically when he came into view. He felt his companions already falling in line, Bianca and Ashley following after, slower. The path that led towards the mountain in which the family tomb had been built, where the Arcs of the previous years had been laid to rest… where he could only find the answers that he had once sought. _'You're STUPID, Jaune Arc! You should have noticed when you first took Crocea Mors from its grip…'_

His feet were now carrying him into a run towards the tomb, hearing the sound of Kali's muffled footfalls behind him, with her manner of walking silent, like one of those ninjas that he'd only heard faint comments about from Heather, who apparently enjoyed the type of fiction that featured them.

His hand slapped the bio-scanner, the pulse of light hitting his hand and the seals slowly opening, allowing him entrance to the crypt where the Arcs were kept… Where the public façade of the Arc family was gone.

He stepped into the darkness, knowing that it was profane to come here once again, the previous time had been as a thief, ready to steal the heirloom to become a hero. His eyes caught sight of the statue that stood there, and he walked up to it, the familiar features already imprinted on his mind.

 _ **Ozymandias d'Arc-Night**_

The name of his great-grandfather… He'd barely read the plaque when he'd came here before, the noble features of the man had struck him as particularly familiar, the hopes of a day which had once been a fantasy, to have his own statue erected next to the man's own…

" **No…"** His voice warped once more, as he looked at his hand, the hand that was still his own, no veins distended with the _Vitae Tenebris_ visible, even as he could see the burning gaze in those eyes. A moment when those eyes had been filled with the wisdom of years, when the foundations of the family had been laid…

" **No!"** The Grimm formed without his intention, filling the shadowed nooks of the crypt, rising with their misshapen animalistic features, as he conjured them up in his misfortune, as his face showed his consternation and grief.

"Who…" He could hear Esmeralda's voice, as she spoke. "Is that…"

He did not answer, even as he heard the gasp from his sisters. They had caught up. "That looks like…" He heard Sienna speak, yet he felt deaf to the world.

The man who had been the Warrior King of Vale, the man who had been told of in stories as the wise king who had been the man to bring peace and stability to the world…

 **Ozymandias Pinnacle, the Grand Wizard of Arcadia**

His world felt like it was collapsing into shards of pain and terror, as the Grimm rose ever more, in tandem with his rising emotions. Humanoid shapes, shaped like the emaciated bodies, their gaunt forms weak and frail, yet possessing the withering energies to induce apathy within them, other Grimm that had been built like mere humans, yet with preternatural grace, their bodies a mix-breed between ape and human and something akin to a lizard, features distended with brutal cunning.

" **Was I just…"** He did not dare to finish that sentence, as he looked at the face of the man who had been the instigator of this ancient feud, who had been the man who had damned his lover and child to their death for the simple thirst for power.

"JAUNE?!" Ashley's voice sounded terrified, and he looked at her. She was shivering, her eyes pale and her sister's hand held in her own, a sign that things were not good. _'They've not done that before.'_ He felt the daze be shaken off, as he looked at the Grimm that he had summoned, the anger surging inside him once more and as one blur of shadows happened, he pulled them all into his own body once more.

" **Ozpin…"** His voice warped, as he turned to the statue of the man who had wreaked havoc upon the world, for the simple thirst for power. A man who controlled the world from the shadows, who would sacrifice anything to keep the cycle going… Whose body changed once every forty years or so, until a suitable successor could be groomed. A body that held no Aura, for the Grand Wizard's to push out that little divide between His soul and Jaune's own.

"Jaune, what…" Ashley's voice sounded pleading, and he motioned for them to come closer. **"Do you believe in fairytales, Ashley?"** He asked, as he looked at the man heroically holding Crocea Mors, the features holding that faint air of heroism.

"I don't…" He heard Ashley say, even as her sister shushed her. "Let him speak… Whatever Jaune's going to say is important." He felt torn inside, as he did not wish them to feel like they should fear him. He could feel the fear inside them swell, and he knew that they were without their weapons now, whilst his companions still held theirs.

' _Not a good situation, for them.'_ He knew the difference and so, it would be different. **"Once upon a time, there was a wizard of a kingdom far, far away…"** The tale was not one that he'd ever spoken aloud, even as legend had turned into myth, and myth had turned into mere dust.

" **He was a good man, one who cared for his people. The Grimm were a problem still, yet the lands were fertile and the people could fight against the Darkness. There was an academy for magic, even…"** He paused, to give it gravitas, to let the tension build up. **"One day, a young maiden caught his eye. Skilled in the arts of magic, in the way to beguile the people that her way was the right one… powerful. A Grand Witch to his Grand Wizard."**

He felt Esmeralda take his arm, as he motioned for them to join him. Kali fit under his arm, as he pulled Ashley and Bianca closer. They did not resist, nor did they seem to be so distraught anymore, as they looked at the statue. **"They sought to weave a grand anthem of magic, a spell in order to banish the Grimm from this world. Four relics, imbued with the powers of the gods themselves, brought together in order to grant one wish…"**

He felt Ashley shudder, even as she spoke aloud. "He didn't grant that wish, did he?" Jaune knew the tale, even as the events that led up to it were private enough to keep to himself. She was after all the one who had a stake in her own memories.

" **He chose immortality… promising his own lover the same boon, yet the Gods found his sacrifice wanting. And thus…"** He summoned the Relic before him, as the air filled with colours, showing the pale features of the Grand Wizard. A shocked gasp came from Bianca's mouth, as she seemed to recognize the man at a glance. **"He went further than what any person had any right to do, beyond even the palest shadow of decency…"** Another face appeared, tanned this time, weary, the same eyes staring back at them.

Pulling them up from memories of Her, without any alteration. A father, dotingly gazing at his daughters, a man whose upper-class status went with a bristling moustache, an old man who drank his sorrows away… they all held those same eyes. **"A new body, every half an age. Fresh. Young. Unspoiled by the power of their soul…"**

"Oh no…" Ashley's voice sounded like she understood, her eyes broad and wide. "No… Dad couldn't have…" She muttered, her own conclusions similar to his own, now that she knew this. He knew it very well…

" **A sacrifice… To reap the seed that has been sown."** The words were enough to make Ashley break down, the crying loud in the silent crypt. Tears leaked down her cheeks as she realized what he was hinting at. "What's wrong? Ashley? Why… What is wrong with you? It's a wizard who transfers his body to some young person every time… I don't see…"

"Do you remember the song that dad sang to us when we were little?" Ashley said, in-between sobs. Her sister's body stiffened. "Those three lines were a song?" She said, surprise in her voice.

"Take with you the lives of those you need. Sow your death then reap its seed. You can't have their life, because they are not your sacrifice." The way that Ashley sang it, brought back the tune from his memory. His dad had been humming it whenever he returned from a mission.

"… Dad… Dad knew?" Bianca's voice was panicky, as she looked at her sister. Jaune could hear her breathe frantically, as if she was getting close to a panic attack, the burden on her shoulders seemingly growing heavier by the second. "Oh…"

"No, I don't think dad knew… But ever since Heather and Rowe were trained… I wouldn't think that he'd go against the orders…" The doubt was in her voice now, as her eyes looked fragile. "He's a by-the-book guy…"

"But… Aren't we supposed to be Slayers?" Bianca muttered, the name striking a chord in his mind, a familiar face drifting from the dregs of memory. "Fighters of Grimm and evil baddies… Not…" She shuddered, looking at him, as her gaze went back to the statue. "Jaune, I'm sorry, but… What you're saying is fantastical…"

She couldn't finish her sentence, as he felt the irritation well up inside him. _'Don't they believe what is right in front of their eyes?'_ It was so easy to him, it made so much sense. **"And why is it too fantastical?"** He said, voice bitter, a Beowolf materializing in front of him, bulging muscles and fur moving in a sinuous pattern, his attention on the statue still, even as the creature lowered its head.

" **The Grimm… I can control them."** The words weren't easy to speak, yet he knew that they were family. They would do nothing to harm him. **"It is so easy to pull them into the formations that I want, without Her control messing things up…"** The creature crooned faintly as his finger brushed under its skull, the shuddering of the internal plates inside of it clinging to the mass of darkness within. The small strand of _Vitae Tenebris_ inside the creature's body thrummed to the beat of his finger's hook, pulled loose after a moment and the shudder continuing forevermore.

" **I could damn the world, if I so wanted."** It was a stark realization, as he looked at the Grimm, banishing it from the material world, a hazy smoke coming from the space where it had been, the _Vitae Tenebris-_ made arm throbbing in minor ache. **"And then…"**

The words that the Grand Wizard had spoken came to him. He knew them well, as he held within him the power of the darkness. **"I shall look upon the mighty ones and make them sink into despair, as the world that they have crafted sinks into the ashes of our kind."** The actual words had been 'Look upon my works, my mighty king, and despair! None who shall have existed shall be left to care!', yet that had been lost to time.

"Whatever you choose to do… We're here for you." Kali's voice was supportive, even as he looked at his sisters, his eyes the shade of crimson that She wore. **"It is so easy to just… let go. I can feel them, Bianca… Their feral impulse to kill, Her will guiding their every step."** He could see the fear in her eyes, the fear of something that was not like him. The darkness inside him told him to consume her, to ensure that she would forever be silenced, yet he found that he had no such desire.

" **But I will be a hero. I'll make all of you proud of me. I won't turn into… Him."** His fingers pointed to the statue, standing there still. The breath that his older sisters released at the same time was one of relief, as their eyes met with his own. They were always the ones that held more of an intellectual pursuit, Ashley most of all. **"You know…"**

He was cut off by Esmeralda. "He's been an exemplary young man. Anyone else would have used the powers for ill..."Her voice seemed huskier than before, as she walked over to him, the tap of her heels on the stone floor of the tomb loud. "Would have ensured the death of his companions…" Her hand traced over his arm, going up to his shoulder. "Would have been a brute… He could have, you know." Her head turned, her body close to his own.

"Jaune isn't that type of guy..." Bianca said, Ashley jabbing her sister in the side. "Oww! Heather took him out on a trip once to get him respectful of women. He knows where he's supposed to go and touch." Jaune winced. He remembered that trip.

Heather had taken him out to a spot near the furthest end of the orchard belonging to Mr Hendrick, put him against a tree and then told him in no uncertain terms that there were certain parts of a woman to be respected. The look in her eyes was as fierce as a demon could look, her eyes glinting in the manner of someone on the fringe of an angry outburst. "Jaune, you will treat a girl… No, anyone who's got a set of tits and a pussy, with some fucking respect."

The sharp blade that found its way next to his face was deadly-looking, something that Heather wouldn't regularly use. "If I ever hear you made someone… No, Ashley's been the one to explain things to you, so I won't…"

Heather had seemed distracted for a moment, her blue eyes closing, before they fixated on him once more. "If I ever hear a whisper of you raping a girl… Anyone, even an animal… I will make sure that you'll become the eighth Arc sister." The threat was clear, as Heather's blade pushed closer to his neck, the threat there and visible. "I know you're thirteen, that you've got the skills of a dumb blunt idiot who wouldn't know how to talk to a girl if she just popped her tits out and went 'take me!', but by the Gods… If I ever hear someone mention that you've laid your hands on a girl…" The blade disappeared from the tree, Heather's hand tucking it back into the sheath.

"N-no." The answer was the obvious one, and Heather looked him in the eyes. "Dad would probably beat you up… But listen to me, Jaune D'Arc-Night… I will hunt you down. I will track you down and make you WISH that you'd been a proper boy. If you love her and she loves you back, it's okay. Bust a nut inside those women and let them look at you like you're King Big Dick on Penis Mountain…"

The blade hit the other side of his face, her face so close to him that he could see the small scars on her ear, one of them nearly piercing the lobe. "But… Go the wrong way…" She kneed him in the groin, HARD. The pain was enough to bring him to tears, yet she held him up. "And I will be calling you Joan, Jaune. You're the only boy in this family. Ashley would sit you down and tell you how she was going to ruin your life in the social sphere. Bianca would toss your skinny ass out on the practice yard and then use you to test live ammunition."

The look of anger in her eyes was fierce, even as she looked at him with a look that seemed to be hard. "Even… Hell…" She seemed to pause for a further moment, gritting her teeth. "Even me. It isn't a pleasant feeling, Jaune. Don't fucking MAKE us do this to you. You're… you're a good kid." She smiled, watery eyes looking at him, as a tear trickled from her eye. "Creamy would just lock you in a shed and feed you dead rats. We're the oldest…"

He hadn't been able to speak, as Heather'd gazed into his eyes. "It hurts, Jaune. Sex hurts, if it's not with someone you love. Someone that you're…" Something snapped in those eyes and she let him go. "Run." She said with a growl, as he could see flames licking along her arms, her expression showing enough. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, a scream of frustration and anger following behind him, a flare of heat battering against his back.

Heather caught up with him before he'd left the orchard, the sizzling strips of cloth on her upper arms now burned, her eyes still holding anger. "Don't fucking touch a girl if she says no, Jaune. Be glad it's just me telling you the facts." The look in her eyes slowly faded, as her lips settled into what was a neutral expression, half-torn between a smile and something different.

"Come, we'll go into the settlement, get you some ice-cream… I just…" She paused, looking at him with an expression that was hard to trace, shaking her head. "Don't tell mom about what we talked about, right? She'd get all up my ass about it." He didn't often hear his older sister speak about his mother, yet her hand ruffled his hair.

"Heath… I'm not going to tattle on you. I'll respect the girl that I love. I'd never do something against a woman, that just isn't gentlemanly! Women deserve to be wooed and seduced with the skills of a man!" She gave him a dubious look.

"With those singing skills? Whoever taught you how to play the guitar should be shot." She said, his memory of the event ending, as he knew now that his sisters DID talk about what they did teach him. _'No wonder that Ashley and Bianca looked like they'd missed something important. I asked them what, but they just… didn't tell me.'_

He looked at Esmeralda, who had still her arm on his shoulder. "Now… We've learned that there is an ancient wizard somehow connected to the family. What are we going to do?" She said, her voice directing the conversation further from the topic of his own lack of womanly attraction skills.

" **I think that we should rest up for a bit, get our bearings, then go to Vale."** He knew the Relic of Choice was there, the Relic of Knowledge whispering things in his ears softly, nobody else able to hear the words…

The staff enlarged without a word from him, his will telling it to grow, and the glow of the Relic immediately spread from the lamp's part. "That's…a staff?"

"Jaune's fun-rod." Kali said, before anyone else could say something. "It's what he uses to spit fire at the Grimm." The unamused look that he gave her was enough to make her wink back at him.

"Does it… have an energy core?" Ashley leaned forward, supported by Bianca. Her eyes were glowing with the radiance of the Relic, the whispers reaching his mind, speaking of the knowledge that was there to take a hold of. **"Something of the sort."** He tuned the whispers out, as he showed them an image of the Grand Witch, her skin as pale as the moon, her eyes looking at them with a baleful expression. **"This is the Grand Witch… Also known as the Mother of the Grimm."**

He could hear Ashley and Bianca's gasp, even as the others merely watched the image. **"The feud between Ozpin and Her goes on for over three thousand years. A cycle of rebirths, for the Grand Wizard…"** He paused then, as he looked at his sisters. **"And one which is akin to immortality for her."** The technicalities of the curse were limiting factors, so it was like this.

He saw the expression on Ashley's face, one of pensive thought, as she theorized about how that could be. "Is she… limited to a certain time of day for her activity? Bound to a spot?" She inquired, to which he shook his head. **"Mostly… Not bound to a spot, yet her day compasses only five to six hours of not controlling the Grimm. It is like… a loudspeaker being turned on in your head and hearing her snarl her commands."**

Her voice actually was more sensual than that, yet he thought it a bad thing to mention to a primarily female audience. "Interesting. Jaune…" Her eyes met his. "I will need a blood sample." She said, looking at Bianca. "Bee, help me to the lab. I must start tests!" The audible groan of someone's stomach was heard then, as Ashley blushed. "After dinner. Lunch… Whatever."

He shook his head lightly at his older sisters' antics, as he stepped away from the statue. The _Vitae Tenebris_ retreated from his body's outward appearance, leaving him with only a streak of white hair and one eye that had been turned to be alike to Hers. _'I should be happy that I can shift back.'_

"Yes, I do imagine that some food would be pleasant to have." Esmeralda added, his head turning to look at her, a smile on her lips, as she seemed to loosen her hair. "A shower afterwards, perhaps a bath…" Her eyes snapped to him. "You will bathe, Jaune."

Esmeralda was a little like his mother. Strict when she needed to be with the men in her life, yet always willing to offer advice when it was needed. "Sure thing, Mistress Gele!" He saluted, the look on her face turning warmer. "Ah…" He said, as he realized that Ashley and Bianca were still dressed only in a bathrobe. "We should get back inside the house."

Twenty minutes later and a swift nip by the Twins' room, the two were located in the kitchen, seated at their seats on the family table. He sat in his own personal chair whilst his oldest sister's chair was occupied by Sienna, who had managed to make herself comfortable with a pillow. Her stature was slighter than his own, after all. Esmeralda had sat down in the seat reserved for his mother, the average day-to-day seats of the family claimed, even as the sandwiches were in the process of being devoured by the hungry sisters, their eyes on him.

"What's for dinner?" Ashley asked, her attention shifting to him, her eyes full of curiosity. _'She's thinking about dinner already…'_ He wasn't going to complain. Some home-cooked food might be something that'd put them in a good mood. _'They weren't much for cooking, I know…'_

"I'm thinking… Dad-style." He could see Ashley groan, as the other three women gave him a quizzical look. "Some rice with veggies with a few bits of beef through it and something called 'Coo-rhee' or something that dad picked up."

Kali's eyebrows shot up. "Oh! Curry! You're making Menagerie-style Rice!" The woman perked up, broadly smiling at the prospect. "You HAVE to let me make that! I know how to make it just in the style that your dad likes!" The twins shared a look, Ashley the first to speak. "So… We're getting that type of food, eh?"

"Don't worry, kittens! I know just the way to make it taste like your dad's loved it!" Kali spoke with high promise, zooming off in the direction of the kitchen. _'She really likes to cook, doesn't she?'_

"She's always been willing to cook good food for her guests." Sienna added, by way of explaining. "My name is Sienna Khan, by the way, we've not been introduced yet." Ashley was polite in shaking the Faunus' hand, though he could detect a hint of mistrust within her body.

"You're both supposed to be dead, by the way. The news ran an article about you… say, two months ago." The statement of fact was something that he'd not really considered much, even as the woman seemed to have more or less decided his fate already.

The only thing he could do was to wait and see what Kali would bring to the table.

* * *

 _Cooking is for Cats (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

Her eyes looked at the inventory of food that laid before her, the list pinned to one of the fridges, listing clearly which ingredients were stored where. Her eyes were picking out the ingredients that she needed, taking careful stock of which was stored where and checking the drawers out whilst plucking the items needed from their places. _'With a bit more…'_

It was so exciting to be able to cook again for people. With the house in Menagerie, they always had servants to do it for them… Now, there wasn't any denying that they were good cooks, but fish and rice grew stale after a while! _'A bit more sauce added should…'_

She liked to cook, personally. Nothing was as great as a home-cooked meal for those that you loved. The face of Jaune popped into her mind, before White and Sienna's popped into her mind. "Go and start the fire." She told the shadow that formed near the stove, starting on the preparation of the vegetables, chopping with fine cuts the onions and the other vegetables up. A pot was put on the hob, the Fire dust heating it up, even as her shadowy clone poured in some water. The joy in this was enough for her to enjoy, as the faint smile on her face told.

"Do you need any help?" Bianca asked from the entrance to the kitchen, the shadow of her Semblance not even turning around. "I'll be alright, dear. You go and relax." She knew that the girl was burdened by the fear of Jaune, that he might not be what he was. Fear came so easy to her that it was no big deal for her to pry into those fears.

"I want to help…" Bianca said, and she'd found the lie in that statement. _'They don't trust Faunus… But they will put up with them for the sake of Jaune.'_ The news was not surprising to her in the slightest, as she put the vegetables in the water in the drain, washing them once before plucking them out with a sieve.

"Oh, there's no need. I wouldn't dare do a thing to you." The nail was hit on the head, as Bianca looked at her. The weapon that she had fetched from where it had lain had been in easy reach, yet the girl seemed to be so stubbornly clinging to that tone of 'I want to make sure that the house is okay' that it was a little silly.

' _Sienna is right in her paranoia sometimes, but this girl… It isn't the time for talking about business. Food time is for food, business time is for… later.'_ "You could help me by cutting the beef up into neat little cubes whilst I start working on the sauce." She offered, the young woman immediately leaping to the task, the beef smacked against the wooden cutting board as the knife appeared in the Huntress' hands, the rhythmic chopping starting immediately.

"Your father… is he well?" She asked, the rhythmic chopping ceasing immediately. "Why do you ask?" The suspicious tone came to the woman's voice, as Kali was aware of the sudden interest, her hand continuing to stir the mixture of herbs and the proper amount of oil into the sauce that'd be sprinkled lightly over the rice once it was done. Already, the pot was filled with rice by her shadowy copy, as she turned around.

"Because I know Jaune would want to know if his father is well." The girl's eyes were defiant and narrowed, yet there was no weapon being aimed at her yet. She knew that she was on the right track, even if she were not being straight with the girl about her inquiries.

"Imprisoned on false charges, according to one of his acquaintances." The answer came and she nodded, her head bobbing once. "That makes sense… it is normal to imprison those in power or those who could hold power." The thought had been raised in her mind as well, yet her body was ready to fight against any who would dare do such a thing to her.

"You and your teammates… What are your feelings for my little brother?" Bianca asked, her voice sounding like it was as sharp as the knife that she held, Kali's eyes immediately picking out the fact that the knife was located right at the level of her kidneys, a place where it was very annoying to get stabbed at… or so she'd been told. The Huntress wished to protect her brother, an endearing thought, under most circumstances. _'I would do anything for my Blake…'_

"He is our leader in name and spirit." She was not going to lay her feelings bare, even as she stirred a little harder. "A kind young man who deserves better than to be cursed with those powers." The knife went away again, as Bianca affirmed that to be the truth, it seemed. "No… feelings?"

Kali gave a faint smile as she heard the question. "I used to be married…It's not like I am going to cross to another man in two months…" _'But I would ride him like a wild stallion during a Vacuan Rodeo if I could…'_

"Plus, I promised White that she'd have first dibs." The words probably weren't the best to have been said at this moment, as the Huntress turned to look at her. "Don't stop chopping the meat. If it gets laid out too long, it'll shrivel a bit. It's not as tasty if it's like that." She urged the young woman to continue, even as her copy pulled the rice off the fire, placing the pot on the stove and applying butter to it. _'Just a bit of pre-grilling…'_

As the meat went in, she looked at the results. _'Hmm, needs… five minutes.'_ She wasn't the greatest at time-keeping, yet she knew well that there would be a need for time being kept, lest the food burned. "And your fellow Fr- ahem, Faunus?"

The word Faunus seemed to be hard to get out of her, Kali wondering briefly whether it was just the Valean attitude towards the Faunus or something more. _'Then again, there might be something about the nobility that I don't know.'_

She was not a noble. She knew nothing about nobility or the rites of the nobility. She was but a Faunus woman, uneducated in her youth. She knew more than then now, yet she still had gaps in her education at times. "She's… tricky. Used to be this anti-human Faunus Supremacist… but has mellowed out a little." She smiled slightly. _'Making a friend was just what she needed to push the distrust and paranoia away.'_

"Could you get me some of the mitts? I'm going to drain the rice." She received a set of mittens, her hands picking the pot up and using the cover to drain the water from the rice, the salt shaker dispensing some more salt over the rice, adding a small dash of pepper before letting the pot sit. _'That should rest for a bit…'_

As the smell of the sauce hit her nose, she smiled softly. _'Things are just going according to plan…_ 'She wasn't going to let her hopes for the future be dashed in a swift manner if she could help it. _'So…'_ She looked at the pot and then started to stir the sauce, humming a soft tune.

"And… your friend? White?" There was an urgent tone to Bianca's voice, as she inquired, sounding nervous, for some reason. "What are her feelings for my brother?"

"Oh… She's pretty into him." She leaned to the girl, her voice lowered, as if she were to tell some great and important secret. "But she's a really nice woman. You should observe her during dinner. Can't keep her eyes off him." The look on the girl's face looked firmed up.

"Isn't she a little… old for him?" She said, her voice sounding hostile now. _'Alas, the age thing.'_ The Arc sister looked pensive and a little irritated, her head turning to the direction of the living room, a laugh coming from that direction, Jaune's laugh.

"I'm older." She guessed that much, at least. Birth dates weren't really a thing with the Faunus, although the general age did happen to be guessed easily. When you lived outside of the Mistralian service systems for a while, you tended to just go with what felt good.

"Oh." The answer came, as the sister of the one who guarded her for the trip seemed to be taken aback slightly, the blonde's hand tracing through her hair. "Still…" She looked to struggle for a moment, Kali's head tilting slightly. "We love him."

' _I know you do.'_ She thought, as she went to get the pan ready off the fire. _'Do they have…'_ Her eyes went for the spice cabinet and she pulled one of the small spice shakers out, adding a generous dash to the sauce. _'That ought to do the trick instead of coconut shavings… A good creation as always, Kali!'_

"Let's get them their dinner." She said, smiling at the young woman, whose lips showed a smile. As she carried one of the pans into the living room, she looked at the table that'd been set already, the pan sat down on the table and the lid removed, the smell of good Curry invading her nostrils. _'Ahh, Sienna looks happy.'_

It had been one of her favourite dishes. They would eat it when they were all together again, with Sienna's job with the White Fang taking up a great deal of her time, such a thing rarely occurring. Jaune was currently talking animatedly with his sister, his hands spread apart. "with such a size. It was massive!"

He sounded like he was his age once more, instead of an older, matured man. One who she would gladly serve in the manner of a servant from the ancient tales. An image of herself, dressed within the ancestral garb, bowing low before her master, her fingers undoing his robe and the smell of his body, perfumed by another slave's hands earlier, touching upon her nostrils. "Kali?"

She shook out of her daze, smiling brilliantly at him. "Ah, yes. I should get the lemon slices." The lemon slices added just that hint of sourness to the mix, something that would really get the blood pumping when it was needed. _'A good cook knows how to ensure the health of her friends.'_

She was sure that things were going to be alright. Why, White was practically glowing already, her eyes looking right at Jaune like he was some sort of scrumptious meal!

* * *

 _Between love and desire (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As his stomach was full and the pleasant after-dinner malaise had worn off, he glanced at his sisters. Ashley's emotions were like a placid lake, laced with that faint hint of pain, as her eyes looked down at the plate, clearly lost in her thoughts. _'She wanted to have some of my blood, right?'_

In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten about the request, knowing that his sister would ask him again, never mind the time. When her mind was back on track and her curiosity peaked, it would be her knocking down his door and looking at him like a good lab subject.

The tickle-inator was something that he'd never forget, the device much like a straightjacket, supposed to tickle you for a while… and it had been successful. "Ashley?" He spoke her name cautiously, aware that he couldn't call her 'Big sis', as her sister was there as well.

"You wanted to have some of my blood?" He inquired, the look in her eyes focusing at him, cold and distant, as she got sometimes. Cremea and dad were just the same, cool and indifferent when they were in 'the zone' as they called it. "Ah, yes." A syringe appeared on the table, apparently carried somewhere. "I'll need arterial blood." She said, her voice soft.

The needle was in his neck before he really knew whether it would hurt, forcing the _Vitae Tenebris_ away from his blood. The cloying darkness that hung around him was now gone, forced away as the red blood filled the syringe, the syringe handed over to her, as she pulled out a small tube and emptied the syringe in it, her eyes looking at the blood as she swished the vial back and forth.

"Nice redness, seemingly full on haemoglobin and blood plasma…" She mumbled aloud, his own faintly recalled lessons in the biological makeup of people enough, even as she smiled at him, the smile a little warmer. "We should head to the lab." She said, as she looked at her twin. Bianca's poise shifted slightly, as she got up immediately, helping her sister to her feet. _'Was she always that weak?'_ He hoped that it wasn't something serious.

The whispers of the Relic continued to inquire whether he wished to know something, whether there was knowledge that he sought. He knew that he could use it to obtain the knowledge of the world without a fault, yet he was still wary of the thought of the knowledge that could scar his mind.

Things that were not meant to be heard by mortals were contained within the Relic, knowledge that could turn over the whole world… and it was all present. The temptation to give in was strong, even as he felt the darkness inside him throb.

"I will be taking a shower." Esmeralda announced as she got up from her seat. Since the two daughters of the house had already decided to vacate the place, he gathered up the dishes and the pots and pans and started to head towards the kitchen.

"I have to ask your sisters something." Sienna got up, her face looking more oppressed than before, as if something weighed heavily on her mind. _'I hope she doesn't have anything wrong with her body, ever since she engaged Ashley in combat… Her suit looks fierce.'_

As he did the dishes, Kali stood next to him with a dishtowel, ready to care for the dishes that had been spent, her fingers deftly working over the plates, cleaning them up and putting them in the cupboards where they belonged. It was teamwork that went on in silence, even as he could hear the faint scrubbing sound. "You should take a shower and get yourself dressed for bed." The woman suggested, her voice oddly insistent. _'She's just concerned for me, right?'_

He knew that Esmeralda was taking a shower on the second bathroom on the ground floor, so he was going to get himself cleaned up in the upper floor one, making sure that he was all squeaky-clean when he did. _'Finally, I can wear the onesie again! It's so comfy!'_

He smiled at Kali, who winked at him. "I've got a sensitive nose! Take a shower, boy!" She whipped at him with the towel, a cracking sound coming from the towel as it snapped once. "Hehehe." She laughed, and he felt the warmth inside his heart swell a little more. _'Still a playful woman, who cares a lot for the mood of those around her.'_

He walked into the shower nearly five minutes later, bare-naked as it was. He turned on the knob, hot water washing over his skin, the wounds on his back aching slightly, as he turned towards the shampoo. _'Rowe's shampoo is on the top, Heather's is… ah, there… And the twins usually share their shampoo, Cremea's is too floral… Now, did they throw mine out yet?'_ It was logical that they would have, yet he did not mind in the slightest the thought of using his oldest sister's shampoo. _'She always likes the same stuff as I do, although I really think that she ought to…'_ His shampoo bottle was still a quarter full. _'Didn't I get a new bottle before I left? Someone's been using my shampoo… Must've been Azure, thinking it was hers.'_

As he rubbed the shampoo in his hair, he thought back to the earlier days, of when he had still had the hopes of becoming a Huntsman. _'It'll be hard…'_ The curse of being a Grimm creator was something that he could not deny. If someone were to find out about his powers, he would be hunted. _'They shun the thing they do not understand…'_

He stepped out of the shower, getting a fluffy towel and then turning himself around, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The pale skin, veins still showing, as well as the muscles that started to form, a clear definition already forming, as he flexed the real and the _Vitae Tenebris_ -forged one, the veins on the latter standing out excessively against the backdrop of his flesh, his eyes looking at his own face's reflection, even as he found the hope welling up inside him once more. _'I can be a hero… A Huntsman.'_

He smiled faintly, his reflection doing the same, even as the arm made from the black ichor slowly flowed back into his body, leaving the stump where his arm had been torn off. _'It is more of a boon than I think. It feels just like my real arm… and it moves like it as well.'_

It was stronger than his real arm, though. The muscles were not limited in that respect, the pain enough to halt certain moves with his arm that had still been attached to his body, his eyes looking at his body. "Looking good there, Huntsman." He did some finger-guns, looking at the cheesy smile he had on his face in his reflection.

' _Now, to see…'_ He wrapped a towel around his waist, as he walked into the hallway, strolling past his sisters' room until he reached his own room. He pushed the door open, smelling the same smell of his own deodorant hanging in the room. _'Still smells like it used to.'_ Going into his closet, he pulled out one of the onesies, slipping into a fresh set of underwear before he did so. _'Ahh, so comfortable._ ' It was just perfect for him, after all.

He had forgotten for a brief moment that he was not alone in his home, as he heard someone clearing her throat. "So this is your room." Sienna's eyes looked at the décor, taking care to not cast judgment on it. He could sense that she wanted to say something, yet her manner seemed to be a little off. "Jaune, I've…" She paused, looking at him for a moment, then looking at the pictures that stood on his nightstand.

She hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. "You look ridiculous in that." She said, her head turning to him again. "So, these are the rooms of your sisters, right?" He nodded.

"Mom and dad are right down the hall. They've got the biggest room of all." He said, as that made perfect sense. "There's me, Heather and Rowe on this side, the twins in one room, Azure, Cremea and Saffron on the opposite. I could give you a tour, if you'd like… I mean, not like they actually SLEEP much in their rooms. It's more like… a small mini-base that they have." Sienna's polite smile was enough to warn him that the topic was veering off.

"That won't be necessary. I just…" She paused, her expression doubting, as some sort of conflicted emotion warred inside her. "I just wanted to inquire. Before I do things, yes." She seemed to think about her words some more, as if she were trying to decide on whether to ask something.

"The bathroom's at the end of the hall. Kind of necessary, when you've got seven sisters, heh." Sienna looked up, confusion on her face, her expression doubtful. "Ah. This is my room." Sienna's eyes looked around and shrugged.

"It's neat, I suppose. I've not really been in many rooms belonging to men." There was more to be said, he could sense, but she was not giving him an answer, her voice sounding distant, distracted. "I guess… I guess I should let you prepare for bed." There was a faint tone of disapproval in her voice, as he turned to face her, her lips pursed tightly together.

' _Maybe she doesn't like Pumpkin Pete?'_ He watched her leave, shutting the door and leaving him. The bottle of cologne that he'd set on the side table was covered in dust, as it stood there, declaring it to be the 'manliest of manly scents', a quick spritz of it on his chest enough to smell manly!

' _Ready to face the music!'_ He thought, as he walked out of the bedroom. _'I guess we'll be making up the guest rooms for them. They will be happy that we don't have to double up on a bed anymore.'_

As he walked down the stairs, he could hear the door slide open of the bathroom, a flutter of a bathrobe closing as someone stepped out, clearly with a pace to her footfalls. _'Ah, Esmeralda's done with her shower.'_

He caught sight of his older sister walking towards the stairs, Bianca holding her weapon on her shoulder, the massive machinery that fed more rounds into the beast of a weapon looking like it weighed a lot, yet it was effortless for his sister.

A shock of white hair appeared in his view, features that looked like they had been carved from an artisan's work looking at him. He could see a splash of lipstick on well-formed lips, as the woman stood there before him, her hair a very snow-like colour. "Jaune Arc!"

The voice was Esmeralda's, yet the hair… the eyes…

' _She reminds me of Weiss…'_

* * *

 _Bravery (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She was NOT going to be deterred. As the last dredges of colour were faded from her hair, she looked at the lustrous mane of spun snow, her eyes looking for any blemishes as she gazed at herself in the mirror. _'Tits fine, makeup to be done… Maybe a dash of perfume…'_ She wasn't going to ruin this chance, not right now. _'We're safe, secure, his sisters have been convinced that he is who he says he is… I think…'_

She knew that if she spoiled this chance, that there would never be a moment when she would be able to look herself in the eyes. _'No matter what happens, no matter who comes to us…'_ The passion burned in her loins like a fire, the darkness welling up like Dust from a mine, like some foul sludge that seared her very soul with that burning love. _'I won't be a coward! I won't be a weak woman who merely watches and touches her beloved. So what if he is seventeen and should be off-limits?'_

She looked at her hair, down for once, not in the bun that she regularly kept it in. She was aware of the sight, the difference between how her daughter Winter carried it and herself clear. _'I'm going to go for it. If he denies me, sure…'_

She would deal with that as it came, as his eyes would scorn her… but she was not going to be meek or a coward anymore. She was Whitney Esmeralda Schnee, and he was… _'Fuck, I think he might actually be higher in rank than me…'_ That was why she was going to make him an offer that would be hard to refuse.

As she opened the door to the hall, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Only a bathrobe covering her, the initials B.A.A embroidered on it, as she stepped forward, her feet bare on the floor. It wasn't cold, to her great enjoyment, yet she knew that if she wanted to make a statement, she would have to be fast. _'No wonder that Kali said that he'd hardly know his feelings…'_

Her friend was an odd one, yet her words were accurate. For someone who had been entranced with the memories of a woman who had the whole world shivering, it would be hard to see what he had before him, what he had in the grasp of his hand. _'I am not going to abandon him.'_

She saw him descend the stairs, a horrid onesie worn with a bunny rabbit on the front, the colour a light blue, the look on his face surprised, even as she stood at the base. "Jaune Arc!" She called out, her voice in the Imperial Register, the formal tone of nobility.

"I, Lady Whitney Esmeralda Schnee, of the Von Schnee lineage, request your hand in marriage! With the world as my witness, I declare my affectation and my loyalty to your line!" The words were archaic and formal, meant for the man to speak to the one whose hand he would be taking, but she was not going to go back on her own conviction. "Do you accept?" She called, his face going through multiple iterations of shock, confusion and a little hint of fear.

"I… eh…" He paused, as if trying to gauge his own expression and feelings, her heart beating a mile in her chest. _'If he denies me now, I am not sure whether I wish to continue living.'_ She watched as he firmed up, the ridiculous onesie that he wore stretching over his chest. He had grown bulkier in muscle, after he had been with them.

"I, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, of the d'Arc-Night lineage, accept your loyalty! By the power of our bond, as I am thy sovereign, I seal thy name with mine as a compact!" The words were all that she needed, her heart beating ever faster, the ritualistic words of acceptance spoken, as he should do. His eyes looked wild, as he seemed to realize only now that he had answered her in kind, that he had given his permission.

"But… Why me?" He asked, a look on his face that made him look like the teenager that he was, his eyes meeting with her own, as he seemed genuinely questioning her for such a brutish move. _'Fuck, my marriage with Jacques was on the rocks anyway. A quick permission from his mother and we'll be engaged as far as nobility counts… Common-law marriages can be annulled if one takes precedence, a hold-over from the nobility inheritance title act of 25 AV.'_

"Because you are you." She said, taking a step closer to him, her eyes feeling like they were burning. "Every moment I look at you, my pussy feels like it's going to flood my underwear. Every time that you talk to me, it's like Lightning dust blows out every fuse in my body. Jaune Arc…" Her voice was a husky, needy growl, one that she would admit would make her sound like some needy sex-fiend.

"If you're not fucking kissing me before I've managed to get three steps closer to you, I am going to fuck you right here and now." Her voice spoke the threat with an ultimatum, her eyes bloodshot, as her temper snapped. His slack-jawed expression was adorable, though. "Don't just stand there, gaping! Come over here!" She had planned a hundred sentences beforehand, only to let her temper swallow them all, her body commanding her to take him here and now.

Blood inside her mingled with the Darkness, even as the Glyphs filled the air around him, casting him in a near-holy light. She could feel her blood sizzling inside her body as she beheld him, a godly figure, a hero who had saved her. Another step was taken, as his hesitation showed. "Are you a coward, Jaune Arc? Are you a meek man who does not know what to do when a woman offers herself to him, body and soul?!" She challenged him, and she saw a fire light in those eyes, as he seemed to gather his strength, his mouth opening, only to let a soft 'ehh' come out.

"DO YOU EVEN HAVE BALLS?" She lost it, shedding the bathrobe whilst she strode forward and grabbed his groin, feeling them. She was no longer giving a single fuck about how it looked to others, an older woman grabbing a teenager's crotch. A little trickle came out below, as her eyes locked with his. Her smile, even though she could not see it, was manic.

His deep blue and angry red met her own, as her fingers brushed over the groin. "Are you even worthy of me?" She asked, hissing the words. _'I'm acting like Winter during a temper tantrum._ '

She took another breath, only to press her chest against him. "Don't you want to accept me? I'm here, FUCK ME!" She screamed, her voice sounding unpleasant and shrieking, as she looked at his face, fear and something else warring in his eyes, as he seemed taken aback. "Please…"

Her voice was helpless, terrified, fearful and yet without that confidence of before, tears starting to leak out of her eyes. She could feel his arms wrap around her, her head pressing against his chest. The smaller stature that she had was enough to make her feel comforted by his presence, even as her head laid against his chest. "Please… Accept my love?" Her voice croaked, hoarse slightly from the earlier screams.

A slow clapping sound was heard, even as her head turned around. "My… Didn't think that you had it in you, little brother." She could see one of the twins, the one with the big gun, look at her, the look in those eyes more than a little playful. "By all means… Do have a trip on the Arc-carousel!" She smiled, as she made a mocking bow. "Bianca Alba d'Arc-Night, at your service, Lady Schnee." The sarcastic tone of voice was definitely disrespectful to her status, yet Whitney did not give a single fuck anymore, turning to him.

"Take me to your bedroom." She said, her voice husky and needy, as she rubbed herself against him. The wetness leaked a little, even as her eyes met with his own. A flash of a camera was ignored completely, even though Jaune seemed to stiffen slightly in the manner of surprise. _'Everything is alright…'_

She was with her beloved, after all.

He picked her up, a bridal carry, her legs in the air as he raised her up and carried her up the stairs, her lips meeting with his own, a kiss that was passionate yet chaste, with no tongue invading his mouth this time. Contrary to her own expectations, he actually kissed her back, his tongue invading her mouth as he kissed her back, tingles shooting up and down her spine.

' _This is going to be the day I've been waiting for… and the night in which I will feel like I belong to someone.'_

* * *

 _The observant ones (Bianca Alba Arc)_

* * *

She couldn't believe her eyes when she'd seen the impassioned declaration of love from the woman, who had decided to shed the bathrobe that belonged to her, the embroidery of her initials upon it telling her as much, rubbing up against her brother.

The clap was slow, just to pull their attention away from each other, the affections of the older woman enough for her drama sense to explode, her eyes looking at the chemistry between the two of them. _'The formal oath of allegiance to a spouse… She's not kidding around. Those are hard to get, even with the nobility as spread thin as it is.'_

"My… Didn't think you had it in you, little brother." She said, her voice sounding playful, even as she felt sadness inside her. _'He's growing up. Our little Jaune is growing up…'_ The hopes in her heart was enough, as she called out, in typical Bianca-style. "By all means… Do have a trip on the Arc-carousel!"

She bowed, as was formal etiquette. "Bianca Alba d'Arc-Night, at your service, Lady Schnee." She was mocking the formalities slightly, as was her general impression of the stuffy behaviour. Her oldest sisters had been taught the intricacies of etiquette, yet she did not think much of it at all. What was the good of blood if it didn't win you any fights?

As she saw the woman turn around and ignore her completely, saying so bluntly that she wanted to be taken to the bedroom, she was already in the motion of clicking the button to take a picture of this momentous event. A woman asking Jaune to sleep with her, taken by desire. _'Ashley needs to know!'_

She was running already towards their workshop, Jaune's slow tread up the staircase enough for her to get to the workshop before they'd get to the room. Busting open the door, she was met with the startled look of Ashley, who was looking up from a screen, an intricate diagram of the family structure up on the screen. "Switch to Jaune's room with the camera's and hit record!" She called out, sitting herself down on her favourite seat and plucking her special toolbox out from under the table.

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" The screen flickered, showing an image of Jaune's room.

"Do you have audio?" Bianca asked, her eyes twinkling slightly. This was the time that she'd been anticipating! Jaune's first girlfriend that wasn't scared off easily! Of course, that had nothing to do with the fact that they'd all been their protective older sisterly selves, of course.

"Su- Oh god, is she going to…?" Jaune was carrying the woman into his bedroom, Bianca plucking the tool that was appropriate out of the toolbox and the brushing it over her skin, the glow that it made only distracting for a moment. "Fuck, we're recording this." Ashley said, even as Bianca threw her one of the things.

"Hmmhmmm…" Her voice was lazy as she teased, her fingers holding a firm grip. "Ooh, it looks like…" She groaned slightly, as the young man seemed to be speaking, the camera picking the sound up. "Can't you put the sound any louder?" She asked, Ashley shaking her head softly.

"Can't do that. They'd hear that we'd be recording them." Ashley said, her fingers already busy with making motions, her right hand at least busy with some of the careful monitoring. "Did a test of the blood, compared it with the maternal and the paternal sample too, whilst you were off watching Jaune score a chick." The wording that Ashley used made her realize that it was indeed their little brother.

"So… it's really Jaune?" She asked, Ashley nodding once. "All the tests indicate that whilst ninety percent of his genetic blueprint was kept intact, the other ten percent seems to be infused with a high-energy-dense catalyst for increased power, although the scope did not fully unveil the magnitude of the increase." _'She should work on getting her words spoken in the common language and not in science-ese…'_

Bianca grunted in affirmation, tingles sliding through her as she looked at the screen. Already, the onesie was half-off, the woman's fingers tracing over his groin. _'Damn… This stuff is hot.'_ She looked at Ashley, whose hand was busy with cupping her left breast. _'We're getting to into this… Now we're voyeurs…'_

"This is so wrong of us." She said, Ashley snorting lightly. "What? It's true!" She defended herself, Ashley's head shaking slightly.

"We gave up that right when we were training for those missions, Bitch-ka. Do you remember our third-year class on 'personal management in the field'? We stopped being sisters and twins back at that moment.

Bianca thought back with fondness to that moment, when they had been given the assignment to get very close and personal with their partner. Since they usually partnered together, it was not that hard to make the leap towards personal one-on-one happy-making. The first time that she'd tasted her sister had been a little strange, yet with a few toys and inventions to aid them… It was pretty darn alright.

The shadow still hung over their life, though. There were certain things that could not be forgotten about the lessons that they had been taught. _'We were only twenty…'_ They were not precisely lesbians, really. They were more… sisterly, that's about as close an approximation as she'd give it. Like how when she was in a pinch, Ashley would spring in. _'The times we've just had to eat pussy and hope that there wouldn't be any Grimm popping around the corner, going for a little snack…'_

It was one of the third year exercises, basically, to ensure that the Huntsman population was capable of working together and bonding together, of sorts. Advanced field exercises, including a course on how to best stimulate a partner. Happy feelings, even sexual rush and desire, were important in order to not lure the Grimm towards ones own team. _'Jaune would've been banging that hot redhead if he got to his third year… Damn, the cereal girl is going to get her clocks banging, if he so wants it.'_

Polygamy wasn't that strange after all, what with the disproportionate amount of women born on Remnant. For people of a certain status, having multiple wives was more or less the given standard… and the Arc family was strange for having only one matriarch.

"Fuck… I shouldn't be saying this but… damn. She's got a nice rack." Ashley said, Bianca nodding in agreement, as the woman straddled Jaune, her fingers doing a fine job of raking through his hair, her eyes remaining on the pristine pale skin of the woman as her body ground against him, her eyes riveted to the expression on his face. _'He looks… happy. Relieved.'_

Her eyes followed his every move, even as the woman took the lead, or so it seemed, her hands locked with his own as she moved, the woman saying something that was only caught by the camera's low audio setting as a blur. She moved off him and then pulled something off, a condom from the looks of it. _'Smart.'_

It wasn't like they would like to get bogged down by a kid right now. If things were as dire as Jaune had hinted at… She still couldn't believe that he was back. Her little brother, the son that her father had wanted for years… Here with them again.

"Oh look!" The screen showed the mess of white hair moving, a rhythmic motion of the head. "Think you can zoom in a bit?" Ashley snorted, yet tried her best. A close-up of well-cared-for fingers was the result, as they ran over the muscles on his chest, the woman's body moving still, even as the face of their brother filled the screen, sweat on his face.

"He'll want a shower after that… if she lets him." Bianca said, Ashley giving a snort. "Give me the V-400, Bee." The tool of joy was thrown over to her sister, who flicked the switch, pushing it in. "Fuck, we're so giving him this as a present for his nondescript winter holiday festivity. A whole little show of how he lost his virginity."

They were sure that he was still a virgin. A blushing shy boy like him would likely have not seen a pussy other than that of his sisters even with such a pretty girl like Pyrrha Nikos on his team. They had made it their goal to ensure that Jaune was being adequately kept happy and sated, with all the sisterly love that they could give to him… as well as the bullets that would just cautiously miss any floozy who would come up to him with nefarious intentions. _'If that woman had any ill in her mind…_ '

She would commit murder, without a thought about it being moral or just. Her little brother was the boy who had lightened the life of their family up a little, the grim duties of a Slayer enough to dissuade most sisters from entering that typical line of business… but still, there had been Jaune to protect and care for.

"Oh, she's getting on him again." Ashley's warning drew her attention from her memories back to the screen, watching round number 2 being enthusiastically started, looking at their little brother's face, even as he sagged on the sheets as the woman ensured that the coupling was more than successful. "How long did he last for the first time?"

Ashley looked at the other screen, where a slowed down version of the events was playing. "Not too long. Nerves, I think. Men get like that when faced with complete and utter hotness, I heard." The giggle from her sister was no doubt to accompany her interest, sick and twisted as it was.

"I'm relieved." She heard her sister say, as she looked at the woman on the screen pulling herself up, something spoken to him that led to a surprised look on their brother's face. "That it's Jaune, I mean." She said.

Bianca could imagine. Someone bearing the face of their long-lost brother… well, not-so-long-lost brother, but it was the thought that counted, coming to their home and immediately demanding acceptance, bringing with him some mangy mutts and a woman who could be his mother… _'Well, she's at least enthusiastically ensuring her wifely duties…'_ "That's a relief, Ash." She said, watching the screen. "We can zoom in, right?"

"Sure, sure." A bit of zooming in was done and Bianca was treated to a close-up to a well-shaped rear bouncing, the woman's cries of enjoyment loud, even as the shadows seemed to be a little deeper around the pale flesh. _'She's got a nice ass, I'll give her that.'_

Bianca was not too into women aside from her sister. She was a woman who enjoyed the company of others, yes, but not just anyone would be allowed to come so close as to let her shed her clothing. _'If Ashley dies before me…'_ Her mind immediately went to some of the people that she was closest to. Mostly family, though. Six sisters did have their perks. _'You can trust family. That's what dad said…'_

As the woman moved, shadows seemed to slither up her body, darkening tracks along the pale skin, even as the woman's hair seemed to glow, magic-looking glyphs appearing in the air around her. _'Oh, she was a Schnee, right?'_

"Call up the file on the Schnee family, would you?" She inquired with Ashley, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. The shrug that accompanied it was there, and the screen she was facing changed to show the Schnee family.

' _Schnee, Nicholas. Schnee, Willow. Schnee, Whitney. Schnee, Winter. Schnee, Weiss. Schnee, Whitley.'_ The names were there. "Select Whitney." Her sister's look was incredulous, and the screen changed to show a general read-out of the events around Whitney Schnee's disappearance and death, the funeral details outlined. The information that her sister had obtained was through a confirmed source in the military, one of their fellow Huntsmen who had been stationed in Mantle for an extended period of time.

"Woah, she's worth quite a lot, isn't she?" She said out loud, as the supposed wealth of the Schnee family seemed to be listed there as well, with guesses as to the economics behind it. _'Looks like the husband only stands to inherit her shares in the company when she's confirmed to be dead for… a year? Wouldn't put it past the man to arrange the attack if he could…'_

"I guess our little baby brother is exploding his drill in her dust mine, Assley." She said, Ashley's eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Yes, that woman is THAT Whitney Schnee." A savage grin came to her eyes as she looked at the title that had been bestowed upon the father of Whitney Schnee.

"That would mean…" The files flew on the screen, her sister's motions below not hampering her data search. Her eyes watched the screen carefully, as her eyes locked with the statistic on the screen. **Belladonna, Kali. Khan, Sienna.** Those two files were up on the screen, the face of the Tiger faunus looking back at them, the picture taken from the official White Fang site. _'Fuck me…'_

A glance back at the other screen showed that the two had decided to... cease their lovemaking. Bianca would have to admit that the woman did look pretty good for some forty-year-old woman. _'Even mom doesn't have that perkiness... But then again, she is nearly twelve years older.'_ Her gaze went down to her own breasts for a moment, shrugging. "So... Jaune is travelling with celebrities." She said.

"More like 'Fucking the rich and famous'. Sienna Khan alone is worth at least a million in assets alone. Don't underestimate the wealth that Faunus have... They're mutts, but they're allowed a living wage too." Ashley's opinion on Faunus was much shared between the older members of the family.

"Don't let him hear that. We've always tried to be fair...We can't let prejudice make us..." Bianca said, yet her sister snorted loudly.

"Kali Belladonna alone, as a widow who inherits the wealth of her husband, is about as rich as most of the council of Vale is. Kuo Kuana might just be the port in Menagerie, but essentially, her late husband was the King of Menagerie, no matter how you turned it. The biggest Faunus population on Remnant and its wealth, all under the stewardship of one man. She's got the diplomatic immunity AND the wealth to fund a lavish lifestyle." Ashley's tone was irked, even as she heard the faint creak of something.

"Not so much wealth, dear."The voice of the aforementioned Faunus came to Bianca's ears from her right, as her breath stalled in her throat and her gaze drew to the side. There, in the shadow behind one of the power generators, a shadow pulled itself from the depths of darkness, a set of amber eyes peering at her.

"It's all invested in the industries in Menagerie. My husband was… a very great man." The fond smile on the woman's face was enough, even as Bianca leaned forward, the clatter of her assistant in the art of self-pleasure dropping out as she shifted, her weapon brought up. "A pity though that they were…"

There was an expression on the woman's face that stole the breath from her lungs, as primal fear welled up in her heart, making her unable to move a muscle. "determined to steal him away from me." The woman's eyes spoke of madness and fear, the effect radiating through her whole body, as the woman sat herself down on one of the chairs, looking at the screen, the Schnee woman's hand caressing Jaune's cheek, a leg half-laid over his own. "She was in love with him ever since he rescued her. We only met a week or so before the attack…"

The Faunus spoke, even as her own body craved breath. "But she's like a sister-friend to me." Bianca's hand moved to her weapon's trigger, her Semblance trying to pull it, in order to loosen the woman's concentration. _'You're not going to kill me! I won't let some mangy mutt do me in!'_ Her eyes closed, even as she could feel the effect lessen. "Oh dearie me… I forgot about the effect that it has on regular people." The woman shifted slightly to the side and the shadows pulled away, leaving a young-looking woman in around her mid-twenties to look at them. The three piercings in her ears seemed to give her a mature vibe, yet those eyes still looked at the two of them.

"Now… I was thinking about getting the two of you alone." She could hear Ashley get ready to do something, some of the defences already whirring up, the click of bullets being chambered ready. "Oh, I mean no harm to you… I simply have questions." Bianca met Ashley's gaze, even as they prepared for another fight. _'This'll be tough… Ashley isn't in her suit…'_

She'd fought like this before, of course, but that had been with Ashley fully capable of moving. "What questions would those be?" She asked, deciding to speak for her sister.

Kali smiled. It made her heart clench, as those eyes fixed her with a look. "I need to know what happened to Jaune..."

The twins shared a look. _'I guess we can answer some questions…'_ "We can do that." She said, even as she watched the woman reach into her bosom and then pull a picture out. "And what happened after this picture was taken?"

Bianca's mouth fell open, looking at the people depicted on the photograph.

 _'_ _Fuck.'_

* * *

 _The Tempest (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She could feel the burn inside her, warming her flesh with that dark intent as much as it warmed her with its coolness, her eyes scanning the streets. "Come on." Her mother said, the left arm strapped tightly to her chest, the break clean, luckily. _'At times like this…'_

Her fingers grabbed her weapon even as a Beowolf lunged at them, her older sister flashing into action, the Beowolf bisected in a flash, the weapon shifting back to its default form, tucked away. "We've got to move. Cremea, quick." The order was given and Cremea worked, her eyes flashing between the ruined buildings. There were no baying sounds coming from the Grimm behind them, no sounds of Grimm, yet she knew well that there would be some coming soon.

' _They always are attracted to the feelings of humans…'_ She wondered briefly whether her brother would have been any good in this type of thing, before dismissing it from her mind. He was a strategist with only a few hints of a tactician, not the raw experience that they had. "To the left!" The letters SPRU in the storefront were still legible, the row below mostly gone due to the weather and the natural decay, the letters ITJE visible below, as a mannequin stood there still decked out in what would have been clothing that'd fit in with style that had been popular before the fall of Mountain Glenn's main line of defences.

She leapt through the door, scanning the darkened store, her eyes trying to find any sign of the Grimm, the feeling of adrenaline running through her. "Clear!" She called out, a low register for communication.

"Everything's clear." Cremea said, her voice the dull drone tone of their father, her eyes glowing still as her weapon shifted to its secondary form. "Preparing fortification." The words hung in the air for a moment, as Cremea went right to action, a few boards right put up in the door opening, the nail pushed in to fasten it, their pursuer no doubt only a few meters away.

"Arresting movements." The three charges that had been put on the door's foundation would be used for some purpose, even as she looked at her sisters and mother.

Azure was leaning against a shelf that'd once carried toys, a fading Grimm-plushie still laying there with half of its head destroyed through the rats that scavenged this place for food. "I don't like this one bit." Heather could hear her say, the nicks and scratches that they'd suffered up until now enough to make them wary. One did not easily walk into Mountain Glenn, for the Grimm held the city now. The permits alone for her team to enter were worth a lot, let alone six individuals. It was only due to her mother's connections that they could enter Mountain Glenn and make sure that there was a small base set up to last for a few weeks.

' _The basics. Rations, ammunition, thirty dust-packs for the rechargeable stoves…'_ They had set up seven of these caches, the preparation enough for them, as Cremea announced that they were done now. _'Still haven't found out why the Grimm are so prevalent here…'_

The door splintered, as a gargantuan dark form pushed its way through, the singular horn upon its bone-white mask glowing faintly, jagged spire standing at attention, ready to gouge through the flesh of someone unprepared, the blood-thirsting gaze in those eyes that peered at them giving her an impression that this was just the prelude. "I'm getting ahead!" Saffron shouted, her shield put in front of her, crackling with electricity.

Their weapons were charged, even as Saffron's shield met with the horned Grimm, the creature's stubby legs pushing it forward, Saffron's body moving back, feet braced against the ground as they struck. The beast's thick his oozed with vile ichors that ran through its innards, the blades and bullets flashing in the darkened store, the whine of mechanical weaponry moving, even as the Grimm started to dissipate. Behind it, more of the creatures lurked, ready to fight them until they breathed no more. "Search for another way out." Their mother commanded, even as she pulled her blade free from the massive Grimm.

"Roger!" Heather said, letting her gaze go through the store, even as she heard the dull report of Azure's weapon, the dust that had exploded with the round that it used a little spicier than most, the scent of crackling static in the air, even as she spotted the door. "Door! Looks intact!"

"Bash it open!" The command came and Heather's Semblance formed in the middle of the door, the flames heating up greatly, even as she felt the power sap from her body. The blazing circle in the door's handle burned through the wood easily, the flames controlled through her Semblance, her shoulder battering against the wood, pushing the door open and allowing her a glance at what was behind the door. _'Hallway, leading towards…'_ The no longer functional 'emergency exit' sign that had been bolted above the door was there, the door looking functionally intact.

"Exit!" She shouted, as she advanced, her gaze carefully sweeping for any sort of hidden lurkers, the Grimm that infested Mountain Glenn having different natures, as far as they could tell. The lurkers that often dwelled in the buildings of the place were those who held human shape, their effects… tough to deal with at times.

Kicking open the door, she looked at the small courtyard that stood before her. Half of a building had collapsed over, ruining the exit, the warped mess of metal still looking like one of the ports that had been out of fashion for years. The nearby building looked scalable, though. Nevermore circled above, ready to take a peck at them, one of them looking particularly large in size. _'Clear…'_

She scanned the corners, looking at the signature traits of those Grimm that lurked. A moment later, something moved, the claws making a whistling sound through the air. "KLEER!" The nozzle of her weapon blasted the flammable goop, the blaze of blue flames shooting along it, as her Semblance pushed the flame into the goop, the Grimm's body squealing like a pig that'd had its legs chopped off, twitching, as she kicked, the body arrested in the motion, even as her younger sister shot out, the THUNK of her weapon slamming into the concrete, Azure's eyes looking with distaste at the Kleer that had been trying to get at them.

"I hate those things… Always lurking and then POOF." Azure mumbled, her eyes looking at the dissipating form, even as the others came, Cremea's face showing clearly that there was something wrong. "What're the orders, mom?" Azure asked, her eyes looking at their mother.

Their mother's face was grave, as she looked at the entrance, the courtyard broad enough for them to make a stand. Heather knew well that it would be enough for them to put up a solid defence, if they had something to work with to put up a barrier. _'Azure's Semblance isn't enough to work, given the tunnel system in Mountain Glenn…'_

They'd tried, before. Not that it would really work that well, given that the floor had collapsed around them and they'd been left in a pit of rotting flesh, the bodies still decomposing around the collapse. "Get ready to evacuate through scaling the far building. Rhinoteror's aren't known for their great skill in climbing and the Kleer…" She didn't elaborate, as Heather moved.

"Taking the vanguard!" She shouted, her hands already pushing Ignis Mors to her back. With a leap, she grabbed onto one side of the building, digging her fingers into the loosened concrete and jerking herself up, her foot pushing through the reinforced mortar to give herself a foothold, pulling herself up. "Come on, get!" The shout was enough for the others to get into the proper mindset, Azure the next to try, the footholds enlarged through the use of her Semblance. _'We've got to climb, or else they'll be on us again.'_ There was no real street plan left on Mountain Glenn's streets, the decay of a city that had been abandoned by Humanity still ongoing. Street corners that had once been bastions of safety, now laid abandoned and vehicles were rusting away.

As she helped her youngest sister up, she could see the others already busy with getting themselves up, Rowe scaling the building easily, her jacket opened slightly, exposing the pale skin. The black jacket flashed slightly, as she adjusted her weapon on her back a little, the cloak that she wore showing the tatters of repeated wear and tear. _'We need to get…'_ Her eyes went for the space between the buildings, even as their mother joined them.

"Get yourself moving." The woman barked as an order, their bodies moving, Heather and Rowe leaping forwards onto the next building, Heather's gaze going to the surroundings, spotting seven more buildings that would be perfect for their movement. _'Bianca and Ashley could set up and protect us… It's a shame that they couldn't be here with us… But it'll have to do. Three supply dumps have been put up.'_

The blood inside her body throbbed, as she landed, looking at the street below. "Clear descent to the street!" She was more than aware that there would be no solace for them in this endeavour. A whole week of hunting Grimm and preparing the batches for their supply runs in the case of their mission, would have been enough… yet they were ready to go and do what they must.

"Mother?" Cremea's voice reached to Heather's ear, as she turned to look. A quill the size of a sword stuck out of her shoulder, at a point where the armour was actually shattered. "I am afraid that I will be dying soon, so please…" The look on Cremea's voice was enough, even as the massive Nevermore cawed in the air above them, looking ready to strike at them. "Get out."

She saw Azure grab Cremea, yet her younger sister shrugged her off, her head turning to them. "Get out! Dad would do the same!" The command in her sister's voice, the unemotional tone that she used, similar to dad when he was on his medication, was enough. Their mother looked at her daughter, whose body was angled in a fashion, her weapon pulled up towards the charging Nevermore.

"Get going! You heard her!" Heather hit the ground a moment later, her sisters landing a moment afterwards. The sound of her sister's hiss of pain, Azure sagging slightly as she limped, clearly having landed wrongly on the broken road, her leg having cracked briefly, though Aura would fix it within half a day.

The Nevermore loomed above, the sound of a click and a hiss audible, even as a massive explosion was heard, the sight of a body flying through the air seen, the blood that flew like an arc enough to bring a sting of something to her heart, as she saw the body slam against a wall, landing there as if it were a doll with its strings cut.

"Inspect her body." She heard her mother say with an unsteady voice, and she walked forward, her sisters taking up the guard. _'We were stupid to discount the Nevermores. Those birds always go for the prey that looks the weakest…'_

Even the most experienced Huntsman could still make a mistake. Discounting the Grimm for mere mindless beasts was one of the most grievous errors one could make… One that they had paid for. Walking tensely up to the body, she saw that the damage had been done.

Her sister's arm had been torn straight-off, the pack on her back still intact, yet the body seemed to be still able to function, despite the bleeding that happened. "Come…" The voice of her sister was faint, as Heather looked at her. Half of the left eye had been shattered, fluid that leaked from it off-white, the blood leaking from that eye a good sign that it wasn't going to be survivable. The faint after-fizzle of her Aura, even as Heather chanced a look around, spotting several Grimm.

"Efficiently dealing with the Grimm that come will be done by me." The pack was indicated with the remaining arm, her sister's face looking faint, as she motioned for the lowest compartment. "Get us in… Manhole cover, third one after following the line. Opens in…" The gurgle of phlegm and blood took her, Cremea's face turning faintly. "How is she?"

Heather could hear the worry in her mother's voice, the anxiety. "Not good." Heather said, even as she pulled the pack from Cremea's shoulder, opening it up. "Thirty seconds on the trigger. Attach…" The hand motioned, her sister's mouth vomiting forth slime and blood as the chest rose. "I'll get them."

"Don't…" Heather said, Cremea's head turning. "Give me…" The hand beckoned to Saffron. "Three." Saffron's face was close to tears, yet the mask was in place immediately. Business was business, no matter how much you hurt.

"Come on, Creamy." Saffron said, lifting Cremea up. Already, Heather could see the Grimm coming ever closer, drawn to the pain from Cremea. Whatever motivated these creatures… She could see the look on her sisters' faces, their mother looking at her daughter. "I'm sorry, mom… I didn't love Jaune as much as…" Cremea's face was deathly pale, yet she looked guilty, as her eyes met with Heather's for a moment, as she inhaled deeply, or tried to. A shuddering breath, good enough for a moment of air, the stump wiggling slightly. _'Just like Jaune… but on the other end.'_

"Sorry… I've been a bad sister to you. I… couldn't do it, I just… Sorry." Cremea's eyes were wet, as she looked at each of them, their younger sister looking at them with a look of apologetic need. "Just… Make sure that you all live, alright?" She asked, her voice fragile. The desperation in her voice was real, as she felt the emotions heavily.

"An Arc will stand against the Dark, until the last breath is gone and the battles have left their mark." Rowe's voice was more sober than before, as her hand brushed over Cremea's cheek, Saffron shifting her sister's form a little, the shifting revealing the leg on the right side to have been broken at an unnatural angle. "For we shall bring forth the flame of light within that darkness and punish those who have ensured you to never see the light again." The beginning of the Creed and the words of hope, her oldest sister spoke, her voice clear, harkening back to the earlier years.

"Bring me inside." Saffron carried her sister towards the building indicated, the manhole cover that Cremea had indicated pulled loose by Azure. The hole that loomed below looked dark, Heather's hand motioning, a flame gushing down below, illuminating the darkness. _'Water… Guess we'll be going for a dip for a bit.'_ The sewers weren't as dilapidated as the upper city, mainly due to the fact that they were subterranean and reinforced for the use of a city of its size.

"Ready! Cremea said that we should follow the main line until we are three manhole covers away." Saffron reported to them, her eyes wet with tears. Cremea's pack was slung over her shoulder. Heather could feel her own eyes fill with tears, even as the Grimm came closer, their feet making the ground rumble. Azure was the first one down, the loud splash of her hitting the sewage water audible, even as their mother followed right after, her weapon held up, in order to fit through the hole.

As Heather pulled herself into the hole, she realized that this was going to suck, hitting the water with a loud splash. Emerging from the dark water and illuminating their surroundings with a brush of her Semblance, she could see the darkened way along, a guiding red line leading towards the direction where they had to go.

An explosion rocked the foundations, cracks appearing on the wall, enough for them to actually worry for a moment whether the tunnels were going to collapse, Azure's eyes looking at the cracks and a soft "Should hold."- came from her mouth, even as they swam towards the direction that Cremea had hinted at before her untimely passing.

As she emerged from the manhole behind her mother, the last one to go out, she looked at the place where they had found themselves, the main square that led towards the wall of Mountain Glenn, one of the bastions of defence against the Grimm… half-torn down already by the test of time and Grimm. _'A truly desolate place…'_ She was not going to go and comment on the state of affairs, even as she heard the sound of someone sobbing.

Her methodical mind immediately located the weak point in their group, the emotional one immediately assessed, heedless of who it was. The woman's eyes were wet with tears, as Saffron ran her hands over the back of the woman, their mother's sobs coming louder, as the woman's hands rubbed at her eyes. "Assume defensive positions." She mouthed to her sisters, their eyes spotting no Grimm activity yet, a brief break for them, as much as it could be had.

"I've known her since she came out of me… Oh gods, it hurts so bad…"The woman's heartbroken tone was grief-laden, as she looked at her hands, her face agonized, another keening wail coming from her mouth. _'She's never had to lose one of us.'_

Heather wanted to go and comfort her mother, the soft whispers of Saffron in her ear to lend her strength, the woman's words tuned out. She could hear several curses, the sound of the woman's grief working to entice Grimm towards them. Heather glanced at her watch, checking the time. _'Twenty past four… We should have a good five hours left… thereabouts._ _'_ They could make it to another place to find shelter. It would be morning soon.

Her mother's curses were loud in the air, as Rowe tapped her shoulder. Heather looked at the expression of her sister, at odds with the normally placid expression, eyes sharp, the emotion inside vivid. "I get it." She said, as she turned, allowing Rowe to take her spot for defence, hugging her mother together with Saffron.

"Ahhhh! Cremea..." Her mother moaned, the pain fierce as the tears leaked from her eyes. "My daughter, my child... Ahhhh-ahh-ah. It hurts so much, losing my child..."The woman's emotions were understandable. Heather did not know whether she would feel the same, losing a child. It was logical. You always heard that one could bear the loss of a parent or a spouse, but that the death of a child hurt.

She firmed her heart, standing up straight. She would guard her mother and move to a defensible position post-haste so that they'd be able to greet the morning fresh and rested. "I'm taking first watch." She said, looking at her sisters, who wordlessly nodded.

It was time to Arc up and protect.

* * *

 _A morning of needs (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

He didn't think he would be up right now. The alcoholic haze once more brought to mind that moment of peace, before the cold air of the morning hit his face, his eyes opening to check where he was at. A branch was near to his face, so he obviously was in a tree somewhere, checking his surroundings a moment later and finding that he was definitely not in his human form. Hopping down from the tree, he let his gaze wander slightly, checking out his surroundings.

His Scroll beeped and he pulled it out of a pocket, checking the caller ID. _'Tai...'_ The name was flicked to the side, as the next caller popped up. _'Oz... Guess I'll have to call him.'_ The dial tone was easily muted after a flick of the finger, his eyes watching carefully for the screen to show his superior. "Ah, Qrow. Good. Come to Beacon, we have things to discuss." The man's eyes were cautious, his lips thin and his eyes weary, as the damage that'd been done during his faint of only a month before seemed to have made him more paranoid. _'Not that I'd be any worse off than him if I had the weight of the world resting on my shoulders.'_

"Sure thing, I'll be there in..." He checked the time on his Scroll and then glanced at the shape of Beacon Academy's CCT tower in the background. "Thirty minutes. It'll take a bit longer to reach you through the ol' Crow Express." The man's lips pursed into a faint smile, as he looked at him with that look that to Qrow, signified trust.

"Very well. I shall inform Glynda that she should be expecting you to appear." The man's voice was calm, even as he so easily dictated the flow of the conversation, as a man should. Raven and Qrow had not had such a strong parental figure in their life that they'd easily heed the commands of their seniors, yet the man's strength was the real deal.

As he turned into a crow, he felt the freedom of this form once more, flying towards Beacon Academy with slow measured flaps of his wings, the flight that he achieved as smooth as sailing for him... if he actually learnt how to sail. He knew well the worries of the day, even as he assumed his human form before entering Beacon proper, Harbinger strapped on his back. The scythe would serve him well, if some hot-shot Huntsman in training decided to challenge him. _'It's always the brash guys who've got to prove that they've got balls that pick up on the challenge... And I'm not denying them.'_

He had a smooth path through the halls, the students in their classes, hearing the faintly pompous tones of Port through one of the doors, chancing a brief look through the window to spot Yang and her partner Blake sitting there, though from his expression, there clearly was more to the sight than their mere presence. ' _The firecracker looks terribly uncomfortable...'_

It was a twitch that he'd seen in Raven as well when she had been young. Something happened that was out of her control and Raven would become a nervous mess, ready to fight anything and anyone that came at her. _'It took months to break her of it... and it's a bad habit to say the least. Better inform Glynda of that... See whether she can sort the kids out.'_

He moved along, having to appear to that meeting, as the boss man waited for him. As he waited before the elevator, the sight of good ol' Glynda appeared, the woman's immaculate dress good enough for his eyes to linger just a little while longer. He wasn't sure exactly how old the woman was, but he figured that she just might be a little older than he was. Port himself was only... sixty? Maybe seventy? Aura made a lot of Huntsmen look younger than their non-enhanced companions.

"Good... morning." The woman's voice contained barely veiled distaste, as her eyes met with his own. He sniffed his arm, smelling the scent of the vodka that he'd chugged the night before. "Hey Glynda." He smiled apologetically, knowing that he probably should've freshened up a little, yet there was no crying about spilt milk.

As they rode the elevator up, he let his gaze go out to the buttons, knowing that they would not talk, as it was not the deputy's style of management. She would be the one who would direct the students, who would be the one to keep in control and calm, whilst listening to the orders of Ozpin. _'So uptight at times... And even then...'_

The door opened up, the headmaster seated behind his desk, the chair looking like it usually did, the back looking to have been refurbished since the time that he'd been there last. _'Oz never changes...'_ He was not going to comment on the man's face, as the grave look on it was enough. "Qrow, a pleasure. Take a seat."

The dismissal of the deputy was natural, the woman taking her leave a moment later, leaving the two men in the office on their own. Qrow let his gaze rest on the man who he had put his faith in before, the grin on his face enough, as he waited for the man to speak, one of his legs over the armrest of the chair, lounging. "What do you have for me, Oz?"

The headmaster smiled, in the manner that the man often did, ever since he had made their acquaintance. "Qrow, as you well know, the missions of the first years to shadow a Huntsman whilst they are doing their job are coming up."

The mention was enough to draw a frown from him. _'Did he call me here to babysit some kids?'_ His mind immediately went to Ruby and Yang, the two who were currently in classes. "Ah, you want me to let some fresh-behind-the-butt youngsters shadow me for a while?" He guessed that it might be... decent, if the kiddo's could shadow him. He WAS a kick-ass huntsman, after all. The headmaster's lips made one of his little smiles, even as he looked at the screen that popped up.

"Not... precisely." The man said, speaking obfuscating, as par the course. The screen lit up, the team names visible. _'Hmm, team PRWN... Didn't I hear something about...'_ The small marker below with the greyed out name drew the memory back to his mind. _'Oh... the kid.'_ Shield and sword combination, blonde hair... strangely tingly feeling in the back of his mind that he was forgetting something... Yeah, sound right.

The names that stood above team RWBY, the familiar faces of Summer's kid and the little firecracker, drew his attention. He watched the official cards flicker, the faces familiar of the one that'd been put as sub-leader. _'Two Huntsmen... that ain't...'_ The rankings on the side were already noted, one A+ and A- ready to be counted. _'That's a bit much...'_

The mission locale was Mountain Glenn, his face frowning more than it had before. _'Dangerous place... Is he sure about sending... That'd account for the two A and up ranked Huntsmen... Give em a fighting chance...'_ His hand reached and tapped the icon for the Huntsmen team and he froze.

' _What the fuck..._ 'His emotions flashed back to that dark day, as he looked at the message that'd been sent to his Scroll. His head turned to Ozpin, anger flashing on his face, burning into his. "Section-seventeened, Ozpin!? You can't saddle my nieces with... with them! They're criminals! I'd rather have Raven teach em the ins and outs of being a Huntsman than to let... Them!" He pointed at the Huntsmen, his eyes flashing angrily. _'Fuck... I can't deal with this.'_ This was always the thing that happened. His fucking Semblance activating at the worst possible moment, giving him the bad news.

His hand went for the alcohol flask in his pocket and he downed it. He remembered, very clearly, the moment when Tai walked into the room, back home from... wherever he was. He had been a mess that day, when the news had been told to him. "I'm so sorry..."He had moaned then, his position just the god-damn worst, pinning his niece to the couch and holding on to her. That his belt had decided to break at that point as he got up was just the icing on the cake. Tai's eyes had flashed angrily before he'd been decked straight across the room and through the wall.

That had been a long recovery time for him, yet his mood had been gloomy enough that the misfortune was worth bearing. _'Fuck...'_ He wished that he'd brought more, as the flask had run dry after three gulps of it. Not even the bitterness of the alcohol could diminish how shitty he felt right now. "She's still on the official roster, Qrow. Look beyond what is in the past." The headmaster looked at him.

"Your nieces will have to be free sometime... All chicks must leave the nest. A guardian crow though..." Qrow's face turned ugly as he remembered the failure of earlier in the year, when he had been assigned to guard Amber. _'Fuck...'_ There was more going on in the background than he'd thought, no doubt due to whatever the Queen was doing.

"You want me to track em and make sure that nothing happens to the kids?" He guessed out loud, as he looked at the man that he trusted above all others. _'Well, if Summer were still here...'_ Summer had always been more of a people-person. Always chipper and with a smile, her body still with that loving touch... even with her belly swollen with Tai's kid and those delightful little moments when she teased him like a sister should... not like his own sister, who was more morose and bitch-like when she wasn't pregnant.

"That would be counter-productive, given the results that you've had earlier. A more... direct hand might be needed in order to nourish those seeds into blossoming." The man said, his voice sounding like it was admonishing a child, his eyes looking at the team of Huntsmen that had been assigned to his nieces and the rest of their team. Glancing at the other girls in the picture of Team RWBY, he spotted the white mane of hair and the face of that uppity little snow queen popped right to his mind, the dark-haired girl looking faintly familiar, though he didn't really care much. "You will meet up with them in the mission area."

The need within him to object, say that he did his guarding from the shadows, whilst he showed a complicated expression, his hand brushing through his chin-stubble, the scratchy sound loud in the suddenly silent room. "I'll do it, Oz." He said, as the headmaster nodded.

"Do not let what is in the past between you and that team stand between you. You've taught children at Signal to ignore differences and thus you should practice what you preach." The man cautioned, as Qrow went for his scythe and sighed.

"I'm just... afraid." He said, honestly to the man. _'I can trust him. He's never led me astray before...'_ There was no need to tell the man fully the terror that he had felt as he had seen the picture, heard the tale of how things had gone down. _'Fucking abandoned and left to rot... like a match in a barn full of hay...'_

He gritted his teeth. "I assure you..." The man's voice was calm and soothing, as the man's hand reached for his own, the gesture somewhat strange, as Qrow had barely noticed the man come closer. As the man's hand touched his own, he felt a strange silence of his thoughts. "Be there for your nieces. Everything will be alright... But..." The man's voice was strangely hypnotic, like a lullaby before going to sleep.

"The choice is yours." Qrow heard those words and he squeezed the hand. He would trust the man, as he picked the right choice. "You can step away and I will assign you another mission or you can take this one and ensure that your nieces have a protector, just in case…"

"Of course." He said, more confident than he felt before. _'The choice is mine, after all... No matter what happened in the past...'_ The blood in his veins boiled as he thought back to those moments, laughing under the tree. Sharing a cup of Vacuan Vodka with her as she smiled at him, speaking softly in tones that were far too intimate for what they had together.

" _Say... Did you ever think about having children?"_ The hope in that voice had been there, as she had rubbed over her stomach, the faint smile on her face something that was enough to bring warmth to his own cheek. _"Naw. I ain't a man to settle down."_ The innocent eyes that had looked up at him had brought warmth to his heart, even as he looked at her face. _"I'll be the best mother ever... Father is rather strict about that, though. I'll send a postcard when I reach Mistral, though. Maybe a bottle of Mistralian Red, if I can convince someone to send it."_ The chuckle he'd given was light, even as her eyes met his own. _"Mistralian Red, eh? That's a whole bottle of expensive alcohol, heart-throb."_

It'd been the last time he'd ever seen her smile. An afternoon that had been spent lazily flicking through the missions on the Scroll, even as she told of the little lullabies that she had prepared when she was younger, about when she'd first been introduced to becoming a Huntsman. _'Has it really been six years?'_

"You can make amends, Qrow." The headmaster's voice was a penetrating one, as it cut through the mire of memories. "You taught Ruby the art of the scythe, even after you'd vowed not to take on anymore students after what happened with Summer."

' _She showed such potential... Wanted to be just like her drunken uncle...'_ He wielded a lethal weapon, able to cut through flesh easily, without a care. _'Summer would've wanted her to be taught like she was taught… But it fell to me, because Tai knew that I'm the better one…'_

Signal had been a moment of respite in the darkness. He knew well that there'd be a reckoning long-since coming for him, what with his Semblance always messing things up.

"I'll keep them safe, Oz… I promise." It was the least that he could do. He would face his past like a man, even if it hurt him. _'For Ruby and Yang… it's worth facing the pain.'_

* * *

 _The terrible affliction (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

Darkness covered the space around him, working around him like the waves of a black ocean, the pulsating echoes of the Grimm in the direct vicinity once more bringing little sparks to his mind of activity and consciousness, even as he guarded against the intrusion without any sort of physical show, as he felt the faint awareness of Whitney on his chest push against him in her slumber, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her throbbing faintly under the inspection that he gave it, the darkness inside bringing forth the light of life, in a twisted mocking fashion.

Inside himself, he could see the sphere of silver light crack, his mind diving closer into the depths until the representation of himself stood before it, small and yet with an infinite manner of space allocated for his own existence. Pressing a finger against the sphere, he felt it yield, cracks opening up all over it and suddenly, he was inside.

A bright room, filled with silver light, a space in the darkness where Summer Rose lived and lurked, her presence having been felt sparsely throughout the weeks that he had been travelling through Remnant, her presence… fading, it seemed. A figure sat huddled in one of the corners, head bent low, hugging her knees. _'Oh no…'_

" **Summer?"** He asked, the figure quivering a little, as she seemed to huddle in on herself, her hands keeping a firm grip on her legs, shuddering slightly. He approached, laying a hand on her, the woman's form moving like lightning, skittering away into the distance, standing and half-crouching, her weapons in her hands, ready to attack. **"Are you… alright?"**

"D-don't come closer." The woman's voice sounded frantic, as her head was turned away, the silver walls of the place quivering slightly, even as he watched her. "I'm… F-fine, yes… I'm fine." She said, as if trying to convince herself.

It was not convincing him in the slightest. **"Summer… I'm worried."** He tried to reach out to her.

"N-no, no need to be worried, nope…" The woman's tone was frantic, flustered, her head shaking like it'd been shook loose and barely attached, her hair moving, a frail giggle coming from her lips. "E-everyth-thing is fine, J-jaune." Her voice sounded like it was just trying to convince herself. "F-finers than Ff-fine… So…" The woman's voice was hesitating, as she seemed to go and convince herself more than anything, her head turned up, away from him. Her longer reddish hair fell down, as she seemed to behold the skies. "W-was it good?"

He had felt the tingles of her presence in the darkness inside him, when Whitney had made love to him. It was a strange sensation, to know that someone actually could love him, the connection between him and… Whitney… Yes, that would be her name. Not just 'Weiss' mother', but 'Whitney Esmeralda Schnee', the woman who had declared very publically that she loved him in some terms that went against common decency. **"Was what good?"**

Summer's giggles were manic, as her head turned, her gaze catching his own and a blast of silver light blinding him. "S-sex! Good? Yes?" Her question was enough, as the woman seemed to quiver and twitch, his eyes still blinded by the blast. He rubbed them. "Was it good? Was it great? W-was…"

She paused for a moment, as if realizing something. "No, no… no no no no no no… not now, not ever… Nope, nope… nope." The sad and maniacal tone was one that he could recognize as someone entering a shocked state, even as the burning inside his chest seemed to increase with every moment that the aftereffects of the silver eyes lingered. "No, you've got to keep together, Summer… think of Ruby… Think of Ruby, yess… Ruby will be a good girl. Mommy loves you… Mommy loves you so much. The Mission… the mission is secondary to mommy's love for you…"

He felt bad for her, as his vision cleared and he looked at her, her face looking like it was in some way composed and normal, her gaze turning away immediately when she noticed that he was looking at her. _'Is she crying?'_

" **Summer…"** He touched her shoulder with his hand, his eyes burning with the sting of those silver eyes still, as he felt the coldness of her shoulder there. **"Is everything alright?"** He asked, yet she only stiffened. "S-sure… E-everything is a-alright, Ja… Jaune."

He felt her shrug him off, as she walked a few steps, unsteadily. "No… Can't give in…" The woman's voice was enough to make him worry, as she shook her head fiercely, her head whipping, her hair moving like a wave that was being stirred by an unseen hand. "Won't give in…"

' _Sorry Summer, but…'_ He grabbed her shoulder and tried to spin her around, only for her to somehow flip him over, landing him on his back, pain flashing through his body as he felt the foot hit him right in the chest, the woman's eyes bright for a moment, as she turned away. "No, no, no… Bad… No, not bad, good… Enough, enough… Remember… You've sworn an oath."

The manic laughter disconcerted him, as it would do to anyone. The woman's blades were moving erratically in a pattern, even as the laughter turned into giggles, fear flashing inside him for a moment, as he could feel Summer slowly… reaching out. _'Is this…'_

" **Summer?"** He tried again, before the woman unleashed a savage growl and he found himself thrown against one of the walls.

"All your fault!" Her accusation was frantic and manic, even as she beat against him, the breath going out of his lungs as she lunged at him, beating him with her fists, every blow hurting, even though it should not.

He could feel her frenzy rise. "All your FAULT! I WILL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!" The woman's tone sounded broken, as she delivered punch after punch, blow after blow. She could not stop, as she moved, slamming her fists against his chest. "NEVER!" He felt himself land on the ground again, her knee meeting his face with a sickening crunch, as he felt the pain echo through his very body, the pain lancing up and down his spine and back up, as she grabbed his head, reminded for a moment of one of the wrestlers of the Valean Wrestling Federation, Bulk Hogreen. The pain that flashed as the knee met his face and the representation of himself leaking blood from the bust nose, as she continued, a frenzied tone.

"You're all that's wrong with me! E-everything!" Anger suffused that tone, as the knee continued to slam into him. "Never gonna be normal again, see her take a dick and make her feel the pain! She's not going to be stopping getting at my Tai!" Her voice was frantic, and he figured that she was talking about her teammate, even as he could feel his head slam against the wall once more.

"My Tai, my… My…." The sobs came again, as the woman started to cry, hot tears leaking from her eyes, even as her savagery continued, his head feeling sore and pained as he felt her grab his head. "All… All because of you. I… I feel so… Never." The pained shriek was painful to his ears, as he was thrown away from her, his body hitting the ground.

' _I've done all of this to her. I should have given her mercy… but I did the other thing… I turned her into someone like me, someone who would only be surrounded by darkness…'_ The hope in his gut was fading, as he looked at Summer, whose hands held her blades once more. She froze, turning away in a flicker of motion.

' _What… No more attacks?'_ He felt bad for her, as he slowly got up, the busted nose repaired with but a thought, yet the pain remained slightly. It seemed that whatever she did here, also reflected on his physical body. **"Summer?"** He called out, touching her shoulder and then watching as she turned around.

Her head turned to him, the bulging veins of darkness showing clearly those silver eyes outlined, even as her gaze met with his own, the silver not flashing this time, yet the corruption already had set in, the veins bulging and distending. "J-Jaune?" her voice pleaded, as he could feel her hands wrap around him. He was reminded of Ruby at that moment, as she laid her head against his chest. "I don't want to die…"

"The darkness is all around me…" Her voice was barely higher than a whisper, as she spoke, nuzzling her head against his chest in an affectionate manner, Ruby having a similar mannerism, from what he'd noticed during the brief hug that they'd shared. "I… I feel scared."

Silver eyes looked at him, pleading with hope and so lost. **"I'll be there to make sure that you get to see Ruby and Yang again, I promise."** The anger in those eyes that flashed, as she headbutted him in the stomach, her hands pushing him away as she screamed incoherently in her rage, her blades attempting to score a hit on him, even as he pulled himself out of the sphere that held her, the sphere somehow more intact than before, as hurled abuse filled his mind, the regret filling his mind as well, of having failed a friend.

' _I'll make sure that you get to return to Ruby and Yang, Summer…'_ It was a promise. Even if he was no better than Ozymandias Pinnacle… He would KEEP his promises.

He was Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night and he kept his word.

* * *

 **Wooh, that was a whole load of words. The general counter is at… around 50.000 words written in about 3 weeks. The eh… adult stuff, uploaded at Archive of Our Own, is going to pop up soon too! See how Whitney and Jaune get busy in the sheets… and I guess I'll be using that place for some of the more 'mature' stuff. Just search for Cyanide Sins! A Grimm Tale has GREAT stuff planned for the Third Volume! (Tentatively titled: Breach of Loyalty.)**

 **Haven Student Directory**

 **Name: Fall, Cinder  
Age: 19  
Status:ACTIVE  
Semblance: Glass weapon creation  
Team: CRME**

 _ **An austere leader of her team, willing to cooperate with her fellows in order to forge solid bonds. The ability to command the respect of those around her puts her at the upper class of students participating in the Vytal festival, yet her personal flaws are often thought to be ill-thought out.**_

 _ **In our tranquility, we find a safe haven.**_ **Leonardo Lionheart**

 **Yes, Cinder's profile is literally very bare-bones and mostly faked for the purposes of entering. Mercury and Emerald are the only eighteen year olds that appear, whilst she herself is… older. Not as old as Sienna, but certainly not twenty-one.**

 **I hope everyone has a great new year too! I'll be seeing you in 2019 afresh with more chapters of A Grimm Tale and The dance of tigers!**

 **Leave a review if you liked the chapter!**


	32. Fealty

**Chapter 32: Fealty**

 **Some people noticed that I've probably got a need for an editor... so here I am, declaring that I need one. Doing the editing myself for an evening before uploading stuff just doesn't quite cut it, but alas... Tis what I got to do! Thank you for the feedback though! If someone wants to step up to the job of doing the editing and that sort of stuff... By all means, my inbox is open. Just send me a message! I like seeing messages appear!**

* * *

 _The winning play (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

As he looked at his face in the mirror, the casual jeans that he had on at the moment still freshly laundered, smelling like detergent and that stuff that Russel occasionally threw in the washer, he wondered briefly whether he was ready. "You look fine, Cardin, stop worrying about it." His teammate commented, Sky's hand running over the edge of his weapon, his suppressed sigh enough for Cardin to hear.

"I just want things to be perfect." Cardin said, even as he peered at his reflection in the mirror once more. Hair slicked back, he looked like the picture-perfect image of a young man who was about to go on a date with his girlfriend. "Velv deserves the best."

She had been a little more withdrawn these past few weeks, citing the stress of the third year to be a factor, her soft utterances of comfort still the beacon that lit up his life for the time being. He checked his Scroll for the time, before he tucked it back into his pocket, the jacket that he wore one of the steadfast items of his wardrobe for casual times. "You really love her, don't you?" Sky said, his voice detached. _'They don't really care for the Faunus... and neither did I, until...'_

Jaune Arc's face flashed before his mind once more, knowing that there would be a reckoning forthcoming for when he finally met his maker. _'Sorry Jaune...'_ The guilt still weighed on his shoulders, still continued to be the burden that he had to bear. _'I couldn't have known...'_

Jaune's family blamed him, secretly. It had been something that he had dreaded before, something that he knew was forthcoming with that realisation that he had caused the death of someone. He looked at the complicated expression that he was making, his eyes looking haunted by the thought, even as he shook his head.

"Yeah, I do." He said, his voice soft, realizing that it wouldn't do much for his mood if he thought back to the dead. "She's great." He smiled, the smile more genuine than the brooding look that he had before. _'She's the little spark of light in the darkness that I need...'_

She was a Faunus, yes... But he would not let that stop him. It was their relationship, not something that would be arbitrarily decided by whoever looked at them with dissatisfied eyes. She was his Velvet, not someone who would be gone after a one-night stand.

He appeared at team CFVY's door a moment later, hearing the soft rumble of music of the Animese String Quartet, one of the team leader's favourites (although he had heard from Velvet that the woman would never admit to listening to something so unfashionable as a string quartet.). He knocked on the door, coming face to face with the mountain of muscle and martial prowess that was named Yatsuhashi, the tall student looking down at him. "She'll be ready in a moment." The answer came, and the door was shut again.

He leaned against the wall, glad that the team had become more accepting of the two of them together. Even with the woman's permission to date 'her little Velvet-bun', it still had been a tense situation, the barrels of the weapon trained right at his centre of mass. He was sure that the woman had intended to scare him a little, but Velvet had remained oddly silent.

"Cardin!" Her cheerful voice was loud, as she opened the door and appeared before him, her eyes glinting with enthusiasm as she leaned up to him and kissed his chin, her eyes bright and brown and wonderful, rubbing herself against him. "You look good!"

He smiled, even if she hadn't just paid him a compliment. "He could still do with better colour coordination, Velv-bun... Allow me a little bit of..." The team leader's head poked out the door, Velvet's head turning to her leader and something going unseen, as Coco's eyebrow rose in surprise. "Oh, bun's looking fierce today... Perhaps I should be worrying for your boy Cardy's safety, huh?"

"Cocoooo~!" Velvet's voice held a touch of embarrassment and shame, as she turned back to him. "Don't listen to her, Cardin! She's been listening to her silly music for the day, it's turned her brain to mush!" The chuckle of the team leader was loud, even as the young woman fixed him with a look that was kinder than the gaze of stern disapproval that it'd been when they first started dating.

"If he makes you get all mushy and gushy, do be sure to remember what you said about my mind, Velv... Can't let our little Fun-Bun get herself a boyfriend so she'll forget the friends that she's made here..." The teasing tone was as expected, Velvet turning a little redder in the cheeks, her eyes looking slightly irritated, before it was washed away with another streak of calm control.

"Let's go, Cardin." He heard her say, as he was tugged along. "Coco is just trying to tell you that she wants to get rid of her dry spell. She's not had a boyfriend in two years, after all." The flush on the team leader's cheeks was real, as she looked at her teammate with a look of stark betrayal; as if the news had no need to be circulated to one like him. He grinned at her, giving the woman a wink, a flush of red on her cheeks enough, even as he turned to look down on his girlfriend, who smiled at him.

"Did you want to go and give her a test drive?" She asked innocently, his eyes meeting hers, their innocent depths no doubt hiding her intent. _'A test drive.'_

For a moment, he got an image in his mind that many young men his age would not deny to be very appealing. Two nineteen-year-old women in the same bed, at their mercy... It was a hard offer to deny, Velvet's hand reaching out and gave his butt a little squeeze. "You're thinking about it now, aren't you?" Her voice was light and teasing, even as he stiffened in more ways than one, her tone a little lighter, even as he did not utter a word.

"Cardin, you should know that Faunus are rather liberal when it comes to sex." She had certainly been 'liberal' in that respect, even as he recalled the rather disappointed look on Goodwitch's face when she came to inform him that certain places and venues should not be used for procreative and recreative activities... or recreative procreation. That Velvet had been instigating those little jaunts was something that he had kept to himself, knowing that the woman would not let things go easily. "If you want me to convince Coco..." The offer was on the table, made by his girlfriend. It was hard to deny that it was something that would be an interesting time.

"You're my girlfriend. I wouldn't want to add someone to that mix." The smile on Velvet's face was bright, even as his gaze looked down at her body, petite in certain respects. It did not hold the certain appeal that her team leader was known for, as she held more of a wiry set of muscle, one that was built for a style of fighting that relied upon agility over brute strength.

The scars on her body, no doubt from the times that she had been out in the world with her team on missions, as the second and third years would undoubtedly be doing, were just testaments to the fact that she was a survivor above everything else. Even as they laid in bed together after a session of making love, she always kept her attention on him, her eyes drinking in every part of him, or so he thought. Having a girl look at you like you were some sort of tasty morsel definitely was a good thing, he supposed.

"They're preparing for the Vytal Festival! Let's go check out the stalls!" She sounded so cheerful to his ears, nearly an hour later, as she cheerfully made her way towards the stalls, the smell of fried foods and cheaply prepared candy floss hit his nose, spotting several civilians already making their rounds, children excited, undoubtedly about the stalls that sold candy, or the games and prizes that were being set up for the Vytal festival.

As they walked around, several looks were sent their way, his hand squeezing hers, knowing that she felt strongly about her own people and her own place in society. _'I admire her so much. She wants to show the world that the Faunus can be strong, not lesser than any human...'_ Her head turned to him and she gave a smile, even as her Scroll rang. "I've got to take this, Cardy." The nickname that she'd come up with, as she moved along, her ass moving in interesting, captivating ways in the shorts that she wore.

"It's her aunt, probably." He said to himself, as he looked at the stall that was right at the corner, his hand grabbing his wallet and checking the amount of Lien that he had available to him at this moment. His allowance was mostly spent on her, nowadays. _'She does care for her family a lot...'_

There was this need in him to protect her, even though he knew that she was an upperclassman and thus, better trained than he was. She was skilled, even though he had never really seen her weapon. They kept that part of them to themselves, even though it was pretty well-known that he had a Dust Mace. The only thing that she kept on-hand was a camera... which might just be the weapon that she had chosen. Her team leader had that handbag-gun, after all.

"Would you like to have your Tarot laid, young man?" The voice of an old woman reached his ears, even as he turned to the direction where the voice had come from, an old-style tent set up with 'Fortune Teller' on a placard in bright golden-yellow letters, a woman who looked to be right out of the fairytale section of the library, gnarled and twisted, with three sets of beads around her neck and some of the gaudiest rings he'd ever seen. _'If there ever was a picture of a fortune teller... this is it.'_

"Ah, no, I'm not sure I..." He started, trying to dissuade the woman from offering her services more, even as the woman held up a hand to forestall his words.

"Your lover has left you, hasn't she? Old Magda knows well the woes. Come in, come in... I shall lay the hallowed cards and divine your past, your future and your present." The woman, now known as 'Old Magda' shuffled into the tent, the flap pushed open for the woman to enter once more. "Come on, silly boy. It is free, I won't charge you a single Lien for your time. Consider it a gesture of good faith."

He looked dubiously at the woman, the gnarled hand beckoning him ever closer, even as the woman's old face looked sternly at him. _'She reminds me a little of grandfather.'_ The decision to step into the tent was motivated chiefly due to the fact that Velvet wasn't anywhere to be found, the smell of lavender and incense heavy in the tent, as he entered, ducking low to avoid the flap, the flap closing down behind him, leaving him in a dimly illuminated tent.

"Surprised, young man?" The woman sat herself on a rickety-looking chair, a large table laid bare before her. He could see a deck of cards already being shuffled by the woman's hands, her eyes looking at him with an imploring look, as she held out a slew of cards for him. "Select your major." The woman said, her voice lowered in some sort of mystical manner. "Show this humble one who you are... of which need you have."

Cardin reached for one of the cards, pulling it out, yet before he could flip it around to show it to the woman, she shook her head. "Let it go. Whatever side it lands on, shall be the depiction of the self." He did as she asked, looking at the card as it fell, face-up.

A single depiction of an upside-down sword, the stylized words of **Judgement** written below. It looked like the sword was just about to come down upon the head of one who was to be judged, the woman giving a soft sigh, as she looked at the card. "The major arcane of Judgement... Reversed. You have been hearing the call, yet you have yet to answer, right?" The woman's eyes looked at him with a question, even as he bit his lower lip, the woman putting the card in front of her and grabbing another deck.

"Pick three cards. Your past, your future and the present..." The woman's hands continued to shuffle the cards, his hand pulling out one, letting it fall down. "Now..." The woman's eyes looked at the card, a woman in her bed, nine weapons boldly displayed above her on the wall, her eyes terrified as they gazed at something unseen. "Your past was filled with anxiety, depression and worries, nightmares borne through flesh... You have been through much, have you not?"

He could see Arc's face flash before his mind's eye, the brief moment of their eyes meeting and then the rocket engine starting up, before the teenager was borne off to his death. _'I caused the death of a fellow student.'_ He looked down at the card, for a moment placing himself in that very same position. _'I was not a good Huntsman in training when we were just starting out.'_

"Regrets, fears and doubts... Guilt, even. It weighs on you like the heaviest burden of your life. Another card, for the present." The woman said, as she held the deck out again. He pulled a card, letting it fall down. It faced him, similar to the one before. "The six of pentacles... Your present is one of healing, one of recovery. Things feel alright, at this moment..."

The woman shuffled the cards once more, holding them out to him. "Now for your future." The card that he pulled and flipped was one that held five cups, laid before a man who stood tall. Cardin looked at the picture, the fortune teller looking at the imagery of the upright-facing card. "Regret, pessimism... A sense of failure. If you continue on this course, you will find only those things on your path. A woman shall find you and pull you from the muck you have found yourself in, one who will cherish you for your strengths and to fortify herself with your strength. Remember well... If the opportunity is squandered, only darkness will avail itself to you."

He frowned, the ill omens of the words of the woman striking a note within him, a difficult expression on his face. "Cardin?" He heard his girlfriend call out, and his head turned to her. "Hey, do you do relationship readings as well?" He asked, the fortune teller nodding once.

"Old Magda knows well, the vagaries of love. Do not take these cards too seriously, young man. The future is still unwritten... Yet there are trials ahead of you that may be hard to face alone." It brought to mind an image of him and Velvet, fighting against whatever came to him.

"Velv!" He called out, seeing her stand there with a faint look of surprise on her face, the kitschy tent that he emerged from no doubt giving him some sort of dubious quality, her smile bringing the joy of life to his heart once more. "Let's do a reading, the fortune teller here is cheap."

He didn't know how much the woman would charge for a reading, but it wasn't as if it would be highly breaking into the budget. The stalls here weren't the top standard, as he had known for most of his formative years. Being the grandson of Councillor Winchester allowed one to live life as a prince, even though the Winchester family itself held some power in the economic area of Vale as well. Everyone required a rifle, after all... and the _Winchester 20.04VY_ was one of the best of the best.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" She said, her face having shown a slight disapproval for an instant, barely slow enough for his eyes to catch before she put the face of a sweetheart on once more. _'Did I upset her by suggesting something like that? Is she one of those girlfriends that puts too much thought in her horoscope?'_ She joined him then, her smile brilliant once more.

"Ah, your girlfriend?" The woman inquired, the table remarkably clear, as he noticed that the cards had been stowed away somewhere, laying in the corner, the pack looking dust-covered, yet the cards that he had pulled out still shown clearly to his eyes. "A pretty girl, she is..."

He could see Velvet's eyes shift between him and the old woman, the woman's hands like talons, as he watched the woman's fingers brush over the wood of the desk. "Sit down, young man, young miss." The woman's voice was a little scratchier than before, even as she firmed herself up, shifting slightly to a standing position. "The energy around the two of you is unbalanced... The relationship is new, isn't it?"

He looked at Velvet, who smiled shyly at him, her hand grabbing his, squeezing it, in some manner of comforting. "We've been dating shortly, yes." The woman nodded. "Let me read your palm, darlings... Let's see how long your relationship is to last."

He held his left hand out, whilst Velvet held out her right, the woman taking his hand first, looking at the palm as if it contained the secrets of the universe. "Ahh... A strong line... One which wavers, through dangers of the past. A burden of guilt, yes... One of the times when you blamed yourself for an event beyond your power." The way that the woman spoke evoked the guilt once more, as the woman smiled, the finger that traced along the line long enough, as she looked at it. "A good woman will come on your path, one who has borne the loss of a sister of spirit in the future." The woman looked upon the line, even as she let go of the hand, turning to Velvet.

Cardin could see that Velvet shook slightly, her hand gripping his own tightly. Faunus discrimination was still something that occasionally riled her up, her eyes taking on a harder tone, even as she inhaled deeply. "A-and my hand?" She asked, the woman taking her hand and looking at the palm. The fingers slid over one of the lines, the fortune teller's face looking stricter than before.

"A life of hardships and pain. A cause that no longer adheres to your current situation, a lover who is ill-suited to your cravings and another who is the perfection of those, yet loving another." The woman's voice was soft as she spoke, the finger tracing the line not wavering in the slightest. "Oh dear..."

The fortune teller looked at Velvet for a moment, as she looked down at her palm. "Your compatibility is so low that it's..." The woman frowned, as she looked at the palm, then at him. _'No doubt she's trying to caution me against a Faunus girlfriend. I would have done the same, if I still thought as I did before.'_

"It's so low that it makes me wonder whether you two share any similar interests." There was a moment where he could see Velvet's eyes flash, an emotion that was akin to righteous anger flare up inside him as well, as he looked at the woman, who looked at the pair of them.

"Young man, normally, I would not speak of it, but the roads of life that you and this woman walk are ones that do not intersect. Your life-line ends sixty years from now, a long life spent in the service of the people, to ensure that we walk brightly in the day... Whilst hers ends soon, a path of shadows and befoulment." The woman's eyes urged him on, a sad quality in them, even as he grit his teeth.

"You can't say something like that! Velvet isn't... She isn't like that!" He knew that it was useless to speak to someone who was as convinced as he had been, the fortune teller giving a sad smile, as she looked at the woman with an expression of distaste on her face.

"Remember the words of Old Magda, young man... When this woman harms your very soul, know that I have spoken of it." The woman's eyes met his own, a clear green set of eyes, which seemed to have looked at things for too long, the woman's hand resting on the table. "Only misfortune shall come of the union with this woman, young man." The racist woman's words sounded genuinely sad, even as Velvet tugged on his hand.

"Let's go Cardin... She isn't the type of person that we would want to have around..." Velvet said, as she tugged on his hand, an urging manner.

The fortune teller gave a soft laugh, as she ambled towards the deck of cards, pulling out the card that he had drawn. "Remember my words, young man..." The woman said, as she held up the card, Cardin feeling how Velvet pulled him out of the tent, his distaste visible on his face.

"That woman was a nutter." He said, even as he felt himself led along by Velvet, her breathing heavier, as she seemed to be as upset as he felt. There was an awkwardness about her as she continued to move, no longer seeming to be as interested as before in these things. "Whatever she said, it's just soothsaying... It means nothing, right? Racists will always try to sway those to... stay in their own yard, right?"

He felt a flash of doubt go through him, as he tried to convince himself. Her face was expressionless as she opened her mouth, before she smiled suddenly and everything was right in the world once more. "Of course not, I love you, silly Cardy." She kissed his lips gently, as his face looked pinched for a moment, his eyes closing slightly, as his head turned to the direction of the woman's tent, seeing the place barely stand out.

' _Why did she stop for a moment?'_ He felt a flash of doubt again even as she leaned against him. "Win me a prize, Cardin." She said, looking at one of the shooting galleries that had been put up for the early birds to win a prize. Music sounded from the speakers, as the targets moved mechanically, without any stopping. _'Any competent Huntsman is going to win a prize... but as she commanded...'_

He was not going to let his girlfriend down. "I'd like a few shots, mister. My girlfriend wants a prize." He flashed a grin at the man who manned the stall, a bowler hat on his head, the orange hair that peered out enough, even as a young-looking girl pranced into sight carrying a large ice-cream cone. "Ah, sure. I'm just manning this for..." The man pulled out a small box, pulling out a few of the small metal orbs that went into the rifles, as he adjusted his bowler hat slightly, pushing it slightly to the front.

"Alright, five shots. Shoot em all in the bulls-eye and win a prize, kid." Cardin grinned confidently, even as Velvet looked at him with imploring eyes, as he raised the rifle. He might not be using a rifle in his Huntsman career, yet he still knew how to shoot pretty darn well.

As he hit the target, the orb hit the bulls-eye, his eyes tracking the motion, as the target's bulls-eye showed the hole, the man giving some sarcastic-sounding remark, as Cardin took aim once more. "Neo, please... Don't spill it over the suit. I still haven't gotten the other one back from the dry cleaner's..." The man's voice was complaining, yet Cardin could hear the fondness in that voice, as the young-looking girl seemed to look up at the man, mouthing something, the ice-cream in her hand looking like it was about to melt some more.

"Oh, it's your loss. I can't do anything about that. You lose, you snooze!" The man did a soft 'ha-hah!' as he looked at the girl, as she frowned at him. Her leg moved and he hopped slightly, holding his shin. "Neo! You may be twenty-three but I still deserve respect!" The man's voice was whining and pained, as he hopped, the girl giving a victorious smirk, even as Cardin took his aim, hitting another of the targets bulls-eyes. He could feel the burn inside his body intensify, as he felt the urge rising inside him to score another perfect bulls-eye on the target. _'I can do it.'_

Another bulls-eye and the man staffing the shooting gallery looked a little irked. "Hey kid, leave some prize for the others. I am not running a charity here with you acting like you're some primo Huntsman getting what he wants for his little missy." Cardin grinned, another perfect bulls-eye scored. A final shot, aiming for one of the further targets, and his finger hovered over the trigger.

The rifle moved, and yet, the target's bulls-eye was missed. He grit his teeth, yet he knew that he had messed up, the short girlish woman giving a soft smile at him as she mouthed – 'Too bad' – at him, as her partner or boyfriend, the man's hands going for a fresh set of targets, pulled out the score for him.

"Four bulls-eyes and one near to it! You win..." The man's eyes looked at Velvet and he snorted. "A fluffy little bunny-rabbit for the lady you've got with you!" The man's expression clearly showed that he did not appreciate Faunus, as his eyes lingered on Velvet for a moment before they shifted away, something in his expression becoming more guarded.

"Romeo, thank you so much for taking care of the stall for me." A tall man with a black moustache that would not look out of place on their Grimm Studies professor's face stepped up to the stall, the green coveralls that he wore at odds with the garish yellow sunglasses that he wore. "And this little lady is your fiancé?" The short woman smiled, doing a little bow, the parasol that she had with her dipping slightly lower, as a gesture of some sort of acceptance.

"Yeah, yeah. I did your job, let me get off." The man named Romeo groaned, even as the owner of the stall shook his head. It was obvious that the orange-haired man was not comfortable around the owner of the stall.

"You must eat our glorious food tonight, Romeo! You and your fiancé are welcome to eat at Luigi's table!" The man offered, even as his attention went to Cardin and Velvet, the man's smile broadening. "And you! You seem to have won a fabulous prize!" The man's voice was loud and excited, as he motioned towards the plushies that had been hung up. "Plushies! Soft and comfortable stuffed little animals, for your lady to take home! Alfonso knows well the comfort of these! "

Cardin watched as Velvet giggled softly, her eyes going towards the plushies. "That one looks nice." A plushie of a large bunny with floppy ears, something that just screamed cute, and yet looked so similar to her own. "I used to have one just like that..." Luigi looked at the plushie, the man known as Romeo trying to sneak off, but the man's hand grabbed the shoulder.

"Ahh, the glorious re-issue of the old standard... A reproduction of cute fluffiness!" The man's waxing about the plushie was something that seemed to be out of the ordinary, as the man's hand waves through the air. "A classic, reintroduced to the people in the latest issue! A boon for every young child in the world!My little brother, Mario, collected them all!"

Velvet giggled a little louder, as she seemed to find it hard not to giggle at the man's enthusiasm. "My family bought me one when they were released." The man raised an eyebrow, giving Cardin a look, as the man's mouth spoke up. "Ah, a woman of good tastes! Your boyfriend is happy to win you this prize, you are one lucky young lady!"

' _It's just a plushie...'_ He looked at Velvet and then at the plushie. "I'd like to have that one, please." He said, even as he looked at the plushie with another look, the man known as Luigi pulling the toy from the wall and holding it out for Velvet to take. The smile on her lips was something that he etched into his heart.

' _Not good for me? Her smile is like the burning sun, warming me up... There is no way that we'll be parted, unless some Grimm gets me first.'_

That's why he had become a Huntsman. To protect those who needed protection. To bring proud accolades to the Winchester name. To make a name for himself as someone that could be trusted.

He was Cardin Winchester and he loved his girlfriend Velvet. That was all that he needed.

* * *

 _The morning after (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He could feel the weight of Whitney rest on his chest, even as he opened up an eye to check his surroundings, the smell of sex heavy in the air, as he looked at the dishevelled state of the room and the sensations in his hips that he felt. She had fallen asleep before he had, before he had... dove into himself and seen Summer.

Opening his eyes fully, he turned his head to Whitney, the woman draped against him, her bare breasts exposed, the nipples fully visible, even as her arm rested around him, a claiming manner that would look cute if the woman did not look so serious whilst asleep. _**'Corruption Detected: Initiate Purge? Y/N?'**_ The Relic whispered to him, as he watched Whitney sleep, the faint stirrings of his desire still ebbing through his body, even as he gently shook her. _'I had sex. Woah.'_

He felt... pretty tired. With her assurance that it was alright for him to be a little fast during the first time, she had gently taken him to the next, as she had collapsed against him afterwards, a little seething puddle of emotions and joy. The way that she just radiated that pleasure was like an intoxicating feeling that shot right through him, working into his self and bringing him that everlasting joy that seemed to burn so brightly. She seemed to be happy, at least on the emotional spectrum.

Her head turned slightly upward, her eyes opening and looking into his own, a smile on her lips, even as she reached and grabbed a hold of him, her eyes looking into his own, a shudder working its way through her body, as a low yawn pushed its way forward, her lips twitching into a smile. "Did I do alright?" He asked, those eyes looking at him with an emotion in them, as she shifted slightly, crawling up him.

"Just perfect, my darling." Her voice was that needy throaty purr that he would have associated with Kali, that small hint of tension inside him fading, as she looked into his eyes. "My husband..."

She paused for a moment, as if to roll the word around in her mouth, testing whether it was still accurate. "My husband was not a man who enjoyed intercourse." Her eyes were moist, as she looked at him, a stab of emotions inside her, full of pain and hurt, emotions that had been caused by that man. "It was a quick affair. Ten minutes at most, whilst I told myself that he loved me."

Her voice was emotionless, yet there was hurt in her posture. His hand gently traced through her hair, her eyes moist, as they looked up at him. "Jaune..." Her eyes met his own, mouth moving in a way that was as if she wanted to say words, yet her expression barely shifted. With her expression like that, she looked young, like her daughter did. _'Weiss definitely inherited your beauty.'_

He was blessed with such a woman, desiring him. The flames of desire inside that body of hers were enough to make his eyes glint, even as the woman's hair felt like silken strands under his fingers, her head moving against his hand, those eyes looking at him. "Want to have another go?" She said, smiling at him, his heart stopping for a moment as she got up.

The smell of her body and his own body was nothing to really speak of. The scent of sweat and sex and that funky odour were prevalent, even as her hands brushed over her breasts, the globes of mammary perfection appearing to his eyes as perfect... But he might be terribly biased.

"I'd love to, but..." He couldn't stop himself, as his hands reached out, laying on her own hands, pressing against the yielding flesh that went there. Her nipples peaked, as she sharply inhaled, her eyes locked with his, a manic look on her face replacing what had been sensual perfection. It would have been frightening, if her heart was not overflowing with the positive emotions. He could feel it. **'** _ **Initiate Purge? Y/N?'**_ The mental reminder came once more and he groaned, knowing that it would be something that he would not be able to ignore, glancing at the Relic that crowned the staff. _'Whatever it is going to purge...'_ _ **"Requesting information on Purge."**_

"Don't hesitate, Jaune..." Her voice was definitely erotic in nature, the thoughts about some of the prettier girls in the settlement of his teens paling in comparison. That this woman was willing to love him like this meant that it was another stride on the path to adulthood.

"Take me, if you want. How you want." Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her tongue sliding over her lips, watching him with eyes that seemed to linger with an intimate sense of expression, her teeth, white and pristine, unveiled.

"I'm sure that Sienna and Kali wouldn't mind a lie-in..." She was a devious woman with desires, he could feel as much from her emotional state. _'Was I blind all these months? How could I have missed something so obvious?'_

She straddled him, her breasts still in his hands, even as her eyes met his own, the bombardment of schematics, containment fields and other such information that hit his mind at that moment enough to distract him for an instant, the woman's eyes meeting his own still whilst information transferred from the Relic to his mind.

 _The Animus Cage_. A construct of the spirit that kept a malicious practitioner's craft from escaping the bonds of the body, slowly absorbing the strength through an inverted matrix of power, crafted deep inside the body. _**'Purge corruption? Y/N?'**_ The Relic whispered once more to him, even as he focused on Whitney once more.

"Jaune..." Whitney's voice teased, as her tongue licked along his ear. "Tell me that you love me." She seemed to feel the need to brush against him, her tongue leaving a trail of saliva, even as his hands massaged those breasts of hers, a soft guttural groan coming from the woman's mouth, even with her whole body shuddering in the pleasurable sensation, her eyes looking right at him, even as he opened his mouth.

"I love you." Words were spoken that he felt were genuine. The bond that he had with her, that fleshy bond that had been the first barrier that was torn down between them, the need inside him so high that it was almost like an insurmountable wall that stood in front of him, something that was enough to change everything.

Tears leaked from her eyes, as she hiccupped, a sound coming from her throat that was soothing, yet with the need inside it to be comforted. "I love you too. So much... I've never met a man who I could love so much." Her voice was desperate and needy, her eyes twinkling faintly with that after-effect of desire, even as the Vitae Tenebris inside her throbbed and pulsated. It was only through the manipulation of the _Vitae Tenebris_ that he could keep himself in top fighting condition.

Whitney, as the only one that travelled with him save for Summer, was not one of his acolytes. She had not borne his mark, been infused with his strength... Yet she was one in anything but name. Her strength was inconsequential when it came to comparing her with Kali or Sienna, yet she was like the frail angel that bore death down upon the bodies of those who would harm him.

There was that distance in the mental connection between him and her... yet he could not feel that. He could not reach out and touch that mind, yet he knew her thoughts. Those eyes told so much, like a tragic princess that finally was released from the tower that held her in captivity.

" _Jaune?"_ Summer's voice spoke up, as another whisper of the Relic came to his ears, to purge the corruption, her voice sounding frail. _"Where are you, Jaune?"_ _ **'Corruption increasing. Suggestion: Purge. Anomalous data locked within Animus Cage.'**_

He remembered the moment when he had glimpsed her, her confused state enough, and the Relic's whisper... It all clicked together. _'Oh no...'_

What if the Relic ensured that Summer was forever chained within him, with no release or reprieve. Her voice he hadn't heard in nearly a month, it felt... and he had not questioned it, figuring that she was up to her own business... He hadn't needed her, he had not needed her counsel. _'Stupid, I KNOW the Codex... Even She would not dare mess with the Animus... But here, with a Relic that has been lashed together to a staff of mortal wood, I simply forget? You're a fool, Jaune!'_

" _ **Release Animus Cage. Designation: Summer Rose. Slayer."**_ The command was easy to input in the mental command chain, even as Whitney's fingers traced over his cheeks, her voice saying something, even as a popping sound was heard, his ears popping, even as something hit the ground beside the bed.

He turned his head to see Summer drop to her knees, her face haggard and pale, as she seemed to be brought back to the physical world without a fault, Whitney startling at the sound, her head turning to the woman, only to relax slightly as she recognized Summer. "Get off me." He said, voice commanding Whitney to do so, as he watched the limp form of Summer Rose lie there on the floor of his bedroom.

He was off the bed in a moment, kneeling next to the woman, turning Summer over on her back from where she laid, her clothing still a mix of things that she had scrounged from the bandit camp, the cloak not even looking like it fit her perfectly, yet the weapons... they had been perfectly maintained all this time. _'Without a doubt, a woman who was professional in the care for her weapons...'_

"Jaune?" Her voice was tender as her silver eyes opened, meeting with his own for a fraction of a second, even as she sniffed the air, her mouth giggling faintly, as he held her head up slightly. "Oh, I'm finally out..." She coughed once, as her head shook, lips forming words that didn't make sense.

"Help me get her on the bed." He said to Whitney, the woman having the grace to immediately follow his command, the mother of Ruby Rose laid on the bed a moment later, carried with grace. She felt like a puppet with its strings cut, her fingers twitching once every while, fingernails digging into the mattress, as she breathed heavily.

"So much..." The woman's voice was soft, yet carried within it the sound of one who had screamed until their lungs were raw and ready to bleed, even with how her eyes closed down. "So much darkness... I tried to hold out." Those eyes saw him not, as she tried to lift her hand.

"Tried my best, Ruby... Tried my best to come back..."The words were damning, as she spoke them, her eyes looking at him reproachfully. "But... Not enough."

A humourless cackle came from the woman's lips, as her eyes locked with his own, a flash of silver blocking his view immediately, as the blast of light hit him, the false arm twitching under the light, even as those eyes kept gazing at him. "There's so much darkness... A tide, I can handle..."

"Don't talk too much." He said, trying to soothe her, trying to make her more comfortable. "You're weak. Just rest..." Summer's expression was one that seemed to have given up, her eyes unseeing for a moment, a hollow look in them as she peered at him.

"I've not completed the Mission..."The woman's words were soft, even as her eyes seemed to focus, looking straight at him, awareness coming to them once more.

"Jaune?" Summer's voice was soft, as she looked at him, her facial features turning strict, just like his mother's did when he snagged the last cookie from the cookie jar. "Please... Don't put me into you again... My mind..."

He could imagine. The Vitae Tenebris was not a thing that would harmlessly impact a soul. Her own resistance against it, thanks to her silver eyes, was something that would only delay the inevitable for a while longer, even with his own willpower allowing her to remain within his body with little corruption...

Yet it still was something that created Grimm and no matter what... _'I should have checked!'_ He raged at himself, an expression on his face that showed his thoughts.

"Don't blame yourself... The Relic..." Summer's dry chuckle was like the snapping of twigs, her voice sounding much older than she looked. "It is powerful. Worthy of its name as a divine Relic. I just need... rest." The woman closed her eyes and the soft rhythmic breathing started up, no doubt some technique to fall asleep faster, her eyes opening up once more and a grin on her lips. "You smell like you got laid, though... Congratulations." The hand rose in a thumbs-up and dropped onto the bed again.

"Get a shower." Summer Rose said, and Jaune looked at Whitney, who gave him a smile back that made him feel a little thrill.

"We should shower." She said, in her best 'adult woman' voice, as her tongue ran over her lips. "I'll make sure that you're very clean." The promise of things that she would do was enough for him to accept the offer, holding out a hand, just as he would do to his sister when she offered to wash him.

' _You're not Rowe, but I'm sure that you get every spot as clean as you can.'_ There was a certain wonder in his eyes, even as they left the room, Summer laying there like a testament to the atrocity that he had committed with her very soul. Yet...

' _ **Anima Status: Intact. Corruption: Gone.'**_ The whispers of the Relic proved without a doubt that he was free of whatever corruption that he had carried, with Summer's expulsion. He could feel himself be more whole than before, even as he guided Whitney along to the bathroom, opening the door up and then coming face to face with an empty bathroom, the condensation on the wall showing that someone had used it not too long ago.

The shower was an affair of touches, scrubbing and little nibbles that did not bear any recalling, for Whitney's manner was, in this respect, professional. With the sponge, she brushed over his body, her fingers rubbing over the tender parts of his body, even as she looked at him like he were the lifeline that brought her happiness. As he repaid the favour, he marvelled at the beauty of a mature woman's body, every little gasp that she gave when he touched her opening up another realm of exploration.

"Jaune!" The door opened up and unveiled his older sister Bianca, standing there wearing a grin on her face, even as he towelled off Whitney, the brimming energy of Bianca's manner of being showing that she was happy about something. "You nutted in Whitney Schnee! You're a fucking champion, little brother!"

He could see Whitney wince at Bianca's crude language, even with the lack of modesty that she seemed to have around him. "Do you really have to say it like that, big sis?"

Bianca shrugged, as she gave him a grin that was shark-like. It did not make her look friendly in the slightest. "Of course I do! It's the polite thing to do when you go and bring a little brother to the height of embarrassment! I've got to tease you more so that you'll never be getting thoughts of being some sort of hot dick in pussy-town!"

The jokes that she made weren't really funny, especially if they were crude like this. Bianca's gaze rested on Whitney, the smile on Bianca's face something that he'd seen before on his older sisters' faces, especially when they had a juicy detail that they wanted to use. "So... how was my little bro's dick? Did you have a good orgasm?"

Whitney, in all the poise and grace that a woman of her status could have, did not seem to be conflicted or confounded by the lewd question. "This is hardly the place to speak of such matters..." She bent forward, even as her fingers daringly grabbed a hold, her lips pressed to his cheek.

The woman's head turned to his older sister. "But... This noble one did have a few enjoyable experiences." The smile on Whitney's face was polite, and her emotions were remarkably even as she let her fingers tease over the sensitive flesh. Bianca's gaze rested firmly on his face, though he dared to think that he saw those eyes slide down for a moment, only to pull back up.

"It's not going to be a bad thing for Jaune to experience the pleasures of the flesh." Whitney's voice spoke as if she were his mother instead of his lover, yet her actions were enough to make him feel a quiver. He could smell her need, as she had been roused to activity with the mere touch of her fingers on him.

"In Mantle, we do things differently." The woman's voice was rich, even as her fingers stopped right before the sensitive parts. "And if someone challenges Us... We are more than apt to return the favour."

He wasn't sure what she was getting at, as her hand continued, little shocks going through his hips. "Whitney? Eh, honey?"

He would never even dare to think about calling Weiss 'Honey', but Whitney seemed to respond to it well, her hand speeding up. "Yes, my darling?" Her voice was like pure laden sensuality, as the desires flared up high. He could see Bianca's eyes losing focus, her mouth going slack, even as the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside of Whitney bubbled and boiled. His sister's gaze dropped, and the simple house-clothes that she wore were tugged at, a hand diving into her blouse and starting to touch her breast, her cheeks flushed.

"Stop making..." A moan came from his mouth, as he felt breathless, his eyes closing as his hips pushed against the teasing hand. "Stop making my sister feel your need..." Whitney's soft purr was like Kali's, yet entirely more selfish and self-gratifying.

"Why?" The hand let go and he felt himself give a whine of frustration, even as Whitney's body moved like a stalking tiger pouncing on its prey, her left hand grabbing Bianca's whilst the right caressed the chin of the Huntress. The experience that Bianca had in the art of fighting was enough for most non-Huntsman to not be able to touch her, yet Whitney easily did so.

The look on Bianca's face was something that he had never seen before, eyes unfocused, her mouth uttering little squeaks, even as her cheeks flushed perfectly red, her gaze red. "Do you want it?" Whitney's voice murmured, the tone soft, Bianca's mouth opening once, a squeak coming forth, as her legs twitched.

"Y-yes?" He had never heard such a pathetic whimper come from his sister's mouth, as Whitney's lips pressed a soft kiss to his sister's cheek. Bianca's eyes rolled back and she collapsed on her knees, wetness gushing between her legs as she lost control over herself, quivering and shocking, her body losing control of its muscles as she erupted with a sensation that could only be called orgasmic. _'An effect that allows stimulation of the pleasure centre of the brain...'_

It was a thing, even whilst Whitney stalked back, her hand returning, giving a few satisfying jerks. "Nobody takes from me what I am due." Her voice was hoarse, as he felt himself be pressed against the damp wall. "And we will be needing a shower, because I am so turned on that I can't stop myself. _'So it works with herself as well... Whatever sort of Semblance this is, it must work both ways.'_

Ten minutes later and a very pleasurable shower afterwards, Bianca finally managed to collect herself, opting for a simple bathrobe after stripping herself down and hopping into the shower herself, guiding them towards the dining room, the table already set up for breakfast, Ashley seated in her chair, talking with Sienna and Kali, the latter who looked up at the two of them. "My... Someone's had their cream already this morning."

The first thing Jaune noticed was that Ashley seemed to be more relaxed around Kali than before, the smile that quirked Ashley's lips genuine, as appreciation seemed to have been higher than the evening before, undoubtedly something having happened whilst he and Whitney were... busy.

"Watch out, Assley... His little white cum-trench has some sort of mojo that makes you feel like you were taking a ride on the Knight." The crude language made Sienna frown, Jaune feeling colour rise to his cheeks.

"H-hey!" He said, even as Bianca prodded him, a frown on her face as she looked at him. She was most definitely not a prude, yet she looked irritated.

"Who was it that made me feel like I was just about watching a peep show, eh?" The look on her face was enough to tease him with the facts, even as Bianca and Ashley shared a look for a moment, the cheeks of Bianca still a little flustered-looking, Bianca sitting herself down on her seat and going for the bread.

"A woman has her needs. Young women who cannot maintain their modesty are to be taught to remain where they were." The response from Whitney was enough to elicit a snort from both his sisters.

"You sound like our father when you say it like that. Did you get that from Mrs Mirthegreen's book for young ladies?" Ashley said, popping one of the slices of bread in her mouth, even as she let her gaze rest on him, her eyes holding inquisitiveness and worry, with a small hint of amusement flickering in those eyes as well.

"I was educated as a lady at age 18." Whitney said, her eyes meeting with Ashley's. "My knowledge is not without its flaws, but I hope that you, as a sister in law, would be willing to assist."

' _Oww, that's a low blow.'_ To ask a sister in law to help with decorum was the height of insult, as it inferred things... things that were hardly polite. Given that Whitney was a whole generation above Ashley, it was basically telling his sister that she should teach one who should be teaching her.

"Nice. Jaune, I like her. Fuck her in the ass sometime on my behalf." Ashley's grin was crude, even as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. _'Their crude sense of humour...'_ It wasn't unusual for the two of them to crack a few jokes, although their father did not really respond in-depth. It sometimes felt like it was just the two of them that brought a shard of crude joy to the family.

"If he wishes it." The answer came from Whitney's mouth a moment later and he turned to her, as if questioning whether he heard right. Those blue eyes were fierce, even as they looked into his. "I'd give you that virginity."

"This is all very nice and good to hear, but I would like it if you were to sit yourself down and talk about appropriate stuff at the breakfast table. It is not the best subject at the breakfast table." Kali's voice cut through the tension that he felt, even as she looked at his sisters and at Whitney.

"Yes, miss Kali." Ashley and Bianca said as one, as they immediately focused on the breakfast part, the change something that he hadn't expected. _'What did she do to them?'_

His questioning look was met with a little smile, even as Kali winked. "They have been behaving well around me... save for a few moments when they were trying to make their case clear about the family's protection. You have good sisters, Jaune... Even if they did try to shoot at us." He could feel guilt roil around in Ashley and Bianca when Kali spoke, feel it push and pull, without any sort of reason for it. Why would they feel guilty about talking to Kali?

' _It might've been from nearly smashing the two of them into paste... They were remarkably accepting of them, even if they thought that I was an imposter.'_ That would probably explain it. Ashley and Bianca were crude and rude to most people not in the family, yet they had the heart in the right place. "So... I have a little bit of news."

He watched as his Faunus associates leaned forward, interested in his words. Sienna, currently half-chewing on a sandwich that had some sort of anchovy on it, leaned forwards, her orange eyes captivating his own, as she seemed to fix him with a look of supreme interest. "Summer was locked up inside me." The news meant something for the two, even as his sisters gave surprised looks.

"Gee, I don't know... How can you lock up a season?" Bianca's voice was trying to insert her own brand of logic into things, even as he gave what was a waning smile. They would not fully understand the mechanics, because they did not have magic.

"It's a woman called Summer Rose... She and I ran into each other during a harrowing event and I absorbed her into my body." The look on Bianca's face was a little uncomfortable, even as Ashley made a sound deep in her throat.

"That makes no sense. Where is the conservation of the mass? How does the mind continue to register thoughts, when you absorb it? Where does all the biomass go?" The questions were easily answerable with a touch of his hand to the Relic, yet... He did not feel like answering those mysteries in-depth.

"Basically, I sucked her into me." That was the best explanation, Ashley giving a nod as if she understood. She was the smart one out of the twins, whilst Bianca was more the type to 'pump em full of Dust and make em go bust', in her own words.

"With your body's unique manner... I suppose it would be easier to absorb someone with that strange dark stuff than it would be to fully consume someone..." Her eyes looked at him, a faint smile on her lips. "You are our Jaune, Jaune. We ran the tests. You're our little brother." The hope in his heart bounced a little, as he knew that she meant well, that her thoughts were on him, in the hope that he would be the brother that she had lost.

"Aww, you'd... You'd do that for me?" He asked, even as his sister nodded.

"Of course." She said, as if it were normal. "A d'Arc-Night does not give any creed other than their own any leeway. Any imposters who claim our name must be rooted out." She was reciting the ancient creed, of a day when there had been no genetic testing or any confirmation... days when life had been harsher.

"So, this Summer lady is resting up... Right?" She continued, her eyes stern. He nodded. "She's about... the size of Saffron. Not too much like your older sisters though. She's a short woman." He thought that he could see Sienna's eyes close for a moment, a lamenting sigh coming from her lips, but he guessed that it was around that time for her. _'Maybe she's just lamenting the height issue... Ruby was a bit fierce about that at first.'_

"She's three inches shorter than me." The Faunus woman said, as the attention directed itself to her once more, her eyes glinting faintly in the morning light. "Filled out a slight bit more, cup size C+, if I had to guess." The groan that came from Ashley was loud.

"Another one to key into the system..." Her skin was pale and pallid, her veins clearly shown below the skin. Due to yesterday's events, he had not paid too much attention to his sisters, even though he should. The events with Mister Hendrick had shaken him up, rewinding the knowledge and placing everyone back in a position which would make sense was something that he could do... yet it burdened his heart.

Ozymandias Pinnacle was a man who controlled the world through the showers. A public face of Headmaster, hiding the darkness that he has made his own. _'With a single word from his lips, people jump into the fray to enact his will... It is no wonder that he has managed to keep a stalemate going for as long as he has...'_

Death was not the end for the man, but merely another moment when he would be finding another Aura-less young man to incarnate in. He wondered how that would feel before the thought was dismissed. He would never put someone under the curse of being melded together with the soul of an ancient wizard... That was beyond the pale.

He could remember Her expression the moment that the sacrifice had finally worn out, the burnt embers slowly fading into dusty motes that drifted away, the divine calculation shattering the bonds that had come before, with only the fading embers of the loss to remain, as she was left behind and the ashes scattered.

He was _not_ going to turn into them. Ozymandias Pinnacle... The Grand Witch... Both represented ideals that were utterly alien to him. How could someone be so cruel as to sacrifice their own child, born from their lover, for the sake of immortality?

He was Jaune Arc... or rather, if he used his full name, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night. He was held to the standards of heroes of the past, of Arcs that went before him and eked out a living, remembering the creed that had been told through the ages.

"Jaune?" He felt someone shake him, coming to rest his gaze on Ashley, who looked concerned. A whisper in his mind told him that not everything was alright, that there were things going to happen soon, even as the pallor of his sister's skin was enough.

"Are you listening to us?" She asked, her tone a little more desperate. He could smell blood, as something seemed to be up, Sienna and Kali looking at him with mixed expressions, even as his eyes focused on Ashley once more.

"You're bleeding, little brother." She said, looking at him. He looked down to see that dark blood was leaking from his nose, an absence of _Vitae Tenebris_ in it, as far as he could feel it. He felt nothing but a hollowness settle inside him, as his eyes turned back to his sister.

Something made him raise his hand, touching his sister's cheek. A feeling of wrongness came to him, as he felt something inside her, a gnarled and twisted thing, something that perverted her body. "You're not healthy, are you?" He asked, his voice delicate, even as he sniffed. Blood dripped down his chin, even as he felt the pulse of power surge through his whole body. _'It would be so easy...'_

The whisper of power inside him lured him, told him that it would be better with a single infusion of his might, that the Vitae Tenebris would save his sister... "You're dying." The pain inside her body was now raw and exposed, as she looked paler by the second. Her lips pressed in a faint smile.

"It's okay." She said, trying to make light of it. "Bee knows of it... I've been keeping it hidden. It's not something that I want dad to know." Their father would react in the way that he would, calm and logical. "Cremea was the perfect little daughter... I'm just the perv with the brains."

Such depreciative language wasn't enough to tide him over, yet he felt a deep melancholy settle inside him, as she looked at him with that expression of pain and concern. "You're still bleeding, Jaune... Let me look at you. I'm a doctor."

He chuckled softly, as he remembered the times when he had been playing doctor with his sisters. "This isn't going to be just a cough, Ashley." She smiled, her eyes pained. Whatever had brought this weakness on was just something else, even as he realized that they had shifted positions in their seats.

"Rowe liked to play with you. She always did." Ashley said, her voice sounding like it was yearning for the days when that had been the case. Her blue eyes were slightly distant, as she looked right at him, her voice soft. "She always claimed the most time with you." A wavering smile on her lips, even as she looked at Kali, an expression that was hard to deny on her face, even with those eyes looking as haunted as they did.

"Don't worry, Ashley..." He said, as she tensed up, his hand touching along his elder sister's cheek. He could feel the heat of her skin under the coolness of his fingers, feeling the tension that she was under, as well as the pain that she felt.

"You've given life to one who was on the verge of death. Miss Belladonna spoke of her experiences... Do you think..." Ashley's voice sounded hopeful, as she looked at him. He knew that the _Vitae Tenebris_ would be able to mend the body... but it would also allow the body to be open to the influence of the darkness. It was not hard to see that his companions had all been touched in some fashion, yet he knew... He knew well that they were good people. _His_ people.

"It's a very dangerous thing." Kali spoke up, even as she appeared from the shadows behind Ashley's chair, laying a hand on her shoulders, Jaune feeling the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside Kali throb and pulse.

"You're not going to infect them." He said, Kali's head turning to him, her lips smiling faintly, a shake of her head the result. He could feel his sister's pulse racing, even as she seemed to stiffen in her seat.

"It's... it's an addictive thing, isn't it?" Ashley whispered, her face showing signs of nervousness, of need that had to be granted, as she knew not the effects of the Vitae Tenebris. "It shows the signs of it in the behaviour. Your friends... They see you as someone special."

He couldn't deny that, as he locked eyes with Whitney, who nodded. "He is a special man." Her voice sounded emotional, as the look on her face changed slightly, her eyes cast down. "The man that I love."The admission from Whitney was enough to send jitters down his spine, as she spoke the truth, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her not even showing signs of moving, the darker emotions that she possessed coming to the fore.

"I guess it's true what they say then, eh Bee?" Ashley said, giving a sad look at Bianca. "Incest is best, put your family through the test." The giggle that came from Ashley's mouth was one that held a faint hint of desperation, as she looked at him.

' _No, not going to happen! Even I have my bottom line!'_ He had his core values. He knew well that such a thing was one of the lines he wouldn't cross. "No, out of the question!" He said, even as Ashley's hands grabbed his hand, pulling it lower.

"If you can save my life..." Her eyes pleaded, the feelings inside her a mess, boiling and burning. This was like one of those erotic stories that he'd heard about, Ninja's of... something. This was... damn. She looked at him with those eyes, as she let her tongue slide over her lips.

"You were adopted. We never told anyone about it. A boy found on our doorstep. Mom can't have any more kids, so she adopted you as her son." She said, her eyes meeting his own, their blue colour meeting with his own. There was a pause, as Bianca inhaled sharply, clearly not happy with this, yet her eyes captivated him. "Just think of me as... Just a girl you know and happen to have grown up with." A wince came from her, even as he felt his resistance fade. He could not stop himself from wishing that

' _She's lying to me.'_ The knowledge was there, as her eyes pleaded with him. "Jaune... Please..." Her voice sounded like it could not hold on for much longer, even as she stared, her eyes broad and wide. She feared death. The fear curled around her so much that it was almost a reflection, even as she leaned to him, her eyes imploring him.

"Do it." Kali said, her voice sounding strict. "Give her your **blessing**." He looked at Ashley, who looked so small, even as her hand went down. "She's not related to you, is she?" Another lie, straight from Kali's mouth. He could see that Sienna wanted to say something but he kept his silence, observing them.

"If it's just sex... Hell, whatever..." She pleaded, as he saw the genuine fear of death in her eyes. "I don't want to die, Jaune. Please..." His hand extended, the Relic-topped staff materializing in his hand. _**"Commence Body Scan. Scan: Damage."**_ The Relic's vapours slithered from the staff, even as he sat there, getting up and letting the information feed itself into his mind.

A red zone around her spinal cord, readily shooting through the damaged body, branching out into the nervous system. He could see the small readouts of the damage done to the body, and then got information that surprised him – _Animus Gemini –_ , enough to make him look at Bianca for a moment. _'That is both good as well as bad news...'_

His fingernail pricked his finger, a red dot of blood welling up and information filling the mental feed with small attendances, the genetic link found to be true. _'At least I know that I'm not adopted... Not that there was much of a chance of that.'_ "Jaune?" He heard Ashley ask, even as he could see her shiver.

' _The metal inside her spine is corrupting the nerve feed that she's put there... It's likely that she'll be fully immobilized in three years or so, if she continues to move like that...'_ The diagnosis of the Relic of Knowledge was factual, listing the damage that had been done. His own body readout laid to the side, showing that right now he only had a minor case of fatigue and a slight headache.

" _ **Offer solutions."**_ The command was given and a list of solutions came to his eyes, the top solution being one that was the one that was immediately dismissed – _Mercy Kill –_ with the second _– Infuse –_ not being the best either. With his presence to mitigate the effects, it would be hard to keep Ashley from being corrupted by the influence of the _Vitae Tenebris_... It was hard for him to keep walking the straight line towards being a hero... even if the world seemed to wish to malign him into becoming a villain.

 _Install J.I.N.N. –_ The option flickered, as he saw it, and he looked at his older sister, who trembled slightly, her eyes looking at him with a strange quality in them. "Ashley... How about I make you know things you've never known before?" He asked, and Ashley smiled faintly.

"I don't need to know what it's like to fuck, Jaune." She said, her voice soft and with a little joking tone to it. It was another of her jokes, he knew from prior experience. "I've got Bee for that." He wasn't sure whether he was supposed to hear that, yet his eyes firmed up.

"Yes or no?" He inquired, as he looked at the Relic. The avatar would be worthless to him, but smelting the spirit together with his sister... _'The things we do for love...'_

He would not have considered it before if there had not been an urge. _'Animus Gemini...'_ He glanced at Bianca, who looked unsettled, her eyes darting between him and Ashley, who seemed to be considering the offer. A regular deal with the devil, one might call it... _'One of Her favourite tricks... Show them the spark of hope and then tear out the foundations that make one human...'_

"Yes." She said finally, after deliberating for a moment. "I don't know why... but I trust you. Miss Belladonna said that she was definitely saved by you... so I want to put my faith in you." The situation with her body was something that medicine could not fix so easily. He knew that and she knew that. "My semblance... it is to connect with machinery. It worked really well when I could just throw myself through a cable into the equipment... But if you could..."

"I'm not a miracle worker..." He said, even though he knew that installing J.I.N.N would make it a little easier on the systems to handle it. Melding together the divine guidance of the Relic of Knowledge and the soul of his sister... it hadn't been done before... But he was willing to give it a try.

He got behind her, taking Kali's place, laying his hands on her shoulders, even as he felt the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him bubble and boil, that dark sensation enough to bring a feeling of dark humour to his mind, as he felt the Relic pulse, as it laid against him. _**"Initiate transfer of J.I.N.N. duplicate to Corpus of Arc, Ashley."**_ The order was given and the transfer started.

"Jau-AHHNNNNNNNNNN!" The questioning tone of his sister turned into a pained shriek, as he could feel the intelligent conducts forcing their way in through the skin. "Ah ah, no, it hurts..." Whimpering, she thrashed in her chair, even as the Relic pulsated with a blue glow. He could feel her head whip back, her eyes glowing blue in the lighting of the room, the faint sunlight that still streamed through the windows casting a dark shadow over him, as he felt the veins of his false arm disgorge a stream of _Vitae Tenebris_ , the fingertips digging into her flesh, as the black ichors shot into her flesh. It would not corrupt her flesh, as it would fuel the transfer without any side-effects. His mind was like steel and his skill was with skill.

"Jaune, no... Ah... The grand theorem... The an... remember the Grand Witch, for her na-" The words that came out of her mouth were enough, as those eyes looked at him, the glow of Knowledge filling it, as the sclera turned a bloody red as the blood vessels burst, not even given a moment to recover. "The third conclave, Lord Arcadia's decree... Remember that the city of Vale was founded at... The three children fought and died... Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, Grand Warlock of the d'Arc-Night family... Son of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night... To make Chicken Tickle Massacre, you will require three fillets and... Four maidens of seasons oh-so-pure, Raven Branwen seeks for the cure... The broken kitten seeks for guidance, as the mother watches like a hawk, though she is black of feather and with a caw instead of a squawk."

The mumblings made little sense, though he had pushed himself to go through the process. He could feel the connection being established, felt how the intelligence that had governed the interactive process between the Relic and the wielder of the relic was pushed into the body of his older sister. "It's such a rush... Such a rush to be fucked in the ass. Whenever you can get three maidens together, one should be kind and a host without ensuring discomfort. All pretty boys must kiss the girls... No, mommy, I didn't steal the cookies."

"Is she alright?" Bianca asked worriedly, her eyes nervously looking at Ashley, switching between him and her. _'There is enough in her... Now it's up to the Relic.'_ The minute amount of _Vitae Tenebris_ was enough to allow Ashley to mend. The stuff that Grimm were created from would do its best mending the body.

"She should be better... soon." The copying of the J.I.N.N. into the soul of his sister was starting to wind down. "She's just adjusting to having knowledge shoved into her mind... She knows the answers to every test that has been created up until now."

The hope was that there would be enough space for her personality to remain the same, without being oppressed by the knowledge that she had gained. The soul was malleable, after all... and the fact that he was messing with things that he should not, was enough to make him feel a hint of dread. "Jaune liked the dirty magazine that Heather gave him for his fifteenth birthday. He likes it when Whitney touches him, because it shows him that she cares. He also likes to listen to Neo-Rock when it is being played on the radio."The information about him was being spewed forth, yet he broke the tether not.

"He thinks that it is a sad thing to see us all single. Dad wasn't the nicest to him, yet he persists, even though he was told not to. He likes to eat his pancakes with sugar and syrup." The feed cut off, and Ashley's eyes closed for a moment. His hands remained, the dark ichors of _Vitae Tenebris_ pulled out of her body as best as he could. She shuddered slightly, even as the veins on his arms distended, the blood welling up from the wounds.

Images filled his mind as the Vitae Tenebris surged back into his veins. _"This is Jaune... He'll be your little brother from now on. You should let him rest... Mommy wants him to nurse first. He's her little prince."'_ An image of a pale-faced blonde laying in the bed, his father standing at the side of the bed, Ashley's hand grabbed by Bianca. _"We'll take care of him. We promise."_ She had said, even as she looked at the little baby that laid within the hands of its mother, tender feelings welling up in her heart. They were big sisters again!

" _Ashley! Come and play with me!"_ Another moment in time, when the capacitor had nearly given out, a spark flaring, even as she looked up, Bianca's awkward look at her enough to drag an apron on, to hide herself from giving her brother a full view of her bare body. They were sixteen now.

" _Come on, Ashley! Before Ro leaves!"_ It had been a moment of awkwardness, as she was dragged nearly half-naked through the house, yet she smiled at her brother, who seemed to have found boundless energy inside him. Playing with him was always fun. Her little brother could be such a darling. Bianca followed after, only partially more clothed. It'd been a shower that they'd needed but the insistence from Jaune melted all resistance.

The memory shifted then, to another space, the dorm of Beacon coming to form around him, Ashley and Bianca standing in front of the door that led towards the hall, dressed in their Beacon uniform. They looked identical there, as if they had been clones of each other. _"Why, Ashley? Why do we have to... do this? Do we REALLY need to hide how we feel?"_ The expression on Bianca's face was desperate, the events taking place during their senior year, the expression changing to one of hopelessness.

" _We should... It's better this way... Who would judge two sisters who like to talk about fucking? Who would think that... that we... They'd pressure us. Just as they did with Heather."_ Her voice had been desperate, even as they awkwardly glanced towards the door, and they opened it together, to face their team.

Another scene flashed before his eyes, the memory obviously later in their life. Ashley was standing in the practice room in one of the basements, dressed in the gear that she'd crafted before she'd started using her mechanical armour. _"I can't lie to him anymore! I'm going to tell him, right here and now! You KNOW what it does to her!"_ Anger showed on Bianca's face, even as Ashley stood there, trying to shush her sister.

" _Whatever happens, it happens! Dad does everything for a reason... and if he doesn't want to talk about something... We can't do anything, Bee..."_ She sighed. _"Whatever dad does... Fuck that. Fuck it all... She deserves our love, Ash! Don't think that you can 'fix' her. She's broken on the inside!"_ A complicated expression came to Ashley's face. _"We're all broken on the inside... Heather just... takes it too literally. You know how she gets..."_ Bianca's face grew annoyed, as her gaze slid down, resigned to the status quo.

" _Jaune..."_ Her voice was a soft whisper as she entered the bedroom, sitting herself down on the bed, which showed the signs of being messily made up again by someone who usually didn't do the laundry, the picture of the family that'd been taken a few years ago standing on one of the tables. _"Fuck, I'll miss you, little brother. Your team... They'll miss you too. They saw you for the bright little spark that you were..."_ Her feelings poured out, even as the door opened. _"It's alright, Ashley..."_ Bianca's arm wrapped around her, as the tears fell, mourning the brother that she had lost.

Sanity returned to him once more as the process seemed to have been completed, the feedback ending at that instant. "Ashley? Are you... alright?" He asked, voice sounding questioning, as he watched her expressions, a faint scowl on her face.

"This was a bad idea..." Her voice sounded distant, even as she rolled her shoulders, heedless of the small wounds that still leaked blood. Her head turned to him, her sclera still bloody and her irises glowing a bright blue colour. "Neural uplink established. Connection forged with Grand Warlock Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night." The robotic tone of voice that emerged was enough to confirm some of his fears.

"I don't want to sound like I'm some fucking droid! Bianca! We're going to go with Jaune and his pack of girlfriends." There was no argument in her voice to make it so, her eyes fierce. "I know everything that Jaune likes, even to the way that he's getting himself all jiggy with his woman." He flushed, even as Ashley gave a confident grin. The read-out of her bodily integrity read 100%, her whole system having been mended without him even noticing it.

She got up, a sound of something metal hitting the wood and he could see a metal cylinder that looked like something that'd be put to use as some sort of socket for... wires, Ashley's smile brightening. "Little Jaune..." Her voice held warmth, as she inhaled and exhaled slowly. Her eyes showed happiness, even as she stretched slightly, her arms in the air and she twirled around, faster than her previous speed.

"Sis!" Bianca said, at her sister's side immediately, in order to catch her. It was unnecessary, as Ashley moved out of her sister's grip, pulling the shirt up to expose her back. A large circular scar stood out there, where the spine was located.

"It's all gone... But..." The electrical devices in the room fizzled, the tv starting up as her eyes glinted. "I've got the power to control everything around me..." A cackle that was not too out of the ordinary for any sort of mad scientist came from her lips, as she stood straight. "Oh, Jauney..."

Her smile was broad, as she walked to him, her fingers tracing patterns over her body, patterns that he could faintly discern to be something more than usual. "Wanna see a magic trick, Jaune?" She said, her eyes showing her happiness at being restored, the unusual prospects something that he could only dread. An array appeared in the air before her, filled with bright glowing lights. _'Basic illumination array... Good for nineteen days of illumination. Trainee stuff, usually practised before the first steps into the elements.'_

"Ash... Is that..." Bianca sounded stunned, even as Jaune moved the staff with the Relic, a similar array formed in front of him, bright golden lights mingling with silver and red, forming a wonderful balance.

"Magic."He said, pride appearing in his voice. He felt genuine pride well up inside him at the thought of his sister being capable of magic, as that would give her greater skill in the art of fighting Grimm.

Ashley grinning broadly as she nodded. "The talent isn't with me... But I know the general spells... I can... probably, do things."

A capable war mage could throw a fireball with about as much effort as one swatted a fly, yet the level of capacity within Ashley's body was too low... Plus, the _Animus Gemini_ was enough to quell such a response from the internal magical capacity. "The basic spells should be available to you... and to Bianca. It's an inherited trait, so..." He paused, before his thoughts went to a direction that he had not travelled before.

' _If the Semblances of a family are all powerful, does that mean that the aptitude for Magic lurks within?'_ That was a question that he would not easily answer, yet he knew that Ashley with small magical skill was still a more capable combatant than Ashley with a crippled spine.

"Jaune?" She spoke, stepping up to him and then pressing her lips to his own in a gentle kiss. "You could have just mended my flesh... You could just have used... That. I would have survived, at the least... Living is still preferable to..."

He smiled softly. "I don't want to enslave my family..." He said, even as the bold truth came out, Bianca looking like she had been struck by some realisation. It was quite comical to see the look of slack-jawed surprise on her face, even as Ashley seemed to treat it as something completely rational. "But sometimes, we do what we must. I wouldn't want my big sister to die."

Ashley smiled at him and gave her best 'happy sister' look, at odds with the consternation that Bianca showed on her face. "You know... we aren't too serious when we're talking about the erotic stuff." She said, Jaune nodding.

"You can tease but you'd never do something against the will of your sister, right?" He looked at Bianca, who laid a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"So... You've got magic. Do you have magic fingers too?" Bianca asked, trying to lighten the mood. Jaune could hear Sienna give a low groan, mumbling something about 'lame jokes', as she settled down in her chair, the utter lack of expression by the other two no doubt something that had come about from his manipulation of the _Vitae Tenebris_.

"I know every little spot on your body that makes you feel like you're god-damn princess Orgasma of the kingdom of Clitoris, Bee-itch." Ashley's bravura had returned, as she rolled her shoulders. "Oh, and Whitney? He likes it when you kiss him. Now..." Ashley did a little hop, a hand rising to the air. "TO THE LAB! I have adjustments to make to Ferrum Mors, since I've got my body adjusted... Oh, and I'll be working on the bike too, so I can get you four to Vale. Dad said that we should guard the house, but I don't think we'll be having a siege coming anytime soon... But eh, we'll be returning here after dropping the four of you off. Official Huntsman protocol." Her eyes flashed, as data seemed to stream from the Relic to her mind. _'Whatever the effects, it certainly impacts her...'_

"Now that Jinny has given me a new lease on life... oh, thanks for that, Jaune. She's a darn peach. Already whispering to me things that I need to know to get myself plugged into Ferrum Mors." The 'AI' that governed the Relic of Knowledge was something that was more or less like an interface that could be given physical form and shape if one used the Relic in a certain way.

"Who is Jinny?" Bianca asked, her voice sounding suspicious. It was not unusual, as Ashley's hand rose and a blue representation of the J.I.N.N. appeared. The Relic's shape was with the representation, bare breasts showing the bounty of femininity of the woman.

"Think of it as a computer system, but localized... right here." Ashley tapped her head, even as the representation blinked out of existence. "It's a lot of information to sort through... It's almost as if I've had the entire library of Arcadia stuffed in my mind... But luckily, there are some safeguards in the system... It'd be horrible to have my head explode from overload, haha." The giggle that she gave was manic and not at all comforting in the slightest, yet there was a definite tone of comfort in that voice, even as Ashley looked at Bianca. "So... Bianca? We're going to make Ventus Mors great again! I've got JUST the right thought for making some explosive gravity shells!" Ashley grabbed Bianca's arm and pulled her along, the energy that she got from the transformation and restoration not in the slightest bit diminished. _'As long as she is happy...'_

"So... Your sister is happy."Kali said, as she crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "Does that mean that we'll be watching some Arcs mate tonight?" He could hear the sharp intake of breath from Sienna and Whitney.

"Kali! You can't say something like that! It is obvious that Ashley was only joking!" Sienna's voice sounded scandalized, even as he noticed the usage of Ashley's first name. _'Gee, whatever happened must've been pretty profound... or sis felt guilty. It's probably guilt. She always was a great sister.'_

Kali shrugged. "It isn't that abnormal for some Humans, you know... Don't you remember the last Emperor of Mistral?" Whitney's face was enough of a distasteful sight for him to ask the question to the lamp, the Relic supplying the information a moment later, a long genetic degeneration of the bloodline due to incessant intermarriage between the noble families. _'Ick, that sort of thing actually makes me queasy...'_

He wasn't going to see his sisters as anything sexual, anyways. There was being a pervert and then there was being utter trash... and Jaune d'Arc-Night was NOT trash.

"But if he really wanted to..." Whitney's voice made him freeze where he stood, as she looked at him, her body moving, feet stepping softly onto the floor, moving with an unhurried pace. "Whatever you want to do, you can do." Her voice was implicitly trusting, as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her neck. "No matter what. As long as you are happy."

It was a strange situation that he was in... but it made sense for him. She was just looking out for him. "I'm not someone who is sick in the head enough to do that, Whitney."

Her name felt strange to pronounce still, yet her smile was brilliant. "A pity... You have pretty sisters." She said, as if that made things better.

If he thought about it, yes, he did have 'aesthetically pleasing' sisters. They were all unique in their own respect, from Heather's rather tomboyish look if she dressed casually opposed to her 'Huntsman outfit' to the maturity that Azure showed from time to time, even though there was only two years between them. "I'm not going to sleep with them. They are my sisters, come on..."

Sienna caught his attention with a clearing of her throat, as she got up from her seat. "Are you going to sleep with us?" She inquired, the question piercing right to the heart of the matter. It was a question that was like a punch to the face, as she looked at him with eyes that demanded an answer.

' _Would I slee_ _p with them if I could?'_ They would not offer resistance if he so wished. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside them was his to control, even with the burden that he felt by controlling them like puppets… He would sleep with them, he had to admit. He knew that it was wrong but… he couldn't deny that the thought of a woman being with him was attractive.

"I'll take that as a yes." He heard Whitney say, as her fingers brushed over his side, her body pressing up against him, her smell invading his nostrils. "Would you join us?" She looked at Sienna and he did react, imagining the Faunus in the nude. He had caught a glimpse every now and then, due to their shared quarters and the Faunus woman's own manner of looseness around Kali, the two of them genuinely friends and trusted companions.

"N-no! I would not!" There was a moment of hesitation before the Faunus spoke, those orange eyes burning with what might be confusion, as Kali swept in to defuse the situation.

"I've got seniority, after all." The woman purred, as she pressed up on his other side, her fingers stroking over the other side, the clothing feeling a little restrictive as heat blossomed onto his cheeks as Kali's fingers definitely went over his butt. "We can't let you try to ride this young gallant prince…"Kali's fingers DEFINITELY were going to make his ass bruise. "if I haven't tested him out."

' _Is that even legal? Doesn't she mourn her husband?'_ The woman's cheek brushed against his chest, the smaller stature of the two women compared to himself something that seemed to only accentuate the way that they were there. His sisters, save for the eldest two, were slightly smaller in stature. Heather had once joked that the tall genes only spread to the eldest of both genders, Kali's hand pinching once more.

"Don't you mourn your husband?" He asked, as Kali's eyes met his. Amber met blue and red, as a smile darted on her face. It was one that showed joy and amusement, a contrast to those dark thoughts that came with the woman's husband's fate.

"Of course I do." The hand that had pinched his bottom rose, showing the wedding ring still on that finger. She let him see it for a moment, yet her lips pressed against him as well. "But… He would not have wanted me to be unhappy. Ghira always enjoyed my laugh…" Her voice was softer, as her hand slid back to his rear and gave it another firm pinch.

"He would have wanted me to take care of our daughter. She is the proof that we have loved each other for over twenty years." The woman paused, before her gaze went to Sienna. "You know what it is like, right?"

Sienna stiffened, a look on her face that held conflicting emotions, her usual bluster and rage against whatever laid in her path gone, as she took a deep breath. "Whilst I am no virginal field of undriven snow… I will not renege on my promises. I promised someone that I would come and sleep with them." There was sadness swirling in her, he could tell, the person that she was speaking of somehow very important to her.

"Dear, we don't know whether that'll happen. They've told as much when you called, right?" The woman who currently was letting his ass feel her touch like the viper's kiss was soft in her words, even as Sienna's throat issued forth a growl.

"I made a promise, six years ago! I am not an oathbreaker!" Sienna growled. The words were soft, even as those eyes met with Kali's, unflinching determination in those eyes. "I swore that I would keep that promise, even if it went against everything that I stood for." Kali felt sadness as well, as he looked questioningly at her.

"It's a matter between Sienna and me, Jaune. What happened in the past… happened in the past." Kali's tone quivered as she spoke, a deep darkness inside her welling up, sad emotions warring with grief. _'It must be something personal…'_

He wasn't going to tear open any wounds, but Kali had somehow managed to answer the question about her being interested… And that opened up a whole new set of options. _'Would I have the guts to accept this woman?'_

He had, he knew that much. From that brief contact with her soul, when his aura had ignited hers and the _Vitae Tenebris_ had first slid into her flesh, she had been someone akin to a mother to him. A woman who knew well the best things to do and could dispense sagely advice to him with the wisdom that she had gleaned from her life.

"Not now, though… I need… I need some time to think about all of this. About how I fit into your lives." He said, sitting himself down again. He could feel Whitney push herself against the back of his head, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as her scent filled his nose.

"We're not going to jump you, silly boy." Kali said, even as she sat herself down in the chair that belonged to his mother. It was strange that they had chosen to seat themselves in different chairs. "That's Whitney's task."

The scandalized sound that Whitney made, gave Kali the opportunity to laugh, her eyes twinkling. "I'm not going to come in-between the two of you, silly… You're a good friend, White… Don't think that you're not. I don't have any designs to steal away your boyfriend." Her eyes twinkled, as she looked at him, her tongue flicking over her lips as she leaned against the table.

"But if he wants me to love him… Well, I never shied away from a challenge." Kali grinned, winking at Whitney. "Wanna see how you can get this kitty purring for you, Jaune?" He knew that he was turning red, as Whitney's fingers massaged his shoulders, a little harder than was comfortable.

"We've got first rights." Whitney said, as she looked at the Faunus, who merely nodded in acceptance of that, her fingers tapping the tabletop.

"Oh, I understand completely. You've been lusting after him ever since he saved your life." The brutal truth made him look at Whitney, the knowledge that she had been infatuated with him all this time hitting him, as he looked up at her. Whitney's face was a mix between embarrassment and truthful love.

' _I must've been an idiot or something to not have noticed something like that.'_ Boys and girls courted each other in different ways, he supposed, and he had heard often enough from some of his sisters that he was a little thick-headed at times. "Am I wrong for doing so?"Her hands were going down, rubbing his chest as she spoke, her voice clear. "He is such a man."

He wanted to say something about just being seventeen, but that was not something that he could voice audibly, even as Kali's soft chuckle came to his ears. "My Ghira was more of a man… But alas…" Her voice trailed off, as she sent a look at Sienna. "There are some things that a woman needs, Sienna. Don't try to deny it."

The Tiger Faunus sniffed disdainfully. "I am not some… cat in heat! I can resist the urge to fuck him like he belongs to me!" Her eyes were showing her irritation, Kali's emotions starting to grow even more satisfied, like she'd gotten an extra helping of cream with her dessert.

"Oh? So you HAVE the urge to fuck him?" The crude words that slipped from Kali's mouth were something that he hadn't expected, the Faunus woman so casually using the word, Sienna's mouth shutting in an instant, as colour blossomed on his cheeks.

"It's all her fault!" The finger pointed to Whitney, who seemed to be barely cognizant of it. "She's been releasing all sorts of pheromones whenever she's around him and it is driving me nuts!" The eyes of the Faunus were stern, as she shook her head. "I made a promise and I will fucking keep it! I know it, you know it… Ghira knew it! Sienna Khan does not break her word!"

Whatever she was getting at, it clearly moved her emotionally. Her eyes were blazing as she pointed at Kali, who sniffed shortly. "What he thought of your promise, I can't say. All I know was that he struggled with how it all happened so quickly at times when he was reminded. You were there, Sienna, you KNOW!" Kali's voice was angry, accusatory, full of anger and frustration, clearly the subject not being a happy memory of the two women.

Whatever the two women were talking about, it obviously wasn't something that he ought to know. "How about we go and leave these two to their conversation?" He asked Whitney, who looked at their two Faunus companions, his mind turning back to Summer.

"Of course I know! I was there! By the Gods, you just can't…" Sienna's posture was defensive, hurt in her eyes flashing, even as the emotions on both women seemed to run higher and higher, their eyes glowing faintly as the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside them seemed to boil and bubble, their powers starting to work, activated by their heightened emotions.

"Let's check up on Summer." Whitney said, as he got out of his seat, retrieved the staff with the Relic topping it and walked briskly out of the dining room, shutting the door just in time to hear a shriek from behind it. _'Whatever they've got going on between them, I can't interfere with that. That would already be too much…'_

As he opened the door to his bedroom, the Relic pulsated, as Summer Rose's eyes locked with his own, the woman curled up on the bed, shaking like a leaf. Her hands were wrapped around her legs, as she rocked slightly, her body stiffening as her eyes met with his own, wide, the eyelashes moving slightly as she blinked. "Jaune?"

He could feel Whitney's hand slip out of his own, even as Summer Rose moved, faster than before, her body in motion as she moved like she had been prodded into action with a surge of lightning, her body shooting right at him with speed that would be akin to Ruby's use of her Semblance, yet still… humanly possible. When she hit him right in the solar plexus, he felt the brief crunch of the bone resisting the punch, her body stiff like a statue, as he was knocked back, landing against the door that led to his sister's room. "You… You!"

Her voice was harsh and fierce at the same time, even as her punches rained down. His cheek swelled with pain and warmth of that pain as her fists delivered blows, her rage suddenly igniting, as the tears leaked from those silver eyes, the veins around them slowly having returned to their natural state, with no corruption to be found within. It was like a flash of light, as they shone with a silver light.

"Raaagh!" The sound of anger and a near-feral nature came from behind Summer, as Whitney tackled the other woman to the ground, Summer struggling under the hold of the woman. Jaune wondered where Whitney got the strength from, now that she had tackled Summer away, the smaller redheaded woman struggling under Whitney's grip, glowing Glyphs appearing around Summer.

' _What could have led her to attack me like that?'_ The memory of the previous events, before he had set her free, came to his mind and he felt a pang of deep guilt well up inside him, even as he watched Summer struggle, tears leaking from her eyes, as she tried to get free. "Let me go! Let me go! He must be punished for his crimes! Let me go-ho!"

Legs that had held the strength and agility of a seasoned warrior kicked, as Whitney loomed over the woman, a savage look on her face, one that seemed to hold all the fury of a woman possessed, her emotions showing her anger and frustration. "Lay a hand on him again and I will let you feel what it's like to be a ping-pong ball between a set of Glyphs…" The threat was clear, even as Summer struggled still, her eyes looking fierce, her head moving in shaking, jerky manners.

"He must pay! Please, let me go? I'll just rip his eyes out and bleed him dry!" That was not a really great fate for him to suffer, actually. He didn't really like being eyeless. Or bloodless.

Whitney's head slammed forwards, headbutting Summer, the woman snarling at the other woman. "Shut up. Get your fucking mouth shut or I'll have Sienna tape it shut with your own tongue! Do you want to see your daughter again or not?" Summer seemed to cease her struggling, even as her legs stopped kicking, Whitney's breathing heavy, Summer's own breathing equally as heavy, the height of their emotions having instilled a certain manner in them that made it hard for him to look away.

Two women, both with their own particular charm, on the ground, Summer dominated by Whitney, who looked like she was about to break the other woman's spine. No matter what, it should have been Summer dominating Whitney, yet there was an anomaly with Summer's behaviour.

"But!" Summer tried to say something, Whitney's voice doing her best 'angry bear' impression, as she balefully looked down at Summer.

"No buts! You're going to apologize to my Jaune and you're going to make sure that you're in control again! I can feel the desires inside you, Summer… You crave vengeance for what has been done to you." The words that Whitney spoke, were laudable, even though he was unsure what she meant with 'the desires inside Summer'. He hoped that it wasn't going to be like the Kali situation.

He would never be able to look Ruby in the eyes if he'd slept with her mother. Facing Weiss… oof, there'd be a reason to start drinking, right there and then.

* * *

 _The Art of the Deal (Jacques Schnee-Gele)_

* * *

A certain beauty was to be found in the numbers that laid out before him. His eyes glanced over the neat rows of audits and financial predictions for the next quarter of the year, a sufficient yield to keep the expansion of the company a fact. Labour costs were down all across the board and only a few measly rebellions had to be put down.

A beep on the intercom was heard, the voice of his son coming through the speaker. "Father, can I have a moment of your attention?" The pride that flashed through his heart did not show on his face, even as he looked at the numbers again and then weighed whether he would be needing to take direct action or whether to delay said action until after he had seen what his son and heir wanted.

"Of course, Whitley. Do come in." The staff of the mansion was barely acceptable in comparison to the services of the previous butler of the house. They did their job as they were paid to do, yet their quality often let things feel lacking in comparison to the old butler's manners.

His son's face held no smile as he entered, the perfect controlled poise and grace that he had drilled into the young boy from the day that he had finally taken his first steps and learned how to balance the books, carrying him over to the desk, easily standing there at ease. "Father, I have some questions about how the international Dust shipments are being handled. Do you think you could illuminate me with your wisdom?"

' _This is how a child of mine should act. Respectful and wishing to learn, not going away to some far-off place to learn how to become a Huntress, or even gods-forbid, the personal dog of the General.'_ There was no real cause for strife between the Schnee Dust Company and the Atlas Military, as the latter was one of the biggest purchasers of Dust on Remnant, yet it galled Jacques to see his eldest child, the heir-to-be before she had gallivanted off to Atlas Academy.

"There are varying tariffs that have to be applied before you can export Dust, mainly to do with the accreditation and the shipping manifests…" As he explained to his son the manners of the international Dust trade, he mentally congratulated himself for having had the moxie to seduce the Schnee heiress. Without his own charm, he would not have become the Lord of Dust that he was, with every kingdom begging him for the blessing of the Schnee Dust Company's glorious stock of Dust crystals and powder.

It had been the perfect deal for him too. As a young man of thirty, he had seen the young woman standing at one of the fancy gala's and had managed to coax her into a conversation, with the girl glibly swallowing the tripe that he spoke of, with another meeting planned three days since. After the formalities had been done, he had even been allowed to marry into the Schnee family at the behest of Nicholas Schnee himself, the man who had graciously funded the first three ventures of the ships that would soon be carrying Dust to every part of the globe.

That Whitney had been a pretty woman had been one of the reasons as well, yet her beauty did not stand up to the Lien that he could earn from the position as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. _'It only took two bad shots to produce such an heir…'_ He looked fondly at Whitley, whose expressionless face pushed itself into a smile that barely reached the eyes, the feeling of satisfaction enough for him now. _'The budget ought to be managed… But I'll run it through the accountants first.'_

He was not a man who wished to achieve mediocrity… He strived for perfection, for the ability to make the world act to his whims. _'That my eldest child wishes to whore herself out to Atlas… It is a disgrace to the family name. Winter should have been my aide, the one who would carry the glorious name of Schnee into the future with a bold glance, instead of…'_

He froze, his eyes looking at the numbers, moustache quivering slightly, as he brushed a finger under his chin, thoughtfully going over the options. _'If I were to die, would that not mean that Whitney's seat on the Council of Atlas would go towards the eldest heir? I did not kill her to let Winter sit upon the seat and steer this country to ruination with Ironwood's paranoid antics… The man holds two seats on the council… and with Winter as his 'vote', he could push through legislation easily…'_ A shrewd plan came to his mind immediately, as he tapped his fingers on the table, a habit that he had gotten into ever since he had needed to make decisions, his eyes focused on the screen.

"Is something the matter, Father?" The respectful tone of his son reached his ears, a faint smirk coming to his face as he recalled those moments of brief satisfaction.

"We have to discuss tariffs another time, Whitley. I have a need to adjust some things of a delicate nature." There was no need to speak to Whitley about what was going to happen. He glanced at the date and the time. _'Three months since the death of my 'beloved' wife… So I have another three months to ensure that I will be able to change the status of heir…'_

He looked at Whitley, fondness welling up in his heart, as his lips twitched into a simile of a smile. "I hope to have helped you a little with your questions, Whitley. Do well in your studies. I will see you tonight at the dinner table." The smile on his son's face seemed to brighten slightly at the praise that he had given, even as his son turned on his heel and walked out of the room, the door closing behind him.

It would take some time of course, but the Will could still be altered, slightly. A single word of change could place Whitley as the primary beneficiary… Which would speed his own dominance over the Atlesian government. Minors, unless both of their parents were both no longer amongst the living, did not have the power to access their own finances and heritage unless given special dispensation by the courts… Or if they were the heir intended to the parent who perished last.

' _Perhaps another long session of training tomorrow, just to work the stress off…'_ He thought, as he opened the file and started to write the message to the officials that he would have to 'persuade' through donations.

' _Soon, the name of Schnee shall be worshipped and respected throughout the land... My legacy to last for a hundred generations.'_

* * *

 **Things are afoot! Kali has declared her intent to fuck Jaune... and is willing to wait! Summer Rose is upset with Jaune! Cardin and Velvet went on a date! Ashley Arc is gonna live!**

 **The opening shots of this third volume have been fired! I've got a lot of great things in store for you, ladies and gentlemen! Jaune meeting with the remnants of team JNPR! More Qrow! Beacon! More backstory on the Ozpin situation! Schnee-business! Revelations! More Sage Arc!**

* * *

 **Totally random tidbits about A Grimm Tale's cast and world. (World of Remnant: A Grimm Tale version)**

 **Raven Branwen's weakness is alcohol, in contrast to her brother's alcoholic antics. A notorious amount of bad decisions have been influenced by getting drunk, including three moments in time which team STRQ has vowed to 'never ever speak of again'. Summer would, at times. Perks of being the team leader.**

 **Kali Belladonna's husband Ghira took her name when they got married. No given family name was supplied for Ghira, even though their marriage has not always been as calm and tranquil as it had been. Kali actually won the Miss Menagerie competition twice in the years that they had been living in Menagerie. Sienna once won third place. General competitions of beauty amongst the Faunus often feature their Faunus traits, rather than physical beauty.**

 **Yang sleeps badly when at her father's house due to the situation after Summer had died. With her father sinking into a depression after her mother died, it fell onto her shoulders to maintain the household and care for her father and her little sister. Contrary to what one might think, she has no friends outside of her Team, as she adopted the 'popular girl' attitude in an effort to connect with the people and privately doubts her own skill in communication. She is not as confident as she appears, yet she tries to keep herself from acting like a girl in order to give a good example to Ruby.**

 **Atlas has five council members and one General who is allotted a seat on the council. Vale has three that have been permanently appointed, with a switching cast of senators. Mistral has nineteen. Vacuo has a democratically elected council of 'whoever can find it in their heart to talk to the bastards who have actual snow' Usually three or four, depending on the season and which clan was currently in control of the City.**

* * *

 **Official Data**

 **Name** **: Syfres, Maroon.  
** **Age** **: 51  
** **Occupation** **: Councillor of Vale  
** **Occupational specialities** **: Trade/commerce, Public Relations  
** **Personality** **: Cunning, ambitious and driven to ensure what is best for her political ambitions.  
** **Biography** **: Ever since entering the political spheres, Maroon Syfres has always been a woman driven to perform to her utmost best in order to obtain the power that she could get. Without another word, the nature of the woman is to ensure that her vision is executed.**

 **Currently, it is her goal to ensure that Ozpin joins the Council of Vale as its fifth stable member due to the political capital that the man has amassed, allowing for easier amendments to the laws of Vale. Criminal ties have been hinted at from time to time, yet no proof has been given about the allegations.**

 **Her niece, Melinda Syfres, is often the cause of a headache due to her proclivities for 'exotica', as Maroon would term it. In less polite terms though, the councillor has at length discussed the antics of her niece with her brother, who dismissed it as mere rebelliousness on her part. Still, Maroon would be willing to aid her niece, as she had been infertile since her youth, when exposure to chemicals in the water supply during the Faunus Rebellion poisoned a majority of the people thanks to a saboteur that could pass for human.**

* * *

 **So, here's the little tidbits about the world of A Grimm Tale, with the various political factors that make up the landscape, some backstory about one of the major characters of the story (well, major side-character. Team Jaune and RWBY are still the 'main cast', but don't think that I'm forgetting about all the other people!) and well... I just would like to ask if you'd like to see more of these character profiles and the little tidbits that litter my whole notebook on 'A Grimm Tale' and its storylines. The dance of tigers is remarkably easier to write because the tone is a lot different from the gloom, doom and angry moms of A Grimm Tale.**

 **The story of A Grimm Tale is only in its third volume out of seven, but I can promise you that the tale will be as exciting as I can make it!**

 **Leave a review! It's always nice to see people's reactions as to how they experienced the world I've crafted. Even if people point out the things I should work on, I still like to see that they think its a well-written piece of fiction. Just an 'excellent', 'great job' or 'exquisite' just makes my day(or night).**

 **See you all in two weeks for the next chapter of A Grimm Tale!**


	33. Sworn oaths

**Chapter 33: Sworn oaths**

 **Now, people often ask me why I** **write A Grimm Tale... And the most I can say is that there is a story to be told. This is just the third volume of... say, seven. The plotlines that are featured intersect fully in Volume IV, as far as I've planned it. People will not like it. People will complain 'Oh, you're giving Cardin a happy ending!' or 'We want more Jaune!' and well... I can understand where you are coming from, really. The differing perspectives and different characters all build up to tell the story of the world of 'A Grimm Tale'.**

 **Is Sage Arc's story arc finished? No. He will return. Just realize that in A Grimm Tale, time and the chronological order of things, are not as sharply adhered to with the perspectives that feature. Jaune and company's day might be five days behind on Ruby's and Cardin's little segments may be three days behind. The Arc family (Those currently in Mountain Glenn) will pop up again, but they won't for the next few chapters, as far as the planning goes, aside from one or two segments.**

 **I know you are all anxious to know of the moment when Jaune finally kicks Cardin's ass and makes out with Pyrrha whilst riding on some motorcycle and wearing a trenchcoat with a rocket-powered katana... But hey, that's not going to be A Grimm Tale's Jaune Arc. There will be adult stuff in the future, but right now, Whitney's in the lead and currently staking her claim.**

* * *

 _The terrible ticking of time(Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He felt off. His body was weighed down by the other bodies that shared the bed with him. It was definitely something to be curious about, even as they laid in the bed that belonged to his twin sisters. Ashley's body was curled up against him and Bianca's arms laid half-over the edge, the absence of any of his female companions noticeable. _'How exactly did I end up like this?'_

It had started last night with Ashley and Bianca emerging from the lab again, a glowing screen of LED lights appearing on the suit of armour that Ashley wore, the 'elder' twin emerging from the armour. "Thirty times the effectiveness of the input-output directive... AND... Bianca! Hit it!"

Her younger sister sighed, her head shaking once. "I don't see why I should..." The morose-sounding tone of Bianca definitely was something that seemed to be odd, given the natural energy that the two held most of the time, as she reached behind the armour and it closed up again, standing at attention.

He could feel the tether between it and Ashley, the neural link that had been established visible, as the energy of her body and soul mingled with it. "Perfect acceptance of my mind dominating it... It's... Miraculous!" There was excitement, as he just stared at her, Ashley's face turning slightly to her sister. "He doesn't look convinced. Ferrum Mors, play File Arc, Jaune, subdirectory: First time."

The suit changed slightly, the screen popping into the chest again, before emerging, the metal and wires exposed for an instant, as the screen played. "Oh..." He said, voice sounding very unenthusiastic as he caught a glimpse of his own room through the camera that hung in the corner of the room. Privacy reasons, they had cited. Every room in the house had a camera.

He had forgotten that a few times when growing up. Ashley had made sure to remind him to use lotion, whenever he was ready to polish his sword. "Oh, this is... Jaune..." Kali's voice was so amused that it seemed to be like a hint of something, as Whitney's face flushed with redness, her gaze drawn away.

"I think that there is something to be said about the Schnee family's enthusiasm for drilling virgin soil." Sienna's voice was humor-laden as she looked at the things depicted on screen. "My..." There was a smugness in Sienna's voice, even as a close-up of the private parts was given. "Not too shabby, Whitney."

His cheeks burned with heat as he looked at Sienna, a pitiful whine coming from his mouth. Summer's morose look was dead, her eyes looking at the screen for a moment and not a word came out. She'd taken one of the seats at the side, and there had been a brief scuffle, the bruise on Summer's cheek from Whitney's actions earlier starting to fade already. "Make sure that you get your next time with lube... It's awkward seeing that."

He looked at Summer, who looked bored and lethargic, her eyes looking at the screen with barely any interest. He couldn't feel any emotion inside her aside from the void, not a single thread of emotion to caress. "It's still hot." Ashley said, as she challenged that assertion.

"Two people making love... What would your mother think of you recording such a thing?" Whitney said, her voice sounding a little annoyed, there being an edge to it that seemed to bring more than just a little pique to that voice.

"It would be horrible to just allow such a woman to grace the world. Stealing our little brother's virginity!" Bianca spoke up with a tone that showed she was hardly serious, overdoing it on the dramatics whilst glancing at him with an amused look. "Unless..." Her lips parted to show a perfect smile. "Unless little brother wants to have a spot of fun with his older sisters?"

' _They're definitely messing with me.'_ He could see that they were working in concert, even as he saw Whitney's glorious body move on the screen. "So... You recorded it." He said, to which the twins nodded.

"Shouldn't we have? It's a thing to show the family! We'd never do anything without proof, Jauney-wauney..." The shudder that went through him was visible, as he remembered that horrible nickname from his earliest school experience. It had been primary school, mostly, but it was still something that just irked him terribly.

"Stop that! You know that that I don't like that name!" The snicker from both his sisters was vocalized at the same time, as they took one look at the screen and then at Whitney.

"Oh, was his little Jauney-wauney good, Whitney?" The woman's eyes locked with Ashley's first, the glowing blue of those eyes meeting hers, as she straightened her back. "Or did he have some issues to fire?" The teasing tone was like it were Kali's when she wanted to get Sienna riled up, Ashley's body feeling like it was at a comfortable spot, ready to be in action in a flash, if it were needed.

"Oh, the salvo was satisfactory. Of course, some measures need to be taken... But I'll be the one who's going to make him scream at night whilst you can only watch... Isn't that right, Ashley? You want to have your brother hold you and love you..." The woman's accusation was spat with a vile tone, her eyes blazing with indignation and irritation. Ashley's eyes narrowed, as her tongue licked over her lips, about to deliver a riposte.

"Let's not fight... I'm not some sort of grungy bastard who'd want to sleep with his sisters." He thought back to the guy who had nearly sworn fealty to him on the Titanic, yet he was pretty sure that they were only half-siblings... pretty sure. Half-siblings were... easier. Full siblings? Oof... That would open up a WHOLE can of worms.

"No, you're an upstanding person. You've not been tainted with the harsh realities of the world yet." Sienna said, in a show of support. She caught herself then, as she seemed to wonder why she had said something like that, the movie clip of his own first time playing still. He saw the expression on his face. _'I look stupid... But it was worth it.'_

He was getting the tingles again, and Ashley's eyes dropped to the ground. She seemed to feel shame, as if she had not considered something. "Jaune..." She said softly, as if her voice was on the verge of breaking a little. "I... I didn't..."She didn't finish her sentence, as she looked between Whitney, him and Sienna. Kali was in the process of looking at the screen, her eyes riveted to the sight of Whitney and him doing that stuff.

' _I should feel shame, I should tell them to stop showing this... but I haven't.'_ He wondered why that was, as it would be shameful to have them show this... but aside from the embarrassment, he was not feeling much shame. It was...

' _She's really gorgeous. Pretty doesn't do her justice.'_ He thought, as he looked at Whitney's expression, her face twisted in rapture as she moved her body. His body, responding as it should, felt the stiffness, and he inhaled a little deeper. "Jaune?"

Whitney's voice brushed into his ear, as her fingers slid over his thigh, touching it with that gentle touch of hers. "I want more, Jaune." Her voice was like the siren's call, as her fingers continued to massage his thigh, the presence of her hand sending little shocks through him, as her body leaned against his own. "My body is yours, Jaune..."

"We want to sleep with him tonight." Bianca said, Ashley looking at her younger twin sister with a look that showed her surprise. "Just in the same bed. We'll be wearing pyjama's, if you don't... eh, mind." He caught the hushed whisper from Bianca – ' _Since when do we have pyjama's?'_ – but Ashley merely shrugged and responded back in a similar whisper. – _'We'll nick Saffy's. She's about our size...'_

"Why do you want to sleep with your brother?" Whitney's voice was cool and collected, her eyes flashing with that darkness that she kept at bay, the challenge that his two sisters had presented before her something that he wouldn't dare to think about.

"We... We used to all sleep together in the same bed, once upon a while. I just want to..." He could see the difficulty that Bianca had with expressing that, Ashley's hand rubbing over her sister's back. _'They did like to cuddle up to Heather because she was the warmest, heh...'_

The oddly sentimental manner that they had been showing was something that seemed to be sprung from the heart, as he felt no lies or deceit planned. "I'll go get my onesie." He said, as he looked at the image of him and Whitney on the screen, laid in bed together.

"That horrid thing..." Whitney mumbled, as she looked at him. "That thing is NOT coming along with us." The woman's foot was put down, as she locked gazes with him. "I will not have my beloved dress like... like..." Her eyes flared up. "Some moron."

"But its comfortable!" He objected, Whitney's eyes blazing with a look of feminine righteousness. "It really is! It's nice and fluffy and covers my body!"

"It's hard to get into the mood if you're wearing that thing." She said, her voice tense. Ashley and Bianca did not utter a peep, as Whitney fixed them with a look. "He keeps that thing on the whole time and you will be appropriately dressed, young ladies."

The twins looked at each other and then shrugged, as if their brother was worth that sacrifice. "We'll go and eh... get ready." Bianca said, before Ashley turned to the Ferrum Mors armour. "Code Nine Seven One, system shutdown upon return." The armour marched out, easily moving with no issue through the doorway, the door shut and opened. _'That IS a neat function... But it might have something to do with her semblance.'_

The evening afterwards was a blur, as Ashley and Bianca appeared again wearing pink pyjama's that DEFINITELY looked like they'd belong somewhere in some teen-rated movie to gather views from the hormonal teenagers. The excuse of 'Oh, this was the only thing that she had' was not believed in the slightest by Whitney, who marched herself, like an angry mother finding out that her beloved husband had been seeing teenage girls behind her back, to the room that belonged to Saffron, only to return with a defeated look on her face and a soft 'It's true... Your sisters are weird. They wouldn't even fit Sienna.'.

The Faunus, not too pleased with the comment, merely gave a scoffing sound in return, turning her head away. Kali's mention of 'Oh, we sleep naked.' made Jaune turn a little red, imagining Sienna and Kali in the buff. He had seen that before, but after... events had transpired... he was even more aware of their bodies.

They did not take offence to that, luckily. Another argument between Ashley, Bianca and Whitney might just be enough to make the room catch fire, Whitney's own assurance that she would 'most graciously' take one of the bedrooms that had been set aside for the rare guests that stayed at the mansion, whilst Kali and Sienna... went somewhere else. The house was big enough to accommodate thirty guests, yet there were only twelve guest bedrooms.

"Did we... did we do anything?" He asked Ashley, shaking her awake, her eyes opening broadly as she shifted a little. The fact that the pyjama's were a little tight on her body did nothing to hide her appearance, as she yawned.

"Not to my knowledge." She said, Bianca rousing from her slumber as well, a low groan coming from her mouth as she rubbed at her eyes. "It's too damn early Bianca, go back to sleep." Ashley hugged him close, a closer feeling than the distance that had been between them for years, a sisterly gesture, he chose to observe it as, as she rubbed her head against his chest. "Dad never really liked cuddles."

"He didn't." In all his life, he could count the times when his father had been forward enough to hug his family. The man just didn't do emotions well, something that Ashley had explained once upon a time, but had rapidly been forgotten. It wasn't like he disliked his father, I mean... The man had given him the gift of life, who could dislike someone for doing that?

"Hey Jaune..." Ashley's voice was demure, as she laid next to him, her arm still holding his. "Do you... trust them?" Her voice was clear on who she was referring to. _'My acolytes...'_

"With my life." He said, without a doubt. Sienna might have struggled a little with her loyalties... but she was not a bad person once things got tight and there had to be a quick exit made. She was after all a woman who cared for Kali first and foremost, without any sort of hiding of her emotions. "Whitney... She's one of the most beautiful women that I've ever seen. She cares a lot too... She used to come and talk to me every evening when we first set out. I've saved her life." It had been a gallant save too. Her in his arms, caught before she could even hit the ground.

"Our gallant prince Jaune, saviour of damsels!" Ashley said, giving a soft laugh afterwards. "She loves you more than she loves herself. Don't ruin that for her." He could feel a hint of acceptance inside himself, as he knew that he would be ready to defend her when it came to such a thing. _'My acolytes... No, my friends... No matter where you are or what you are doing, I will defend you.'_

"Kali and Sienna... They're Faunus, so..." Ashley's voice sounded a little doubtful, as if she had not fully known the desires that he faced.

Thinking of Kali in some nice lingerie... definitely was giving him some hard time, as the woman's current appearance, looking like an older Blake with her eyes containing the burning emotions of one who had witnessed much, was someone who definitely could get a spot in his wet dreams.

The leg that brushed against his groin was totally unintentional, from the way that Ashley stiffened, her eyes opening as she looked at him. "Jaune..." Her voice was emotion-riddled, as she looked into his eyes. "Do you like..."

He knew that she'd see through any lie that he made up. "Yeah... Kali is a good woman... Sure, she's got other standards than us when it comes to being appropriate, yet she is a good mother. Her daughter Blake is very pretty as well." Of course, Kali had been most invested in ensuring that he knew what her daughter liked and did not like. It was the benefit of being a mother, according to her own words... and Kali had snuck in a few things that she personally liked, now that he thought about it.

"Jaune..." The leg brushed a little harder, not enough for him to hurt, but enough for her displeasure to be shown. "Please... Don't do anything with them." She paused, as she pulled her leg away, leaving him feeling a little oppressed. "Make me some pancakes, you groggy bitch." Bianca murmured beside him, her grip on his arm harder now.

"Why not?" He asked, Ashley looking away. It was clear that she did not want to face him, the leg turned away, her back towards him.

"Mom wouldn't like you to... She'd get very angry." There was a hint of pain in her voice, as her emotions started to flare up, dark emotions, as she turned herself to him, slightly, her head looking up to him. "Whitney is fine. She's got the pedigree, the looks... But Faunus? Jaune..."

Anger flared up inside him. "So what if they are Faunus!? They are still lovely women who have bled for me! They've fought with me, fought for us all to survive!" Bianca grunted something, her hand smacking against the back of his head with a 'Shut up!' coming from her mouth a moment later.

"Do you want me to sleep with you? Is that it?" He hissed, Ashley's mouth falling open for a moment, as the blood drained from her face. White-hot fear shot through her, her eyes opening wide.

"Is that it, Ashley? Are you and Bianca just teasing me out of some sick game, to seduce me?" He felt the paranoia swell inside his mind, as Ashley's face turned the colour of the shattered moon, his eyes blazing, red as the morning's sun.

"She'd kill me... Oh gods, I'd be dead before I could even refute it." The naked fear on Ashley's face was enough to show him that it had not been her intention to do such a thing, if only for the way that her face changed, Bianca actually rousing from her sleep at that moment.

"You're looking pale, sis... Did you get your underwear twisted?" Bianca's lazy voice came from his side, her eyes opening slightly, letting her azure hues peer at him with complacency.

"Would you seduce me, Bianca?" He asked her, Bianca's eyes opening widely, fear welling up in her heart, going through her body like an explosion.. He could feel it rush through her, his expression confused, as he didn't know why she would feel this fear, her whole body shuddering as the thought registered, her hands pushing her away, an 'eep!' sound emerging from her throat as she fell off the bed, emerging a moment later. "Oh no, never. We may tease but we know the borders that we must not cross."

"Please, don't say something like that again..."The plea in Bianca's voice was there, even as Ashley seemed to try to control her breathing once again.

"Mom really has a strong handle on the family, doesn't she?" He said, reminded of the woman who had given birth to him. Her face had been kind whenever she came with him to places when his older sisters weren't available, even though she had missions to undertake. _'Mom really cares a lot for us all... So it's not unreasonable for her to immediately leap to an aggressive solution if there's a problem.'_

"Y-yeah." Ashley said, unnerved tone of voice sounding like it had just about reached its end. "We had a problem once and she's..." She glanced at her sister, wordlessly communicating with her, as if the world was just something that stopped their communication.

"She's always been to our stuff." The answer came from Bianca, as she hugged him tightly. "We were just teasing you, Jaune... Don't think..." The words were a little desperate, even as he laughed.

"You're my big twin sisters. Do you really think I'd have the guts to try and ask my big sisters to sleep with me? I'm not THAT desperate for love that I'd go and do something with my family." The twins looked at each other and mouthed something, before giggling at the same time. He wondered briefly whether it was something that he'd said, but the two hugged him tightly.

"Jaune... No matter what, we'll protect you." Bianca said, even as she kissed the back of his neck, her hair tickling his flesh. "We said that we would when you were born, older sisters don't lie."

"Yeah, we're sisters. That's what we do to our big lunk of a brother." Ashley's own lips pressed against his cheek, a cheeky smile on her face. "Even if I was a little surprised that you really like the feel of Whitney's kisses..."

He flushed red, as he realized that the Relic of Knowledge had given Ashley a lot more knowledge about his own personal thoughts than he would like, even as she grinned beautifully. "Now, don't be shy... Give big sis a kiss!"

He pressed his lips awkwardly to her cheek, feeling embarrassed by the teasing that she did, her eyes sparkling brightly, even as the door opened up and Whitney emerged from the entrance like some statuesque queen, catching him mid-moment as he kissed her cheek. The woman's eyebrow rose slightly, yet she did not speak up, yet.

"Now, that's a good brother." Ashley cooed, her gaze sliding to Whitney, who stood there still like a waiting disaster, her eyes glowing faintly. "We'll be out of bed in a moment. We've just got to fuck Jaune a few more times! Come here, little brother... Let big sis show you why we are amazing again!"

It was solely to rile Whitney up, yet the woman did not feel for it, her eyes tense and her gaze meeting with Ashley's in the manner of a woman who held all the cards and was about to win this game of chance. "You can stop with the act. I haven't felt any of the strings of desire from you for the past nine hours."

He wondered briefly whether Whitney's sensing ability might be something that could come to be useful, even though he did not really know whether the sensations that she felt were the same that he felt. Every emotional impulse in the vicinity was like a burning beacon, telling him of the presence of someone who had some emotional connection, who could lure the Grimm to them. It was only after that registered, that the last part of her words registered. _'She's been watching us for nine hours?!'_

"Do you want to fuck him, then?" Whitney's grin turned bold and fierce, as the thin gown that she wore, something that he'd barely paid attention to, since she had been so quiet since entering, fell to the ground.

"I don't mind getting my due." The woman said, as she joined them on the bed, pressing him back down with her palm as he tried to get up. "Hush, Jaune..." The fingers of her other hand were sliding the zipper down, even as her teeth suddenly found his ear. "This is what I deserve..."

He glanced at his sisters, who made no attempt to move, even as Bianca shifted a little in her comfortable spot. "I guess we're getting a first-rate view of what it's like to see little brother handle a woman, sis."

It was odd, by most norms, to have family watch... yet he personally thought that it was much preferable over the outcome of actually sleeping with his blood-related family. The thought of that brought to mind an image of Her, her pale features and burning crimson eyes locked at his own, threats of hopelessness fading into mind as he remembered some of the encounters that the Grand Witch had, once upon a time, had with her lover.

"Eager..." Ashley said, her voice dousing his mind, even as Whitney had already pulled the onesie down, her fingers already pawing at his thigh, a crooning sound coming from those lips of hers.

"H-hey! Whitney?" The woman growled at him, an actual audible growl that seemed to contain the desire within her brought fully to bear, her eyes burning with that passion as they gazed up at him, her fingers sliding over his thighs, his mouth issuing forth some giggles, as the tickling sensation grew stronger. _'Are those little hearts in her eyes, or am I just imagining it?'_

"Yes, my dear?" How her voice could sound so wholesome, like a wife towards her most beloved husband, was something that was beyond him, as her head lowered itself and gave soft kisses to his stomach, the tickling making him giggle some more, his body shaking slightly, as she delivered kiss after kiss.

"A-ah." The woman's gaze locked eyes with him, as her tongue dragged over his skin. "My sisters... They're still around, Whitney, ah..." The twins gave one of the most ominous chuckles that he'd ever heard, the sound much like their father's when he had reached a particularly fortunate result in his mission rewards.

"Don't mind us, Jaune... We like to watch." Whether it was Bianca or Ashley that spoke, he didn't quite know, even as Whitney's lips pressed another soft kiss, her tongue drawing little circles on his flesh, where the start of a six-pack was already beginning to show. He wasn't one of the muscle-bound people, yet he had gained in definition through training with Sienna and Summer.

* * *

 _The predations of perfection (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

Her eyes glinted as she beheld the morning sunlight creep in through the windows, the faint smell of sweat and perfume mingling together to form an aroma that was most definitely not the most pleasant, even as Sienna stood before her, the chain that she had wrapped around her wrist enough to wield, the Dust parts of the whip not even active, with the handle somewhat ready to be utilized, if it was required.

The tight suit that she regularly wore had been discarded for now, only the bare flesh of their bodies standing opposite of each other, a sprinkle of perfume just enough to mute the scent of sweat, yet it mingled together either way. It was not the best thing to do, sparring naked, yet who was going to interrupt them?

"I don't agree." She said, as Sienna delivered a set of quick whips with the business end of the whip, the crack of air displacement heavy in the air, as Kali rolled out of the way, Sienna's form already shifted to the 'cute fuzzy doom-kitten' form that belonged to her status as an Acolyte. Kali's own form was still her own, even though she cut an imposing swath of impressiveness when she kept looking like an older version of her daughter, her ears twitching a few times, the piercings that rested in them still as perfect as the day that she'd first had them inserted in her ears.

"But it's the only way! We must have a chance!" Sienna said, her eyes fierce, as the primeval shape of her body moved faster than most Faunus would be able to, the tail flicking once, even as Kali moved, the katar in her hand stabbing at Sienna, the Aura barely dented, even with the Bengal Tiger Faunus doing her best to ensure that she would lose quickly.

' _In most aspects, Sienna outranks me, yet I know that with my agility, I can easily work around her.'_ The power and the endurance of the form that Sienna had obtained thanks to Jaune was something that would make most Huntsmen teams quiver, the speed and dexterity that she herself had being something that she had to protect...

' _If I am the knife in the darkness, Sienna is the sword that is out in the open...'_ An allegory from Mistralian folk tales came to her mind, speaking of a hidden order of assassins, a thing that Ninja's of Love had been based on. _'Sienna did enjoy reading that...'_ The woman's fingers tapped on the handle of her weapon, even as Sienna came barrelling towards her once more, the claws on her off-hand extended, ready to swipe at her. Any scratches that would ensue would be healed up in three hours or so, the power of the darkness within them boosting their regenerative efforts without any hint of wear or tear.

"No matter what we do, we still have to make things right! I wish... Just... Remember." Sienna, lost for words, did not seem to be able to articulate her thoughts well, Kali feeling a shred of pity, as she remembered that night, so long ago that it had almost faded from memory.

"Whatever was then, is not now. Realize the truth! We are here only through the grace of Jaune!" Her voice could not help but quiver, excitement flashing through her body as she remembered that vow that she had made the previous day, Sienna's body twitching lightly.

"I know! I still have to try! If I don't try, I will never know the truth!" Sienna could be remarkably stubborn when she wanted to. Her own nature would not allow her to give up on those that she considered family or that she considered herself to owe a debt to.

"Then **ASK** him. You can always ask him a question, he would love to answer it! Even if you were to just rip your top off and go 'Take me now!' I don't think he would object!" Kali could see the scandalized look in Sienna's eyes return, even as she ducked under the sweeping chain, the burning of a Dust crystal making an arc of flame arise.

"I'm not ready for that yet! I will settle my debts and then, maybe..." Seeing Sienna flustered, her cheeks burning redder than before, she pressed the assault, her leg sweeping through the air, hitting Sienna's own and knocking her to the floor. "F-fuck."

Sienna's voice croaked, as the wind was knocked out of her. "Maybe? Oh, my little Sienna... You are thirsting for his touch..." The shadows inside her throbbed and quivered like live wires that were ready to lash out, even as her gaze beheld the woman that she considered a great friend. " **Your desires to touch him and to feel him have been noticed by White as well..."**

The change of her state to the Acolyte one was something easy, as the shadows wrapped around her, her amber eyes attaining an instant of absolute fear, even as she inhaled and exhaled, feeling Sienna's resistance to the fear batter her own effect away. **"Don't you realize it, Sienna... I know the promise that you've made."**

Sienna paled immediately, as she locked eyes with her, Kali feeling the smugness settle on her features. _**'There is nothing that can be done, great one... There are only the shadows in her heart that obscure her.'**_ The voice of her inner shadow continued to speak, even as she looked down at Sienna, who was looking like she'd heard a ghost.

"You… You heard?" Sienna whispered, her eyes afraid. There was fear going through her, Kali understanding it well. It would not be something that would be easy for her to swallow, that Kali knew.

Kali laughed, a light sound that did no justice to the emotions that Sienna felt. **"I'm not deaf… and Ghira was about to ask whether you two needed any refreshments, so the door was already about to open, but you know... The doors are a bit tender."** The doors had been made especially like that, because of listeners at the door. It was, of course, a security measure... and because of the poor wood that was used to make the hinges.

"Of course... no wonder that he was looking at me oddly for an entire week."Sienna's cheeks flushed once more, as Kali's eyes looked at her, not reproachful or anything of the sort, just calmly. **"He did not fully approve of it, even though he did say that it was a good first step."**

Her husband had been proud, later on, for Sienna's initiative... But it had also been one of the millstones around his neck when she had later ascended to become the High Leader of the White Fang. Certain things, if they were exposed, would let Sienna drop from the highest of honours to the worst of traitors in the eyes of public opinion.

" **Shall we see whether the sleepyheads are up?"** Kali inquired, as she stretched a little, the muscles feeling as fresh as if she'd only just crawled out of bed, opposed to the nearly hour-long spar with Sienna. Sienna's own face was matted with sweat, Kali's own body, fit and pure, still coated with a thin layer of sweat.

"We need a shower first." Sienna said, even as she pointed at the door to the side of the training room. "And get this place looking cleaner. We've made quite the mess." There were scratches on the floor from where the weapons had hit, sweat that had collected from their bodies, as Sienna looked at them. "I think there was a mop somewhere..."

Thirty minutes later, Kali languished in the warmth of the shower, Sienna's hands rubbing over her body, the cleaning of the room done as quickly as they could. The space that had been their training field was something that had been made for ease of cleaning, the mop having easily scrubbed the sweat off the floor, and the floor itself was still left with the scars of their fight, yet undoubtedly, the Arc family would have something that could help with that.

Kali knew well the resources that a noble family might have at their disposal. A training room, for Huntsmen, was a luxury. Most Huntsmen preferred to train outside in the forests, to fight against the Grimm that encroached upon them, so there would be little to be sad about if they did go all-out with their weapons.

"Clean." Sienna said, offering her back to Kali to wash. The sponge that she used on her friend's back was going in circular patterns, the ears on Sienna's head twitching a few times with every motion. _'She likes it...'_

A low moan came from Sienna's mouth, her hand going to her mouth immediately, as she stiffened. "It's alright, little kitten." She said, in the same voice that she'd speak to Blake when she was getting washed up with her. "It's just good to feel someone take care of you, right?"

The nod was hesitant as if Sienna were like her daughter, Kali's sponge brushing over the tattooed back of the woman, the large tattoo of the White Fang's emblem standing out in scarlet on that back, the tattoos leading towards her rear and down her legs. _'Such a pretty body... Fierce like the tiger that she resembles and with the markings...'_

Kali had never put much faith in tattoos. They were ugly things that looked worse the older one got, yet with Sienna, she wore them with pride, her appearance showing the pride that she took in her heritage. "Kali..." Her ears picked up the soft voice of the woman in the shower with her.

"Do you... Do you think we'll ever be considered normal again?" The hope in her voice was something that felt like a cruel reminder of what had once been, the daring within her voice returning slightly. "To be... Free."

Kali knew well that there were different bonds that would bind one to another. Bonds of family, bonds of camaraderie, bonds of love and the bonds of kinship... _'Is this another yoke that I have put upon my shoulders myself?'_ She wondered for an instant, before she decided that it was not so. _'He saved me, when he had no need for it. He has not forced me to do anything that I did not wish to do.'_

An image of herself came to her mind, a single room, lit up only by a candle. Her body clad within the ceremonial kimono of a wife, an ornament of gold around her throat, her eyes looking upon him with desire and hope. His will dominated her own and she shuddered and panted like a wanton beast.

It would be a quick taking, something that made her gasp and moan and groan, abandoning all restraint as he took her, like a mere toy for his pleasure... and that image shattered after an instant of being beheld by her mind's eye.

It would be different. The kimono would be there, yet there would be a ring upon her other hand, to contrast with the one of Ghira's. A moment that was shared, before she would kneel before him and request his guidance, as a wife ought to. A moment when his hand touched her scalp and the permission was given, before she would give her services as a dutiful wife would.

"Kali... You're leaking." Sienna's peeved voice reached her ears and she smiled. Sienna could pull her out of the gutter with a single word, even as she pressed herself against the other woman.

"I was just imagining something, Sienna dear..." She said, in a manner of explanation. Sienna stiffened, even as she turned around to face her, the contrast in their skin tone noticeable, yet not the frightfully pale colour of Whitney and Summer. "You should keep in mind that Jaune does not force us to do anything... and that he would shoulder the burden if he had to do something."

It was sacrificial to the extreme at times, she noticed. The _Testudo_ _Vehementi_ fight had been one instant where they had faced something far greater than themselves, yet they had survived without a single death or great injury. Even the other Grimm that came to find them when they were on the ship had been driven off, as if it were merely a dog coming for the tastiest treat that it could find. He had protected them, like a man should. "Quite the man he is..."

Sienna didn't speak up, yet her hands wrung a little, as her gaze lowered. "I don't want to break my word." The tone that Sienna used was one of hesitance, one of desire and that faint hint of fear that echoed through it. "But... He certainly is a man worthy of my esteem."

' _Small progress... Sienna, who beheld nothing aside from the Faunus as worthy of her respect or her care, thinks highly of a human man who holds with him the power to change the geography of the world with a mere sweep of his hand.'_ The thought would have been ludicrous, as Sienna's fierce stance on Faunus and their right in the world had been well-known ever since the woman had entered the service of her husband as a bodyguard.

' _I guess this is going to be one of those moments when those who had said that this never would happen, will be eating their words.'_ She could feel the attraction to the young man inside her, yet still... Some precedents had been set. White had been there first and she had been needing this close encounter with Jaune. _'I can still wait...'_

There was the need of course, as with most of her kind. Faunus biology was not dissimilar from those animals that they held a semblance to. Bat Faunus would find light to be discomforting and any loud sounds to hurt their sensitive ears. Cat Faunus would go into an aroused state once or twice a decade, though it was not uncommon for it to be a yearly thing. "Sienna, dear?"

The young woman hummed softly, as Kali rubbed the shampoo in Sienna's hair. "Do you think you will be as enthusiastic as White when it comes to making love with Jaune?" The embarrassment flushed on the woman's cheeks, as she seemed to wish to look everywhere aside from her.

"H-hey! You're putting thoughts in my head!" The scandalized squeak was so not Sienna that it was a small victory in its own right.

"Can you imagine him putting it in somewhere else?" Sienna's eyes widened and that mouth fell open, the spray of water washing the soapy shampoo away, Kali's mouth forming a teasing grin, as she leaned forwards. "Aww, does the kitty want to get some cream?"

Of course, such slurs had been similar to what she'd heard before. Referring to someone as their animal trait was normal by those, and the risqué suggestions of certain Faunus with their natures definitely were commonly heard. "Kali!" Sienna hissed, as she flared up in irritation.

"Oh, I think she does! She wants it!" Sienna gave her a tap with her fingers, enough for her to signal that this subject was not to be broached again, the hair plastering to her scalp looking like it was a curtain.

"What I want is not your business! I promised someone that I would sleep with them before I would consider... Other ventures." The admission was hard on her, Kali feeling a spike of dark emotions, as she looked at her friend with regret on her face.

"You've not had the chance for a boyfriend, have you?" Kali inquired, even as her hands brushed through the locks. Sienna and Blake were fairly similar in their temperament, the grumpy cat who was Ghira definitely leaning towards their temperaments in his personal life.

Sienna shook her head, as she turned around and sat herself down. "Come on, wash them." She said, Kali giving a faint smile as her hands brushed over the ears, hearing the low rumble come out of Sienna's mouth as she lathered those ears up with soapy shampoo, taking care not to get any of the soap in the delicate ear's innards.

With Sienna's refusal to answer the question, it was enough for her. "You can consider him your boyfriend, you know?" She said, in order to ease Sienna's conscience on the matter. "He wouldn't mind." Sienna hissed, as a throaty groan came out of her mouth.

The subsequent gush of pheromones that Sienna released was enough for Kali to continue. Certain Faunus traits were... awfully sensitive. Brushing right at the spot below her ear just got her engine blasted into full powered speed mode, a spot where Ghira could only touch...

' _White, I'm afraid that if he touches me there, your spot as girlfriend will be stolen by me.'_ She was a woman with a sex drive, after all. Just because you turned forty did not mean that you stopped having cravings."I'll... consider. But first, you know what I must do."

Kali smiled, as she placed a soft kiss to Sienna's forehead. "Don't worry, we need to take little steps in getting what we want. Don't forget... I've got first dibs." The smile on her lips was warm as Sienna looked at her with a look that was foul and with a hint of ill amusement.

"I don't agree but it isn't my place to stop you." Sienna said, Kali nodding once to affirm that.

"Of course not, I'm your older sister!" Kali said, as if that made all the sense, the face that Sienna made just being too darn precious to resist.

"I'd really like it if you didn't..." Sienna said, her voice sounding not as sure as before. That had to be rectified!

"Of course you'll like it! If White is any indication, you'll be positively smitten with the young man!" Sienna's face was enough to tell her that the young Bengal Tiger Faunus woman feared exactly that something like that would happen.

' _You only live once, Sienna... Don't stop and dissuade yourself from doing something that you really want.'_ The words that her husband had once upon a time said to the young woman, newly assigned to the guard and as important as any other Faunus under his direction, came to her mind again.

' _And then, a wonderful friendship was born.'_ Of course, she had personally approved of it, after much talking with Ghira about the thing. It wasn't every day that Sienna Khan, new bodyguard to the family, would be taking a step into the unknown.

' _I wonder if Jaune likes pineapple cookies...'_ Her thoughts went to food immediately, as the matronly side to herself came out once more, already mentally preparing a list of ingredients. Surely they had some time to be baked before the others would awaken... It was only a quarter past seven after all.

* * *

 _The Schnee-drift (Nicholas Schnee)_

* * *

He looked at the sight of Vale International Airport, ready to take the aircraft that belonged to him. With a heavy heart, he could only register that faint tingle of disappointment as he saw the Schnee Dust Company logo on several of the furnishings on the interior of the plane. _'As much as I like the family crest, it is still a reminder that Jacques is in control of the company.'_

His son in law had been an able negotiator, as the prices of the Schnee Dust Company's product were lowered and the profits started to come in by the boatload. With the Schnee Dust Company's product sold in all the kingdoms, its CEO capitalized on the monopoly position that he had obtained in order to force the other competitors out of the business, or to remain local to the Atlesian homeland, whilst the profits were raised and the people oppressed.

Faunus workers that were treated fairly under his own management, suddenly found their workload increasing, as demands on their production were pushed further, and the increase in capital that came with the employment of the Faunus labourers that were paid under the minimum wage was something that was invested back into the company without a fault.

' _His methods may be dehumanizing, yet he did make us a world-renowned brand... I'll give him that.'_ The suspicion that Jacques had something to do with his daughter's death had risen inside him the moment that he had communicated with the man, even as the shock still rumbled like a broken engine.

As the aircraft descended slowly, landing gear being deployed without fault, it was only the faintest of hopes that blossomed inside his chest, as he got out of his seat. "Get me my oxygen." He addressed his faithful butler, the man moving with practiced ease to provide him his oxygen, the rush of fresh oxygen something that provided some soothing to his aching lungs, which started to work up again. With the dark tar in his lungs, it was a challenge to ascend and to descend, yet it was still bearable.

"Your car has been prepared, Master Schnee." Klein's voice reached his ears, even as Nicholas gave a nod. "Allow me a moment to catch my breath." The man knew well that his butler would not delay, would not tarry before his orders, even if someone threatened him with death. _'A faithful man, who has served the family for years.'_

"On your schedule today are a brief visit to the local branch of the Schnee Dust Company in order to receive your funds for the trip, as dictated by your own express wishes. A platinum card has been prepared for your usage whilst in Vale with an unlimited limit upon it. Afterwards, you have the option to go for dinner at Chez Aeronautique, a restaurant catering to the fashionable and the wealthy or to skip it and proceed directly to the hotel in order to ensure that you will accommodate to the different time zone that you are in." The butler's voice was jovial as he spoke, Nicholas giving a faint smile as the Butler stood there with no regard for propriety. _'You have served the family well... When I pass, Winter or Weiss will make great use of you.'_

"And what of my granddaughter?" He inquired, as he glanced out of the window. The people working as the ground crews on the airport were already bringing things into context, even as they worked to ensure that they could disembark.

"Lady Weiss has been informed through a brief call that you will be visiting her, Master Schnee." The butler performed as per the excellent training that he had underwent, Nicholas nodding, as the mask was tugged off his face with a pull, inhaling the air with deep breaths, the pain still staggering, even as he got up slowly.

"Do I need to fetch the wheelchair for your safe descent, Master Schnee?" The butler's aid was not requested, even as Nicholas held on to his pride.

"That will not be necessary. I promised Weiss a shopping trip, so I shall ensure that I will be as fit as I can possibly be." That the girl had been alone for most of her youth had been one of the grave mistakes that he had made, in his position as Schnee Dust Company's former CEO. His family, disjointed as it was, would undoubtedly have benefited from him being around more often, if only for Whitney to be able to get herself together.

' _You hurt my Whitney's soul with your tasteless comments, Jacques.'_ He had been there at Weiss' tenth birthday, hearing the fallout from the conversation. It was hard to keep himself on the background whilst his daughter and his granddaughter spoke, yet he was not to be deterred from his duty to ensure that his grandchildren had whatever they desired.

"I will ensure that your visit will go as smoothly as possible, sir." The formal tone of his butler's voice was enough to draw a small smile from Nicholas, as he walked towards the exit. "Let us get ready... This isn't a Dust mine, but I think that the canary might die if she's kept from her loving grandfather for long."

Weiss was such a sweet darling, even if she came across as a little snobby from time to time. He ought to call her this evening after he had gotten settled in just to check whether it would be feasible for him to visit her.

"Actually, now that I think of it... Contact Beacon. I wish to visit my granddaughter tomorrow afternoon. There's no reason why we cannot make this a little surprise visit." He felt cheered by the thought that it would be a sight to see Weiss' face light up when she saw her grandfather.

"As you wish, Master Schnee." There was a certain deference in the butler's words, yet Nicholas knew well that there was duty to be observed and the loyalty to one's family. Klein had been an instrumental steward of the family for most of his working life and thus held loyalty to those members of the Schnee family. _'It is a pity that his brothers are not able to see him flourish...'_

* * *

 _Finding a home (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

There was not a single part of her mind that was not paying attention to the smaller form that sat beside her, the bow on her head still covering those cat ears that Blake so desperately wished to hide, as if the shame had returned once more to her body. Things had been going so well...

The lecture from Professor Port continued on, Yang's eyes catching sight of Cardin slouching forward, looking at his Scroll for some distraction, a few messages popping up every once in a while, undoubtedly from the girlfriend that he had managed to get, due to some sort of karmic overload or something.

Velvet and Cardin, together? It was like the heavens were about to turn orange and it'd rain pancakes all day. They could not have been any more different. A Faunus, getting in here through a scholarship and some goodwill from some well-placed politicians and what appeared to be the youngest child of the famous Winchester family of gunsmiths, dating... Who would have thought that to happen? _'I shouldn't think too much, whilst I am caring for Blake.'_

Ever since she had found her partner on the roof, collapsed and with a bruise growing on her forehead that had faded only three days ago, she had been anxious and nervous. Ruby and Weiss could not discover that she had failed, that her attention had lapsed for a moment, even as her hand tugged Blake's closer, giving it a reaffirming squeeze. "I'm here." She whispered in the human ear that belonged to her girlfriend... well, partner/girlfriend, really. She wasn't discriminating much in that terminology.

Those amber eyes looked at her, the soft exhale that she gave being akin to a sigh, even with her attention turned to her, Yang still felt that urge inside her, the fear welling up as she could see Blake's face turn deathly pale, her hand gripping that small hand tighter. "You're hurting me, Yang." Blake said, voice barely above a whisper. _'Not as much as you hurt me.'_

She was not a spiteful person, nor was she raised to be unkind to others. She knew well that the world required several things in order to work for her, skill in a chosen profession and the ability to monetize it, as far as the common parts went. Martial prowess was something that she could understand, yet it was also something that brought with it no guaranteed income. The Grimm were a danger, yes... But if the Grimm weren't present in the area that you worked in, what good was being a Huntsman?

She eased up on her grip, an apologetic smile on her lips. "Let's go and have ourselves a nice afternoon off, shall we?" She tried, really, to keep the smile as warm and possible as she could, yet she knew that if she let the girl out of her sight again, she would not be seeing her partner alive again.

' _I can't let Ruby suffer something like that...'_ She had already seen it with their father, the man a complete and utter wreck the moment that news had come that their mother (or rather, her stepmother) Summer had been killed and half-consumed by the Grimm, not much of a body to be found.

The man had just shut down, forcing her to drag him out of bed and go through the motions of caring for him. Washing the man's body had been a challenge for her, even as she tried to work herself up to do so. Taking care of Ruby was something that had been a greater challenge, as she had asked a few times why daddy had been so sad. _'Some things, Ruby... I'm going to take to my grave.'_

It would not do to have that beautiful smile spoiled by the cruel and harsh reality of the world. Already, there had been one death that had weighed onto her sister's soul, the young man who had been her dorky little sister's first friend, slain by the cruel machinations of fate and a bullying prank by the young man who was currently happily texting his girlfriend. _'Don't bring a grudge into things... You've seen the look on his face, how the people shunned him.'_

She might appear to be a party girl, yet she knew not the slightest bit about how to really appeal to the people around her. She was, in a certain sense, just like her little sister. Awkward didn't quite cover it, even with her cavalier attitude towards getting what she wanted. "I'm sorry." Blake whispered to her, Yang's gaze returned to the teacher.

"Miss Xiao-Long, could you tell me what exactly the difference between a Beringel's strength is in comparison with the Baerdolon?" The man's chest stood before her face suddenly, his face located upwards, so her neck craned up from her position as the man asked her that question. _'Shit, he caught me slacking off.'_

The man's nature was to allow some small bits of chatter for a while, yet he would also ask pressing questions about the nature of the Grimm, some effort to ensure that the next generation would be cautious about engaging Grimm that they knew little of. "Ah, wasn't it because of the Baerdolon having some extra leg strength? I know, if it was me, I'd rather skip leg day... But the Beringel looks like a monkey, right? So... I guess it's more spread out?"

The man puffed his chest up slightly, a deep chuckle coming from his lips. "And here we have it. Miss Xiao-Long has correctly indicated that the difference in strength between the Baerdolon and the Beringel is located within the focus of their bodily strength." The man wandered back down again, Yang heaving a sigh of relief, as she turned her gaze back to Blake. _'I'm not going to give up on you.'_

She would not abandon her partner to a doomed fate. Her eyes locked with those amber-shaded eyes, as she squeezed her partner's thigh lightly. "Let's have some fun today." The bow quivered slightly, the ears below it looking like they flattened slightly. "Just us two, being fun. We should go and have a trip to Vale, maybe get some good exercise in..."

"Miss Xiao-Long, Miss Belladonna, would you kindly stay behind for a moment after class is finished?" The voice of the teacher came from behind her, the man standing above her, her head looking up as the man's shadow fell over her, the moustache quivering slightly.

As the lesson drew to a close, she chanced a look over at her sister. Ever since the teacher had asked her and Blake to stay behind, she had been feeling the dread of being caught slacking off, her eyes catching sight of Ruby and Weiss huddled together, Weiss excited about something for some reason, words like 'dance' and something else popping up like they meant something. _'I don't even know how to dance...'_

"Miss Xiao-Long, Miss Belladonna... Are my lessons so boring that you would rather speak about your personal activities than pay attention?" The man's voice was stern, as a teacher should, his eyes looking at the two of them with what she thought was disappointment, Blake whimpering softly. It was Yang who could hear it, her fingers lacing with her girlfriend's.

"Sorry Professor, I was just getting ready to have some fun with my partner. We've got the afternoon off, y'know?" The teacher's raised eyebrow was enough, before his attention turned to Blake for an instant, Yang catching sight of the man's eyebrow shifting minutely, as he nodded.

"Very well, Miss Xiao-Long, Miss Belladonna. I simply wished to make you aware that a true Huntsman does not shirk their duties of paying attention when it is needed. One never knows what might occur with a momentary lapse of concentration." The man's facial muscles twitched for a moment, and she imagined that he sighed, yet it turned out to be only a cough.

"On you trot, do have a pleasant day." The man walked towards the desk, pulling out his Scroll and starting to type out a message. Yang thought she could see a small picture of Goodwitch pop up on the screen, shrugging it off as just some staff communication. Teachers did that, after all.

Yang smiled at Blake, her voice not showing any discomfort as she spoke to her partner. "Let's go and have fun, Blake."The Faunus girl's head nodded once and Yang pulled her in for a hug, wrapping her arm around her partner's shoulders. "Let's get you dolled up and ready to go!"

She was going to make Blake smile, even if it had to be done through ensuring that the Faunus received all the tickles that she could get! There must be something that Blake would like... right?

Perhaps going for some ice-cream might also be just what the doctor ordered! There was this ice-cream salon... ooh, and the carnival had also been set up! She liked going to the carnival, as it always held some sort of tricks that she could exploit! There hadn't been a punching machine that had been made to withstand Yang's Super-Bang! Ember Cecilia would have to stay collapsed though... A pity that Huntsman weapons weren't allowed.

* * *

 _The disciplinarian (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

The small scuff on the ground meant nothing to her, as another student fell to the ground, beaten down by his opponent. "Next." She said, her voice the picture-perfect tone of authority, standing there before the students as the one helped the other up to their feet once more. Their performance was lacking, to her exacting standards, yet it could not be helped.

They did not have the experience that she did, nor did they have the knowledge that she did. Eighteen years of age, they would hardly know the responsibilities of managing a household or managing one's Dust supplies when out on a mission. They were untrained and weak and she, Glynda Goodwitch, would forge them into a weapon that would strike back against those who would come against the bastions of Humanity in this world of Remnant.

Her eyes watched as the young athletically-built man took a stance opposite his opponent, a young huntress with a Mohawk and a unique style of clothing that exposed much of her skin. There would be a tense match-up once every while, with people whose weapons and whose Semblance could change the tide of a match when used. "Begin."

Her own Semblance was something that was useful in a pinch. With her Telekinesis, she could mend the disorder within the vicinity around her with a mere thought and some expenditure of her Aura. Her eyes caught sight of one of the small tears in the floor, her finger flicking and the floor repairing itself, as her gaze followed the fighters. The teenaged young man yelled loudly as he charged, even as the young woman moved in an offensive way, her skin turning faintly grey under the activation of her Semblance.

Five minutes later, the young man was down for the count, whilst the young woman's breathing was as heavy as it could be, the Semblance taxing on the body. "Please ensure that you have enough time to take a breath whilst fighting. Proper pacing and consumption of your stamina will serve you well. Points to work on are mainly your motion and your agility. Your enemy is not going to be standing still for you to punch it, Miss Marble."

She dismissed the class, pulling her Scroll out and looking at the messages that were up on the screen, several of the faculty already having arranged for some of the preparations for the Vytal festival, the preparations on their end having already brought the budget to a certain point where it would be feasible to ask for more funds from the Council of Vale.

Walking to her office, she let her gaze slide over the marks on the messages, noticing several from her fellow staff that went over the regular schedules and the students who displayed certain traits. One, from Port, was marked with a certain flag that dictated urgency.

Settling in at her desk, she glanced at the clock before opening the message up.

 **Glynda,**

 **I'll be at your office when your class is finished. Expect me.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **P. Port**

The message was not something that she would regularly expect from the man, given his manner of being and his regular fancy for storytelling, yet she would graciously accept the man. As she went for the water cooker, to put it on to heat the water for a nice cup of tea, there was a knock on her door.

She flipped the switch, hearing the hiss of the heating element kick in, as her hand extended, the door opening up, allowing her to see the bulky frame of the man who had taught generations of students before.

"Glynda, we need to talk." The man's voice was soft, respectful and most of all, serious. The door clicked shut behind him as he closed it up, Glynda's eyes watching the uneasy look on his face as he took a seat.

"The state of Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao-Long worries me." Glynda winced, the topic a sore one. The Belladonna girl was bright and capable, yet she tended to shy away from physical confrontation, whilst Xiao-Long herself seemed to be all bluster and fiery activity, outwardly explosive, yet with a soft and tender inner core.

"Is it their schoolwork?" She guessed as she tried to recall the exact grades, having graded them before and seen their work in the combat ring more than once.

"There is a certain melancholy that surrounds the Belladonna girl and her partner, Miss Xiao-Long has picked up on it." Glynda's lips thinned as she frowned, her strict looks changing to serious concern for now.

Melancholy was a general catch-all term that dealt with anything from mere sadness to depression, one that had fallen out of use nearly thirty years ago... yet Peter Port was a man who had lived and taught through the era in which it had still been considered normal. "What do you suggest that I do?" She asked, her eyes fixing the man with a look.

"I have made many errors, yet there are certain things that I have never dared to attempt. A male professor reaching out to two young students would look... bad, so to say." There was no softening that blow, as the blood in her veins seemed to rush a little faster. _'It would be a scandal. The papers would drag this whole institution through the mud if that became known.'_

"Do you think that you can work something out? I would hate to see..." The man's face darkened, as his lips pressed together tightly. "Hate to see someone with talent get spoiled by their own macabre thoughts."

She could understand that as well as she could. "I'll do my best. I am no counsellor, but I know the basics..." There was much that she could do and much that she could not do. Counselling a student whilst being the strict disciplinarian that she was, was one of the things that she could not do... but she could offer some guidance in how to deal with such emotions. _'The second-year curriculum focuses more on the bonds between the team, in order to stave off such things as combat fatigue...'_

"And that is the best that you can do, Glynda. I am sorry to impose upon you with this, but..." She could tell automatically that the man had some sort of personal issue with the things that he was now telling her, yet he was not going to elaborate on those things, even as his gaze was off peering into space, as if his mind were a thousand miles away.

She had seen it before, other experienced Huntsmen having such a look on their face, be they man or woman... The loss that they had suffered, the hopeless contrivances of fate that had spurred on such a loss and the overwhelming blackness that came with it. _'I'll take care of things...'_

She knew the counsellor of Beacon well, her own stint with the counsellor having cleared up her mind for a little while. Mandatory reviews of mental state were a thing... The least one wished to have happen was to be sectioned.

 _The mangled body, looking up at her with half of its face busted, cheek collapsed due to the hit of the Dust-mace, her own eyes wide as the red dripped down her cheek, the hand faintly twitching in her direction, even as the body sagged, a horrified student's gaze at the broken body, Aura long-since gone._ Glynda shuddered. Accidents like that did not happen often, yet it would be a lie to say that she had not been impacted by the aftereffects.

"I will ensure that they have a chat with me." The Scroll in front of her was already in motion, selecting the student register and then pressing the button, calling Miss Xiao-Long. "Have a good day, Peter."

The old man smiled and nodded, understanding that she was right at it, immediately getting to the point. The call went through and Miss Xiao-Long's voice came from the speaker that was built into the Scroll. "Professor Goodwitch?"

"Miss Xiao-Long, could you and your partner please present yourself at my office in twenty minutes?" There was no room for argument in her voice, even as the door creaked as Professor Port closed it, heartened by her understanding, undoubtedly. _'I do this for the future of humanity...'_

She was not going to bring herself down to the level of a student, confused and uncertain about their life and future. She was Glynda Goodwitch, deputy Headmaster of Beacon Academy, the one who was able to create order in the chaos that was daily life at Beacon.

"Hello? I have two students who might be in need of your guidance." There was of course, a good way to discuss this with the counsellor, yet there would be questions asked, if there were some issues. "I will leave that to your discretion." The response had come from the counsellor, even as there was a knock on the door.

"Please enter." She said, straightening herself out a little behind her desk, catching sight of Miss Xiao-Long and Belladonna standing in the door opening, seemingly afraid of even entering.

"So, what's the matter, Professor Goodwitch?" She knew well that the girl's bluster hid a somewhat tender core, Miss Xiao-Long's strength in the art of fighting enough to make sure that she would go unmolested by anything that could be thrown at her... unless her Aura ran out. "Why did you call us here?"

She pointed a finger to the seats that stood before her desk, as she cleared it with a flick of the finger, her semblance neatly stacking the forms in a single stack. "Sit." She commanded, the two students obeying as easily as meek sheep would. _'There is a certain skill in having the reputation as a strict disciplinarian.'_

The two looked at her, waiting for what she was about to say. "Miss Belladonna, Miss Xiao-Long... Are you having problems? Moodiness? A feeling of general malaise?" The words might be a bit complicated for teenagers these days to get, yet Yang seemed to catch on, her lips thinning, whilst Miss Belladonna merely stared at her partner, and if the rumours were to be believed, her girlfriend.

Glynda personally did not mind same-sex relationships. It was a thing that did not feature hugely in her own mind as she held little affection for women in the same way that she would for a man. Whilst there had been moments when there was some interaction that could be considered as it, her mind firmly had rested upon the pleasure that one could get from a good male partner.

"Professor Goodwitch, I really don't..." Miss Xiao-Long spoke up, Glynda's eyes narrowing at her, the blonde shutting up immediately. _'Not the right thing to do, but it works.'_

"You might not think that we pay attention to the health and wellbeing of our students, Miss Xiao-Long, yet it is a crucial matter for us to temper you young aspiring Huntsmen into the best weapon that this world has." Ironwood's own methods and moulding of the people that graduated from Atlas Academy were something that she hardly agreed with, yet her attention was directed straight to the couple students before her.

"Miss Belladonna, you have been morose throughout your days this past week and a half, your performance in the combat exercises these past few days less than satisfactory." She was not going to mince words, watching as the Faunus shrank in on herself, catching Yang's minute reaction of concern and worry. "Miss Xiao-Long, you hover over her as if you wish to care for her every whim and need, as if she were broken like glass and you have to mend her. A report about a brutalisation of a young man from Haven Academy has also reached my desk."

It had been an incident that she did not enjoy to think much about. The young Faunus man had assured her that it was merely him looking out for Miss Belladonna, yet there was something in his eyes that made it look even worse, something that made her feel some suspicion deep inside her heart.

The other blonde turned paler than before, even miss Belladonna looking a little like she would rather be elsewhere. "I have decided to put the two of you into counselling. Do not feel like you are being treated as if there is something wrong with you. That is not our intent."

She supposed that being told by their strict Combat teacher that there was a need for counselling, was not one of the things that Miss Xiao-Long and Belladonna would be wishing for, yet she continued. "It is natural for there to be struggles in any relationship. That is the inevitable fact of life."

The purple eyes of the other blonde met hers, Glynda's lips forming a small smile as she glanced at Miss Belladonna, whose head was tilted down. _'That is a worrisome look on her face...'_ "Do not think of me as merely some bad individual who wishes to see you two locked away for the love that has sprung between you."

Some people held such ideas that love could only spring from a man and a woman making such a decision, ignoring the societal trend towards acceptance. Those who saw women only as breeders and men as the providers were sadly an outdated and dying race... But she would not be able to claim that she did not fully adhere to the current public manner of perception.

She had no children. She had not had a relationship that lasted for longer than a year. Her body was in its prime and she knew that she would be unlikely to engage in a romantic relationship with the time that she spent at Beacon taking up the majority of her time. "Mental issues, like depression, survivor's guilt and such things, are insidious and cruel. You might think that you are alright, that you can handle it...'

 _The locked door. Her eyes wide, fearfully looking up at the man who had come. A burst of soft laughter, flickering candles in the room. A moment of brief pain, even as she felt the burning sting of something on her back, a coolness in that spot, spotting a needle-tipped syringe sticking out of her flesh as she looked back. Her eyes looked up into distant dark blue ones. There was nothing but the coldness in those eyes, as they peered at her with a look of understanding, even as she felt so alone and so cold. Waking up in the bed in the orphanage alone again, she looked at the young man who stood at her bed, his hand extended. His brown eyes were warm, as he smiled at her and spoke her name gently._

"But you can't." She had seen many things in her career as a Huntress. Many things that would quiver the hearts of even the strongest of men. "You won't be able to stop yourself from tearing up at that moment when the emotions come. The Grimm can exacerbate those emotions. They feed off the fear that we have for them, of the people that we care for being harmed." Miss Xiao-Long seemed to understand, even as Miss Belladonna looked up.

 _Cold silver eyes looking at her, the blades covered in blood, wiped away with a flick of the red cloak, the face of Summer Rose looking at her with boundless capacity for violence and murder. Her feet felt leaden as she looked at the woman, older than her.. she thought. So dirty, so filthy, so much blood... so much blood, all the blood._

 _She had just been accepted as an intern at the Beacon faculty, sent out with a Huntsman team in order to spring free a small town from riotous dissenters. It had been a bloodbath, the two Huntresses that she was accompanying leaving not a single soul living. From the first assault, assassinating several of the guards that manned the walls, to the final dregs of humanity... none could stand up to that cold efficiency._

 _She had hurled twice, seeing the bodies laid where they had fallen, the grim orders enough to make someone's stomach turn, yet they were necessary. Dissent would ferment Grimm attacks within the region. Better to let seventy people die than to risk the walls of Vale falling thanks to the darkness that came with them. "So, shall we go for some coffee afterwards?" The chipper tone of Summer Rose came from her mouth, her partner, Raven Branwen giving a soft scoff._

" _With the newbie? She looks like she can't even take care of herself... Flinching when they came at her with their weapons."_ _The blood had stained her dress… Why had they stained her dress? Why did they stain everything so red? The little children… Why were they all dirty?_

" _Come on, Glynny… Time to go home! There'll be hot chocolate for you!" Summer Rose's cheerful tone was at odds with the grim work that she had just done, even though the reward was the bounty for completing this type of mission. Three people had gone in and none other than them were left alive…_

She collected herself as the image of Miss Rose faded from her mind, the cool and austere personality of Glynda Goodwitch summoned once more, to become the beacon that these students needed. "Is everything alright, Miss Goodwitch?"

"Just some bad memories, Miss Xiao-Long." Sitting there, Yang Xiao-Long looked like a blonde-ified Raven Branwen, the image of her mother with such a concerned look on her face something anathema to Glynda's proper senses. It would never happen, she knew, as the woman was as taciturn as they came. "Even I have seen a counsellor. It is not a grateful job, yet it is a requirement. Psychological evaluations once every two years by two different licensed psychiatrists. Mandated by law."

There was a knock on the door, even as her hand moved and the door opened up, admitting the man who she had called earlier. "Good afternoon Glynda. Are these the students that you informed me about?"

The Faunus stood as tall as a brick wall, his suit looking more like a mix between the Atlesian style and the Valean style, a red tie completing the look, even with his animal traits in full view. "Yes, Jeremiah. I have called for you to see these two students." The man nodded his face, which had been set in a kinder manner before, turning even more kind than before. _'Your calling was to help people, and you do…'_

She was not going to cast aspersions on people's own nature, even though Faunus were often maligned. Jeremiah was the counsellor that Beacon had assigned to its student body. It was more of a side job than anything else, his eyes meeting hers for a moment before they slid back to the two before him.

"The name's Jeremiah, but you can call me Jerry, if you feel comfortable enough to do so." The man's hand, as large as a coal shovel, extended towards Yang, who looked at it and then took it, her smile as fake as the tan on one of her colleagues during the winter season.

"Yang Xiao-Long, I don't think I need your services, but please…" The man's head shook lightly.

"Ah, no talk of that yet. This is just a meeting. We'll get to that when we get to that." His eyes turned to Blake, whose head was still lowered. "And who might this pretty lady be, hmmm?" The tone of the man was light and friendly, perhaps with a bit of a flirt hidden within, yet Glynda knew that the man was not going to lay a hand on his students. His manner still held that flirtatious nature, when not around Peach. _'It is a pity that his wife passed away, along with his children.'_ She had only met the woman once, at the first ceremony that featured the young counsellor. _'That's almost been nine years… God, I was still young back then.'_

"My name's Blake." The soft tone of voice that Miss Belladonna used was enough, even as a look was sent at her by the man, as he nodded, mouthing something in the small movements that most Huntsmen knew by heart. _'Heavy workload'._

Typical for cases that were very close to things that laid to the heart. She smiled, bitterly. Her eyes went to the young Faunus girl, as she looked at the hand, incomprehensive of the fact that it had been extended in friendship. "I'm sorry, but…" She started, even as the man gave, for his standards, a soft sigh.

"Just take your time. It's not good to want to do too much in a single day." The man said, as he pulled his hand back. "I'm the counsellor for Beacon… Oh, and I also fight pretty darn well." The man's easy smile was enough to comfort most people, despite his Faunus nature.

"Since Professor Goodwitch has asked me to have a chat with the two of you, let me set a few dates. Whatever it is…" The man paused, giving the two young Huntresses-in-training a look. "You can tell me and I won't tell a single living soul. Doctor-patient confidentiality… or so I'd put it, if I was a doctor. Would've been an absolute rubbish one, really… blood's hard to get out of a suit, y'know?"

Glynda noticed that young miss Belladonna seemed to warm slightly to the conversational tone, whilst Miss Xiao-Long looked a little more satisfied as if there had been some weight lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you, Jerry!" The blonde girl said brightly, the Faunus man's teeth exposed, as he broadly grinned.

"Now, I'll just be taking a few hours of your day, so we can get to chatting." There was an understanding in his voice, as his Scroll was pulled out, held in front of him as he perused the datum that were available to counsel students. "Tomorrow at four-thirty, after your Dust Studies class for you, Miss Belladonna. Let's get comfortable in my office, shall we?" He looked at her, mouthing 'come along' to which she shook her head lightly.

"My… _colleague_ … Professor Peach will be there to observe as well." There was a pause, as he looked at the two young women with a look that showed some apologetic expression. "Two attractive young women with a teacher… It would set a bad image, you know?" The two girls looked at him, the blonde one grinning.

"Afraid you're going to put your hands on THESE babies?" The indecent exposure of the bountiful chest of Miss Xiao-Long was not a good reason to hand her detention, even as she made sure to grope them in order to elicit a reaction from the man.

"Actually, you're not exactly my type." He said, as he looked at her with his eyes showing a flash of amusement. "It is still illegal to lay your hands on a student, as far as I know."

"I will be there, professor." Glynda could hear Miss Belladonna's voice hesitate as she spoke, the faint tone of her voice more resigned than anything else. Miss Xiao-Long's head turned to her partner.

"I'll see you at noon, Miss Xiao-Long. It will be a sacrifice of your lunch, but you must realize that this is important. Twelve on the dot, just ask a teacher for my main office and you'll be directed." The fellow blonde nodded once, as her head turned to the man and then turned back to Miss Belladonna.

"Of course, Professor." The subdued tone of voice that Miss Xiao-Long used was no doubt due to the sudden switch in the mood, Glynda having little patience to deal with that, as she levitated the first form onto the desk before her.

"Dismissed." She said, as she pulled the fountain pen out of the desk drawer and started to immerse herself in work. It helped a little with making sure that things ran smoothly here at Beacon. She could hear the three people exit her office, her own mind growing at peace once again, her hand reaching for the cup of tea that should have been there… and finding nothing.

' _Drat… I forgot to make the tea.'_ The click of the switch and the heating of the cooker once more filled the air, as she lost herself in her paperwork, a cup of tea and a teapot moving in tandem with her thoughts, as she worked through the forms and lesson plans.

* * *

 _The red menace (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She wasn't exactly THAT bad at keeping track of the other Ruby's manners. Rubedo Beornir… or well, Rubedo Sustrai, as she was called publically, kept to her appointments. Whenever they were going to go out into Vale together, Rubedo would be there first, waiting with patience and style for her to come, without any complaint or any roughness in her manner, just placid understanding. ' _Would she think it odd if I gave her some tips on how to make her weapon better?'_ Ruby wondered, even as the taller chocolate-coloured Ruby watched calmly from the spot where she'd been waiting, the Kopesh hanging from a loop on her belt.

"Slowpoke! I thought your Semblance was speed!?" Rubedo shouted, though there was no real heat in it. Ruby grinned, as she flashed, rose petals blurring into the air, as she hugged her friend in the gut. _'Nobody calls Ruby Rose a slowpoke!'_

She had PRIDE in her Semblance! She was kick-ass and fast! Yeah! "Hey, I thought your semblance was all about having fun!" Rubedo snorted, ruffling her mane.

"You know, sometimes you remind me a little bit of my sisters." The sisters that had died, according to Rubedo's confession, only a few weeks before. Was it really that hard, living outside of the Kingdoms? _'I would've offered her a nice spot on Patch if she'd like to move there… and if I had a spot. The forest is populated by a few Grimm… but they just seem to keep on coming.'_

"In a good way?" Rubedo cracked a grin. "Is it like Yang, who just goes and brandishes her fists, beating up everyone like 'wa-chowww!' and 'hee-yah!' like she's Brook Lee?" Ruby continued immediately, watching Rubedo's face seem more relaxed and open than it had been before.

"Something like that, kiddo. We're going shopping today though. I need some stuff for the blade." Rubedo's voice sounded annoyed, as if she hadn't really considered going to get stuff for her weapon… which was silly! Who would use a blunt blade to cut someone?! That hurt and did much more ouch on the body for whoever was silly enough to get hit… unless it was some mean guy like that Roman guy. Damn, just thinking about that annoying man with his carrot-like hair and his stupid hat just made her want to scream!

"Weapons oil too? Do you want me to select you whetstone? No, obviously you must whet it repeatedly, silly me… But we can put a blast attachment to the hilt, so that you can fire it… oh, wait, no gun option, sorry, I was just a bit…" Rubedo tapped her forehead, silencing her for a moment. _'I am not some kid that can be shut up with a mere poke to the forehead!'_

She was about to give a verbal retort to the poke, when Rubedo spoke up. "Hush, lil' Red. You need to keep in mind that not all of us are so into weapons like you… Eesh, when the big princess went all 'You need to be responsible, Ruby', I just about died… Something crawled in her butthole and decided to make a nest, probably as good as it is, cuz my little sis wants some of that."

' _Her team is weird.'_ Rubedo shrugged, even as she pressed her breasts together. "How're these puppies looking, Lil Red?" Ruby stared for a moment, her gaze rising once more.

"Nice. I guess." Ruby said, embarrassment going through her.

"Good, we'll be going to the beach, getting you something nice and juicy to enjoy. Big Sis Ruby's on the case, getting her lil' sis all sorts of de-shelled." Ruby wasn't sure what exactly Rubedo meant with that, the dusky-skinned girl's giggle loud and perhaps just a teensy bit unnerving.

"What about you? Do you want to…" She didn't finish the sentence, Rubedo's head shaking fiercely back and forth, as if denying the thought to herself and others.

"Nope, nope, nope! Not gonna happen. This Ruby's just got one man on the brain… and he's going to be getting what's right and proper for him!" Ruby pitied the poor fool who had gotten Rubedo so upset with him that she'd go as far to hunt down… whoever it was.

"Are you going to hurt him bad?" She asked, unsure whether she should talk her friend out of things, Rubedo shaking her head. "Ain't no such thing as too bad, Lil' Red. In the end, blood's blood… and if you make em bleed long and hard, that's good too."

' _She is kind of scary…'_ The horror movies that Rubedo played on her scroll from time to time were a little creepy. The people that were there seemed to genuinely be in mortal fear… and there wasn't a happy ending there to be found. Her favourite seemed to be the one with that blonde guy that looked sort of familiar, through the matted hair and the fleshy body that had been cut and carved like a turkey. _'Sick… Sick… Yang would punch Rubedo if she heard that she was showing me these things.'_

Yang was the protective older sister, who thought that she was just some sort of baby sister, unable to face the world and its reality. She really wasn't. She knew well that bad people did bad things, but that was why she was a huntress, ready to beat the baddies up and send them to jail.

"Rube?" She asked, Rubedo giving her a tense little smile. "Yes, Reddy?" She could see the tension in the older girl's eyes, the eyes that had been expressive, now pulled back into a manner that was putting distance between them. She knew well that there would be some things that Rubedo would be keeping to herself.

"Are you ever afraid?" She asked, Rubedo giving a faint smile, her hand ruffling Ruby's hair, the older girl's head shaking once. "I used to be afraid… But not any longer. Life…" Ruby could see that the older girl's eyes were far-off in the distance.

"Life doesn't really have much value, these days. I've got a few things left to do and then…" Rubedo's voice sounded clearer than it usually did, without the hint of teasing, even as her gaze rested on the skies. "And then I can rest."

Ruby saw the smile on Rubedo's face, noticing it for what it was. She was not naïve enough to imagine that it was a happy smile, because it really wasn't. It held the hopes and fears of someone who had seen too much, who had witnessed things that wouldn't be considered 'proper', under any circumstance. "Rubedo."

Rubedo's eyes widened, her mouth opening for an instant, as if she were to scold her for using her real name, before she thought back and gave a soft smile. "I just want it to stop hurting, Ruby. It hurts so much… It hurts like my chest is going to explode. Emmie doesn't understand in the slightest… She doesn't know the whispers like I do…"

The dark look in those eyes was enough, as Rubedo strong-armed her with her, sitting down at a nearby bench. Vale was unusually busy these days, yet they did not strike an odd pose, sitting together.

"Have you tried… going to a doctor?" Ruby asked, even as Rubedo shivered.

"Doctors and I don't go well together…" Rubedo mumbled, a flush of heat to her cheeks. "Fire-crotch seems to hate me." The nickname for Cinder Fall, the team leader of Rubedo's team, was well-used in these chats. Ruby liked to think that it was because Rubedo trusted her, that she would vent her frustrations to her.

"I'm sure it's not that bad…" She tried to soothe, yet Rubedo gave a mirthless laugh. No longer was that manic energy in her, as she chanced a look at Ruby.

"Trust me… I know things that would turn your stomach. I've…" The redhead's face turned paler, as her gaze turned away. "I've done… bad things." The admission was soft. "Very bad things. Bad things that would see me arrested."

Ruby could understand. Whatever it was, it was something that she knew most people struggled with it. Her uncle, bless his drunken soul, was one of those people who used to be a bandit, if she could believe his story. He's killed more than one person, and yet… he was the one who made her smile, taught her how to wield her weapon and made sure that she knew it as best as she could possible know it!

"It's okay. You're a good person." The humourless laugh that came from Rubedo's mouth was enough, even as she let her gaze go to the heavens, a look on her face. "You may be a bit crass, but my uncle is like that too! He used to be a bandit, y'know?"

Rubedo made a sound in the back of her throat that sounded like an 'ah-huh', even as she kept her gaze fixed to the sky. Her bangs were lifted back, exposing her features well to Ruby's eyes, even as the look on her face changed. "There's this guy…" Rubedo paused, as she seemed to hesitate.

"Oh?" Ruby didn't know whether to be curious or not. With Rubedo, she never knew what the girl was thinking. "Is he cute?" It was such a stereotypical thing to say, Ruby knew, yet Rubedo didn't have many friends. _'I'll be the best friend that she can have, I promise!'_

There was another laugh from the young woman, as she didn't respond. "When I laid eyes on him, I just knew it…" The wistful tone in her voice was something that seemed to hold the hopes and dreams, almost wistful, like a girl in love. _'Oh! Is this an admission of love?! I'm not prepared! What do I do?!'_

"I would have him remember me." Ruby's cheeks flushed, even as Rubedo continued to speak. "It's a pity…" The look in her eyes was definitely awkward, Ruby thought. There was something in those eyes that both frightened as well as thrilled her. _'I should be supportive.'_

She felt a restlessness come over her, as she wrapped a hand around her friend's shoulder. "No matter what, I will make sure that you become happy again." The smile on Rubedo's face was just worth it, with her eyes lighting up. "You know… Once I get my hands on that guy… You can join us. It'll be a private party."

The smile was a little creepy, but Ruby liked parties! _'What's the worst that could happen, right?!'_

"Sure, that'd be fun! I like parties!" Why Rubedo started to laugh wasn't exactly clear to her, but she laughed along with her. They would never get to the Dust store, though. A detour to the ice-cream parlour, which ended with them buying a triple-scoop sundae-fudge terror strawberry delicious each! It was worth it!

The guy behind the counter with his orange hair looked faintly familiar, though Ruby couldn't quite place where she'd seen him before. The store outfit was too covering, so she supposed he might've served her before. The fifty percent discount was certainly appreciated though!

* * *

 _The conundrum (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

Her eyes locked with his own, her expression unreadable, as she sat there like a silent sentinel, ready to make sure that he would be meted out the appropriate justice. Summer Rose's eyes were silent and accusing, enough to discomfort him, with her gaze bringing only more trouble along with it.

The hickeys on his neck were an addition that Whitney had given him, enough pressure on his neck to allow for a mark to be witnessed. A faint grimace on his face, as he looked at the woman, clearly thinking on things. Ashley and Bianca had greeted the woman without any sort of snap judgments, like they had done with Kali and Sienna. _'Without them freaking out, it was actually fairly easy.'_

Summer Rose's eyes were softer now, as she looked at him. "I'm not mad." She said, her voice soft, as if she had trouble speaking. There was this moment where he stared at her, unsure whether she meant it or whether it was merely something that she had uttered to break the silence. The two blades that laid on the table before her certainly were not intended to be used right as of this moment, her gaze resting on him. If she used her silver eyes, he would feel a moment of weakness, yet… he felt trust towards her.

"Did I imply that you were?" The ugly mark on Summer's cheek was starting to fade away now, even with the time that passed, with the restoration of Summer's integrity. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him seemed to quiver slightly with his thoughts, Grimm shapes forming in his mind, as he rotated them, their designs perfect in every shape and form, their use simple.

"No. I should be mad…" The woman's eyes locked with him and for a moment, they changed. The bright silver flash hit his eyes and he closed them reflexively, wincing at the feeling of a stabbing pain lancing right through his eyes. "But also…" The woman continued, from his right side, the edge of a blade tickling against the upper side of his neck.

"I think that you have a lot to make up for, Jaune." Her voice was enough for him to worry now, as it had grown cold and distant. There was little of the warmth, of the Ruby-esque nature that seemed to have pervaded Summer's whole soul, left there. _'Is this the result of being stewed in the Vitae Tenebris? Does it make one cold to the world?'_

"We're going to spar. I've been remiss in training you." The woman's blade removed itself from his neck, even as she stood straight once more. "There's a few things that you should work on… and we're going to the training room." The blades were put back where they belonged, resting there on her hips. She struck an impressive sight, with the lethality that she was known to have, her every motion radiating a distorted sense of confidence.

As she stood in front of him, hands lightly resting on the blades at her sides, ready to pull them out immediately, he felt a shiver, as her eyes looked him over. "Ditch the clothes. I need to look at your muscles." He froze, as he was sure that he might've misheard her.

"I'm sorry…" He paused, not sure how to continue with this line of conversation, Summer's eyes narrowing. She looked ready to attack him, and he felt uncomfortable with that prying gaze.

"Get naked. Now. I don't care about how you look naked, I've seen it all before." The statement sounded empty, as her eyes looked him over. A look, much like a surgeon would have, unable to see the human beyond the flesh.

He put his sword down, starting to strip, remaining only in his underwear as he stood before her. Summer's eyes looked him over, as her lips pressed tightly together. "Do you have any hearing issues?" She asked, her voice sounding like Professor Goodwitch's when she was annoyed.

"Eh, no?" The blade at her side suddenly flashed forward, cutting right through one of the sides of his boxers, allowing him to feel the brush of cool air, as the other blade in her hand cut through the other side, leaving the underwear to fall down.

"When I say 'Get naked', you will get naked, you skinny motherfucker. This isn't a fucking game anymore, and these people depend on you not being some sort of dumb retarded asshole who's only good for standing there and gawking!" The woman's tone of voice was aggressive, her eyes blazing, even with their silver radiance contained within.

"Bu-" She hissed at him like an angry cat would hiss, as her blade's tip rested on his chest. "A true Slayer fights, no matter the circumstances, no matter their attire. There will always be Grimm that will come at you, no matter the circumstances or the pain you are in. You will fight. You will drain your exhaustion and put it all into surviving. I am going to forge your weak pansy body into something that will be able to take a punch from a Beringel to the face and still be able to cut it from groin to skull in a single blow!" Her words were punctuated with flourishes of the sword, the tip moving with a faint whistle, even as she stood there.

"My trainer was a good one… And Summer Rose does not suffer the sensation of failure well! When I received my investment and my crest, I was glad!" The blades stopped, right at the point where his stomach was, her eyes bright and with that near-insane hint in them that he had seen in Ruby Beornir's eyes as well.

"Prepare yourself, you blonde motherfucker! I'm going to have your candy ass popped like it's a fucking cherry!" The term 'blonde motherfucker' was not wholly inaccurate. He had slept with Weiss' mother, wholly consensual, multiple times. "Don't you fucking dare slack off, or I'll have you feeling the pain of having 'I am a prissy pansy!' carved right into that little bitch-board that you call a set of abs!" The woman's hands lifted her top up, showing her own 'lady abs', the firm muscles looking to be in top shape. For someone who could easily pass for Ruby's older sister, he did not really draw his gaze away, even as Summer's face turned cloudier and annoyed. "Did I give you permission to check me out, Tai? Get your fucking sword up and prove that you're a man! I'm still the team leader!"

The misnaming might have been incidental, as he faintly recalled that Ruby's father's name was Taiyang and that he had blonde hair, even as the blades came at him, his own two-handed blade raised to block, one of the swords blocked, yet the other diving through his guard, as Summer deftly pricked the tip into his chest muscle, the stab hurting a little, yet it was a failure on his part. "Did Raven suck your fighting spirit out with her lips, bitch-boy? Even her brother's a better dick-choker than you are! Come on, give me a REAL defence and perhaps I'll let you get a view of a REAL woman's body!"

What followed were lightning-fast strikes, interspersed with a physical and verbal assault. Every time that he blocked one sword, she would get in close and personal, delivering some crushing blow, through her blade or through her body.

She looked like a hell-torn angel, her blades covered in the red blood that had leaked from the wounds, his own Aura mending the damage slowly, the look on her face barely changing from that look of cool efficiency. "Now… you should know to have a bit of an example… We'll do this again in five minutes, Tai."

The smile on her lips was enough to make him feel like there was a certain beauty inherent in the woman, even as her hand brushed through her hair, a far-off look in her eyes. The minutes passed, his eyes watching her distant look, and then, she sprung into action. His sword was up just in time to block the swords, the impact making him take a step back. "Come on, motherfucker! Time to get yourself back in shape! You look like you've been smacked in the face by Rae's tits too many time! Are you really a man?!" There was anger in her voice, irritation and truth there, as she looked sternly at him.

' _I don't know what's up with her, but I don't like it.'_ What followed were lightning-fast strikes, landing on his upper arms, blood dripping from the sword's edges, as Summer fought with a controlled nature, her whole body shuddering with the strength that she put into it. If not for the manic look on her face, he would have thought that she was enjoying herself, her head half-tilted to the side, as the blades were whisked, the blood splatters hitting the ground. "So weak… Why are you so WEAK?!"

Another salvo of strikes, delivering pain and irritation to him, as he blocked with difficulty. "Come on, Tai! Show me that spirit! Show me that caveman punk that I know is able to beat everyone senseless!" The woman's voice was higher in the register now, as she swung her blades with an ever-increasing urge, the faint stirring inside him mostly out of discomfort.

His skin bled, as cuts appeared, her blades turning into metal streaks of movement, the sharp edge cutting through his skin. He felt the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him burn, as he felt it trying to escape his grip, felt it trying to wrench itself loose, only for Summer to suddenly stop, her eyes wides. "You're not… Tai. No, you're…"

Her hands quivered, as her eyes went wide, taking a few deep breaths, shaking her head. "No, no, no! This is all wrong, this is wrong! I should be doing…" The confusion on her face was similar to the agonized realization that he'd had, as if the world was upside down and he was hanging on by a mere strand of hair.

The fragility of her mind's state, the bursts of rage and frustration and anxiety, all seemed to work, as the mind of Summer Rose was a mess of confusion, anger and illogical thought, her gaze turning to him, as her lips pressed into a smile. A moment before, she stood before him, then she was in his personal space, a deep breath taken, as her lips suddenly pressed against his chest, the feeling of a tongue scraping over the wounds that she had inflicted herself. "Give me…"

Her hand grabbed his _Vitae Tenebris_ -infused arm, holding it tightly, and her mouth opened, as she bit down. Thanks to his own control over the _Vitae Tenebris,_ she could not tap into the dark ichors that had crafted his arm, yet he could feel the hunger inside her, those silver eyes meeting with his own. A blast of silver light came and he felt his body weakening instantly.

What sounded like an angry demon was heard and Summer's body collapsed to the ground, Kali appearing from his shadow, pinning Summer down. Summer's arms flailed, Kali struggling to keep the woman down. **"YOU WILL NOT HARM HIM!"**

Kali's voice trembled with barely suppressed anger, even as he watched Summer twitch and flail, her mouth opening, yet no sound coming out, dark red blood coating her lips, teeth covered with the red fluid that pumped through most of his body, even though she had bitten down on the arm which should have had none… yet there it was.

"Let me drink, please… The memories… They are…" Summer pleaded, her eyes looking up, even as Kali kept pinning her down. Those silver eyes pleaded with him, even as he felt the sudden weakness surge through him. Whatever the silver eyes did, he didn't like it one bit. There was a time for certain things to be clarified, and that was not now. He was aware that it was him and Summer and Kali here. If Kali herself had felt his reaction, there was no telling what the others might feel.

The bite mark on his arm stood out, as he raised his finger, willing a droplet of the _Vitae Tenebris_ to emerge from it, the dark ichors cloying together, emerging from the false finger on the hand that had been made. Summer's eyes looked at it as if it were life-giving ambrosia, there for her to enjoy, her whole body shuddering at the sensations that she felt, even with her mind a mess.

Her lips wrapped around his finger in an instant, her eyes locked with his own, the silver showing signs of fading, as the veins in her eyes started to blacken. They closed, a low sensual moan coming from her mouth, even as Kali got herself up again, her face looking annoyed and more than a little irked. "What's the big deal with being naked, huh?"

There was a hurt tone in Kali's voice, and he suddenly realized that it would look pretty bad, his body as naked as it could be, with Summer's not-so-subtle finger-sucking that she was doing. Summer moaned something in response, her tongue licking over his finger, even as the door was jerked open, Sienna appearing, near breathless, her eyes fierce, even as she caught the situation. _'I guess it's like a signal jammer...'_

He became aware that Summer had now taken most of his finger in her mouth, sucking on it hard enough to hurt, those eyes opening once more. Raw hunger and need could be seen in those eyes, even as she slowly slid her lips off his finger. "Can I… Can I have some more?" The question would never have come from her if she hadn't been in such a tender state.

' _Addiction… Damn, you KNEW that this could happen… She's been inside the Vitae Tenebris for too long…'_ He could absorb Summer once more. Her physical existence had been crafted by the _Vitae Tenebris_ , so he could pull her back in, her whole soul once more becoming a sort of corruption to his own flawed self… But she had at least tried to be good and train him.

That would be something worthy of respect, at least. "Summer? Hey, are you there?" Those eyes looked at him, a lazy smile on her lips, her head nodding enthusiastically. "Hmmhmmm…"

"You need more training… I'll train you good, Jaune… Very good." The slurred tone of voice was like an alcoholic who had indulged their urges once more, her eyes half-lidded staring at him, her mellowing temper slowly simmering down to a level that was barely perceivable.

"Just like my Tai… We beat him into the ground, Rae and I did… So much skill…" Her head dropped against his chest, the woman's head rubbing against the bloodied gashes. "You even smell a little like him… much yummy blood." The giggle that the woman gave was light and without worries, as if she were just rousing herself from the darkness. "I'm…"

The pat to her head was instinctual as if something told him that it was the right thing to do. She stiffened in her posture, her head still held low, as she seemed to consider something, her head raised. "I'll train you… Your muscles are good… ish. But they can be better." Her hand grabbed a hold of his leg. "This needs to grow. Stronger."

A sound came from her throat that seemed almost like a scoff, as her hand raised and grabbed one of his arms, his weapon lowering slightly. "This needs to be bigger too. A big man for a big sword."

Her eyes flicked down, right at his groin. "Well… At least I know you've got one two-handed sword already… Still nothing like my Tai-way." He wondered whether she was fully conscious of her words, or whether this was just a stream of consciousness talking.

"What the hell are you doing to my Jaune!" Whitney's voice came from the door, Jaune turning around, Summer's head switching its attention towards Whitney.

"It's the white Dust queen! All hail the white Dust queen!" The giggles that Summer gave were unnerving, even as he took a step back, a steel-like grip on his arm keeping him there. "Nope, not going to go away! We have training to do, Jaune! You're going to be a real man soon!"

It made him wonder what she considered to be 'a real man', yet she took her positions once more, her body angling. "We used to do these drills naked in our backyard. Raven always complained about the cold, you see… But she wasn't too shabby when she was swinging her blade. Mistralian traditions or something… Whatever, I thought it was a load of baloney if she objected."

Under the hawk-like gaze of Whitney, he actually blocked the strikes from Summer, the sound of metal on metal loud, even as Summer's vigour seemed to have exploded outward with another set of dazzling moves, a kick coming from below to sweep his feet from under him, before the tips of her swords placed themselves against his throat. "I win." The grin on her face showed her teeth, the stains of blood on her lips giving him the impression of some savage brutal killer, even as her eyes shone with what seemed to be happiness and that electric surge of energy burned in them.

"You win." Jaune admitted, even as Summer seemed to be set for another round, his eyes watching carefully how the woman's fingers brushed over the grip of her blades, caressing them like a lover would.

"Again!" The woman said, even as she flung herself at him, the blades raised in a manner that would let her bring them down upon him with savage strength. He parried it at the last moment, even as he could still feel the soreness in his muscles, Summer's eyes going wide, as she suddenly pulled herself back, her swords placed at the side. "I'll have Rae spar with you! She's nicer than me."

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, he did not know. Summer pulled the bead that Raven had given her out, crushing it in an instant, the pulverized remnants falling onto the ground, allowing for the woman to be summoned. He could see Whitney look disappointed for some reason, before she turned to Kali and they started to talk about something in hushed tones, Whitney gesturing with her right hand to him, then back to her, and the Faunus woman's expression changed from moderate interest to higher interest.

Whether it was something that was said between them or just that general acceptance that seemed to have come from being friends, it still mattered not in the grand scheme of things, a portal appearing out of thin air and Raven Branwen stepped out, her attention immediately going to him, the woman's mask still on her face, so her expression would not be gleaned from her face. "Raven! I've got a sparring partner for you! Standard rules!"

Summer's cheerful voice sounded, the woman giving a slow groan, as she pulled the mask off. The face of the woman which was practically Yang with twenty years and a whole lot of attitude… and dark hair, looked at her team leader and comrade and sighed. "Really… I can see that you've had your way with him already." The bandit chieftain seemed to be unable to resist the command though, as she shrugged herself out of her top, the garment discarded in a casual fashion.

There was no embarrassment to be seen on Raven Branwen's face as she stripped, the breasts, contained by wrappings, easily exposed, as the woman's body was as hale and healthy as any professional Huntsmen ought to be, unbothered by the sudden request to spar. _'What sort of training did they do, in order to have such blind obedience to their leader?'_

It must have shown on his face that he was surprised, as the woman scoffed loudly. The foul looks that his three companions sent her way seemed to be more or less ignored, the woman having grown thick skin against such looks, undoubtedly due to being a bandit. "You are not worthy of this body, so look all that you want." The woman's voice seemed to hold nothing but disdain, Whitney's emotions boiling, yet she kept her silence.

"That isn't nice, Rae." The voice of Summer came, Raven wincing visibly, turning towards her former team leader. A look of panic was on her face for an instant, before it turned back to the regular expression of broody emotions.

"It's not what you think, Summer. He has not the qualifications! I married a man, you were just the…" The woman caught up with her words at that moment, as a dark surge of emotions wrapped around Summer, her eyes blazing with anger and rage, the wrathful emotions burning like an ever-powerful flame inside her.

"I was NOT the rebound! Tai was broken, I went and fixed him! You didn't see the look in his eyes that day!"Summer's voice sounded louder, as she narrowed those eyes. "Fight him, Raven! Standard sparring practice! We'll have some time together to talk about who the better woman is, later. Tis training time now!"

The woman discarded the last remnants of her clothing, Jaune's eyes straying never below the neckline, as far as he could. To say that Raven Branwen was a woman who held no charm was one of the worst falsehoods in this world, as her form had been honed like the masterpiece of an ancient swordsmith.

To say that she and Yang shared a similar aesthetic appeal was correct. Full breasts and the curves that showed there were enough to distract most men, even as Raven's smouldering red eyes could make any man weak-kneed, her hand on her blade immediately, as her fingers held tightly to the hilt.

"And start!" Summer said, performing the function of a referee. Raven's body shot into motion, even faster than Summer's had been, his blade raised up to block her strike, her body shoving roughly into him, trying to destabilize his stance. His hand let go of the grip and he turned himself to the side, allowing not another moment to be spent theorizing, as his hand grabbed a hold of hers, attempting to hold her off. It was his human arm that forced, Raven's motion stopped, the blade's edge glowing faintly, the smell of something cooking in the air, even as the woman wrenched herself loose.

"You've gotten fat, Raven! Come on, show him the Qrow Nutcracker!" Summer's encouragement was hardly something that was needed, as Raven came at him again. Trying not to look at the bandit chieftain's body, he nevertheless stabbed at her, Raven's body shifting to the side, dodging the stab with a shift of her body, her eyes catching his own, apathetic and without great emotion inside it, like a doll that merely performed to the expectations of its owner.

Contrary to Summer's eyes, which held both the danger of their silver eyed nature as well as the ability to show emotion, Raven's own seemed to be carved from glass, the puppet's body that was fighting against him moving as would be expected. "Come on, fight harder! Make him bleed! Show him why you are Raven, Rae!" Summer's encouragement made those eyes flare up and he found himself grabbed by the arm and flung against the wall, the blade finding itself pinned to the side of his body, not touching his flesh, yet showing clearly that the woman would have given a lethal strike if she could have.

"Get up." The scornful tone was enough for his ears to hear, as he got up slowly, aware that the woman was no longer messing around, her eyes as fiery as the blaze that burned in Summer's eyes. "I'm going to train that scrawny butt of yours until you're as good as a tenth of my Tai."

The woman was as good as her word, nearly five hours later it was him who had been more or less carried out of the training room, the red streaks on the ground bearing witness to Raven's cruel lessons. The woman's hands were brushing a cloth over the Dust blades that she had sheathed in the sheath that she carried with her, her body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, Summer's happy chirps and chatters sounding like an accompanying music, even as he was helped to the bathroom in order to get the blood and sweat off him. Sweat STUNG if it dripped into your wounds!

* * *

 _The Rose of Summer (Summer Rose)_

* * *

Her eyes watched him as he was being led out of the training room that he had spent nearly eight hours in, her whole body tingling slightly as she could feel the aftereffects of that dark ichor still burning inside her core, her eyes looking at the woman who stood there, without any sort of blemish or injury. _'Without any sort of health issue, she would be able to reach the pinnacle with another ten years…'_

The ancient standards for partners to Slayers were kept as a deliberate secret by the upper echelons of the Order, yet there were some requirements that were freely disseminated to those family members who would ascend to the rank of Slayer, the partners that they picked having the chance to be 'approved' of learning the skills of the Slayers…

It was a deliberate gambit, that Summer Rose had made nearly twenty-one years ago, to teach more of the skills to those who held the aptitude. Raven Branwen had not been the murder machine that she was now when she had first bumped into the bandit in the Emerald Forest, her whole nature different… Ruthless, yet not as ruthless as she had been after the training. What had really cemented her ability as a partner had been that moment when they had looked at the other applicants and a shared look between them that had automatically dismissed the others as worthy, before their hands had joined.

In Summer's own estimation, it would be a few years yet before Jaune would be able to accept the initiation ritual, his body's strength still something that needed to be built up… unless one was willing to cheat. The blood inside her called for vengeance, for death and murder and resistance… The Grimm were a mortal threat to Remnant and the Mission was Absolute…

Warring with her emotions yet showing none on the outside, she looked at Raven, who stood stock-still, sweat dripping onto the floor, her head cast down. "You went easy on him." The accusation was something that Raven undoubtedly had expected, one which she didn't refute.

"Traitor." The word made Raven flinch, as the woman turned her head away. "No… Worse than that." The woman flinched physically away, the woman's shoulders changing slightly as she began to take a step back. _'Weakness… my partner is weak…'_ The disappointment flashed through her, as she stepped closer, Raven's stature taller than her own, yet her hand seamlessly grabbing a hold of the woman's neck.

"You're filth… Not even worthy of my trust…" The woman tried to say something, stutters and whimpers coming from the woman's mouth, even as Summer felt the darkness rush through her veins. "A little filthy traitor who wants to see a young man fail… Did you really miss me that much, Raven?"

"Summer, really, I didn't mean to…" The plea was not enough for her, as her hand moved from the throat with a brief surge of the darkness washing through the muscles, darkened veins showing clearly on the pale skin, a sign that her body was not as pure as it had been… and Summer Rose found herself not caring one whit about it.

"You were supposed to be pure… My orders absolute. Tai doesn't know, Qrow doesn't know… This was our little secret, Raven." The eyes of the woman widened, as Summer's lips pressed tightly together. The kind and caring mother that Yang remembered would never had made a face like that, as those silver eyes of hers predicted death. _'The lungs, a death that leaves her gargling her own blood like it were her regrets… The guts, something for the additional pain and torment…'_

The options pushed through her mind, not even an instant spent on the care for a partner, even as the darkness swelled inside her. The craving was now somewhat less, yet there was the feeling of betrayal. "Did you get reminded of Tai, Rae?" Her voice accused, as the woman shuddered, kneeling, the effort to remain standing too great for the bandit to do, as Summer knew exactly which tone to take. _'I have broken her of all resistance._ _'_

The training of the Slayers was enough to break lesser people, their fate not even to be remembered. Summer recalled her own experience under the guidance of the Mistress, her cloak as pale as the ashes of the Grimm that they slew. _'Grandma Maria always said that the best chance to destroy the Grimm was when you were absolutely honed to the finest edge that you could have.'_

Seeing Raven on her knees, Summer stepped forward, laying her hands in the hair of the woman, the look in those eyes enough for her to enjoy, a dark craving inside her showing enough restraint, the mismatched clothing that she wore now only the garments that hid her perfect form. _'If I had not been poisoned, I would never have fallen..._ '

It was a grim reality, in which a moment of ill caution had spelled her doom, her limbs chopped off and her body left to savagely be experimented on... Now that her body was whole once more and she was pulled out of the ocean of darkness inside the body of Jaune, she could feel every nerve in her body call out once more. _'The mission is paramount, no matter the cost or the death of anyone...'_

"Summer, please, Summer!" Raven's voice reached her ears, and she realized that she had been forcing Raven's head in a very uncomfortable and lethal position. The woman on her knees was too proud to really beg for her life, yet in Summer's hands... pride went out of the window.

"You know where we are, right?" The question she asked was enough, Raven shaking her head softly. Tears were leaking from those eyes, even as Summer beheld her face. She could feel the fear inside Raven bubble and boil, the pain and the fear mingling together into something that she could feel feed her like an aphrodisiac, readily igniting the flames inside her.

"The house of the d'Arc-Night family." She clarified, using the full name of the family. Raven's eyes went wide, as her mouth opened up, her eyes looking at the direction where Jaune was. Summer could feel his presence like a bee in the vicinity, buzzing away in the distance, the connection between the two like a tether, making her mission all the more cumbersome to accomplish...

Raven's eyes widened. "He's a d'Arc-Night?" The surprise in her voice was enough to make Summer realize that there was more to the woman's response than she'd thought before. "Yes... Is that strange? Wait..."

Raven looked at her, turning her gaze down as she took a deep breath. "You visited them, once, right? You said that you would visit them once in a while, to keep a look at how the family was progressing." That was not something that Summer had hidden from her team. The d'Arc-Night family was one of the few who held the heritage of the Slayers, even though their activity had been meagre in the past generations. Their eyes did no longer hold the silvery tint that it had once held, yet they were still a part of the ancient accord through their line.

"We... I... No, I did not." Raven paused, Summer's hand slapping her cheek, the woman's head turning due to the force behind that hand, as a red mark appeared on her cheek. "Speak plainly, Raven. What the fuck did you do?"

Raven did not speak, as her gaze kept angled downward. "It was the option we chose. It was the best option. A young child was the best..." The fear inside Summer welled up, as she knew that she should not have told anything to her partner and friend...

' _So, you know, you take a young child and raise it in the way that you want... make sure that they know what's the stakes. If they can't be brought to heel, you make them work for it.'_ The words were something that she had said in confidence to Raven, after a long evening of languishing in the comfortable spot that they'd managed to secure in a mountainous area to the south of Vacuo. The weather had been hot and there had been few Grimm around, the blood that stained their clothes not belonging to either of them. _'Just... work with them, make their power serve the good of the world... Nothing like how Ozpin would want us to work.'_

Raven's words cast them into doubt. "Did you fucking abduct a child?!" Summer screeched, her voice loud once more. _'No, not like this... Not again.'_ She could recall those hope-filled eyes as they looked up at her, the small hands that gripped the swords, even as those brown eyes peered up at her with hope, before her trainer would bring her away. The body had been covered with a simple blanket the next day, the part where the head had been half-torn off still having made a faint red stain. _'The price of rearing a bad apprentice...'_

Her teacher had been fair, yet she knew well that the skills of the woman by far outranked most of those who roamed the land. With Ozpin's missions, the threat of the Grimm could be counteracted slightly, even if the missions on occasion called for the death of a whole settlement.

' _You can trust Ozpin, he has not led our order wrong yet... Every word that he speaks is the truth.'_ The eyes of her teacher could not have been more misguided, with the knowledge that she held now. The man's own nature, as a teacher and an educator, was something that seemed as fragile as a puff of smoke during a winter-time festival, unable to be caught... and Summer Rose was not someone who would easily submit to the world's whims."Her name is Vernal and... She's pretty good." The words of her partner were like stabs to the chest, as she looked at Raven's apologetic face.

"This is not about... You've..." She was beside herself with her frustrations, as Raven had perverted the ideals that she had tried to foster within her, tried to bring something to the world that should have been good... But in the end, Raven had taken the idea and perverted it. "Do you even KNOW what you have DONE, Raven?"

' _She's messed things up... One partner, one apprentice... She isn't even of the blood..._ ' Frost seemed to go through her veins as she realized. _'Oh no, he is of the blood... He is...'_ A shudder went through her, as she looked in the direction of Jaune, who seemed to have sat down just a moment, the aura of those who had been bestowed with his 'blessing' wrapped around them. It was the purity of that aura that allowed her to easily track it through walls and stone, to spot their faint outline. _'Why am I so stupid? Why... Why?!'_

Raven said something, her words not important to Summer now as she turned away and started to pace, her face a thundercloud. _'Think... What's the best way to make use of this information? I cannot strike the final blow now, not with what I know...'_ The mission she had been given would be completed... and Ozpins' mission would coincide. _'He is an existence that profanes the world... Yes, yes... I think I should... maybe...'_ The hopes inside her died a swift death, as the need inside her body for more sustenance came, the maddening chitters once more clawing at her soul and mind. **'There is nothing for us... Give in to the need...'**

"Summer, please..." The plea from Raven was enough to draw her out of her musings, gazing at Raven with a stern look. "You cannot beg me, Raven. You've betrayed me... You've all betrayed me, if what you're telling me is true." The bandit looked ashamed, her cheeks hot with a flush. Summer's eyes looked down as she walked over to Raven.

"You don't know what it's like, Summer. I had thought you dead, so I wanted to-" Summer's finger fell against Raven's lips.

"Shut up, Raven. Why did you go easy on Jaune? You had nineteen chances to defeat him every time that you fought against him. He has the defences of a weak chicken, even if moustache Mcrobot didn't die... Tell me why." Raven's eyes were hollow, as she looked down.

"I want him to make my Yang his." The admission was surprisingly easy for the woman to make, Summer's eyes blinking once. Well... This was surprising news. "It's not that I fully approve..." The bandit chieftain sounded heavy, as she spoke with her emotions flashing. Summer never really liked the way that Raven would just go and shirk responsibility, the sternness that she needed to show towards the bandit chieftain enough to really make her 'not such a friendly person', but she knew that Raven generally thought the world of her daughter.

"But what other choice do I have?! I will NOT let my Yang die because some fucking cat cunt thinks that she's a personal tragedy waiting to happen! She would have died if I didn't interfere, Summer! She'd have killed herself and destroyed my little precious baby's soul with her! You don't know what it is like, Summer... Seeing my Yang horrified at the blood that came from the wrists of that little cat!" Raven's voice was definitely enough to make Summer dial down her intimidation, as it was the raw sound of a mother... a feeling that she could imagine.

She had borne Ruby into this world, after all. There had been no time when she had been left alone by her man, Raven only a faint shadow in the room, a mirage that she had told herself would become reality once again, after she had tracked the woman down and showed her displeasure.

It was not a good thing, that she had delayed until only a few months ago, yet there had been one reckoning... and there would be more to come. _'You've got to leave her alive... she is a legacy that you have moulded, even if she knows it not...'_

"So... You want to have Jaune sleep with Yang in order to produce an heir." Summer stated, Raven giving a nod that looked not as confident as it could have been. Raven held some views that were notoriously hard to shake, even though Summer herself knew very well that it was imperative to produce an heir, even if you were a bad-ass Grimm Slayer.

"It is not that I..." She could see Raven struggle, the proud bandit chieftain's face taking different expressions, even as she let out a deep sigh. "It's just... We were both taught that a woman and a woman should not mingle together in that way. Seeing Yang just..." The words were hard for Raven to get out, Summer could see that. There was that hint of dread in Raven's voice, the hint of 'what if my daughter is wrong', as well as the fragile hope that was inside her head. "I don't want her to turn out like you did."

Summer's eyes went wide, as Raven turned to her. "Hit me if you want, but..." The bandit shifted awkwardly, still naked as the day she was born, the strap that kept her weapon tied to her hip pressing into the flesh. "You're not... If they knew what we did, how you are acting..."

" _I'm perfectly sane!"_ _ **"No, you are not."**_ _"Hush, my mind is my own! I'm perfect, the way that I am.""_ _ **The Mission comes first... Then the joy."**_ She was not going to admit that she was hearing voices to ANYONE anymore. Jaune knew only because he had sprung her free... But that was because he was Jaune. She was now linked to him and she would not let anyone else do anything about that! She would gladly sacrifice anything to make sure that there was a swift resolution, yet... now.

"You've never been as strict as you have since... since we met again." Raven's voice, sounding so much like she was the older one, was something that calmed the roiling seas inside her under normal circumstances. "You've never been as rude either... Summer, what happened to you?" The question took her aback, as she took a deep breath, trying to force a semblance of normalcy back into her mind. _'I only lived in perpetual agony for thirteen years... then I was locked inside a young man's body, held afloat in an ocean of darkness...'_

She could not hold back her thoughts, as her mind immediately conjured up an image, as she could see herself from Jaune's position, feel the emotions that she had felt. _'Am I really not like how I was?'_

It was perhaps the corrupting influence of the darkness that she had been wrapped in for such a time, yet she felt... perfectly fine. She was alive, she could breathe, the whispers were telling her all sorts of interesting things... ahh, what a time to be alive.

"I've grown." She said, Raven looking at her for a moment with disbelieving eyes. "I feel... free."

Raven's voice spoke clearly then. "And the mission, given to us by Ozpin... Tai and Qrow never really did like the jobs like we did..."Summer laughed, her laugh like the tinkling bells that had once led those who opposed her to shiver.

"They might not have the stomach to do what we do... But they will know that we do it for the benefit of the world, yes? Come here, Raven." She spoke with a lighter tone, her finger beckoning the other woman. _'She looks happier... Perhaps?'_

Raven moved according to her will, the woman still kneeling as she crept forwards, Summer leaning down and giving a small kiss to the lips of the woman. "My pretty little Rae..." Her voice whispered, as the red eyes opened up, her silver peering down into them. "You should know by now..."

The kiss that followed was more passionate, as she could taste the spice on the lips of her partner and fellow Slayer, who she had taught the little tricks that nobody else should know, even though it had taken the better part of five years, who had been able to help out at least a little bit. _'My little Raven...'_

"We're two halves of a whole. The first time that I saw you..." There was a soft sound in her throat, even as Raven took a deep breath, the nostrils exhaling warm air. "The first time I saw you, you were weak. You were frail. Doing nothing but hoping that your brother would be of help."

The Raven had she had seen had been but unmolded clay, the resistance that she had shown being something that seemed to have only faded by the time that she had claimed Raven as her own. A moment of weakness and an embarrassed morning, easily played off to the brother and Tai as 'just a casual talk between partners', even as Raven's cheeks had burned hotter, yet her loyalty had been assured.

Of course, it was all to groom a possible companion, to banish the emptiness inside her. There had been voices in the council that had spoken up against her taking such a companion on the Eternal Hunt... But they had not been able to voice a complaint when Raven had taken down a Goliath together with her. It had been the first time that a non-Slayer had participated in the rituals, even with the special permission that Ozpin had granted.

Her daughter, Ruby, would take up her mission once she would reach the appropriate age, her training undoubtedly bringing her to a level which would be 'passable' for an initiate. Qrow must have taught her well, for Taiyang's weakness was a truth that she was not going to dance around. She had slept with the man, loved him even... Yet his core was weak, crying when he had no need to cry, just because a woman left him.

Raven knew her task, she knew her own job. Summer was the blade, Raven was the hilt... And together, they could create murder. Within team STRQ, there was only the need for one blade and one hilt. One to slice and one to guard. She had forged Taiyang into the hilt by her own words, even as she knew well that the fancies that she felt in a small part of her mind was something that she should drive away.

"You love Tai, don't you?" Summer said, even as Raven stilled, the question that had been asked suddenly a different one. Summer could feel in a small part of her being that she loved the man, yet that feeling seemed to fade away slowly, as the man had not been in her life for longer than that she'd been in his.

"Summer, what…" Raven's lips were pressed, Summer's eyes locking with hers. "Answer the question, Raven." The mission was important, yet… she was not going to deny her sister in all but blood the chance. Raven's lips moved, as the woman's gaze cast down.

"Ever since I've failed you…" There was a definite sadness to her words, as she spoke so softly, the eyes looking downcast, with every moment that passed.

"Were you there for my daughter?" She asked, her voice strict. She could already imagine little Ruby's face smile, Raven's head giving a slight shake. Summer's frown would be considered adorable by Taiyang, yet the woman who currently was under the gaze of Summer Rose knew well that such a frown would be lethal in the wrong circumstance.

' _I was there for YOUR daughter when you were off gallivanting at being a bandit queen…'_ The anger blossomed inside Summer, as the dark whispers in her mind continued. _**"Why do you allow her to persist? She is a failed woman, a failed product, one that you cannot use…"**_

"Summer, I've been there for Yang… She's my daught-" SMACK! The sound of her own palm landing on Raven's cheek and the woman's head turning to the side, her eyes wide.

"I cared for her as if she were my own flesh and blood whilst I was carrying Ruby to term. You've got a lot of apologizing to do to MY girl, Raven, not just Yang. If I didn't… If you had passed away, I would have LOVED her as I love you, Raven." The whimper that came from her partner and companion's lips was hurt and fragile, as those eyes filled with tears.

"No matter what. The Darkness will win if we are not prepared. WE swore that oath TOGETHER!" The oath, which should never be repeated, mentioned to her partner. Raven's eyes looked at her and the woman gave a wheezing sob.

"I'm not much of a mother! I don't know how to change a diaper, soothe their hurts or to make them smile. All I know is to kill, Summer!" The bandit looked up at her and those eyes filled with emotions peered up at her. "All I know is to kill… I've killed so many, so many… The tribe is all that I have left…"

Summer was only briefly aware that she had screeched loudly, Raven's face suddenly whacked back and forth, yelling- " **You still have US! I AM STILL HERE! WE ARE STILL HERE! YOU COULD HAVE RETURNED AT ANY TIME TO YOUR DAUGHTER AND YET YOU DID NOT, BECAUSE YOU ARE A COWARD! YOU ARE A COWARD, RAVEN BRANWEN!"**

Her hand felt the blood drip off it, Raven's cheeks matted with the blood that'd been spilled by Summer's barrage, her eyes looking up at her with a raw fear, Summer feeling that fear course through her, a savage pleasure slithering through her whole body, as she revelled in that feeling of power that it gave her.

The bruises on Raven's face would heal, given time… But there was no need not to ask Jaune whether they could be sped up a little through the use of his Aura. As she pulled Raven up and pushed herself under the woman's arm, she could feel the need within the woman's body to apologize, to repent her sins… and that was good.

' _We'll go and make something for the children… OUR children.'_ She was not a bad mother after all. She had enjoyed making cookies with Yang, so… Perhaps there would still be some use for the fruit of Raven's loins. "I love you, Raven." She whispered in her partner's ears, even as the woman sagged against her, like some simpering little bitch… _'Ah well… We'll have to go through some remedial training… It's been too long since Raven has been able to exercise, after all…'_

All would be well again… Raven was just going through her usual broody moods. Like Qrow, she hadn't been taught well… So it would be up to Summer Rose to re-educate her again!

A flash of that moment when Raven had made her feel pride in finally learning how to cook rice and make sure that it didn't boil over was something that Summer could feel pride in. The darkness inside her throbbed as well, as she could see the pride in Raven's eyes reflect back at her, as those lips formed a soft smile. _"I did it right, didn't I, Summer?"_

She smiled, even as she dragged Raven along, heedless of the fact that she was nude, as she caught sight of the one that she was intending to see. "Jaune! Use your aura to boost hers, she's had a bit of a fall." The soft whimper that Raven gave as she was nudged no doubt meant that the weakness inside her body was coming once more. "You're going to be my Slayer buddy again, Raven." Whispering those words to her partner, a faint smile came to Raven's face, as the busted lip and the irregularly angled nose showed clearly that she might've been a teensy bit rough on her partner…

But it would be fun… The Mission took precedence to everything aside from the Legacy.

She was a good mother, who loved her children dearly, even though one was her own and the other one was her partner's… And they WOULD be taught how to be the best fighters that they could be. _'Raven has brought a little sunny dragon into the world… whilst I have brought my little red rose to accompany her… I can only hope that Jaune spoke the truth about Ruby being accepted to Beacon early…'_

It was perhaps her own perception, but she could see a dark look flit on Jaune's face as he approached, the bleeding Raven moaning something of thanks, even as the young man's hands lit up with his Aura. _'She is my partner…'_

Raven would forever be the one who she could trust… Whose faith she would always hold. She was her partner in the Huntress line of work, as well as her partner in the Slayer order…

Summer Rose would expect nothing but excellence from her partner and her daughters… Even if they were not yet fully accustomed to becoming the blade that exterminated the Grimm, they would learn…

' _There must be one to take up the blade once the previous wielder has fallen…'_

* * *

 **Annnd with the grim perspective of Summer, we close THIS chapter!**

 **In the next one, we'll see Jaune and his acolytes again! Summer has been acting erratic and a dreadful feeling has crept up on him... Oh, and we will be seeing Jacques Schnee again! Ain't that wonderful? Much more ado about the Schnee... And we'll be seeing Jaune and company go towards Vale! A reunion of team NPR and their J is upcoming... soon!**

 **No character segment, as people have mentioned that I do a decent enough job at making them pop out... So no more 'official' character files. Tis been a brief pleasure... But if people request, I can tell you what the official titles for Jaune's Acolytes are in the next chapter.**

 **Leave a review if you've enjoyed it! There is much more planned for you all to enjoy!**


	34. The Treaty

**Chapter 34: The treaty**

 **There may be three weeks in-between updates, due to me receiving guests over in the week after the next one. From the sixteenth of february to the twenty-fifth, company! Enjoyable, but not very productive on the literary front, unless I can somehow get time to write. Still... Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The tainting (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He saw the two women walk towards him, one of them looking worse for wear whilst the other one seemed to radiantly shine with her own exuberance, Summer's face much alike to Ruby's own, radiant with that small hint of motherly kindness. It contrasted strikingly to Raven's face, which looked battered and her sense of dress, which was absent right now, he could imagine what had led up to the two women being in such a state.

"Heal her up, Jaune." The question from Summer was soft enough for him to hear, even as he prepared his Aura, noticing that the nose had definitely been broken, Summer's emotions flashing more than once, even with her eyes looking at him. The naked form of the woman who had beat him up for near-on six hours looked a little pathetic to his eyes, with none of that lethality that she'd had before. _'I feel kind of bad for her.'_

He extended his human hand, knowing that the woman would be leery of his gifts if he did so with the one that had been crafted from the _Vitae Tenebris_ , her eyes watching him with a frightening intensity, her crimson eyes locked with him, as his Aura stretched out, pushing into her without resistance.

There was a brief moment of resistance, as their aura mingled, the moment where her eyes widened and the essence of his own aura made her heal up. The audible pop of the nose realigning itself once more was loud, and he could feel the fear inside her swell up, a feeling of being insignificant, of being weak and like a scared little creature. It was at odds with the proud, domineering woman that she showed to the world, yet understandable. Monsters such as himself would be thought of as even more fearsome.

' _It'd not be a bad thing to… ensure that there is some method of control.'_ He was well aware of the danger that Raven could cause, even though they had only been tangentially linked together by the woes of fate, Raven's nature as a bandit undoubtedly different from his own. Raven was dedicated to Summer, feared Summer to a certain extent, so…

He dove into her. Without any sort of hindrance, he pushed open the barrier that separated the flesh from the soul, feeling the taint of Ozymandias Pinnacle upon her soul, the magical force that belonged to her as an Acolyte like a flash of fire and ice at the same instant, a whole moment of pain, shattering into what was a stark reality.

 _A woman standing before her, eyes of silver, holding out a hand. 'We're friends, right?'_ _Taking the hand and being pulled up, watching how her first friend laughed, saying that they'd be bestest of friends, forever. A young man, shyly glancing at her, her brother's comment coming just a moment too late. A sudden emerging from the bathroom, only to see him look at her, his eyes going to her womanhood, a blush on his cheeks as he looked away. Admitting that his looks at her made her feel things to Summer, the response as expected. She turned eighteen and on that night, she made love for the first time. Summer was there to watch, so all would be fine. She was a friend and you could trust friends, right?_

 _The first mission that required taking lives. A small house, seven people, gathered together for a moment of repose, as the winter's crisp breath wrapped around her, puffs of smoky breath escaping, even as the man hurried along before her, her blade stained crimson, like the dust that made it. A single slash would end it. Each of them had a target and this was hers. Innocent, these people were… The blood never got any easier, yet Raven was ready._

 _The first initiation test. Summer had been wanting to try this, said that she had felt a 'connection', the nude sparring sessions only one of the ways that they could train together. Taiyang and Qrow joined in from time to time, yet they did not hold as strict a rein on their body. She personally found it rather flattering to see his Xiao-Long stand at attention, although Summer would not have enjoyed her saying such. Slaying the Goliath in full view of the other members of the Slayer order had been a test of her skills, a singular blade all that they had been given each, and yet… they had triumphed without great difficulty, the broach pinned upon Summer's cloak, turned a beautiful shade of white._

 _Her first official 'off the books' mission, team STRQ standing ready, a shadowed field around them, filled with Grimm. The town behind them was something that had been designated a Pyre Site, yet they fought either way, the negativity of the people as they were slain, calling forth more of the Grimm. Summer's cheerful laughter mingled with Taiyang's soft admonishments, her brother's morose look clearly at odds with this mission. 'Cheer up, Qrow!'_ _Summer had kissed her brother on the cheek, her own body feeling a little colder now that she had witnessed that interaction, privately thinking that it might be time to give up on her little brother._

 _The pain of birth, as her belly felt swollen and loaded, only the shrill scream of the babe to banish that sense of pain, as she beheld her little Yang, named for the warmth that the sun could bring to one like her, an existence wrapped in shadows. Summer standing at the edge of the room, looking at her with eyes that cast doubt upon her. It had been a moment of joy for her, watching her Yang._

 _The doubt came, nearly three days later, the milk that came from her breasts barely filling her child's belly. He did not understand in the slightest, even though she loved him. She was his, yet she was also of the Tribe. She would never be the mother that Yang needed, someone who could care for her… Someone who would teach her. She left that day, leaving only a note that said –_ _ **I'm done with this.**_ _– and never looked back… or so she would have herself believe. Three days later, she watched Summer hold HER baby, rocking it through the house, singing a soft lullaby, her eyes meeting with her own, and she KNEW that Summer KNEW._

 _Watching her Taiyang make love to Summer broke her heart. There had been squeaks, groans and moans that she had heard that night, the window barely blocking her view, as the man slumped down on the bed, Summer rolling over and placing a gentle kiss to his scruffy cheek, before those silver eyes looked up and she mouthed – 'You left.' – before she cuddled up to Raven's husband._

 _Her body in motion, coming to the spot where Summer was supposed to be, seeing only limbs and a grisly mess, blood coating the clearing as the body had clearly been mutilated, a few Dust cartridges left behind, her brother standing there with a look of astonishment on his face, as he could not believe, as she did, that Summer was gone. 'Hey Raven…' She did not care for his words, as she knelt next to the arm that held a ring with a peculiar symbol, the one on her finger holding the same symbol. 'Summer is gone.'_ _There had been much alcohol consumed that night, ending with a massive hangover in the morning. She did not care about anything anymore…_

 _The first meeting again, back at the camp. Summer's silver eye and the hellish crimson of the boy who she had been attached to. A moment of repose, as her failure was thrown back at her, Summer hiding the truth well within the omissions._

 _She was Raven Branwen, mother of Yang, wife of Taiyang. She was Summer Rose's partner and she was alone, frightened and fearful…_

He felt himself delve deeper then, as he came face to face with Raven Branwen, the woman's features perfectly preserves, with not a single wrong in that face. As the woman looked at him, dressed like she was ready to fight, she opened her mouth. _"Why?"_ The spectral tone of her voice was at odds with her natural one, twisting and twitching, a wreath of power surrounding her, her eyes holding nothing but that faint contempt for him and all that he stood for. _"Why did you do this?"_

He knew that it was wrong. Messing with the soul of someone was forbidden by many magical laws that had been in place, yet he could not… No, he would not let himself be lured into a false sense of security. _"Insurance."_ The words were cold and callous, as if he did not feel it.

The bond between Summer and this woman was strong. Summer, a woman who held a great deal of power, was a loose cannon. Her silver eyes could harm him to such an extent that he would be weak, like a babe who faced off against a predator. _"And what, would you have me do?"_ The woman snarled at him, even as his hand rose.

" _Be loyal… There is nothing that I ask other than your loyalty."_ The words that had been spoken before, Ozymandias Pinnacle's easy creed of acceptance, of loyalty towards HIS designs. The look on her eyes was fierce, as she met his gaze. _"It would not be bondage…"_

The look barely changed. _"One master traded for another… Do you really take me to be a fool? What can you offer me that I would really want?"_ The woman's voice spat the words at him, her defiant proud eyes looking at him, the mental space of the soul around. This was a moment when he had to make the decision. Forcing it would be an option that Ozymandias Pinnacle would not shy from… A puppetmaster whose puppets hardly deviated from their strings…

" _Your daughter."_ An image of Yang appeared in the mental space, called up by Raven's own mind. _"I promise you that she will not come to harm."_ The promise was not easily made, yet she looked at him with a foul look. _"Do not think that I am some sort of benevolent person, Raven Branwen."_

He was far more benevolent than the Grand Witch would have been, in this case. Raven would have been flayed of her flesh and her will broken before she would be sent off to fight whatever target had been selected. _"And you think that I would merely submit with such false promises, BOY? Do you really think that I am going to be your hired dog, doing as you wish? Summer is not a fool…"_

She was no doubt talking about the bond that she shared with Summer, yet he knew well that Summer was acting different from the regular. _"She has been acting erratic… All that I am asking is that you are able to restrain her if things come to such a point…"_ The look on Raven's face looked hesitant, as her gaze dropped.

' _She understands.'_ The thought was not strange, even as the representation of Yang in Raven's mental soulscape was enough for him to be clued in to her importance to the woman. _"If you can promise me that Summer will not be killed, I will grant you my sword."_ The acceptance of the offer was something that he had not expected, the woman's face showing clearly that she did not expect herself to say so either.

" _Ozpin is the real danger in the world… Would you see your daughter be made into an Acolyte?"_ It was mere theory and guesswork on his part, as he knew little of the current situation in the world, his knowledge not sufficient in the slightest to make guesses of the political landscape that Ozpin would have been immersed in. _"One from Menagerie, a Faunus… Burdened with the weight of representing her species… Another, the daughter of a famed family, bearing the burden of excellence, Atlas born and bred… A young woman, full of life and desire, ready to strike at those who wished to harm her… And the final one, silver-eyed and with the power to harm the Grimm…"_

He paused for a moment, as he watched her expression. _"Did I speak of your daughter, her team and the daughter of Summer, or did I speak about my companions, Raven?"_ He knew that Ozpin would make the sensible choice… A pliable young woman, who adhered to the letter of the law… a tender soul who wished to do nothing but good for the world…

A sacrifice. One that would damn the world through the actions that she would undertake… _"No… but…"_ The woman's eyes looked angry, as he watched her. _"Alright, ALRIGHT! Whatever you have to plot, I want NONE of it. Guarantee my daughter's safety and I will make sure that Summer does not lay a hand on you!"_ There was the bottom line for every person in this world, and with Raven, this was hers. It was not the mere fact that the woman had held within her the love for a daughter… but the culmination of her life's efforts.

He felt heartless, using the woman's bottom line, yet he would NOT see himself betrayed…

' _Ozymandias is the real threat to this world… She can be put secondary to the man's schemes… The majority of the power lays within him, even if he plays at being a mere headmaster…'_ The man had a gift for ensuring that the world was as placid as a still lake, unless the embers of war were stoked. How the man had accomplished the guarding of his own family was… unnerving. _'The family I belong to has been a long line of nobility… So what was special about us? Is it because he wished to use my body to incarnate in, given the lack of training?'_

He looked at the woman, currently still there in front of him. _'Time to lift the veil from her eyes a little more…'_

" _He wanted me to be his next incarnation, you know…"_ The words were hard to admit, even as Raven's eyes widened marginally. _"I'd have been his fully, if I hadn't wanted to be a hero so badly that I faked my way into Beacon… And Pyrrha unlocked my Aura… I… I owe Summer a debt."_ He would not go into the specifics of what had transpired, the woman could figure that out herself… Without Summer, he would have met a grisly fate under the hands of the Beornir, or even earlier.

" _So, you rail against your fate, using the power of the Relic to do so…"_ The woman's look was enough, even as the inner sanctum of her soul quivered. _"Very well… We have a deal."_

He found himself outside once more, the glow of his Aura intensifying immediately as he could see the marks on her face heal up. Her eyes met with his own, as she straightened slightly, her skin mending rapidly. She took a deep breath before she lurched forwards, her arm wrapping around his shoulder, supporting herself. "Thank you." She said, her eyes meeting with his own. There was a special kind of insanity in them, he could see, as she leaned up and her lips pressed against his own in what was probably the crudest kiss that he'd had up until now, the woman's tongue invading his mouth, even as she inhaled sharply, her eyes meeting with his own. There was a beautiful madness in those eyes, as she pulled away.

"Take that as an advance payment for fixing me up, blondie." The bandit gave him a cocky grin, seemingly forgetting Summer's presence, the Huntress standing at the side with a frown on her face, her tongue flicking over the teeth for an instant, Summer about to say something, yet her head nodded once.

"That'll be more training... after dinner." Raven did not flinch in the slightest, as she looked at him with what amounted to a look of challenge. "Sure thing... Have your skinny ass ready for me, blondie... You aren't Tai, but you can probably score a good hit on me... with a year or two of training."

That was something, even as he heard the sound of Whitney being about to launch a tirade at Raven for claiming his lips so suddenly. _'She definitely has issues with other women kissing me... But I guess I would be having some issues as well if there was someone kissing my girlfriend...'_

Weiss' mother as a girlfriend... He must've been lucky for some sort of reason that she'd even considered it.

* * *

 _The woes of Weiss (Weiss Schnee)_

* * *

She could feel the burden on her shoulders, her eyes glinting as they scanned the headlines of the news, her eyes peering for any sign of the White Fang, Blake no longer taking the burden on her shoulders due to... reasons that were not fully explained by Yang. There had been some issue between the two lovers, her partner's sister looking distinctly uncomfortable, yet Blake had assured her that everything was fine... even if it wasn't. The library was as good a place as any to be able to do her research as quietly as possible.

She preferred to look at other topics, as the news was not as 'news-worthy' anymore, with the current Dust crisis that was coming to a head with the whole 'Dust shipments being pillaged' thing... And she definitely was hanging around Ruby too much if she was getting to mentally think about this in terms of Ruby Rose... She was a well-educated lady, after all.

Her fingers brushed over the screen, her gaze locked at the screen for a moment, until she could hear someone clear their throat. Her gaze swept to the direction where the sound had emerged from, coming face to chest with a tall young teen, who stood there at her side. "Hey, eh... I was wondering if I could sit next to you?"

A Haven student... one who knew the insufferable blonde monkey Faunus that Yang had launched across the field in her anger, or so the rumours would indicate. She weighed the differences, even as she could see the young man's gaze rest on her, in a manner that no young lady would prefer. "Of course."

She was not going to deny a seat to the young man, even though she did not personally find him too... appealing. Anyone who dared to hang around some lout who was not shy about his intentions with her team... it was something that seemed to be more or less a bother.

"So... Eh, do you have a date for the dance yet?" Mister Blue-hair asked, Weiss looking up from the latest news feed about a Faunus Rights rally that was to be held on the nineteenth of the next month, with as guest speaker one A. Taurus. She couldn't care one whit about who was doing what right now, and she was not going to the ball as...

' _The dance... Ergh... I suppose I should be casting my net...'_ Her gaze, pale blue and frightfully intense, slid over the outward appearance of the young man, Nap-tune or something... He looked like a nap-tune to her, at least. "I have not made my decision yet. It is after all, still two weeks hence."

A polite dismissal, one that held open the door for the young man to make an advance into her good graces. Due to the way that this world was structured, no Schnee was 'late' with getting a date. It simply was not proper protocol. "Ah, I see... Well, I'll ask in a few days time again, Miss Schnee."

Her lips pressed tightly together. The surname was something that stuck with her, yet he had automatically earned himself a 'Nope', as her partner and that blonde sister of hers would put it. _'I am more than just a Schnee...'_

"Neptune!" The excited voice of a young man drew her from her moment of being about to deliver a cutting remark about how certain standards were to be observed with a lady, to see a young man come at her table with an excited manner about him, carrying a book in his hands... which was rather archaic, but it fit with... _'Is that the replacement for Arc?'_

Indeed it was, she realized, as the young man stopped before he reached her table, unsure whether to approach. The brash fullness of his confidence that the young man had held, as well as the cocky attitude had not endeared him in the slightest to her. For a moment, she wondered briefly what Arc would have done, had it been him who had been there, about to ask her to the dance...

It was not... bad, she supposed. He had cut a decent figure, was taller than she was (not that that was a BIG thing, but a girl wanted to just be held, at times. It helped.), with some sort of clumsy joi de vivre about him that made him look like... well, a heroic figure. Passable, if his people skills were not on the same level as her partner...

Whoever decided to sleep with him and become his wife, she would gladly bow her head for and offer her congratulations... No upstanding lady would ever condone such a clumsy and boorish lout to be their partner, after all...

"Good afternoon." She said, getting up from her seat, casting a look at the blue-haired guy. "The answer is no." She said, before striding away, the tapping of her heels on the stone floor loud to her ears, as she strolled by.

"So, what's the big deal with frosty the ice-queen?" She heard the young man question, her steps hurrying a little more, before the young man who'd asked her out sighed, a fond tone in his voice.

"Nothing much, Vir... It's hard to get a date, y'see? I'll be headed into Vale in a few days, perhaps you'd care to... y'know? There's this great bar that I recently heard about from Mark... You know, the guy with the big..." The conversation was gone from her ears, even as she continued onwards, heading out of the library.

' _I should not bother with the plebeians... Father has disinherited me, so... I must do what I must.'_ The decision was right, after all... Without the Lien that her father bequeaths upon her each month, resources were... decidedly less available. Even with the amount of Lien in her account, she would have to switch to... brands that her partner favoured, instead of the fashionable ones.

' _A Schnee should not have to suffer such indignity as... using conditioner from the store brand...'_ Her hair took TIME and CARE! Yang knew the suffering of a haircare user well! She would be able to assist... But alas, she had not.

"Hey there, Miss Schnee." The cheerful tone of a rabbit Faunus came from her right, as she caught sight of the tall form of Cardin Winchester with his arm wrapped around the rabbit's shoulders, pulling her close and smiling. _'Yet another that has seen change in their life...'_ She put her best smile on her face, inclining her head slightly in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Miss Scarlatina, Mister Winchester." The rabbit Faunus seemed to be more or less cheerful, her boyfriend looking at her with eyes that seemed to be doubtful, even as he remained silent.

"Going anywhere important? No doubt you've heard about the dance, right?" The dance... it always came down to the dance. _'What is it with people these days and being all gaga about that dance? Have they not heard that Beacon does exemplary effort each year?'_

"I have, Miss Scarlatina. I hope that you and your partner will be enjoying the evening, even though I may not be present." There were important things to be done and there was no distraction that could allow her to falter. She did not need a boyfriend.

Her team leader's face came to her mind's eye, silver eyes tearing up, a ghostly ' _'B-but Weiss... We're besties, right?!''_ sounding in her ears, even as the rabbit Faunus gave a soft nod. "I hope you'll enjoy yourself either way. It's always been a fun gathering... Coco will undoubtedly take Yatsu again... He doesn't know how to dance worth a damn, but my Cardy knows how to dance, don't you?"

' _Disgusting...'_ The pet names just made her want to check her teeth for tooth rot, as her eyes caught sight of the Winchester heir looking a little uncomfortable, a soft "Velv, please..." coming from his lips, even as she nuzzled even closer against him, her eyes meeting with hers for an instant.

"I bid you a good afternoon, Mister Winchester, Miss Scarlatina." She made herself scarce, before her mind would start thinking about her team leader. She was... perhaps not quite unaffected by the need for a dance, a dance with a partner that could fill her strict requirements...

' _Ruby would be more than happy to...'_ She froze mid-step, her eyes widening marginally, recognizing that she was about half-way to the dorm room. _'I am not thinking about my partner in that sense. I will not entertain the fancy that she might be considered a 'partner' in that sense... In that way lies madness and a very angry Yang Xiao-Long...'_

And another image came to her mind that made her cheeks heat up slightly. A tingle went straight through her body as she imagined something a little more racy than several of those midsummer night fancies, when the sweat soaked her body and the well-shaped abdomen of several of the 'male bodyguards' that totally had not been the eye-candy hired to entertain a growing flock of young Atlesian heirs of important families, nope... had been a constant distraction.

' _At least Mother had the good sense to come along... even if she mostly hung out at the bar, downing shot after shot...'_ Sadness filled her mind once again, her mind's eye returning to her mother, who was now gone. She could hardly remember her voice now, something that only came from her mind's ear... and now, was gone.

She opened the door to the team room, hoping that Ruby would be back already. What greeted her was... something that she did not quite expect. "Tell me who you are, right now, or my baby will put some holes in you!" Ruby's voice was high-pitched and aggressive, even as she stood with her back facing her, the cloak dragging slightly on the ground.

"Ah, I mean no offence, I really-" She knew that voice. _'Klein! That's Klein's voice!'_ She stood up on her toes, peering over Ruby's shoulder to see Klein standing there, his butlerly butler outfit looking as butler-like as possible.

"Klein!" She felt a surge of happiness, as she pushed past Ruby, a faint 'THUMP' of the younger girl falling to the ground, even as she hugged the butler. "Oh, I missed you so much!" She would deny that she was rubbing her head against the man's chest like some needy kitten requiring pettings to her dying breath, even as she could faintly hear a betrayed-sounding Ruby say 'Weiss?!' in the background, smiling at the man as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"You know this man?" Her partner said, Weiss turning around, her face lit up. "He's the butler! Eh, our butler. My family's butler." She was not going to bother with the formal speech, Ruby's face looking taken aback.

"Weiss! Your face is cramped up! Are you alright?!" The concern was touching, yet she turned her head again to her butler, whose eyes twinkled slightly.

"Little snowflake, it is good to see you. I was worried about you ever since the Misstress died." The relief flooded her as she hugged the man a little tighter.

"She's not doing right! Her face is all twitchy and smirkey!" Her partner's voice reached her ears and she turned around.

"It's called a 'Smile', Ruby. You wear it so often that it's like... a perfect accompaniment to your cloak." She shot at her partner, whose eyes seemed to brim, a spray of rose petals battering against her as she felt the hug against her back, the warmth... surprising. _'I do not mind being hugged by her...'_

She was not going to admit that to Ruby, ever. It was just... not done. A Schnee's pride was their life. "Are you going to forget all about Old Nick?" The warm voice that came from the side, as she saw the man seated on the bed, a bottle of oxygen next to him, yet no mask on... as if the man had decided that this was more important than anything else.

"Grandpa..." She said, her voice loaded with those emotions, as she nearly shot at her grandfather, hugging him with the most care that she could give, his large hands tugging her into his lap. "Grandpa, you're here... I thought you were going to remain in Atlas..." She was not sure whether he had been willing or not to leave, worry blossoming in her voice.

"I promised you that I'd take you and your team shopping, Weiss... Anything my little snowflake wants, she can get." The man's eyes smiled and his beard looked delightfully comfy and warm as it always did.

"I love you, Grandpa." She said. She would never have admitted it to anyone else, yet the words came to her without any sort of hesitation or care, her eyes smiling. A hushed gasp was heard from behind her.

"Weiss! You're supposed to be all 'Cool, heiress, Dust-wielder...'." She turned her head to look at her team leader, who was standing only about a half-meter away from her, her eyes brimming with consternation and that hint of 'this is going to be something to remind Weiss for a week about' in those eyes.

"Introduce us, Weiss. The young lady was kind enough to keep her sniper-scythe trained at Klein here like any good claim-taker ought to... So..." She cleared her throat, as was polite, her etiquette teacher having drilled the details into her mind.

"This, grandfather, is Ruby Rose, a fifteen-year-old prodigy admitted to Beacon academy on the merit of her deeds. I consider her to be one of my closest friends and she is my partner in our team, team RWBY." The formal tone of her voice was enough to make most etiquette teachers give her some praise, even as her head felt the light touch of the man's hand patting it.

"A fine girl that you've made a friend of." She should not feel as happy as she did... but she was happy. She knew that it was perhaps false hope, but her heart... it beat a little faster. She looked at Ruby, whose mouth had fallen open and... then there was a swirl of red rose petals and a strong hug.

"IknewyouwerentacoldgirlWeissiloveyoutoomybestieforlifeohmygodthisissoamazingyourgrandpalookssocoolandyourbutlerlooksallbutlerythisislikeadreamcometrue." The ramble of words that she gave was enough for her mind to require some time to process, yet Weiss bore with it, as her grandfather's hand patted Ruby's head as well.

"What a pleasant young girl." She knew that he was just praising her for her merits, yet he could also detect that there was a hint of pride in the man's voice as he looked at her, his blue eyes warm, warmer than the ones that her brother and her father had.

"Ruby, grandfather's lungs are tender... Please, moderate your hugging strength." She knew that grandfather had issues with his breathing, so she attempted her best at ensuring that it would not be antagonized too greatly by her presence. It was always a careful thing with the man, whose lungs had been suffering from the strain of the Dust mines.

"I'm not THAT fragile yet, Weiss. Your mother and I explored many places, so a little hug isn't going to kill me." The man's voice was light, yet she felt a spark of sorrow shoot through her. She could see the red cloak shift slightly, as Ruby looked up at her.

"Don't be sad, Weiss! I'm here!" She couldn't help but smile, gently tapping Ruby's forehead, her eyes cast down for a moment, watching the younger girl snuggle up to her. _'Such a dolt.'_

"H-hey! I'm not sad!" She responded to Ruby's request, even though the girl's enthusiastic sounds were enough to draw more attention from her to her leader. "You're crushing me against grandpa!"

The deep belly laugh that her grandfather gave was enough to comfort her, as his arms wrapped around her. Arms that had once been wielding a pickaxe with ease, who had been at the forefront of the Dust mining that had been done in the exploratory century... "I am built of Dust, Weiss. I don't really blow up that easily."

She didn't giggle. It was more of a half-snort, like the laugh that Yang would have when she was distracted and amused, yet Ruby's squeal was enough to cut that train of thought off. "I made Weiss explode when I first met her!"

Embarrassment filled her, as she could hear the curious sound come from her grandfather's mouth, as she turned to him with her face growing redder. "Oh? Improper Dust handling? My... it seems my granddaughter has been taught wrongly."

She was not turning redder than a cherry, at all. Her gaze cast down. "It was... a small vial of flame Dust, grandpa. It must've been pushed loose when she knocked into me, and I was... faulty, in my behaviour." The admission was as shameful as it was because she remembered the time when her mother had pulled her aside, aged only eight, explaining about the wonderful power of Dust using several crystals and the refined version of it. _'Mama had been warm, back then...'_

"I'm sure it was an accident. Your team leader seems like a bright and cheerful girl." Hearing those words made her smile, against her own embarrassment the feeling of happiness at the praise winning out, her frosty blue eyes meeting with her grandfather's own set, as he rubbed his nose against hers, his beard brushing against her chin.

"Ooh, what is this?! A hidden sugar daddy, popping out of the woodwork?" Yang's voice reached her ears and she was absolutely NOT going to let this moment be spoiled by the antics of Yang 'I totally am a lesbian' Xiao-Long. "Do I spot a scandal?"

She turned her righteous gaze onto the heathen who dared to besmirch her family connection, fixing her with her best glare that she could muster. True Schnee Supremacy at its finest. She opened her mouth, only for the man on whose lap she was sitting to speak up. "It is a pleasure to meet with you, young lady. Would you happen to be the absolutely beautiful young lady who my granddaughter has spoken of?"

Yang's cheeks flushed slightly, even as her gaze went down, the softness of the eyes reminding her once more that Yang did not really speak much on the way of family. Ruby was more the chatty one in that relationship. "O-oh?" She even sounded slightly embarrassed, as if the whole compliment that her grandfather had given her seemed to have put her on her back foot. "W-Weiss has spoken of me?"

Her grandfather's smile was warm as he looked at her, a wink given, as he nudged Ruby slightly. "Come and sit on my lap." The offer was open, Weiss snuggling a little more against the frame of her grandpa, Ruby getting off, slightly reluctantly, only to make place for Yang, who took an awkward seat.

"From what Weiss has told me, you have been caring for your sister a lot." The man's voice was paternal, Weiss actually seeing the purple eyes look nervous, as a soft sigh came from the blonde's mouth.

"Y-yeah... It's just been me and Ruby for... years. Dad works a lot and Uncle Qrow is... busy." Weiss couldn't believe her eyes, seeing the usually unflappable Yang Xiao-Long blush and stammer for an instant, as she seemed to cast off that brashness for a vulnerable side.

"Whatever happens... Promise me that you will look out for my granddaughter as much as you look after your sister." Weiss definitely was not crying, it was just... fluid leaking out of her eyes, a natural issue. It happened to lesser people but she definitely was NOT crying.

The plea of her grandfather sounded like something that a father would say... but the only father that she had was as cold as snow. Yang was unusually affected by the atmosphere as well, the man's eyes meeting with hers... She accepted the tissue from Klein without complaint, dabbing at her eyes. It was just... just the heat in the room. It would be summer fully soon, a nice and temperate 18 degrees right now, just... warm. It made her eyes tear up, yes.

"Of course, sir." The admission was as good as gold when it came from Yang's mouth, her voice sounding subdued, as if she had recognized the offer for what it was.

"My name is Nicholas Schnee... But you can call me grandpa Nick if you want to." The old man said, Yang's smile looking more real than the smiles that she'd worn the other days.

"Sure thing grandpa! Ruby! Say hi to our new Grandpa!" Yang said, Ruby chirping a "Hello Grandpa Nick!" with a higher pitch, excitement brimming in her eyes. _'It's just... so much like grandpa. Mama used to tell stories of how he would be like the father to everyone on the site, so I can believe it.'_

The smile on her grandfather's face was enough, as he looked at their butler. "Weiss is lucky to have you as her teammates... Though we do seem to be missing one of them." Weiss did wonder where Blake was... The girl had been unusually withdrawn ever since that encounter at the docks...

"She's... seeing someone, an appointment with a member of staff." It was Yang who spoke, her voice unusually soft for her regular tone. Ruby noticed it as well, Yang's voice quickly sliding into the more boisterous tone. "But she should be back in... an hour or so! So, grandpa Nick... What was our resident Weiss Queen like when she was young? Any embarrassing stories that you'd like to tell us?"

"Well... There was this one time when Weiss had the bright idea to go and use Water Dust..." Weiss winced. That had not been her brightest option, even before she had managed to get a good education in Dust Usage by the experts that her father had hired. The damages had been contained to mostly water damage, yet her father had been furious. Her grandfather had been amused by the happenings, even if it did ruin one of his oil paintings.

The door creaked open whilst her grandfather started to speak about one of his mining exploits in South Vacuo, the tale of how her mother and three Faunus miners found a massive Dust shard that had been half-lodged in a flow of magma, their Faunus teammate entering, a man wearing a suit behind her, his face set in a genial smile. "And here we are, Blake."

The way that he spoke the words made her feel at ease, the warmth and care that he seemed to infuse his words with making him look specifically affected, his eyes looking right at her, eyebrows raising a little as he spotted her and Ruby on her grandfather's lap. Not that she'd LEFT the lap, of course. Grandpa was hers... Though she would share, just a little.

"And who may this pretty beauty be?" Her grandfather asked, Blake's ears quivering, like a startled cat, her eyes going wide, mouth opening and her head turning, the man blocking the door, hindering her escape. _'Why would she look like she's about to flee?'_

"B-Blake B-Belladonna, Mister Schnee." The demure tone of Blake's voice was at odds with her generally collected nature, her eyes locked at the Schnee, as the man put a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"A pleasure to meet with you, Blake. Call me Nick, if you want." Her grandfather's offer of being called 'Just Nick' was good for those that belonged to the family. The man knew the rules of society well, and he was more than happy to wield them like a bludgeon... yet he loved her and she loved her grandpa just as much in return.

"S-sure." The nervousness seemed to have her all tensed up, even as her grandfather shared a look with KIein.

"Miss Rose, may I have a moment to speak with you in my office?" The man asked, still filling the door opening, his broad shoulders looking rather sturdy. He was not a bad-looking man, for a Faunus. She was not against looking, after all.

"Sure!" The excitement in her partner's voice was enough for Weiss to feel a surge of happiness, as her grandfather's lap grew emptier. _'All mine now!'_

"Come and sit on my lap, next to my little snowflake." The man said, Blake stiffening slightly. She seemed to be even less comfortable than before, her eyes looking around the room.

"I'd rather not." Yang got off her bed, landing next to Blake with a look on her face that was soft, pulling the Faunus in for a hug.

"How's my girl, eh?" The hand rubbed between the ears on top of Blake's head, the ears lowering slightly, even as a rumble came from Blake's throat, almost like a purr. It was an odd sound, yet Blake's eyes closed, as her head nuzzled against Yang's chest. "She's all mine, grandpa! Blake's getting in my lap!"

The door closed at that point, a cup of tea held out by Klein, poured with expert efficiency. "Would you like a cup of tea, Miss Xiao-Long, Miss Belladonna?"The butler's voice was soothing, the Faunus nodding once, as Yang grinned.

She could only hope that there would be no struggle between her team in the future. It felt nice, having friends.

* * *

 _The problem cat (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

As she followed behind the man who she knew only as one of their assistant teachers, she grew more and more curious about the reason for him calling her out to his office. "Professor, I really..."The man's head turned, shaking his head lightly.

"Call me Jerry. Jeremiah is so much a mouthful that many people would think I'm some old fogie." The wink totally was her style, so she smiled. "Do you want something from the vending machine?"

They stopped in front of one, his eyes looking at the treats up on display, his hands pulling out a worn wallet, opening it up to reveal a set of Lien cards, the hands pulling out the appropriate one. "If you're buying... I'd like the Jawbreakers!"

A smile on his lips as he selected the option, the candy falling down into the tray below, even as he selected his own option, the card eaten by the machine, the change popping out without any issue. "I'm more partial to Gummy Grimm myself." The man said, as he took the candy. _'Those are for little kids.'_

She giggled. "Oho! So the big bad Faunus likes childish things." The man's posture shifted lightly, as his smile seemed to be a little more forced. _'Perhaps he tries hard to make himself look like he's some big bad guy?'_

"Oh, yes." The answer didn't seem to be as casual as it had been intended, as they continued along. "My office is just ahead." The man's voice sounded a little more serious, so Ruby wondered what could have been the cause of pulling her out of her room and making her follow him to his. _'It's not going to be some sort of reason like Yang always warns me about, teachers giving their students a bad touch... right?_ '

As the door was pushed open, revealing a broad office, a snarky voice came from within. "Finally back, you mangy mutt?" The scarred face of Professor Peach showed irritation, as she sat on the desk. Her current attire was a white medical coat with a very short skirt, something that unveiled the large amount of magazines that had been tied to a set of garters that fit around the thigh. It was risqué, yet the woman did not seem to think it too much... With a face like hers, it just might be the thing that would give her confidence.

"Don't you go and get on my case too, Scarry. I've got a student here that I need to brief about the Sectionings." The words were strange, yet she remembered faintly about the Sectioning of some people, as uncle Qrow had told it 'long overdue'.

The woman grumbled something, yet got off the desk. Ruby was polite enough not to mention the rather racy set of underwear that she'd gotten a glimpse of, as the woman strutted up to the wolf Faunus and tapped him in the chest. "I better not look up and see little miss red-cloak bent over that desk, you cretin."

The thought of that made her blush, as she looked up at the man with her silver eyes wide. The look on the man's face was thunderous, as he glared at the woman. "If I wasn't saddled with you, I would spank you for being such an ungrateful bint!"

There definitely was a history between the two, as she raised a hand. "Hey! Stop fighting!" The two teachers, both older than her, fixed her with a look.

"Stay the hell out of this, Puberty Girl! I'm tackling this bad wolf myself!" The response of the woman was fierce, even as her colleague, who she seemed to dislike to an extreme extent, retorted. "You wouldn't be able to tackle me even if you had THREE of you, Peach!"

"Oh yeah? Do you even have BALLS below, or are you a woman just like me?" The woman's aggressive tone was not shirking any chance to bring the hurt, the man's growl sounding bestial.

"I don't have anything to say to you. Get to your seat and let me talk to Miss Rose." There was definitely irritation in that voice, as his breath came out in deep exhales, showing his fury with this woman.

The woman sat herself down on the chair in the corner, crossing her legs (and unintentionally flashing Ruby once more.) and giving the man a stare. "It's only because we can't allow a female student alone with a man that I'm here... I protest."

"So... What are you here to talk to me about?" She asked, as she was guided to a seat. She could smell the faint perfume of Professor Peach still in the air, as she looked at the man as he sat down behind the desk, a look of grave concern on his face. The mood had shifted almost as if someone had blown out a candle, and the man took a deep breath.

"As team leader of team RWBY, I am obligated to inform you of any findings that I have found within the behaviour of your teammates, in the function as a counsellor at Beacon Academy. My colleague, Professor Peach, has been an observer during the exploratory talks that I have had with your sister and her partner and I have concluded that I would be remiss in my duties if I did not inform you of the situation. Do not think that this is a breach of trust, or that you are violating your team members loyalty to you by being informed... it is simply my job to ensure that you can all work together." The man spoke those fancy words without stopping, his eyes piercing as they looked at her, like how her father looked at her when she had taken the last strawberries from the fridge.

"Now, Miss Rose... Please, what I am going to tell you, must be strictly confidential. You must not breathe a word of it to your partner or to anyone else, this is simply the information that you are bestowed in order to thoroughly assess your team's capacity." The man's voice was still set in that serious tone, as he looked at her for a little while longer.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Professor." She really didn't think that she should be privy to the private business between Yang and Blake... Even if their relationship was kind of cute.

"Miss Rose, allow me to explain the ranking system of the 'Sectioning', in a way that you can comprehend it. Imagine it as degrees. Everyone has some moments during their life when they feel low, when their mood is at a point where it might be hurtful to others. Section one, or the lowest degree that the board assigns to someone's mental evaluation, means that they are prone to spells of dark thoughts, leading to an increase in Grimm activity. Section five, the first quarter of the Sectioning Gradation that applies to Huntsmen in particular, is merely the negative traits that occasionally surface, an addiction of sorts that could be managed through therapy." The man's words did not really make too much sense to her. Why was he telling her this?

"Sir, exactly... why are you telling me this?" She asked, unsure where he was going with this.

The look on the man's face turned graver than before, as he took a deep breath. "As a team leader, you will have to assess the risks of venturing from the borders of the Kingdoms, able to keep a good rein on your teammates and to ensure that they will not be affected too greatly by the effects of some Grimm. Most of this is stuff that you will learn in your second and third year, yet I will be succinct in my summary." She knew that she wasn't the most studious of people, at some times... yet there was always the time to learn more!

"Your sister, Yang, is assigned the tentative 'Section nine'. Please, keep in mind that this ranking is to be 'for your ears only' and that no indication of it will feature on her file, as far as the public can see. Section nine is usually given to those individuals who are under a serious load of stress and may be prone to irascibility, moments when her brashness lands her in hot water or... worse." The man seemed to be unwilling to elaborate. Ruby winced, as she could already see the issues that would come from this. Yang was not the most restrained in her manner, especially when it came to family.

"Section nine is usually applied to those who MIGHT become a liability to the team. Sectioning degrees can be lowered with therapy and treatment, though it requires a licensed psychologist to evaluate the levels of stress that the subject is under, as well as several talks and references consulted." The man paused, as Professor Peach coughed. "Yes?" He addressed her, though the woman didn't say a word.

"Proceeding onwards... It will take time for her to accept her burdens, to ensure that there is no real weight on her. From our first talk, we have struck up a decent rapport, yet her reluctance to open up to me is something that I am working on. She is hardly the greatest issue for your team, in my expert opinion."The words were loaded, Ruby's frown growing stronger, as she looked at the man, who seemed to be so concerned about her team, yet was telling her these things. _'Yang is strong! She can beat anything!'_

"It is Miss Belladonna who bears the greatest burdens. She is marked down as a Section Eleven. I want you to pay attention to me closely, because this is important." The look on the man's face showed clearly that he was serious, as he straightened out in his seat.

"Blake is dependent on your sister to function. Without someone to be her anchor... She will kill herself." The news was enough to make her mouth fall open and her eyes to widen. _'Kill herself? Oh no! People die if they are killed!'_ "Her personality has many of the traits of an abused partner, no doubt due to the isolation that she has lived in as well as her previous work for the White Fang."The man paused, as he realized that it might not be known to her. Ruby did like that about the man, he seemed to have a good heart.

"I know about her past. It is not a matter of the public record, yet I have it on account of the Headmaster. All Beacon applicants are screened before admission, after all." The man shifted in his seat, even as he took a deep breath.

"With Blake, her life is devoid of happiness. Going through the rote routines that she has adapted to and trying to please her partner, she shows an excessive need to be accepted, fearing any sort of disaffection might force her to be cast out of the Team. She has admitted to sexually pleasuring you and your sister whilst remaining cautious of young Miss Schnee, either through propaganda or through mere distaste for the aesthetic appeal. She attempted to curry favour, in order to remain in the good graces of your team. It should not reoccur, as your sister has reassured me that she has a handle on it. I doubt that, as I have told her, yet... Peach?" _'Ohmygoditwasntadream!'_ The words were calm and easy, as he looked at Professor Peach. "Turn the tv on."

As the woman did so, without snarky comment or any heat to her voice, the man continued, as an image of Yang appeared on the screen, her body language showing that she was struggling with something, Ruby recognizing the hints of it immediately. Her sister coul be so obvious at times.

"So... It's all that I can do. I know that you're here to talk to me about stuff, and I am not the best at making the chit-chat... But please... Please help her. Even if it costs you a year... I just want her to be happy." The genuine hope on her sister's face was enough to warm Ruby's smile, even as the teacher spoke.

"Of course. You care a lot for your partner. I hope that you two will be serving the public in the best of ways when you graduate. Remember... A team is like your family. You're lucky to have your sister in your team... But that doesn't mean that you have to be their mother." The man's words were encouraging, as he gave a soft sound, a small bell ringing once. "Time to get going, Miss Xiao-Long. I'll see you again in two days... And I will convey your message to your partner."

"The next segment, please. Blake's session." The woman did so without a word, images without sound flashing by the screen, as the woman stopped the recording. Ruby felt her heart beat a little faster, the camera pointing at Blake from a distance, clearly held by someone.

"It's not that... I don't feel guilty. It's just that... If I don't repay them, what use to them am I?" The words sounded so dead to her that it made her tear up, the dull look in Blake's eyes, as she sighed. "Why am I even telling you this... I shouldn't have to..." The sigh came from her lips, as she stretched slightly.

"I feel bad for Ruby. I'm not sure whether she's adapting well enough, and Yang..." The doubt in those eyes was real as Ruby watched them flit around the room. "I don't think I would like to lose her... I just feel so... so worthless." Blake's voice sounded so tired, even as Professor Jeremiah's voice cut through the silence that fell.

"Blake...Do you think that it would be a good idea to sacrifice yourself for the good of your team?" The question was spoken with an odd inflexion as if the man had wished to ask another, yet his attention was on her.

"If they can live another day... What is my life worth? Adam always said that I would be nothing without him..." The name 'Adam' was something that Ruby faintly recalled. Blake had mentioned him earlier in the year, if she remembered well enough. "And now, Yang... I don't want to lose her too. I'll be a good girl, I'll be the best girl that she could ever have..."

"She said that she found you. Do you really want to die?" The question was prying, the look on the Faunus man's face serious, his eyes glowing faintly in the light of the room.

"I wanted to. I felt so useless... A bad cat, not of use to anyone. Yang would not even want to touch me, not after what I've done to Ruby... She's a good girl, not a bad cat like me... I should just.. give up." The words that came from her mouth made Ruby frown. _'Blake is not going to give up.'_

"Blake, please..." The use of the personal name was something that Ruby noticed in the man's tone, as he spoke to her. "We are here to help you... Blake, listen to me... You are WORTHY of your team. They care for you." There was a snort in the background, Blake's eyes dulling slightly. "I'm worthy... of my team?"

"Yes, you are. You are a proud Faunus, who knows what she wants. Those depressive thoughts..." The man's hand reached out, seizing the chin of the Faunus. "They are the result of a bad decision. Those things happen, Blake... You should just... Move past them. There are many beautiful things in this world."

The look in Blake's eyes was enough, as the man's hand released her chin, the marks on the skin starting to turn red, clearly the grip having been harder than intended. "I don't know if I can, Professor. You are... different from the others." The man gave a sound of understanding, as he continued.

"That is why we will have these sessions. Now... Your parents." The look of gloom on her face clued Ruby in to the sore spot that it was, the TV shut off by the other professor.

"My Semblance is to allow me to compel people to tell me the truth, as they see it." The man said, in manner of explanation. He looked uncomfortable, as the image on the screen had been indicative. "It may seem as if I'm initiating intimate contact, but it is not."

She thought that he looked sincere, the other professor clearing her throat behind her. "I've been keeping a hawk's eye on him. He's been doing his job. You can rest easy, Miss Rose, because that old dog isn't burying his bone inside your sister's backyard."

"You wish you'd get some action like that, Scarface." The man grumbled, his voice sounding slightly peeved at her interruption. "As it is like this... I would like you to be aware of the circumstances. You have not had the training in order to take care of these issues and I would normally have gone through the official channels in order to have you be educated... But..." The man's face turned serious.

"Professor Ozpin has said that your admission to Beacon was solely based on the maturity that you have shown, which is why we are treating you like a fully fledged team leader. In the past, we have had cases of a different nature, yet... I want you to be aware. A good team leader ensures that their whole team is combat-ready at any moment, with any disagreements about to be shoved aside until there is a moment of safety, rare as that is out in the field."

She knew that there were opportunities for more employment out in the frontiers, where the people still lived in the closed settlements with their walls, eking out a life of the field, without any regrets and cares. It was perhaps only necessary for some times that she'd choose for longer forays into the wild... Yet...

"I will be there for my team." She said, resolutely. Her eyes shone, as the man smiled faintly, nodding his head in acceptance of those words.

"Do not pay special attention to them, just be there for them. I have more sessions booked with your sister and Miss Belladonna over the coming week, so hopefully, we will see some progress." The man sounded like a good fellow, but you never knew with people, or so Uncle Qrow said.

"I'll keep them all safe." Ruby said, a soft clapping sound heard behind her.

"Very good, Miss Rose."The voice of the Headmaster was suddenly coming from the spot next to her ear, her head turning to look at the man who seemed to have appeared from nowhere. With how the room was set up, there was only one exit and one entrance, so it must have been her who had missed the man's presence.

"The bonds that we make here, the friendships that we forge... those are what makes this world worth fighting for." Ruby could feel the inspiration behind those words hit her, as her gaze slid down. She knew well that there was more to the world than friendship, yet the man made it sound like it was something that she should hold in the highest regard.

"Every person who has received a Sectioning on their record, needs to be evaluated, save for some people who are too volatile to remain under the control of others." The man spoke, the Professors remaining silent as the man spoke, his eyes meeting her own, a faint smile on her lips.

"It is not a mark of shame to be Sectioned... Even your uncle has a Section Twelve note on his file. It is simply an indication of how people could react." The man's eyes met hers, as he held out his hand. She took it, though she knew not why. "I will give you the choice, Miss Rose..."

The hand held hers firmly. "Will you be there for them like a leader should or will you merely do as you think you should?" She smiled at him. _'Of course, I'll do what a leader must be...'_

The image of Jaune came to her mind, as she looked into the man's eyes. There was a faint twitch at the corner of her mind, as she seemed to wonder why she was thinking of him. _'I wonder what Professor Ozpin was thinking when he heard of the report about Blake and Yang...'_

"Of course, Professor Ozpin. They are my team and I've been chosen to lead them. I'll not let you down." She smiled, knowing that she would do her utmost best to ensure that Yang and Blake would be on the road to recovery. Even Weiss was acting nicer and warmer to her... today could just be a brief minor note on the road towards being kick-ass!

' _Everything is going to be JUST fine. We'll survive that dance thing, even if Weiss forces me into those uncomfortable lady-stilts... And we'll be kicking ASS in that mission that takes place... eh, the week after?'_

"Good... Remember that there is power in unity, that there is strength in having strong bonds. The choice is yours, Miss Rose... Will you make team RWBY something to look back on with pride or would you rather merely be a small footnote in the books of history?"

She was not prideful in the slightest, yet her heart told her that the first option was by far the best. "The best team in history, of course! We kick ass! Weiss is all cool with her Dust, Yang can beat up pretty much anything and Blake is really really flexible! Not in a bad way, though... Just, ready to do some acrobatics and woosh, stab stab boom dead Grimm!"

The chuckle that the headmaster and the other two professors gave was enough to make her smile as well. She knew that there was enough stress laid on her sisters' shoulders... and she would make sure that Blake would learn how to smile again, genuinely this time.

' _I'm going to fix my team, even if they don't want me to! Nobody should be sad! Nobody!'_

* * *

 _The threat outside (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

Jaune's eyes met Bianca's stare, even as she held up the camera. "No. I am NOT going to do that." The grin on her face was even worse than before, as he stood there before her, still as bare as the day that he'd been born. "Come on, just a little! Jaune against the machine!"

The armour stood opposite of him, his clothing gone now, as was most of his resolve, the look on his face unamused, even whilst Ashley's entertainment seemed to be enough with just the fact that he was going up against the armour without anything on his body. She looked right smug there inside the armour.

"You can do it!" Summer's encouragement was enough, even as Raven merely stared, wearing clothes for once, her body tucked away under her clothes once more, yet with an enigmatic expression, the mask hung at her side.

"Give us a roar, Jaune! Do it for big sis!" Bianca said, even as she sharpened the view on the camera a little before taking a few snapshots.

He supposed that this was just the start to his embarrassment in the familial sense, if he had not seen the pictures of the other members of the family in a similar method of undress. It seemed that it was linked to the Slayer heritage that they held, but seeing his father naked as the day that he had been born on a picture that had been taken long ago was something a little awkward. It usually was the eldest child or the two eldest children that took the test, as Summer had explained the previous evening.

From Raven's memories, during that moment when his soul had pushed against her own and their minds had connected to form such a treaty of assistance, there were many ways that one could be tested. The test of 'Nakedness before death', was one of the tests that proved that one was a person of skill against the horrific monsters that lived to destroy humanity.

That it was his sister in the armour that would fight against him was just the icing on the cake. His sister, eldest of twins, with a good four to five years of experience as a Huntress, able to give Kali and Sienna a fight that made them be at a disadvantage... and he was supposed to fight her with only his sword as a challenge, whilst his sister was fully able to unleash a barrage of missiles (or so he had overheard Bianca say) without a problem.

The room that they were in had been specifically reinforced against the weapons tests that Ashley did, the look on Bianca's face something that made him worry about his own chances right now. With how Ashley looked at him, it was only the briefest of glances that he could allow. "GO!"

Summer's cheerful voice sounded and he raised his blade as Ashley bolted into motion, the heavy metal armour that she wore whirring into action as lights lit up over it and the mechanical parts continued to move like the imminent death that she would be to almost anything.

His two-handed blade quivered as he blocked the massive mace that was in Ashley's hands, the armour pressuring him back, his feet catching a solid grip on the cement floor, yet he was pressed back.

The test was to be done under the view of people who had been put through the same test, the mental image of his older sisters, imagining how they would fight against a Goliath with only their Semblance and their weapon. Heather's Semblance, he had found out, involved manipulating flame and generating it, at the expense of her own body. The weapon that she wielded bore the burden of generating the flame, which meant that she could make the world a safer place with less effort.

Seeing a younger Heather brought his mind to the picture of his oldest sister, a faint smile on his face suddenly emerging, before he realized that he was being distracted once more. The steel creaked, as he blocked the mace, his whole body leaping back, the metal armour rising once more as the mace was flung in his direction, a chain attached to the base meaning that it would be easily retractable, and he could feel the hit land, his organs quivering a little under the blow, as his Aura held.

He was not sure how much of his Aura he had left, but another of those hits would definitely put him into the state where he would have no choice but to rely on something else to bolster his own survival. _'She's good... And the armour is just another layer of defence that she can pull on.'_

His blade's edge ignited with the flame Dust that he had chambered in the blade, as he swung at the approaching armour, the hit registering on the outer hull of the armour and leaving a long dark stretch of scarred metal, the blade not chopping through easily. "You're going to have to try harder than that, little brother!"

The encouragement to try harder was something that he could not really deny, as he moved out of the way of the mace, the motions of the armour a little slower than before, though Bianca had assured him that, in the case of Ashley being able to set up her mechanical tools, he would be made into mincemeat without a thought. It was probably the truth, since Ashley knew how to control the mechanical and technological objects around her.

"I've not lost yet! All I've got to do is disable you!" The objective was something a little different from the standard 'kill the Grimm' objective, even as Ashley's body moved with the armour, her body flicked right at him, as he could feel the air shift and how the mace missed his nose by a fraction of an inch. He was aware of that, yet he continued, as his body pushed itself forward, the two-handed blade wielded with one, Ice Dust appearing on the edge, enough to leave a thick coating on the edge before it slammed into one of the leg joints, the mechanical feat of engineering coming to a halt.

Ice formed on the joint, yet a hydraulic motion of the joint shattered the ice. "You've got to try better, little brother! That isn't the young man who fucked Miss Ice Dust on the bed beside us!" There was definitely the teasing tone that most of his sisters adopted blaring from the speakers, the mechanical inflexion of the voice sounding normal, to his ears, even with his whole body shuddering faintly with the aftershocks of having absorbed that blow.

There might even be a bruise on his stomach resulting from this, yet he was not deterred in the least, as he dodged backwards, watching the mace fly past him, having been slowed down undoubtedly for the intent of training... Or so he hoped. If Ashley was taking this seriously, he would undoubtedly have some sort of bruise to show for it, but... She wouldn't go as far as to actually kill him. Or so he hoped.

As his blade parried another swing of the mace, he let his senses expand, letting himself be swept along in the flow of combat, like Raven had, when she was fully focused. His body did no longer exist as it was, instead growing stronger with every interaction with the world, a flare in the darkness that seemed to extinguish the mere presence of those who would dare to raise their hands against him, who would dare to darken the light that was his own.

He felt the burning rush go through his body, as he parried the mace, his sword ringing like a bell, yet he pressed on, pushing back against it. He could hear Summer's comment on the background, even as his body yielded, a step backwards taken, even as he firmed his stance. _'I will not give in... If I have to become a Slayer through this trial, I have to give it my all.'_

There was no more nakedness in his mind. His arm, the one which remained intact still, held his blade. The phantom arm that had been crafted from the _Vitae Tenebris_ was enough to work with, as his will empowered his body. With a savage growl coming from his throat, a primal sound that did not belong to humans, he pushed onwards, the metal colossus that went for armour for Ashley being forced back a step, even as the flame Dust ignited, the scars on the metal growing more in the manner of his heavy-handed blows.

A slamming to his gut was enough to distract him, his whole body tensing up as he felt his Aura frizzle and his determination growing even fiercer, as he felt his opposition, his eyes closing and his body moving. A skip back and then a leap forward, the large blade whistling through the air as another Dust crystal was crushed into the power that coated the blade, a tear in the armour on the skull of the armour, even as the mace missed him. He supposed that it was lucky that she did not use any ranged attacks at him, or activated the Dust. It would not be something fortunate if there was Dust to be used on his naked body.

"Alright, I give." Ten minutes later, his body felt ragged and weary, as the armour showed scars of battle. Ashley pulled herself out, a look on her face that held some bemusement, her body still intact, whilst he could feel the bruise manifesting itself already, the sign that she had truly put him through the wringer in that respect.

"How was that, Rose lady?" Ashley asked, Summer giving a faint snort, displeasure in her eyes. There was something in those silver eyes that made him on edge, Raven's own red eyes looking at him with what might be faint approval... if he did not misjudge it.

"You could have put him down permanently if you had used the Dust. Do not think that he requires such weakness." Jaune did not need to hear her say that, because he knew well that Summer would be far more merciless than Ashley had been.

"But he's my brother! The test is supposed to be against Grimm, not against a suit of armour that has been rated to withstand Thermo-Dust Busters! Even Heather would find it hard to chew through the armour, let alone being naked with just a blade at her side!" Ashley made a convincing case, yet Summer was not moved. "Survive five minutes against me. As High Executor, I will be an adequate test. Anything goes."

The blades were unsheathed a moment later, the cloak that fell around her shoulders broad, even as Summer stripped down, her clothing laying in a pile next to Raven. The Branwen Bandit chieftain looked at him, before she closed her eyes. "Good luck surviving, boy." The woman said, with little inflexion in her voice.

That it would come to this was already something outlandish, even with how the world seemed to treat those with prodigious skill. He knew well that, in Summer's words, everything would be allowed... so that meant fighting with the Grimm that he created.

"If you say so... I'll come at you with everything that I have." Summer's grin was broad and fierce, as those silver eyes filled with amusement. He did not like to see her like this, the cloak still covering her body. _'I wonder why they wear these cloaks...'_

"Start!" Raven said, once Ashley had gotten Ferrum Mors out of the way. He wondered briefly whether he should name his own blade, yet he knew that every second here counted. The click of the stopwatch that Raven held in her hands was loud, even as Summer disappeared from his sight.

 _The bird observes (Raven Branwen)_

She was not one who would easily mingle with others, due to her rearing. Her eyes caught sight of Summer's motion, as she intended to go straight for the kill, Jaune's body, weary from the fighting, not as fit as it could be. It would be a murder, something brutal and without any sort of regret from her partner and near-sister...

And it would bring the fires of whatever passed for an afterlife to their home. She had seen the results that could be gained from the support of the d'Arc-Night family, even though her own experience with them had only been brief. Summer's body moved into her view once more, as the blades were blocked with a rough clang, the young man's back facing her.

"Do you think he'll win?" She could hear the Schnee woman ask, yet she remained focused on the two combatants. _'Summer would end things quickly and decisively.'_ She knew her partner better than most and even then... Summer's behaviour made her feel fear. With those eyes of hers, she was a Grimm Slayer, someone who would not flinch away from the Grimm even if there were a thousand lined up before her, yet...

"If he can remain alive for five minutes against Summer when she is trying to kill him, he is fully capable of winning against her in another year or so." Summer's strength laid in her body's agility. The woman could change directions and shift stances in a flash, her body able to deliver precision strikes on the spots which hurt the most.

Raven had seen it before, Summer's fighting style more akin to that of an executioner, dancing with a set of twin blades that could cleave through flesh and bone with enough force and acceleration. "Is she..." The woman sounded angry, ready to fight, yet Raven knew that this had to be done.

"Probably. It is one of the tests of the Order." Her own thoughts on the subject were enough to be considered heresy in most organisations, yet she knew well that the stresses of the world would only be alleviated through the purgatory of blood. "He's still fighting well though."

She had kissed him for an instant, a moment when the memory of Taiyang and him had overlapped, that brief conversation heating within her the hopes of redemption. Summer would not see it in the same light, her mind as sharp as a trap, yet with the urges to guard the world spurring her on to contain the world within a loving embrace.

Summer was a woman of inconsistency, to Raven. Where she had been able to switch off the serious nature like a light switch, she seemed now to be even more unstable, the reason for that undoubtedly due to the corruption that she had suffered. It was a sight that unnerved her, to see Summer near-pleading... the strong woman gone and the desperation there, yet with the need burning so bright that it was near-astonishing to her.

"Three minutes remain." She announced, her voice crisp and clear, ready to tell the time when it was needed. She could see the red marks on his skin, where Summer's blades had nicked it, yet there was not a deep wound to be seen on his flesh yet, nor did there seem to be any sort of deep scars that appeared yet...

The word RUBY stood out on his back, clearly outlining the flesh that had been carved up by someone's whim, someone who must have gone to great lengths to carve that name into the flesh... a Beornir, if she'd had any guess. Summer had hinted at it when they had spoken, only so shortly before. It was something that had made her feel queasy, yet it was what it was.

Her own body held the scars of fights that she had survived, either through sheer brutality or mere luck. Her blade had been sheathed inside the corpses of those who had opposed her and the tribe, their bodies the mere flagstones that paved the road for her own rise to power. She could see the muscles tense, even with Summer's rampaging assault continuing, the burning in her body feeling like it was the kiss of a lover, her own mind adjusting to the bargain that had been struck before.

She was a woman with her own pride, yet there was only one Summer Rose in this world, the one who could wash it away with a simple word and a beckon. Her partner, her Slayer Companion, her sister in all but blood...

The muscles of that back twisted, as the blade blocked Summer's strike, Summer's leg shooting out and hitting his upper shin, nearly unbalancing the young man, who shifted, trying to deliver a strike to the Summer who was also met in that balancing act's crescendo, Summer's body moving back with the swiftness that was her standard, her eyes blazing. _'_ _She over-extends more than before…'_

It was a twitch that she had noticed, ever since she had been watching Summer. There was no more refinement in those motions, an animalistic nature that had been uncovered, ready to tear into whatever was in front of her. _'Whatever happened to her… it has made her less restrained.'_

She would obey, that was her duty… Yet she knew that the alliance with the young man currently facing Summer was enough for her to also ensure a certain measure of control. If Summer were to be unchained…

There had been incidents where the complete eradication of people had been necessary. The surgical strike, slaying the guards and allowing the Grimm to enter the village and slay the inhabitants, the exfiltration afterwards, when the last dregs of resistance had been slain… Those were the times when Summer had been the coldest to her, focused on the mission that had been provided…

But that paled in contrast to the Mission. The Mission, the prime directive of every Slayer that had ever ascended the ranks. She had been only a party to the initiation of herself to the Slayer ranks, Summer's occasional reference to the Mission being obscured by her manner of being 'just Summer'.

" _You don't understand… it's not exactly my will…" The look on Summer's face was pensive, as she looked out over the glorious valley, the setting sun dyeing the valley in crimson tints, Raven's own body feeling safe in the presence of her friend and partner. "But… It's an ideal. A world where our children can grow up safe and sound… And for that… You have to make a sacrifice." The silver eyes looked over the valley, even as her blades showed clearly the marks of combat._

" _We work to make this place better… Even if Ozpin gives the order, it will still be played through the Council… Those people... Bah, they are so stuffy and serious. Not like you. I fought for you, Raven." The smile was wistful, even as Summer's cloak fluttered in the wind. "You are my bestie, my one true friend."_

 _She had felt pleasant feelings surge up inside her, knowing that it was something that the Huntress beside her really meant. "Hey Raven… in the case that we have children… Do you promise to look after them in the case that I perish? I'll do the same for yours." She had been touched, even though the Tribe had been calling for her to return. It was a sad situation, even as Taiyang and her were getting to the proper stage in their life. She was Raven Xiao-Long-Branwen now. The wedding band had been the final seal on her fate…_

" _Of course." She had said, as she looked at her friend, her eyes stinging slightly. She could already imagine the cute children that would spring up. Now, if only Summer would accept Qrow as a decent substitute for her… That would be grand. Sisters in law and sisters in spirit, their children both carrying the blood of Branwen._

There were regrets, though. She had always been the chipper leader, the one with the plan and the power to back that plan up. With her strength, she had been second place every time when it came to the individual rankings, yet… it was a proud feeling inside her that told her that it was okay to be second place to Summer. "Two minutes remaining."

"Do you have any designs on him?" The Faunus asked, her eyes looking at the boy's back, Raven's head shaking once. It was not that he did not tickle that faint spark inside her but… She knew well that he would be a good fit for her Yang. Mothers did not steal their daughter's boyfriends, after all.

If this were a gentler world… perhaps. A divorcee mother, seducing the innocent boyfriend of her own daughter and making him to her own specifications… That held some promise. The romance literature that Vernal occasionally enjoyed was something cliché and boring, yet Raven did not mind a little distraction from being a bandit chieftain.

That she was stalking her ex-husband did not really matter much. She had given herself to him, so now he was hers. Permanently. She would not condone anyone who would try to scratch the itch on HER scratching post.

"Hardly convincing." The Faunus said, Raven frowning as she fixed her gaze on the woman. It was not her style to be doubted by someone, even if that someone was a person who reeked of corruption and foulness… Even though the floral shampoo nullified that advantage with no issue. "You would find it hard to resist his charm."

' _As if I am some randy woman who forgets her vows! One man for life!'_ Tai was a weakling who cried when she had left suddenly, yet she loved him still. Her eyes were on him alone, with no blonde Grimm-tainted bastard to take his space. She had birthed him a daughter, Summer had birthed him a daughter and that was good. "I find that doubtful."

She watched, Jaune hitting the ground at nearly thirty seconds left. His life was forfeit, if Summer did as she had been trained to do. A Beowolf collided with her body then, before the deathblow could be given, the spar continuing as the woman pulled herself back up, her Aura still as strong as before, Jaune's own looking worse off… yet still not unbroken.

She started the countdown after ten seconds were left, the young man's arm gone now, as the Grimm continued to come, a barrage of creatures that were fit for nightmares coming from the shadows, Summer's body whirling like a cyclone of death, bringing with every strike the death of a Grimm. The moment when the stopwatch beeped the final tune to signal the end, Summer paused, her blades resting against the young man's chest. There was a pause, as the woman looked at Jaune, her head nodding once. "You pass."

Her eyes went to Raven again, the woman stiffening. "He has earned the cloak. We're going to shop for one at Maerfries." The order was given, the words were spoken. Jaune panted in his need for breath, the rapid combat having exhausted him. _'I remember my own test.'_

The Goliath had been a challenge to face, yet she had surpassed the challenge admirably. Without any flaws in her style, she had slain it, together with Summer. It had been a challenge… yet Summer had been there with her.

"So, who's up for some congratulations?" The Schnee woman said, as she looked at Jaune, who raised an eyebrow and didn't respond. His face was weathered-looking and tired, even with the stresses of the day still remaining.

"Shower first, Whitney." His words made sense to her, even as the woman's eyes twinkled with the promise of something else than a mere shower.

"We should ensure that you're washed properly. A boy like you might need a bit of a… hand." The wink totally was unnecessary, as Jaune snorted at the suggestion. "You are always in need of someone to help you, Jaune… Let us help you."

Summer coughed, pulling the attention towards her. "We will wash his body." _'Since when did I get volunteered for this?'_ Sending a cross look at Summer, who did a little gesture with her thumb and her pinkie finger that meant 'Go along with it.'

"It's mandated that the senior Slayers wash their new initiate's body to purify it of the Grimm blood. It might sound a little outdated, but it really is in the rules." Raven was bullshitting worse than Qrow did when he totally was smashed-dead drunk, even as she looked at the young man with who she would be sharing a shower.

"Ah, yes… Heather did say something about that." One of the twins, the one who wielded the massive gun, said, clearly backing her tale up. _'Then it does stand to reason that it was something that might've been forgotten…'_ Was she forgetting her first parts? The pond that she and Summer had dove into after they had slain the Goliath had washed their body, yet her own mind was still uneasy. It would have been the intimate touches, those moments when hands had strayed and her partner had been… closer.

Raven Branwen was a hypocrite, even if she did not admit it. Summer was special to her. Even when Qrow had made the mistake, she had not held it against him, with Summer there to soothe her. It did land the man in the hospital with a broken leg, yet there was nothing to be done about it after the fact. _'She never DID stop teasing me about the whole thing… How was I supposed to know that Qrow had put alcohol in that bottle instead of lemonade?'_

As she entered the shower, taking a look at herself in the mirror for a moment, Summer pushing her charge forwards, Jaune giving her an odd look that was shared by her. She had no intention of being in the shower with Mini-Tai, but she supposed that an order was an order. "So, eh… What's the first part that's getting washed?" He asked, Raven giving a snort.

If it had been her Yang, she knew that the face would be the first thing to get washed. The hair could come later. Much later. Hair was not as important as the face. Faces held power. It's why she moisturized her face whenever she knew she had to make a public appearance. A woman's vanity, Summer had called it, even though she had hardly had any issue with her skin.

"Back. You're going to be washed everywhere." That the ladies in his little clique of older women with a thirst for some young hot man would gladly wash him without a problem was not HER problem. As she grabbed the sponge, she could see Summer's bright smile, as she witnessed the silver-haired woman pluck a bottle of shampoo from the stand, putting a generous dollop on her hands.

"Time to get washies, little Jaune!" The tone of voice that Summer used was the one that she'd used when she was washing Yang, the tone more suited for a young child than the teenager that was here now, as the 'Eep!' from his mouth confirmed that Summer had indeed decided to go for the hair first. It was a messy state, mingling pale with blonde locks. She pressed against his back, the sponge moving over that scarred back, feeling the muscle underneath move, as she continued, going down, her nose brushing against the skin as the muggy hot hair of the shower prickled at her eyes.

She closed them, her hands continuing automatically, barely ceasing their motions. It was just like before, during the times when there had been limited opportunities to get clean whilst out in the field. The whole team, pressed in a small cubicle, rubbing and cleaning. No awkwardness in that moment, as the trust that she had in her partner and her brother and her man superceded all awkwardness. If she touched something that she should not, nobody cared. Her fingers did their duty, as the sponge was lathered up with some more of the cleaning solution.

"That's it, sweetie… Just relax. Mommy Summer isn't going to harm her little Jaune… She's so proud of her big boy." The baby talk was something that made Raven wince, even as she tried to tune it out. His protestations were something that had been there during the first time that she'd been pushed in the shower with her Taiyang. Her nose inhaled the smell, the shampoo that had a fragrant scent filling her nostrils, as her fingers continued to massage.

Yes… She couldn't wait until she was reunited with Taiyang. It would just be the two of them in the shower, no matter what he would say, her hands touching and caressing the body that was hers by right. She would want for nothing more than Summer to join them as well, maybe her brother, if he was a good boy… But then…

"Raven!" His voice reached her ears and she opened her eyes, coming to the realization that she'd been distracted, her hand entirely busy with rubbing the sponge onto his groin. It was not a sight that she'd expected, blinking owlishly.

"She's got a habit of that, Jauney… Don't worry, Raven loves Taiyang too much to ever do something like that." Summer's admonishment of her came immediately, even as a shudder walked over her spine up and down. It was not a thought that filled her with happiness, even though she'd groped the young man's privates without as much of a thought. _'It's been nearly seventeen years, Raven… Won't you admit…'_

She was NOT going to give in to her base urges and use a young man for her gratification, no matter how badly he resembled Tai. There had been ONE fuck-up in her entire life and even that had been forgotten and forgiven. Summer had been so sweet that one time, yet her eyes promised bloody murder. "Aww, the boy has a bit of stress. Do you want mama to kiss it better? I bet you dooooo~!"

' _Yes… She's definitely losing her mind… She'd never consider doing something like this to the target.'_ The Summer that she knew… the one that she had spoken with only months before, had been able to rationally converse with her. Not… this. This Summer reverted to her Slayer persona one moment, then to her loving mother persona, the split between those two filled with ramblings that were not sane in the slightest. _'I'll ask the boy… He will know.'_

It was the most logical choice, after all. The choice which would impact the future of her partner's closeness to her. _'Whatever is needed…'_ She was not a woman who was ungrateful, even though many would call her cold. _'For Summer and for Taiyang, I would tread upon the Mistress of the Grimm.'_

"Give mommy a little kiss… Yess, that's a good boy!" Her attention went back to Summer, who was trying to kiss Jaune on the lips, an inappropriate moment if there ever was one, Jaune's head trying to look away. "Ravennnn, he doesn't want a kissy! Hold him! Mama needs to kiss!"

She looked at her partner, companion and friend, the doubt in her mind consolidating once more. _'Would it be bloody murder that she craves or the more gentle touches of a man.'_ The silver eyes, a power that had been passed down through generations, were still a power that she could respect, even though the use of that power required the essence of love, of a desire to defend and protect.

Against the Grimm, they stood as a unified front. One blade to cut, one blade to block. One body to attack, one body to defend. It was the reason why she wore slightly more armour than Summer did, Summer's body angling towards the agile style of fighting.

"The boy needs a reward… Rae… Wash him. I need to go and compose myself." Summer left the shower, as abruptly as she did, leaving her there with the young man, whose grimace showed clearly that he was not as pleased as most men would be.

' _No wonder, with his girlfriends around, who would be impressed by a washed-up bird like me? Taiyang loves me…'_ There was the hint of doubt in her mind, as Summer was now back in the game. Whatever Summer wanted, Summer got. It was the sad truth of the world, as Summer Rose did not stop her conquest of the heart of Taiyang.

"So…" He said, her attention directed to him. In the shower, she pressed against him, her hands brushing the sponge over his arms. _'Too little definition to be really good…'_

"She's acting a little weird, isn't she?" He said in a voice that was soft, with the caution that Summer would hear it.

The shower spray would cover the noise well enough, Raven thinking about how to phrase it to him. _'She's acting weird indeed… but how to explain it?'_ "She used to be this fun mom-like person, talking at length about how she loved her little Yang and her husband Taiyang, even talked about you. Now…"

"It's almost as if she wants to kill me or tuck me into bed and make sure that I'm happy." The doubt in his voice was enough to make him sound even worse. "Only Heather and Rowe used to do that… Rowe has this beautiful voice when she sings a lullaby. Mom wasn't much for singing lullabys, you know. She has this horribly off-key voice whenever she tries to sing." The fond smile on his face was enough to tell her that he genuinely loved his sisters. _'I would trade my brother for one of his sisters… It would be better for my health.'_

"Oh?" She didn't really want to know too much about the young man, save for the fact that he had a big family. She had a big family too… But this blonde would undoubtedly not associate them with anything positive. _'You don't know how true you are, boy… She has consigned you to death…'_

Summer's goal was enough for her to follow. The young man would feel the kiss of Summer's blade when it was his time. For now… The sacrifice that their alliance had required was still bearable. _'If she goes off the rails… I said that I would block her blade, but for how long… I scarcely know.'_

She was still subordinate to Summer, even if the partnership had evaporated before, the death of Summer Rose still something that had weighed on her mind before. She could make a portal to the site of Summer's grave, a faint marker left behind there by her mind's will, the remains, what little they had found, left there and buried.

"Yeah, I hung around more with my older sisters than with the younger ones. Ashley and Bianca, well… You know. Heather and Rowe raised me, mostly… They had to raise most of us because mom and dad were gone so much." They had not trained the boy, or she would have seen the hallmarks of the Slayer education pounded into his body.

' _A body fit for Ozpin… A fate that I would not envy, yet…'_ The look on his face was calm yet thoughtful, his hair plastered to his face. A quick glance down showed that his little sword was already in the rest position, her eyes glancing over his abdominal area, wondering briefly whether he would be getting tattoos on his skin.

' _I find myself looking too much. Taiyang is the only one for me.'_ The thought was shattered, even as she found Summer pushing her up against the young man, her nose bumping against his collarbone, as she turned to Summer. "Kiss!" The hissed words were sharp, as the Slayer Summer spoke, and Raven looked up at him, standing on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips. "A kiss for the young man."

Summer in this state, was dangerous. The threat that she posed to Raven was larger than her shorter stature would allow for. Raven knew how to fight decently without her weapon… but Summer was the beast who could trounce Taiyang in a wrestling match. "Sooo… We're going to Vale… But first I want to go and visit my ex-husband… So, we can make a little detour! Business before pleasure is such a dull thing, after all."

Raven could see that Jaune was not hugely fussed about the change in plans, even as he changed his manner of standing slightly, Summer's eyes glinting in the light that came from the light fixture on the wall, shaped in the form of two arcs above each other, apparently the crest of the family. "I don't mind. It would be… fun, I suppose, to meet with Ruby and Yang's dad."

Summer tutted lightly, as she shook her head. "My gear is still there, Jauney… I can't fight without my gear. My ring should be there… Probably. They would've gotten it off my hand… not that it's worth much, but I try to keep the memento's safe." Raven knew that, she also knew where they were usually kept. _'Without any problems, the trunk should still be safe…'_

"Your daughter has your cloak." Summer's soft 'hmmhmm' sound was enough to clue her in that Summer was only half-way paying attention to her.

"She's allowed to… not with the trial of course, but the red is a nice touch, don't you think? White suits me better… but red is good for hiding the blood." She seemed not too concerned about a cloak being gone, probably having a few spare.

"Not to say though… She will be sixteen soon." The worried look on Summer's face was something that bore her concern, Raven remembering well the moments when Summer had approached her, taught her things. There was the understanding between them, yet also…

' _Would she do something to Yang, just to test her in the same way that we were tested?'_ The fear rose in her heart, Jaune's gaze softening slightly, looking at Summer with a look of worry. It was not a face that she showed often to the people around her. "Summer, you will not test her. She is not fully grown yet." The look on her partner's face was stubborn, though. It was not a pleasant thing to see when you were trying to dissuade her.

"Please don't do that, Summer." Jaune added his own voice to the weight, Summer's soft 'hmm' sounding more or less like she was deliberating.

"It isn't the time for that. Ruby needs to grow a little more before she and Yang can do the trial." Summer patted the young man's shoulder. "Just like you passed the trial, Jauney. Mommy is so proud of you!" The seriousness bled out of Summer Rose like a popping balloon.

Raven hoped that Summer was not serious about Ruby and Yang, because they would be woefully unprepared for the fight against a Goliath. _'I will keep my daughter safe, even if I have to personally intrude in her trial.'_

Her daughter was the most important, after all…

She would be even more of a failure as a mother if she did not think so.

* * *

 _The vested interest (Jacques Schnee)_

* * *

The next time that he saw his son was the moment when he had finally rounded off the final investments that had to be managed before the end of the year, the way towards greater riches already on track. It was official now. He managed a smile as his attention directed itself to the great schematic in front of him.

' _Three-hundred percent payout… You'd be an idiot to believe in that.'_ There was, of course, the way that the companies advertised, the credit that they built up with their actions and their own products. Dust was easy. It was needed whenever humanity needed to do something dangerous.

"Father, have you finished the paperwork for my official position?" The question was not unexpected from Whitley, as Jacques shifted his gaze, his son standing there, hands behind his back, the typical pose that a tycoon should be able to assume, with little emotion appearing on his face.

"Yes, son. Your older sisters will no longer be able to contest your status as the heir to the company." The faint smile on the boy's face was yet another moment of pride for him. It was the faint smile of someone who was born to become a winner, not the smile of some simpleton who merely thought that a nice payout was good for the books.

"And grandfather?" Jacques did not frown at the question, even though he felt he should. Nicholas Schnee was not a man who could easily be led around by the nose, his own political capital as the founder of the Schnee Dust Company still considerable, yet with the seat of the Schnee family on the council taken by a proxy, it was hardly something that could be pressed.

The man would die within less than five years, after all. With the Dust Lung that he'd gotten due to his work in the mines, the man's lifespan had already been cut severely, without even going into the details of the man's usual habit of having to take oxygen in order to remain functioning. _'He will be dead soon and my position as CEO unshakeable. Whitney was the only one who could inherit the seat after Nicholas as passed away, so it would go to the heir presumptive… which is my son.'_

Winter held seniority based on age, yet with the culture in Atlas, only the designated heir could be given the status of a councilman. Money put a lot of people on certain roads that were not travelled before, yet there was always those who would wish to use 'morality' to stymie the efforts of a good tradesman.

"He would not interfere. It would take your mother to rise from the dead to usurp your spot as his heir. Atlas remembers the bonds of its nobility." The fact that he had only married Whitney Schnee was the fact that precluded him from being the general manager of the Schnee name and fortune. With his position as CEO, he was certainly wealthy, yet the children that he had bred with Whitney were all independent in their own manner. The choice to ensure that the young woman had fallen for him had been one of the best in his life.

"Ah, I see. May I ask a question, father?" The politeness of his boy was a stretch higher than Weiss' own manner of communication, her singing voice bringing her many talented suitors, which had all been rejected by him.

He nodded his head, turning to the sheet in front of him, tapping one of the stocks that was currently highlighted to be sold and musing a little on the wealth that he would garner from it. "If something were to happen to Weiss, would you feel sad?"

It was dangerous to hear a son speak about his own sister like that, yet Jacques smiled a paternal smile. "Why should I be sad about a daughter that does not match my standards? Aside from her singing voice and her moronic idea to become a Huntress, she has little in the way of value."

Whitley's smile was similar to his own. "I see, thank you for clarifying that father. Shall I request the kitchen to send something to refresh you?" The boy was indeed the son that he had always wanted. Able to see what his father needed and act responsibly immediately.

' _It is not the worst choice to leave the Schnee Dust Company to him… Winter's slavish devotion to Ironwood aside, it hardly would be right to leave it to her. She would funnel the Dust and the Lien into the military… What has the military ever done for Atlas but decrease the prices of Dust? Why should I have to give a thirty percent discount to the military, whilst other Kingdoms pay full price?'_ His son was saying something about requiring to check up on something on the mainframe, a grunted 'Go ahead' from his mouth, as the prices of the stock started to rise. _'This might impact the yearly results if I invest sensibly…'_

The door shut a moment later, his son already having left, a proud smile on Jacques' face already showing. _'It would be another thing if Whitley had…'_ He glanced at the side, wondering briefly where he had put the key to the servers, before shrugging. _'Where did I put the… Oh, Whitley took it.'_ It would be back in his hands soon. It was not like there were any company secrets on the servers that were kept in the house, for any of the staff to sneakily absorb. Corporate espionage was something that still happened a lot, even with the Schnee Dust Company holding majority stock in the Dust trade.

' _I should call Whitley to me again within an hour. He can look at the stocks… Let's make it an exercise. It will test his business acumen.'_ Jacques Schnee plucked at his moustache slightly. Making sure that his son was able to run the company would take some time still, yet he was not going to leave himself with a successor who hardly knew how to run the company. Winter and Weiss might have been given the full schooling, yet Jacques Schnee was not a man who was trifled with easily.

* * *

 **Another chapter. Next chapter: Patch, Cookies and therapy!**

 **For those people who are commenting about the perspectives not holding too much significance to the whole story… Wait a good five chapters-ish. It's going to be hot… Oh, and team JNPR will reunite in three chapters or so! I've already written the general outline of that scene sometime back in August (yes, I do plan this stuff) and I'm steamed! Volume III will be completed in around 10 chapters, if I guess it properly. Some really Grimm stuff coming up!(As if the Blake Situation wasn't grim enough.) Serious canon deviations abound!**

 **Will Whitney remain unchallenged as the Queen of Jaune's love life? Will Kali muscle in on her friend's man? Will Sienna get some d'Arc-Night loving? Raven… will be Raven. Will Summer decide to be cool and collected, or crazy and mommy? Find out next in… A Grimm Tale!**

 **As a small note: Raven is NOT going to join the crew of Jaune-ladies. I'm sure that a lot of you are going 'Is she going to be added to the harem?' in your minds, but nope. Raven is a lot of things, but destined for Jaune in this story… Nope.**

 **Until next time! Leave a review, show me how you're enjoying the story, cheer me on about the whole process of writing this thing stimulating your mind to enter the world of A Grimm Tale and well... Private Messages usually reach me just fine.**


	35. Ceasefire

**Chapter 35: Ceasefire**

 **I'm late with the update, I know. Next week I'll power-write another chapter. About the sexual orientation of the characters though – Only six people in A Grimm Tale are confirmed to be homosexual. Most of the characters prefer the opposite gender. Weiss is sheltered, so she doesn't really know what love is. Ruby is still young. Blake is messed up. Yang is... not in the best spot. Does that make everyone bisexual? No. The Arc sisters play around a lot, but they are most attracted to men. That there is a decided lack of suitable men around isn't their fault. All the characters in A Grimm Tale could have their sexuality listed, but it is not hugely important to the story.**

* * *

 _The brief respite (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

"I love you, little brother." Bianca's voice whispered into his ear as the hug lasted just a little too long to be appropriate, her arms wrapped around him, as she sighed softly, her head laying against his chest, just listening to his heartbeat. The magazines that she had personally allotted to their use were stacked together in a small carrying case, with each round having enough firepower to blast a hole through an armoured vehicle.

They were kind to him and his friends, even though they did keep on calling Whitney 'Jaune's Ice Queen', within her earshot. It led to a few peeved looks, some sniggers and the occasional affectionate touch whilst his sisters were around, just with a look accompanying it that said 'back off'. It felt... good, in a fashion, to be wanted like that. A good sensation, for his body to feel wanted still by someone. It was something that he enjoyed, even though the feeling of the others was dissimilar... let alone Raven's casual distaste of such comments.

"I love you too, Bianca." He said, as he went for Ashley, whose fingers tangled in his hair and she delivered a little kiss to his chin.

"You're too freakishly tall, Jaune." Ashley said, her eyes twinkling with a small shard of amusement. "Heather is going to love dolling you up like a girl again... With all this hair." She grabbed a hold of his hair, jerked his head down and planted another kiss straight on the lips, giving a saucy wink.

"Keep those lips away from any girls that might want to steal ya, little brother!" She was gone from his personal space immediately afterwards and he was left staring, uncomprehending of the fact that she'd just kissed him on the lips as she darted away, the faint drain on his _Vitae Tenebris_ felt.

"Hey! You don't steal that stuff without intending something for it! What do you have planned?!" His sister's eyes glowed, a clear sign that the archives of data and knowledge were being accessed, as she laid her hands on him. The designs of the Grimm that She had created came to him, with suggestions for improvement, places where joints could be twisted and bent to create even more efficient killing machines.

"Use that well... When you have to. It's..." Ashley glanced down with a complicated expression on her face. "I don't like... those parts. It's not something that I want, yet Jinn... She knows well that it is what knowledge you need. Your mind..."The words were halting, as Ashley looked at him. "When you have the opportunity... Go to Mountain Glenn. Absorb _it._ "

The advice was curious, yet Ashley's eyes pleaded with him. "I'll go there, if I need to. The Grand Wizard..." Her hands grabbed his, as she locked eyes with him.

"Ozymandias is not worth your time, little brother... He has his own path to walk. What he did was not what you considered right... but consider that your perception may be coloured by the darkness inside the Grand Witch." Ashley's voice was gentle, as she looked at him, a smile on her lips. "But... You should stay out of his path, for as much as you can do. We will always stand with you, Jaune. No matter what."

Her gaze went to Sienna, a faint frown on her face. "Remember, you will do as you said you would." The look that Sienna's face took was one of grim acceptance, as she seemed to have found her resolve, her eyes narrowing as she nodded shortly.

"What was that all about?" He asked, Ashley shaking her head slightly.

"There you go asking questions... No, Sienna and Kali asked us about something and we responded... so I am just telling Sienna to do as she had said." The tone in Ashley's voice was one that brooked no nonsense, her eyes shifting their gaze, towards Bianca. "Get them their Scrolls."

Bianca came forwards, a small case with the logo on the front showing clearly that it belonged to Ashley, opening up the case and showing five Scrolls, the technology that made the Scrolls looking a slight bit more advanced than the current market standard. "Guaranteed to be nigh-unbreakable WITH your own voice-activated password and genetic scanner! The best of the best, for my little brother's pack of bloodthirsty savages... with no pun intended there, because you frighten the hell out of me with those evil looks, Schnee."

Whitney sniffed disdainfully, Jaune taking one of the scrolls out of the packaging, a large 'JAUNE' scrawled with a post-it on the back, the symbol of the Arc family etched into the side. Opening the Scroll up after he pulled it up, the family portrait that had been made when he was younger showed as his display, his older sisters beaming at him, his father managing a rare smile and his mother's eyes warm and motherly as they should be. He smiled as he looked at his own face, set in that manner of 'I kind of don't really want to be here'.

"And for you, the SPECIAL EDITION!" Whitney opened her scroll up, Jaune's gaze catching sight of a picture that made him flush red. "Baby clothes edition!" The look on his eight-year-old face was embarrassed as the bonnet that sat on his head was frilly and lacey, the look on his face displeased in the extreme.

"Different moments in our little Jaune's life, for your viewing pleasure!" The excitement that his sister had was not shared by him as he looked at the pictures that popped up on the screen of Kali's and Sienna's, Summer looking a little bemused at the screen that she had on hers.

Jaune had thought that it was pretty cool, wearing the cloak and that large signet ring, even as Heather had pulled a monocle from somewhere and gotten him a large hat with a big feather. That she'd snapped picture after picture whilst he looked at her was just a thing that he had bore with, even though dad had been a little annoyed at him taking his signet ring. "Ooh, he wears the Ring of the Covenant."

' _Ring of the what?'_ The look on his face was something that no doubt put that question into words as best as it could, Summer looking at him and smiling, her eyes indulgent, that mood swing of her turning even more towards the maternal side of things. "The Slayer ring. My ring belongs to the Rose clan." The woman's hand extended, the finger where there should have been a ring bare, yet with the faint impression of a ring visible there.

"It's the sign that you are the current leader of the Slayer clan. The order consists of those families who have sworn to stand against the shadow." The words made such sense, yet he wondered whether his father fully adhered to the creed of the Slayer order, or whether the man had his own interpretation of things, his eyes never quite telling his internal thoughts on subjects as he worked through them. "Your father is the family patriarch, right?"

Jaune grinned. "Heather calls him the 'Patri-Arc' but dad didn't like that very much. She's always careful to never say it too loudly, but I think she's more of a rebel than most of us." He remembered the fun little get-togethers, even though he did not appreciate her constantly hugging him and telling him that he should have been a girl. The dress had been embarrassing, yet she had made sure that he carried it well. _'I could do makeup as well, but I best not let that slip... My acolytes may not think of me as much of a man... Look at me, talking about being a man whilst not even eighteen...'_

"Good, good... What is his availability for breeding?" Something screeched to a halt, as he looked at Summer with an incredulous look.

"Did you just suggest that our father breed..."Bianca started, and Ashley continued. "with someone in order to pass along his genes?" The indignation in their voices was enough to make it a harrowing subject, their eyes showing clearly their displeasure with such a thought. Jaune himself did not think too highly of the comment.

"Summer..." He said, warning her through his tone of voice. Summer's eyes met with his, as she shrugged.

"Not like there are many of us left, you know... Four families in Vale with most of them nearly extinct." The admission was easy, as Summer ran a hand through her hair, unconcerned that she'd just relegated their father to a mere breeder.

"Fresh blood... But I guess..." Summer's eyes met his, as that face split with a wicked grin. "Impregnate Raven, Jaune!" He blinked. The woman must've said it wrongly, or there was something else that he did not quite get. He could hear Raven in the background with a hiss, much like a bird would.

"You will do good... you've got his bloodline and you're a boy." The look on his face was irritated, as he looked at the woman as she gazed at him. The look that basically said 'we want you for your genes' was one that he could not stomach. _'I am not some piece of meat that needs to be fought over!'_

"We do not accept those terms." Kali spoke, laying a hand on his shoulder. Whitney's and Sienna's appeared on his shoulder as well, a sign of their support. He looked at Summer, whose head tilted to the side.

"Aww, but you'd look so good with babies... You gotta promise momma Summer some grandkids! Take my Ruby!" The switching of topics was enough to make his face twist, a softly mumbled – 'she's losing it...' – coming from Kali, who looked worriedly at Summer. 'Are we going to be like that too?'The Faunus continued to speak, her amber eyes worried.

' _It is not an unreasonable line of thought. The Vitae Tenebris is used to exert their powers... But they know not that Summer is made of the stuff... I never went into the specifics, because explaining the bodily matrix and the animus...'_ "Summer, if Ruby really wants to have a child with me, I will gladly give her one."

The hands on his shoulder increased their grip, as he received baleful looks. "That's so kind of you, Jaune. You're a great kid. Momma Summer is so happy to s-" The cold look on Summer's face was sudden, as she seemed to switch moods again. "Raven, you lazy slug! Get that portal ready so we can get to Taiyang!"

"She's definitely lost it." Kali mumbled to herself, as he could feel the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her pulsate, the shadows wrapping around her, as she readied herself to strike. _'Do I want to offend the Slayer who would cull me if I thought about it?'_

" **Let her.** " He spoke to them, feeling the dissent around him. He turned, looking into the eyes of his acolytes. They were his women, Whitney moreso than the others, yet they trusted him... they saw him as their leader. Sienna's orange eyes looked away, her head shaking lightly. " **She'll fight with us... And there is no way that she can force us to do anything that we do not want.** " He was banking on Raven making sure that such a thing happened. His voice had been low enough, yet was infused with plenty of the strength that he had as their leader. The ancient rules applied to him.

"We'll be in touch, little brother. When the others are back, we will let you know... Even though we've gone black." The look on Ashley's face was serious, even as she looked at Summer and Raven, the latter looking a little jittery, as her eyes shifted. A slash of her Dust blade later and a portal appeared from thin air. "The Scroll you have should be good for contact up until thirty miles from the Valean Wall."

"Remember... if you ever need something in Vale, give us a call. The Huntsman licenses that I made you are located in the Scrolls that I have provided for you. You've been fitted with a copy of Azure's license credentials... So I guess you're nineteen now." A pointed look to Whitney. "Congratulations, you're fucking a legal guy now, Schnee." To Jaune's amazement and Whitney's credit, the woman did not even blush or grow annoyed at the insinuation.

"Listen, if they DO pull you into the database... Well, the worst that they can find is that the registration has only been partially fudged. When they did Azure's upgrade to Full Huntsman status, they left in a loophole that I exploited... So you've got to be careful not to let the Scrolls land in another person's hands, alright?" Ashley looked serious, as she switched her gaze to Whitney Schnee. "Whitney Schnee, registered as W. Schnee. Close enough to the real deal to pass scrutiny, yet fulfilling the effects of being official. Got the data off the Valean Huntsman database, managed to lift your prints and emblem off it as well. Same caution for you. Not many Schnee around, yet the black sheep of the family often don't get mentioned, so you're good. Alsius Academy as an Alma Mater, so just... know that, alright?"

The two Faunus, Ashley immediately assessed. "There are two identities for you set aside. I'm not sure about the exact legalities, but your new names are Sienna Aeko Khan, a distant cousin of the 'brave and heroic' Sienna Khan, leader of the White Fang, yadda yadda yadda..." Her attention switched to Kali, Jaune noticing that there was a certain preen to Kali's stature, as she locked eyes with Ashley. "And Maeka Alina Belladonna, a cousin to Blake Belladonna. Your appearance looks similar enough that it will fool most casual inspections and should get you into the city. After that, you're pretty much on your own... oh, Jaune?"

Ashley produced a small platinum card. "Use this if you want to pay for stuff, if you're not doing it through Lien chips. It's untraceable with a Huntsman fund on it, so if you need something... use it. It... It should've gone to you, anyways." Her eyes were flighty, as they looked away, a string of pained emotion going through her. He looked at the card, noticing the name written on it.

"Heather always pays for her, right?" He asked, the card tucked in his wallet, ready to be used when he was in the city, at any retailer that served Huntsmen clientele. He knew the value of the card, his memory reminding him of the one time when he'd seen such a card be used.

" _I'll have another one... oh, Heather, what did you want?" The question hung in the air, the flush on his older sister's cheeks clearly being something that'd been brought on by excitement, even as she leaned over to him, her younger sister looking at her. The long hair was combed over one shoulder, the newly minted badge on her shoulder displaying the family crest, something in her eyes speaking of joy._

" _I'll take a beer." Heather said, Jaune watching her eyes light up, even as she sat herself down next to him. "How's the game, Jaune?" She inquired, the Scroll in his hands lighting up, as he glanced back at the formations._

" _Good! I nearly won!" He could feel his older sister's hand brush through his hair, even as she looked down at him, her eyes warm, those deep blue eyes meeting with his._

" _That's good, Jaune." Her tone was warmer than he'd ever heard it, her breath smelling faintly of the cherry drink that she enjoyed, her eyes glowing, as she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Jaune." His older sister's words, as she pulled him close, leaving his front line to blow up due to the enemy assault._

 _He struggled a little, but calmed down, her weapon brushing against him. It was a curious contraption, almost like a greatsword, yet with a set of pipes on the edge, seemingly streamlining something. "Rowe, please..." She kept on holding him tighter, even as her fingers brushed through his hair._

" _Remember, Jaune doesn't need that." His father's voice was strict, as he looked at his daughter, Jaune feeling a surge of annoyance._

" _Daddy, really... Can't I just teach him a few moves?" His oldest sister's voice was pleading, even as he heard his mother's voice poke through the din of the cafe that they had gone to celebrate._

" _You're not going to teach him. You know that he needs to grow some more before he can be your father's heir." The words had been strange to hear, back then. He looked up to his older sister, seeing her pained look, before she smiled at him, that warm look returning to her face, Heather giving a soft groan, her weariness showing on her face._

" _Come on Jaune, let's have you go to the bathroom first before we make the trip back. Wouldn't want to make a mess of your fancy clothing, now would we?" She spoke to him gently, her voice soft, as she looked at him, her eyes looking slightly wet, as her hand brushed through his hair. "Heather and I will make sure that you won't be hurt by any meanies."_

 _The promise that she made was enough, and he felt happy as Heather and Rowe took him by the hand, each one taking his hand in theirs, their faces looking relieved, not in the slightest bit merely eighteen and twenty, their father's look ill pleased, yet the man did not speak up about it, for once._

 _The boy's bathroom smelled bad, to his nose, yet his oldest sister pushed open the stall and then let him get in, as he got onto the toilet seat, the coolness of it making goosebumps appear on his skin. He could hear them talk. "You can't do that, dad said..."_

" _What harm can it do? You... You know, Heather. You were there with me, when we were..." A pause, even as he could faintly hear the sigh of his older sister. "I know... But... We can't do nothing, Heath." A faint crunching sound, something heard, as the click-whizz of the weapon hit the ground, the memory's strange sound immediately filled in by the knowledge that he had now._

" _Are you ready with your little wee-wee, Jaune?" His sister's voice came from behind the door, his mind recalling the frustration that he felt. He was seven, he wasn't a baby anymore! "Do you need any help?"_

" _Rowe, please..." The sound of Heather's voice was enough, even as something that he could barely make out was heard, a gurgling sound, as if some pipes were being drained._

" _I'm all done!" He had announced, even as he opened the door, seeing his sister stand in front of it, her eyes looking him over._

" _Wash your hands, Jaune..." She directed, even as she pointed to the wash-basin. He sulked as he walked over there. From his recollection, it was only the whisper of sound behind him that he heard, yet now, he clearly could hear his sister say – "Fuck it all." – as he washed his hands. "Hey Jaune... We've got a little secret here."_

 _He turned around, full of childish innocence, seeing his sister stand there, the green dress fitting her body well, as she moved, her fingers tapping lightly against his nose. "Can you keep a secret?" Her voice sounded conspiratorial, like the kid shows that he had 'totally grown out of, but preferred to keep an eye on'._

" _Of course!" He could see her smile, as her hand pulled away, a tendril of water popping out of the finger._

" _I'm a superhero... But that's going to be our little secret." Her voice was soft, as she brushed her other hand through his hair. "Water Louse, that's my name." He could see the discomfort in Heather's eyes, before his oldest sister mouthed something. "Guarding innocent little boys is what I do... and I guess my little Jaune is an innocent little boy." The tendril of water split into multiples, curling back around her fingers in what he now knew to be an incredibly focused level of concentration, the Semblance working in some fashion that he could hardly discern._

" _And you know... Innocent little boys can become heroes too. My partner here, Fire Bug, she's a lot hotter than me." He could see Heather's face look complicated, as she turned her gaze away._

 _A flame materialized on her palm, forming the shape of a little bunny. "I g-guess." His oldest sister's voice sounded like a soft encouragement for Heather, as the flames turned slightly bigger, the woman's eyes looking right at the sprinkler system, which no doubt would not be great. It was interesting how an adult perspective could grant new wisdom when revisiting the memories of the past._

" _Now, Firebug and I, we're special heroes, members of a secret society." His sister's voice was like a soft trace in his ear, as her hand reached out, a lash of water wrapping around Heather, who did not drop the little flame bunny, as she was jerked closer. The water felt cool, his hand going into the water and feeling the coolness._

" _So cool." His young voice was awed, his sister's smile the warmest, as she winked. "We're Slayers... So that means that whenever those eeeevil nasty Grimm come around, we're going to kill them all and make sure that no innocent boys get eaten." Her voice was enough to entrance anyone with its gentle tones._

" _Please don't tell anyone about this, Jaune." Heather said, his ears catching the sudden desperation in her voice. The look on her face was one of embarrassment, even as she fingered the ring with the Arc family crest on it, newly made it seemed. His older sister had received hers from their father, but Heather's looked to have been made by some artisan's hand._

" _I promise." He would keep that promise. The love of his sisters was more important than anything, after all. They brought him ice-cream and treats whenever they were around. When they returned, he tried to make sure that they had the best of times with him, even if it cut into his gaming._

It was the card that she used to pay for things, tucked away carefully in his pocket. When she saw that he was down, she always paid for things using this card, calling it 'my hard-earned Lien, to spend on my cute little Jaune', whilst he grumped about being called 'cute little Jaune', though he never really minded it. It was a sign that she loved him, which made it bearable... even if he would die from embarrassment if she did so in the company of others. "You know the code, right?" Ashley asked, a short nod from him.

It was hard to forget the number, as it was his birthday, Heather's birthday and Rowe's own in order of birth. It was one of the things that Heather had in the reverse. He didn't really question it, though he was curious why Ashley would give him this card. It should have gone along with its owner, but he figured that it might've been due to the mission that his family was on. _'I don't know enough about missions to really be able to know whether they can use the Lien that they have in their accounts... It'd stand to reason that they wouldn't, but... I don't know.'_

The portal shimmered in the air before him, Summer stepping through first, as she disappeared. He threw a look back at his sisters, the two of them standing together. "We love you, Jaune." They said in unison, sharing a look and then smiling. "Stay safe."

He stepped into the portal after Kali did, bumping into someone as he felt the jarring shift of spaces. Sea-salt hung in the air as he could smell the sea in his nostrils, even as the foreign place stretched around them. It was set upon a cliff, a single gravestone found there.

 _Summer Rose  
Thus kindly I scatter_

He saw the name, watching Summer stand in front of the stone, a look on her face that was confused. Behind him, he could hear someone stepping onto the grass. "Why is the stone like this? I said 'Marble or nothing!', didn't I?" Summer's voice was accusing, as Raven coughed.

"H-hey, it wasn't me who decided on it!" The excuse did not seem to hit Summer well, as she turned around, a frown on her face. "Of course not, someone with sense would decide that it'd be something a little better... But I reckon that they just tossed my limbs in the pit and then sealed it, right?" Her annoyance with the manner of burial seemed to be enough to make her frown, as she fixed Raven with a look.

"Jaune! You're going to help me dig up my own grave!" The announcement that he would be helping with that was enough to make a frown come to his face, even as he looked at the surrounding, noticing the forest around them, the desolation of the land around it perhaps due to some effect of a Semblance, or merely the fact that people had cleared it to make space for the grave.

"Joy." He said, as he looked around. "With my bare hands?"

"No, silly... We'll get a shovel from Tai's place! I wouldn't let you do that to your hands!" There were Grimm that could do such a thing, of course, yet that went unsaid. It would take only one image to be captured and the whole jig would be up.

It was the case, sadly, with how things were. Nothing was ever easy if you had the burden of being a hero resting on your shoulders.

* * *

 _The plight of Xiao-Long (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

She looked at the house, the trek of nearly thirty minutes being one that would be shorter if she used a portal or her avian form, but she knew that the approach was important. The faint sound of people in the vicinity always drove her paranoia up to a level that was higher than anything expected. _'What do I tell him? Do I tell him that Summer returned, but to keep things hidden from Ozpin? He cares for me still, I know... but would that still hold up with Summer being alive?'_

She had not been Raven Xiao-Long nee Branwen for long before she had left, yet now... she felt the faint hint of something, the wedding ring that she had long-since abandoned having been found again. She still considered herself somewhat married, even if the man was not thinking about dating another. Summer had been a special exception to the rule, something that was natural, as Partners shared things.

A knock on the door she gave, listening for a response. A faint echo reached her ears, even as her mind went for the natural place to hide the key. A stone from the garden, lifted up to reveal the bagged keys, plucked from their place and then inserted into the lock, the door opening up. The smell was familiar, homely... something that she had missed.

She could see the same couch still stand there in the living room, remembering the evening all those years ago when she had announced her pregnancy. Her brother's surprised sound as he spat his drink, Taiyang groaning as he realized that he should be getting a job with a bit more stability than being a Huntsman, Summer being ecstatic and slightly saddened that Raven would not be accompanying her anymore... _'I miss those days...'_

The tribe had pulled her away from those thoughts, whilst they required her leadership. The burden of honour still rested on her shoulders, after all. There was no honour in playing housewife to Taiyang... even though the image of being pregnant with number four or five, a whole brood of them milling about, was something that stoked the flames inside her.

"My little Ruby looks so gosh-darn cute!" Summer's squeal reached her ears, Raven smiling faintly at the sight of Summer looking at the family pictures on display. "Qrow still looks lame! He's even grown more scruffy, like some bum! I can understand why he's not able to get any girls to date him!"

Their blonde looked at the decoration of the house, a little embarrassed it seemed by entering the home of the father of his friend. "It feels a little wrong to be here without anyone being there..."

"I'm Yang's mother. I married the man of the house." Raven said, her voice sounding steadier than she felt. All those birthdays that she had watched, always observing in bird form, not there with her daughter and her husband. _'I should have been there when the candles were blown out. I should have held her hair to prevent it from burning up by a candle... even though her tantrum took out the cake as well when that happened.'_

"We're not staying here for long." Raven spoke softly as she knew that their presence would be felt by her brother or her husband. Her eyes spotted the kitchen and she entered it, the paper taped to the fridge boldly stating – **'Qrow, I'll be back in three weeks. Signal's had a bit of a crisis. Zwei is at the Mandarin family for the time being.' –** The date that had been written on it was nearly a week before now, so that would put his return at an easy week from the current date, which was passable... but it would not do to have the man return home. She was not ready to face him yet.

She looked through the fridge, merely on instinct. A whole section was dedicated to Yang's stuff, marked as such with the label, empty now, a section, slightly smaller below, which had Ruby's name labelled, with Qrow taking up an entire shelf. Cooled wine and beer and alcoholic drinks were stacked up, ready to be used. _'He should quit...'_

She was a hypocrite, she knew, but she would not stop herself from thinking about things could have been. A drunk brother was all she knew, and it was what she dealt with. It would not be a bad thing to her mind if he was sober, but as she knew well, freedom was a thing they both enjoyed.

"Do we have stuff in there for the making of cookies?" She heard Summer ask, even as she looked in the section for general use, noticing that there were only a few eggs remaining.

"Doesn't look like it. One of us has to shop..." She implored Summer with her eyes, hoping that she would take care of it.

"You can do it. Time for Raven Xiao-Long to make a reappearance after a while... I'm much too conspicuous, of course." That would certainly be the case. Whilst Raven never really investigated the rumours that'd appear after her disappearance, it generally had been Summer who was more the 'face' of the Team, and thus, no doubt would cause for some sort of general hubbub. The wife who had left returning suddenly would make for a juicy story, yet it would fade much easier than 'dead wife coming back to life'.

She was walking down the road leading towards the main settlement on Patch, watching the walls from the distance, a faint grimace on her face, even as the mask was clipped to her side, her body easily keeping a decent pace, as there was no hurry. The instructions had been written on a piece of paper, the amount of preparation that would need to be done before there could be some cookies made (one of Summer's little curiosities) being not marginal in the slightest.

As she flashed her Huntsman id, she caught sight of the dubious looks, the large shopping bag in her left hand looking idiotic, yet Summer had insisted... and whatever Summer insisted on, you should do, lest you be waking up in the morning stripped bare to some flagpole and with nothing to untie yourself with in the immediate vicinity. It had happened to Qrow. She had seen the comments that had been scrawled on the bathroom wall in the girls' bathroom at Beacon.

The general store was easily found, the glowing neon sign calling it 'Trader Glow', the faint crinkle of her nose being enough to show her general disdain for the franchise. They popped up like mushrooms... but they had cheap food. The Lien was hardly an issue, even though Summer had stuffed her pocket full of Lien chips.

Getting a metal basket, she glanced at the shopping list that she had obtained, noticing the number of eggs, a frown on her face. "Do you need any assistance, Miss?"

The voice of a young man reached her ears, her gaze rising up and spotting a young man wearing the store's uniform, looking at her tits. It was definitely a look at her tits, because she could see the tilt of the head and the eyes bluntly staring. "No." She said, her voice chilly.

"Don't be a stranger Yang... I know it's you. Don't you remember me from your time at Signal?" The young man obviously thought that she was her daughter, her lips firming up slightly as her hand patted the hilt of her weapon, the young man's gaze going to the weapon, then back up. _'What IS it with men looking at my breasts? They are in the way most of the time!'_

"I think you must be confusing me with someone else." Diplomacy would work decently, over beating this little boy like he was some sort of teen pinata... which probably was not going to get those cookies made, for violently assaulting one of the store personnel.

"Oh, don't be coy with me. A simple bottle of hair dye and a change of look can't fool my eyes." Raven's eyes looked at the name tag, the name 'Randinbert' standing out to her eyes, even as she placed a smile on her face.

"Oh?" Her voice dropped a few octaves, as her gaze shifted slightly, her fingers tracing over the hilt of her weapon, her eyes searching for familiar faces. She had a knack for faces sometimes, with her brother often forgetting the face whilst remembering the deed... she had a habit of forgetting the deed and remembering the face, unless it was really important. "Ah, Agnes, is that you?"

She probably misremembered things about the woman, who had just started to push a cart into the store, moving with the pace of someone her age, which was in the late sixties, a venerable age for most civilians already. The woman looked up and frowned. "It's you! How could you leave Taiyang like that? Your daughter had to go shopping every week for the whole family!" The woman obviously was not happy with how her abandonment had forged her little Yang into the burning blaze that she was right now, her face remaining impassive.

"I am still a Xiao-Long, Agnes. That I was called away for other duties... is perhaps not a thing to discuss here." Civilians were so easy to intimidate, the boy in front of her looking at the older woman, clearly starting to realize that there was something that wasn't going according to plan. "Whilst I do appreciate you showing an interest in my daughter... You can Yang out with her if she so desires... Yet I think that her partner might disapprove of your affectations." The little man had tried to take a good look at her goods, even as the woman known as Agnes came closer.

"So you're back, to take over after Summer died?" The woman sounded slightly mollified, the question sounding more than a little prying... but Raven supposed that it could not hurt too much to embellish the truth a little.

"My brother and I have differing tasks, Agnes. I was out there in the world, doing right for the people." That the people were of her tribe, she did not add. It would sound rather selfish. "That Summer went missing is... regrettable, yet it is a thing I cannot change. I still remember the vows to my husband."Her gaze went to the young man. "And you can help me with getting these ingredients, young man. Consider it... getting into my good graces."

The young man ran off with the list, leaving Raven to face the other woman, who was looking at her with that typical conniving old lady look, the one that would set her blood ablaze with irritation and frustration under normal circumstances. "So... Why have you returned?"

' _Because Summer told me to.'_ The answer would not be feasible, so Raven did as she always did... Lie. "Because my family needs me." The lie was only in the definition of family as people thought it. She loved Taiyang, yet she was also aware that she was a less than stellar parent herself, allowing her daughter to grow up without her.

It was enough for her though, to watch... but the woman, one of those who held fairly close ties to the settlement on Patch, would not easily be led by the nose. "Why now? Taiyang was happier when you were gone."

'Adoptive Grandma' was what Taiyang had called the woman, who was thirty years his senior, strict enough to be his mother and caring in most respects, yet her eyes showed that canny look that she'd seen in bandits all across Anima. "He might have been. We do not get to choose our fate." The words were Summer's, as she locked gazes with the woman, her body straightening out and the look remaining.

"Being a bandit is all good with you, is it?" The woman said, her voice accusatory, as she seemed to know more about the subject, Raven's lips pressed thinly together.

"I assume my brother has unveiled our familial status, then?" Qrow would be the one to mumble all about the things that they were going to do whilst being a drunken mess, which... generally was the case with most of his romantic entanglements. If the man could only find a woman to deal with that issue, the world would be a better place.

"He talks a lot in his drunken stupor... But he is a good man, compared to you." That the woman knew of her status as a bandit was not too bad. It was not a good sign, but it was not wholly unsalvageable.

"I am here to get stuff for the baking of cookies." She volunteered the information, the woman's frown enough to show that she had made the woman confused, the information that 'Raven Branwen was here to get supplies for the making of cookies' contrasting with the bandit-like persona.

"You know not what sort of cookies your family likes." The woman accused, even as her eyes narrowed. The small cues were there though, Raven noticing that there was a sudden melting of the frostiness about the woman, clearly the civilian not understanding the full intricacies of things... But she supposed that it would have to be an open secret now then, that Raven Branwen wanted to get back to her family. _'I'll deal with Taiyang and my brother when the time comes.'_

"Macadamia for Taiyang. He likes them when they are pushed into the dough and likes to crack them. Strawberry for Ruby, because Summer liked to use strawberries when making them and caramel for Yang, because of her sweet tooth." That there were to be more cookies made for the others was not something that she would unveil, even as the clerk called 'Randinbert' pushed a cart towards her, the bag of flour in it looking pretty suitable for it.

"I got your stuff, Miss Xiao-Long. Could you please tell Yang that Randy still thinks about her, ma'am?" The desperate plea for being noticed by her daughter was there, and she looked at the teenager.

"I'll let her know you are thinking about her when she is out on a date with her boyfriend." It might be cruel to say it in such a fashion, yet a small part of her took pleasure in how the face fell. "But don't you worry... If you try hard enough, perhaps a civilian will fall for the sleazy pick-up lines."

She hoped that the boy would suffer. She was not some piece of meat to be gawked at by anyone save for those she trusted. "Ah... Sure thing, Miss Xiao-Long. Do you need anything else?" The shopping cart was fairly filled, yet Raven noticed an ingredient missing.

"I'll go find it on my own, Randy." She said, patting the young man's shoulder, brushing past him, as Agnes followed behind, her head turning to the woman and narrowing her head, the cart dragged behind her, as she went down to the aisle where the liquor was kept. _'The least I can do is make some nice eh... whatever they were called.'_ The alcohol content didn't really matter for her brother's sake. He could rot in a ditch for all she cared.

"You have changed. Summer was nicer." The front that Summer put up sometimes was something that she knew would be dispensed with if the mission called for it. With a word, Summer Rose the gentle and loving mother would whip her blades out and carve your heart out of your chest, before patting your cheek and hoping that the next life would be easier for them... But it was something that the public should not know. Taiyang and Qrow knew... barely. Summer did not show them her serious side often, yet there was the balance.

"Summer was Summer." She retorted, a grin settling on her lips. That was the truth and nothing BUT the truth.

"Now you're looking like that daughter of yours, Branwen." The accusation was one that Raven felt a sting of pride about, her eyes closing slightly. "All full of herself, yet always ready to crack a smile. But I guess you two may be alike just a little bit, what with your bum of a brother lazying around the house... The fella had the gall to come and ask me to babysit." There was something matronly about the woman, yet she knew that Qrow would hardly be able to care for a plant, let alone kids.

For all that her brother attempted to show his normal side, there was only the odd distance that he put between him and everyone else, his Semblance working full twist. A sprained ankle there, a flat tire on occasion... It all worked together to form the perfect bit of bad luck for the whole team. _'It just had to fucking break RIGHT at that moment.'_ "He is like that. Irresponsible." It was a sentiment that she could be honest about. Her brother had the bad luck charm written right across his soul.

"So, you're baking cookies? That's an awful lot you'll be making." The woman was nosy, even as they strolled through Trader Glow's, the cart that belonged to Agnes starting to grow a little fuller. Why the woman needed thirty cans of spam was beyond her, but she would not question it too much.

"I intend to make some for my brother as well." Her gaze went to the bottle of vodka, which would work... well, whatever. It was not something that she thought on much. Alcohol + cookies made alcohol cookies, right? It'd be what her brother would like. _'Not like I give much of a damn about him... but Summer wanted to bake cookies...'_

"Hmm, and for your daughter as well. She has been growing well, you know?" Raven gave a noncommittal sound, as she looked at the aisle in front of her, noticing that they'd gotten to the fresh produce aisle. Fresh produce was something that you did not often get in a bandit camp, as most of it was canned or frozen to be easily transported to the next site where they would set up.

"You should come to the meeting tonight. There will be a few mothers of those who went to Signal with your daughter." Raven made a face, showing how dearly she desired to meet with other women. _'Not my style.'_

"I'm afraid that will have to be another day. I intend to track down Taiyang in the next few days." That sounded as logical a thought as anything, as she brushed a finger over the cart's side, noticing that there was a layer of dust on it. _'I should indeed track down my wayward husband... But not if Summer were to be around.'_

"Good luck with that." Agnes said, Raven heaving a mental sigh of relief now that that woman was out of the picture. Due to her vigil, no woman had been able to claim her Taiyang, as she had made sure that they would be properly intimidated. An attractive man such as he was enough...

"That will be 89.49 Lien, miss." The clerk announced, even as the shopping bag was filled to the brim with the required items, the Lien chip that she laid onto the counter enough for the clerk, who took it and then gave her the change, the chips easily tucked away, the shopping bag lifted with little effort.

"Here, let me open the door for you." The young man who she had sent packing was back, looking at her with a look which held a little more respect, and yet Raven still could feel the irritation flare up at her. She was a respected leader of her tribe, a woman who could go toe to toe with some of the most dangerous Grimm and here some snot-nosed punk seemed to have it in his mind that he was being chivalrous.

She stayed her hand though, as grievously hurting the young man would draw too much suspicion to her presence there. It was not the best decision to act like an emotional teen... Why, some people might just blow a gasket and next thing, you've got a ruined nightclub and people sent to the hospital. Such a person would have to be schooled in proper decorum at the very least.

* * *

 _The baking (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

The mixing bowl was a little smaller than she had thought, but with the mixer it worked reasonably well. Raven looked a little surprised that the result of her efforts had managed to make something edible, the domestic tasks that Kali had long-since taken for granted still something that she was not used to. "You're doing great! Yang is going to be so happy!"

The woman had a bit of an issue with praise, preening without any sort of restraint, her eyes shining brightly for an instant, a sense of pride in them that was not banished in the slightest, the feeling of something good making Kali feel a surge of happiness as well. She knew that Jaune was nowhere near the house, busy with Summer in ensuring that something was retrieved, but that did not matter. Cookies were best made in batches, of course. "You... You really think so?"

Raven had been one of those women who really didn't know what it was like to be praised. Sienna looked a little miffed, Kali could tell by the way that she twitched, enough of the small signs given to show that there was definitely something about the way that Sienna processed her attentions. _'Poor dear has always been a bit needy...'_

She was not going to give up, as she whipped the batter into the desired consistency, adding some of the almonds to the mix and then getting the special sugar out. It would be the little topping that would allow her to make something truly scrumptious, something that would tickle the taste buds and make the girls happy.

"Weiss prefers cookies that are a little chewy." Whitney's voice was demure as she spoke, her fingers pushing on the scroll, as she looked at one of the cooking recipes that popped up on the screen, her eyes glinting faintly with the hint of thoughts, Kali's mind coming to a halt for a moment as she glanced at the subject. _'You do not make good cookies by following such a recipe... And the language looks Mantlesian... Egh...'_

"Now honey, don't you go looking at things." She was not going to subject the poor girl to her mother's baking if there was no SPICE in the cookies. One did not like bland cookies! "I'll fix you up with something nice."

Whitney's eyes met hers, a challenge within those eyes, clearly there to make sure that Kali's comment did not go unpunished. _'Good, there's a fire in those eyes...'_ "Now, to make some decent cookies..."

Explaining the steps to Whitney was easy, as well as guiding the woman through the steps. It was a contrast to her that the woman had never really been one for the domestic tasks, yet Kali kept her mind clear. A household was easy to run if you knew the ins and outs.

Summer joined nearly two hours later, unusually chipper in her mood, Kali catching the glint of a ring on her finger, wrought from silver with a rose-like symbol that had been crafted by an artisan's hands. It was pretty, yet Kali preferred a simple band. _'There is no need for opulence when you are with a man.'_

She took one look at Jaune though, before directing Summer towards the kitchen, in order to get her batch of cookies made. Raven looked a little nervously in her direction, Whitney continuing to peruse the international headlines, her face set within the look of concentration that made her look years younger than she was.

' _Four mothers in the kitchen, with the man that holds the interest of most in the shower.'_ A daring thought rose to her mind. One that had her enter the shower, scrubbing Jaune's back. Her flesh pressed against his own as his glorious power stretched out throughout her nerves, illuminating the darkness inside her with that blackened light. _'Nothing but the best for my Jaune.'_ There was no distinction or feeling of jealousy within her, as her eyes locked with Sienna's, who was currently munching on one of the chocolate chip cookies that had been baked as a tide-over, Jaune's sweaty scent still lingering in the air.

"Kali?" Sienna's voice was soft, as she looked at her with a look that communicated more than the words did. A soft clicking purr came from the other woman's throat, the sound communicating more than would be regularly audible to the Human ear. _"We need to talk. They didn't know the location, but they gave a direction._ "

Kali was a woman, first and foremost. The subject matter was taboo, but it meant a lot to Sienna. " _The White Fang will know. They would keep track."'_ The darker side of her late husband's dream for Faunus rights. The one side that she had always tried to remain oblivious of, focusing on rearing their daughter and managing the household. The side that brought her husband shudders of grief, the side that forged Sienna into the woman that she was, with the woes of the organisation directly linked to her moods.

" _Tallow, that bitch, no doubt was behind it. It isn't easy to get a hold of that many ordnance without the upper levels. The Albains are not interfering due to their values of rank and hierarchy... So it must be Tallow or Sylver or Taurus."_ Thinking about the members of the upper management of the White Fang, their faces came to her mind, with the zeal that some members showed in their application of the creed of the White Fang.

The sounds were easily masked with just a few low notes, even as Kali threw a look to the direction where the sounds of the shower came from. _"Do we inform Jaune?"_ Sienna's face looked torn for an instant, before a shake of her head was enough. _"Sienna!"_

" _He would get in the way. You KNOW that he would help. I... I feel it too."_ The blush on her cheeks put colour to her dusky skin, as her eyes twinkled with the hope, as Sienna shifted slightly, her face turned away after an instant of thoughtfulness. _"It's not that... I still have my promise. I promised, Kali. I am not breaking my promises."_

Kali felt that she should inform Jaune at least before Sienna would go on a crusade. It was important to Sienna that she do this, yet it was also important that she keep Jaune in her graces... **"** _ **There are no options aside from ensuring that He watches with you as you put the nail in their coffin. You have the power. Use it."**_ Her Semblance whispered to her, as the shadows thickened. _"Sienna, please understand... He can help us. Our plight is not something that would be solved easily, yet he knows the feeling of revenge...'_

" _ **You want to claim him. To lay your hands upon his body and to ensure that his love fills you, as the darkness fills you now. No obstacle will be tolerated, before you achieve that which you desire."**_ The whispers in her mind continued, as Sienna gave a look, her lips pressed together in that look of stern stubbornness. Of course, with Sienna, her stubborn nature was one of the traits that had selected her as one of the White Fang's top brass. The status of bodyguard had been an in for the young woman, whose training had also seen the induction of some of the more political aspects due to sheer osmosis from her husband. Sienna was unafraid to ask questions if she did not understand something fully.

" _Even if..."_ Sienna trailed off, the croon of her voice holding her confusion. _"Even if we get a hold of them... Are we just going to rip them apart?"_ The act of murder no longer held as great a distaste in Kali's mind as it would have before, her husband's death killing that little sentiment faster than being impaled and dying. _'Ghira...'_

Her husband's memory would never fade. She was sure of that. Her eyes locked with Sienna's, whose eyes seemed to burn an orange colour. The shared experience, the bond that was between the two of them now over the darkness that rumbled through the shadows like a predator in search of prey. There was nothing that would stop them... Nothing insurmountable. _"We'll make it an example."_

Kali Belladonna would not have suggested such a cruel thing to be done to the target, yet she was more than Kali Belladonna. She was one of Jaune's Acolytes, one who knew the power contained within his body, even as her body warped and twisted itself to be in its peak state. Her breasts had even grown larger than before, with her agility unimpeded by the swell of her chest, a fact that Sienna had pointed out more than once. _'I won't be lonely as long as I have Jaune and Sienna.'_

She could feel the hug from Sienna when her mind returned to herself, as she stretched slightly, her body popping lightly, with the younger Faunus woman in her embrace shifting a little in the grip that she had. "Too tight." Sienna vocalized audibly to human ears, even as Kali smiled. "Of course, sweetheart."

Sienna's ears twitched, yet she did not comment. There was a divide there. "So... When you two are done with showing your affection, can you please explain how we are going to get these cookies to our children?" Whitney's voice was measured and polite, yet her frown showed clearly that there was reason behind the inquiry.

"Raven can bring them. She's the one who isn't thought dead, right?" Raven's face showed irritation as those red eyes flashed, about to open her mouth. Kali privately could feel the heat of her ire, as well as the fear that suddenly burst out of the woman. _'I should do something with my powers... Make them better. Stagnation isn't good.'_

"I can, yes..." Raven said, yet Summer, who was in the process of putting the final touches on the strawberry cookies, giggled. It was not the mad giggle of 'I am a psychopath' but the giggle of 'I am some cute and innocent little creature', one of the moods that Summer seemed to be in.

"She will. That's what I had thought. She's kissed Yang to bond with her, after all, so she will make sure that my little red-cloak gets herself back to perfect fighting state... Ooh, and we'll be getting my cloaks from here. There's this black dress that I remember to fit really really well. We'll be going lingerie-shopping a few days from now!" Summer's volunteering of Raven was not met with any sound of disapproval from the bandit herself, her gaze cast to the side.

"If you're the one asking..." The woman accepted with no struggle, as she began to look out the window, a look on her face that showed uncertainty and not a little awkwardness.

"See? Problem solved! I'm sure that our girls are all happy and safe!" Kali smiled as Summer said so, thinking back to her darling daughter. _'Blake would be happy to know that we're still alive. She can get so serious about the little things...'_

Her daughter was just fine... She just knew it. Nothing could get her daughter to feel down.

* * *

 _The burdens of being an older sister (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She knocked on the door, the skirt that she wore as part of the Beacon student uniform smoothed out. Something behind the door moved, as the sounds of someone moving through the office came closer, her mind already going to the place where it should. _'You can do this. This fella looks like he knows what he is talking about.'_

There were many things that she had doubts about, really, enough to fill a whole schedule with worries. She cared for her sister, she cared for her uncle and her dad, she cared for Blake... But where did things go to if she needed someone?

Sure, she was in a relationship with Blake right now, bringing her little kitten happiness through being there, the worries that she felt about Blake not banished in the slightest, with every little twitch that the Faunus gave, Yang feeling like it was her own duty to keep Blake from slipping away.

' _I don't want to come back to find her lifeless and pale...'_ Blake was her partner, after all. Partners had your back, they allowed you to find yourself through interaction, not... This.

The door opened then, revealing Professor Peach, whose face looked a little heated, her lipstick applied wrongly, something that she noticed only out of the corner of her awareness, the woman's face oddly flushed. Peering into the room, she could see the look of annoyance on the Counsellor's face, as he was straightening out some papers, no doubt having had another spat with the other Professor.

Whatever they had going on between them, it was more adversarial than anything else. Whatever had caused the hostility had not been addressed, despite the man's job. "Good afternoon, Yang." The smile on the man's face was warm and friendly, a smile that looked good on most people, Yang would have to admit. The man's eyes held the warmth of someone who enjoyed life, whose body was ready to bear the burdens that life gave it... and the skill of an experienced Huntsman.

"Good afternoon, Professor." The man shook his head at the address, even as Professor Peach snickered, the door shutting closed behind her.

"Remember... It's just Jerry for you." The casual way that he said it was enough to have her feeling a little better, something that he noticed, as she settled herself in the chair and looked at him.

"Sure thing 'Jerry'." She said back with a teasing tone, even as the man's face adopted a look of seriousness. It was the look of someone who genuinely thought strongly about the subject matter that was being discussed, Yang feeling the burden on her rise once more.

"Tell me about the little trip that you made with your sister in search of your mother." The words called to mind that moment when he had only been a girl of seven or eight, her father useless and without any sort of spirit to him, laying in his bed catatonic. It had been the time when she had taken the little toddler with her in search of the woman, the abandoned house that dad had taken them to as he told them a story of his team's actions.

It had been mystical, going in search of her mother... Mystical and dangerous. The shrill scream of Ruby as something with claws and fangs and the twisted gnarled face of some sort of evil monster leered down at her, its head coming ever closer, before the scythe flashed and the eyes glowed, the faint after-taste of blood in her mouth and the scream... Why was she screaming? Why was Ruby screaming?

Her uncle's careful acceptance, as her hand fit into his, Ruby picked up a moment later, looking up at the eyes of her rescuer, yet Yang had only sobbed, as she watched the blonde with blue eyes stare at her before starting to talk baby talk to little Ruby. Her uncle had come to visit, when her father had been absent in the mind...

' _Dad never forgave himself after he realized that we were gone. He was protective of Ruby and me...'_ "So, that's the story, Jerry." The man gave a soft sound in acceptance, clicking the recorder a moment later, switching to another disk.

"How does it make you feel, to know that you were saved by your uncle?" She could not put it into words, as the question hit her hard. _'Have I thanked Uncle Qrow for saving me?'_

The man had looked sad for a while, she knew. Ruby knew nothing of the incident anymore, even with the age factoring into the conversation, her whole mind more concerned on when the food had come next. Yang had tried, really... But Uncle Qrow had been taller than her, more able to reach the high cabinets and pull the food from there. He had shouted at dad for a while, about 'responsibility' and the like, even as the meal cooked and was served, the blonde at the table ensuring that the food was eaten, Ruby cleaned up, her uncle's voice still ringing in the distance.

The lullaby was embarrassing to hear, as she hugged Ruby closer to her. She was the big sister, she should not be... But she was. Ruby curled up against her, as her silvery eyes looked up, and the blue that looked trustworthy peered down at her, as a blonde sang the song gently. Her uncle was nowhere to be seen and the food was... passable.

"The song... Why do I remember the song?" It was one of those lullabies that you sang to your children, even as she realized that there was a wetness on her cheeks, sniffing softly. She wasn't going to cry. _"Mommy is here, mommy won't let you feel fear, my sweet baby dear."_ The lyrics had sounded so natural, as she had heard them come as a flood, Ruby stilling softly in her grip.

" _A crown of gold, a sword of light, to kill the Grimm without exiting the dark night. A hero you will be, my baby dear, trust me, you'll see."_ She remembered the song, a grim song that was usually not sang by anyone except the mother... Mom sang it to her, when she was younger and still thought that mom was mom, instead of... 'Summer'. " _A hope in my heart, a fear I cherish deep, know that wherever you are, my baby, I will guard you in your sleep."_

The hopes inside her heart burst, as she leaned forward, her hands wrapping around her face as she let loose the first sob, knowing that the song was something far more intimate than she had known. _'I'd nearly forgotten the tune...'_

"Let it go." She could hear Professor Peach whisper, as her sobs turned even louder. She wanted... oh gods, did she even know what she wanted? This was all wrong, she was seventeen, not...

The story of the little boy who would grow up to be the King of Vale, who had bound the world together in peace. The little suggestions, her hair up in braids as she watched her father work himself back into the shape, her uncle's constant appearance, as the tales grew older.

" _You are a big girl... You'll be going to Beacon then, won't you?" "Yes! I'll be cool like you! Beat up anyone who wants to harm you!" "Oh-ho-ho... A true gallant defender. Qrow, it looks like we've got a little brawler here! She wants to beat up everyone who wants to harm me!" "You're going, soon, right?" "I don't want you to go! Please, stay here with us! I promise to cook you the nicest foods!" "Oh, a real offer! I guess I shouldn't have to... Qrow? Keep the girls safe, please. Don't do what I did."_

Her uncle had been serious, as he looked at her and then to Ruby, who was playing with one of Yang's old dolls, a solemn nod given. The hug afterwards had been nice. She smelled cinnamon and lavender. _"Big girls don't cry, Yang. That's what big boys also want. Just remember... If you ever need a hand, ask your uncle Qrow to help."_ She had believed in those words, even as her father and uncle went to the port the next day, leaving her in the care of Ruby. They did not venture outside of the house, even as she opened the cookbook and started to work on some of the recipes that looked 'easy'.

"Are you alright?" She realized that the hand had been brushing over her back for a while now, even as she could feel the stinging of her eyes, realizing once more that she had been immersed in her emotions.

"Yeah." Her voice cracked, as the emotions ran high inside her, Professor Peach looking at her with a look of pity. She did not LIKE being looked at with pity. It filled her with anger and regret. _'I am a strong woman. I can be just as strong as mom used to be, just as strong as...'_

The hug took her aback, as the professor hugged her. "Sometimes, it is okay to be a girl a little longer, sweetheart." The words were enough to trigger another flood, her mouth making indeterminate sounds that seemed to lurch in the distance like mere background noises, as the professor comforted her in the best way that she could.

She was just Yang. Not someone who should be a mother, someone who should be a caretaker. Why was life kicking her in the rear when it should be fun, exciting and thrilling?

"Yang?" The voice of the counsellor came once more, and she focused on the man, who looked comfortable, yet with that hint of worry in his eyes. "I'd like you to come again tomorrow, please. We're making some progress."

' _Progress is bawling my lungs out and being a silly little girl? Fuck, I swore that I wouldn't...'_ The tissue she dabbed at her eyes, even though she didn't remember getting one. "Thanks, Professor." She said, her voice sounding tiny, girlish... _Young._

"It's all for the good of the world, Yang. No person is unable to remain standing without something to support them." The words resonated with her. _'I have Blake, Ruby and Weiss... Those are my friends.'_

Blake was just a little different, of course... But that did not matter to her right now. It was time for her to face the music once more. Class would be in session again soon and Goodwitch had a fetish for putting latecomers up as target practice. The woman was strict and without much of a care for the students, Yang privately thought.

* * *

 _The cookie caper (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

She appeared in the air outside of the dorm, her corvid form easily switched to. How it managed to maintain the items that she was currently carrying on her was more than enough mental gymnastics to worry about, flickering back into her human form the moment that she touched down on the ground in the dorm room that belonged to her daughter and her stepdaughter. The three girls present were asleep, their chests rising and falling with the rhythmic manner that was to be expected from sleeping teenagers.

The plate of cookies she placed on one of the desks in the room, making sure that the foil covering it kept them fresh. Turning her gaze to the beds, she checked once more, just in case. The second package was tucked carefully in with napkins, tucked next to the spare clip of Dust ammunition.

' _Looks like they're all sleeping except for suicide cat...'_ She was not going to be magically appearing in any room, yet with Summer urging her on, she could feel the burden on her emotions well enough, even as she could feel the stillness in the air, even as her logical thought processes caught up. _'Oh no, not the fucking cat.'_ The door to the bathroom she pulled open with the least amount of sound possible, her eyes blazing as she found the cat once more, turning towards the door. "You. Stop that." Her voice was still barely above a whisper, yet it carried the finality of death within its tone, as she fixed a murderous glare on the female partner of her little Yang. _'That fucking cat should learn how to stop drowning herself in the issues of her own self and focus on others for once!'_

"Who are yo-" The blade was at the cat's neck in a flash, drawn within an instant. It was a tense stand-off, one that had her drawing her blade as swift as she could, the girl's stance FREEZING like a deer Faunus caught in the searchlight.

"Yang's mother." The words were out before she had any control, her blade pressing against the neck. "You will hurt her if you do that. This is the last time." Raven's voice carried the deadly stillness of a woman who had enough of this silly little emo bullshit.

"B-" She growled at the Faunus.

"Don't think that you're someone special, just because you've got a gritty past. My daughter cares for you, my stepdaughter cares for you because you are on her team and you are here... acting stupid." In the tribe, the cat girl would have been smacked thirty times from one side of the camp to the other for being a fool to waste fighting prowess on silly emotional stuff. The strong lived whilst the weak perished.

' _Not like Summer.'_ The thought of her partner was enough to firm her resolve. "Your mother and father brought you into this world. Are you to squander the gift that they have given?" Her voice was stark and without emotion, rising slightly in the manner of her emotions, as she took a deep breath. She was aware that the girl would undoubtedly have her own thoughts on the subject.

"But-" The blade cut against the skin, a line of blood drawn. Raven gave no more fucks, if the cat wanted to be a little bitch that did not know how to fucking do her own laundry, then she would give her some lessons.

"But nothing. I have a brother who is an alcoholic piece of trash who can't get laid even if girls decided that he was the next best thing since vodka." Qrow did not date. He did not do anything. A disgrace to the tribe. "You are a young girl of seventeen, who has been through some tough shit. So has my little Yang. Go to bed. Sleep. I am not mother of the year material, but I know that your mother loves you more than anything in the world." The admission was something that she privately added, words that she wished that she could say to Yang, words that just felt 'right' to her.

The Faunus looked at her, the mask in place still, even as the wound on her wrist leaked blood. "Bu-" The finger against the girl's lips was enough, as Raven Branwen gave a soft shake of the head.

"You can't be the one escaping. Fear makes you do things. Cowards may run... They may choose to end their life, but in the end..." The words were philosophical, cruel perhaps, yet they fit. "In the end, would you rather be remembered as 'that Faunus girl who gave up' or as 'the Faunus who did something for the world, better than just wallowing in despair'?"

The girl seemed to brighten slightly, those eyes still as dead as they could be. They showed real signs of acceptance before the blackness featured once more and she gave up. "I'm not as strong as Yang is. She is so wonderful, so caring, so supportive..." The hope in the girl's voice was a good sign, Raven guessed, nodding as she agreed with the Faunus. _'My daughter turned out well, even with my brother raising her.'_

There had been times when she had wished to step in, yet her heart was aware of the impact that it would have. Accepting Yang as her daughter outwardly would shift her dynamic... _'Lying to yourself is the first sign something is messed up, Raven.'_

"Then do something with it, instead of running away." She was not one to give motherly advice easily, even as the Faunus girl tried to struggle again. _'Running away seems to be all you can do.'_ She did not approve of the pairing of the two girls. If it were up to her… Things would be different. She would not be able to sit her daughter down with her, she knew, yet she could at least ensure that this girl would be able to weather the strain a little more.

"It's so hard." The words were soft, as the girl seemed to quieten, her blade removed from the girl's neck. "It feels like a burden to keep on going… What is my worth?"

' _The only worth you have is the worth that you make.'_ There was nothing that she could say otherwise, yet her mouth formed the words without any issue. "You make that worth happen. You are someone who my daughter cares for." The mask slid off a moment later, as she looked at the girl.

"I may not be able to show my love for my family well, due to factors that I will not speak of." The girl did not need to know of her tribe, or the trials that were in place. The fight was one that she could not deny, even though the girl would be a decent warrior with her skills. "But you… you can show my daughter what it is like to have friends."

Her daughter's actions did not endear her to many people. Many would not think that the cocky blonde would be able to be much aside from some bloodthirsty berserker, with no thought of anything but the beating up of anyone lesser than her. She had seen that much during the times that she had observed her daughter at Signal, where the crowd of 'friends' around her had just been interested in the blossoming body that she presented, their leers unnoticed by her daughter. It would be wrong of her to have a word with them, yet none had been brave enough to do something with her daughter.

"Do you really think so?" The voice was tiny, Raven's hand reaching out and patting the girl's head. _'Most cats like to be patted, or so I think I heard… Not sure if it's the same for Faunus.'_ There was a look on the girl's face that was lost, even as she seemed to rumble subconsciously. Raven's personal stance on things was to hit hard and to hit fast, but this would not work with the Faunus well.

"Of course. You're her friend, her partner… her… lover." The word carried her own feelings on the subject, the cat ears lowering slightly due to the manner in which she had said so. It was perhaps her own fault, yet she knew well that they were an endangered species on this world. Her own tribe was not going to perish due to some women's inability to take a dick. She had done her job and as chief, did not have anyone who met her standards."You will need to guard her. She is more fragile than you think." Her daughter's weakness laid within her emotions. It was apparent to her for a while now.

Would it be better if she had merely wallowed within her own despair for a while before ending her life? Raven did not think so. One's partner determined one's life. To see the life be taken from a partner through their own hand was something that only cowards did. "It's so hard… Mom and dad are gone."

There was something in the Faunus girl's voice that seemed to yearn for those innocent moments. Raven knew well that she could unveil the truth to the girl, yet what benefit would it serve? 'Your mother is still alive and working against one of the biggest evils in the world' would not go over well. The girl would do something silly, thinking that she could help out. _'Not even Summer would dare to storm the gates of that blackened place without serious backup… and what strength does a first-year student have?'_

The girl started to talk, about how life was. It was more honest and open-minded than Raven had expected. Words that tumbled from the girl's lips, as she sat herself down, Raven leaning against the wall, just listening to the flood of words.

The girl needed this, needed the catharsis of being able to let go. _'I would have done the same, had I been like this. Qrow never hurt himself... yet he hurt.'_ There was a darkness in her that was not easy to wash out, with her whole flesh feeling like it was stained, from the pure innocence that it had been upon birth.

The clock continued to tick, as the hours passed. Raven did not go, as the girl continued to tell stories of her past, the words all messed, as the relations in her life became apparent. This 'Adam Taurus' fellow definitely was someone to keep an eye on, especially with how the girl spoke of him. There was a longing, a craving, a desire within those words, even though the girl knew it not.

' _People are twisted... He had a perfect loyal minion, trained her for all that she was worth, squandering her due to his own bias.'_ The man might be insane, she reasoned, even with Blake speaking the words that were familiar. _'He wasn't like that before. The touches were love, even as she spread her legs.'_

The renditions of 'morale night' did _not_ make her feel any less cheerful, even as Blake spoke of them. A shudder went through her as she could imagine it under the previous leader of the tribe. _'I do not force my people to do such a thing for mere morale...'_ The sanctity of her own body was perfectly maintained by her. Nobody would be able to get close to her if she did not allow it.

"and so, I was happy." The girl's eyes did not show any visible emotion, even with her words speaking of such. Raven grunted, the first sound that she'd made. The time said that it was nearly six in the morning. _'Did I really spent five hours listening to the girl?'_

"Keep my little sunny dragon happy, alright?" Her voice was rough, as she looked at the girl, whose eyes seemed to be lifeless shards, the faint hope in them having spluttered out. "None of that." Her hand smacked against the girl's cheek before she'd noticed that she'd been preparing to do that, Raven realising that she'd just delivered physical punishment on the girl, whose head reared back, her eyes looking at her dully.

"What do you want me to do?" The emotionless voice was dull and unsharpened, even as Raven's blade pressed to the girl's nose, not cutting into it, yet showing her the dust-blade for what it was.

"Ensure that you do not harm yourself. Care for my daughter and be the best friend that she can have. I will be watching." It was a lie, as she knew that she would not be able to do so, without at least spending enough time with Summer. If she had to pick between Summer and Yang... Summer won out by a small margin. The bonds of trust that had been forged were not to be broken.

The door opened and the pale-haired girl on the team stepped inside, Raven's head turning to the direction of the sound and looking into the girl's eyes, which seemed to widen a little before Raven sheathed her blade.

"Who-?" The girl was drowsy, unsure whether the woman in their bathroom was someone who could be considered a friend or a foe. Raven pushed the girl down, taking broad steps already as the girl gave a shriek as she felt. _'This is wasting time.'_

"Make sure that she is alright or I will make sure that your wish for death is the right one." The anger in her words could not be faked, as she strode to the middle of the dorm, her blade gripped and an arc of light flashed. She could see her daughter rousing herself from her sleep, could hear Summer's daughter say something, yet she stepped through the portal, not giving them any chance to really make any impact. She had done what she needed to. Just for Yang.

Her daughter was important to her. It did not matter whether she was giving an image of strength or whether she appeared weak now. She was the one who would defend what was rightfully hers, who would stand as the vigilant one against the darkness.

"Mom?" Her daughter's voice leaked from the portal even as it shut, her body twisting once as the avian shape was adopted, a soft caw coming from her mouth as she landed, the morning light already starting to warm the sky with purple and red tones. _'No matter what... I won't fail.'_

She loved her daughter and her husband. She was not weak. Spotting her brother languishing on a bench, she moved to him, regardless of how it would look.

"Qrow, we need to talk." The flask of alcohol dropped out of his grip then, as his hands went for his weapon, ready to fight. _'Little brother, you've always had the worst luck...'_

She pulled the cookies out, holding the napkin-covered cookie stack before him. Big napkins, yes, but they transported cookies well enough. "Truce?"

' _Always the suspicious one... Not that I am any better, really.'_

* * *

 _The crudest moments we cherish (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She was awake the moment that she could hear Weiss scream. Silly thing, really, because Weiss really hit the high notes easily, her eyes opened wide as she saw a woman stride out of the bathroom, every step as purposefully as the next, her body clad within what seemed to be a Mistralian kimono, the armour plates on her body allowing her to keep her pace even, as she moved.

Her face was visible, red eyes glowing faintly in the light that flickered on, those eyes bright and fierce, her face showing some of the lines of ageing, even with the early hour allowing not too clearly a look at that face.

The blade in her grip cut through the air, even as Ruby went for her weapon, only to find that it was not there, still in the locker that she could summon... Her scroll was too far away and the woman stepped through the red portal that flickered into existence, closing after an instant. _'What was she doing here?'_

The picture that Uncle Qrow carried with him at all times had the image of the woman who had given birth to Yang on it, and from the way that the woman carried herself, the woman was still in prime fighting form. Uncle Qrow had described his sister as a woman who was ready to fight at whatever moment in time.

She could see Weiss getting up, her eyes looking at the spot where the woman had been, the faint – "Mom?" that came from Yang's direction enough, Ruby catching a glimpse of the face that her sister made, doubt and fear and something else warring in those eyes, as she seemed to be unable to really know what the woman had been doing here.

"That was... mom." Yang's surprised voice reached Ruby's ears, even as she darted off her bed, to the bathroom. Seeing Blake and Weiss there, Blake's face looking unreadable, yet the signs of what she had feared present, Ruby felt a chill in her heart.

"What did she say to you?" She said to Blake, whose eyes seemed to be focused elsewhere.

"To stop being silly..." The Faunus repeated those words, even as the eyes refocused on her. Ruby wasn't sure whether to feel alright or not at this early hour, yet she was aware that Blake was there. Her sister pushed past her, starting to fuss over Blake like any concerned partner would, soft murmurings that totally should not be heard by her own innocent set of ears, as the worries of the woman who had placed a visit were shelved for the time being.

"You're just a regular mess, aren't you?" She could hear Yang murmur, as she wrapped Blake in a hug. It was sweet, just a little, Ruby had to admit.

"What is going on here?" Weiss asked, and Ruby decided that it was time to be 'leader-ly' if it was to be this. Conversations like this could not easily be pushed to a later date, after all.

"Blake has... issues." She said, as she pulled Weiss into the main room, keeping her voice level. "Bad stuff happened to her, I don't know what exactly, but the counsellor says that it is something that hurt her badly." Skimming over the truth was not easy, as Weiss fixed her with a look.

"Is it fixable?" The heiress asked, as she shifted slightly, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I don't know. You know, some people just drink a lot. My uncle does, and he's the best Huntsman that I know." The frown on Weiss' face was enough, as she turned away.

"I... see. My mother used to drink a lot as well. Her glass was never empty." The wistful tone to her voice was enough, even as Ruby's gaze went to the room's desks, smelling something delicious.

"Ooh, a plate!" The cheerful tone of voice that she used was more out of her own exuberance than out of the seriousness of things. "It's got..."

She saw the cookies in the shape of little roses, the red glazing of the rose mixing well with the chocolate that gave the lines. It was the perfect shape of the emblem that she used. "Ooh, someone spent time making these."

"Do you think it was that woman?" Weiss asked, Ruby looking at the other cookies, a note pinned onto the foil. She could see that there were cookies in the symbol of the Schnee family as well, the note reading – **Enjoy these cookies. Made with the bestest of love – Mama** – as her eyes slid over them.

' _Serious, Ruby. You can do serious for a while.'_ The look on Weiss' face was unreadable, as she looked at the cookies, an expression on her face that was almost emotional, save for those eyes of hers turning mistier by the moment. "These are..."

"Cookies!" She added, before she sobered up. Now was not the time to mess with Weiss, there were more important things to be done.

"These cookies look good. Sooo... we go and get Blake and Yang, if they can, and tell them that there are cookies." There was a simple logic to her words, and it would work. Strange woman aside, she was not going to make her team fall apart! Cookies would fix a little of the damage, yes!

"Yang! Blake! Cookies!" The door opened, giving her a generous look of Blake's exposed front, Yang running a cloth over where a wound seemed to be located, her sister's look cautious, even as Blake shrank back.

"Cookies?" Yang said, even as she watched her with a look.

"Yeah! I think your mother left them for us."A look on Yang's face full of emotion, enough for her to realize that perhaps it would be something to keep to herself, the clouded look in those eyes clearly telling her that Yang was torn.

"Why would she... Uncle Qrow said that she did not want anything to do with me..."Yang's words were soft, yet they did not escape Ruby's ears, as she leapt at her sister.

"I'll want to have things to do with you, big sis!" The tone she used was far more chipper than her regular one, yet it hit the mark well. The love within her sister was boundless, after all. Yang could do no wrong to her. _'That's what makes you my big sis... Always ready to help out.'_

She was not going to let her hopes drop. She was going to be there for Yang, for Blake... for whoever needed her. She was a Huntress after all.

"These are pretty good." Yang said, even as Ruby munched on her cookie, Weiss looking the least like the heiress that she was as she ate her cookies in an inelegant and coarse manner, biting down on them and making silly little sounds. _'Cookies are good, but these strawberry cookies are the_ _ **best!'**_

"Let me have one of yours. You can have one of mine." Yang teased, plucking one of the cookies from the plate. Ruby chanced a look at Blake, who held up one of her cookies, a look on her face that seemed to be difficult to discern. _'I don't even LIKE caramel cookies... Yuck!'_

"They smell like mom." The Faunus girl mumbled, soft yet audible.

"Did your mother make good cookies?" Ruby asked, even as she scooted closer to Blake, the Faunus girl giving a soft nod.

"She did them just like this. A small bit of shaved coconut to go with it, maybe some watermelon and it'd be just like I'm home again..." The wistful tone that she took, the look on her face, it made Ruby hug the girl tightly.

"These taste just like how mom used to make them..." Yang mumbled, as she looked at her cookie. Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if she dropped them off, doesn't that mean that she made them?" Yang gave a smile, as she shook her head.

"Your mom, Ruby. Mine..." The deep sigh that came from her mouth was enough to inform her that it was something sensitive. "Mine wouldn't care, if I know her well enough from Uncle's stories. It tastes like Summer made them fresh, but... that's impossible."

The pall that fell then was something that seemed to weigh on their minds, as silence fell, only the chewing sound of Weiss intruding on the silence. _'Do they really taste like mom made them?'_ "Do you think that your mom knows how to bake cookies?"

Yang shrugged, a complicated look given towards the window. "I don't know... She's taken a while to do something maternal... I don't know how to feel about that." Yang looked confused, even as Weiss finished the last of her cookies.

"Scrumptious. Klein manages to add a few extra touches, but this is not bad." The praise seemed to be something that was added awkwardly, as the Schnee looked at her team members. "We do need to talk about this, though... Blake, why?"

The question made Blake startle, Ruby could see that much, knowing that there was only one conclusion for her to follow... and that was to make sure that Blake did not run away. Her arms wrapped around the Faunus, preventing her from running, Yang doing the same, the Faunus stiffening slightly. "Because I am not as valuable as you." The words were calmly spoken, yet Ruby's heart felt its strings be tugged on.

"Of course you are! You're our cool purple-wearing team member! You're the best when I need to get recommendations for literature!" The look that Yang sent her was one that was awkward, her eyes looking complicated in their expressiveness.

"You're my partner. I don't know whether you think of me as your lover as well, but I do love you." Ruby wasn't sure how sincere Yang was when she said that, as she knew that tone well. It was not as sure as it could be, yet others, who had not witnessed Yang during her time growing up, would not catch it. _'She doesn't know anymore...'_

"You are a dependable member of this team. I would be highly aggrieved if you were to die. Life is too precious to be squandered." The words of Weiss were typical, formal and sure of herself. "If you were to perish, I would mourn you. A team is supposed to last, after all." Blake started to shudder, Ruby realizing that there were tears coming from the girl's eyes. Sending a look at the Atlesian heir to the Schnee Dust Company, she hugged Blake close, feeling Weiss join her in that hug. It was time for a team hug, she knew.

"We're here for you, Blake. No matter what. We are team RWBY and we can't have that without our Blake." She tried to smile, yet those darn tears came in the way. Why did emotion have to come with so many tears?

* * *

 _The maiden's burden (Cinder Fall)_

* * *

"And that concludes our business for now, Miss Syfres. It is truly a pleasure to be working alongside such an esteemed individual." The Scroll connection shut off a moment afterwards, the soft music in the background turned up a little louder, so as to provide a screen for their conversation.

"How far are we with the preparations?" She asked, as she looked at Emerald, the girl's red eyes looking up at her with that slavish devotion that galled her so much, yet the uses of the girl were more than enough to keep her around.

"Nearly done. We have amassed enough Dust in order to ensure that stage three of the plan runs without a hitch." The allegiance of the Councillor was something that was of little status in the grand plan for the breaking of the human spirit, after all. With the aid of Councillor Syfres, passports and the schedule of the Huntsmen deployments were easy to obtain.

The knowledge that an Atlesian war fleet was coming was a minor hitch in her plans, as they would be able to mount a solid offensive against the first few steps... yet in the end they would lend their power to ensure that the vision that Salem had for the world.

It was the best of choices for the world, after all... She would have the power that she craved whilst Salem had her vengeance. "Good, we will have the evening off." The evening had been spent in communication with the various players around the city, their pieces moving without any great problems, her body sinking into the comfortable mattress that she'd gotten here at Beacon Academy.

"When do we go out together, Emmie?" The nuisance commented, Cinder's head turning slightly towards the oddball member of their little group. Rubedo 'Ruby' Beornir was someone who held sway over Emerald's state of mind, so colluding with her was enough to allow for the presence of another hand. She would rather have had Torchwick's illusionary accomplice, yet Rubedo Beornir was more than fitting to meet the criteria for a four-man team. It was also the Beornir tribe, famed brutal warriors and slavers, who could be of use in the destabilisation of the Anima continent. They held sway, despite their numbers being less than a hundred.

"Sometime later, Ruby." The fond tone in her subordinate's voice was something that she had tried to squish out, yet had failed up until now. The 'weakest link' of the Beornir family held also one of the greatest aptitudes at Dust engineering that she had seen. The Kopesh blade that she wielded could be infused with different styles of Dust in order to bring death to the foes, as any barbarian would.

Emerald had spoken highly of Rubedo's skills, which was why the nuisance was now bothering her subordinate. "Okaydokay! And you, Cindy? Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Her lips firmly pressed together, giving a faint dismissal of the question.

"Aww, nobody is fun! I've asked Mercury, but he was going to be like 'oh no, I don't need anything, please take Emmie' and I am just so BORED!" The mad cackling that came afterwards was a hazard that had to be survived. It reminded her a little of Tyrian, really. The man could be insufferable when he exhorted about the Goddess. _'As if Salem is a goddess... No, she is far more than that and less than that...'_

She smiled, a smile that would look horrifying on any regular face, even as she turned her gaze to Emerald. "Could you heat up the shower for me? I'd like to take a shower." The girl got up immediately, doing as she asked.

"You bully Emmie... So... you should not do that. She's nice and cool and perhaps a bit flakey, but she likes you." The young former bandit's affections were not unknown to Cinder, yet they served her needs. _'As long as the power comes when it is promised...'_ There was no doubt in her mind that she would be able to cast off the servants that she had gathered around her.

"Am I?" Her voice was light, as she fixed the Beornir sister with a look that held amusement, her powers surging once more, a flame burning in the space between her fingers, her eyes looking at the crazy Beornir, who looked right back at her. "You better mind your words, Ruby." The sniff of the girl was enough, as she turned her head away.

"You win, crazy creepy Cindy. Ruby is a much better friend than you are, yes!" The leader of team RWBY, a pawn in the grand game of the world by the leader of the forces arrayed against her Mistress, a friend that Emerald should have made in order to observe one of the teams that had held the headmaster's eye... yet which had been already approached by Rubedo. _'The little wrench in my plans... Yet the girl is honest about what she tells us, I cannot detect a lie.'_

It was one of the neat little tricks that her Mistress had told her, which allowed her to search the facial features for any lie or trick. Rubedo Beornir was a little different from others, but unless she were some sadistic psychopath, she would be able to get a decent bead on whether it was truth she spoke or not. _'Her power is useful though...'_

The girl got up, Cinder's eyes following the motion as she began to tug the school outfit off, Mercury's gaze averted, Cinder's head shaking minutely. _'If you wish to look... well, it is on your head. It is not I who should be ashamed of having a perfect figure, no...'_

The hot shower washed over her body, her hair sticking to her flesh. The powers of the maiden, half-absorbed by the Grimm that lurked within her, the dark ichors that came from the very earth that had been blessed by the Mistress, still working through her body. It was the final edge that she had in the world, yet one that she would only use when pressed. _'Salem has told me that in the case of my demise, I should use the power...'_

A small Beowolf formed in the space next to the shower, its body barely plated, her whole body shuddering with the strain that it put on her. _'With more power... perhaps an Ursa. I am nothing compared to the Mistress...'_

The darkness within each Grimm came from the source, which she knew to absorb from their remains. They hardly reacted when her body passed by them, their evaporation bringing with it droplets of that dark nectar. The parasite within her required it to sustain its existence, the darkness inside her like oily droplets running through her Aura... And yet, she knew that with the power of the Maiden added to it...

The Grimm swelled to a greater size, her body feeling the strain, the parasite screeching in her mind, as it writhed through her veins, turning frenzied, as her skin distorted, the power absorbed once more, the Grimm dissipating into nothingness once more, the depletion of the dark ichors barely felt. _'I have powers that no-one else has... I'm special. Not even Tyrian can use the powers as I can... She chose ME.'_

The smile on her face was cool, as her long hair was brushed through. _'I am such a beauty...'_ Her thoughts went to the men in her life, knowing that none would be able to match to her standards. Her Mistress Salem had told her the standards that a man worthy of her should have. _'Ruthlessness. Drive. Dedication. Zero mercy...'_

Finding a man with some of the qualities was not hard, yet keeping him for her own pleasure was the hard thing. Men who held such ambition and ruthlessness were often already wrapped in their own games, in their own ploys... and she did not fancy the fairer sex. Having Glynda Goodwitch as a toy might be endearing, for perhaps a month or so... The woman was, to her own standards, very fair in appearance, yet there was a quality that men had that she appreciated.

' _Never good enough, right... Little Cinder Ella, dusting the hearth... Oh, if only you could see me now, sisters...'_ Her eyes flared with the power, as her gaze was drawn to the reflection of the mirror, half-fogged up. Her breasts were full, her figure was as it should be for a twenty-six year old woman... She was perfection. _'Now...'_

The thought of using Mercury for a moment of enjoyment was immediately discarded, as her eyes looked into the mirror, at her own features, her fingers teasing along a nipple. _'It would be a shame to leave such a beauty unstimulated, right?'_

A moment of enjoyment was all she needed to work the stress out, check whether the lower system still worked. _'And this time, there is no man who will make the false promises that he would get me out of the place...'_

Her body yearned, tingling frostbites and blazing scorches running through her nervous system, as she inched back into the shower, the spray hitting her back, the mark of her allegiance visible. Her fingers twitched slightly, as pleasure welled up to the touch. _'Hmmhmm... Who's the greatest in the world?'_

Her own plan in order to claim the Relic of Choice was already in progress, ready to spring when the students were out. Mountain Glenn was but one of the choices, one of the entries that she would force into the world... The recording was already made perfectly in time for the broadcast, the charges ready... Yet the CCT would need to be invaded first.

She quivered, her teeth gritting, her expression in her reflection turning even more pleasured, as she imagined the lesser creatures below her, her own radiant form shining in the night-time skies as she would deliver judgement on them. Her moan was nothing moderate, as she could feel the pleasure rocketing through her already, as she could feel the burning in her loins. A man might be a mere toy to her, yet the one who would share her glory would be weak, frail... useless in the grand scheme yet with determination... Oh, so much determination...

Another sound, one that she would not associate with herself, as she remembered the rough touches, the choking hands around her throat, the need to have more powers, as they laughed... _'They always laughed... but I did_ _ **NOT**_ _give in!'_ The thought of herself, pressing the young man to the ground, his body already awaiting its mistress, ready to perform the duty that she had given him, her pleasure rocketing as the lowly man would do his duty... oh, that was the feeling that she craved.

The Mistress had spoken of the days when one grew to feel love... when one wished to share that love, even after the blood had been shed. A man worthy of her, the Mistress had not promised... But Cinder Fall would find him. Roman had been too selfish, too independent... The horrid combination of that hat and the mute little midget... Oh, that wouldn't do.

Cinder Fall deserved **BETTER** , after all... She was the princess, that's what the Mistress had always said. Now a princess of Vale, according to Syfres' own information...

She shocked lightly, as she felt the relief rocket through her senses, her eyes fluttering for an instant as her body felt the rush, her breathing heavy as she calmed herself, the shampoo rubbed into her hair a moment later. _'Time for more musings later... Taking the night off from plotting the demise of people was a good idea... Never forget to take your breaks, lest you have none later on.'_

She knew that in the terms that Doctor Watts had used, she was a sociopathic narcissist, but since when had that been a bother? If Cinder Fall was powerful enough, everything would bow down before her.

It was all a matter of power... And she would **HAVE** the power as soon as the Relic and the Maiden were secured...

And then, the world would know who Cinder Ella Fall was!

* * *

 **Writing Cinder is amusing. Her plot for the demise of Vale is a little different from the canon happenings due to events, but don't count her as some Team Rocket-esque figure just yet!**

 **And eh, I'd like to say that I'm sorry for not updating last week, I went out with a friend and I try to keep to the schedule... so it's double-time on the update front for A Grimm Tale! Next week... Viridian gets to see Jaune! You may all prepare your double-barrelled shotguns and go 'omg, this is going to be murder!' and such.**

 **The chapter next time will most certainly contain Raven! More Yang at the therapy sessions! Jaune and the ladies getting to Vale!**

 **Oh, as a bit of a question: What do you think of my iteration of Cinder?**

 **See you next week! Leave a review if you'd like!**


	36. Support

**Chapter 36: Support**

 **ETA until JNPR Reunion - 2 chapters. Get ready for another emotional peak, ladies and gentlemen.**

* * *

 _The succulent stride (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

The morning started once more as the sun hit the window, the curtains closed half-way, stirring her from her sleep. As she yawned, she cast a look towards the brightened light in the shower, the faint sound of someone rummaging around telling her that one of her team members had already decided to make an early start. _'Time for me to train…'_ The picture on her Scroll once more confirmed her dedication to the training that she subjected herself to every morning.

The face of Jaune looked back at her, innocent and not at all aware of his fate, the sheepish smile on his face more than a little embarrassed, the picture that she had taken when he had been in the process of getting ready for another study session with Ruby being one of the few that she had kept for her own personal use. _'Another time that I will dance for you, Jaune…'_

"Ah, that's the feeling…" The sound of Viridian came from the direction of the shower, the door opening to unveil the teen, whose shoulder held the towel that he had used, his expression changing slightly, as he seemed to think better of saying some corny pickup line, Pyrrha's Scroll folded once more. _'He doesn't deserve to know of Jaune.'_

It was their private little honouring of their former team leader. They may be team PRWN now, without the intervention of some casualties, but they would be team JNPR first and foremost. That moment when Jaune had fought together with her during Initiation, that moment when he had looked at her and NOT seen her as the champion, but had… flirted with her. _'Ren and Nora feel similar to me… They've said that it is a void that will slowly get filled but…'_

"Hey Pyrrha?" She blinked as Viridian spoke up, his shirt going down, even as he fitted it properly. "Will you guys need anything from Vale? I'm heading there in the afternoon with my friend Neptune." Pyrrha's lips thinned as she remembered Neptune. The guy had hit on her, even though she had made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was off the market for such things.

"No, I don't think so. Will you be gone for a while?" He nodded, grabbing his jacket. He looked at it for a moment, before he shook his head.

"Yeah, I'll be away until... tomorrow? Depends on whether Nep wants to go see a movie. I ran it by Professor Goodwitch and she agreed, on the reason of fostering 'cooperation'." The grin that he wore was enough, his attention going to other places. "It's fun hanging with him again." The information was unnecessary to her mind.

"Good. Have fun?" She was not sure why it sounded so dubious as she said it, Viridian giving a wan smile. He looked a little different, even as he sprayed some deodorant on, a dash of aftershave added that gave him a smell that was... different. She wasn't quite partial to the scent of chrysanthemums, really. Ren liked to wear something similar, but then again... Who was she to cast doubt on people's tastes in scent, right?

"Thanks, Pyrrha." She wanted to say something else, yet her mind just froze, her lips never forming other words than that. It would be another morning of training, another morning of preparing herself for the fight that her chosen vocation would bring. Pyrrha Nikos the Huntress, defender of the innocent, avenger of Jaune Arc, dead too soon.

Others might think her crazy, thinking about the young man who had been her team leader for but a brief instant, but she knew better. He was the first who had treated her like she was just Pyrrha, who had been opened up to the parts of being a Huntsman by her Aura. She felt the connection as if he were still living and breathing, the tales of her grandmother about a connection forged by Aura something that she kept high in her esteem.

' _Every morning..._ ' She was not to shirk her duty. She knew well that the tasks that were ahead of her would need to be conquered, that Pyrrha Nikos would be the exemplar of this generation. The one who would be the champion. The one who would be the beacon for the next generation, unloved in her personal life and always having to adhere to the standards of the people. _'I will fight.'_

For Jaune's memory, she would fight. Even if the world came to an end, she would fight for that memory of the boy who had touched her, the one who had brought a sparkle of life to her mind in the dark times when her mind was elsewhere occupied, bringing her with the spirit of his idealism to the light. _'What do they know?'_ Her mind went to team RWBY, which had been distant from them.

Their little team was so perfect, with every member there intact and healthy, not having to suffer through the presence of some boy who thought he was 'hot shit' in the words that Yang would busy. They were not suffering the agony of being single whilst two of their members dated. It was cute, yes, but Pyrrha wished that it was her and her Jaune to do similar things like Nora and Ren. The two were perfectly amicable though, but it was simply the feeling of being alone.

' _Ruby hasn't been cold to us yet, but there is a distance. She seems to be distracted making friends with that girl from Haven, with the Schnee being a distant acquaintance, if not a mere footnote... I can't make sense of Ruby's sister or her partner Blake...'_ She was not as aggressive as she should be, preferring to stay in the background and cause as little fuss as possible. She was not someone who preferred to charge in head-first, without a plan. _'Jaune... What could we have been, had it been us together? Would we be dating already?'_

She had it all planned out. The first touches, forging him into a good Huntsman, better than the abominable one that he had been beforehand. The courtship would be later, with roses, flowers and smiles and tender touches. He would get his champion... and she would ride his sword until it started to retreat into its sheath. A classical romance, between the exemplar and the trainee. _'And all because of Cardin, that bubble burst and reality smacked me in the face.'_

She had desired to kill him, once upon a time. It was only through his improvement that the urge had simmered down to mere distaste. Not full-on hate, as it was illogical. Cardin could not have known that he would send Jaune that far. He could not have known that Jaune had no training in combat.

As she moved through her routine, she knew well the faces of her admirers, currently gazing at her as she worked through the training exercises like a well-drilled soldier, the dodge, parry and flick of her weapons as easy as using her Semblance, even though there was hardly any use for that right now. Her body moved, mechanically. It was not the challenge that she had expected, yet as she rinsed her body off in the showers, it was what she had expected. Another day of hoping that there would be something to challenge her, something that would make the hurt go away and stop.

' _You are doing the wrong things, Pyrrha.'_ She mused to herself, even as she heard someone in another stall speak up to her partner, who was occupying the stall next to her. "So, did you get him to ask you to the dance yet? It's in a week's time, you know?" The response she could not hear, as all the sounds blurred themselves out.

The dance. One of the most romantic events of the year, she had heard upperclassmen say. The number of men that were eligible for dances like that was a hotly debated topic. She would have asked Jaune to the dance if he were here... _'You can't ask the dead to dance with you...'_

She would have wowed him with her style-dance, even if he wasn't very good at dancing himself. Afterwards, they could go back to their dorm room and she would show him why the Mistralian art of lovemaking was well-taught in most traditional families. A sweet ending, to her sweet maidenhood. _'And now, that will never be a possibility.'_

She could hope, she could plead, yet reality had its grip on her now. It was the cruellest, coldest reality that she could imagine... and it was her reality now, with the worries of the world resting on her shoulder as team leader of team PRWN.

' _You fucked up, Pyrrha. You should have raised the subject... You could have done something about Cardin, but you were too stupid.'_ It was not often that she felt the vengeful thoughts, yet she knew that she would have to do something, in order to sate her own craving for that vindication. Ozpin was out, the man's style seriously lacking, despite the preparations for the funeral.

The words had been canned, spoken plenty of times, the emotions on the faces of those present like the reflection of the beautiful soul that Jaune had held. She could feel it in her gut sometimes, that presence of him, wrapping around her and powering her up to a level which she felt was beyond her normal capacities.

It was a little good luck charm, she could feel, a burst of strength for when she needed it. Working together with Ren and Nora and Viridian, she was able to tackle any challenge that she would face, without any hesitation. She was Pyrrha Nikos, champion. She would not bend before any challenge that came before her.

As she moved towards the dorms again, she caught sight of Cardin and his girlfriend Velvet, the pair rounding the corner and walking past her, engaged in conversation. A momentary flash of herself, walking hand in hand with Jaune, replaced the image, even as the dark emotions surged inside her. _'It isn't FAIR!'_

Her Semblance activated, Cardin tripping and landing on his face, getting back up with a groan and a worried 'Are you alright?' from the Faunus girl, her own moment of weakness when the anger had taken over giving her shame... and yet there was that small little point inside her that burned with that flame of dark amusement. _'He is alive and Jaune is not...'_

She walked into the dorm, pushing the door open to come to witness Ren and Nora currently cuddling on Ren's bed, the bra straps that were being carefully hooked by Ren giving her a perfect view of her teammate's back, Nora's head turning towards her with a smile. "Hey Pyrrha! Did you have a nice bit of exercise?"

"It was grand." She said, as she sat herself down on her bed, the armour that she wore having been replaced with the standard school uniform, the clothing that she regularly wore out in public still in the wash. "Viridian went to get permission to go into Vale with his friend Neptune this afternoon after class ends."

Ren raised an eyebrow, before she shrugged. "Probably going to try his lame pickup lines." She suggested, even as the silent member of team PRWN shrugged. He did not seem to care much about what Viridian did, as long as he did not try to hit on Nora.

"Hey Ren... Do you think things would have been different if Jaune had been with us still?" She asked the question suddenly, reminded of her earlier actions today. If they still had been team JNPR, they would undoubtedly have had a dynamic that would be tighter and closer than the one they had now. Her partner, Viridian, and herself had more of a working relationship rather than the friendship that had been cultivated between Jaune and her...

"It would have been different. He was more of a presence that commanded." Nora heard her boyfriend's words and gave a soft nod, her face unusually serious.

"He was the kind of boy that just wrapped you in, like a fluffy piece of fuzz. He would've been the greatest of friends with us." Nora paused for a moment, as if she remembered something, her face brightly smiling, before a look of pain replaced it. It was a startling change, yet one that she knew. "But he's not here with us anymore..."

Ren's arm around her tightened slightly. It was a sign of their closeness, as Nora turned to him again. "I love you, Ren. I don't want to lose you." She whispered, Pyrrha's heart feeling another stab into its core. She was desired by many, a lot of them skilled and well-established, yet she knew that her feelings laid with one who was now dead.

"Nora..." Ren said, as he looked at her, Nora following his gaze and getting up immediately, Pyrrha's arms wrapping around Nora as she was suddenly pinned to her bed.

"I'm sorry Pyrrha, I didn't think... We're going to have fun today, right? Let's have some fun! We can go to Vale too, see whether Viridian has any success with the girls!" The thought of stalking her teammate was not in the slightest bit appealing to her, nor was the thought of meeting her fans. It would be something that she would only be able to bear for a few days in the year, really. Public events drained her.

"No, I'd rather not..." She didn't know why but the feeling of something being off in the air around her was pressing down on her, Nora's smile brightening. A light peck to the cheek was given, even as Nora grinned broadly at her.

"Then we must FIGHT! TRAIN! MAKE REN SCREAM!"Nora's excited sound was loud, even as Pyrrha wondered whether the kiss had been chaste or to just shock her out of the darker thoughts, Nora looking at Ren for a length of time.

"I'm not sure whether I like screaming, Nora..." He made sense, in Pyrrha's mind. That was good. Sense was always something that she could appreciate, even if the world seemed to stack the deck against her. _'If I could bring you back...'_

Tales of heroes bringing their lovers back from the dead had been mere wishful fancy. Nothing could bring the dead back to life...

* * *

 _The morning breakfast (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

To her credit, she did not stumble as she stepped out of the portal, leaving only the faintest disturbance in the air. Her brother was awake immediately, ready to draw his weapon in the case that she was here to attack him. She did not. Her blade clicked back into its sheath and the wary look on his face relaxed a little.

"Still blue about your dating chances, you drunk bastard?" She wasn't formal in the slightest, even as he looked at her, his red eyes looking like they were angry with her. A logical progression, Raven guessed, as she pulled the foil-wrapped plate with cookies out, handing it out to him.

"Cookies?" The surprise in his voice was enough to make her feel a surge of amusement, as she gave a small smile.

"These are poisoned with the foulest poison to ever have been made." The man snorted, pulling the wrap off and then smelling them.

"Whiskey... Guess you DO have some domestic skills, Raven." Raven did not comment, nor did she need to, as Qrow grabbed one of the cookies and bit off a little, a faint creak of something above them happening, a branch falling down. Her weapon batted it away immediately, her eyes looking at him.

"I never was much for baking. Summer was the baker of the team." The better times. He looked at her, his eyes showing his hesitation. It was a feeling she knew well, as she had observed him more than once. It was their first conversation in a while.

"Why did you come?" He asked, as Raven took a deep breath. _'Keep it together, Raven... You're just going to give your brother some cookies.'_ The feelings that she felt right now were ludicrous, after all... It wouldn't do in the slightest to feel like this, it wasn't like... she felt guilty, right?

"Things are happening, Qrow." She said, softly, her gaze going to the surroundings, the signs of people waking up already starting to show. She felt uncomfortable with the buildings, much preferring the quiet sounds of the bandit camp, yet Qrow seemed more at ease than she was.

"Oz is there if you need assistance. You can be a part of the team again." A branch held out for her to take, to return to the fold. Another time of servitude, of the yoke being placed upon her shoulders once more to drag her down, away from the tribe. _'My status as the Maiden would be exposed in an instant... but it would let me be with Yang again.'_

"No, Qrow." She said, as she looked at her brother. "How are... things. Did... did you keep her safe?" His eyes blazed, as he locked eyes with her, his unshaven chin set in the manner that showed his resistance to the question.

"Raven..." His voice was stern and irritated, as she shifted slightly, raising an eyebrow. She didn't know whether it was enough for him to know she was referring to her daughter.

"You are her uncle. She would be a great Huntress, taught by you and Taiyang." The man's eyes blazed, as he pointed at her.

"All you can think of is strength! All you can think of is whether the tribe survives! Do you even know what it does to someone to have someone else decide your fate?" She knew it well. Ozpin had decided the fate of team STRQ when they had first been formed.

"I can make a guess. Still... Did you? I only kept an eye on her from a distance, you were the one who taught her." The scoff that he gave was enough, as she looked at him, the expression on his face irate, even with their distance, the man's scythe slashing out at her, the blade blocking the strike.

"Don't you even DARE suggest that I wouldn't do the right thing, Raven." He said, as his eyes narrowed. "Not like how we grew up in the past. Ozpin would never stand for it." She nodded. It was easy to understand, really. The man gave just enough information to keep people informed, the reasons and the motivations behind said information for him to know.

"Glynda would have your ass if she thought you did a bad job." The comment elicited a chuckle from her, mingling with his own wry chuckle.

"She would. She has always been a stickler for rules. She always thinks I do a bad job." The thought was not as unfeasible, Glynda having been a strict disciplinarian either way, as she remembered it. _'She would not hesitate to chastise someone who got out of hand.'_

"I made some cookies for Yang and her team as well." She was lying, partially. She hadn't been the only one who made cookies, yet she had been the harbinger of cookies. The bringer of cookies was exempt, or so it should be. That's what Summer had said, after all.

"You think some cookies will be making everything alright with your daughter?" He spat at her, anger suffusing his tone. Her head tilted to the side, as she didn't quite understand his thoughts. _'Isn't that normal?'_

"Summer said it fixed everything." The man spat on the ground in front of him, his head turning back to her.

"Summer is _dead_ , Raven! You can't make her your scapegoat for being a piss-poor mother." The anger in his voice at the mention of Summer was enough, yet she felt that this conversation had stretched on long enough.

"Going to run away again, Raven? Gods, I bet that you're feeling mighty proud of yourself, right? Where'd you get the oven from?" She shrugged, as she knew that explaining things to her brother was a lost cause. Their conversations did not align in the slightest. It was not going anywhere.

"Borrowed Tai's. Are they good?" She asked, watching him, her weapon out, his weapon out... the regular standoff that happened whenever they went and met up.

"Decent. Could've used a bit more sugar." She blinked, shrugging once. It wasn't like she baked cookies regularly, after all. "You made them just like Summer did, but with a bit more butter than was necessary. Planning on becoming a stay-at-home mother for once, Raven?"

She could already imagine it. Yang coming in with a boyfriend or girlfriend and her having to threaten the poor girl/guy with vicious dismemberment... ah, the fancy life of someone who had little in the way of prospects. "Hardly. You know the duties that Ozpin sends you on... So... What's new?"

The threats and the angry posturing was done now, with their meeting having displayed the necessary manners for their dose of sibling rivalry. "Few missions back and forth, guarding important people. What's new with you?" Their eyes, similar in shade yet different, locked.

"The Beornir are extinct. Made sure to double-check it." It was good news, Qrow would know immediately what it would mean. The Branwen would be in charge of the former Beornir lands. More opportunities for looting and pillaging.

"Good. Any changes to the landscape with that? Many losses?" The man might think of them as a collection of killers and bandits, yet he did still care in a certain way. They had both been raised until age sixteen when they had been sent to Beacon Academy to infiltrate it.

"Not really." That was as much information as she was willing to divulge to him. Her semblance allowed her swift travel, so talking with her brother was something that she only did infrequently, preferring to keep an eye on him through other means.

"Good. The kid's learning well. Summer would be proud of her. I can be a good teacher, Raven." The pride in his voice was enough, even as she remembered his first days as an instructor. The poor student-to-be had floundered with the heavy scythe, adjusting only to the weight after a few lessons in proper balance. I had been amusing.

"We'll see. Yang is doing well?" She inquired, to which her brother nodded.

"Peachy." Came the answer, as her blade cut through the air. The surrounds near Taiyang's house came into view, even as she grabbed the plate, tucking it in one arm. She'd make sure that it got washed and put where it belonged later. "She searches for you when she can."

She paused. Her eyes felt hot and she felt the tears going from the tear ducts down her cheeks. "I know. Ruby... She really looks like Summer, don't you think?" She was surprised that she spoke up, as she voiced her thoughts. She had observed the girl from a distance, had caught the look on her face more than once.

"Yeah... The last part of our Summer in this world." Raven knew, well enough, that this would just be another burden for him. "I'll keep them safe, Raven... I may not agree with you on everything, but I know that you, deep within that dark heart of yours, still care."

' _If only you knew.'_ Her thoughts were disarrayed, even as she stopped, her blade about to shear through the space once more to widen the gap... and she shook her head. "I love Taiyang still, Qrow... If you see him..." She paused, as she took a deep breath. "Tell him that I've never forgotten the vows I made to him and am not mad that he picked Summer. I just wish..." The unspoken words she could not utter, under any circumstance.

"We can't all have what we wish for, Raven." Her brother said, as she knew his feelings on the subject. Ever since the magic had been fixed to their souls, granting them the ability to turn into birds, it had been a moment of tension.

"What... What would you do if Summer came back?" Her voice uttered treacherous words, words that would not be accepted either way by Summer or by the young man who was followed by four monsters.

She was turned away from him, not willing to show her face. He would know that she knew more than she should. "Love her, as we all do." The answer was clear, even as she sighed deeply. _'So... Team STRQ could be together again.'_

The yearning for direction, for the purpose that had been lost all these years, was there. Qrow felt it, Taiyang felt it... she felt it. Summer right now...

' _A monster with silver eyes. Sweet one moment, a beast the next...'_ The instability was undoubtedly due of the blonde young man, whose skill in the art of summoning Grimm through means that she did not wish to know, would no doubt bring the same dose of corruption to Summer as it had brought to his compatriots. "Why are you asking? Did you..."

' _find out more about what happened to her?'_ The question hung between them, even as she turned her head. "Rumours. Someone's hunting down silver-eyed people. It could be Her." The man nodded, as his face turned grimmer than before.

"I'll keep an eye on Ruby." Raven nodded. She could remember the birth. It had been tough on Summer's body, yet Raven knew from the experience with birthing Yang that it was worth it.

She appeared through the portal, the void closing up behind her, looking around to spot one of the Faunus standing there in the morning dew, moving through a set of motions, her Dust Whip cracking, as she struck the imaginary targets. "Up early, I see."

The Bengal Tiger Faunus' eyes were orange, burning brightly in the morning, the gaze inhuman and cool, as if assessing the threat, warming slowly as a smile settled onto the face of the woman. "You're back late. Kali stayed up." The words were curt, even as she spoke of the other Faunus woman. Raven shrugged.

"I'll see about breakfast... I was pulled aside by my brother." The raised eyebrow, a pained smile given to the woman as Raven entered, her words spoken softly, yet perfectly audible to Sienna's ears.

"We're going to Vale today." Summer's voice reached Raven's ears, even as she stretched, the look of the fresh orange juice like a warm welcome, her stomach growling. "Have some waffles. Kali made some, just in case you were feeling hungry."

It was a tired-looking Jaune who sat at the table, his face looking drawn, as Summer seemed to shift slightly, the red cloak that she wore being as beautiful as it always was, the ring glinting on her finger. "But... I'll have to leave for a while. Things are not well."

Raven suppressed a faint shudder, Summer's tone hinting at things that she did not wish to think, her eyes looking at her leader and friend and partner. "What things?" She asked, concern bleeding through in her voice.

"Her physical stability is alright, yet her mental stability is fragile." The words from the young man drew her attention, even as she could feel something like dread settle into her body, the knowledge that there was more than a little instability in Summer's mind already known... but the man was more aware of it. "I am planning to absorb her before we leave... before... things spiral out of control."

She would have made the same choice, if she could safely do something like that, her fingers twitching on the hilt of her blade. "It's the best option, Raven." Summer herself said, stopping her hand from moving. It was a pause, as Summer smiled at her.

Those silver eyes, so confident and assured, watching carefully for her expression, her face darkened by the thought. "I'll still be able to talk to you, but corporeally... I shouldn't manifest." The thought of being without Summer again stalled any reprisal from her, as the woman smiled. "He is a Slayer now... and I suppose that counts for something, right?"

The boy was no slayer to her mind yet. The weathering of combat had been something that had only brought with it a foolish promise, Yang's safety still not first and foremost... Yet Summer was with the twist of her own sanity, a greater threat to the safety of her daughter. _'My daughter will not be ended by Summer's hands.'_

Summer would, Raven knew, end the weakness before it began to grow. Instability often brought the death of the Huntress or the Slayer before it was their time. Yang was... not stable. _'For Yang...'_

"Mommy loves you." The sweet murmur of Summer was soft, yet the blonde young man did not give a single twitch, even as he began to eat the waffle. "She loves you... Respond, you little blonde shit!"

The apologetic look Raven saw on Summer's face after the words had faded and the death glares from the Faunus and the Schnee had lessened slightly, the soft "I'm sorry." – which had come from Summer's mouth as an apology sating their urge to hurt.

"No matter what, we need to go to Vale." The need in his voice was real, as he seemed to be aware of things that she had not been informed of. She nodded.

"Then we go to Vale." And that concluded that discussion.

* * *

 _The past mistakes that haunt to this day(Sienna Khan)_

* * *

The door stood before her, her eyes glinting in the pale light that came from one of the few lightbulbs that had been hung in the underground compound, where their journey had led them. A moment of peace, her eyes meeting Ghira's for an instant, as she nodded, the Huntsman taking the lead, his weapons already primed for the eventual fight.

"On my mark..." The words were enough, as the man spoke, his voice distant, as he looked at the door, the fading paint on it showing its age, the muggy climate not aiding in the slightest, the smell of refuse and other unpleasantness filtering into her nostrils.

"This better be right..." Ghira spoke, even as his eyes were worried. Kali had been left behind with a detachment of bodyguards to guard her and Blake, even though the eleven-year-old was still aware of the fact that her daddy was out doing important stuff for the White Fang.

"I know it is. We know. It's only because we hit the other places up first." She took a deep breath, something rank invading her lungs, the smell horrible... and yet her heart beat a little faster. She knew well that what might lie beyond the door would spell the end of her career as a bodyguard, even as the hints had been thrown around.

"On my mark... Go!" The door splintered, as she realized that the man had gone ahead, her hands holding the combat polearm that had been assigned to most of the bodyguard regimen. The marks on the wall had definitely the signs of the organisation on it, even though the lack of use of these cells had been long-since been apparent to the owners.

The sound of meat being skewered and a shrill scream was enough, as her eyes surveyed the room and... and... Red filled her gaze and all rational thought disappeared.

"Sienna! SIENNA! STOP!" The voice of Ghira reached her ears, yet her hand did not stop. Blood covered the hand, the blade in it once more, her eyes watching the grimace of death, even as she realized that she had lost, that she had-

Her head turned and her stomach roiled once more, soft whimpers that were feminine and not at all like the tough rough woman she knew reaching her ears, even as the sound of Ghira's voice was enough, her own eyes catching sight of an arm that had been torn off, along with a bundle of entrails.

"Get a hold of yourself. We still have to bring an account. It is mandatory." Her gaze went down, the destroyed eye socket of the body on which she had pounced upon first glance enough... and then the smell hit her again. Blood cloying with the smell of urine and sweat and-

Her stomach turned again, as she met the gaze and her eyes teared up, staggering away and starting to hurl, her stomach's contents burning like the acid that came up, her whole body shuddering and shaking, even as Ghira put a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Breathe in... Just... let it out."

The man's voice was a comfort, even as Sienna's mind hurt, pain and confusion working through it. _'No, no, no, no, no, no, no.'_

She could hear the Huntsman speak soft words, say something that she was not able to hear, something that soothed, yet she did not hear it. Her gaze returned for an instant, to the place where...

Her throat burned as more acid erupted from her throat, her eyes teary and pained, as she heaved where nothing remained, her stomach contents fully emptied. "Get a hold of yourself... Just..." Ghira's voice was like a soothing balm, as she looked at one of her fellow guards, the Menagerie branch of the White Fang's own armed forces mingling with the bodyguards to High Leader Belladonna.

White-faced and looking like a mess, she could see the impact that it had on the others, even as those who had been arrested were led away, her anger showing clearly on her face as she stalked towards the High Leader. "Do something!" She hissed, the man looking at her with a look of helplessness, as he turned his gaze back to the corner.

"What do you want me to do?" The man hissed, anger suffusing his voice. "Do your job, Sienna. Do not let your personal feelings interfere… There's still so much that needs to be done… The potential for this scandal to blow up…" The job was simple. Categorize the items, assess the damage, hope that the damage wasn't too bad that it couldn't be managed with some good PR.

She sat in front of Ghira the next day, his eyes tired, the massive man's body dressed in the formal outfit that was expected to be worn during the formal occasion, glasses set upon the man's nose, his eyes looking at her. Kali sat next to her husband, the picture of the wife who supported her husband, as was to be expected of the woman to whom she had grown close to over the period of guarding the family. "I want you to take the mantle of the High Leader." The words were grave, even as Ghira spoke.

The memory would probably stay with her. Her hands were raw from the amount of scrubbing that she had done, the knowledge burned into her mind that she had seen too much. Some things should not be condoned… even if it served the cause. "As you wish." She had expected it. The man seemed to have lost his spirit, the door opened up and Ghira rising.

"My most heartfelt apologies. We should have been aware, the moment that-" The man who entered shook his head, holding a hand to forestall the apologies.

"It is as it is. Huntsmen die all the time, it is a logical progression. I personally do not hold you accountable." The man's cool voice was enough, the scruff on his chin showing clearly that he had not been grooming himself well for these past three weeks. His bloodshot eyes found hers and she was amazed to see nothing but a cold logical set of eyes peering down at her, her eyes watching carefully as the man's expression shifted. "I will be leaving Kou Kuana tomorrow, once all arrangements are done, High Leader Belladonna."

She had never feared humans. They were cruel to her kind, derided them for being mere animals, yet the look that the man gave them was one that was logical and cold as if she were but a bug that could be crushed. Seeing the worst of the Faunus might have done that to the man, or the other reasons that had come with living in a Faunus majority settlement… But he had-

"Sienna?" She noticed that she was alone with Kali in the meeting room, the woman having gotten up and wrapped her arms around her, a hug given. "You looked sad."

Those eyes… they followed her. That emotion within them, the fear that it evoked within her, the tainting of something precious. "Ghira did not tell me what you did last night. Do you need to talk about it?"

She had refused, her words not coming from her mouth. The things she had seen… no, the things she had seen she would not repeat. "Does that mean that they will be leaving again?" She inquired, Sienna realizing that the woman had responded to the Huntsman's announcement of earlier.

"Most likely…" She said, even as she hugged Kali closer. Pulling away, for a moment she could only take a deep breath, looking at Kali, only to find that it was not Kali who she was hugging.

Blood dripped from the wounds, ragged breath taken, the eyes dead as they looked at her. "Sienna…" The voice was rasping and hoarse, knowing what had come before. "You promised…"

She woke with a scream in her throat, her breathing harsh and powerful, her eyes wildly dancing through the room, her hand suddenly seized, as she realized that she was screaming again, the images coming fresh to her mind once more. "Sienna!" Her ears picked Kali's voice out, the woman hugging her again. "Calm down! It's just a nightmare! Calm down…"

She felt the woman's hand stroked over her ears, a calming sensation going through her. Guilt flashed through her mind as she realized that she had the nightmare again, the sound of her scream no doubt so loud that it had roused them all from their sleep.

The door opened up, revealing Summer, who looked disturbed, her body clad in what might just be one of the thinnest nightgowns that she'd seen, small little fairy unicorns printed on it. "Where's the Grimm?" The question wasn't too out of the ordinary, as the scream must've been something loud, Jaune appearing after an instant, the rather odd-fitting set of pyjama's that he'd obtained from his own house looking a little big on him.

"She's just had a nightmare." Kali said, in an effort to explain, Summer winding down, her excitement fading, even as Sienna could see the worry in Kali's eyes, the look that she gave her being something that was just understood between the two of them, Jaune giving her a look that showed that he could understand it, far more attuned to her emotions than others.

It was the bond that they had, as Acolyte and… Jaune. The feeling of the darkness inside her vibrating and twitching, desiring to slither out of her deepest depths to tear the world asunder was something that was novel, even as Kali's hands continued to brush over her ears. _'I'm a mess…'_

"Just be alright, will you?" The concern in his voice made her smile, even as he turned, his hand on Summer's shoulder to lead her away, which the woman did not deny in the slightest. It was a moment which she recalled with perfect clarity, his eyes looking back at her with the concern that one would have for a friend.

"Was it the regular one?" Kali asked, Sienna nodding silently as she curled up against the woman, feeling like a kitten with her mother again, the feeling of being small and helpless, seeking her mother's protection, even as Kali looked down at her.

"You did all you could. Ghira handed the mantle to you when his position became untenable." The words did not soothe her, as she knew her fate well enough. Her whole body burned with the passion for the cause, even though it was tempered by the need that burned within her soul for a place for the Faunus.

"He shouldn't have had to." The blood… there had been so much blood on her hands. It had been one of the events in her life that had hardened her stance towards Humans, even with those disdainful eyes looking down at her. "He didn't have to step down… Menagerie was a good place. We could be free there… but not…" She paused, taking a deep breath.

"I'm going to train." She couldn't stand being cooped up, her hand going for the whip and chain, the fingers pushing the Dust crystal out and just going through the motions, the whip cracking with every strike that she made. Shifting into the enhanced form only made her strikes more powerful, the whip-snap-crack of her strikes enough, until the bandit came strolling through the portal that just fizzled into existence.

"You're back late. Kali stayed up." She said to the woman, her disapproving look at the woman for giving them something to worry about, as she had noticed Kali still aimlessly looking about, no doubt discomforted by Raven's absence. _'Kali cares too much about those around her… powers or not.'_

The woman had been like a mother and a friend to her, always making sure that there was something nice to eat and some conversation to be had. She didn't have many people that she called friend. Adam had been a companion during the younger years, when the White Fang had just been established and Ghira's tour throughout the world had been arduous and tough, with Kali and Blake as companions and more like adopted family, the job hardly mattering much.

" _You should wear a dress. It'll really make you look pretty." "Dresses are for girls. I don't wear dresses." "Sienna… You silly little kitty, of COURSE you'll want to wear a dress. Don't you want to impress that Fennec guy that's been sending you looks?" "Hey! He's looking at you more than he looks at me.""Oh, darling… you know that look? It's like he wants to tear the clothes right off your body and do nasty, daring things to you." "You're talking nonsense. I should disown you as a friend.""Hey, not MY fault that you're one of the few fun people around my age. You know… once you get to a Huntsman Academy, life isn't so tough. You should try going to Shade, they get Faunus students in there all the time. Haven is too much of a bore, really. The skirt is atrocious." "How would you know?" "Been there, done that. It's bland. Lionheart is one of those guys who doesn't do much. Not a great teacher, really." "Is it much different, out in the world?" "Of course. I've only graduated three years ago, so I can't say much, but really… There's a lot of beauty out in the world. So… that Adam fella? Did you see his coat? Total lame." "He does strike an imposing figure." "Only to Blake. I think he's sweet on her. He's a good guy, don't you think?" "I don't know… He's not exactly the most talkative." "He is dating that Harmony chick, isn't he?"_

The conversation, taking place on the pier of Kuo Kuana, had been something that she had buried in the past, her mind scrolling back to that time. The sea salt stinging her eyes, the faint swell of the sea like background music, even with the presence of her friend, who seemed to have boundless enthusiasm. The looks that they garnered, her outfit the proper one for a guard of the High Leader and her friend, dressed in a simple white dress that outlined her sharp features, her hair tousled in the wind, Sienna's own short cut allowing for greater grace… or when she needed to wear headgear.

That they were friends really had been incidental. A meeting in the hallway had spiralled into a passionate debate on Faunus Rights, leading to a long evening of getting utterly smashed drunk. That she'd found herself in bed of the other woman was just the icing on the cake… right when Kali came in to check on where she was.

Of course, a relationship was not in the cards. Sienna knew very well that she liked her menfolk over the womanfolk, yet her friend had rolled with it, giving her a saucy little wink and a whispered – "We've got to do that again, Sissy." – to the great amusement of Kali, whose ears were rather sensitive and… mostly attuned to listening to people.

It had been an easier time for her. The evenings spent talking and playing games with little Blake, who didn't really know fully why they were so different, the mornings whipping out the combat staff and engaging the Huntsmen in a brawl, in order to fine-tune her senses and body to the art of protecting Ghira.

"Sometimes… I wish that I'd have made a different choice." She was tired, as she remembered the news. The blackout drunk condition that she had spent nearly three days in, sick to her stomach and just wanting to have the loss go away, to stop hurting as the wounds were torn open once more.

' _We screwed up. I… let you down.'_

Her mood plummeted even further, even though she kept her face neutral as she sat down at the table. The shampoo in this place was not Faunus-friendly, even though the brisk shower that she had taken had been refreshing the previous evening.

It sucked to be Sienna Khan these days, really.

* * *

 _The things that get Xiao-Long (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She looked up from her work, watching carefully for any sign of pity. Blake was shackled to her by the side, the set of fuzzy cuffs that she had managed to scrounge from someplace on campus locking the two together.

' _Mom came here… and prevented Blake from harming herself.'_ It was so unimaginable that she was almost too stunned. _'That means… She did care. Maybe?'_ She was doubtful, even as Blake tugged on her sleeve. "It's nearly time to pack up."

Her partner wasn't well. The girl looked like she'd barely had any sleep, the bags under her eyes looking like they were merely something that added to the worries that Yang felt, another moment spent within the classroom just adding to her unsettlement. _'I've got that meeting with Professor Jeremiah soon, right… I wonder if I could tell him about my mother.'_

"Look after her." She said to Ruby, as she pulled the cuff off her own hand, the key fitting in perfectly, her eyes locking with Blake's for an instant. "You will be a good partner." She said, her voice soft, as she locked gaze with those amber eyes. "I worry about you."

She wasn't going to bring something like this to the highest level. Blake needed the support that she needed, because she was just a girl who had lost her parents. It didn't matter that she had her own mother still, the woman had virtually abandoned her and left her to struggle… but Yang could see herself in Blake. Yearning for acceptance, hoping for the future…

"Alright." Blake said, Yang smiling at her in what she thought was a friendly manner.

"Stay with Ruby, alright? I don't want…" The words were unsaid, yet the look in Blake's eyes was guilty. "I don't want something to happen to you." She had heard about the incident with Blake's parents, with the two of them thought dead. With the Grimm presence in the wild, there was a small chance that two Faunus could have survived such an event.

"I'll keep her safe." Blake made to give a protest, yet quietened down once Ruby laid a hand on her shoulder. "I care for you, just as much as I do for Weiss. We're a team. We're the bestest best team of Beacon. So… Please don't worry. We'll be there for you. As much as you need to, even if I have to gag Weiss."

The 'Hey!' from Weiss was a nice background effect, even as Yang tucked her books in her bag, taking a deep sigh and then walking down to the office, a little earlier than expected. The clock showed that she had a spare ten minutes, enough for her to have a little reflection to herself… if she'd been someone else than Yang Xiao-Long, excitement incarnate! _'He won't mind if I bust in a little early, I guess!'_

Opening the door with excitement, she came to witness the large broadsword on the desk being whetted with a large whetstone, the rhythmic sound something that was like the tune. The chaperone currently occupied the couch, her face awfully flush, seemingly just at the moment where she'd launch into another tirade.

Little tidbits filtered in, as the man set his weapon aside. "A little early, are you?" He said, to which she nodded. Taking the seat, she could hear the woman mumble something behind her about furry dogs and blondes, shaking her head lightly, letting the locks cascade over her shoulders.

"It helps to be early. Unless you're a guy, of course." The snort from the chaperone was soft, even as Professor Peach's voice came from behind.

"You'd want to be a quick shot, aye Jerry? That filthy little mutt stick of yours won't be able to slay anything more than just the regular ol' Grimm beastie." The jab at his masculinity was there, even as Yang's head turned, Professor Peach having drawn herself up on the couch, her shirt slightly unbuttoned by her hands, even with her fingers readjusting the buttons slightly, the syringe that she plucked from the pocket on the inside jabbed into an arm, the fluid pumped into the vein. _'Does she have a need for medication? Perhaps.'_

"I don't do that too much, but perhaps…" The man's insinuation made those eyes blaze.

"Finish that sentence and it's Mistrali Dog Sausage on the menu tonight!" The woman snapped at her colleague, whose face seemed to be impassive as the insult hit it.

"Guess you'll be eating something a bit more filling than the porridge of being a crazy cat lady, huh?" The retort was fierce, yet Yang could detect little edge in that. _'Should've made a joke about her boyfriend being the needle she sticks in her arm…'_

It was not surprising to yang that some people preferred the chemical bliss over the regular bliss. As she had been to clubs before, there had been plenty of people who offered her a hit of something a bit stronger than the average… and you never let your drink be out of your eyes for a second. "Jerry, I've got a problem."

"That is why you are here." The man said simply, the banter aborted, like it had never happened, his eyes showing his interest. "Tell me, what happened."

"Blake tried to hurt herself again. My mother interfered and brought us cookies. Said that she'd baked them." The words were surprisingly easy to come from her lips, as she looked at the man, hoping that he would understand. _'I feel lost… Aimless.'_

The blood in her heart seemed to clump together, even as she watched the man, whose head bobbed once, the scruff on his chin brushed through with a finger. "What do you think?"

The man's voice registered, and she spoke. "She's trying to do something to make me warm up to her. Uncle Qrow said that she is a dangerous woman, one who would hurt me… But I don't know anymore. Is that really a dangerous woman? She made Blake stop." The man nodded.

"How does it make you feel, that your mother tries to reconnect?" The man's voice was soft, understanding. Not judgmental. Others might have made light of it, yet Yang could feel that the man seemed genuinely concerned. "She is a wanted criminal, after all." The pause that fell there was enough for her to look down, know that she had no idea of how her mother was, aside from the stories of her father and her uncle… which did not paint a good picture.

"I want to believe that she could be there for me… like Summer was." The hope was strong enough inside her that it had brought her out into the woods with Ruby in search of the cottage which might have held her mother. A mother who would love her, who would make dad happy again.

"She seemed distracted… Not at all willing to talk to me. Blake said that she'd only said a few terse, tense words, only listening to her relate her worries, not commenting in the slightest, before threatening her life." Why she was telling this was beyond her.

"Do you feel fear?" The question sounded odd. Why would you fear your own mother?

"No." She said. Not a single moment passed then, as she watched carefully for the man to continue. "Should I?"

"Raven Branwen, a graduate of Beacon. Partner to Summer Rose, an exemplary record until sixteen years ago. Suspected of banditry, affiliations with murderers, sedition against Mistral and its environs as well as engaging in the management of an illegal criminal organization. Somewhat like our very own Roman Torchwick with a slice of murder thrown in." Jeremiah spoke calmly, as he looked at her. "Do you think she cares?"

"Yes. She made cookies. They were my favourite… Tasted just like how mom… no, Summer would make them." The smile on her face was genuine, as she warmed herself with the thought of her own importance to her mother and father. She was just… in need of some correction, at some time.

"Do you think she is willing to make amends?" The man pressed on, the scoff from the other professor a dismissal of that theory almost instantly. "It is important to some people who are at the end of their life to make peace with those that they have wronged. The guilt of having done something that is considered 'bad' and making up for it is something that drives some people to donate money to any illegitimate children that they might have… go to great lengths to protect them from danger."

The thought was sobering, Yang feeling as if she were doused by cold water. _'Could it be that mom is going to die soon and she's trying to make up for it in the only way that she knows?'_ Fear rocked through her. She was one of the major extraverts of team RWBY. Her sister was exuberant and also a bundle of energy, whilst Weiss and Blake definitely favoured quiet, solitude and perhaps a little bit of extra silence.

"It's just a thought, perhaps not even close to the truth. Unless your mother is willing to come to these sessions, the truth may be further away from your knowledge than you would think. Most of all, she is a strong woman." The man paused, coughed and then looked away. "I looked her up in the database, just… to get a good image of what I'm dealing with. An imposing woman, who seems to not do well with emotional stuff." That sounded more like the mother that she'd imagined, based on Uncle Qrow's words, her father's terms a little softer in their description, yet her opinions on strength well-known to both.

"It's time for her to go." Professor Peach said, Yang realizing that they had already talked their required hour of time, the man giving her a smile.

"Send Blake to me this afternoon. We'll have a good chat and I'll bring her back, without any fuss." The man's words were something that she felt she could trust. He was to be trusted, was he not? A man who tried his best… She'd almost give him a go on the relationship front, if she wasn't aware of the age difference. _'That'd be like dating dad… Yuck.'_

It must've shown on her face, as he raised an eyebrow. "Do you have an issue with that?" He inquired, to which she shook her head.

"No, I was just thinking about something. Nothing important, just Ember Cecilia's dust rounds." The excuse was valid, she supposed, even as she let her gaze slide through the room, Professor Peach appearing in her view, ready to guide her out.

"We need words, Jeremiah."The woman didn't sound happy in the slightest, even as Yang found herself outside of the door in an instant.

"YOU DARE TO U-" The voice of the Professor reached that high pitch as Yang walked away, her mind still ruminating on her mother…

' _Is she really trying to make amends because she might die soon?'_

* * *

 _Arriving in style(Jaune Arc)_

* * *

As he slid the card through the reader, he looked at one of the other passengers on the ferry, the Huntsmen who had been assigned to guard the ferry looking lazily for any of the threats that could lurk below the sea's surface, their weapons looking fancy and ill-used.

Summer's voice nattered in his mind like a constant drone, Raven having decided to head back to her tribe, stating that she had been gone for too long already and needed to get her affairs in order. He was not surprised in the slightest. She had been a woman with drive and purpose, one who had been a helpful acquaintance. It would have been a week or such if they had to cover the distance on foot, with Grimm present.

"So… How do I look?"The top that Whitney wore was tighter around her breasts, his eyes lingering there for a moment, the tied-back hair making for a neat ponytail, the conditioner that she had used making the hair a little sleeker than usual. The coat was just the additional beauty, a difference from her usual 'getup' whenever they travelled."Oh… I guess that I'm just perfect then, hmm?"

She kissed his nose in the manner of a girlfriend, despite several of the people around him giving them a cursory glance. Sienna and Kali leaned against the railing, Kali's weapons out in the open, the small cut-off shorts that she had loaned from Yang's closet fitting her well, her legs exposed… and the drawing point to people's attention.

"Eh, wha?" Whitney giggled at his response, her arm locked with his. "Come, let's go and stand with Si and Ka." She knew well enough that the guise that they had to uphold had to be maintained, Sienna's head tilting up, the hat that she wore something that aided the ears remaining mostly obscured, the tattoos something that could not be easily hidden, due to their colour. It was a change, yes, that she had not been able to make, yet the hat, something that Summer had pulled from somewhere, stating that it'd belonged to Raven's brother, was an easy fit. That it made Sienna's hair disappear and gave her that look of stern seriousness was just a bonus.

"Neat trip." Kali mumbled to him, still leaning against the railing. He followed her gaze, directed towards the Huntsmen. "I'd almost admire them. Knowing what we've killed…"

"I'll have to say… These guys would be minced meat up against the Testudo." It was a fair admission. If not for the Relic to power him up, it would have been their demise. The ancient Grimm, who had witnessed the world being born, had more power within them than most would be able to handle. It was the fate of death for those who stood against them… yet he had triumphed. Twice.

"Are you four alright?" One of the Huntsmen, a young man with a black goatee and his hair in a different shade of russet red, the set of thin wire-frame glasses on his nose giving him the look that was distinguished, yet with a manner that seemed at odds. "I can offer a bit of protection if you need it, ladies…"

It was a pause in their manner, as Whitney fixed the man with a look. Jaune could feel a hint of something in her stance, as she smiled. "I'm afraid we don't need much in the way of protection." Her rifle was in her hands a moment later, not aimed in the man's direction, yet ready to do that work, if need be.

"But… Could you tell us where the nearest mission board is? We only returned to Patch for a momentary visit to one of our relatives." The words of Whitney were easy and too vague to really peg them as anything that was closely related. A Huntsman team, working together, was nothing too out of the ordinary.

"Eh… Third street from the pier, big building with a grey outward appearance. Can't really miss it." Whitney nodded her head at the man's answer, her voice sounding light.

"Thank you kindly." The man realized that he'd been given an out, his head turning lightly to glance at his fellow Huntsmen. Some pitying looks were given, even as one of them, a young woman, made the thumbs-down sign, which made the man look defeated.

As the ferry moved from the island's pier, the calm sea was placid and without any Grimm nearby. He stretched his senses out, feeling the dark emotions of the settlement that they were slowly leaving behind, replaced with those of the people onboard the ferry.

They arrived at the harbour of Vale, not a single ill-fortunate thing happening, even as he pulled his Huntsman's License out and flashed it at the inspectors from the public, giving him a brief once-over to confirm his identity before moving along.

For a moment, it seemed as if Sienna were to face some problem due to her wearing a hat, yet with only a brief moment of conversation and a slight raising of the hat, revealing her Faunus trait, they let her through without any fuss.

"I'm surprised that we'd never got caught, being who we are." Sienna mumbled, her voice sounding more surprised at that fact than she'd appeared to show on her face.

"It's the fact that we're thought dead. You don't look for people who are thought dead… and lookalikes and copycats exist everywhere." The snort that Sienna gave was enough, even as she looked at him with a frown, even as Kali spoke softly, her words sensible.

"I can easily pass for a Whitney Schnee Body double, if I style my hair in the style of 'Whitney Schnee'." Whitney commented, even as she stole a look at Kali. "Didn't your husband get featured in one of the magazines and a whole slew of imitators sprang up afterwards?"

"It was amusing to see them try to copy his chest hair. Most of them were pretty hairless… Nothing at all like my wonderful husband." The love in her voice was real, Jaune realized, with her eyes distant. _'She would never see me as anything more… and I'm not sure whether her emotions really encompass me. Perhaps it is just a phase.'_

Waking up to find Kali and Whitney cuddled up to him had been a surprise in the past. They were lovely women, yet he was in a relationship with Whitney, not with Kali.

"They…" Sienna coughed, even as she looked away. "well… My image was used." The evasion in Sienna's voice was enough, Kali's eyebrow shooting up.

"Oh?" The curiosity in the woman's voice was high, even as the morning sun rose even higher. It was something that seemed to draw the interest of the woman, even without any further prodding.

"Nothing you need to know about!" Sienna hissed, clearly not desiring to speak of the topic. _'Now we ARE curious.'_

"Let's just find someplace to get some rest, alright?" Whitney suggested, even as she glanced at the street signs. "I would like to have a moment to put the bags down and just be able to have a moment to myself." That was not an uncommon moment, even as Kali yawned at that very same time that Whitney spoke.

"I didn't get much sleep… Raven returned really early in the morning." The Faunus woman commented, even as her head lowered, another yawn coming from her mouth later on, as she shrugged. "Hmm… could do with a bit more rest."

"Unless of course you'd like to join me, Jaune?" The suggestion was not something that he dismissed, as Whitney gave him a look, the older Faunus giving him a flirtatious look. "I can make sure that you get a full night's sleep…" Her fingers traced over his upper arm, Whitney's eyes turning murderous.

"No." He was distinctly aware just how Whitney's hand was gripping his arm, the flesh no doubt bruised, had it not been the arm that had been constructed from _Vitae Tenebris_. "I'm afraid I don't feel that tired yet." Kali smiled, the warmth in her eyes there, as well as the need.

"Good boy… White likes it when she's got a good man. Right?" The nod and the sharp exhale was enough to clue him in to the fact that Whitney felt a little possessive of him… which was completely accurate to him.

"How about we go see a movie?" He suggested, watching Whitney for a moment. Vale was a broad city and there would undoubtedly be watchers spread around it to check for any suspicious signs. It was what he would do, if he were the Headmaster of one of the Academies, one who held the power in the world. _'Thinking about it, makes me more aware… Going straight back to Beacon and announcing that I'm still alive would be suicide.'_

Power was a good excuse, yet he knew well that he had committed a mortal sin in the eyes of Ozymandias Pinnacle by taking the Relic of Knowledge, to ensure his own freedom. It was like the plot of a bad movie, with two villains fighting against one hero who had taken their special weapon… only that he was like them, in a similar manner.

He was a young man blessed with incredible power, who held inside him the ability to detect the Grimm and to bring to bear colossal levels of power. It would be a fair thing to say that he was nigh-invincible at range, with the ability to summon packs of Grimm quickly. The weaknesses that he had in close combat due to his large weapon and relative lack of training… well…

He had his acolytes. They were more than willing to risk their lives. A thought like that had not risen in his mind, yet as he glanced at each of them surreptitiously, he could see the determination in their eyes, feel their emotions through the bond that he had with them… he could feel their will.

' _No… They are not my pawns.'_ The way of thinking that She had adopted over the centuries of her battle with Ozymandias Pinnacle was something that he would not slip into… They were Whitney, Kali and Sienna, with Summer as an additional combatant. Raven, at this moment, still was not trusted to such a level where she could be counted as 'his'.

' _They are my… comrades.'_ Anything that he ordered, they would do, no matter how dire it was or how cruel. He could see it in Whitney's eyes. _'A burden of nobility, politics coated with the venom of disdain.'_ A will that was like steel, brought with the power to wield it in the most creative of ways… One of the people who cared for him whole-heartedly.

' _A blade coated in smiles.'_ Thinking back on Kali's words, as well as her actions, both a contrast… and yet something more than that. A predatory manner, one which could be warm and friendly one moment, terrifying in the next. Absolute loyalty… and a mind which yearned for the stability of one to bring joy to. Need, craving… a purpose.

' _A visionary, oppressed. A people whose burden she bears, yet her faith unshakeable.'_ Sienna's orange eyes, burning like the flames of hate and anger, the rage that bubbled below the surface and exploded whenever she did, yet with the capacity for cold-bloodedness. She was capable of killing… yet she was more hesitant to the notion than Kali was.

' _A merciless killer, one who loves with passion, yet whose mind is in pieces.'_ Summer was… flaky in a fashion. Her words in his mind were an unending flood of ramblings, a twittering mess that spoke of love, cookie recipe's, the perfect time to pull out the bread once it finished baking and the ancient order of the Slayers. Her lethality however… She was someone who would be able to eradicate an outpost without any sound or alert being heard. A woman whose craft of killing had reached one of the pinnacles, even at such a young age… all thanks to her training.

' _They are the last force for Humanity…'_ And even now, his own mind questioned whether he was still a part of humanity. He felt human, he could feel his own emotions, he could feel… the passion. Whitney had shown him more than once that indeed, he was still functional in that area.

"That'll be ninety Lien per day." The look on the clerk's face was bored, unchanging as Jaune forked over the Lien. The man seemed to be in his late twenties, wearing a red shirt with 'Tunnel Serpents Rock!' with a picture of a King Tajitu and a little pin of 'Hotel Staff' on the right. Dark hair fell into his face and Jaune got a faint feeling of apathy from the man.

The hotel was nothing too upscale, just enough for most Huntsmen to cover. He knew that this was about as good as it got, for the budget that he had set. Not too destitute, yet not too opulent. Perfect for a few nights to a week of stay, in search of a new contract to take.

"Will you need our Huntsman licenses?" Whitney inquired, the man shaking his head, as he leaned over the counter.

"We run a smooth ship here. You Huntsman type are good clients, most of the time." The man sent a wary glance to Sienna and Kali, who remained in conversation, though close enough that he could faintly hear something being discussed about sleeping pills. "I don't turn down good business, no matter the sort of people." A pointed look was given to the two Faunus, Jaune brushing it aside.

If he had been himself still, young and naïve, he might have said something. He might have commented on treating everyone as if they were equal… yet his situation now gave him perspective. "Indeed. It is good to know that you treat everyone with an equal amount of care, provided they have the Lien." It slipped out, as he raised an eyebrow. The clerk snorted lightly, seating himself again.

"Room fifteen, end of the second floor. Just be sure to let us know if you need to have clean sheets, if you're getting up to any monkey business." The man was helpful enough with that remark, even as Whitney grabbed his bag and lifted it up. "I'll go to our room and get these packed away." The key was in her hand already, and Sienna and Kali gave him a look, the latter showing some amusement, even as he was left there with the clerk.

"So… You got anything going on with them?" The clerk inquired, even as he looked up from the desktop that was set up with the bookings, the curiosity in his voice sounding more as a staving away of the boredom than a real question.

"Oh yes, I'm dating the ash-blonde." Whitney's hair could pass for ash-blonde, under the proper lighting. "We've been a team since I met up with her and her two friends." The age difference was noticeable, the cleric giving a low whistle as he looked at her. "They're cousins. One's single, whilst the other is a recent widow. If you're interested, that is."

It was 'manly banter', that he had only heard of in movies. Talking big about the women in your life whilst they could not hear it, the clerk giving a scoff. "You want me to ruin my future? Only morons date Faunus, knowing what they do to those who ain't like them! I don't want to wake up to be surrounded by some horned bastards who're going to flense me like it's their job to do it and make me into human kebab, buddy. White Fang terrorism is all over the news, nowadays."

Jaune wasn't exactly sure where they would be getting the knives from, but he shrugged. "They're killer on the Grimm hunting, though." The clerk gave a soft sound of being interested in that, as he looked at Jaune.

"Listen here, buddy. Here in Vale, we don't exactly like them Faunus people. Hell, if the cleaning staff wasn't Faunus, the boss'd have to pay real money to get things clean around here. You go and stay true to yer misses… She's only like… what, eight years older?" The truth to that was more like 'over twenty', but Jaune did not correct the man. "Go and love yer woman. If you're digging them Faunus chicks, please… there's a condom dispenser on the third floor, near the sign with 'Bathroom'. Loads of people just use this place to get their fuck on, y'know… it's just a whole thing."

The clerk continued to tell the tale of how he'd walked into what was a massive orgy once, doing his duty as one of the night-time guards, complaining as well about the long hours that he made. It made Jaune wonder what sort of life he might've had if he didn't do this hotel business… No doubt the complaining clerk would've been put in some sort of retail position, scanning items or something. "You sound like you've got it rough."

The clerk nodded. "Uncle owns this place and a few others… It was this, or working at Valemart… And I don't think I can muster the need to go and scan items all day…" Jaune winced. That would be one of the jobs that he would be accepted for, with his complete lack of skills.

"Sweetheart?" Whitney's voice reached his ear, as she brushed against him, a pale blue dress worn, her eyes smiling, as she kissed his cheek. "Did you have to wait long?"

"Nope. I was just talking to… Montgomery here." The name tag of the clerk, henceforth known as 'Montgomery', was something that he noticed now, Montgomery giving a nod.

"That's the spirit, buddy. You go and have a nice date together now… And don't let the animals bite tonight." The wink that he got was definitely something that hinted that he should definitely go out with a bang, the comment eliciting a raised eyebrow from Whitney, who gave him a look. "Have fun!"

That the clerk seemed entirely more animated now that they'd had this little bit of a chat was something that he could only attribute to the thought of having a conversation with him. It was strange, yet boredom did the job well for most people. Offering Whitney his arm, as was dictated by protocol, was enough. As they'd had a good breakfast beforehand, they would only need to go to get something to eat later on.

"So… What kind of movies do you like?" He asked whilst they walked onto the main Vale promenade, the mass of people barely giving them any attention, the sight of Huntsmen and those with Huntsmen training something that was common, just two faces that were in the crowd.

Whitney's face was tense as she looked at the people around, her lips pursed lightly. "I like the older types of movies. AJ and the Temple of the Moon, Grimminator, Close Encounters of the Faunus Kind and Gone with the Storm." The titles that she spoke of were old, definitely more towards the age of his mother and father, their production having long since been improved upon.

"But I can go for some Spruce Willis if you'd like to?" She was willing to compromise, even as her eyes asked the question silently, her lips traced over with a tongue, her gaze carrying with it the hopes that her suggestion would be accepted.

"Whatever you'd like to see." He said, to which her smile turned radiant. It was really something that lit up her face, made her look young and friendly and approachable. It was not something that he wished to lose.

"We'll take two tickets to Dive Hard with your Vengeance." She said, her eyes looking firm and determined, Jaune's hand still holding hers, as she pulled her wallet out and paid. He gave her a look, yet her stern face told him to leave it there.

The cashier only gave them a passing glance, as two tickets were handed to him. "Enjoy the movie."

The late afternoon showing was pretty populated, his eyes catching several kids around his age, civilian definitely by the attire that they wore, his eyes glancing through the upper rows before coming to a halt on the seats that were allotted to them.

"Hey honey? Do you want some popcorn?" The term of endearment was something that 'cemented' their relationship in the public eye, speaking the word so easily that her smile was as bright as the sun. It made him realize just how lucky he was to have known this woman, who had given Weiss that smile through the power of inheritance.

The snacks section was good enough, even as Whitney nodded. "I'd like some salted, if you'd care to get us a bucket? Oh, and don't forget the drinks. Whatever you think is right." He let his attention linger on her rear as she walked towards the seat, his gaze watching those tight buttocks, well-aware that below the dress, laid an expanse of land that was his, at least as long as she allowed it.

The large bucket of salted popcorn that he had purchased was enough for the two of them, the two large beakers of pepschnee that had come with it something that was an additional treat, his steps not hurrying in the slightest, even as he went to the seat, Whitney already relaxing there, her legs crossed, her attention right on him. "I love you." The words were genuine and from the heart, even though the others, who might feel similarly, should refrain from saying such things, due to public perception.

Playboys weren't well-received, he'd heard. The population of Remnant was a dwindling supply, after all… One had to make sure that the resources were not strained to exhaustion.

As the advertisements started, he could hear the shuffling on the row behind them, hearing someone give a low sigh as they sat down. "Are you good, Viri?" The voice of a young man, faintly familiar to him, was picked up by his ears.

"Sure thing, Nep. It's good to be able to just come out here, without any people bothering us." The one named Viri was apparently a young man whose voice sounded a little brusque, comparing to the 'Nep' who spoke.

"It's not that bad as it was at Sanctum, Vir." His friend's words were soft, careful, introspective, as if it was something of a shared secret. "They don't look at friendships in the way that they look in Anima."

"So…" Whitney's voice whispered in his ear, as her hand grabbed the popcorn, her fingers tracing through the bucket. "Do you think there'll be a break in-between?" She had that teasing tone of voice, as her fingers continued to rummage in the bucket, even as her hand raised slightly, some butter-coated popcorn between them. "Come on Jaune… Taste em."

The way that she fed him would have been embarrassing, yet there was nobody who knew the two of them, nobody who was going to care. He could feel her fingers dip into his mouth, the taste of salt and butter mixing together even as his teeth bit into the popcorn, a low exhale following, as she smiled faintly. The darkness was hardly an obstacle to the two of them, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him roiled and bubbled. The emotions that came from the audience were a perfect training tool for his mind, as he felt their heavy emotions swirl.

He realized that he was suckling on her fingers, only for her to give a soft giggle. "My big strong man likes that, hmmm?" Her other hand shifted below, as her fingers seized a hold of his groin. "How about I make things… a bit harder on you?"

"White." Her nickname, as Kali used it, was enough, even as the imitation purr was like a call, her fingers sliding up and down. "Stop it." Her disappointed coo was enough to make his patience be tested, with his eyes going around, landing on the screen. "Afternoon screenings aren't good for that kind of stuff."

The hint that it wasn't appropriate seemed to make that hand slide up, teasing his bellybutton. "Guess we'll have to wait until tonight to get you a special surprise, hmm?" The hint was there, even as she blew in his ear, a giggle coming from her lips, clear and with that spirit of love and life in it.

The movie was alright, in his opinion. Not as 'amazing' as he had thought it would be, yet something that was alright. Whitney had been enthusiastic, as she had watched it, her eyes taking in the special effects. When the light came on, the empty bucket of popcorn sat in the side, his pepschnee nearly empty. "I think I need to go to the bathroom." He said, her eyes showing a perverse delight as her gaze went southward.

"Need me to hold it for you?" The comment would have been 'not done' in polite society, yet she seemed to revel in it, as she leaned closer to kiss him on the lips. "I'm able to manage."

He strode into the men's room, taking up one of the urinal and doing his business. As he made for the washbasin, a familiar shock of blue hair came to his view. The goggles were a good indicator as well, so he couldn't help but speak up. "Neptune?" The huntsman in training stopped, as he was about to take one of the urinals for himself, undoubtedly in need of some relief himself.

"John! It's nice to see you!" The joy in the voice of the young man wasn't faked, as a smile popped onto his face. "Let me just do my business, I really have to go." Jaune nodded.

"I'll wait outside. We should catch up." Jaune said, as he went to join Whitney, who was leaning against one of the pillars. He could see a guy with a ponytail and dark brown hair stand leaning against a pillow, one of the jackets with the Mistralian Hawks emblem on it showing which team he supported, a set of sunglasses half-way pushed into his hair.

"Hey honey." He said to Whitney, even as she straightened out. "You'll never guess who I ran into?" Whitney's look of ill amusement was poignant, as she indicated the toilet with a nod in that direction. "Neptune Vasilias." The name was something that must've stuck, because Jaune had nearly forgotten it. She spoke it as if it were a curse.

"Yeah? What're you ragging on about my friend, Lady?" The pony-tailed teenager looked offended, Whitney's head turning in his direction.

"An earlier encounter, nothing of your interest, boy." The curt response was enough, the door to the men's room opening up and Neptune emerging there without any sort of aplomb.

"John! Come, bro-hug!" Jaune realized that he was being hugged a moment afterwards, Whitney giving a sound like she was being strangled (one sound that he rather would not hear), as the tall guy moved back. "This is my friend John, Viri."

Jaune did not bother correcting the name, as it would be a hassle to explain that it was spoken in a Valean fashion, the brunette giving him a look that was… critical. "I don't like you." Came the short answer, even as Neptune's face well.

"Now don't give me that, Viri. You know that you won't be replaced." The finger that pointed at Jaune was enough, even as the guy named 'Viri' pointed.

"Blonde hair, that cute face that just makes you want to snatch it up and kiss it, as well as having one streak of hair be white, like some cool star? Nep, if I didn't think better, I'd think that you were-" Neptune made a shushing noise then, looking around nervously.

"You up for dinner, John? Is this…" Whitney stepped forwards as she was spotted by Neptune, Viri's comments left unheard.

"Esmeralda, yes. No, I am still not planning on dating you." The woman's voice was icy, as she grabbed a hold of Jaune's arm. "We're dating."

The thumbs-up and smile was enough, even as Neptune's eyes showed happiness. "That's great news! I was wondering when you were going to tie the knot." The look on Whitney's face did not change in the slightest, as Neptune gave her a once-over, turning subarctic in intensity. "And you've gone blonde as well."

Esmeralda paused, her lips pressed together. "I worked as a Whitney Schnee body double for a short stint. The woman was a nightmare, always drinking and having to act erratic like that was…" She made a sound as if it were a distasteful thing, to which Neptune nodded.

"How about we go out for dinner, together? Viri, you're cool with that as well, right?" The hesitant nod, and the eyes that looked at him held a hint of danger.

"Yes." The young man was undoubtedly a little awkward around the two of them, Jaune figured, as Whitney held his arm with a grip that would be painful if it had not been for his Aura.

They found themselves seated at a little quaint diner at the main promenade, the hearty Valean food put in front of them, Whitney and him occupying one side, with Viri and Neptune on the other. "So, I was going in like 'Woah!' and then Sun was like 'I got you dude!' and he swung me around, right until Scarl was like 'Watch out!'" Neptune's enthusiastic retelling of one of his missions was enough to put a smile on Jaune's face, even though Whitney seemed to merely regard the two of them with a look that was nothing if not calm.

"You always were cool, Nep." Viri said, even as he took a slice of the pizza, which was one of those cultural delicacies that could be found everywhere. "I'm lucky to have you."

Neptune grinned back, giving him a cocky wink. Jaune thought that it looked better than the fake attitude that he seemed to have back in Mistral. "I've always got your back, Viri. No matter what they will say, I won't be leaving you high and dry when it's gotten down to it."

"You are in a relationship, yes?" His head turned to look at Whitney, who glanced at him. "Mistral is conservative as far as it comes to the culture of homosexuality, due to the Great War. Before the Great War, pederasty was practised amongst the upper class, a somewhat obscure sort of mentoring… and I am assuming that the two of you are attempting to hide your own predilections?" The cool assessment of what their behaviour might be, did explain Viri's attitude.

"N-" Neptune was about to speak, yet Viri spoke up.

"Nep, she's hit the nail on the head. I don't want to have to act like a cheap copy of you… Gods know, my team is half from Mistral… It'd be brutal if they found out, but…" Here the young man seemed to come to a conclusion. "For you, it's worth it."

"So, do you want us to be official… Instead of hiding it?" Whitney's hand grabbed his thigh and her fingers buried inside him, her emotions swirling, even as she leaned to his side and kissed his neck. Her thoughts, clear as could be, reached his mind – **"Do not do something like that to us."** –, an impression that she showed, even as her gaze returned to the two.

"I'm…" Neptune floundered, his cheeks turning rosy red. "Yeah… Scarlet already is open about his sexuality, so I guess…" The sigh was testily, even as he looked at Jaune. "Not a word about this to anyone, y'know? Unless we're like… official-official. I'm not sure how they'll take it."

"No matter what, I won't tell someone else." The words were said easily, yet he knew that this was a vulnerability that could be exploited. Neptune was on a team from Haven. People could put pressure on him. _'The seed has to spread, for humanity to survive.'_

"I guess I should introduce myself. Viridian Wisteria, member of team PRWN." The introduction was good enough for him, even as he reached across the table to shake the other guy's hand. "You know Neptune already, so he doesn't need any introductions…"

"Esmeralda Gele. Body double, Huntress, owner of this cute guy's butt." The statement that she owned him was both heartwarming and doubtful, her eyes glinting slightly as she fixed Viridian with a death glare. "Touch it and you die." When the rifle had been put into sight he did not know, yet Viridian gulped at the threat, even as he sent a nervous glance at Neptune. Jaune coughed, giving the name of Jaune Arcadia. He made sure to keep the Jaune spoken like 'John', as drawing more attention to him would be bad.

"S-so…" Neptune started, as he gazed nervously at the woman. "You two are together, right?" Whitney nodded. It was a simple nod, nothing lethal meant… yet the click-hiss of the Dust round inserted did not fill anyone with great confidence.

"Almost for two weeks now. Another of our companions will have her time soon." He looked at her, narrowing his eyes as he thought about Kali. _'She can't mean…'_

"How do you mean? Are you… scheduling me in for sex?" The woman nodded, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I can't believe this…"

"We have needs, sweetie. If the kitty isn't stuffed, you're fucked." The double meaning was definitely more than innuendo, as he could imagine it already. One bed, a set of ropes and two aroused moms of people he knew, about to do horrible sexy things to him. _'And I thought the thing with her tongue was erotic enough…'_

"Well… Can you keep it between you two? Mistralians aren't the kindest towards such things." Neptune pleaded once more, his eyes looking imploringly at Jaune. The plea to be accepted was one that Jaune could understand perfectly.

"I feel like a monster every day, Neptune. If you're asking for my acceptance… please accept me for the monster that I am." His words could be interpreted as loathing, Neptune's face showing some concern still, his eyes difficult in their expression.

"I guess I'll accept you. That's what friends do, right?" The handshake was but a first gesture, even as it lasted for a short while. The smile on his face said enough, even as Viridian stiffly shook his hand.

"You know… If you're ever interested…" The clearing of Whitney's throat and the sharp knife that suddenly found itself lodged in the pizza, as well as the killer glare that she levelled at Neptune's face, clearly indicated that such an option would not be allowed.

"I'll have you all to myself, Nep." The warmth in Viridian's voice made Jaune give a little mental 'aww', as he saw the tender look on Neptune's face, the gentle touch of Viridian's hand through Neptune's hair almost like a remembrance of the beautiful woman who sat next to him.

"Hey, hey… No play at the table." Neptune said, his voice oddly choked. It was as if the bonds had loosened and he looked away. "We should keep that for tonight." The blush on Viridian's cheeks was enough to make Jaune look at Whitney, whose gaze was directed to him.

"Yep. You're getting made love to." She said, as if it were completely normal. _'Like most nights…'_ Of course, they hadn't done a thing since getting to Ruby's dad's house. That would just be rude. Summer spoke up then – _"Make love, make love, fuck her in the ass, make mommy love! Naa-naa-nah-naaah-naaahhh."_ – her voice with the soft encouragement, once more making him aware that there was something really wrong with her.

"Hey… We're going to get to another eh… place. They're showing a movie about eh… some of our interests. Not something you'd be wanting to see." The stammer was enough, as Neptune clearly was uncomfortable discussing it so boldly.

"Have a great time, guys." Jaune smiled, even as he watched the two get up. Paying for the pizza and finishing it, he felt Whitney's hand on his leg, squeezing it lightly.

"You just turned me on, you sexy little monster."Her voice was sultry and with that breathy, needy tone, leaning against him and suckling on his earlobe, a long tongue sliding over it. "I think… I think I'm going to be the innocent princess, held captive by a monster man tonight…"

Her voice was teasing, sensual and her tongue continued to slither up and down that earlobe, bringing with it the delicate sensation of the saliva dripping down his neck, her fingers sliding down, below the table. "Would you be requiring something else?" The voice of one of the servers caught his attention and he flushed.

"We're done here." Whitney smirked, as she pecked his cheek. "Well…" Her eyes twinkled. "I am. Are you?"

"Y-yes." He said, as he looked at her with a cross look, the server excusing herself, as they continued their round, getting up after he had quietened down a little below the belt. "You, my lady, are dangerous."

"I'm counting on it. The whole reputation of being an evil cold-hearted bitch does need something like that." She winked, as she took his hand like a dutiful wife/girlfriend, leading him along.

Arriving back at their hotel room, he opened the door to find a naked Sienna being chased by an equally naked Kali, the latter holding a pillow, even as both froze mid-stride, looking at him for a moment, and then, Kali's pillow hit Sienna's head. "So… How was your little date?" Sienna just made a mortified scream, muffled by the pillow, diving for the bed that had her bag on it and slipping on a shirt and a set of underwear.

Kali looked a little amused, taking a pose of 'I am a smug cat', as she bent over, baring herself to him, as she rummaged for a shirt. "It was… good." He said, as Kali dressed herself lazily. _'I'm sorry Blake, but DAMN… That's one FINE ass.'_

"Get on the bed, Jaune." Whitney's voice was demanding, as she pressed him against the bed. "I am going to fuck you so hard that you'll be pissing powder for the next morning." The taunt was not something that he would normally understand, save for the fact that he was going to get screwed.

He welcomed that. Whitney was definitely a very fine woman, even as the door shut with a 'Thump' and the dress lifted to expose the underwear that she'd worn, the full breasts pushing against the brassiere, as her underwear was enough. "Now…" Her voice held a fire in it, as she pressed him against the bed, a push sending him onto it.

She followed suit, taking to a knee as her fingers nearly tore the belt buckle off. "Time to get some cream. These pussies here don't get some… So it's time for me to see what the big bad monster has in store for me."

He swore that he saw Sienna take a quick look, even though her attention turned to the Scroll a moment later, holding it up to get better connectivity. Kali… well, she was currently watching and observing, those amber eyes taking note of everything, even as that tongue danced over her lips.

His eyes closed, even as warmth happened to settle down on his loins. _'Ahh… This is the moment when life hands you good things.'_

* * *

 _The Needs of Many (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

Her fingers ceased their typing as she looked at the arrangement of the forms, the meeting long-since done, her eyes staring at a single line that was on the requisition form for leave. There was only one more file left to work on, before she could call it a night.

"Professor Goodwitch?" The soft voice came from the door, her eyes looking up, as she saw Ruby Rose stand in the door opening. "Can I have a moment, please?" She shut the file down, after tapping away on the dotted line, the inspiration for that single line of text given, by the sudden intrusion.

"Of course, Miss Rose." The formal tone was short, yet not unreasonable, the girl taking the seat in front of her desk. With the acuity that she had about her, young Ruby Rose would be only thought of as a child if she did not wear the uniform of Beacon Academy, her voice childlike, yet her desire to be a Huntress something that was unfaltering.

"I… You see, it's about a small expedition into Vale." Another moment lost. A moment that could not easily be regained. She narrowed her gaze behind her glasses. "No, nothing that will end up with going boom!"

She had her personal doubts about that. It was something that seemed to be odd and unwieldy, given the time that she had. "Just… permission. Weiss' grandpa said that he would be willing to take us shopping, so… eh, I figured 'Let's do the responsible thing and inquire with professor Goodwitch!'. So… eh…" The girl looked lost.

The glasses she gently pulled off her nose and buffed them up with the special cloth for that, the smell of the cleaning agent acrid to her nose, yet her vision restored swiftly. "You wish to ask for permission to leave the Academy grounds and enjoy yourself with your team?" Her tone was barely higher than her normal register of speaking, as she watched the girl squirm.

"Yes? Maybe… I kind of need new bras… I've been growing a little, so they don't fit as well as they should, and Ruby tells me that I'll be a busty little chick, though I'm not sure what that means, but hey, I just figured I'd ask, so you might be upset and not just do that evil stare thing, like you are doing right now." The girl took a moment to breathe, the flood of words resembling something that was barely comprehensible. "But I really need some, not to give Weiss a bad feeling, because she doesn't really have all that much compared to me, but I need some support, or else Crescent Rose's kickback will really start to hurt, it's the ballistics, you see, it's always going to just go like 'BLAM' and then you'll have a bruise on your flesh because of the recoil."

"Miss Rose…" The girl shut up immediately like a good obedient student should. Her eyes glinted, as the lips pushed themselves into what was one of the kindest smiles possible. "It is not something that is an issue. Mister Schnee has already filed the appropriate papers requesting for the leave of your team from Beacon Academy's grounds. I was young once too, even if you can hardly imagine it."

The shocked 'Really?!' she took no offence to. Girls at Ruby's age did not know the issue of bad support yet, which was both a blessing and a curse. "By all means, do have a good time with your team, Miss Rose. Consider the matter approved of."

The fist-pump and the little squeal was entirely too gratifying for her to see. She looked down at her own bust, a little nod given to herself. _'Proper support is needed… and the members of team RWBY are under some serious stress.'_

The faculty, as it was, kept a close eye on the students, as they were. The sessions with Blake and Yang had been discussed at length with her, in her function as the assistant to Professor Ozpin, the man's own hand in the proceedings murkier than anything she could witness, yet his dedication was undoubtedly felt. _'No matter… I hope that this will assist cohesion.'_

Chemical suppressants were only prescribed if there was absolutely no chance of recovery and the team was cleared for duty. Semblances that involved mental states were medicated as well, if they involved heavy taxing of the mind's ability to process things. Her own, telekinesis, was taxing, yet she had it under control. There was no need for her to be medicated. Ozpin had said so himself.

' _I have to put my faith in him… James is here for a good reason, after all… We still haven't found whoever attacked the Fall Maiden or the one who seized the Relic from Haven's Vault.'_

* * *

 **Viridian was always intended to be gay from the inception of the character. Neptune was always intended to be gay in this universe(I make no aspersions to his canon sexuality). Viridian is a lot of bluster in public, yet when in private, a lot more insecure. I'm probably getting some 'Representation' reviews about this… But screw it. I put thought in how things happen in A Grimm Tale. A lot of people leave a snarky review, saying that it's the most boring thing they've ever read. I'm writing this for the people who DO like to read something nice.**

 **And ZenithTempest – He will make it to the final chapter. I cannot verify his complete bodily integrity or sanity, but he's not dropping dead before Volume VII.**

 **NEXT TIME ON A GRIMM TALE: Kali gets an assignment. The Yang Conundrum. Torchwick. Jaune meeting an old acquaintance.**


	37. Fellowship

**Chapter 37: Fellowship**

 **Another exciting chapter lies ahead.**

* * *

 _The steps towards the goal (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He woke slowly, his eyes opening up to see that Whitney had managed to crawl up on top of him again, her slumbering form at ease, even as he could feel her body shiver, a hand brushing through her hair, her eyes opening up, blue meeting blue and red. "I love you." She whispered to him, even as her eyes looked around through the darkened room.

She moved then, her leg brushing along his thigh, as she kissed over his naked chest, down. "How about I go and give you a little wakeup call, hmm?"The woman's eyes locked with his own, as her tongue slid over the muscles of his stomach, leaving a trail there.

"I'd rather have a chat." Kali's voice reached his ears, as Whitney stopped, right in the process of reaching her 'prize'. "If we can, that is." Her voice sounded confident, her eyes like glowing lights in the darkness, her hair brushed with a long brush, Sienna still passed out on her bed, snoring lightly. Her Faunus ears twitched, even as she made grabbing noises, her voice mumbling something about taking the ball.

"Of… of course." He allowed, as he watched carefully as Kali pushed herself off her bed, her feet light, as she looked at Whitney. Her hands touched, and Whitney continued, a feeling of warmth and distraction happening, even as a low moan came from the older woman.

"Jaune… I care for you." The woman's voice was soft, yet her eyes bore those feelings, as she looked at him. Whitney's little splutter came, as Kali 'aided' her friend, her eyes locked with his own. _'This is kind of hot.'_

"I want to see Blake. I **need** to see my daughter." The look on her face was serious, as she locked eyes with him, her hands still moving Whitney's head, as if the actions did not even phase her. "Can I… go? To Beacon, I mean. I can be quiet."

Whitney's hands were smacking at Kali's side, even as the Faunus woman's hands continued their motion, the pleasant and warm sensation turning a little more. "I'll love you like a woman should, if you do me this favour." It was an offer that was… exciting him. Enticing him. She was a pretty woman. A low growl came from Whitney's mouth, Kali looking down. "Didn't your mother teach you that it was impolite to swear with your mouth full?"

A dangerous sound, even as Whitney swallowed, warmth washing over his groin, even as a 'ughnee-kkk-liii!' sound came, Kali's hands still in motion. "Now… I'm not asking for an immediate visit, of course." Kali's voice was gentle, even as those eyes met with his own, Whitney still making sounds.

"I'd just like to see whether she is alright." Jaune could understand that. He wanted to see his team too, to check on how they were doing, to see whether they had been alright. _'It wouldn't be fair for me to do so whilst the others just… didn't.'_ He closed his eyes, even as the pleasant sensations continued.

"Hmm… Tonight?" He looked at the clock, which said that it was four in the morning. An early hour, at least… but it was more than enough for him to know that it would not be a great time to do something like a visit to Beacon. "Your power over shadows is more suited for night-time infiltrations, I think."

Kali's head gave a light now, even as her body was suddenly clad in shadows. "I can shift into the shadows, as well as use them to appear from another person's shadow, provided I know where the person is." That was a good thing, he supposed. There would of course be limitations to the whole technique, as it always seemed to be with a Semblance, yet… He was going to put his trust into her.

"Could you do me a favour as well?" He asked, even as he glanced at the pack that they'd set to the side of the room, his own pack still mostly packed, Whitney's arrangements pretty solid. "Give the picture to my teammate Lie Ren…" Kali nodded. "And tell them that I'd like to meet with them again. Remember… You're going into the lion's den. If Ozpin catches you…"

He felt uncertain, even as he felt the pleasant numbness shoot through his lower body, unsure of what he was feeling. _'Is this the right action? Am I going to be doing the right thing, unveiling myself to them once more and hoping that they will accept me back?'_ Kali gave him a look, releasing Whitney's head. The woman's head rose up, coughing lightly.

"You're a brat of a cat." The woman growled, her fingers running through her hair, Kali giving what amounted to a smile to Whitney.

"I bet you liked it, White. A set of hands holding you steady, letting you get what you needed." The Atlesian woman snorted, yet did not say anything against the statement. Jaune watched carefully how the white-haired woman smoothed her face out, her head descending once more.

"So… Jaune… You want me to tell them to meet with you? Do you have a plan for where?" She asked, her voice direct, her teeth visible as she bared them at him. Sienna gave a loud snore at that moment, Kali's head turning in that direction for a moment.

"Weren't there some abandoned warehouses that looked like they'd been through one hell of an explosion or something?" He inquired, remembering the burnt-out place. Perfect for an out-of-the-way meeting spot. It would not be strange to meet there. "I don't know what happened there, but…"

"They'll do." Kali said, her voice soft. "We'll have to work within the shadows in order to prevent them from assaulting you." The paranoid tone of her voice was both heartening as well as disconcerting, as Kali's eyes seemed to glow with a coldness that seemed to be but a fragment. "I'll go scout things out."

The woman strode into the shadows, disappearing after an instant. Jaune wondered whether that was something that should have been discussed beforehand, yet the mark of the _Vitae Tenebris_ laid upon her soul still, the pulse of the energy coming from further away now, even as she emerged into the world once more. The tenuous link between the two of them was still maintained, even with how the world seemed to bring it.

"Jaune…" Whitney's voice was soft, even as she pushed herself against him, mimicking some needy cat, her lips pressing against his chin. "When you see them again… What will you do?"

He didn't know. He had been so focused on returning to Beacon for a while that things had not been considered… and the thought about what Ozymandias Pinnacle would do to him bounced around in his mind. Whitney pressed against him, a gentle kiss delivered to his nose. "Please don't abandon us."

The plea was soft, yet it carried the woman's heart with it, her eyes looking at him sadly. "I know we are older, I know that we have… duties, perhaps, to do… But please…" Her voice sounded desperate, as she kissed his lips, her eyes meeting his own. "I don't know what to do without you, my lovely, wonderful Jaune."

It tore at him, as he realized that there was indeed the burden of his companions, his… acolytes. Kali and Sienna had been infused with the _Vitae Tenebris_ and given powers beyond the scope of normal beings, yet Whitney… Whitney had not received the baptism of his powers. "Jaune?" Her voice sounded wounded, an edge of desperation coating it, as her eyes shimmered with tears. "Please… don't leave us."

Another plea, as she kissed him once more. "Jaune… speak to me." Her voice was breaking, as the tears dripped onto his chest.

"Never." He said, meaning it. The rush of warmth that Whitney gave off, that happy joyful feeling, was something that warmed his body, as her kiss turned passionate and needy. "I'd never do something to my friends. To… The people that I love. Who love me."

Team JNPR were friends too. He might have only known them for a short while, and Pyrrha was kind of amazing, yet he knew that there was a bond there. Pyrrha had unlocked his Aura for him, had prevented Ozymandias Pinnacle from taking his very soul… and the man had known it, undoubtedly consigning him as a worthy sacrifice. _'The way that he thinks and moves his pawns on the board is so…'_

"I'd never give up on one who I love." She looked up at him from below, tears starting to come from those eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Something that was like a startled squeak mixed with a low moan, and her hands brushed over his body.

It was a look which would have scared others, those eyes looking at him as if he were the representation of a deity, someone who deserved worship, her words coming too fast to understand, as she started to rattle off words, her voice turning into a low murmur, even with her eyes locked with his own, her words crossing boundaries that she was subconsciously pushing aside, all for him. "Not an issue, I will even help you. All… all for you. No matter what." Her words were feverish and needy, as her fingers stroked over his body, her lips kissing his own.

"No matter what, I have made you into who you are now… I would never abandon family." A sound like a sob came from the side, Sienna's head looking up at him, her eyes looking misty and wet, as she slowly inhaled and exhaled. "Are you okay?"

The Faunus woman rubbed her eyes, her breathing a little heavier, a soft smile on her lips as her gaze slid down. "I don't really have much of a family… I'm sorry, you just reminded me of something someone said to me once." The emotions that rocked Sienna were grief and loss, yearning and hope, mixing together into what might be a brew of instability, her whole body tinted with the feelings that she felt, even as Whitney turned his head to face her again.

"We'll be a family…" Her voice sounded like it were considering. "Hmm…" Jaune wondered why her eyes had suddenly grown cold, even as she laughed, her fingers doing a little circular pattern on his chest. "We'll have to get rid of my husband first. Then…"

A grin came to her lips. "How would you like it if my daughters have to call you Daddy, Jaune?" Her eyes twinkled impishly, as her lips pressed to his nose. "Just imagine it… Pretty hot, no?" Her voice was seductive, and he knew the offer when he heard it. _'Weiss as an additional incentive…'_

The girl would not agree, given how cold her reception to his advances had been, how her personality had prevented him from even making headway into things. _'She would be aghast at the thought of me having sex with her mother.'_ Whitney was willing to experiment, and would not mind certain things, if he asked. He had inquired and she had done so, without any complaint. _'For some reason…'_

"Ooh… Someone likes that…" Whitney's sultry voice invaded his ears. "Do you want to fuck my daughter, Jaune? I've got two of them, you know…" Her voice was not like a loving mother, as she carelessly offered up her daughters, for his pleasure. Sienna made a soft sound, even as Whitney looked at her. "Oh, you too. You'd make a great fit for Winter… I'd want to see her gasp and groan as you rail her, Sienna."

He thought that he could see a flash of distaste in Sienna's eyes, even as she took a slow breath, seemingly calming herself. "When I said 'Fuck the Schnee', I didn't mean it literally. I quite prefer the company of men over women." Sienna's voice was clipped, even as Whitney laughed.

"I'll keep that option open… and if she disobeys me…" Whitney's voice was still for a moment, as she looked. "Hmm…" Her gaze slid back to Jaune. "How would you like to claim my daughter in the same fashion as you have claimed me?" He looked at her with a look. _'Does she mean… Like…'_

He could already imagine it. Whitney's eyes widened, even as she slid a leg over his waist, brushing against him. "Oh… Someone wants to drill deep in the Schnee mines…" Her voice sounded accepting of that, even as he swallowed. "I'll have to track her down, first… My eldest daughter isn't known for staying in one spot for a long while. Quite the uppity little brat, military… pfah."

"It's really not proper for me to go and be with your oldest daughter first…" He said, Whitney's hips meeting his own, a satisfied sound coming from her mouth. She reached down by the bed, pulling out a wrapper and tearing it open, her fingers working with a methodical skill to make sure that it stuck.

"Hmmhmm… I can understand that." The topic was shut down, as she moved her hips, the smack-slap-smack sound of their joined bodies sounding, even as her face was close to his own, those eyes staring down at him, as he seized her hips, giving her a return present, the woman's soft shudder telling him volumes about her enjoyment.

"I'm going for a shower." Sienna said, as she walked towards the shower, her sleepwear discarded, showing that rather fine rear as she stepped into the bathroom, no doubt getting under the shower, Whitney's face replacing his view.

"You want to fuck her too?" Her voice was soft, even as she crassly spoke such words, her hips giving a bit of a jerk, even as her eyes bored into his own. "Kali first. We made a promise." His hips gave a little bump, the woman giving a deep shuddering moan. "Fuck… You're going to take us all eventually… I don't think they'd want to be separated from this man."

He doubted that, really. He wasn't some sort of sex god that had stories written about his insane stamina and performance, although he did feel that he seemed to last a little longer than beforehand, Whitney's hips moving with little tugs, stimulating him. "I'm not that good." He said, trying to curb her enthusiasm.

"You're better than my husband was." Whitney said. "Sex for the purpose of recreation was never a thing with him." He couldn't imagine that, really, even as her body was so… sensual.

He had to admit that if he had to compare all the women who he had met, Whitney was in one of the top tiers, her maturity, knowledge and sheer ability to make sure that she got what she wanted keeping her in that upper class spot. Where Sienna was a ball of anger and frustration, tempered only by the desires that she had for her people to be free, Kali remained that motherly figure who wanted nothing but the best for him and the others.

He supposed that the ranking for women would change, the moment that they actually slept with him. Sex did have a wonderful effect on a man's system, it seemed. He certainly wasn't complaining. _'I just hope that we can come to some sort of schedule, if we do all end up in bed together…'_

It was any teenager's dream to have hot women cater to his every need in bed… and that his women were a pair of hot milfs that had a friendship and banter together, a Faunus woman who defined the words 'angry tiger' and one insane Summer Rose, well… that was just luck. Not that he'd ever try something with Summer, because her mania seemed to be something that could have her be affectionate one moment, with insanity following in the next.

It was a shuddering Whitney who laid on top of him nearly ten minutes later, her lips pressed to his own, her arms wrapped around him, even as her eyes shone with the warmth. "I love you." She mumbled, his own voice adding the same three words for her to hear.

It was a twisted relationship, if you looked at it from the outside, yet it made sense to him. No matter what happened… he would be there for them, no matter what. They were his responsibility, they were the mothers of his friends, even if those friends did not approve in the slightest… he still had to try his best to be the hero who would make them all feel safe.

' _The world… No matter what…_ ' The _Vitae Tenebris_ pulsated through him, even as his thoughts turned yet once more. _'It will accept us. Faunus, human… No matter what… We are the heroes.'_

* * *

 _The exploration (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She could feel the shadows around her, her Katar and Kris in her hands, even as she crept through the corners of the darkened space between buildings, the immaterial body that she had crafted as fragile to the light as it was strong within the dark. _**'Nothing lives here.'**_

The voice of the Semblance that belonged to her whispered, the dark tones bringing to her the thoughts of murder, bloodshed, reparations against the damages that had been wrought to her due to some fool's hand. One of the buildings had been totaled by the damage of some Dust container explosion, the remnants of the container having burst through the walls, the faint smell of exploded Dust crystal still in the air.

She crept closer towards one of the other buildings, her eyes catching sight of the camera that hung there, the light flickering on. A moment later, she flew through the shadows, her hands seizing a hold on the wall, her foot pushing against the camera in order to shift it away from the building, before she pulled herself back into the shadows. _**'Mere tricks… they know not to soak the blood within the shadows, to enlighten the morning with obscuring darkness.'**_

' _There had been a purpose to the tips and tricks that Sienna had taught me. I thought it stupid, but…'_ It wasn't like Sienna was a burglar by trade, yet in her actions as one of the more progressive members of the White Fang, she had been infiltrating places. _'Now to check out this place…'_

The inside of the warehouse was shadowed, the door barely an obstacle, as her shadowy form wormed itself through the darkness into the environment, the burning inside her body twisting and turning, as she righted herself once more, her eyes searching for camera's, coming to see the massive empty space, where there had once been Dust containers stacked together, the empty space perfect for holding a little reunion…

The windows that allowed light to stream in from the top were just enough to allow the place to be shadowed enough to allow her freedom of movement, a perfect little moment where she would be able to deal with the children if they proved not to be as accepting as Jaune feared… _'You always allow for a little moment of hope…'_

The hopes that had been extinguished within her with the death of a husband… _**'Never leave them alone… They would not be able to bear life without the Master…'**_ Her Semblance purred, even as her steps carried her further into the space, her eyes searching for camera's, finding little in the corners, or in the regular places where they would be active. _'No matter…'_

Betrayal… She knew it well. Sienna and her had been the only survivors of the ambush that had cost her a husband… She had brutally murdered the woman who had made an advance upon their Jaune, the one who had calmed the torrential rain of sorrow that had swallowed her and drowned her. _**'You crave his touch… The lust-bearer takes his pleasure daily, yet you wish to join in…'**_ The pain that he would suffer when betrayed was something that she knew… The fear of being disliked for her thoughts, the fear of others for the safety of their loved ones…

She glanced at the small office in the back, her body blurring in the shadows, appearing within. Her eyes caught sight of a schedule, a small note written in cursive about the site being abandoned until the next month due to the police investigation… _'That's useful.'_

She knew well that the humans always yearned for caution… Yet this place would be perfect for a meeting between friends. Empty. The shadows could hide their presence whilst His friends met with him… _'And if they shun him for his powers…'_

She was not a cold woman by nature, yet she knew well that they would be dead before they could muster a defence… _´I will not let you suffer, Jaune…'_ The pain would fade. She could feel the love inside her slowly throb still for her husband, who laid buried in a far-off place. She was nothing without Jaune…

Thick cloying strands of darkness pumped through her heart, the Semblance that belonged to her like a tonic, the strands of meaning bringing her the pleasure… even as they brought her the pain. _'No matter what…'_ The blood that would coat her weapons would bring once more the burden of killing to her shoulders, yet… she would kill if need be. _'For Blake and for Jaune… I can kill.'_

It was her sacrifice to the world, to take up her weapons and to kill. _'Pacifism… What has that brought us, Ghira? I can see Sienna's views…'_ The face of a woman came to her mind, standing before the organization and looking proud whilst she spoke about her vision for the White Fang. The hope of her people, her husband's relieved sigh once it was all over and the change had been made…

" _Do we really have to part on such terms?" Looking at the man, as he shook his head. "She could be alright, in the future. It would take some time, seeing what's happened but…" The man's eyes were like pieces of chipped ice, cold and distant, even as he turned around, seemingly not wishing to look at her._

" _We're leaving. You know the deal, Belladonna." The words had been cold, even as the other Huntsman tightened the grip on the handle. "We'll…" A look down, before the man's head turned to her again. "Perhaps. Khan will do, I reckon. She's got some spirit in her." The man's voice clearly told what he thought of Sienna, disdain and anger in his voice. It was the human reaction, towards those of her kind._

" _I apologize for the radical change in leadership. Please, convey our heartfelt apologies to Mistral when you go back." The man's face did not change as her husband pleaded, the diplomatic scandal already enough. 'Those poor families…'_

" _Ghira, you are a good man." The man's voice spoke as if he were sure that he himself did not belong to that branch. Kali thought that to be rubbish. The man was a loving father to his children, or so she had heard. "I don't hold it against you. These things happen." The sound of his voice distracted her for a moment, watching the pier, the vessel that'd been commissioned to take the Huntsmen back waiting or them. "The diplomat sent to you was unharmed." The words sounded hollow._

 _She had wanted to say something, to do something, yet she could only squeeze a shoulder, the man's lips thinning lightly as her effort of support had gone unheeded. "Good… Goodbye." Sienna's voice sounded soft, young and small, even as she appeared, still wearing the garb of the High Leader. A soft rasping sound was heard, even as Sienna stilled._

" _Goodbye." The man's voice was curt, even as he walked up the ramp, the other Huntsman pushing the cart with their gear up the ramp._

" _Why…" She could hear Sienna's voice, even as she saw the Huntsmen disappear into the cabin that'd been assigned to them. "Why would it be like this?"_

 _She had no answer for Sienna to listen to, no words of comfort at that time. "We'll call once they have reached Mistral. It isn't a bad thing to wait a while, maybe tempers will be soothed." A futile hope, even as Sienna hugged her, a gesture that was more apt for a child than for the proud leader of the White Fang. 'You're such an open-hearted girl with passion for our situation, Sienna…'_

She shook herself out of a daze, the memory fading from her mind's eye, realizing that it had become morning already and the shadows were starting to quiver, her Semblance's work starting to fade, as soon as the sunlight hit her. _'Sunlight is bad…'_

She could feel the rays of the sun stream on her flesh, the shadows around her losing consistency, even as she shrank back into the darkness. _'So… it'll be better to try things during the night or indoors…'_

She slipped out of the warehouse, lurking in the shadows once more as she proceeded to head out of the district, coming across a discarded White Fang mask, laid in a grungy corner of one of the burnt sections of the warehouses. Picking it up and tucking it away in her outfit, she kept an eye out for anyone who would intrude on her reconnaissance, aware that there was a space for them to meet up now, if Jaune continued with the plan as he had. _'The mask would allow me some security in my identity… I wonder whether Sienna will laugh when I show her it.'_

White Fang masks had been produced only by a few people with the skill to work metal and porcelain in such a fashion that it shrouded the features, allowing those who wished to make a change to work when the mask was off, as Faunus features, unless it was some sort of trait that was really visible, would be easily hidden from facial recognition software due to the mask. _'Donning the mask of the radicals… Ghira would be disapproving of this…'_

She would defend her friends though. White was not a woman who leaned towards the side of killing an slaughter, so she would be the one who would guard White and Sienna when it came down to it. _'The power inside me needs to flow…'_

She slipped into the crowd of people without a wisp of doubt, her body lost in the people going from point A to point B, slipping into the back alleys a moment later, darting through the streets with the speed of youth, even as she let her senses explore outwards, the shadows calling to her. One step into the shadows and she had warped ahead, moving with the speed of something truly supernatural, her feet kicking off one of the walls as she rose up, her agility heightened not only by her power, yet also through her Faunus traits.

' _We are superior to humans in a fashion…'_ She moved with grace, flipping over one of the low walls that separated a building from the other, her feet lightly touching down on the ground once more as she continued, the inertia only momentary, as she whipped through the fading darkness once more, her feet carrying her onwards, straight to her destination. Her eyes caught the time, eight in the morning, which was more than enough for some breakfast.

Dropping down in an alley, barely rustled by the fall, she allowed herself the moment to brush herself off before she strode up to the hotel once more, her hand brushing through her hair, straightening it out a little. She could not say that it was as long as Blake's, but it was going that way in some increments, yes. Her eyes caught sight of the desk clerk, who merely looked up. "Found what you were looking for?" The man asked, to which she did not deign to give a response, knowing well that the man was distrustful of her kind. It was not something that she would acknowledge.

The sounds of guttural grunts and other lovemaking were audible in the other rooms of the hotel, the rest stop for plenty who cared to have a casual fling, her ears casually plucking the screams and moans out of the din, as men and women peddled their relationships like they were but candy, handed out to those who craved such sweetness. Knocking on the door once, she was greeted by a surly-looking Sienna, who seemed to have taken a shower, if her smell was any indication.

"You should wait to take a shower. Jaune and his woman are in it." The woman's eyes were shrouded, as she walked back to the bed and threw herself on it. Pulling the mask out of one of her pockets, she tossed it at Sienna.

"Look what I found in the docks section." Sienna held up the mask, making a light tutting noise. "It should be good for hiding my identity, right?" Sienna merely stared it it, as Kali put the mask on. It fit, a little awkwardly perhaps, made for a bigger brow than she had, but it definitely fit.

A door moved and she turned her head, spotting Jaune getting out of the shower, a smug-looking Whitney following behind him, her hair done up with a towel, her eyes glinting slightly in the light of the lamp. _'Let's see whether he likes it.'_

"Get on the bed, Human. Your tight little booty is now White Fang property." She did her best, really, to put authority in her voice, yet it only made Sienna laugh, the sound definitely a good one.

"Is that some sort of kinky roleplay?" Jaune inquired, Sienna's laugh increasing in volume.

"The White Fang is the organization that we belonged to. They went slightly anti-human under Sienna's leadership. Mating with a human is… well, pretty much one of the things that gets you blacklisted." Kali clarified, even as she pulled the mask off. It was attached with a small band behind the head, keeping it in its proper place. _'I should make it a little better fitting.'_

"Oh. I guess that is… nice? Is it?" Whitney kissed Jaune then to silence him, even as her gaze went to the mask.

"I want to borrow that." Her voice was demanding, like some petulant child would. "I have a use for that." Kali could guess what sort of use that was, giving a small smile, as she nudged Sienna.

"She's going to play 'break the human', Sienna… Should we be taking the night off?" The cross look on Sienna's face definitely spoke volumes about what Sienna's stance on such a thing was. _'Oh… I guess we'll have to play something a little different than that… I want my first time with Jaune to be… well, pretty darn great. Maybe I should get something nice, lingerie-wise…'_

It was perhaps a slippery slope that she was sliding down now, even as she looked at the young man being dragged into the bed with White once more, her eyes following her friend's manner, as Sienna cleared her throat. "I would like to have breakfast." White's head turned to Sienna, the look on her face more than a little annoyed with the Faunus. _'Yep… You don't get between White and what's hers.'_

"Then we'll have breakfast." Jaune said, seemingly relieved, even as Kali pulled herself into the shower, leaving a parting – "Back in five minutes!" – to them, as she entered the steamy confines of the bathroom, entering the shower after shedding her clothes, the water washing away the thoughts, emerging from the bathroom wearing only a towel ten minutes later.

She could see Whitney already properly dressed in a long sundress, the rifle at her side, ready to be put to use, Jaune's own adjustment of his weapon on his back taking place, even as Sienna looked like she had swallowed a lemon. "I do NOT agree with that! It was bad enough to watch!"

' _I think I'm missing half of the conversation…'_ Whitney shrugged, making a sound in the back of her throat. "You can at least help out when it is requested! That is what any decent person would do!" Jaune looked a little uncomfortable, even as the two other women started to bicker on.

"Problems in paradise?" She asked, as she dropped the towel. A rush of warmth ran over her body as his eyes looked her over, like a prize that he laid eyes on. She shifted her weight to her right side, her hip moving slightly. "Or are you just distracted by little ol' me?"

He gathered himself. "Just… silly stuff. Whitney was asking whether she'd like to wash my body next time." Kali raised an eyebrow, as she didn't quite see where the problem laid with that. "Tongue-only."

' _Ah, that WOULD be a bit of an issue, yes.'_ She wasn't AVERSE to licking skin, she'd done it plenty when Blake was just a little girl, yet she knew that others would look oddly upon her for doing such a thing. _'Faunus customs are not quite as useful as Human ones… Although we do keep to them in the privacy of our own homes.'_

Some of their more animalistic behaviours just came from their trait, which was both a hindrance as well as a blessing. Night vision was great, yet having the urge to chase moving lights was something that she had trained herself not to do. Sienna had a few traits that were not readily apparent from the way that she carried herself, the curling up habit that she had when alone in a bed something that was pretty 'Sienna-ish' for her.

"We do that sometimes to little kittens." She paused. The term might give… unsavoury images. "Sons and daughters." She clarified, not sure whether he would catch the term. Since some people kept cats as pets, she didn't want him to think that she licked cats. That would be ew. "It's something that we've inherited from our trait… most feline-based Faunus have such a habit. We like to lick our partner and our friends."

It was not knowledge that was spread widely, in any case. "See? Kali said it! So, will you do it?" Sienna bristled, Kali noticing that Sienna's eyes blazed. Whitney had been crude for even offering it.

"I am not going to DEMEAN myself before a human, you hopped-up lust-drunk tart! I have STANDARDS!" Sienna's words were irate and angry, those eyes blazing, Kali feeling the indignation of Sienna rise. _'The pride of Sienna would be something that would spell her doom…'_

"Now, if you DO need a hand with grooming our lovely Lord Jaune… I will hold myself available." The underwear that she slipped on fit nicely, even as the bra and top fit swiftly, a long yawn making her feel the need for sleep once more. _'I really should rest more.'_ "I don't mind grooming a man."

Jaune looked at her with a look that was half-serious, half-amused, shaking his head. "No, I don't need to be licked clean. I'm not filthy…" He tried to deflect, Sienna's attention coming to rest on him.

"As you should! That is only reserved for husbands!" The words slipped out and Sienna froze up, her eyes widening even more. _'Oops… Said something that you shouldn't have, Sienna…'_ She knew well how Sienna thought about marriage and relationships and the like. If she had made a promise, she would keep to it, even if it harmed her own body and health. She was a stubborn little kitten to Kali's eyes… yet it was sweet that she would do such a thing for a husband.

"Oho… Perhaps we should get you married to Jaune then, hmm?" Kali teased, Sienna's cheeks flushing. The nervous glance at Jaune showed a fragility that passed when the eyes rested on her. "Does Sienna want to wear white, only to have it be torn off by his hands as the threshold is crossed and the dress stained?"

"Kaliiiiii~!" The whine of Sienna was pitiful, as a pillow was thrown at her. It was perhaps a recollection of the pillow fight of last night, yet she knew that the embarrassment was enough to derail the conversation.

"Oh, I can just imagine it. Sienna Khan, lovely kitten of mine, decked out in white… You'll look so nice all cuddled up to Jaune." The young woman blushed, her gaze resting on Jaune. It was an odd sort of like in those eyes, as if the world had been something that had been torn open and something else thrust into its hollow shell to fill it. "But… I go first."

"You want to marry him?" Sienna asked, Jaune making a strangled sound, Kali continuing to dress. The jacket would need to be replaced, she figured. Something a bit more fitting for a teenager… But that would mean actually going to shop. _'I can do that. It would be nice to get some clothes that actually make me look more like a teenager. I've got the looks of someone in their late teens, after all.'_

"No, I want to fuck him. I want to have him give me the same treatment as White gets." The woman raised an eyebrow, not speaking a word, even as Jaune gave her a strange look. "Oh, don't you dare give me that look! She looks like she's hitting the clouds when you fuck her! We've been cooped up in a room for a day or so and don't think that I didn't hear her squeal! Just because I am her age, doesn't mean that my sex drive is that badly off that I can't find the thought of getting fucked appealing!"

It was silly that some people thought that sexuality stopped at age thirty-five or something. If Ghira had not died, she would have entertained the thought of a threesome with White at the very LEAST… but well, that was now out of the window. Sienna looked at her with surprise on her face. "Yes, like those books that you liked to read. The full deal, with a lot more screaming and squealing."

Sienna turned slightly redder in the face, as her gaze dropped. "And I mean that, Jaune. White has you for another week and then I will be getting some of that." Her eyes dropped to his groin, nakedly looking at him without shame. _'Because I am fed up with listening to White groan and moan about how good it is to make love.'_

Her Semblance whispered interesting prospects to her mind, as she licked her lips. The prospect of the shadowy clones aiding her in keeping him down and allowing her to take her liberty with him was… definitely appealing. _'I wonder if I can find a proper kunoichi outfit somewhere…'_

"Breakfast, please?" Sienna said, clearing the air. Jaune looked away from her, still slightly embarrassed, the knowledge that she was into him in such a fashion no doubt adding some boyish glee about being desired by women to him. _'No matter what happens… We'll be your Acolytes. We will make sure that your smile never dims, even if we have to kill the whole world for you.'_

A dutiful woman ensured that her household was kept safe for her husband, even if she had to wield weapons of death and war.

* * *

 _The new fad (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

"Hey Prof Jerry!" She greeted the man, seating herself in the seat in front of the desk whilst the man sat behind it, busy with something on paper. Professor Peach was lazily draped over the couch, the smell of some heavy perfume on her, her head lolling slightly, as she dazedly looked at her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Xiao-Long." The man said, and Professor Peach seemed to startle awake.

"Fuzzy, I catch you leering at those tits once and I'll cut your gonads out." Yang did not find the commentary between the two professors to be too crude or distracting. Whatever was going on between those two, it definitely had to do with the fact that they were of differing species. _'No doubt Professor Peach's got some sort of weird hang-up with Faunus men. Maybe she was dumped by one?'_

It wasn't any of her business, even as the man retorted calmly – "I'm sure that you'll be eating them with some pepper, given your rather salty temperament." – as he put the last touch to the paper in front of him. "Have there been more incidents with Blake?"

She felt the weight settle onto her shoulders once again, knowing that such a private question was being asked… and yet she answered it. "She's been a good girl." Dehumanizing, those words were, yet it was the truth. Yang was not someone who minced words, in her own reckoning. "No great issues that cropped up. We cuddled a little on my bed last night after we did our homework."

It was intimate, yet she felt more kinship towards Blake now than before, when it had been love… or perhaps mere affection. To wake up in the morning to find Blake's tongue diving into her and shuddering in her own release was something that she did not mind, yet her partner's health and mental stability… she could work with that. "Are there any changes thus far? We only see you two during one hour, so…"

The man's question made sense. Yang wondered briefly whether she would be giving the same questions later on if she were in the same line of work as the man was, his eyes looking at her. "Generally… She's okay-ish. A bit more gloomy and shut-off from the world than usually is the case, but she's talking to Weiss a little more now, and Ruby." She smiled involuntarily. Nobody could really worry about her little sister, she was just too much of a cutie to really ignore or deny.

There was always the threat of boys around… but Beacon thankfully was a girls-majority school! Sure, there were a few girls that continued to gossip around her about her sister's lack of curves, but those had been pointedly educated in the art of keeping their trap shut.

"Are you happy with her reaching out to your teammates?" The question took her by surprise, her brow furrowing. _'Do I feel happy that she's talking to others?'_ The feelings inside her were a mess, as she looked at the man, whose face looked clearly with interest at her, or more poignantly, at her facial features. The question ran through her mind.

 _Blake talking to Weiss, giving her one of those muted looks of perhaps gratefulness. A little talk with Ruby joining in about proper weapon maintenance, Blake's lips slightly quirking into a smile involuntarily. Looking into her partner's eyes as she hugged her, aware that there was something broken and twisted inside._

"No." She said, surprising herself. _'Why did I say that? What is wrong with me?'_ "I don't like it at all." The man nodded. He made a little note on the writing pad in front of him, as his gaze lifted once more from the paper.

"Could you tell me why?" His voice sounded so soothing, so trustworthy, that she took a deep breath. She felt small, worming her way into the chair like a naughty girl who had been caught doing something that she shouldn't have, looking at the built man opposite of her. _'Why do I feel like this?'_

"Because she's mine! She's _MY_ partner! She shouldn't be… I dunno, abandoning _ME_ for _THEM_!" She was shouting, she knew. Her eyes were wide, even as she realized that she had gotten up, her hands hitting the desk, leaving splinters sticking up from where her fingers had dented the desk. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I…"

She felt guilty for losing control, the man's smile once more appearing on his face. "We all have our moments, Miss Xiao-Long. Think of this as a little bit of relief. A moment where you can be yourself, without judgments…" The words made sense.

She sat down again, her butt hitting the soft cushion of the chair. "I don't want to be second-fiddle to my little sis! I love her, but…" She stopped, eyes widening. "But I don't want to be abandoned again by someone who should be there for me when I need it." The words were damning, even as the man gave a comforting sound, his hand reaching out and taking hers. It was an intimate manner of contact, even as he gave it a squeeze.

"We all have issues that we would rather deal with in the personal comfort of our friends and family, Miss Xiao-Long." The hand moved away immediately after he had offered those words of comfort, Yang feeling a surge of warmth go through her. "How we deal with our issues is the main issue."

She looked down, her lips pressed together. "Now… You have more to tell me, don't you?" Her head rose, her eyebrow rising, as she struggled to think about what she could talk about more. _'What do I need to tell him?'_

"You were hurt during the fight with Roman Torchwick, a few months before. Your partner cared for you and you entered a relationship with her then. What do you feel right now about that moment when you decided to make her your partner in the romantic field?" The man's voice was nearly hypnotic, as he spoke evenly, making her feel lightheaded. _'Why are we talking about this again?'_

"Because she… Because she made me good and I thought I…" She stopped, as she thought back to those confusing moments. The thoughts of whether she was gay or not, haunting her during her days and the restless night. "I resisted the thoughts of maybe being gay." She paused, taking a deep breath. "It's silly, yes, I know… But dad raised me to not really… y'know, see girls as partners."

"A measure to stop the depopulation of the Kingdom, never repealed. A wise choice, as homosexual partnerships are still frowned upon in most of the Kingdoms, as two men do not conceive children and two women may not prefer pregnancy." The man's clinical words were something that she pulled faith from, hope… perhaps strength. "It is not a bad choice, really, to love your partner."

"What would you know about love, you mutt?" The professor mumbled from her seat behind her, Yang having nearly forgotten that the woman was there to observe, her breathing easy and calm.

"Enough about it that I had kids, Peach." The man's retort was with a little hint of fire and annoyance. The subject obviously was not something comfortable to speak of by the man's own manner of conduct. "Not like you. Wasn't it your happy singles day celebration just a few weeks ago? How many years?"

"But…" Yang started, and the conversation between the adults ceased, as Peach paid attention to her as well, the shorter woman looking with great attention to her. "Is it really alright to… love another woman?" She wondered about that, as she had many times, the man nodding.

"Of course it is. Bigots who think that they know best would wish for a man and a woman to be together, but there is no need for you to be hesitant… But… Let me ask you this: Do you enjoy looking at the male body as much as you enjoy looking at the female body?"

' _Well, the guys that I've seen did look pretty cute… I've said as much to Ruby, but she was too lame to really make a response about the cute factor.'_ "No, I… I guess I'm about fifty-fifty? Wait, slightly more towards boys. It's just Blake who does it for me." The admission would no doubt garner her more interest amongst the boys at Beacon, yet this was a counselling session and the man would not spread the news, she trusted him that far.

"So, you feel affection for your partner, yet you prefer men?" The man concluded, Yang nodding once.

"Yep. I mean, getting eaten out is nice and we should probably get some toys to go with it, but there is just something about men… I'm not that gay, you know, that I can't appreciate a good-looking man." The clearing of a throat behind her was closer than expected, Professor Peach leaning on the back of Yang's chair. The short professor looked down at her, scars standing out on her face.

"It's normal to have a little bit of confusion. Seventy percent of all Huntsmen are female. Lesbian relationships spring up frequently, as do pregnancies in such a relationship. People wish to leave progeny, at least as a measure to remember their existence. Outdated ideals, yet apt in some circles." The woman's words were calm and cool, even as her hands stroked over the back of the chair, the woman's attention diverted completely.

That there were teenage pregnancies was a known factor. Yang had seen several girls who had not properly been using protection get removed from the Combat School due to failure to learn proper etiquette. People tended not to bother with the small things if they could get enjoyment out of it. "We are a little more tolerant of such a thing here at Beacon. The dream of a Huntsman should not be tarnished by a child. Most of the children are sent to the family of the student, after a period of weaning and such. Money is set aside for their upkeep. Promising talent remains strong, that way." The woman spoke, even as she looked away.

"Not always do we have such understanding, yet sacrifices have to be made for the betterment of humanity." The woman's voice sounded sad, as if she knew those who objected to such a measure. "Do keep that in mind when you go to enter a relationship, Miss Xiao-Long." The woman said, a personal touch to her voice telling Yang just as much as she needed to know, realizing that the woman had a personal stake into such things.

"Relations with a team are not wrong. You will be heading out on your first official mission this semester in seven days, right?" Yang nodded, knowing that it would be time for that. "You will be briefed on that mission about things by an experienced Huntsman. Usually, those who get assigned to such missions tend to be on the younger side of their thirties, or, if they are given a special incentive for the mission, are professional teachers who know what they are doing when they instruct the students under their care. What we do here, miss Xiao-Long, is tackle the issues that you would find hard to grapple with, in order to make you feel better and work better."

"But… but what if I feel bad still?" She felt foolish for asking, the man's smile warm, as he nodded his head.

"Then I will be available for talking if you require it. You are already on the road to becoming a better person, Yang. All you have to do is believe in yourself that you're able to come to terms with the experiences that you have had." The advice sounded solid, if she thought about it. Was it really that difficult to see the world as it was? Was she not just making a big fuss about things that mattered not in the grand scheme of things? _'Ruby… Blake… Weiss…'_

She saw their faces, saw their looks of curiosity and need, their eyes carrying their experiences. They had not been through what she had been through, caring for a father who did nothing for years on end, cooking for the family when her uncle was not present, caring for the man who had shut down completely… and she was here with her team at Beacon.

' _Mom… I don't know what to think of you, but I will make sure that we have a good chat together.'_ Her mother was one of the issues that she would have to tackle eventually… if the woman appeared again. It was something that had left her sleeping restlessly last night, the worries and hopes mingling together. _'Dad said that you were stubborn, yet with a streak of your own justice…'_

"I'm not…" She started, the counsellor shaking his head lightly.

"Just take all the time that you need. The big problems are best tackled over a few days, not all at once." The man's voice was calm, without judgment or desire to harm, as he looked at her. "I expect you here tomorrow afternoon at two, if that is possible."

Yang smiled, even as she realized that things would be different. "Sure thing, Prof Jerry!" The wink she gave him was friendly enough, she supposed.

Later that night, she moaned in annoyance as the mecha did its best to try and punch her face in. _'This was NOT what I had planned for an evening!'_

She knew that it was wrong to curse Blake for her drive to find evidence of the White Fang being up to no good, but did that really have to be done on an evening when things were going along relatively well. "Yang! Are you alright?"

Ruby's voice was light and airy, her ears popping now, as the blaze of her Aura ignited once more, the powerful rush of the Semblance activating once more filling her with a boundless sense of energy. Sizing up the mechanical monster that stood before them, she grinned cockily. "Never better, lil' Sis."

The mecha went down after a heavy punch, shattering into twisted metal by the motion of her fist, leaving Torchwick to pick himself up off the ground. "That arm ain't looking so good there, Torchbitch." The cocky taunt was something that she had not really improvised, weak to her ears.

"Well, I'd like to see you take a hit, blondie! At least Red knows when it's time to cut the breaks instead of just… wham. You'll become a crazy cat lady at thirty, with that attitude towards gentlemen!" The witty one-liners were definitely not in his favour, even as he pushed himself up, the twisted arm still snapped back, the man's face bloodied, several gashes appearing from his dirt nap. _'That looks like it hurt.'_

"But alas, I must be off! You girls go and have fun… maybe try out some sort of clam diving habit, that's what all the young girls do these days!" The crude language was not enough, as her fist reared back, ready to deliver another firm smack, only to come face to face with… an umbrella.

The umbrella tapped against her chest, the wind slammed right out of her lungs, even as the man was suddenly supported by the woman who appeared. _'Woah, where'd the midget pop up from?'_

Threatening eyes looked at her, even as the man and woman flickered, the illusion crumbling like a brick wall would when smashed with a hammer, a Bullhead taking off slowly, out of the reach of their weapons already.

"I guess that was a _smashing_ hit, right?" Yang looked at Weiss, who looked between her and Ruby, raising an eyebrow. Blake only sighed, as she looked at her.

"Gee, are you trying to take my spot as the teller of jokes, huh?" She teased the pale-haired girl, who flustered slightly.

"I am unfortunately not going to be much in the mood for jokes, Miss Xiao-Long." The voice of the counselor came from her right, the casual jacket that he wore looking worn-down by time, a few patches in them, a look on his face as if he were ready to ensure personal pain to her, even as her eyes caught a few peculiarities.

Firstly, the man was dressed shabbily, as if he were somewhat less affluent than he appeared to dress at Beacon. The jeans looked worn and tattered, obviously having seen much work. The blade that he held upon his back was visible, even as he looked at the four of them with a glowering gaze. Secondly, there was a White Fang emblem on one of the gloves that he wore, a white one, in contrast with the red one that seemed to be all the vogue with the Faunus that liked the White Fang these days.

"What you four did was exceptionally dangerous. I will make note of this and inform the Headmaster that due punishment shall be handed out. You girls are lucky that there are no serious injuries… as far as I can tell." The man's tone was upset and irritated, even as he stretched lightly, the audible popping of his muscles there. "Yet… I do commend you for facing a known crook. That is certainly something that I will mention to the Headmaster."

Why the man was here, she would ask in the next session. She felt sore and tired now, no thanks due to being slammed by that big metal machine. _'Urgh, doing my hair is going to suck tonight…'_

"Alright team! Back to Beacon! Mission: Find the White Fang is over!" Her sister's cheerful tone didn't mute the diminished spirits that she felt, even as she let her gaze fall onto the man once more. _'It does sound logical that you'd want a Faunus to infiltrate a White Fang meeting…'_

She felt a surge of suspicion, yet she knew that not always things were what they seemed to be on the surface. The man had some reason for it… but she would ask Headmaster Ozpin about the man's presence.

* * *

 _The bloodied battler (Roman Torchwick)_

* * *

Life just wasn't FAIR to me. Sometimes you just lose some things betting upon an opportunity that looked good at first glance and then turned out to be some horrible mistake in the making. _'Alright… Time to improvise… You can do this, Roman.'_

"Neo, get my Scroll out and dial the number for me. I need someone to look at my arm. Oh, and the cleaners… My suit got messed up in the crash." I adjust my walking pose, my small accomplice giving me one of her patented looks, a frown on her face as she wordlessly speaks to me, a faint smile on her lips as she finishes, pulling my Scroll out of the secure case that carries it. Never invest in anything but Huntsman-plated cases, people! Some wackos are out there with razor-whips which shoot energized dust razors and stuff and the last thing you'd want is to have no way of reaching help.

The neighbourhood that we are in currently is only three kilometres away from the thoroughfare part of town, where the traffic lanes are separated, domestic housing and filthy animals rummaging around. It would be a shame really, to be caught up here in this horrible mess, but Red just HAD to be present to put her scythe right into the gears of the master plan. _'Whether the fire bitch knows it or not… I'm going to get scolded again for wasting military apparatus that I was only supposed to show off… Just my luck.'_

"Are you alright?" Someone asked, the accent definitely Vytalian, if I caught my twist of the words right. My eyes looked up from the Scroll, the lack of bowler hat enough to give me a small semblance of anonymity, the pain still racing through my nerves.

"Do I fucking LOOK alright to you, ki-" My eyes caught sight of the kid's appearance. Blonde hair, white streak running through it. A set of eyes that were mismatched, just like my favourite little mute psychopath. The weapon on his back still not reached for, even with me looking like I'd just came out of a warzone. The woman at his side had her rifle aimed right at my chest. The distance between us was too small to dodge it safely. Something would get clipped if I did, the kid speaking up again.

"No, you don't." The pale-haired woman, who did her fucking BEST to look like one of the finest pieces of Atlesian ass that I'd seen, with her looking so damn fine in that dress that my mute associate and often-thought-of-as-very-special partner nudged me in the side, giving me a look. _'Yeah, be jealous… I know a fit girl when I see one… and this one is one FIT girl.'_

"Mind giving me a hand over here, kiddo?" The blonde and white-streaked hair of the kid was distracting, even as I shifted slightly to my right. _'No offensive moves yet… and he seems more cavalier about the subject than anything. Might have something to do with the broken arm.'_

"I can try to boost your Aura, if you'd like me to." The kid must be busted in the head, or something. A perfect opportunity to go and be a hero to the people, and he offers to boost my aura? What's that going to do, make me get a bit fitter and make my body glow?

Neo shifts slightly, as she looks suspiciously, mouthing 'Kill' at me with her little mouth-twitches. _'No, not kill… That'd pull too much attention on us. Career criminal is one thing, wanton murderer… That's a rap I don't like to take.'_ I tap on her back with one of my fingers, the pain hurting like it was just… oof, pain. **Escape and free me if they bring me in.**

I didn't grow into one of the most dashingly handsome career criminals in Vale out of being easily caught and locked up. Neo was my best ace in the hole… and she was loyal to a fault. _'Dad, I did what I had to…'_

"If you try any funny business…" The pale-haired woman speaks up, her blue eyes frosty-cold, even as the blonde kid walks up to Neo and I. _'Gee, someone is ploughing an older lady pretty darn well if she's this defensive…'_

I had to hand it to the kid, the moment that his hand touched me and the glow of something hit me, I felt my arm crack and pop, the glow burning. The kid's eyes met mine and I could see two dark red irises meet my own stare, as the blue of one got swallowed by the red. _'What the fuck is this?'_

I found myself standing on a field of bleak earth, cracked and white, an empty space where there was nothing but a void. A moment of something deeper and darker reaching out to me, as I could find nothing to draw my attention to. My eyes sought for the escape to this moment of sudden discomfort, noticing that there was nothing that I could do…

And then the kid appeared, standing before me. My eyes caught sight of his manner of dress, the clothing that looked 'decent' for a kid his age, replaced with something that Ozpin, that good-natured fuckwit at Beacon, would wear. "Good evening. I thought it would be a moment for us to speak in private."

' _Gee, give me a break…'_ The look in his eyes did not sit well with me, even as I rolled the arm that'd been broken and busted like some sort of glass pane during a hurricane of rocks, testing it out. _'Your Semblance is doing the work, isn't it?'_

"And what would I have to do with the kid who's drawn me into an illusionary world, huh?" My response came, even as the young man smiled. ' _I don't like that smile on his face.'_

"It is simple… well, whoever you are. Are you aware that there is a mark on you?" I snorted, as I glanced around, my eyes finding nothing, looking down at myself… only to find my chest bare, a throbbing black stain three centimetres above my right nipple. _'Oh, that's new… That wasn't there before when I showered in the morning.'_

"It usually doesn't show itself unless you have… specific traits." The kid said, even as I looked up. "And well… I do happen to have those traits." My utter 'amazement' at that statement happened to be a scoff and a snort. The kid didn't impress me much.

"And I assume that you're here to cash in my bounty? Threaten me with death and what-not?" The kid looked at me before starting to laugh. I didn't find it very funny. Looking down once more, I was aware of my suit being once more returned to its proper place, where it belonged.

"It is a war out there… Eh…" The kid floundered. _'That's what you get when you don't watch the news, buddy…'_ I sighed.

"The name's Roman." The kid nodded, understanding the hint.

"Roman. Lines are being drawn in the sand." I could tell as much when that long-haired brunette decided to try and set my cheek ablaze with whatever flame mumbo-jumbo that she'd cooked up. A charbroiled Roman was NOT on the list of things to enjoy, nope!

"And you are here to make me an offer I cannot refuse?" I fill in for him, the kid looking at me with a look of 'are you kidding me?' like all of the other kids that have a hint of power. What did he think I was, a moron who would just leap at every offer that came my way? _'It's a rough and tough world out there… You've got to think about yourself and those that you love first… then others.'_

Cinder had given me an offer that was not to be refused. Chances of killing her were about thirty percent, what with the kid of Marcus Black hanging around… That little bitch was a primed assassin, so Neo would have some issue getting to Miss Superbitch Flame-sparkle. "Oh, no… not at all."

I didn't like the smile on his face when he said that. It spoke of things to come that were unpleasant at best, even worse than that one time when little miss Thief had nicked my bloody lighter. It had been a custom-made one that I'd hate to lose too… And that sister of her just acting like she was the whole queen of Dust herself.

"All I ask is for you to keep an eye on her. Given our… situation, it would be a tough challenge to take…" The kid smiled, though it was more of the sort of smile that made you freeze up from the inside. Cold and distant, those eyes looking at me like they were already writing my name in the book of death. _'Fuck, what are they feeding kids these days? He can't be much older than Marcus Black's kid.'_

"And what is stopping me from double-crossing you, mister anonymous mystery?" The smile that the kid put on was really creepy. _'What IS it with these kids? First, we've got the kitty and the monkey, then Red and the blonde…'_

"You are aware of who Cinder works for, right?" I froze. _'She works for someone?'_ This was not great news. I can handle one megalomaniac, but one who serves someone else... Someone who might be even worse.

"Of course, of course…" I say. In cases like these, it is much better to feign that you know what they are talking about and think about a plan later on. "Him, right?"

"Ozpin?" The disdain in the kid's voice was real, like a vile poison, wrought through the statement. "Oh, not Ozpin. Cinder Fall is many things, yet she is not a true acolyte…" The kid took a few steps away, turning half-way. If I had Melodic Cudgel, I would be able to brain him right now, his stance was sloppy and ill-suited.

' _What is it with being an acolyte?'_ That was a term for student, if I remembered right from Gen Ed. I rolled my shoulders, shifting feet lightly, getting a sudden feeling of nervousness. _'Why does it feel like I've stumbled on something much greater than I expected?'_

"Roman, you see… You picked the wrong side." The words did not inspire much confidence in me, as the kid walked, his hand waving and this utterly MASSIVE Grimm appeared. My hand went for the side on which Melodic Cudgel usually hung, finding it empty. "The wrong side, really… in any of these conflicts. It has been going on for years. Millennia, even."

' _Fuck me, he's going to tell some fairytale story, no doubt… Whacko kids these days…'_ "So what if she's backed by someone bigger, huh? What can you offer me?" I say, as I watch clearly how the kid turned around. The massive Grimm's claw touched the earth, splitting it, cracked ground raising up.

"Your life. Contrary to the wishes of Her, I do not wish to see the world extinguished in a bloody purge of all of humanity." The look in the kid's eyes was dead serious. _'Fuck, the kid is serious.'_ I had gained the sense to know when someone was lying to me… and the kid hadn't said a single lie thus far. The face was far too expressive to be lying to me, so that meant… that Cinder probably was working for some genocidal whacko in Vacuo or something. That's where all the loonies went, after all.

"So, what do you want me to do?" I ask, as snarkily as I can. Looking at the kid, I just could feel that huge wave of discomfort roll over me. "Betray her? That'd be signing my own death warrant, kid."

"Oh, hardly so. I believe in insurance… And ensuring that I get what I need to make sure that this senseless war ends." The kid walked up to me, placing his hand on my chest, the pain that hit me in the chest only momentary, even as he pulled his hand away, revealing what seemed to be a bug of some sort.

"Standard parasite. Kills the host within three weeks if left unattended." The clinical terms in which the kid spoke of the creature, even as it chirped at him like some bird that'd just been caught, were terrifying. "Three variations, one draining the life from someone to bestow upon another, with other variants more specialized." The data was not the best. I'd only heard of the basics of the Grimm, even as the kid looked at me and smiled.

"I suppose this is your lucky day, Roman." I scoffed. "You should be feeling better than before, though…" A look of seriousness came to his face. "I will find you again."

The stab in my back HURT, even as a Grimm that looked like a Scorpion pushed its stinger into me, the kid's eyes empty of anything resembling empathy. "I can feel emotions, Roman. I know what you feel, just like any Grimm would."

"What…. What are you!?" I call out, even as the pain intensified, the stinger pulled back. _'This had been a diversion… Pulling out the bug and then placing his own, just like how I would do it.'_

"The Grand Warlock." The words were simple, yet they conjured up a fairytale image. The last time I had listened to a fairytale was when Mama had pulled me onto her lap when I was aged four, Neo resting in her crib at the fireplace. Uncle Bartleby had been busy with mending the fence outside, before the winter frosts would come.

"An element of change… But one which will set you free, Roman." The smile on the kid's face was a lot more tolerable, even as I watched him carefully. _'This isn't going according to plan… Find out what the kid wants and then… deal with him.'_

"I would like to say though that betrayal wouldn't end well. You have a Grimm inside you… and I suppose that you might find it nice to be eaten alive from the inside, yet I would not recommend it." The kid looked dispassionate, like a cool ice-cold murderer… and I realized that he probably had killed a lot of people from the way that he handled this. _'Damn, I'd have to give the kid some credit.'_

The world shifted back to the regular state of things, and I could feel something penetrate my chest, right from his outstretched hand. Veins seemed to be filled with dark blood, the pale skin showing them clearly, as the glow wrapped around me, the arm slowly twisting and turning back to peak condition… yet something worse seemed to sizzle around in my veins.

It was like a small bug that crawled through my veins, before finally reaching my heart. The hottie with the rifle looked at me as if I were a threat to her beloved, even as the man smiled at me. "Glad to be of help, buddy."

I forced a grimace, even as I could feel another yoke wrap itself around my neck. _'From one master to the other…'_ This one seemed to be less of an immediate threat to my health, even as I stepped away from Neo, stretching my arm. "It feels a lot better, kid. Nice work you did."

The smile on my face was not genuine. I glanced at Neo. She looked suspiciously at me, making a gesture with her head that implied that she could do something, though my small shake of the head was enough. _'The kid won. If I hadn't had my arm busted, there wasn't a thing that he could do…'_

The thought of Cinder having a mistress above her was something that frightened me more than Cinder did. The kid's warning was tame in comparison, even as Neo took my hand, smiling up at me with that genuine smile. "Have a good night, kid. If you want to have some ice-cream, go to Neapolitan's Ice Corner on Main Street. They've got a good selection of flavours there, perfect for you and your lady friend." The rifle was lowered then, once they were out of the close proximity to the young man.

" **Are you alright?"** Neo inquired through the use of her personal scroll, looking worriedly at me. _'You ask me that now?'_ I glanced back, spotting the pair walking around a corner, a suspicious nature about them… They were three now and I didn't like that one bit before I turned right back to Neo. None of my business what that kid did with his girlfriends, after all.

"That kid and our boss are on opposing sides." I lay it out to her in as much of a whisper as I can make it. "She's in the liquorice flavour and he's in the strawberry." The terms didn't mean much for an ordinary listener, yet it was clear to Neo.

" **What are you going to do about it?"** The question was natural, even as we walked along, my suit feeling a little crumpled, yet it served the purpose well. Neo's Semblance was good for that, allowing us to look a little different from the norm, which allowed us to blend in. Just a pair of friends/lovers, walking through Vale on a romantic walk.

"See whether the offer the kid has is any good. You know the motto, after all… always do what's best for the business of staying alive and keeping rich." The smile on her face was wonderful to see, as always. Now… it would be quite the walk back to the apartment, yet I had my wonderful accomplice to help me out.

" **He looked well-intentioned."** The comment from Neo was enough to make me raise my eyebrow, scratching my hair.

"Intentions are the first thing to fade when met with a big haul, Neo. A good offer now may just be the worst one later…" Double-crossing the kid might take some work. _'All I need is just a bit of time, maybe a litt-'_

White-hot pain shot through my heart as something inside it twitched and scratched, the pain enough to make me collapse, falling atop Neo and letting her push me off, my hands grabbing my chest. _'No, it even works when I think about it? Fuck… The kid wasn't kidding when he said that Cinder was not really worthy of the title of an acolyte… if she could do this…'_

I felt a cold rush go through me. If Cinder could do this, then the world would be her oyster… Right now, I was being the patsy for her actions.

Neo flipped me on my back, the pain subsiding slowly as the scratching stopped inside my chest. Fear rushed through me as I calmed down, her eyes worried and frantic. Her mouth mouthed the words to me, and I gave a nod, my voice only able to do a weak 'ahmfahnnn', as I got up again.

"Fuck… I guess we're now in cahoots with the Grimm devil, Neo." The worried look in her eyes, even as she tapped onto her Scroll, the letters flashing onto the screen a moment later satisfying her.

" **Better offer?"** As I thought about it… it wasn't like the kid had given me any orders.

"Perhaps. To home, Neo! We must have ice-cream." Whilst I felt a lot better, some of the emotional hurt was still there. An ice-pack for the burden of the headache that I was suffering would be just fantastic right about now.

* * *

 _Delivering a package (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She stalked through the darkness, her mind active as her Semblance twisted the world around her. In the darkness, she was free. She was Kali, the black one. The darkness belonged to her, even as she crawled up the cliff face. _'The best approach is one through the spots where there is little observation.'_

The technical details were unimportant to her, as she felt the shadows pull at her. The moon illuminated her back, even as the darkness wreathed her in twisted shadows, leaving the people who would look in the direction she was in, merely see a shadow slip up the crevice, perhaps thought to be a mere figment of the imagination. _'With my presence… Anywhere…_ '

She could feel the burning inside her, as she pushed herself to the top of the cliff, catching sight of the CCT tower that had been build into Beacon Academy, the lights of the building itself a permanent fixture in the distance, even as she pulled herself together. _'There will be time for things later…'_

She knew most of the ways to quietly get in and out of a building, thanks to a swift crash course in infiltration that Sienna had coaxed her through. Locks were hardly an issue, if you could twist into the shadows a moment later, to slip below a door, as long as the shadows were there. **'The blood inside your veins chills others, shadows curl around their neck as the Master's call comes.'**

Her eyes saw the muted shades of grey and black, a perfect contrast, her night vision as wonderful as it always was. She could see a few parts of the school already, her eyes looking at the vibrant colours in the distance, even as she slipped behind a tree. _'Alright… The picture is framed and in my back pocket… The scroll is set to 'silent' and has a camera function that is nearly silent…'_ There was an ulterior objective to this infiltration, of course.

Not one that was properly discussed between Jaune and her, Sienna having spoken of it only during their chat when she had been preparing to head out. A good head count of the available students, with plenty of the people who were there preparing for the Vytal Festival, with images of the teachers, if they could be obtained. _'Critical it isn't, yet it would give some idea about any possible enemies that are hidden amongst the student body.'_

Her body felt exposed to the air, even as she looked at the suit. Being bare to the world and not affected by the cold, she applied the spray to her outfit, rubbing some of it on her face as well. Scent neutralizer, something that had applications both in the field of Huntsmanship and regular hunting. It was enough to block the nose of most Faunus from recognizing the presence, a mandatory happening if you happened to be infiltrating a place which had Faunus guards of the canine variety. _'Better safe than sorry…_ _'_

Sienna would have been optimal for the infiltration, yet her appearance and her Semblance were not conducive towards the infiltration. Her, a housewife for the better part of twenty-three years, doing such a thing would have made her laugh beforehand, yet Kali knew well that there was something about her Semblance which would make it a piece of cake. _'For Jaune…'_

She had to find his team. She had to find the young man known as Lie Ren and hand him the memento of his family. It was one of the things that Jaune had insisted on, as well as letting them know that he wished to meet them. It was in his eyes, in his voice, even though he was well-aware that there could be treachery on their part… he still craved their presence. It made her feel lesser in importance, yet the feeling was easily shoved aside for the comfort that he requested her to do things for him.

She looked at the suit and sniffed, a neutral scent blocking her own senses out. _'This will do. For now, at least…'_ She guessed that it would have about an hour or two to work, before the smell of her body overpowered it. It was annoying, yet Faunus had to deal with Faunus issues. It was late enough in the evening to ensure secrecy, even as she slid the suit back on, zipping it up. It outlined her features perfectly well… and of course, it made her look 'hot'.

She stalked through the trees, coming towards the large arches that made up the outer circle, the sound of bullheads taking off from the air dock there making for the perfect camouflage, even if she were to sprint, her eyes catching sight of the camera's that hung there. _'Time for me to work my magic… Or rather, shift into the shadows.'_

Her Semblance, which had only been passively activated now, was ignited, and the shadows wrapped around her, blending her into the darkness. One moment, she was at the edge of the peripheral range of the camera field, the next she was crouching next to a set of trashcans, the smell of food that had gotten stale invading her nostrils. She moved with deliberation, the shadows showing not a sign of her, even as she made her way into the Beacon Academy building, catching herself as she spotted the camera's hung up for security purposes, undoubtedly to ensure that there would be no infiltrators coming close.

Her eyes spotted a few students, picking out one of them to be of special interest, a redheaded girl that was surrounded by a few students, who ardently seemed to admire her. _'Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune's partner in his team… Approaching her isn't going to work with stealth in mind. The poor girl looks bored out of her mind.'_

It was obvious that the girl was not going to be very charitable, even as the praise was heaped on her by some of the students, the redhead looking at them with that feigned interest, her emotions pinging out to Kali's mind, the dreadful dullness and lack of passion for the topic being discussed, as well as a growing disdain for them. _'She feels like she is at a crossroads.'_

She had seen it before. Disaffected people, their bodies in fit shape, yet their mind gone by their surrounding pressures and obligations, destroying themselves in order to no longer conform. She could see it in the twitch of that eye, the thinning of the lips and the polite smile, which did not reach the eyes. _'Good eyes…'_ A snap of the Scroll from the shadows, obscured by the shadows that lurked around her, and a picture was taken.

She could see that the girl's head turned in her direction, eyes searching for her somehow, and Kali moved on, her steps as light as they could be, the Scroll tucked back into one of the pockets. Stalking through the hallway, she looked at the rooms that were marked, for the first time wishing that she'd taken the time to look at a map… although such a thing was not easily found due to the strategic and military nature of the place.

Coming into a long hallway, she caught sight of a Human and Faunus couple engaged in a kiss, the male human pressing the Faunus woman against a wall, their lips locked, a set of lapine ears poking up, the two obviously busy with their little mating dance. Kali gave them a glance, passing by them without drawing their attention, a familiar smell coming to her nose, and her head turning to look at the Faunus. _'I suppose I should be a little more careful…'_

A picture was snapped from a distance, even as something tugged at the back of her mind. _'The girl looked a little like… Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. Monique would not allow for something like that to happen.'_ Some thoughts were just silly. Human and Faunus couples weren't often seen and the person she thought of would absolutely loathe even being amongst the Humans. _'I do wonder what Sienna would think of those two? They look adorable.'_

The girl's face had been busy staying lip-locked to the young man, whose arm was protectively wrapped around her, as if some sort of Grimm invasion could happen at any time. It was perhaps a good thing that she smelled a lot like the young man who she was engaged in affectionate actions with, because the nose of the Faunus could just pick out the differing scents.

Entering another hallway, she could hear the faint creak of something, a door opening up and a broad-shouldered wolf Faunus emerged from an office, a scarred woman at his side. "I don't understand, Jeremiah… Why go through that much trouble?" The man's voice sounded like it were annoyed, even as Kali clicked the shutter on her Scroll, snapping a picture. Proper identification was important, as all the things said.

"Because it is required. I don't want to see them turn out like Maria did." The man's reference was alien to her, yet she could see the woman's expression, which made the scars stand out on her face, even as the woman laid a hand on his shoulders.

"You shouldn't be getting drunk, you furry little mutt." The woman said, even as she passed by the spot where Kali lurked in the shadows. She could smell the irritation on the man, even as he gave the woman a withering glare.

"Bed rest, the whole weekend. You're stressing yourself out, Mutty." The woman's tone was softer, perhaps more concerned for him, even as the man scoffed. Kali could determine through the manner in which he held himself, that he was somewhat glad for the order to be laid up in bed. "I'll come check up on you tomorrow. The case of Belladonna hit you hard, didn't it?"

Her interest was peaked. _'Blake? They must be talking about Blake…_ ' She was not a snoop, yet she followed behind the two. "I cannot understand why… The girl is dependent on her team, yet…" A sharp beep was enough, even as he looked at her. "Tonight was crap."

The woman patted his shoulder as best as she could. "Fighting a robot like that was a bit out of the job description, yes… So, are you bringing the whole team in? Professor Ozpin wouldn't like that much." The man gave a low harrumph, as he shook his head.

"It's just going to be Miss Xiao-Long and Belladonna together with us. They have their issues, yet I hope that some trust is built between the two of them to mend that gap." The man paused, even as they reached a door, leading towards another place. "Thank you for listening… Sometimes I forget that I've got to speak to people as well…"

The nurse smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "Someone has to prevent your mutty kind from spreading. What better way than to make sure that you're not bending over innocent teenage Faunus and leaving progeny, huh?" The woman's tone was not as hostile as her words were, the man sighing, even as he looked at her.

"I've got another bottle if you'd like to go and…" The suggestion was met with a snort. "Yeah, I figured you would. What would Glynda say of the two of us being drunk, eh?"

"Probably tell us to scoot over so she can dump it in her tea and get drunk with us." The woman's tone was softer, as she leaned closer to the man. "Are you… alright?" The man shook his head.

"I think I need to be alone for a while." The man said, opening the door and then shutting it with an audible bang, the woman giving what passed for a look of understanding as she looked at the door.

"I guess there's no helping the help, eh? Seriously, you always fuck things up." The words were not clear on whether she meant herself or her fellow professor, and Kali did not bother with the woman anymore as she moved through the dark patches in the hallway, the shadowed nooks doing enough to hide her body.

Her Semblance allowed her to shrink and grow at her own whim, to become as swift as a shadow and to pull herself through a tight space, appearing in another. Magical prowess, perhaps… Or perhaps her Semblance working together with the power that Jaune had given her.

Finding the dorms was not that hard… though finding the proper section WAS. She could spot several of the students arranged around a table, busy playing some sort of improvised version of Billiards, her head shaking at the cultural Mantlean sport, practiced by few these days.

A snap of the Scroll and the picture was made, immortalizing their features, all to ensure that there was enough of a record left. As she passed by one of the rooms, the conversation inside, easily audible to her sensitive set of Faunus ears, caught her attention – "Where IS she, Emerald? I will not have my plans ruined because your sister ran off somewhere."

The speaker was a woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties, if she guessed the age right. _'An older student?'_ She wondered, even as the one addressed as Emerald responded. "I don't know! She goes off sometimes to think. Please, Cinder, don't think too badly of her, she's a good girl… just… a little bit messed up. I'll work harder, just so we can get our plans realized sooner."

' _Cinder… so that must be the woman that Jaune mentioned earlier during the briefing. He knew that she would be somewhere around Vale, so… that means that this is the place where Cinder Fall resides.'_ "We wouldn't want her to miss the party, after all. It's going to be a blast, I just know it."

There was no laughter, even as the conversation continued about an inane topic, homework on Grimm Studies, something that would undoubtedly be ignored in the din of conversation. Kali mentally thanked her Semblance for allowing her to blend in perfectly with the shadows and be relatively muted in her movements, thanks to the shadows allowing her to manipulate their consistency.

' _ **You could be so much more… The blood that drips from your claws shall be that of the guilty, the wicked…**_ ' Her Semblance continued to whisper, even as she advanced through the dorm, moving with deliberation. Coming across a set of doors opposite of each other, she caught the nameplate of 'RWBY' next to one of the doors, seemingly a new addition. _'If I remember right, Jaune said that his dorm room was opposite of team RWBY's…'_

She could not stop herself from taking a peek into the room that her daughter's team lived in. Spotting the bunk beds, she smiled broadly. _'Isn't that cute? Bunk beds! Blake's always wanted to have a sister… Now she's got three!'_ She didn't see anyone present, which was understandable, given that it was a night during the start of the weekend. Girls their age should be at a club getting funky, not… moping around on their bed or something like emo girls did. She might not've been keeping up with the times, yet she knew that being depressive and gloomy was a bad thing!

Slipping out and checking out the hallway, she paused for a moment, as she let her ear rest against the door, the sock that'd been slipped over the handle bearing an adorable thunderbolt insignia, the sounds on the other end amusing… as she knew what they were. _´Aww, they're having sex… Should I intrude?'_

The answer to that was 'Yes', of course. She had a mission to do. She wasn't much of a voyeur… but hey, if they were in there getting busy, her task wouldn't be completed swiftly.

* * *

 _Ride the Lightning (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

"Ah, ah, ah, come on!" Her urging was enough, as her partner in love, crime and the capturing of sloths and all them other cool things, ground against her, her leg up in the air, his fingers stroking over her thigh. _'Yes, yes, yes!'_

She was vocal during her love-making, because she knew that her partner was anything but. He could be giving her his delicious syrup and would only just exhale softly like 'ahhh' instead of just going like 'I'm giving it to you like you're a plate of pancakes and I am the syrup bottle!'. It probably wouldn't kill him to be all 'YEAH, GET ENERGIZED!'… probably. He was off the icky green stuff though. It made him taste bad, yuck.

' _If I wanted to eat broccoli, I would be eating broccoli!'_ She could feel him quiver, even as her body twisted, pressing him down on the bed, their hips mashing together, as her hands pinned his above his head, her eyes meeting with his. The darkness around them added a special little touch to the world, even as she began to feel the touch of his hands go up, to the point where they met. _'Come on… Come on, come on, come on… Yes…'_

Her teeth clattered, as she shuddered, sweat dripping onto his face, the smell of their bodies definitely requiring a brief shower before they would go to bed… and probably a changing of the sheets, if they were all sticky. Of course, they DID use protection and the sock most DEFINITELY would keep Pyrrha out. _'Maybe we should invite her to… do stuff with us?'_

Pyrrha would not accept it, she reasoned, because she was still carrying a torch for their dearly departed leader. The sight of one of his pictures had rattled the metal frames around the Invincible Girl, her savage takedown of team DLCR the next combat training session leaving those around her in awe… yet Nora could feel that she was hurting inside, just aching from the loss of their leader.

' _Pyrrha is not leader material, yet she is held up as leader material by the people…'_ An easy smile, blue eyes that were so deep that she'd lose herself in them for an instant. She could feel herself growing slightly wetter, even as she felt him pull out, the thought of her former leader igniting a faint fire in her. _'A girl could dream, y'know… nobody ever said that you had to be with just one man…'_

She was a pioneer, compared to Ren, who preferred to be a little bit boring. He didn't want to stick it in her ass, even though she'd begged him… and getting him to eat her out like an all-you-can-eat taco buffet definitely was only once a week. She had a DRIVE… and if things had not went the same way, she would be having Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc to sate that energetic need inside her. _'Sexual tension is a type of electricity too… probably.'_

"Another condom…" Her lover and boyfriend and support murmured, her fingers searching for the box, carefully tucked under the bed. She could feel the rubber ring through the packaging, pressed against her fingers suddenly yet she did not question it. _'Huh? The box must be a little out from under the bed.'_

"Got it, Rennie!" She smiled, even as she pulled the other one off, tying it with a brief twist, throwing it in the direction of the trashbin. She had good aim, because the splat was satisfying. _'Team Nora scores! Wooh!'_

She moved her hips again, pressing against her boyfriend's, her fingers tearing the wrapper and throwing it to the side. She fondled him, switching the nightlight on after an instant, casting their bodies in the light. "Alright… here comes the wrapper for the pleasure train!"

She had gained a certain speed in the wrapping of her present, even as he looked at her, his eyes cast in a faint pinkish sheen as they looked up at her. His minute expressions, showing awe, love and desire, were enough for her, even with how her body just craved it. "Hmm… This makes me wonder… Does this train have permission to enter the Valkyrie tunnel?"

She smiled at her lovely boyfriend, who gave her a look, his eyes looking up at her, as she shook her shoulders back and forth, the position that she leaned over him giving him a perfect flick of her chest against his face, his nose buried within. "I think I may have a ticket, yes."

' _You need to learn better dirty talk, Ren… Perhaps we can borrow Blake's book? I heard it was good.'_ She didn't say a thing, as she pressed herself against it, her breath making his long hair flutter lightly, her finger reaching the light switch and shutting it off. It was kinkier in the darkness. "Ah, Nora!"

She could feel hands touch her, his fingers groping and touching, even as her mind became hyperaware of what everything around her was, in the absence of light. Her whole body was like a pleasure zone, as if it were stimulated by the darkness around her. "I love you." She whispered, even as she could feel another zinger coming, another strong urge, her body twisting.

Suddenly, she felt hands on her hips. She did not question it, as they forced her against him, his body twitching lightly, his muscles tightening up, even as the hands manipulated her, stronger than anything she'd ever felt him. "Nora, not the nipples…"

' _But I am not touching the nipp-Ah-'_ She twitched a little, as strong hands, smaller than the regular manly hands that she saw daily around her, wielding weapons, pulled her up and then slammed her down. "Ren… Ah, I-, ooh." Gasping and moaning, no longer suppressing the urges inside her, she felt the hands mistreat her. "Yes, yes… Rough."

His reply was unintelligible, even as she could feel herself reaching that peak… and climbing even higher afterwards, her whole body shuddering and shivering under the touch, enough of that needy self pumping endorphins into her to wake the whole dorm with the shriek that came from her throat… and the sudden thing that filled it. **"Now… I know that you two are feeling really good, yet… I've got to break the fun up a little."**

The voice that spoke was sultry and feminine, definitely in the register of 'god-damn sex on the ears', the voice purring with the faint hint of something, as she could feel the hands pull on her, rubbing over her skin. "The light, Nora, hit the lights."

She flicked the switch to the second setting, the blazing light illuminating the darkness, her head turning to the direction where the voice had come from, only to see a set of blazing amber eyes, looking at her with smugness in their depths, even as the voice gave a soft feminine chuckle. **"If only the light were to banish me…"**

The light switch was flipped and she became aware of the woman sitting calmly on Pyrrha's bed, her legs raised slightly, the features striking, the beautiful long hair showing clearly that the woman took care of herself… or was blessed in that department. A hand was raised, placing the mask back on her face, obscuring those eyes, the similarities to the member of team RWBY who lived just across the hall enough to make her utter - "Blake?"

The woman snorted, an unladylike sound, something that Blake never would have done. The cat ears on her head twitched, the piercings in them definitely not something that Blake would wear. Nora didn't like piercings THAT much, really. Metal stuff that caught electricity? Good only for weapons! Yes! "Could you tell us why you are intruding on us during our private time?" Ren asked, and Nora realized now that she was still naked, on top of her boyfriend/Ren/lover.

" **Ah, yes…"** The woman unzipped her outfit, something that outlined her curves well, in Nora's opinion. _'This is going the way of those movies… Oof… Faunus girls are fit too…'_

A package was pulled from one of the inner pockets, unveiling the pale skin, the woman obviously not wearing anything below the suit, no doubt to aid her in her sneaky ninja activities… because Nora was mostly convinced now that this was a ninja. The package looked like it had been wrapped carefully, a small note pinned to the front.

 **Lie Ren**

She took the package, sure that she'd seen that writing before. It was a little sloppy, yet… it tugged at the mind. It didn't look like it was a bomb… Maybe it was a porn disk? They had those. "You didn't order a porno ninja to bring us porn, did you?"

"Nora… I am not a ninja." He reiterated, and she kissed him, his hand busy with the unwrapping, as she turned to look at the package, watching as the wrapping paper as well as some of the cushioning fabrics gave way.

The family picture of the Ren family unveiled itself, the faint recollection of the man who had tried to evacuate his son and wife coming to her mind on that fateful day, even as she looked at it. She turned to him, to see tears come from his eyes. It was an expression that she had not seen in years. "Thank you… I hadn't…" The words seemed to fail him, as tears continued to come from his eyes.

" **We took care of the Nuckelavee. He found the picture in your parents' house and thought that you deserved to have it back. He values family very much."** There was no clue as to who this 'He' was that the woman spoke of, even as she zipped herself up again, her fingers touching the zipper for an instant after it'd reached the top, a small shadow flitting over her skin, and then, the woman was back to business.

"I would like to meet him." Nora heard Ren say and she smiled. Ren sounded more excited now than he'd done before when the opportunity had been offered to go back to his old home to work on the Grimm issue there.

"Me too! I want to meet this mysterious Grimm slayer. I bet he's all kinds of awesome, like 'older man with a grudge against the Grimm for killing his family, slaying every one that he comes across!" The woman laughed, as she shook her head, obviously amused by their reaction.

"That was the plot of a movie, Nora…" Her boyfriend and lover said, as he smiled at her, the emotions that were visible on his face far more positive than anything she'd seen before.

" **Oh, you two were described as an adorable bunch. He spoke about you a lot, actually…"** The woman was mysterious… which meant that she undoubtedly was a part of the order of ninja's sent to guard Ren's virginity or something! IT MUST BE SO! BUT SHE HAD TAKEN IT! NORA VALKYRIE, QUEEN OF REN'S TOWER OF MANLINESS!

" **But I have come to invite you two as well as Pyrrha Nikos to meet with him. He is most anxious to meet with you three again."** The Faunus woman continued, the shifting of her body revealing a Katar and some sort of dagger-knife with a weird wavy blade strapped to her sides, as she got up, looking at the two of them.

"You're just teasing us! Come on! Tell us who would want to meet us!" The woman laughed, even as she tapped Nora's nose, the Faunus shaking her head.

"There are not many people who would want to meet with us… But Pyrrha might have some ardent fans." Ren said, the woman looking at him and giving what amounted to a bitter smile.

" **Well, I suppose that I should no longer keep the two of you in suspense…"** Nora knew that she was forgetting something. It blinked into her mind when her eyes fell on those cute ears.

"Wait, are you related to Blake? You've got kitty ears too!" The question took the woman aback for a moment, as she looked at Nora for an instant.

" **I was going to tell you who sent me and you ask me whether Blake is related to me? That is a pretty rude question to ask a Faunus."** The woman paused, before she fixed Nora with a look that made her feel somewhat guilty for being rude.

"Some people do not enjoy speaking about personal relationships." Nora supposed that it was true. Pyrrha only knew about her and Ren's past due to them confiding into her after Jaune's death. _'I wonder how things would have been if Jaune had survived.'_

" **I am her mother."** That raised her curiosity. She tilted her head, getting off Ren, whose 'oof' as she kneed him in the stomach by accident, went ignored.

"Ooh, you're her mom. I thought that you'd be taller." The woman blinked, raising an eyebrow.

" **What you see is what you get, really."** The woman posed, even as she smiled. **"Now… I should be going in… just a few minutes, but please… Don't mention to anyone that I've been here. My presence is not exactly legal, you might call it that…"**

The woman's pleasant smile was enough, even as she spoke such daring words. _'Ooh! A secret mission to get into contact with us? Perhaps… A SECRET SOCIETY, GOVERNING THE WORLD THROUGH THE SHADOWS!'_ "You're a member of a secret society, aren't you?"

Ren, ever-loving and ever-perfect, spoke, the woman's soft snort dismissing THAT idea. **"Wǒ shì wǒ xīn'ài de zhǔrén de dāorèn. Tā yǐndǎo wǒ dùguòle wǒ de shēnghuó, shì wǒ hēi'àn zhōng de guāngmíng."** The Mistralian slipped easily from the woman's lips, as she gave a warm smile, taking a deep breath after saying so.

"Xiéxié." The Mistralian for 'Thank you' came from Ren's lips, as he nodded his head in the best way that he could, Nora watching the odd gratitude that she felt.

" **I knew that you'd be able to speak it."** The woman said, even as she smiled. **"Mister Ren, Miss Valkyrie…"** The woman paused, looking seriously at them. Nora felt like this was the moment that the woman had been working towards, as she took a deep breath.

" **Ja-"** The woman froze mid-syllable, as her head turned towards the direction of Vale, an audible cracking sound in her neck that sounded painful. Her facial expression could not be gleaned from the position of her head, yet shadows writhed around her, an intense fear washing over her, as the woman's body stiffened noticeably. **"That isn't good… Not good at all..."**

Nora could hear the worry in the woman's voice, even as her posture shifted slightly, the look on the woman's face enough. **"I should be going."** There was an undercurrent of worry in her voice, one that showed that she cared for the mystery man who was the reason that Ren was now radiating happy emotions.

The woman reached inside a pocket and pulled out a small note, handing it to Ren to read. She peered at the note, even as the letters looked squiggly and written by someone whose penmanship was bad.

' **Hey guys,**

 **Please come to the warehouse at the docks next to the one that is burnt out. I'll be waiting there around 8 at night. Please, come alone and don't let anyone else know that you're going to meet with me. There's so much I want to tell you, yet...**

 **Oh, Nora: Please don't ride Ursa. They don't really like that. I've told you that before my... departure.**

 **Jaune Arc'**

The words were written clumsily and they didn't make much sense… until she read the last part of the note. Nora froze on the spot. Her heart seemed to stop as her eyes looked at the woman, who distractedly gazed in the direction of Vale. **"I'll be there to guide you to him… I think."**

The woman's head turned to look at the two of them. **"If you speak with someone in power here, they WILL hunt him down and kill him. He puts faith in you, trust in you, speaks highly of you… but if you betray it…"**

The facemask came down from the face and those eyes stared at her, deep into her core. A primal fear worked its way through her body as she felt her bladder void itself, Ren in a similar state as the shadows wrapped around the woman. **"There will be no place on this world to hide… And I will take from you every little shard of happiness that I can…"** The woman's voice trailed off as the space that she had occupied before was suddenly empty, no skin-tight leather-clad woman sitting there, only an empty space. Wispy strands of shadow disappeared under the light of the lamp.

"R-Ren?" Her voice was small and tiny, as she looked at him. Searching for guidance, for something… for someone to comfort her. "What… What do we do?" She noticed that the paper from her hands had been taken as well, without her noticing.

His eyes were calm, even as his Semblance washed over her. The fear dissipated, as did all the other emotions, leaving her to feel calmness flood her senses. "We inform Pyrrha…"

He sighed deeply. "And we will go out together tomorrow evening. We leave Viridian here." The doorknob twisted lightly, and Nora became absently aware that they were both still naked, having made a mess of themselves due to that scary moment.

Meeting Pyrrha's eyes, there was no shame in hers as she shook her head, rolling her shoulders and trying to ignore the urine that had leaked down her thigh. The concern in Pyrrha's eyes was visible, asking what had happened. Ren got up as well. "We're heading for a shower, Pyrrha. We'll tell you after we're done cleaning up."

Pyrrha had to know, so… Nora couldn't help herself. "Pyrrha, we've got to... talk about some stuff, tomorrow. We should go out into Vale tomorrow, to talk about... important stuff." The look on Pyrrha's face was surprised, yet Nora could feel Ren tugging on her. _'She'll figure it out when we get there… She's too emotional when it comes to Jaune.'_

Seeing her former leader… it made her feel jittery. It made her feel afraid. _'How… How would he handle things?'_ She could see his smiling face before her eyes, looking at her with that warm expression that brimmed with confidence. The blue eyes that pierced right through her, the short blonde hair that framed the features… _'What happened to him? If he wants secrecy… something horrible must have happened.'_

She returned after getting clean in their personal shower to see Pyrrha already busy with the mattress' cover, the plastic having stopped most of the liquid from penetrating the depths of the mattress. "I tried my best…" She said, her cheeks a little red. "I mean, if you really are…"

The radiant blush on her cheeks that came afterwards made Nora SURE that Pyrrha had misunderstood something, yet she couldn't be bothered right now with finding out what... or WHY Pyrrha was looking at Ren like that. "Tomorrow… let's go as team JNPR, alright?" She tried to hint, Pyrrha nodding, a smile on her face.

"That'll be grand." The young woman who was their leader-in-name-only said.

* * *

 _The calculation (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

He could feel another day pass, even as the guards brought him his food. Nearly a week had gone by with little input from the councillor, who had been distant, as she should have been during the proceedings. He was well aware of the difficulty that would be facing anyone who would dare think that they would be able to strike a blow against the Arc family, his daughters trained well in the ways of the Huntsman, the eldest pair officially a part of the Order.

"You are being misled, Mister Arc." The voice of the councillor reached his ears once more, bringing with it the familiar disdain that he felt, as the woman looked at him through the screen that had been installed in order to communicate with him.

He was in a different cell block now, one which held people who the world should not often see the sign of. "I am as I am." The cold cool logic inside his mind already had frozen his demeanour, as his mind thought briefly of his wife and daughters, undoubtedly pushing forth the agenda that they had been set upon with his disappearance.

"You are not the only one with issues, Mister Arc." The woman's voice was cold, even as the screen flickered, the profiles of his daughters appearing on the screen, their official Huntsman licenses appearing there, with only a marked absence of his son, who had died. _'They do not see the reason for it. Let them wallow in ignorance.'_

His wife's face showed little humour on that picture, even though he liked her laugh, during those moments when his emotions returned, his Semblance suppressed by the medication. It was only those moments that he cherished, his wife's face staring back at him. "Their licenses can be revoked. It takes but one daughter, Mister Arc." The eldest two were out. Ozpin had spoken to him briefly, even as he had to depart later on.

"My mind is made up. Headmaster Ozpin will ensure that justice is served." The woman sighed, her voice sounding almost fed up with his response.

"Why would he go to such lengths for a mere noble in disgrace, a Huntsman with skill, yet with the lack of knowing when to take a step back. It does not need to be so difficult, Mister Arc." The councillor spoke, yet Sage remained undeterred.

"It would not serve the public any favours if the council intervened." The words were simple and logical. Abuses of power, such as by the emperor of Mistral and the ruler of Mantle, were something that had been enshrined in law to be prevented. A personal vendetta of a councillor would have to be managed well, lest the public catch wind of it.

"It would not, Mister Arc. I still wish to urge you caution... A man in your position might find his options severely limited."The words were a threat, yet he knew well that there was more to it than that. His logical mind immediately assumed the logical stance, the words already bubbling up in his mind, yet he spoke them not.

' _It would not serve to call her out on her hypocrisy.'_ He looked at the woman, even as he closed his eyes, a simple – "Good day, Mister Arc. I will contact you again in due time, to see whether you are more agreeable."

As the fizzling of the screen faded and he was left alone, he could feel the burden on his body shift, even as he continued to move in accordance with his daily regimen, his body moved through the exercises, enough to let him sweat a little. It was no hindrance to him, the washing that he got twice a week enough to take care of things... even if they did use the hose.

' _Emerald... I'll be a little longer.'_ Ozpin was one of the good ones, the seal confirmed that as much as his subtle clues did. With his eyes unclouded, he could see the man's interest, each of his daughters who had graduated bringing with it yet another surge of pride, another blade up against the darkness.

' _We do what we must. The world will burn before the d'Arc-Night family forsakes its creed.'_

* * *

 _The darkest hour (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

She pressed him against the wall, her lips against his, a searing kiss that sent the darkness skittering away through his body like worms surging through the ground, her eyes dark and with that needy attitude in her movements. "I love you." She moaned, her voice like the heated kiss of passion that found his lips once more.

"Make love to me…" The need in her voice was there, even as she pulled her dress up, her bared groin visible. _'She'd gone without… of course.'_ He wondered briefly whether Weiss was as daring as her mother before he dismissed it, his hand seizing her scalp and his lips pressed against hers gently.

"I love you too… But an alley isn't the proper place." She needily made a sound in the back of her throat, as she pressed tighter to him, her eyes covered in a film of need and lust.

"Just a little taste? Please, please?" Her voice sounded like that of a needy woman on her first high, as she licked over his lips. "Like this morning… Hmmhmmm." The woman's hands were already busy, touching and feeling, even as Whitney's gaze absently ran through their surroundings. "I could've sworn…"

He wondered briefly whether Sienna had already returned to their place, knowing that there would no doubt be less time to do something with Whitney if she was, as Sienna often turned up her nose at the thought of seeing such happenings. _'I wonder if she's jealous or something, like Kali keeps hinting…_ '

Jaune pushed open the door to the room that he shared with his women, walking over to the pack that stood at the side, hearing light footsteps behind him, the feeling of something brushing by him, and spotting Whitney move past him in a moment, getting herself situated on the bed. _'I think a shower might be needed...'_

He didn't think much about it, as he looked at her, the smile on her face as accepting as it always was. "Shower?" He felt awkward saying that, yet she nodded.

"Let's get you cleaned up." He thought that he could hear her pant in anticipation already, even as the scent of something familiar came to his nose, his smile even greater as he moved to her, kissing her. That familiar scent faded away, yet... he smelled Whitney. _'Hmm... Maybe Sienna has something that she wears on her clothing? I could've sworn...'_

He felt like he a prince (technically he was, but that was neither here nor there) as he led Whitney to the shower, the spray cold at first, yet heating up swiftly. Her moans were loud, yet nobody bothered them, as they should. A brief scan of his surroundings, the emotional load that hung around the hotel a mixture of regret, dark thoughts and such gloomy environs hitting him, the strength that he gained from them not much more than a drop in the ocean... yet it was a trickle.

"I love you." He whispered, a giggle reaching his ear, as Whitney's body pressed against him.

"I'll get ready." She said, taking a step out of the shower, not bothering getting herself a towel. It was alluring, seeing a woman like her step out first, even as he felt the need inside him grow more, the woman already anchored in his heart as one of the pillars.

A thump and a low groan caught his ear, even as he turned to the rack, the towel with which he wiped himself off thrown back onto it. "Whitney?" He called out, opening the door and spotting a set of legs laying there next to the bed. "Are you alright?"

He came closer, a sense of dread welling up inside him for a reason. Summer seemed to be alive with chatter, speaking of dire things, even as her language shifted from normal to the gibberish that seemed ever to be frequent with her. _"There is the one, the one, the obsessed one, mommy can't help you, please Jaune, please be good, be a good boy for momma and make her happy. Make momma happy and make her silent, momma hurts, momma pains, oh why are there so many pleasant cookies? Where is my husband? Tai? Where are you?'_

Seeing Whitney's body and seeing the blood that leaked from her forehead, his heart was gripped with fear, even as he could feel his heart pump even faster, fear racing through his body as he knelt next to her, about to reach out and touch, until he felt something sharp against his neck.

"Heeyyy Jaune..." Blood turned to ice in his veins, as he recognized the voice immediately, getting up immediately, the blade at his neck invisible and yet... he saw a mass before his eyes shimmer away, a confident set of red eyes with a dash of madness looking down at him, an expression that was enough to make the blood freeze in his veins, the _Vitae Tenebris_ flowing freely as the anger blasted away all sanity.

She was dressed in a similar outfit to her previous one, an additional bandolier of Dust shells ready, her rifle slung over her shoulder, the cocky and confident mad grin on her lips enough, as his body coiled itself into anger, her cleavage seemingly the place where his gaze laid.

"Thought you'd killed me, didn't you... Aww... I'm such a disappointment to poor little daddy..." Her eyes were lacking in sanity, and they seemed to focus on him, as her tongue licked over her lips. "But I'm here now, Jaune... And we'll be here together forever and everrr... Little Ruby is going to join us too, when I track her down... Hmmhmm..." Mad giggles exploded from her mouth, as she looked at him, the tip of the Kopesh still aimed at his sternum.

* * *

 **Rubedo Beornir is back and a threat to Jaune! Team JNPR is going to be reunited... or so they think!**

 **I said there would be a reunion in this chapter... So yeah! Here we have it! Jaune Arc versus Rubedo Beornir!**

 **Next time...**

 **Reunions, Reactions and Regrets! One of the character perspectives will fade from A Grimm Tale forever... because they kick the bucket. They die. Their perspective shan't be revisited.**

 **Mistralian used by Kali -**

 **I am the blade of my beloved master. He guides me through my life and is the light in my darkness.**

 **Leave a review! The next chapter will come on April 5th! Mid-Volume finalé!**


	38. Companionship's Bonds

**Chapter 38: Companionship's bonds**

 **And now, we have the fight between Rubedo Beornir and Jaune Arc... *drum roll* I can say that this will be a chapter full of emotional reunions...**

* * *

 _The Ex (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

She didn't even blink at him once, her eyes staring at him, the weapon at his chest ready to stab. "Get on the bed, little Jauney... It's time for you to get some love." Her eyes were crimson like the blood that welled up whenever she had her way, the anger inside him untamed, his expression saying as much. "Good eyes... Rubedo likes them."

' _Who the fuck is Rubedo?'_ He asked himself, as he made his way towards the bed. She was in a perfect position to hurt Whitney, who was unconscious or... worse, the feeling of something else burning inside him, even as he got onto the bed. _'Whenever I can..._ '

He could feel Summer yowling inside him like a cat, like some maddened creature, speaking and swearing, cussing and pleading, even as he got on the bed and the redheaded devil with her blade got on there with him, a smile on her face that would make most young men wonder just where this cute girl came from, even as her head came closer and she sniffed.

"You smell of sex. Good. Good. I'm still a virgin, y'know? Daddy never wanted me to have a boy... Said I was too precious, hee hee." The giggle was enough to make his patience snap, even as his _Vitae Tenebris-_ infused arm was seized and placed against her chest. "Touch me, Jaune." Her voice was aggressive and without pity, his eyes meeting hers.

"With pleasure." He changed the composition, even as he sat there, the fingers turning into claws, tearing right through her flesh and going into her chest cavity, her eyes looking wide with a sudden fear in them, even as she giggled. "Silly little Jaune..."

From his other side, her touch continued. "The real one is over here..." His other hand was seized and gently laid on her chest, round orbs that were at the very least an upper C cup pressing against his hand, as his arm jerked free from the body of Ruby, her eyes blasted of any and all sanity. His fingers made a motion, the staff with the Relic in it flying into his hand.

A wave of energy suffused the room, detecting three presences within the room. He was aware now, as Ruby worked her fingers over his groin, not even being shy about it, that she was hiding somewhere due to some sort of trick, her fingers touching, even as she giggled, mumbling something about... boys? She was still armed, though... armed with a sword.

"End of the line for you, Ruby." His voice was soft, even as he detected the place where she was at, the hand that held the staff with the Relic on it, moving to that direction and then giving a moment for her to reach closer... and then he struck. His _Vitae Tenebris_ -infused hand struck what seemed to be empty air, yet the blood that dripped onto the carpet was real, the look of Ruby Beornir's surprised face as the clawed hand punched right through her chest was enough vindication... Before an idea surfaced. _'It would help...'_

"Ruby... It's time for you to pay the price of your sins." He was too far gone to be a hero with an untarnished past. The power of the Relic of Knowledge was too great for most mortals to bear, yet as he did use that power, he could feel the flow of energy between him and her increase, the look of her eyes widening enough, as he pushed.

Arcane symbols wrapped around the space where she stood, lashing around her with energy tendrils, binding her to the spot. A word spoken in the ancient tongue, as he forced Summer out, straight through the impaling limb and straight into that body... trusting that it would work. _'If it works for Pinnacle...'_

* * *

 _Loves Lost (Rubedo Beornir)_

* * *

She didn't understand. Why would he not love her? Daddy said that any boy who could defeat him would love her. He had said so many times, even though his body was but dead meat and Emmie and her girlfriend were being mean. She only had herself in this world and now... now her boyfriend had came back!

She was so happy when she had seen him with that uppity-looking blonde tart, who held hands with him and took a shower with him. With her own capacities, she was well-aware of the skills needed to enter a room without any sort of issue, her Semblance working perfectly to shroud her from the perception of everything.

' _Why are you hurting me, Jaune? Don't you want to be my daddy? Don't you want to be my husband? Why do you hurt me?'_ It was a strange love in her heart, even as she heard from little Ruby about the way that her best friend had been taken from her. The girl had to be tamed, had to be made into the perfect little pet so that she could be reunited with her friend...

' _Little Ruby would be great with a nice bow around her neck and those cute eyes looking so much like mommy... Mommy, where is mommy? Mommy?'_ A light touch of something in the very depths of her soul, even as some sort of presence filled it, a warmth that seemed to bring with it some sort of... presence. _"Mama is here, little Ruby..."_

"Mama..." She uttered, looking at the angry hateful face of her boyfriend, who was forcing mama into her. It wasn't something that hurt... well, it actually did, but it was a good hurt. The good hurt that she would give to little Ruby when she finally snagged her, when she finally offered her to her boyfriend and husband and cutest ever blonde fucker... Ooh, this just turned her on. "Mama, I love you. Mama, you saved me when I was weak."

She was talking nonsense now, as she did, her eyes watching, as her lover and most perfect man looked at her, his eyes as red as the colour that had given her name truth. _"Mama is going to take over... Hush little Ruby... Sleep tight..."_

She felt so sleepy... She felt so tired, even as she looked at her beloved Jaune. "I love you, Jaune... You're the best man in the wo-..." Her head hit the ground, even as mama took over.

 _The moment when she had seen the dual swords wielding woman walk through the camp, her body untouched, like some pristine little angel, she had wanted to call out to her, to ask her where her boyfriend was. Her boyfriends never lasted long, and the woman seemed to know a lot about where her boyfriend might be._

 _As she watched her boyfriend deal with her older sister Topaz, a smile came to her lips, even as she hid further into the darkness, the shadows working around her to hide her, even though she knew they could not see her. There was less blood in the shadows too, a good thing... She didn't like the blood much on her body. It was icky and best left for her play-buddies. They always screamed so loudly, making her so happy._

 _She was going to be the bestest girlfriend EVER. He was strong... Yes, he was so strong that it made her little engine below kick up... strong strong strong strong strong strong... the perfect partner, yes... She was going to take care of him, yes... but she had to get out now. Emmie would know where her boyfriend was... yes, she knew Emmie, they knew Emmie... they weren't the bad guys, nope._

 _Emmie had screamed when she had first seized her. Of course, that was because she had snuck up on her. Emmie was all dressed up. She didn't like that. She didn't like the cool lady who was Emmie's girlfriend. Why does Emmie like the girls who are crazy? Ruby wasn't crazy, nope... Ruby wasn't crazy at all. Ruby LOVED her toys._

 _It was sleepy time now... sleepy time for the Rubedo. Yes... mama is here. Mama will make sure that everything goes good for little Rubedo... Yes..._

 _Mommy would love her..._

* * *

 _Mother loves Ruby (Summer Rose)_

* * *

She felt the soul as she was pushed into the body through the darkness. It was like a vile sludge that was pushed aside to force her in. One moment, she was gazing at the young woman, the next she was forced into the woman, her perspective changing, as the soul brushed against her. Damaged and cold, with a dash of heat and madness... something that she understood.

The girl called out for her mother... and she was here. It was not her biological daughter, yet she could feel the need within that voice for a mother... a loving mother to care for her. The feeling was alien to her, the Mission already the primary objective.

" _M_ _ama is here."_ She whispered to the frightened soul, even as the darkness that had come with her restructured the body. There was Summer Rose now, the owner of this body. There was just Summer… and a shred of the soul of the young girl called Rubedo Beornir.

She moaned about loving her mama… and Summer found that to be perfect. _'I won't mistreat your body…_ ' She could see the angry look on Jaune's face as he did what he did, his eyes burning with that foul malevolence, even as her face changed, the structure assumed of Summer Rose. _'I am in control...'_

" _Mama is going to take over..."_ She whispered to the soul of the frightened girl, the love that she held for Jaune touching her. _'A cute girl who loves in a strange way...'_ She knew that she was doing things wrong, actually accepting the love that she saw within that soul... the wayward love for a mother who had been gone for years upon years. _"Hush little Ruby... Sleep tight."_

The consciousness of the soul shuddered, before it slowly sank into slumber. She looked up at Jaune, a bright smile on her lips, his face showing clearly that he was relieved. "Are you okay, Summer?"

She stretched slightly, even as his hand withdrew, the writhing darkness that it composed pushed back into an arm, his eyes looking over her body and checking for any damages. "Oh yes..." She said, her voice sounding a touch lower, like Rubedo's. Her hands slid over her body, finding the clothing that she had retrieved from her home back on Patch. It was a surprise... and she knew that she probably had done something to the body of the girl.

"Is... Is it okay if I let her out sometime?" The look on his face was angry, as he looked at her with rage and frustration. The shadows pulsed and Kali came out, her face looking grave.

"What happened?" She said, spotting Whitney laying on the floor. Summer shivered, as she tried to imagine what Rubedo looked like... again. The template of Rubedo flickered before her mind and she changed, a flash of light happening and then... she was back in control, Rubedo slumbering deep within her soul, a happy little mumble of 'Love you mommy' coming from her.

"We had a bit of an encounter." Rubedo's voice slipped from her lips, the accent totally Summer when she spoke, even as she looked at herself in the mirror. The core of her eyes seemed to be Silver, yet the outside was completely red. _'That's not good.'_ The silver faded swiftly, leaving only red pools. The hole in her outfit though... That wasn't so easily fixed.

"She's the girl who gave me my scars." Jaune clarified, even as he seemed to control his temper. The sudden switch between bodies had given her new skills. She knew how to make Dust bombs and Dust rounds, roughshod construction of them and to make do with the additional bits in order to furnish special ammunition, knowledge that she had not had before. _'She really did love Jaune... In her own twisted way.'_

"She's asleep now... I think."She could think clearly again now. There was no haze inside her that seemed to bring her to the level of someone unfit for duty, her mind as clear as a mirror once more. "Whatever you did..."

The look on Kali's face was still serious, as she helped Whitney up onto the bed with the aid of Jaune, whose face had changed to concern. He looked at Whitney, who laid there, the wound on her head closing swiftly as his Aura pumped through her system. The woman woke, only to look at her with annoyance. "And who are you?"

The irritation in her voice was enough, yet she did not attack. She looked at Jaune with questioning eyes, watching him for any sign. "The girl who scarred my back." He said, with not a single hint of doubt in his voice. The angry eyes met her again, even as Summer smiled.

"Now you can call me Summer! Hiiii!" She was enthusiastic, even as she looked down and checked herself out. _'I will need some new lingerie for my boobies. They're a size bigger than mine... So, shopping!'_

"You've... done something to her?" Jaune looked embarrassed, as if it were something that was a shameful thing.

"You're not supposed to force two souls together. The dangers of that are known to be horrible. You could explode if you do it wrong... Or you could just be the recipient of both souls." She thought that he would be aware of things, yet she knew well that he would not be. Shifting back into Summer Rose, she enjoyed the feeling of having some freedom of movement, even though the tits were very strained against her dress. _'A size bigger is definitely required... Whatever he did... It made them bigger.'_

"Hey, Jaune?" She said, his head turning to her, a kiss delivered to his cheek. "Thank you. I feel better than I've felt before." The feeling of lust and love for him was not banished so easily, even with his body twitching and turning, his eyes locked with hers, as she felt that warm expression rocket through her body. _'You're not going to abandon the mission...'_

It was the others who were interested in him. The Mission was more important than anything else... and he was one of those who had to be slain. The heresy that he committed towards the natural state of things...

' _Am I...'_ she could feel her heart throb, her eyes looking at him, smelling his scent. The yearning and the craving, the flushing of her nethers with need, even as she could remember the faint touches of Rubedo still remaining, of the times when she had needed to flush the release... _'Am I...'_

"That's good." He said, even as he sat down on the bed, wrapping an arm around Whitney. Summer could see the look on the woman's face change, even as she felt his emotions. _'Semblance... Yes, it is Rubedo's Semblance that I can possibly use...'_

She felt her Aura brush over her body, the beat of her heart empowering herself, even as her blades flickered into her hands with a swift motion, a dance of blades started, stabbing and slashing, twisting and moving. Her body was like a peak efficiency machine, moving without the slowness of age... and probably feeling younger now too. _'I feel like I'm twenty again...'_

The body that belonged to Rubedo was enhanced with herself... and it had the effect of allowing her to move even better than the body that had been crafted solely from the darkness. Her eyes flickered to Jaune and their silver light blasted over the three that were present, Jaune shrinking back, even as Whitney and Kali's gazes levelled an angry glare at her. _'They don't like that much...'_

"Alright, don't do that again. That flashlight hurts..." Jaune said, his emotions calmer now, even as she could feel within her that dark little speckle of wickedness that came with the transfer of her soul towards this body.

"I'll do better... oh, Jaune?" The door opened up and Sienna appeared, her breathing heavy, her weapon ready, as she looked at them, fixing her with a look that showed her irritation.

"You finally made your way back, didn't you? What happened?" She was not going to be some sort of shill for the woman, as she scoffed.

"Could you stop feeling so angry, Jaune?" Sienna's voice was irritated, as she switched her attention to Jaune, obviously to blame for this. The anger that he had felt had surged through every single connection that he had, the brutal rough rage that warmed her very soul had been something that pulsated along the lines of connection with his followers...

"I encountered an old friend." He said, even as he began to rub his head, obviously still irritated from the pain that she'd caused him by testing out her skills. "She was made into the body for Summer."

"Technically, she's asleep. The poor girl... She thinks you love her." It was genuine pity that she felt, even as his eyes looked at her with wicked anger, his face showing clearly that frustration burning through him, as he inhaled and exhaled sharply. The one who was in control of these people, these... acolytes, yet not able to control his own emotions.

"She's still in there?" A tone of worry in his voice, even as Sienna grumbled something about chances and such. "I can help with that." The Relic glowed, his hand on the staff.

"No... She can have her value. Mommy loves her... and she loves her mommy." The words were an excuse, as she knew well that there was more to this than mere fancy... that she had let someone in... that she was... lonely.

"She knows Cinder Fall." The look on his face changed, even as he shifted.

"That bitch needs to die." Sienna mumbled, even as she tossed her Dust whip onto the bed, stretching slowly. "She's the one who's inciting Torchwick against the White Fang, telling them to work with him."

"Roman Torchwick? Tall, wears white and has orange hair and weird eyeliner?" Jaune said, Summer not-quite-getting why he was speaking about the man, a short nod from Sienna following.

"We ran into him earlier. Healed his arm, planted something inside of him." Jaune sounded like a villain as he spoke... yet Summer would have done the same, if she could. It was the journey towards the end goal of the Mission... And she would make sure that the Mission would be completed. _'Nothing like the burdens we share, little one..._ '

"This is either some rotten coincidence, or you're planning stuff..." Sienna said, her tone suspicious. Summer knew that Jaune did not plan many things. Fate just seemed to have it in for him, be it for good or be it for bad. _'It is probably due to his powers..._ '

"He had some of the same stuff as you in his body. Insurance, from Fall. I simply changed the terms of the deal." A smile on his face, one that made her heart thump faster and her breath pick up. It was attractive, in a certain way, as he shifted his weight slightly to the left. "But... I'm not going to ruin him like Fall would... No..." The smile on his face was enough.

"The grand plan from Her is to ruin Vale out of a desire to harm the Great Wizard and his plans... I know some of her thoughts on the subject. She's been trying this for years..." The look on his face was one of openness, without the guile that she had come to suspect from him, her mind oddly quiet, as she looked at him. "Not with much success, as the Great Wizard has his pawns."

The look on his face was enough to caution her, her mind whirring through the memories that she had of Ozpin. _'Is there something I missed? Something...'_

She could feel the burning in the back of her mind, the instincts that had long-since been aware of the changes to the body that she currently inhabited, the soul of Rubedo Beornir still present within... yet she was not going to give up. "Jaune? You were offering knowledge, right?"

It had come to be the subject of a discussion a few times about the Relic's uses. There was so much information stored within the Relic that it was enough to blight the mind of someone with the portents of doom three-hundred times over... If the wrong question was asked.

He had a complicated expression on his face. "One question, yes." He said, his voice sounding hesitant, as if he did not trust her fully. She would not trust him fully either... He was still one of the targets, one of the people that had to be quelled for the peace of Remnant. The Mission was still paramount to everything else, even the bonds of family...

' _My family...'_ There was the question, the nagging doubts within her mind, as she wondered how Ruby's progress was going. _'Knowledge of family or the knowledge on how to gain an edge over the Grimm..._ ' A tricky question, one that had no real answer from her mind yet.

"I'd like to ask..." _'I can combine the two... My legacy will not be limited to Raven...'_ The legacy was important, as the creed had spoken of. Within this new body, she would be able to do the same manoeuvres as she had been able to execute whilst still possessing all limbs. "Well, my daughters." Yang and Ruby were her daughters, yet she had hardly known them. She had been gone too much, too long.

He looked for a long while at her, though it lasted only slightly longer than a minute, before he solemnly nodded. "As I am a man of my word..." He said, his voice sounding full of hesitation, even as he handed the staff with the Relic over to her.

"I wish to know about my children." The glow of the Relic wrapped around her, fragments of the question bouncing around like a fog of thought and spirit, wrapping around her, brushing through her hair, the feeling of lightness entering her head, as a rush pushed through her veins, the Relic processing the question.

Knowledge rushed in.

* * *

 _The moment of knowledge (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He watched as Summer Rose seemed to pause for a moment, the shards of knowledge wrapping around her, as her face rapidly changed from the healthy face of a woman in her prime to something that was like a pale mask that one wore on the night of the Hallows, when the ghouls and ghosts supposedly roamed the land. Her eyes were wide, even as the Relic's information tether wrapped around her, a sensation going through the air that was just wrong.

"By the gods..." Her voice was frail, even as she threw herself in the direction of the toilet, the sound of throwing up coming from that direction, even with Kali and Sienna sharing a look, before looking at the staff, which had fallen to the ground after she had dashed for the toilet.

"Do you think it was something she ate?" Kali mumbled, her eyes meeting his own. It was only the faint emotion that he could sense from Summer, disturbed and full of what seemed to be anger and rage, terror and something else that could be madness. It was an unpleasant blend, blasted in every direction. Grimm bait that would draw them in... if they were present.

"Jaune... What did you do?" Whitney asked him, her face looking concerned. _'I didn't do a thing. She asked the question about her daughter and then poof... bam. Sick Summer.'_ The woman had asked for his staff for the knowledge Relic, and he had thought for a moment that she meant ill, yet the spark of something of an emotion inside her nevertheless worked on him, leaving him to feel the backlash through the connection that he shared with the others.

"Nothing, I swear. She just channelled through the Relic and then... poof." He couldn't explain it any other way, even as the suspicious look that Whitney gave him was there, though he could sense that she was more jealous than anything else. "It might be residual feedback..."

Summer emerged, noticeably pale. "I'm good. Nothing's wrong with the grand and imposing Summer Rose!" The woman's mannerisms did not soothe his worries, even as she sat herself down on one of the beds, a distant look on her face, as she looked down, a melancholic expression on her face.

"Can I... Can I ask another question?" He knew that he would have to give her the Relic again if she were to ask another question. "The answer wasn't complete, you see... It just... it just gave me the physical statistics." That made sense, the women in the room sans Summer nodding as one. There were things about the human body that were distasteful and gross, not pleasant to know of about your own daughter.

He held out the staff with the Relic tipping its head, watching Summer take the head and then close her eyes. "I want to know what happened to my daughters." The look on her face was placid for a moment, before those silver eyes opened wide as her hands tried to pull away from the Relic.

"No, no-nonononononononononononononononononono-"

Her emotional state turned from relatively stable into instability, emotions raging over her mindscape, like a physical lash that hurt his mind, the others watching, even as Summer Rose tried to jerk her hands away from the Relic.

"No, please, no, please..."The pleading was there, even as the hands moved from the Relic, a blue bolt of lightning hitting Summer in the chest, the woman heavily crashing into the wall, a sizzling smell of bacon and flesh there, even as the hands were burned and seared heavily due to the contact with the Relic. _'What did she ask?'_

Those silver eyes were empty as they stared at him, her whole mental state a blank slate, even as he watched her carefully, not a single bubble of emotion coming from the placid state of her mind. _'Did she lobotomize herself?'_

It wasn't unheard of to see someone get mind-blasted with more information than they could process, the pain enough to drive lesser creatures mad... yet Summer was made of sterner stuff. "Call... Raven. Please?" The whimpering voice was enough to draw his attention, even as Summer seemed to twitch and whimper, tears leaking from her eyes. "I need Rae... Rae, where are you?" Her voice was almost child-like, his hand searching for the bead that could be summoning Raven to them. He crushed it without a word, the portal appearing in the air beside him, Raven stepping through.

"Raven... you're here." A watery smile appeared on Summer's face, even as the Branwen Bandit Chieftain straightened out. "Take me... take me away for a bit. I need to think, I need to... Which one?" She shuddered, even as she crawled forward, Raven bending down to pull her up.

"There there... I'll get you something nice to eat and something else... You'll be fine, Summer." The woman's voice was gentle, like a caring mother should have, and yet there was still the difficulty that arose with her nature, as a bandit as cruel as she was. "I'll bring her back safe and sound... Don't worry."

"Watch out for the girl that she's currently loaning the body of. Her name is Ruby Beornir." The gritting of Raven's teeth was enough of a clue that it was not a pleasant thought, yet the woman nodded.

"I'll do what I must. They would not stage a mutiny whilst I tell them to stay away from the woman." A harsh nature, but one necessary to survive in the wilds. The blood-lust of most bandits was brought on by their harsh conditions of life, thus letting their behaviour escalate. _'She is hard like steel, yet she owes me..._ '

As Raven and Summer departed, he allowed himself a look at his women, who looked at ease, Whitney still brushing over the back of her head. "Are you alright, Whitney?"

She smiled softly, as her eyes warmed to him. It was one of the traits about her that he appreciated the most, the desire that she held to make sure that he was comfortable and happy around her. _'I don't deserve such a woman.'_ "Of course, Jaune."

"So... Eh, can I give a report of how I've found them?" Kali piped up, her smile warmer, as she shifted into an easier spot on the bed, her legs pulled up and her arms wrapped around them, her chin resting on her knees.

"My team?" Kali's frown was enough to clue him in that she did not like that title being added to his team members, and he supposed that he should not be calling them 'his team' right as of this moment. They were in the past... and now he was with these three women, all of them tainted with a strand of the _Vitae Tenebris_ , some empowered moreso than others.

Whitney had been lucky to survive being hit in the head, something that he supposed was only made easier by Ruby's... well... insane obsession. He didn't know what to feel about the girl and him. In a way, he felt pity, knowing that she was as mutilated as he was in spirit as he was in body... yet he could also feel the anger within him rising still that she had gotten away with treating him like that... that she had gotten off scot-free.

"We're your team now, silly." She said, even as she leaned forward. Her eyes were warmer, as her fingers slid the zipper down. Her breasts bounced once, before they ceased, her fingers pulling the outfit off a moment later. "And..." She skipped forward, her hands resting on his shoulders, pushing him down so that he was flat on the bed. "I really like you." She smiled, leaning close and then nosing him gently, her nose against his own. He could smell a strange smell of... nothing, and then something else, the scent that usually hung around her, her body rubbing against his own.

"I caught your friend Ren and his girlfriend Nora fucking." He blushed, even though he was regularly doing the same with Whitney, who was more voracious than ever these past few days. "Soo... I helped a little. You don't mind, do you? I gave her one of those little soul-scorchers of an orgasm. Girl really likes to unwind a bit..." He tilted his head to the side, mimicking Kali as she often did, her ears twitching lightly, as she smiled at him. "So... Eh, they got your note. They'll be bringing the Nikos girl with them as well."

"Did I... Did I do an alright job? I mean, not to intrude and such, but they were fucking and they weren't going to stop easy, so..." He placed a finger on her lips, silencing the torrent of words, her insecurity showing through in her actions.

"You did great." Her face brightened up immediately, a glint of something in those eyes that had shown so many different emotions, the glint that reeked of desperation replaced with something that seemed to be full of hope. "I'm sure things will go well." Her head nodded, her serious face appearing once more.

"You should... be prepared, you know." She cautioned, her eyes shiftily looking around. "There could be dangers afoot. Just us three won't work... well, not directly. I can kill them. I promised I would, if they betrayed you. I don't let my precious ones be betrayed." The mumbling whispers seemed to intensify. Her eyes seemed to shift towards him and then to Whitney, a sudden look of fragility.

"It'll be okay. They're my friends." He said, full of confidence that they would not betray him. That is what a team was, right? They would never betray one of their own. Kali's eyes looked at him, before she sniffed. "Get back under the shower you two." She indicated Whitney and himself. "You reek of blood and sweat… It's not really good."

He laughed, awkwardly. His own actions in breaking Ruby's soul was enough to make him break out in a sweat, Whitney's look at him like an enticement, her finger curling towards him. "I'll be good, I'll be good."

The woman got up, her steps without any hurry, even as she hugged him. "Very good. Let's take that shower." He could see that Whitney gave Kali a friendly look, as if thanking her for the opportunity that she was given.

She guided him back into the shower, even as he felt the warm muggy air hit him, the knowledge that it'd only been like half an hour since Ruby had pushed herself back into his life… _'Time runs too fast for me to keep up…'_

He felt Whitney press him against the shower wall, her body pressed against him, her bare chest rubbing up and down, nipples like two steel-like nubs, her eyes burning with what seemed to be an enticing offer, even with her eyes looking at him like he held the truths to the world locked inside him. _'She looks dangerous…'_

"I love you." Her voice was soft, as her tongue brushed over her lips, her eyes locked with his own. "I would gladly die for you."

It was enough to cause him to react to her, his whole body feeling hotter now that she had said such a thing. His eyes glinted, as he felt her touch. "I don't want to lose you." He said, his emotions rushing, even as she pressed against him, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "When she appeared.."

"Hush." She said, as she embraced him, her smaller stature brushing against his own. She was not going for their usual coupling, just lingering there in his embrace, her eyes meeting with his own and keeping there, a low groan coming from her lips, even as she kissed him. "No matter what, we're all here for you."

She looked up at him, her smile turning hopeful. "Even if you do bad things... Even if you are hurt, we will make sure to fix you right up again." Her eyes were brighter now, as if the hurt that'd befallen her had not been something that had occurred, the blood slowly washing out of her hair.

"Summer is with the girl now... Do you think that you can contain your anger?" He knew that he had sinned against the world with taking Summer and forcing her into the corporeal body of Ruby. The bandit had mounted a sneak attack, had acted... weird. It was not something that he would have done, he might've... made some changes, if he had the ability to. _'A crime against nature... a person with two souls...'_

Ruby would be kept under Summer's control. The woman's madness was destabilizing her mind and such, there was a certain poetry in the body that he had taken from Ruby to make it so. It was more of a guess that he made, one of those instants where he gambled upon the power of the Relic.

"Yeah. She's still there, but..." The bindings were complete. Ruby Beornir would not emerge as the dominant soul unless he gave her permission to do so. He was the one in control, the one who was able to guide her towards the proper life. He was just a man... but he needed allies.

' _I need to infuse her with the Vitae Tenebris...'_ It would be for a later date, he knew. With Summer needing a rest after forcibly taking the body of a young woman, it was only time before she rejoined them again. _'I wonder what she asked about her daughters... But the Relic does have a major issue with information flow.'_

"Do you want to fuck her?" Whitney asked, her voice soft, a doubtful sound that emerged from her mouth, a low rumble coming from his mouth at the sensation. Was he going to do such a thing with her, share such intimacy with someone who had hurt him so much? _'Do I want to?'_

"No. Summer might've had a chance... But Ruby?" He shook his head, aware that she was looking at him like a guiding light, her expression warm, as she kissed his cheek.

"You still have to fuck Sienna and Kali, Jaune... They go first." Her smile was faint and with its own mannerisms, even as he felt the haze of something surge through him, her whole body tingling in response, as his hand seized her head, tilting it back and giving her a kiss to her lips.

Her eyes were closed, even as she pushed even closer to him. A moment of peace, a moment of tranquillity that had been forged by the way that they had come together, her body still as intact as it had been.

* * *

 _The resolution (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She watched the two go into the shower, the diversionary tactic had worked well for her doing, even with her attention riveted to Sienna, whose face showed not the slightest bit of change, her tongue sliding over her own lips, as she let her gaze slip down. "We're in danger of losing him."

Sienna nodded, her serious look enough for Kali to know that she'd gone into business mode. The former bodyguard knew well when it was time to shift towards the more business-oriented mindset about guarding the target. "He'd have been killed if she went for him first..." The prospect filled her with fear, even as Sienna spoke it so bluntly, the younger woman's ears flat on her head, a sign of her distaste. _'She has changed.'_

"We won't let that happen..." Her voice was soft, even as she let her gaze rest on the bathroom where the sounds of the shower came from. "Right?"

"Yeah..." Sienna's thoughtful words were a sign of her distraction, as her attention went to the door. "When he meets his... friends." She paused, a look of conflict coming on her face.

' _You still haven't let go of that, have you?'_ She knew that there was more to be said about that, as she looked at the younger woman's face, twisted in an expression. "It won't be like that." She tried to assure her friend, yet Sienna's eyes met her own. Pitiless and merciless they could be, yet they showed a warmth.

"What if?" She could only hear the faintest of tremors through that voice, even with Sienna's superb control over her own rhythm and volume, her eyes looking down. "It's not that I don't want to, but..."

Kali could understand that. Her husband, lost due to that terrible event... it was all too much. Too much to bother with, too much to ensure that the world kept on going... and then there had been Jaune, a young man who had worked so hard to make sure that he kept them all safe.

She could see White's own look of love and fascination with him, her whole attitude depending on how well he felt... Her own mind already categorizing him as a possession that she had, yet it was something that he had about him. The lure of the darkness was nothing that would be easily explained away, as it was as it was, not a shred of time to be wasted on that, when there was more to go and do in the world. Would one have to murder a Kingdom to gain peace?

' _I would, if he needed it. Against his will, if he required it to grow.'_ It was a dark and terrible love that grew inside her, her heartbeat bumping ever faster, as she had seen his teammates, wrapped together in a simile of herself and Ghira. It was the feeling inside her that did not stop, that made her determined to claim him with her own talents. "Whatever he needs..." She said.

Sienna looked up at her, a puzzled gaze that held so many secrets. "You are right, Sienna. Sometimes, the world does not need peaceful methods in order to advance. You know as well as I do, that we've both been ousted from the organisation... and they have turned to violence." Sienna's eyes were shrouded in those dark emotions, anger and hate emerging from her, even as she took a deep breath.

"I should've been able to do more... Should've known how dangerous it would be, yet I trusted them." The words were only hindsight now, as the events had already occurred. "I saw the signs yet I did nothing." Sienna's gloomy mood seemed to be spreading, as she could make her own assessments as well of the behaviour that they did. _'Menagerie never really reached out to others...'_

They could have been a bastion for the Faunus in the world, instead of the cage that it was. _'We could have hired Huntsmen, made ourselves into the fifth Kingdom, if we so desired...'_ The Faunus were not a people with low population numbers. In the end scheme of things, the Faunus would win out against humanity with sheer numbers, yet the grisly war that would occur would be the death knell to one of the races of Remnant.

"It's no use crying over spilt milk... It's not going to help us any more in assisting him." Her gaze went to the shower, where the soft conversation continued between White and Jaune, the soft affirmation of their appreciation and love. _'Look at me, as old as I am, thinking about a young man.'_

"If his team members act erratic... Take care of them quietly, alright?" Sienna said, her voice soft, as her orange eyes glinted with the feelings that she felt, a discordant manner. "The bodies we can dispose of with a few chemicals... I can probably get my hands on them if I need to."

A plan that was solid, from all sides. If they made any sign of becoming a turncoat for the wrong side... they would be corpses in the future. Jaune might not like it, yet Kali and Sienna had been through enough politics to know that loose ends got someone killed... _´Forgive us...'_

"He could give them his gift..." Kali offered, even as Sienna frowned. "It worked with me, did it not?" Kali never had really said 'thank you' for that, to her own recollection. There were of course the mere formalities, yet she had not shared herself with him in the manner of thank you that could be expected of a woman towards a man.

"We will need training... We've only got a few skills." Even that was more than the other people had, who only relied on their Aura. Sienna was in her advanced form a beast that moved with grace, the Dust-whip like a viper striking out. With a few more things under her belt, she would be a front-line beast, ravaging and maiming whatever came in her path.

"I am going to ask him for the ability to ensure that I have backup around me at all times." Sienna said, her eyes looking shiftily, as she began to run a hand through her hair, which had grown longer ever since she had gone on this endeavour. _'Backup would not be a bad thing... My Semblance allows me to use my shadows in different ways...'_ "You should ask him for an enhancement to that fear thing you do."

' _It is NOT a fear thing... It's more of a fear aura? Terror aura? Well, look at me, terrorizing innocents... Ghira would have thrown a fit.'_ Ghira would have, yet Jaune would not. He knew the stakes of the game they played with the world. "I'll consider it. You should be aware that you'll be fighting on the front line first." Sienna nodded, her eyes grimly staring at the bloodied spot on the ground, her hands going for her side, before she shrugged.

"I just want to make amends..." She said, her voice small. "You know what happened. The guilt that I feel still is..."

Kali wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. "It'll be fine, Sienna." Her fingers brushed over the woman's back, as she sighed deeply. "It's not going to go away. They blamed you, yes... But think on the happy days. I think of the good days with Ghira as well."

' _Guilty eyes, looking at me for guidance. She doesn't know why they denied her a chance to make amends. The response was hostile, without empathy for her own feelings.'_ The burden on Sienna's shoulder was heavy, as she sought out the families of those who died under her command, to at least apologize in person for their death, be it through military action or not. _'The weight is crushing... Ghira never could stomach it.'_

Her husband had been a good administrator, with a decent capacity for giving a speech. Privately, she rewrote a lot of his speeches, to make them able to seize the attention of the audience. She never let on that she did so, and he was often too nervous to readily read the speeches beforehand, so he often just read what was written down. His handwriting had been easy to copy down, a little skill that she'd cultivated after observing people.

"You don't know what it's like, Kali. I feel so close to him, yet my mind keeps on telling me that he is going to use me... To make him my lover, to let him own my soul... and I find myself afraid that I am going to let him, to break..." Kali rubbed over her friend's shoulder, pulling her close.

"You're not going to break, Sienna. You're going to be Sienna Khan, friend of Jaune. I'm up next on the love-train... and I'll treat him to the right amount of love that he needs." She paused, knowing that her friend was conflicted. "And when you feel ready..."

She ignored the feeling of Sienna trying to push away, a struggling little kitten that knew not its mother's wisdom. "When you feel ready, we'll take him on together, alright? I've got a White Fang mask here... And how about we involve some restraints, hmmm?" Sienna blushed, even as her breathing grew a little heavier, the idea obviously catching ground inside her mind.

"But..." Sienna said, even as Kali's finger placed itself on her lips.

"But nothing... It's not going to be a bother to me or to you. You deserve a little bit of happiness in your life as well, Sienna." Her voice was motherly, the soft sound of Sienna's sniffle like a match to the dry tinder of her life. "Come on, little tiger... Is that the Sisi that we know and love?"

Sienna stiffened, as the nickname hung in the air, before she sighed. "I guess..." The full-on hug was warm, as the woman held her close. "I'm going to be fucking humans."

"And they will love you as much as you love them." The understanding was full between the two of them, even with the sudden sensation inside her mind working. "We've got to go to that Mountain Glenn place soon, I reckon... Jaune was told about that place... So I think we should go and make sure that we get there safely."

"First things first... The teammates. Two of them are Mistrali, right?" Sienna asked, Kali nodding in the affirmative. "Impress upon them their duty. They may not be as friendly as they can be to us, but if they appreciate Jaune out of a friendly manner..." Sienna knew people better than Kali did, in a political fashion. The young Bengal Tiger Faunus was someone who knew where to strike if it benefited her, and usually pegged them right.

"Ah, I took some pictures." The Scroll was taken out of the pocket, the unzipping casually done, Sienna barely blushing at the sight, yet the eyes were curious as she looked at the students of Beacon that were captured on the device.

"Hmm..." A curious tone of voice she used, as she took a deep breath, readying herself for what was to come eventually.

* * *

 _The burdens (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

"Are you SURE that Ruby isn't here?" She asked the surly-looking sister, whose green hair rustled lightly in the stream of air that came from the hair dryer, her eyes looking drowsily. "We were supposed to go into Vale…"

"Haven't seen her. She goes off on her own sometimes, now scram, kid." The surly sister no doubt had a bad case of morning wake-up issues if her attitude made some sense. Ruby could see the team leader currently in the process of waking up, wearing something that totally should not be allowed to be worn to bed. It showed so much skin and… _'Is that a nipple?'_

Ruby Rose would have none of that! Even after the crashing of that thief Torchwick's heist of the mecha, she would not allow herself to sink into depravity. _'Emerald is really lucky to have a girlfriend like that…_ ' "Have a good day!" She smiled, only to find the door slammed into her face, leaving her standing there with a slight daze.

"Alright... Now to go to that meeting..." She knew that she was getting a little late, but Ruby Rose preferred to show up on time to any meeting! Her semblance blurred the area around her, passing by several of the students, the rose petals that dissipated upon hitting the ground adding the neatest effect to it. _'I wonder what the professor wants from us... She looked pretty annoyed with us when we came back.'_

"Eh, Professor?" She inquired from behind the door. The message that had been sent to their scroll by Professor Goodwitch had stated that all team members of team RWBY had to be present, so now it was all of them together. She wondered briefly whether there would be something that would last, maybe more sessions that would have to be scheduled... The issue with Blake and Yang was something that she knew herself to be a factor...

"Come in, Miss Rose." The voice of their combat studies professor was there, and she opened the door to see the members of her team already seated on three out of the four chairs, the counsellor looking imposing behind his desk, Professor Goodwitch already looking like she wanted to personally bend them over her knee and give them something to lose their ability to sit for a day or something.

"Take a seat. We're all friends here." The man's manner was enough, and she noticed that Professor Peach was sitting casually on the sofa, her feet drawn up, the scarred face looking at the proceedings. She sat herself down, her cloak moved a little to flow down the seat's edge, to better allow her to sit.

"Imagine my surprise when I tuned in on the news to find the four of you swinging through the city, fighting military hardware." The woman spoke up first, her blonde hair done up in that manner that showed professionalism, her green eyes meeting with each of them. "Public message boards, speculating about your presence, from being a team of Huntsmen to mere career criminals, fighting against the Atlesian assistance. The Headmaster is forgiving... Yet I am not." The woman shifted, Ruby noticing that those eyes were emotional, with a hint of something.

"Any other academy would throw the four of you out." The counsellor said, as he looked at the four of them, his eyes looking with some sort of distant gaze, as if he were seeing something that interested him, instead of four people. "A misfit Faunus, trying her best to remain in the graces of her lover. A young woman, abandoned by her mother, trying to find solace. A young singer, burdened with the weight of her own family. A teenaged prodigy, fifteen years of age yet stupid enough to actually sign off on the order to go and fight a known criminal."

"Hey!" She said, his comment about her being stupid not sitting well with her. She looked at the man, whose face was as placid as a lake, his eyes looking right at her. "I'm not stupid, alright? He was a bad man, so he had to be fought to make the world a better place!"

"You are VERY lucky, miss Rose, that you did not get maimed. Military hardware is military for a reason." Professor Goodwitch spoke up, pulling a folder from somewhere, opening it up with her Semblance and pictures hung in the air. "Without your Aura, you would have been made into minced meat. Huntsmen are not immortal, Miss Rose. Given the circumstances that you have been in, it can be excused to know not the difference once, given the Docks affair where your sister was injured, but twice?"

Ruby could see Yang's head lower lightly, her gaze complicated. "But Professor Goodwitch, I don't know-" The woman hissed.

"You don't know whether you will all make it out alive, girl." The woman's famous cool was broken, as her eyes looked at her. "You are only fifteen, you should have been given plenty of preparation before you would even be facing anything of the sort. Your sister should protect you from the wild world, as I have stated multiple times to Headmaster Ozpin." The woman's voice was heard by all of them, Yang seemingly drawn into a darker mood by those words.

"You may have gotten in via his graces, yet you are still blissfully ignorant of what it is like to lead a team. Though my hands are bound on that subject, I would still rather see you grow into your role as a protector of humanity naturally, than to have to write your father a letter telling him why both of his daughters were ground into a paste along the road of a Valean highway." The woman's breathing was heavier, the glasses on her nose trembling slightly, and Ruby could feel emotions welling up inside her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She started, as Professor Goodwitch continued.

"No, you did not mean to, but I would have thought that you at least would be responsible enough to curtail your team members from acting like they have had their intelligence sunken into the gutter." The woman's attention shifted to Weiss then, Ruby getting the image that the woman was just preparing herself for the next verbal attack.

"And you, Miss Schnee. Do I even need to state just moronic it is to not stymie your team leader in her behaviour if she is not thinking of the well-being of the team? Chasing after a known criminal, one who has extensive experience with law enforcement as well as Huntsmen... I had thought better of you." The woman's voice showed her disappointment, even as Weiss took a deep breath.

"It was a gamble, yes. We survived it, through our team leader's direction." The answer was not what the woman was looking for, the glare increasing in potency.

"Miss Schnee... If dreams and wishes were able to become reality, humanity would be in a much darker place." The woman's voice was soft, even as she turned her gaze to Blake, her mouth opening and then shutting. A stricter gaze was levelled at Blake, the woman obviously having made her mind up about something. "I am recommending you for immediate removal from team RWBY and institutionalizing you in the VMW."

' _What's the VMW?'_ Ruby asked, even as Blake gasped, her eyes looking up. "They'll kill me." The fear in her voice was real, even as the professor's eyes locked with her own. They were hard, devoid of the emotions of kindness, even as the counsellor held up his hand.

"Glynda, whilst you may be right to recommend her for a short stay in the Vale Mental Ward, I would suggest against it. Blake is not a liability to Team RWBY." The man's words were met with a glare from the woman.

"She is at least a S14! The standards are there for a reason and I will not budge on my recommendation." The counsellor showed clearly that he was not too pleased with that answer, his eyes looking at their faces, Ruby catching the concern in his eyes. "I have already made the preliminary forms ready to be signed."

"Aside from obsession and clinical dependence on her team, there is nothing wrong with Blake Belladonna. I will vouch for her." The man said, Ruby feeling her heart beat a little faster, the man's eyes meeting with hers for a moment, as he seemed to contemplate something.

Professor Goodwitch's face seemed torn, even as she sighed. "You better know what you're doing. It's your career in the firing line." The woman's attention turned to Yang, her eyes narrowing, anger seemingly welling up once more.

"You should do your best to keep your team safe. Your habit of just going off half-cocked with not a thought for the results would get someone killed out in the field." The woman's critique hit Yang hard, not a single shred of her bluster and bravado to be seen, her confidence tanking. "But you at least make an effort to keep your partner safe." Blake seemed to shift uneasily at that, her eyes looking at them.

"I'm going to take over from you here, Glynda. Please... go and inform the headmaster that I will be taking care of team RWBY by myself." The woman looked at him before she nodded.

"Peter would have words for them that were far harsher." Ruby couldn't imagine that their Grimm Studies professor would have a harsh word to say about something like that himself, yet she did not think that the man would be able to keep them from falling asleep.

"He's an old dog... He knows how to moderate his tone. He did promise to treat us to dinner once, right?" The combat professor sighed, as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses up. The pictures of mutilated bodies were put back into the folder and then tucked under an arm once more.

As Professor Goodwitch departed and the door was shut, the teacher looked at them. "Was it worth it?" He asked, his voice sounding genuinely regretful that he had to speak like this.

"We defeated Torchwick, nearly. He didn't make the world more dangerous, right? We stopped the robot." The man sighed deeper as she spoke, her eyes glinting, even with the lighting as it was.

"It would have been tagged with a beacon in order to see where it would have gone to. We would have been able to mount a strike team to take care of the criminal and get him put right where he belongs. In jail." The man clarified, and Ruby felt cold inside her cloak. _'That makes sense... Uncle Qrow said that you should always have the back of your partner.'_

"You caused a lot of damage, girls... But the Headmaster is protecting you guys." That was good news, Ruby thought.

"He's got you all covered... and you don't even know how lucky you guys are." The man's voice was heavy, as he shifted a little.

"Peach, get the files out, would you?"

The woman got up from her seat, walking towards the front and then laying three manila folders out on the table in front of them, showing them the seal that had been put on them, Beacon Academy's seal there. They were labelled with numbers, and Ruby opened up one of them, spotting her team members doing the same. "They look... nice?" A team of girls who had been called BRNN, the profile pictures looking a little dated.

 **Criminal charges: Destruction of private property, manslaughter, destruction of public property.  
Resolution: Dismissal from student body, discharged dishonourably.**

There were files at the back of the folder, with up-to-date pictures. One of them, a young student who had been pretty with brown hair and deep green eyes, now looking like a wreck, her occupation listed as 'None', and several signs on her flesh that it wasn't going so well with her.

 **Criminal history prevents gainful employment. Attempts to reach out have failed. Termination fulfilled.**

Another picture, a girl whose golden hair was bright and vibrant, now looking like she'd dipped her head in a can of green paint. Her occupation was listed as: Enforcer.

 **Criminal history prevents gainful employment. Currently acting as an enforcer to Torchwick, Roman. Termination failed due to criminal contacts. Search ongoing.**

Number three, a girl whose hair was a shade of pink, a set of monkey ears boldly growing there, the picture showing clearly a lust for life... A mortuary picture, the face battered and beaten in. There had been no mark of an occupation on the file.

 **Criminal history prevented gainful employment. Beaten to death by her fiancé. Mother and child did not survive and were declared dead at Vale General hospital. Charges against fiancé were dropped due to insubstantial evidence.**

She felt sick, even as she looked at the fourth member of the team, the one who had been smiling in the team picture the most, her clothing a conservative dress, making her look like a girl-next-door. The picture that had been included afterwards showed a woman sitting on a couch, a smile that was as fake as the breasts that had been surgically enhanced. Occupation: Adult Actress

 **Criminal history prevented gainful employment until an offer by VAS inc. Outreach has testified that subject is surviving yet is clinically depressed. Termination delayed and to be reviewed in three months.**

"This is horrible..." She could hear Weiss say, yet Ruby looked at that last picture for a while. It was what a Huntress could become, if she did the wrong things. She was not going to be sleeping well tonight.

"Sis?" Yang's voice sounded soft and quiet, as Blake merely looked at the pictures, not even feeling the slightest twitch of interest. "Please... Don't turn out like that." The cautionary tale seemed to be there, as Ruby looked at the writing.

"What does... 'termination' mean?" She asked, the counsellor looking uncomfortable for a moment, as he took a moment, formulating the answer that she had sought.

"Elimination." The words were spoken by Professor Peach, who stood at the side of the desk. "Huntsmen-trained students who stray from the path of service towards humanity are often eliminated in order to reduce the risk to the populace." The woman's words were cold and clinical, her eyes like steel. "Imagine, a whole section of the populace with special powers gone off the rails. People with Huntsmen training, allowed to keep their weapon and their Semblance. There usually is a three to four year grace period, in which the former Huntsman can try to gainfully get employed, yet they are hunted down either way."

"That's horrible." Ruby said, Weiss giving a soft sigh. It sounded familiar with the subject.

"It's called 'mandatory culling'. My sister spoke of it a few times, often with disdain. There are only four Kingdoms in the world. If you do not cull the bad people..." The tone that Weiss spoke with was enough to bring to bear a horrible truth.

"But... They're people too! People make mistakes." There was a pause, even as she looked at the counsellor, whose gaze was cast down, taking one of the files from his drawer and then putting it on the table before them. It looked like it contained pictures.

"Mistakes cost you, sometimes." The man pulled out a picture of himself, easily ten years younger than he was now. He looked well-dressed, his weapon looking as functional as it always did. His team members looked happy, content... and one face made her wonder whether it was the right thing to do.

"I'm not saying that I'm innocent about things." A picture was added, a protest for Faunus Civil Rights, a young pale-haired woman leaning on his shoulder, holding up a banner with FAUNUS LIVES MATTER! Plastered in red on the cover, a low exhale coming from the man as he looked at the picture. "I fought for the rights of Faunus once. Got my old White Fang membership card, my cousin still knows the proper codes too."

"They died in an ambush." The man said, pointing at the two young men who stood next to him, his face looking grave and weary whilst he spoke. "Shot from behind by some guys with a gun, after they'd said that we'd be safe in their settlement."

"Criminals these days aren't treated well... But there are things that are far worse than what you kids have going on." He looked at the third member of the team, a brunette woman, who smiled happily at the one taking the picture.

' _What happened to her?'_ She asked herself, even as the man continued. "You've got the protection of two Veterans. You've got a distinguished lineage AND an involvement in Remnant politics." There was a pause, as the man looked at them. A look of tired weariness on his face, even as he slowly inhaled and exhaled.

"Remember... Whatever you do whilst a student, is still subject to the laws of Vale." His voice sounded like her dad, as he spoke, Peach interrupting.

"We're not here to make you hurt, ladies. Reality is not like the fairytales that you've read. People have real intentions that do not interact with your own desires very much... and the Kingdoms have been at peace for many years, so the thought of another world war springing up is not going to be raised." The woman sounded tired, even as she sat down on the desk. "You can probably be the trophy wife of some rich guy, Miss Schnee. Your family name is well-known and solid for a good chunk of Lien. I'll be brutally honest... but the standards that we have for Huntsmen are strict. Section twenty is mandatory dismissal or repurposing... and you don't want to know what that last bit involves." There was a shudder that went through her body, as she turned away.

"I had a... Well, I had a sister once. A beautiful albeit short girl. We lived on a farm somewhere in the wilds of Anima, near Argus... Our uncle had built it up as his own settlement, we had a Huntsman... But she was a mute."A pause, as the woman shuddered lightly.

"Sure, we both knew that she was adopted, but..." The woman paused, her eyes looking at them. "You are frighteningly naive."

The woman sighed deeply, even as she shrugged her shoulders. "We had a... y'know, friend. A brother, I'd almost call him, but he went the wrong way. Uncle Bart and he, didn't see eye to eye, so he left and took her away with him." She stopped, taking a deep breath, seemingly overwhelmed by emotions.

"And next I knew, they were gone. Dead, or so the world told me." The woman's eyes were cold and cool, only surfacing with that glint of emotion. "The world told me for five years that they were dead."

"And then suddenly, on the news, a sign of my friend. Standing there proudly at a standoff with the forces of justice. His hands holding a weapon that I'd never imagined he'd wield, blowing people away with explosive bullets." There was a moment where the woman paused. "And my sister was nowhere to be seen. I still wonder if he ditched her somewhere or whether she is still around."

"The world is cold, girls. The world doesn't care whether you've got some lofty goals or whether you're the next best thing." The woman leaned against the table, her scars making her expression look fiercer than before. "The world only cares to see the fittest survive. The best of the best. If your team isn't shaping up to be the best…"

Ruby could feel a chill go down her spine, the woman's eyes riveted to her. "You get tossed away like garbage. The Kingdoms cannot allow the threat from within to exist, so they hunt down the Huntsmen who go against the wishes of the Kingdom. Missions exist, yeah… But people have their own interpretation." She felt icky and bad, knowing that the woman spoke from experiences that she had not suffered yet. _'Will I grow up to be just like that?'_

"You're being too harsh on them. They're seventeen, they don't know the real world that well. They've got three more years to grow into their roles as the bright future." The counsellor added in a moderating tone, trying to soften the reality that they had been smacked in the face by.

She could see Blake's face be pale, bloodless, a conflicted expression on her face, Yang's own mannerisms clearly changed to something a little more conservative, her eyes looking at her with a questioning look, as she looked at Weiss, whose face was set in a manner of quiet resistance. _'They don't like what they're hearing... but Uncle Qrow...'_

She remembered his words about the world. " _A single day out in the field is better than a week of training... Just remember that, kiddo."_ The words were something that she had remembered, the words oddly soft for the way that the man had spoken them, even as he applied the whetstone to the blade of his combat scythe.

" _And sometimes, in a day... Your whole world can come crashing down."_ He had looked so forlorn, even as he looked at the picture that had her mom and Yang's mom as well as her uncle and her dad on it, the scythe laid beside him, sharpened. It was one of those moments when the man looked older than he was. The other picture... She hadn't asked who the young woman was, yet he had smiled in that picture, looking years younger than she remembered him. He had tucked it away when he noticed her looking, choosing to look at the picture of her mom and her dad and Raven, but she remembered.

"Still... Be aware. This world is a place where the individual hardly matters, unless you hold the power. Huntsmen fight to defend the people of this world. There is no day off, or a respite in that fight. The Kingdoms pay a royal fee for the services of the Huntsmen... Yet they also apply strict controls to the Huntsmen within their borders." She looked at the man as he looked almost paternal, a faint expression on his face as he pulled out something from his pockets. "This is my badge." The man said, as he held out the familiar Huntsman license, a small badge-like emblem below.

"It licenses me to use lethal force in the event that there is a threat to the Kingdom." The man's voice was serious. "Every Huntsman who teaches you, has such a badge. It is granted only to those who hold the highest of loyalty to the protection of the people of Remnant." The look on Professor Peach's face was discordant, even as she reached into her cleavage and pulled her own badge out.

' _Amaretto Momo Peach?'_ She wondered briefly whether that was intentional or not, but the picture on the license showed a face that had not been scarred. _'She looked pretty back then... I wonder what happened.'_ "Our badge signifies that we have pledged our lives to defend the people. We will take you down, if need be. Do not mistake us for caring guardians..."

"We won't." Ruby said, though she didn't know why she had said that. The scarred teacher gave her a grin, looking more savage due to the nature of the scars on her face.

"Good girl... You know the dangers of the world better than you would think... or have had good instruction." The woman's attention went to the other girls. "You, Belladonna."

Blake looked up, that expressionless face looking mutedly at the woman. "Follow this girl with your life. If you desire a purpose, we will give you one. She's your leader, and I am no psychologist, but you people should know that you should follow the leader of your pack." The counsellor sighed.

"You're really out of line sometimes, y'know? There are differences between Faunus..." He said, even as he looked at Blake, sighing again. "But essentially, yes... You should follow the commands of your leader, Blake. No matter how you may feel, no matter how tough it is to function... She was chosen for a reason and it is best to allow your lessons to be practiced on her." _'Lessons?'_

"If you think that would be best for me..." Blake said, her voice soft, looking at Ruby with a look that looked a little better than before. "Then I will." There was no hint of defiance in those eyes, the fear that lingered within still making Ruby feel a little slice of worry, yet Yang grabbed Blake's hand, the girl flushing slightly. _'Yang's got her... That's the best we can hope for.'_

"And the two of you." The man addressed her and Weiss. "Curb her enthusiasm." She pointed to Ruby herself, before looking at Weiss. "Make sure to have fun for once. Life isn't all about studying. Go out into Vale together, have fun with the whole team... Just... relax. I know you all have been through some tough times, but in times like these, the friendships that you cultivate will pull you through."

The man turned around, walking towards one of the cabinets and pulling a picture out. He set it on the desk before them. "My wife and children." The man said. Ruby thought that the woman was pretty, in a plain fashion. Nothing really cool about her, just a calm and warm face. The counsellor looked really happy in that picture as well, the two young children bearing the characteristics of the Faunus, one of them having a wolf tail and the other having a set of bunny ears.

"But... she's a human." Weiss said, her voice sounding surprised. The counsellor smiled, a sad smile that Ruby could tell had more of a story behind it than the man had revealed thus far.

"We didn't care about that. It's been... seven years since she passed. Since _they_ passed." The man's voice was laden, and Ruby could see Professor Peach frown lightly, as she gave him a look. "It took me two years of pulling myself together. I had some friends..." The man sent a look at Peach, who seemed to be more subdued. "And annoying little scarred bitches to bother me about my upkeep. I wasn't much of a man then, you see... I was just moping about the things that I had lost."

She heard a knock on the door, the counsellor making a motion with his hand for Professor Peach to go and open it up, his eyes looking at them again with that understanding manner, as if he could understand where they came from. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Sir." She said, trying to offer comfort, her team members mumbling something of a similar nature. Yang remained silent, as she seemed to think about something, the door opening and admitting the Headmaster.

"Good morning." The man said, his eyes warm and nonjudgmental. The cane in his hands tapped on the floor, as he walked to the desk, his attention on the picture, a faint concern springing in his eyes, Ruby could tell from the way that they focused on the counsellor for a moment.

"Good morning, Headmaster." The man said, a complicated expression on his face, even as the man smiled at him, his expression barely changing. "You're here about the events that happened last night?"

The man nodded. His expression did not change much, Ruby could tell. "I have given some thought as to their punishment. A simple search and destroy mission, to be completed upon the same time as our first-years do their first assignment under the guidance of an experienced huntsman..." His voice was amused, as he often seemed to be, as if he knew a secret that they did not.

"Unless of course, the ladies would rather be doing community service?" The man's words and choice of words were definitely not geared towards them accepting such a thing.

"S-sure. We'll take the mission, sir." Yang said, before Ruby could even open her mouth. Ruby caught sight of Professor Peach's face, which showed an expression that did not agree with the man's opinion.

"Now… I would like to have a word with Miss Belladonna, in private." The Headmaster said, his voice sounding like he understood the troubles that they faced, the man's smile enigmatic, even without the request to speak with Blake personally.

"As you wish, Headmaster." The two professors said, the counsellor nodding his head. Ruby gave a smile, as she watched the man brush his hand over his cane's head, the elaborate-looking cane probably having some sort of function that she didn't know about, perhaps able to turn into a laser sword or something cool like that.

"I will need five minutes, do not worry." The man's voice sounded so familiar, even as the brown eyes of the man behind those green lenses looked at each of them, their Headmaster looking at them as if he saw the future within them.

"You're not going to punish her, are you? Professor Ozpin?" She asked, the man giving her a gentle smile. He shook his head.

"Simply a chat, Miss Rose. I wish to show Miss Belladonna the options that she has. She always has a choice." His words made sense, even as her team and the two professors filed out of the room, the two professors looking at them as they started to speak in soft tones, standing a little distance away.

' _There may be something about her that he can understand… The man must've had hundreds of students with a bit of a sketchy past, so… it's not wholly unfeasible for him to just be able to lay the cards on the table, so as to make Blake feel more welcome.'_ She had faith in the man. He had allowed her to come to Beacon, even as a fifteen-year-old student of Signal. "Let's wait for her, guys."

Yang looked uncertain, as she leaned against the wall, the two professors giving her a look, Professor Peach approaching her. "I can give you something for the anxiety, if you want." Yang's face showed her mood well, as she shook her head.

"No, I'm just… concerned." Weiss huffed softly as she laid a hand on Yang's shoulder, trying to be supportive. _'That's my bestie for you! Weiss knows how to be a good teammate.'_

"It's okay if you need something for anxiety. I used to need something before I sang, to take the edge off. It can be intimidating standing in front of thousands of people, singing… So don't worry, it's normal." Weiss sounded comforting, even as Yang's face looked conflicted.

"I just can't help but worry for her." Yang said, her voice showing clearly that her sister cared. _'She's always been someone who cares.'_ Ruby knew that it had been Yang who cared for her during her earliest years of life, after her mother had died, Summer Rose's tales only a fading memory, even with Yang picking up the slack.

The door opened nearly ten minutes later, Blake stepping out. Something seemed different about her, her eyes looking a little more vibrant and alive, something in her step changing, the rhythm different. "Thank you all for bothering with me." She said, her voice sounding grateful, with a little more relief inside that voice, as she took a deep breath.

"Miss Belladonna has been given a choice and made the proper one. Remember, in life there are many choices, several of which could lead to great results and others which could lead to great danger. It takes maturity to deal with a team member who has an issue, and I think you girls have the experiences now that will make the choice of helping others easier." The man's voice was calm, as he smiled lightly at them, the members of her team looking at the Headmaster, who nodded his head once.

"But do not forget to have fun. That is important as well… Though the cafeteria is not a place to hold a food war, I am obliged to inform you as a member of staff." The smile was broader now, even as Ruby smiled as well. _'Professor Ozpin is wise… He knows just what to say.'_

"Sir, we need to speak." The counsellor said, giving a look at Blake, before the headmaster nodded.

"Your office is still behind me… So by all means, let us adjourn. Girls, have a pleasant rest of your day." The man adjourned to the office with the two professors, Ruby looking at Blake with eyes that shone with interest.

"Soooo… Are you feeling alright?" Blake gave a tired smile, even as she reached out and hugged Yang, her head laying against her partner's shoulder. ' _Aww, they're hugging.'_

"I'm sorry, Yang." Ruby heard Blake whisper, as she kissed Yang on the cheek. "I've not been… well. Let's go dance next weekend at the dance." The question was a question, Yang smiling at her partner.

"You silly little cat, of course I'll dance with you." Things were looking up. Blake was acting somewhat normal again and she just KNEW that Rubedo would be showing up soon again. _'Maybe she'll show me some neat trick with Dust!'_

* * *

 _Death of a Salesman (Jacques Schnee)_

* * *

' _Incremental changes… and the finalized paperwork.'_ The look on his face could not be any prouder, even as Whitley put the final curl in his own signature upon the papers, the signature standing proudly next to his own. "And with this, you have permission." The smile on his son's face was not as warm as those on his daughter's faces when they did so, yet he could feel the pride within him well up.

' _I brought a good child into the world, after the first two failures.'_ Weiss was unreachable in Vale, Winter was a Specialist, thus attached to the Atlesian military. It would take a lot more to make the world work around the monolith of Dust production that the Schnee Dust Company was, even as Whitley nodded. "Thank you for your praise, father. Without you, I would not have been able to achieve it. Allow me to fetch us something to drink to toast to our success."

' _I would normally insist on something alcoholic to celebrate the occasion but the boy is still too young to really drink. It would not have stopped me, yet there is a certain method to the drinking laws.'_ His late wife had been a drunkard, whose alcohol tolerance outstripped her usefulness, whose body had grown a little laxer in its shape, though he had to admit that she had been a fine breeder.

"Thank you, Whitley." As his child departed, he glanced at the statistics that popped up on the screen. With Whitley invested as the heir to the Schnee Dust Company and the formalities all prepared to disinherit Weiss and Winter as heirs permanently, the consolidation of power below him was now complete. Whitley would work as a capable aide, before he would allow himself to retire and leave it all to him. _'There will be no objection from the board. Everything is legal…'_

Jacques Schnee dealt in absolutes. With the power that the Schnee Dust Company held, Nicholas Schnee was one of the few people who could make a management-level decision, as the original founder of the company… but the man's own power of personality was sorely hampered by the health issues that cropped up for him. _'A pity… but we do not need to take him out of the equation. The day and age that he used to rule from his mines are long gone.'_

He looked at the notes that had accompanied the flowing charts that went up, his eyes searching for the differences, even as he opened another program to run alongside of it, predicting the trends of the current graph as it rose and fell, small little data-slides fluttering over the screen, his attention solely directed towards those parts that could be of some use to him. His eyes fell upon the stocks in the largest airship manufacturer in Mantle, the city still holding some industry for the lesser creatures to work in. _'I should probably make some investments…'_

"Here, father." The drink that was placed at the side was a smoothie, the dark red colour mixing with the purple of the blueberries that he usually had added, his son preferring a simple orange juice over anything fancier, the drink raised and then drank. _'A hint of protein… it seems that my son is well aware of my habits to be able to recognize that I will be maintaining my health… A wise son, I have.'_

He watched carefully how the stocks rose, even as he downed the smoothie in one go. _'Strange… It tastes a little like… almonds?'_ A chill spread through his body, even as he felt something pat on his cheek, a sting of something and he shuddered without knowing why. "What… why?"

His son looked at him, cold eyes that showed little concept of understanding his words, even as the small pin was put back, a smile on his face that could not be more angelic with its radiance. "A reliever of your duties, father. Don't worry…"

His tongue started to swell. _'He's given me something with almonds in it…'_ He tried to get up, tried to find the energy to move, yet his tongue continued to swell up, his breathing growing more labored. He tried to say something, yet his son could only stare. "Why, Whitshley? What… yoush dwing?" He asked, his eyes bulging already as he felt something hit him.

"Succeeding you, father." The words sent a thrill of fear through him, as he realized the affairs now. It had been premeditated for a while. His wife's death had been the start of his son's scheming, the small actions like taking an interest in how to run the day-to-day management of the clerks working below him, the visits to the workplaces to inure himself into the company that would be his…

 _'_ _I have really raised a worthy successor…'_

It was not with pride that he thought so, even as he could see his son's cold and distant eyes. "You are not a Schnee. I hold within my veins the blood of the Schnee… the name of the Schnee. Soon, the council seat of the Schnee, once grandfather is taken care of." The words of Whitley were like a soft slap to the face, even as Jacques felt his throat close up even more. He could barely move a muscle, whatever reliever that Whitley had put into him making his whole body feel like it was made out of lead.

"An unfortunate accident… A grieving son taking the mantle of the company, backed by the board… Yes, that would be a tale worth spinning. Only dear old mother could be spoiling the grand benefits that I will reap… and she is most certainly dead." Jacques knew the case well. There had been no remnants of the bodies, several of the charred bodies that were found near the site belonging to the Faunus, with only a few Schnee Dust Company men and women remotely identifiable.

' _Whitney would not know how to get away, even if she did. She has not been armed in over two decades…'_ His late wife had been a deft hand at shooting things, something that she had practised on her explorations of Dust mines with her father. _'Several of the bodies were too mangled to be tested for positive identification, too spoiled by the weather and the roving wild animals to be of much use…'_

"Oh, you must be cursing me right now. I have plans to deal with Weiss as well. A young man belonging to the Neinberg family is looking for a wife… Able to secure us a deal with their manufacturing plants to ensure that we branch out fully into the military assets…" The thought that his child had put into things was something remarkable, even if Jacques currently suffered from the pain that welled up from the allergic response, the feeling of his breathing growing ever shorter.

' _I should have left Weiss as the de facto heir when Winter joined up… Curse my attention to groom the boy into someone who could take the helm.'_ The look on his son's face showed nothing, even though his face was as red as a tomato, the swelling starting to block his throat, even as Whitley shook his head. "Ta ta, father… Rest in peace. I will take care of everything." The smile on his face was enough, as he picked up his glass and walked out of the room.

' _I guess this is what you get…'_

Jacques Schnee-Gele died slowly, as his head laid against the desk, his body leaning forward, air cut off by a swollen tongue. It was unconsciousness first, a paling of the features, turning puce and purple after a while, before all signs of life stopped. His watch started to beep, a sign that things were not alright, the staff coming to the room to find him there, slumped over the desk, a victim to an allergic reaction, the drink still unfinished on the desk.

Jacques Schnee's death would not be announced until two weeks afterwards. During the tumult, it became less important than the other news that went out into the world, becoming a footnote to the annals of history.

* * *

 _The return (Heather Arc)_

* * *

The bloody streaks on her pants were the first to be getting washed off, as the two guards at the entrance to Vale proper stood in cautious attendance, their bedraggled forms striding firmly towards them. The grave marker for Cremea would have to be put in the crypt, after they went and retrieved the remains... whatever was left, after all. _'Cursed place...'_

There had been little for them to do to go about retrieving the body, their mother a mess, staying up most of the night together with her and Azure, whilst the others did their sleep hours, as much as they were capable of. _'Mountain Glenn... You're going to take more lives...'_

She was not going to bring to bear any arguments, even as her mother held out her license, the guards scanning it and allowing her admittance. "Have you secured her weapon?" Saffron asked, the weapons' case already in her hand.

"Of course." The answer came from her lips. "We were witness to the pills... And we've each taken one. Appearing friendly and approachable is enough." Her older sister was at her side, her license in Heather's hands.

"Here are our licenses." The guard looked at her, then at her sister, wearing a pretty blue sundress.

"There's a small section here stating that you had an eighth member…" The guard said to her mother, whose face turned pale once more.

"She's… gone. We couldn't…" Her mother broke down in tears once more.

"The body was not fit to be returned to Vale proper." The guard nodded, whilst his companion leered at her and her older sister, who was still holding onto her arm with a grip, the blue sundress a contrast to the Huntress outfit that she regularly wore. It would need proper restoration afterwards.

"You ain't looking like a Huntress, doll. You want to go out and have a bite with me?" Heather put a smile on her face, even as she shook her head.

"I assure you she doesn't... Scan the license. Now." The beep, beep, beep of the scanner came out, a swifter beep, even as the guard whistled.

"Damn, forget I said anything. You eh... go and have a nice day." Her older sister only gave a dull smile, her eyes devoid of much energy and life, her head bobbing once, as she hugged Heather's arm tightly. _'Just... relax.'_

"We will. We're on our way to the mission office." She could see already the issues that they would face to get there. Her fingers laced with her sister's. _'You're doing well...'_

Her sister's head rose, an expression on her face of interest. "Can we see Jaune after we've handed it in? I want to see Jaune again, it's been so long..." Her expression changed softly, a conflicted look on her face.

"We'll be seeing him again soon, Rowe." Her voice was heavy, yet she tried to keep the pain out of it. "He'll be there to greet you again soon." The soft sound of her happy exhale hurt, more than she would admit.

"Mom?" She asked, the woman's head turning to her, a look of dispirited comprehension given. "Are you two going to Beacon or am I handling things myself?" It was a question that was not asked frequently, the woman shrugging.

"I'll see how we do this. We're saddled with four third years or something, so... I think there'll be enough time to grind the basics into them." Azure looked up as she said that, Heather adjusting her grip lightly on her older sister's arm.

"I've never really... worked on a mission with kids." The hypocrisy about her own age and the age of those kids was something that went unsaid. Being nineteen and soon to be twenty, she would have been one of those kids herself. _'Probably would've just been as comfortable as me during a monsoon... First-years get to get the funky bits streamlined out of them in their first mission by an experienced Huntsman.'_

"We need a hotel room, for the first few days." Her mother said, and she nodded privately. It would be much easier for them to get their bearings once more once they were in a safe space. "Huntsman-level."

There were different classifications as far as hotels went. Heather usually stayed in Huntsman-standard hotels when in a Kingdom, due to the facilities that were commonly available there. "We should make an effort to stay together... She's not feeling great." Her older sister nudged her with the side of her head.

"I wanna see Jaune. Can we see him, Heather?" The plea was now starting to worry her, as she shook her head.

"Not yet, sweetheart. We've got a mission first in a few days... We need to prepare for the mission first. You need new bullets, right?" They had mostly gone through their ammunition, every day having been a fight against the Grimm that lurked in that desolate place.

"Yes, I need bullets... It is empty now. Thirteen-three standard class, yes... Jaune would like to shoot it, don't you think?" Heather put a smile on. _'She's rejecting reality. This isn't good...'_ Her eyes went to the delicate hands, calloused in places that had seen use, her fingers still busy, making little circles in the air, absently.

"I'm sure he'd love to shoot. Boys like guns, don't they?" Heather said, trying to keep her sister's peace, her sister giving a sigh in response.

"I know he'll be a good Huntsman, firebug..." She was not fussed now, as she could feel the strain on her increase. "He's an Arc, after all. We're the best."

"Sure, he's the best." Her voice was soft, even as she kissed her sister's cheek. "And you're the best, water louse."

It was a long trip ahead of them... but they would make it.

They had to.

* * *

 _Walking the path of victory (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

She could feel the stress build up as she sat on the seat in the bullhead that ferried them down towards Vale, Nora and Ren dressed casually for their own style, the long sleeves of Ren's outfit concealing the weapons that usually lurked there, Nora having her hammer slung over her shoulder, the grip poking out into the air, her own weapons in their smaller form, even though they dressed casually for the evening. The two lovers were looking at each other with eyes that had some sparks there, her body feeling a sudden yearning. _'They wanted to take me down to Vale.'_

She had not expected to be engaged in a threesome just yet but… _'Jaune is dead. Perhaps it is time that I start looking for the future again.'_ Her eyes looked at Nora's, whose looked focused for a moment. She glanced at Ren, who gave a mild smile. _'Jaune wouldn't have wanted us…'_

"We're here as team JNPR, Pyrrha. Relax." Ren said, his voice quiet and with that gentleness that she had come to expect from him, the knowledge that he had about remaining calm and stoic during the times of crisis something that she appreciated in him.

"Good." She didn't know why he emphasized that they were going down here as team JNPR, the feeling of something being off inside her, as she looked at him, her lips forcing a smile that barely reached her eyes. "I'll try to."

It was hard to relax when you were constantly reminded that someone was no longer there thanks to some cruel human machination, some childish bullying turning out to have robbed the life of the one who would be able to unshackle her soul, to bring her to that state of being able to soar to the skies with his support.

"We're going down to the café's first… Our guide will pick us up, somehow." There was some mention of a guide, intriguing her and making her worry. _'My agent would not be too happy to hear that I've been caught going into strange places… but that wouldn't matter one thing when I am happy. If I have to do a threesome with Nora and Ren to be happy…'_

She opened her Scroll, the picture of Jaune still as her wallpaper, her eyes looking at the face that had been so brave, so cool… and so clumsy and cute at the same time. For someone who craved excellence, who had the expectations of the world heaped upon her shoulders… he was a freshness that bristled through her whole soul. _'I miss you… and I wish that I could tell you that I liked you when I first met you. You saw me as just another pretty girl to hit on… someone who would not mind that you weren't who you claimed to be. A hope… a dream.'_ "Pyrrha?"

She looked up from her Scroll, noticing that they had landed. "We need to go." There was the softness of Nora's eyes, the look down at her Scroll, at the picture… the picture that she swiped away with a press of the button, the Scroll closing once more.

"You miss him a lot, don't you?" She nodded at the question from Ren, who remained silent. "We're together still. We're still team JNPR." He sounded convinced of that, even though their leader had left. "You…" He stopped, Nora squeezing his hand. Something seemed to be said between the two of them in unseen communication, even as he smiled at her. "You'll see."

"I look forward to whatever the two of you have planned." She said, though she was sure that she could at the very least have some say in what happened, the thrill of getting into bed with her teammates not as great as it would have been had it been with... all of them. Viridian was still a member of the team, even though he had been remarkably absent with Neptune taking him along on his jaunts into the dating sphere of Vale. _'I hope he's having fun.'_

"Ah, did you bring condoms?" She inquired with Nora, the girl's eyebrows shooting up. Her cheeks flushed, as she took a deep breath, then another. _'I'm not having sex without a condom. Getting pregnant would make my image be worth less in the eyes of the fans... and that's one of the things mom needs to support herself.'_

"C-condoms?" Nora squeaked, her eyes looking at Ren and then at her again.

"Aren't you going to invite me to eh... do things with the two of you?" Ren looked really panicked for a moment, as he looked at Nora's face, which showed a mixture of emotions as the thought process behind that seemed to register. "I mean..." She tried to deflect, but Nora's smile was broad, as she looked at her with eyes that nearly sparkled.

"Better than a threesome! MUCH better!" Her exuberance seemed to be something that made her heartbeat pick up a little. _'Better than a threesome?'_ She looked at Ren, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. The clock on the big square read 18:21, even with the holographic display that showed the clock's face tick.

"Nothing like that... I don't like you like that, Pyrrha." He said, his eyes looking at his girlfriend, who gave a little smirk.

"I like her like that! But no..." Nora seemed to deflate, as she realized something, and she looked around. Several people were staring at her, and she gave a little glare, one that was peanuts in comparison to the one that one of her drill instructors for the Sanctum tournament qualifiers had given her. "We've got to show you something... Let you meet someone."

She was intrigued now, even as they walked through the centre of Vale, the streets turning quieter, even as they were nearly at the threshold to the industrial district. She glanced at her Scroll's time, noticing that it was 19:40, the entire trip having taken more than an hour due to the leisurely pace that they had kept.

"You're here. Good." The voice was reminiscent of Blake's, yet had a slightly different twist to it, showing greater age and maturity, as well as a hint of something, a warm smile on the face greeting her, as she saw the shorter Faunus woman stand there, her ears twitching lightly as the wind blew through them. Darkness was slowly falling, her eyes a bright amber colour, showing clearly a Faunus trait in the feline manner. _'Blake?'_

"Blake?" The woman shook her head, a casual smile on her face. She stuck out a hand, for her to shake.

"A relation of hers." She said, the woman's voice sounding short, even as she shook that hand, Pyrrha looking at the way that the woman moved, noticing that the Katar and the Kris at the woman's sides looked to have seen some use, her Semblance noticing the blood that had crusted in several intricate places upon the blade.

"A pleasure to meet you." She said, Nora coming forward and giving a hearty greeting.

"Hey! Eh... Yeah, Nora Valkyrie, and this is Ren. This time, wearing clothing." The greeting was so Nora that it almost escaped her notice that she'd apparently met with the woman without clothing, or that Ren had worn no clothing. _'I wonder how that happened?'_

"Allow me to lead you. It's not far from here." The woman was all business, her body language immediately becoming stiffer and more formal, without even the slightest hint of the change having been visible. ' _Impressive self-control.'_

They walked through some of the districts, coming across workmen getting off their shifts, drawing a few looks, yet not really being too noticed by the people. Huntsmen patrolled the area frequently in order to deal with Roman Torchwick, so it was usual for them to at least ensure that there was a steady presence. _'It's like they planned this out... Whoever this woman is, she must have some goal... yet Nora and Ren trust her enough.'_

There was a cue that they would give to each other if they did not trust the party that they were with, a little nudge of the finger against the side, a circle made and then a blink with both eyes to confirm. Enough to be relatively normal in behaviour, yet still noticeable.

They stopped in front of a warehouse, the woman's fingers tapping against the chain, a long fingernail pushing against it. The structure of the chain seemed to shimmer, even as she could see the chain fall down, the metal links demagnetized for some reason. It was only noticeable through her own Semblance, even as the woman turned to them, before she slunk into the shadows that fell from the side. "I will open up for you three."

Whatever was happening, it was big. She could see the faint simile of a smile on Nora's face, the woman melting into the darkness without any sign of ever returning, her whole shape disappearing. _'What just...'_ "Did she just... disappear?"

The door opened up a crack, even as the woman appeared, pulling it open a little so that they could enter. "Get in quick." The woman said, as she sent a glance through the vicinity. _'Some big secret is to be unveiled... yet Ren and Nora haven't gotten their weapons ready yet... though they are able to pull them out if they need to.'_ Their standard pose was enough, even as the darkened hall stood before them, only a fading strip of light wrapping around the ceiling. _'Spooky...'_

"And now... let there be light." The woman said, a single lamp activating, banishing the darkness in a single spot. Pyrrha Nikos, never to be caught off her guard, watched as a chair was unveiled, one that looked to have seen better days, yet still functional, the feeling of her heart leaping in her throat as she caught sight of just who was ON that chair, currently with his legs parted, hand on the armrest, seemingly about to get up.

Blonde hair with a singular white-grey streak running through it, eyes that were like marbles in the darkness that surrounded them, her whole heart stopping to beat as she saw the handsome features that she had carved into her mind and heart. _'Jaune!'_ His lips were set in a smile, even as his hand... his _other_ hand assisted him in getting up. "Guys!"

' _Jaune!'_ He stepped down, the ground below his feet making a light sound as his feet hit it, an outfit that resembled Professor Ozpin's a little decking out his body, even as she lost focus of everything around her. "Jaune..." Her voice was a low moan, even as the tears came, a deep sad sound coming from her mouth as she felt the emotions choke her up, her feet pushing her body forward, as she took a step.

"Jaune!" Her voice was desperate, even as she hurried towards him, all other things forgotten, save for the feeling that he had been away for so long and now..."Jaune!" Her lips called his name, even as she reached him, a sudden feeling of something sliding around her legs and hoisting her in the air, her hands moving, even as something seemed to move in the darkness, her vision almost upside-down as she was held there before him, like a prize to be observed.

"You can put her down. She's my partner... She'd never hurt me." The words were a blessing, even as she was righted by unseen hands, put onto the ground once more and then released, her arms wrapping around him. "I missed you all, Pyrrha."

She couldn't resist anymore. Her lips pressed against his own, all her passion just exploding inside her as she kissed him deep, letting that tongue of hers explore his mouth, the sensuality of the act thrown aside for crude banality. _'He's back... he's back for me.'_

The kiss lasted an eternity to her, her breath gasping and wanton as he broke it, his smile making her feel warm on the inside. "That was... quite some kiss." Her internal dialogue was definitely far worse than she'd ever allow herself to utter. _'I want to kiss every part of your body, my sweet and wonderful Jaune. You're back... Back for me.'_

"Come guys! Team hug!" She heard him say to him, seeing Nora and Ren come loser, Ren faster than Nora, who looked at him with eyes that seemed to barely comprehend the fact that he was there.

She pulled Ren and Nora into his embrace, her eyes locked at his face. Happiness and warmth radiated from him, the warmth that she needed, that she craved. Her whole body pumping with those happy emotions and feelings, as she was hugged by his strong arms. "I love you." She whispered in his ear, and his grip became a little harder, as he held her.

"You're still alive, valiant leader!" Nora said, her voice sounding choked up. Pyrrha felt choked up as well, yet she kept her composure, even though she could smell his body now. A manly smell. A smell that showed some hints of perfume, a woman's perfume, which wasn't bad... She wasn't a greedy woman, and he had to have some tale of how he came back to them... _'Whatever he wants...'_

All was right in the world again. Jaune was back with them. They were team JNPR again, as it should be.

Her gallant knight had returned to her.

* * *

 _Scattered thoughts and nervous energy (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

To say that she was nervous would be an understatement that would crown all understatements. It was not just nervousness that worked through her body, yet also a sense of loss, worry and anticipation. It was enough to make most people worry to see a friend once more, even one who was thought dead.

The trip through Vale had to be done slowly, so as to not draw too much attention to them. Ren with his super-cool ninja skills obviously knew the best ways, so she followed him dutifully. When the Faunus woman appeared once more, dressed casually for the occasion, she snuck a glance at where his gaze laid, to hope that he was at least loyal with his eyes, satisfied when she saw nothing of the sort happening.

' _He's loyal to me… Good._ ' She wasn't going to have doubts when there was a glorious leader to be retrieved from some evil wicked Faunus sex ninja or something. _'I hope he knows how to find the sloths… We've been searching for them for a while now…'_

As the woman disappeared into the shadows and the door opened up, she tried to imagine where the woman might've been, as the wall looked solid and the woman had just blended in, somewhat. _'Maybe a magic trick…'_

She felt trepidation hit her, as she watched clearly how the darkness yearned behind the threshold, her eyes seeing nothing except the woman. "Get in quick." The words were normal now, as she spoke them so casually, her fingers testing clearly against the fabric of the shirt that she wore, feeling Ren's presence so close by. It was like a dream, really… like some dream that shattered into what might be a bad dream, yet also was a good dream.

"And now…Let there be light." The woman said, as a light appeared, a single beam illuminating the space around a chair. A young man sat upon them, and her heart froze as she caught sight of the young man's features.

" _MY SON! THEY KILLED MY SON, HEATHER!'_ " The voice still bounced through her mind, even as she remembered that early morning well, when she had went to the Arc family.

 _"THEY KILLED HIM, AND THEY ARE ALL AT FAULT! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR STUPID PRIDE, SAGE ARC! THE MISSION? FUCK THE MISSION!"_

The rage of Jaune's mother, beside herself with anger and rage, the Arc sisters looking placid yet tensed to react as the voice rose in pitch, muted from travelling further than the room through the isolation of the room's wall even as the man stood there, silent as a manly statue.

 _"NOTHING! NO TRAINING, NO NOTHING! YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST TOLD HIM THAT!"_

The things she had heard still haunted her nightmares. Terrible tales, a feeling of her heart freezing up and those eyes… those horrible, haunted eyes, looking right into her soul. Eyes that had seen so much in the life that had lasted longer than hers, the woman who had borne Jaune into this world beside herself, as she raged against his father.

 _"Don't you think I know? Jaune is my son, my ONLY son! The plan… The plan will have to be delayed. We have samples."_

He had rebuked the words with such logic, as if it had only been a mere hitch in this 'plan' that had to be finished.

His hair was still blonde, still a little longer than it should be, still looking like it has a good comb needed, the streak of white a new addition. From her position, she could see the expression on his face, even as Pyrrha took a step closer to him.

 _'_ _You love him… And now he's back._ '

She glanced at Ren, whose face looked complicated, no doubt feeling some conflicting thoughts.

 _'He's back… and he's changed.'_

Pyrrha was snatched up by a shadowy tendril, held upside down, her hair touching the ground, yet she did not utter a sound, entranced by the look of him.

 _'She really is captivated by him.'_

As she witnessed the kiss between Pyrrha and her team leader, she glanced at Ren. _'He's assessing things… trying to come up with a solution.'_ He was the smart one, not her. She was all action. At the offer of a group hug, she took a look at him again.

" _Jaune didn't need a father like you."_

The voice of the second eldest sister was enough, even as Jaune's mother stared off to a corner.

 _"Gone… my little baby boy, gone. I remember the day when I helped him ride a bicycle. When he first went to school, I was there."_

The woman's hands brushed over her stomach forlornly, as if remembering carrying the young man to term, before she looked up, turning around and looking at his father.

 _"Bring my Jaune back! BRING! HIM! BACK! TO! ME!"_

Her body had ached as the power of that Semblance washed over her, the Arcs visibly affected, even as Heather's hand seized her shoulder, a pleasant warmth washing over her, the focus solely on their father as Jaune's mother shouted at the man.

 _'I…'_

She could see how affected the woman was, her blue eyes shining with the despair and loss that only a mother could have.

" _You will tell not a soul of what you witnessed here."_

The man said to her, even as the Arc family slipped themselves back into their roles.

 _'They hide their true selves behind a mask when they are in public… Like professionals.'_

When Ren and Pyrrha had come, she had been learning poker… or at least, as much learning as she could have. Emerald Arc had been a merciless player of the game. She had learned much of the woman, even as they behaved according to some plan, even Sage Arc pretending to be a warm man, like his son Jaune had been.

' _He really looks a lot like his mother right now, except his hair is shorter…'_

The thought was a little awkward, so she hesitated a little, Ren already ahead of her, yet she caught up swiftly.

 _'It's time to be with Jaune… We're still a team. He's back.'_

That was all that she needed right now.

Her team leader had come back to her.

All was good in her world for now, as Ren and Pyrrha smiled genuinely again, a smile on her own lips following.

* * *

 **And team JNPR is back together! Whitley Schnee has killed his father… and yeah, that is going to be something that'll feature later in the story!**

 **Jaune's met up with team NPR again! REJOICE! It only took 37 chapters and around three months in-universe to get back to them!**

 **This was one of the scenes that was already mentally scripted since I finished the sixth chapter. The reunion in Vale. There will be a few spots in the story from now on, where stuff is going to get dark. Twisted. I'm loving it, and you will love it too, likely.**

 **Six volumes at the very least, are planned. We're mostly through about 50% of Volume III. Blake, Yang and Ruby and Weiss are going to be on an expedition! More Cardin dates! Qrow makes his appearance at Beacon!**

 **To those who have supported me throughout these roughly 760.000 words, thank you! I really enjoy reading your reviews, especially those who have been giving me commentary in the Private Messages! A Grimm Tale's universe is a very dark one, with a lot of work put into the proper planning of the scenes, hinting at other things and including little winks and nods.**

 **And I have an absolute metric TON of stuff still in store for you.**

 **Thank you. A review would be very much appreciated. Positive ones are great. They make me much more motivated to really push the story to greater heights, as it is normal to feel like you REALLY want to make people go 'woaahh!' when they read something.**

 **I'll see you in two weeks with the meeting between team JNPR!**


	39. Affiliation

**Chapter 39: Affiliation**

 **Time for some more JNPR stuff!**

* * *

 _The Champion's addiction (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

"Chairs, please." He said suddenly, and from the shadows around them came three figures, holding three chairs, different in shape and make. They had obviously been taken from somewhere in order to set up this meeting, the hall empty aside from them, even with the shadows obscuring everything save for the spot they were in. The figures faded away into shadows again, as if they had never been there.

"Take a seat." He said, even as he smiled at her. She obeyed, without questioning it. Her Jaune had told her to sit, so she would sit. _'I am his partner, I am the one who has his back. The one who spends time with him, the one who loves him, who knows him, who kisses him, who obeys him.'_

They sat in their seats, Nora and Ren sitting together, with her and Jaune sitting together, her hand grabbing his own... the hand was warm and comfortable, her fingers brushing over the back of his hand. "So... I've got one HELL of a story to tell you."

The smile on his face was kind and genuine, even as he looked at them all, a look on his face that suddenly shifted to something a little darker, a little cooler. _'Don't look at me like that... Don't look at me like I would ever... ever do something to shame you.'_

"I'm hunted." The words made her flesh feel like ice, even as he raised the other arm, pale fingers showing dark veins that carried blood through the body. _´An impressive prosthetic... I didn't know they made flesh-like ones.'_ "I'm not the kind young man you remember."

"That doesn't matter to me. You're our Jaune. My Jaune." Her voice was laden with her feelings for him, even as he smiled at her, a spark of joy burning through her whole body, working over the emotions like a fiddler did to the strings.

"You'll be Jaune Arc." Nora said, even as she smiled, though Pyrrha detected a hint of unease in her. It was the little movement of her lips, before she spoke, the eyes a little distant. "Our glorious leader!"

"You're our friend." Ren added, even as Jaune smiled at them, his hand held up, the sleeve pulled back to unveil the pale flesh, the veins bulging as something forced through them. _'Like... a maggot pushing through dead flesh.'_ It hadn't been more than a small video during the third year at Sanctum, yet she had felt queasy either way.

"He's our Master." A woman's voice came from close to her ear, a set of pale hands laid upon her shoulders, her gaze going up to come to see a face that was beautiful looking right at Jaune, a look on that face that she would recognize at once, as she wore it right now. Adoration. Love. Craving.

"The man who saved me from the darkness of dying alone and widowed." One of the Faunus women said, as she placed her hands on Ren's shoulders, her features even more pronounced, something wrong moving through the atmosphere, as she seemed to feel some massive sensation of loss and worry go through her.

"A man who would fight to make this world better... Be it for the Faunus or for Humanity's interests." A woman's voice, direct and brusque, appeared from behind Nora, Nora's face looking a little tense and her eyes were looking right at Jaune, a dark-skinned woman with a set of tiger ears and striped tattoos appearing at Nora's back, hands on Nora's shoulders as well.

"Thank you guys... You're really great." He said to the women, for they were all women, as they held their respective positions. Controlling, one might call it… Yet Pyrrha could not imagine that they would do anything to harm them. _'Jaune knows them well enough to call them great… He's a good judge of character, I knew it.'_

"Pyrrha, Nora, Ren... What I am going to tell you is going to shock you to the core. Everything you know will be turned upside down." The words were not too important, it was important that he was here once more.

"I'm hunted by the Kingdoms. Ozpin and his fellows..." An angry look passed over his face, as he looked at them, a gaze that was enough for them to know that he was serious.

"They would want me dead, because of what I can _do_." He said, his voice calm, yet with a tremor running through it. _'I accept you.'_ She did not voice her thoughts as he continued.

"Because of how I was, before Pyrrha awakened my aura. A body for Ozpin to use when his current one no longer suits his needs..." A look of hate on his face, as she could not imagine what it would be like... A fairytale about a man with two souls came to her mind, speaking of a man who had another soul pushed into him, their coexistence rife with the strife that came with that occupation of a foreign soul. "To be the next Headmaster of Beacon. Me, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night." The way that he spoke his full name was something that was loaded with anger and frustration.

"I'm better now... I've gotten **powerful. Kali, pull the shadows away**." His voice turned darker, with a whisper inside her mind that seemed to tell her that there was something inside him that called out to her, the darker emotions there bringing him the satisfaction that came with it.

Around them, the shadows pulled away and she could see Grimm, their bestial bodies moved into positions in which they would have the perfect opportunity to strike, Ren and Nora gasping, Ren's face showing a conflicted expression. **"The Grimm... Once tools for Her... Now tools for me to use as well."** Beowolves and Ursa looked at her with eyes that held no human reasoning or ration, yet they did not attack.

" **An army, created by me."** He said, as he looked at them. **"My way of fighting back against those who hurt me... Who would kill me, simply for knowing the truth of the matter."** She smiled at him, knowing that whatever he did, he would not harm them.

"I trust you, Jaune." She said, her voice warm, understanding, looking at Nora, who looked at Jaune, her face pale and bloodless, a change from her usual modus operandi. It was perhaps a sign that Ren was using his Semblance, even as he looked at their Jaune. "You trust him as well, right?"

"Y-yes." Ren's voice was fearful, yet his expression changed to be more resolute once Nora grabbed his hand. She seemed to have come to a conclusion in her mind, as her body language shifted, confidence blossoming where there had been unease before.

"Of course. And when I find Professor Ozpin, I'll-" He raised a hand to silence her, the woman whose hands rested on her shoulders moving in an instant, hand silencing Nora.

" **You could have just done so gently, Sienna... Nora, it is important that you do NOT inform him of you knowing what he is up to."**

Jaune's voice sounded strict to Nora, yet tender to Sienna, the Faunus woman's hand still covering Nora's mouth. Pyrrha privately thought that it was admirable to see such obedience within a woman, privately dancing herself into some… illicit fantasies. A man who could silence her…

" **He will make you tell him what he wants to hear, without you ever knowing that you were spilling all of your guts to him. His words will make sense, they will tell you that he is the only one who knows the truth... And then, he will take away what you love most, for your failure to adhere to his grand plan. If you are lucky, that is."**

He sounded so serious, Pyrrha noticed, yet she smiled at him. "Jaune... We're with you. No matter what."

She was convinced that he knew what was best for her. "I love you." She said once more, meaning it whole-heartedly.

" **I love you guys too."** The admission was honest, as he smiled once more, the Grimm in the hall disappearing into mist. _'Illusions?'_ Ren inhaled sharply, as he looked at the Grimm disappearing, whilst Nora's gaze was drawn to Jaune's face for some reason.

Then the woman above Nora's head moved, Nora's head turned right up, the woman's hand removed from her mouth and a kiss delivered to the mouth of her ginger companion, who sat there frozen, as the Faunus woman kissed her for a while. **"Stop that, Sienna! You're-"**

Sienna, as the woman had been named, ceased the kiss, her orange eyes burning like the fading embers that were in the darkness, the light absent from those eyes as her body shifted. **"Making sure that they don't betray you. I will not let another assassin at you… Not ever. Whitney was hurt, only because she could not reach you."**

Her eyes caught sight of Ren also being trapped in a lip-lock by the other Faunus woman, the woman whose hands were resting on her shoulders not having made a move. **"The power that we hold is a terrible one... yet we are loyal to him, more loyal than anyone ever would be."** The woman's words were soft, even as she spoke them, the twist to her voice natural, as if it had always been there.

"I'd like... I'd like him to give me his..." She blushed, even as the woman who had kissed Ren straightened out once more, brushing a finger over her lips, her eyes looking at Jaune, who seemed to be saddened by something.

" **Jaune... give her your stuff."** The woman smiled, and her Jaune gave a queer look.

" **It's not my... Oh well."** She looked up at him as he leaned forwards, his arm wrapping around her, the one that hadn't been burnt in the flames, pulling her closer, even as his lips pressed to her own. Something seemed to push into her mouth, a tongue pushing in, her own meeting it and then felt something thick and slimy slide into her mouth from his own.

Her body shuddered, as she could feel something explode inside her mind, her eyes rolling back as a wave of intense pleasure hit her. _'He's making me his...'_

It was done and over after a minute of fizzling emotions and pleasure-sparks in her senses, his head pulling back and a smile on his lips. "Thank you, Jaune."

She said softly, as she looked shyly up at him, her cheeks flushed red, a glance towards Nora and Ren, the two of them looking more at ease after their.. blessing? A certain feeling of kinship was now between her and Jaune, something that seemed to propagate to Ren and Nora, a feeling of similarity, of a shared purpose...

The emotions that they felt being radically different. Ren was slowly calming himself down, his heightened state enough, whilst Nora's emotions seemed to be out of control, happiness warring with sadness, exuberance with sloth. _'I can feel… I can feel their emotions.'_

"We're team JNPR. We stand with our leader." She said, and Nora and Ren nodded in acceptance, Nora's emotions turning towards happiness once more.

It would be enough. She had been blessed by her Leader…

* * *

 _The void (Lie Ren)_

* * *

Often people would call him 'the silent one', especially when comparing him to his girlfriend. He did not enjoy to speak many words when a few simple ones would be able to do the job just as well, his eyes catching sight of Jaune, even after his face pulled away from Pyrrha's, the look of dazed exuberance on her face something that seemed to have been an awakening.

He was grateful to Jaune for bringing back a memento of his parents, slaying the monster that had broken the happy youth that he had and then returning to them. The sliver of the darkness inside him whispered to him, as emotions seemed to batter against his Semblance, the placid quietness of his mind replaced now with the warmth of emotions that Nora felt, in such close proximity.

The older women were calmer in their expression, their devotion as clear as it could be gleaned from their mental state, their attention both on them as well as scanning for threats, ready to spring into action with just a command from their leader. _'He leads them as well as he would lead us.'_

The words of Jaune had spoken to him of an ancient legend. When he had first uttered the words 'Ozpin will need my body', the legend had come to his mind once more, remembering the time when he had been young and his mother had threatened him with it.

' _Remember that the skinwalker is not a man, as he takes the soul of a young boy and uses his body to walk around... Whenever the stars align and you are the unlucky boy chosen, you will no longer have possession of your own body... because the skinwalker will wear it.'_ The threat had been enough to make him go to bed early for weeks, his mother taking her time to tuck him in, the kiss that was supposed to guard against skinwalkers given to his forehead every evening and morning.

It made sense, to see that he would have animosity against the headmaster. Beacon was one of the four academies that trained the Huntsmen that would guard the world. Any headmaster that was in charge of them, would have a fighting force under their command, something that most governments would need to be steering clear of.

' _Perhaps... Perhaps we can do something too._ ' He was not blind to the concept of honour. The words that the Faunus woman had spoken had been of honour, of being the blade to a master, a thankless job which only required one's life and one's deadly skills. _'She has selected me to be her ally.'_

It was probably even more simple than that, yet he could see the look in those amber eyes, that mono-maniacal focus on the young man who had been split from them for so long, that look of utter adherence to the creed. _'Like in the stories... There is nothing but the code, the honour of the one whose blade strikes from shadow linked towards its master.'_

He would be a chrysanthemum man if he denied the fact that the women were all in the upper echelons of attractiveness, yet he knew his place. Nora would not suffer him to have wandering eyes, so his gaze merely selectively ran over the bodies that were there, the dress style of each woman different in nature, the clothing that the Faunus wore being casual, yet the outfit that he had seen before had been something that allowed for a great deal of stealth.

An attractive kunoichi, commonly known as a female ninja, who served her lord with her body and with her actions... He could not find fault in that. If there was such a thing as loyalty between members of a team, Jaune had certainly earned his own, though not in the way that many would think.

It had been the moment when he had realized that he had cared for the honest young man like a friend, whose commands sounded so logical upon that moment when they had faced down a Deathstalker in the forest. It was the sole moment that defined Jaune to him. Someone who was able to offer suggestions, someone who needed things done and selected the tools to make sure that it did.

A general, whose skill and strategies would win the day. A man who would care for the people below him like the sons and daughters that they would never fully be through blood, yet through the art of war. _'A man who stands head and shoulders above the crowd, yet who knows each member of his forces by name. A father to his men...'_

The other women were no less beautiful, the Faunus woman who stood at Nora's chair looking exotic with her dark skin having tiger stripes tattooed on it, the woman's look predatory and fierce, just as his girlfriend often did when she needed some affection. He got feelings of smugness, feelings of craving and yearning from her, mixed with a heavy dose of sorrow and regret and guilt. His Semblance could banish the emotions from the minds of others, yet... He felt its power increase now.

The platinum blonde, nearly white-haired woman was blessed with an air of sensuality, his body feeling the touch of some desire as he looked at her, those blue eyes reminding him of someone, the facial features slightly different, yet there was a definite simile to team RWBY's Weiss. "Would you happen to be Weiss Schnee's mother?"

The woman looked at him, blue eyes sharp and fierce, as if she looked down on him for daring to ask such a question. **"Yes."** The answer came from her lips, short and to the point, admitting the fact, even as Jaune looked in her direction, a smile on her lips immediately, not a single trace of the coolness of her expression remaining, as he spotted Pyrrha and her having a similar look of mystified acceptance.

"I am Blake's mother." The Faunus woman said, her fingers sliding over his shoulders. **"Widowed, of course... My husband died in the assassination attempt. A pity... But we survived. A pity for them..."** The surety in that voice was something that chilled his blood slightly, as she looked right at him, her lips curling into a smile that was matronly, yet with its own expression.

"We're here for you guys too." His girlfriend said, her voice sounding remarkably solid, as she gripped his hand. "No matter what... We owe Jaune things. He wasn't any good at fighting, but... he was our leader."

Nora had been a mess ever since that day, his Semblance only banishing the loneliness that she felt due to the sudden departure of their leader, the tingles that went through his body at times when he remembered that smile, the arm that had been burnt ritually. "What happened to your arm?"

Jaune smiled, a genuinely warm smile, his eyes smiling at him, as his hand shrank, pulled back, leaving only an empty sleeve to dangle there, his eyes carrying the emotions to him as they rang in his mind faintly. **"It's made from the stuff that you've taken in. It isn't exactly... healthy, I'd say, but it makes the body a little tougher. Think of it as a protein drink, yet it stays in the body."**

"But... Doesn't it come out if I pee?" Nora asked a sensible question, and it was the mother of Blake who answered.

" **It's like something that wraps around you, caressing you at all times. Every time you blink, you feel it. Every time you breathe, it is within your lungs. You carry him with you at all times... Because you have been chosen."** The voice with which the woman spoke was impressed with a deep care and love, as her eyes closed. Ren could see the look on her face turning even more exultant. **"Every time that I wield my powers in his service, it is like he is with me at all times."**

The words were like a cure to the emptiness that his Semblance made, as something deep inside him took root. He looked at Jaune for a moment, seeing that his body lit up with happiness, the emptiness within him filled with light and brightness for an instant, before it was pulled away.

' _Whatever happened to that bright young man... has made him into something of a visionary.'_ "What... What is the deal with Professor Ozpin and your body?" He heard that Pyrrha was asking, his interest peaked in the words that his team leader would utter.

" **He can switch bodies as easily as he changes clothing, yet the spirit has to be untethered from the current body for a fraction before the transfer is completed."** Jaune sounded clinical in his words, as he let his gaze rest on him. **"You may think you know a boy, whose body is normal up until one day when a famous man dies, the spirit pushing into the soul of the young boy, taking its shape and then supplanting it. Actions that do not make sense, a wisdom beyond the years... Connections, which no young man would ever have. A ploy, set up to make the young man ascend to a Huntsman, to use the weapons which can focus the power that he has..."**

A look on his face, even as he turned away. His hand, the one that belonged to his natural body, not the unnatural one which reeked of darkness and deep emotions, rose up. **"These hands, soon supplanted by something else. I could have been everything aside of being a Huntsman, the moment my Aura ignited, my purpose gone..."** It sounded uncertain, yet the women that surrounded him were paying rapt attention.

" **You have a purpose, for us."** Weiss' mother spoke, her voice soft, coaxing and loving. **"You are the man I love."** The words weren't spoken lightly, yet there was utmost conviction in that voice.

" **If... if only this was the least of it. There is... There is an opposing force, to Ozpin. She is the Grand Witch. Her name... well, it isn't that important, there's no way that you would know her, as she hasn't mingled with the people of Remnant for near half a millennium, well..."** The air twisted next to him, a Beowolf Grimm materializing, freshly formed, the bone plates on its shoulders showing nothing of the markings of age.

A hand rested on it, the pale flesh with its veins distended, even as the fingers traced over the bone-white mask that it wore, the flesh writhing under his command, the sensation inside him and inside Pyrrha and Nora similar undoubtedly, as the creature of the Grimm advanced, bone plates forming into the alpha features. A further evolution, lupine mask shifting into something even more dangerous-looking. **"She controls the Grimm. I won't go into the details of how it works, as you would not be able to understand the specifics. Even... even now, if I hadn't had the knowledge that I now have, I would've been..."** He floundered, his face looking odd, thoughtful.

" **I linked with her for a fraction, I know her feelings, though they are fading. She works in the shadows, to repay the man who once broke her heart for the pain that she has felt ever since."** It was not the most reasonable reason yet it was enough for Ren to understand the depth of the issue. _'A game between two players. One with the black pieces, resembling the Grimm in shape, the other with the white, shaped as people.'_

He could understand how Ozpin would play the game, out of a knowledge of Valean chess. Sacrifice the pawns that had to be sacrificed, keeping the worthy pieces at his side, against an opponent who had infinite amounts of pawns.

" **I... I can understand her. I know the feeling of being betrayed."** The tone of voice that the woman used was soft, even as the Faunus woman's hands seemed to press down on Nora's shoulders. **"I was the High Leader of the White Fang before the assassination attempt."**

"Isn't that the Faunus rights group? I mean, I don't know much about them but they were pretty bad, or so I heard." Nora said, Ren privately agreeing with her there. Much of the news that had been about the White Fang had shown once more that they were a violent bunch, his own thoughts on the subject of Faunus never really coming beyond the 'I do not really like them, but can tolerate them'. It was as much cultural stigma as it was just not being around Faunus, even though they were all considered valued allies in the fight against the Grimm.

" **We came from the roots of peace, into this world to bring forth some forced equality. They would respect us for what we were, even if we had to fight."** The words of the Faunus woman were soft, yet they were perfectly clear to his ears. **"I... I've lost allies. Friends. One of my dearest friends will never again look at me."** The shadows quivered, the woman who had been at his back appearing beside the woman, laying a hand on the Faunus woman's shoulder in support.

" **We have all lost people. My husband, dead thanks to an assassin's hand. A young man, bereft of an arm and yet, one of the brightest hopes for our future."** The praise with which the woman lavished Jaune would have made anyone swell with joy, yet Jaune did not, merely soberly gazing at the woman. **"With him... I no longer fear for what the day may bring. I no longer fear the thought of being oppressed, frail or helpless, because he will catch us when we stumble or fall."**

The words were deep, yet their meaning was simple, the simple conviction of the woman enough, even as she rolled her shoulders slowly, her chest doing interesting things in the 'hip' clothes that she wore, her cat ears giving a languid twitch. **"He will do the same for you. He is loyal to a fault... too trusting when he should not be."** The smile on her face showed that she did not mind that flaw, even as her gaze went to Jaune once more.

' _I think I can trust them._ _'_ The realization was enough for him, even with how the world seemed to throb and pierce with the burdens of life. He felt like he had just come home to his mother and father again after a long day out on the field, his girlfriend waiting to be introduced to them.

' _If only you could see what a wonderful girlfriend I have, mom, dad.'_

* * *

 _The conflict (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

Jaune looked at his acolytes, feeling the thrum of the mental energy pass through the air, the exchange of little subtle emotions and gestures far too fast for regular empathy to detect, yet there was something in the air when Sienna had spoken, when she had said about losing people, she had visibly looked at him for an instant, as if she was afraid of failing him… afraid of losing him.

' _It isn't a bad thing to be desired.'_ The love that Whitney loaded onto him was a warm love, one where she craved him as much as he craved her, her whole body tingling with those sensations as she moved through the world, her eyes burning bright, her fingers tracing over his chest whenever they were there. _'Sienna and Kali would protect me, Sienna out of a sense of duty, Kali out of care for her friend's emotional state.'_

He was not as dumb as to merely let them get away with things because he appreciated or loved them. Their infection of his teammates had been reasonable, upon the second thought. He had railed against it for an instant, yet the knowledge that he was alive… that he was able to use the _Vitae Tenebris_ … _'Ozymandias would kill me for that heresy alone.'_

It was a sobering thought, as he watched his teammates speak up, asking about the events that had happened with him, his acolytes giving answers with enough information to fill them in, yet not unveiling the truth fully. _'A game of cloak and dagger, where every word can be hidden... A necessity.'_

He wished to be a hero to the world, a saviour to those in need, once upon a time. Sitting with his sisters, listening to their tales of what had gone ahead of him in the fields of battle, the Great War that had raged along the breadth of the world drawn into stories, the tale continuing with the names of the legendary figures. _'All lies...'_

It had been Mistral and Mantle that had fallen under the sway of one of Her minions, whose effect was still found within the world. Hardly did it matter much in the grand scheme of the world to know where the blame was cast, yet there was only the effect of the royalty of most of the Kingdoms being forced to abdicate... or worse.

' _No matter what...'_ He looked at his team, sure that he would be able to wring something out in time in order to make the world better, just for them. _'I won't give up. No matter what means I must use...'_

A contrasting thought. He had tried so hard to be good for the world, yet there was no sign of anything changing yet, no sign of the world testing him. It had been a shock to run into one of Her minions at Haven, yet it was as expected. The shadow war between Ozpin and Her was as it had been once before. _'Nothing but a mess of time and lives...'_

Those who had been with him for the longest knew what was at stake. Pyrrha's bright and radiant soul now had the flecks of his darkness upon it, her eyes looking at him every once in a while, a brilliant smile on her lips. _'Just like Whitney... Am I the beacon of her life, or has she given herself purpose in order to enrich mine?'_

A harsh question to himself, yet he could see within those eyes the truth. Pyrrha Nikos would cast away everything that she was in order to benefit him. Her fame, her fortune and her friends she would discard, all for his sake. _'A dangerous concept...'_

He had not stifled that part of her when he had enriched her. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her was like a sizzling simmering pool of vileness, perverting and corrupting that what had once been as pure as unflecked snow... Yet there had been a yawning darkness inside her, a void that was even more terrifying. It had beckoned to him, a yearning hole in her self, depression and other such feelings warring in her subconscious.

' _Whitney and Pyrrha would get along just fine...'_ He glanced at the woman, whose smile was directed at him, her attention lovingly as she spoke of some of the challenges that they had faced. **"With the slightest of touches, setting my whole body ablaze. It was like the darkness was banished from my soul and I felt free for the first time..."**

The unleashing of her Aura, a dive within the soul. Pyrrha's soul attracted and repelled him at the same time, that delicate tingle that came from the depths making him feel like he was in the presence of a friend, even as Pyrrha's green eyes peered at him with the heat of her affection for him. _'You saved me from a fate worse than death. I can never repay you for that fully.'_

He was sure that there would be some sort of bargain struck. If Pyrrha had never activated his aura, he wouldn't have made it through the Emerald forest alive, as he would have fallen due to some Grimm's claws or somesuch. Without her, he would not have become the man that he was now, forever left to remain there as a mere Huntsman, whilst he was so much more now.

" **A smattering of hope, when we needed it most."** Kali added, his recollection of the death of her husband bringing him some sadness, as he watched her, her youthful form looking as attractive as Blake did, in a very Faunus-like way. **"I would do anything for him, if he asked."** Obedience and loyalty, like a faithful pet towards its master. She was not a pet to him, yet she felt like one, a devoted woman who would do as he asked.

" **That isn't necessary, you know…"** He commented, Kali giving a warm smile towards him, her lips moving lightly into the shape of something kind.

" **Of course it is. I've got the wisdom that you lack. I wasn't just a stay-at-home mother, you know. Taking care of people is my thing."** She would not defy his orders unless she thought that it would serve him better to do so. Such individuality was something that would usually be stamped out by Her, as her plans were thought to be paramount.

' _I won't be like her.'_ He thought. **"You take good care of me too."** He said, the woman smiling, giving Whitney a glance, as if there was some hidden communication between the two. The feeling that they were discussing things that he need not know was heavy, even with the prevalence of things that were going on.

" **It is what one does."** The woman said, giving a formal bow to him. **"A lady of my skills will be of use to you."** The words were strange, yet he paid it little heed. She would be herself if she wanted to be, and that would not be something that would make him feel discomfort. _'I trust her.'_

She was a woman who loved, just as much as Whitney loved him. To be beloved by more than one woman was strange, yet he knew that the love was pure. He could feel their emotions when they connected to him, when they went and brought themselves to the forefront of his mind and then shifted a little to allow him into the depths of their being.

" **You should probably be heading back."** He said, looking at the watch that he spotted on Nora's right wrist, the watch showing in bright LED lights that it was nearing ten in the evening. **"I wouldn't want… I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."**

"We can get a room! It'll be just like we used to!" The excited cheer that came from Nora was enough, as Ren sighed. "And we can have that threesome, Pyrrha!" He looked at Pyrrha, who was shaking her head very fast.

"I'm afraid that is out of the question, Nora. Pyrrha is the type of girl who goes for one man only." Ren said, even as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend.

" **You guys… I'm happy that you found each other. It's going to be dangerous. There are a lot of things that need to happen in order to stop something horrible from happening but… thanks. So… Who's the fourth member, who replaced me?"** He asked, out of curiosity, unsure whether he would like the answer.

"His name is Viridian Wisteria and he's… kind of an asshole." Nora said, Ren giving her a look. "What? He is! He hit on Pyrrha and me and everything with a pulse!"

Jaune frowned for a moment. **"About four inches shorter than me, brownish hair, hangs around with a guy called Neptune Vasilias?"** He remembered Neptune's name and their encounter of earlier, Nora's head bobbing once.

"You know him?" She asked, surprise in her tone.

" **Yeah, they're dating. I mean, the guy gave me a glare because I was with Neptune, and Neptune is so casual about it that it isn't hard to imagine."** The two Mistralians on his team looked at each other and then synchronized a shudder.

"Homosexuality isn't really accepted in Mistral, Jaune." Ren said, the gesture shook off. "It's… a bit distasteful. Wrong. Partners like that… Vale is more open about it, but… homosexuality is bad." Ren stumbled a little about the words, trying to explain a concept, even as Pyrrha took over.

"I mean, I do not mind it if people prefer their same sex, yet it just… creeps me out. It's bad enough that I am fairly famous, but… If someone were to approach me in the showers, I would beat the hell out of them or give the damn best fight I could. It's just… wrong."

He caught Sienna, Whitney and Kali giving each other a look. _'Did they think something about that?'_

" **I hold nothing against same-sex couples. There is always an option that we can share the same man and our bodies at the same time."** The two Faunus women nodded at Whitney's words, his team giving her a complicated expression.

"It's not that bad if girls do it with their man. I mean… No offense, Nora, but I like a man over your company. It's just…" Nora grinned at Pyrrha's words.

"It's okay! You can go and have your wild hot sex orgy with Jaune and his milfs!" It was a wonder that he managed to remain looking as passive as he did, whilst Pyrrha flushed bright red. Embarrassment and a hint of desire flooded through the connection that he had with her.

"Nora! I mean… I wouldn't be against it, per se…" Her voice hesitated, before looking at Whitney. "How… how is he?"

" **Marvelous."** The word encompassed all, as he felt a jolt of pride, the woman's eyes looking at him with a gaze that was nothing but the most desiring of love.

" **He's got a nice one. Really able to scrape the sides and to really make her moan. Sienna uses extra strong earplugs."** Kali added, his own cheeks starting to flush.

" **You're just jealous. Don't think that I didn't notice last time."** Kali smiled innocently as she heard those words. Blake's face definitely shared a great deal of similarity to her mother's, as the look on that face was innocent.

" **Hey… A girl has needs. At least Sienna doesn't complain about eating pussy sometimes."** He had a bad feeling about the subject of the conversation, even as the Faunus woman huffed in response, not deigning a reply.

The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him receded, his voice turning back to its natural state. "We should get you guys back to Beacon."

"We'll make it back easy if we take the tram back." Pyrrha said, even as she came up to him again, pressing her lips against his own in a kiss, her eyes a little wet as she pulled away. "Thank you for coming back to us. I've... I've been in a bad place but now that you're here again... Things are going to be alright."

He hoped that it would be alright. She was a wonderful young woman who had promise. His taint on her would be something that would strengthen her for the days ahead, when battles would be fought.

' _I can trust my team._ _'_ His arms wrapped around them again in a hug, one that they shared. Feeling Whitney, Kali and even Sienna embrace him as well just fortified those feelings inside him, the knowledge that he was not alone better than any sort of physical wall to protect himself. _'They all care for me in their own way.'_

It would be a lie to say that they would all get out of this unscathed. He was not foolish enough to believe that there would not be any deaths.

They had to make sure to save themselves, if he could not be there to help them out.

* * *

 _The heavy burden (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She could feel the weight on her shoulders as she got up, the evening stretching on still, her sisters slumped on their beds, two to one bed as it was. From seven they were now six, their mother taking a single bed for herself.

The woman cried still for the loss of her daughter, the first daughter that she had lost in the battle against the world that had been full of threats and danger. She knew that Cremea was no longer going to be the regular note among them, as they would have to learn to live without her… as they were learning to live without Jaune. _'I need some fresh air.'_

She looked at her Scroll, plucking it off the charging stand and then checking the charge, 59% full, which should last her half a week at the least. It was not that difficult to recharge with a solar battery and some time, yet there was danger afoot there within Mountain Glenn at even the best of days.

"I'm going out for a walk. Need to get some space." She mumbled to Saffron, whose gaze rested on her weapon, the small adjustments that she made to the inner workings necessary as repair.

"I'll look after them." Saffron said, her attention going to their sisters, most unconscious in their bed, sleeping softly. Her older sister was bent over her weapon as well, adjusting something on it, murmuring to herself something that Heather couldn't quite pick up.

"Take good care of yourself, fire bug." She whispered to her older sister, only a soft murmur as the response. _'I shouldn't have expected…'_

The cool air of the city pressed against her face, her eyes glancing at the sky where the moon hung, its shattered disk looking like the shattered life that they had led, ever since the death of the youngest child of the household. _'Jaune, wherever you are… I hope that you're having fun.'_

She opened the call menu up, pressing the button for her sister's Scroll, to let her know that they had arrived safely. The connection took a moment to establish, due to the safeguards that had been built into the receiver at their home, something that Ashley had come up with.

"Hello sis!" Ashley's voice sounded chipper even as the background noise continued to fill the speakers, the connection crystal-clear, even as whatever device that was being used by the woman was shut off.

"Anything to report?" She asked, conversationally inquiring, the other side remaining quiet for a moment.

"Not… really. Some friends of the family came by. Left their cloak in the cloak room. I gave them her card to cover expenses." Heather's face turned grimmer.

"Those guests, were they birds or were they skull?" There were many things that had not to be clarified to the Arc sisters, with this being one of them.

"Two birds. They had a party at our training room." Heather grit her teeth, her weapon pressing against her back, letting her feel the reality at work as she realized that it would probably be best to make sure that there would be repayment made.

' _Two members, two initiates…'_ "Were you gracious?" She asked, her sister making a sound as if she didn't quite think it that important.

"They have her card. They'll hand it back to us when their mission is done." The code words easily worked to signal what was the most important. _'So… They're using her card to pay for affairs, with repayment promised as well. Must be some sort of important mission that they're on if they are going to mount an offensive.'_

As long as things went well, they would repay the debt. It was understood. She would lend Lien to those of the Order who were in need of it, to be repaid at some later day. "They'll be done soon?" She hoped that it'd be an answer, her sister's sound dismissive.

"Not sure. They didn't exactly give us a date and time when they'd meet up with us again, they just showed us the masks. We know what it means. We're the oldest, after all. So… What's new with you guys?" Ashley's voice was even and moderate, perhaps a touch affected with a lack of caring about the mission that the people were on.

"Cremea passed." The news was grim, yet it was something necessary. Ashley's sharp inhale was enough. "Blew herself up to stop a horde from overwhelming us."

Sacrifices had to be made. If you weren't tough enough, you were dead meat. "I… I see. A good conclusion. Saving your companions over yourself." Heather detected some emotional affectation of that voice, even as Ashley sighed deeply.

"How is…" Heather understood what she was getting at.

"As good as can be. We didn't run into anything like a Goliath, luckily. Those things are annoying. Mom is really torn up by Cremea's death." The way that Ashley inhaled was off. It was far more calm than it should be.

"The circle of life and death… Yes, I think that would be pretty shocking. I'll tell Bianca." The younger sisters had always been close and Heather knew that she wouldn't be able to bring it in the proper way to make it hurt less.

"So…" Heather started, even as she licked her lips, the fresh air around her feeling chilly, the heat inside her warming her up plenty. "Anything happen over there, aside from our relatives coming to visit?"

She caught sight of four people walking along the street on the other side, a shock of red, ginger and dark hair, civilian clothing, yet Huntsman-like movements. _'Ah.'_ The one in the lead was her brother's former partner, dressed conservatively in clothes that did not fully fit her body. It did not show off her best features either, yet the girl seemed to desire anonymity.

"Nothing much. One of us coming down to Vale though." That would leave the house mostly undefended. It would be worse than anything. "Retrieve mom, bring her back home… Dad won't be going anywhere, I reckon."

"No, he won't. I'll call you back later." She increased her pace, catching up to the four teenagers, the one in the front wearing different clothing, more 'popular' than anything else, yet the weapons marked her out as the greatest threat out of all of them.

"Hey you guys." She said, putting the smile on her face, the Faunus looking at her, its eyes looking her over, and the redheaded girl giving her a warm smile. _'Something's off about her… a feeling like I know her from somewhere…'_

"Heather, right?" She said, Heather nodding. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Heather."

The Faunus creature was still looking at her, her eyes meeting those amber eyes. "New team member?" The redheaded girl looked at the Faunus for a moment, even as it looked back at her.

"Friend from Sanctum. She's here for the Vytal festival." Heather dismissed the creature from her mind, turning fully towards the redheaded girl.

"You three should come and meet up with us sometime in the coming day. I'm sure that the others would love to see you again." The charitable kindness that she showed was not feigned. The redheaded cereal girl would know what it meant to be in the good standing with the Arc family.

She was not a sociable individual herself. She knew well the boundaries between being decent and being indecent towards others. _'Decency…'_ The Faunus female looked at her as if it had a thought in its mind about her. Heather wasn't going to be so bold as to invite an unknown into close contact with her family. "Heather Arc." She said, extending a hand.

"Kali. It is a pleasure to meet you." The Faunus said, her voice as little deeper than a teenager at the end of her teens should have, yet she attributed that to being from Mistral. They always had odd standards there, even for their local Faunus population.

She let go of that hand, mentally calculating the strength that the animal could bring to bear with that grip, checking out the weapons on her sides. _'Good puncture and stab, little slice… Dust rounds probably, no overt ranged option…'_

It never hurt to be prepared. "I've got to get going." She said, as she tucked the Scroll back into her pocket, the Faunus smiling at her. _'Don't smile at me, filthy animal.'_ She kept her face carefully pleasant, so as to not show her own emotions on her face. "Things to do, people to see… "

She caught sight of the ginger-haired one and her boyfriend, Nora and… Len? Ren? They were looking at her with an expression, Nora's much more enthusiastic than her partner's. "See you around, kids. I've got to be heading to Beacon in a week's time, perhaps we'll swing around your dorm. I can bring some pictures of our little Jaune, just for you."

The Faunus smiled at her, as if she was curious about those pictures too. _'You'd be curious, alright…'_ She wasn't fond of the Faunus, yet she could work with them in a professional setting if it was absolutely required. Setting aside her personal beliefs and working with whoever was available to ensure that humanity lived another day was something that she had personally been instructed on by her father.

" _No matter the cause, no matter the effort, we must work TOGETHER in order to kill the Grimm that assault our homes. Any human who lives is allowed to live, as we fight to hold the line! A life given for the cause is a life lived well!"_ Her father had sounded so inspirational, even as she had worked with the first iteration of her weapon, with less of a fuel tank. She had been fifteen, old enough to try out for the rites.

"I don't think she liked me." The Faunus animal said to her little brother's team, the words audible due to her sharp senses.

"I'm sure things will be just fine. They are not going to be so bad as to turn away a hand, right?"

Heather was not going to suffer another betrayal. She would not allow it. _'Cowards should just DIE. No matter what…'_ They had left her. They had left her and she had fought. _"I'm sorry, but you're just a human… We couldn't fight with one, it would look bad."_

It was not fair, even if she needed to look after her family in the only way that she could.

* * *

 _Rubbing shoulders (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She was a little affected by the files that she had read during the session with the counsellor, more than she'd actually allow herself to say. Weiss had been thoughtful, even as Blake and Yang had chatted for a long while. Something seemed to have changed about her dark-haired teammate that was hard to pin down, her mood a little lighter than before, without the heavy burden that seemed to weigh on her shoulders.

"Blake!" The Faunus looked up from her book, a smile on her face as she regarded her.

"What do you need, Ruby?" There was no hesitation, no sign of struggle… it was as if something had latched onto Blake and made an improvement, perhaps some good news that the Headmaster had shared with her? The man had not made an appearance again, yet she could see that Blake was doing better now. With her own nature aimed towards the positive… it would stand to reason that Blake would be a good teammate for her and the rest of the team.

"Just a bit curious. How do you feel?" Her voice was soft, watching for the expression to change to something a little darker, yet was surprised to see no such thing happening.

"Better, really. The Headmaster reminded me about the choices that I have… That I can be who I want to be and to bring a positive change to this world." The words were platitudes that had little essence in reality, according to her uncle, who was a little cynical at times, her whole body shivering for a moment for some unseen reason.

"That's good!" She smiled at her friend, Blake's ears twitching lightly.

"I want to apologize." She heard Blake say, even as her head tilted to the side.

"I wasn't the best of teammates when I was… a little…" The older girl's gaze went to the ground, her cheeks colouring. "I made a mess of things. I'm… I'm not sure how to take it up with Yang."

That was something that Ruby could relate to. She made Yang annoyed with her from time to time and it was always something that she had to fix by herself. Yang did never really stay annoyed for a long while, yet it made her feel less for letting her big sister experience such a thing.

"Try. She's got a big heart." Yang could always be relied upon to be the strong big sister, Blake's eyes looking down at the ground still.

"I... I didn't want to..." The Faunus girl said, as she looked up, amber feline eyes looking right into Ruby's silver ones. "I didn't want to be useless. I wanted to be of use, so I... Did things. I did things that I shouldn't have, out of a desire to be... wanted." There was a hopeful tone in her voice, one that sent shivers through Ruby's body.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. You were my leader, so I... I did things to you that you'd not like." This was veering into territory that made Ruby feel uncomfortable, enough that it made her actually wonder about what the girl had done. _'I don't really feel comfortable now... But she's my teammate. What leader would I be if I just let that happen, right?'_

"Did I like it?" She asked, curiosity tinting her voice. _'Gahh! Wrong question._ _'_ Blake smiled at her, a smile that was as warm as she felt.

"You did." Embarrassment flushed through her body, her cheeks reddening. "Ah… I suppose it is a little different for humans. Faunus are…" The Faunus stopped, as she looked thoughtful.

"We're a little opener to that sort of thing? My mom liked to say that she'd go and take a second husband when dad wasn't up for doing some things, but she was a little weird like that." _'I'd have liked to meet her mother. She sounds like mom would've been great friends with her.'_ She smiled at her Faunus teammate, icky-sticky sexy things aside.

"I don't…" She tapped her fingers against her side, as she blushed redder than before. "I don't mind that you did that, though please… don't do it again, alright? I mean… Not that you didn't do a good job, not at all, but… Oh, don't take that as an insult, I am sure that you do a great job and that it feels really good but I am just not…" She didn't know what to say. Was she not interested in getting to feel good?

Blake smiled, a hesitant smile that turned warmer. "I thought I was straight for a while too. Adam… Adam, he…" Her eyes looked misty, the window gazed at as if it contained the mysteries of the universe.

"He taught me what it was like to be desired." The words that she used made Ruby wonder whether she could get to meet that man called Adam. She'd have words AND a few rounds of Crescent Rose's special armour-piercing rounds right for him! "To be loved."

A look on her friend's face, distant and yet close by. Amber eyes met with her own. "I thought I was happy, working with him. We were partners, I think I told you that already."

Ruby nodded, even as she watched Blake speak more openly than she'd done before. She wondered whether Yang knew stuff like this, but she wanted to pay attention to Blake anyways, because this was a moment when they shared stuff. Weiss and Yang were elsewhere, doing things that weren't important to really know. Yang had her period, so that was that. _'I'm glad that we've not really... synched well. I mean, Yang gets crabby when she's like that.'_

"But he turned out to be a bad man. Someone who would see humans hurt, instead of somewhat peaceful negotiation." Her regretful tone was enough, even as her eyes looked up. "We've been maligned by humanity, Ruby."

"I heard about it in Professor Oobleck's class." The man had spoken about the Faunus Rights Revolution, a fairly recent evolution in the Faunus-Human conflict, the blood that had been spilt on both ends having not washed from several places in the world.

"And..." Here Blake looked uncomfortable. "Please... Don't hate me. "The sudden request was odd, even as Ruby looked at her friend and team member.

"I don't think I ever could. You're a member of my team. That makes us friends by default." The almost shy smile on Blake's face, as well as her head bowing lightly, her eyes looking right at her for a moment.

"I... I had thoughts of killing Weiss, back when we were newly teamed up. I was... I was in a bad spot and I'm slowly crawling out of it. The choice is mine, after all." There was a hesitant voice with which she spoke, Ruby already imagining Weiss' eruption after this news. "There's channels for disposing of dead bodies... I mean, it'd just have been easy to do it whilst she slept, she had no idea that I was a Faunus."

"But you didn't." Ruby said, her tone hopeful.

"No... I didn't. Yang doesn't know this, but... But..." The Faunus seemed to grow emotional, as she looked at her team leader. Ruby felt honoured and a little sickened to know it.

"You should. You're... you're a girl that wants so much of this world, that wants to make the world good and happy... Professor Ozpin accepted me into Beacon, knowing what I was... So I cannot readily betray such trust, even though I was hurting inside." There was a moment where Ruby could see the struggle inside her, and she wrapped her arms around her.

"You're fine as you are. You don't want to hurt Weiss now, do you?" The Faunus stiffened, even as her arms wrapped around her. Ruby felt her cloak snag slightly on Blake's nails. _'I hope she feels better after this.'_

"No." Came the answer, even as Blake looked up at her.

"Aha! You're seducing my little sister now, aren't you?" Yang's voice interrupted her thoughts, Blake turning her head and looking at Yang, who stood there in the door opening, dressed in her casual jogging outfit, which consisted of comfortable pants and a top that was a little too tight.

"Obviously. We are just going to be making love on your bed. You should join us." The deadpan delivery of that sentence was enough, even as Yang smiled, not taking things too seriously.

"I should just make you scream, Kitty." Blake's confidence seemed to rise, as she smiled, gently removing Ruby from her and then suddenly wrapped in a hug by Yang, Ruby feeling her older sister hug her tightly.

"I love you two." Yang said, Blake and Ruby blushing, the Faunus looking a little nervous, as if the news had been unexpected. It was not something that Yang said a lot, yet Ruby could feel a sense of pride go through her at the thought that her sister was comfortable enough to say such a thing.

"I love you too, Yang. You're the best big sister I could've asked for." She said, her voice sounding light and airy, as Yang squeezed a little tighter.

"Are we doing a threesome?" Blake asked and Yang gave her a look. "You've grabbed your sister and me... So..." There was a blush on Blake's cheeks, even as Yang flushed as well at the insinuation.

"No! My little Ruby must remain innocent whilst we two are wallowing in shame and sexy stuff!" Ruby frowned. _'I'm fifteen! I can do sexy stuff if I want to!'_

"And why am I not allowed to do that stuff, Yang? Don't think we didn't hear you gasp and moan when she's with you." The sight of her sister turning pale, her aghast expression showing clearly that this was a topic that was not received well by the blonde, made her grin, viciously. "Oh, Blakey, more... Yeah, ahh, there... Just a... fuck, suck it... suck it and make me... hmmmmmyeah."

It was a good impression, as her sister turned red like strawberry-vanilla ice-cream, Blake's eyes having that sparkle of life in them again that was natural. "How about we make this a threesome, hmm?"

"Out of the question! Nope!" Yang made an X with her hands, shaking her head vigorously, her hair bobbing and swaying. "I am not going to be having sex with Ruby! I'd rather have Weiss!"

"I suppose I should be making a sharp turn and then request another team, seeing as my virginity and my body is no longer safe here." Weiss' voice said from behind her, Ruby turning around and then disappearing in a storm of petals, hugging the white-clad heiress.

"Weiss! You're back!" The look on Weiss' face was warm, even as she sent a look at her older sister. "I won't let her lay a hand on you, Weiss!"

"No, you're not my type. I like my pussies wild. Right, Blake?" The teasing side that Yang had come out, even though Ruby could detect unease in the voice that Yang used, her eyes looking a little unnerved, even though they had teased.

"Sure you do... sweetheart." Seeing Yang grow red in the face was something that made her grin. Blake looked at her with a teasing expression on her face.

"So... Grandfather is taking us shopping in a few days, on Thursday." Weiss said, her expression as expected of her. "He will pay for everything."

"Yeah, that's grandpa Nick!" Ruby cheered, even as Weiss gave her a complicated expression. "He said we could call him Nick. His words, not mine."

"I... see. We will need to shop for some new brassieres. The ones I have now have been getting a little tight." The rational side of Ruby told her that it would be a short trip, as Weiss was not as busty as the other members of the team, yet it was not bothering her now.

"Yeah... I suppose that things are a bit tight around the chest for me too." Yang hefted her generous amount of womanly curves, leaving them to wobble a little. "What do you say that we get some measurements, eh? Blake... Get your top off."

Her partner, ever the Faunus woman, merely raised an eyebrow. "That was a sly suggestion... Are you sure that you want to let your sister see us like that?" A wiggle of those eyebrows and a smile that was warmer and friendlier than she'd seen before on the brunette's lips, as Yang grinned.

"Tits out for the Yang!" The chest-cover was off before Ruby could object, watching how Blake's breasts made a singular bounce, Yang pouncing on Weiss immediately afterwards before the heiress could give a squeak of protest, the pale white breasts exposed.

"Na-uh!" She dodged, smiling at her sister as she evaded the blonde. "Not getting me!"

This was how it should be. Herself and her friends together, enjoying their time together.

* * *

 _Perfection (Cinder Fall)_

* * *

It would be considered foolishness by others, yet she preferred the carefully manicured fingernails over the brutish mangling that the other young women had. As her fingers applied the fingernail polish to the fingers, she watched dispassionately as her associates displayed different emotions.

Mercury attempted to look like he wasn't paying attention, his gaze turned away, as he fiddled with some of the settings on his legs, his fingers busy, yet his nose crinkling from the smell, whilst Emerald looked like the perfect pet, observing her like a faithful hound ought to.

The children were still young, she surmised, even as her fingers put the small brush back into the polish, applying another layer to her fingernails. "Are we supposed to wait for Rubedo?"

The older sister was a veritable genius with Dust, Cinder would admit as such. The improvements to her own Dust abilities after a few comments from Rubedo had propelled it to a greater efficiency, even though sifting through the hints of inanity and banality was a harsh task.

She knew that the plans would be coming to fruition soon enough, that there would be nothing that would go wrong for her. Everything was already planned for... and her fingers would soon look as elegant as any would-be ruler of the world. The mistress was always waiting... but she would be a good servant.

"All in due time, Emerald. Your older sister may be a nuisance, yet her ability to remain matchless in the area of Dust is... remarkable." There was the faint praise that she had decided to lavish upon the girl for having such a sister, the hint of doubt already spread. "Yet it is your abilities which will win us all the crown spot. "

It was coded language, enough to unveil her motives to her associates, even as she beckoned for her Scroll, Emerald carrying it to her. "Cousin Romano."The voice recognition software dialled the number immediately, without even delaying. It was a faint buzz that came through the speaker, even as the man on the other end grumped.

"Roman Pizza Delivery service, what can I help you with?" She smirked, as she let the polish rest slightly, the fingers tapping together.

"Has the pie been prepared for home delivery?" The Kingdom would hardly know what came to it. The White Fang were such easy tools to use, especially with Tallow having given her free reign with how to wield them... The beliefs of mere animals were so easy to sway.

"Of course. I'm just adding the sauce... There's also a few of the anchovies that we managed to stack up on for the extra cooks." That would mean three to four paladins that they had managed to 'liberate' from the clutches of Ironwood... not a bad thought, really.

"Make sure that it is cooked to perfection. Soggy crusts don't get you repeat business... Romano. Make sure that it is perfect or I will be forced to order it... elsewhere." The threat was enough, as the connection was cut with a single tap of the finger, no doubt impressing on the man enough that it was of imperative nature that everything go exactly as planned.

"Do we need to prepare much for the pizza party?" Emerald asked, even as Cinder herself fanned the fingers in front of her face.

"Most things were arranged by Aunt Maroon." The counsellor had been instrumental in allowing the backdoor access to the gates of Vale. There would be nothing to stop them from opening the gates... And the woman merely thought that it was the royalists who were making their move. _'Such arrogance...'_

She worked for someone who had the whole world under control. Someone who could not and would not be stopped. Someone who would be able to give her power...

Her fingers moved, the small Grimm materializing in the space before her, its bone mask twisting and turning, the darkness inside her growing, even as she tried to will it into place, like she had been taught. The first little twitch was the first effort... yet the Mistress was better at it than she was.

"Is it working?" Emerald's voice cut through her mind, the darkness retreating once more, yet she calmed herself from giving any sharp outbursts, her mind fogged by a wave of pain as her body fought to keep control over itself, the darkness lurking, screeching... waiting.

"As intended." She said, though she fought to keep the stress from leaking through in her voice. She was a woman who prided herself on control, on security, on the knowledge that she was the one holding all the cards.

"Have you found a partner yet, Mercury?" She asked, diverting attention away, Emerald giving her one of those hopeful looks.

"I thought about asking the Nikos chick. She looks fine." The young man had a thing for legs, Cinder knew, and Nikos had a fine set herself, even though they were not as wonderfully smooth and soft as her own. "What about you?"

"You know a lady never tells..." She would be moving through the CCT anyways, stealthily. It would be an easy job in and out, the guards never knowing that it was her. Watts had been a good servant of the Mistress before he had expired... A weak man, thinking more on technology than any real skill in the art of being a Huntsman.

A virus planted within the Atlesian ships would disable them, leading them to crash uselessly to the ground. She could already imagine the brutality that would occur... the mistrust. A wave of warmth slid down her spine as she could hear the cries already... the lives lost... _'The plan calls for chaos... terror.'_

The message had been pre-recorded, just in case something went wrong. She would never leave something to chance.

She was after all, one of the most powerful people in the world.

* * *

 _The choices of the old(Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

He could see it in his grandfather's eyes as he met the man at the restaurant, the eyes looking him over, the woman at his side one of the fellow counsellors of Vale. The man had bid him here without further explanation, leaving him to see the man sit there, his bald head shining with the latest smooth shave that the man had gotten in order to appeal to the patrician look... Even though Cardin knew that baldness was a hereditary thing amongst them.

"Take a seat, boy." The man said, indicating the seat next to the young woman, even as a menu was placed in front of him. "We've come here to offer solutions to the problem that you've presented us with. There are a few options that you can take, boy." The man never addressed him as Cardin in public, even though his political opponents would liken him to a robot.

"Grandfather... Please." He tried, knowing that the man was implacable in his desires.

"We're not letting the two of you get wed without our approval. The Winchester family deserves more. Cardin, you are aware of the Arc family, yes?" The look on his face told enough.

' _I know them, alright...'_ The blonde young man's face came to his mind again, showing frustration with the childish antics that Cardin had pulled against him... which had led to his death.

"His third eldest sister Cremea died during an expedition into Mountain Glenn, in order to cull the numbers. You are being suggested to wed Saffron Arc." The man did not mince words, speaking of death so easily, as if it were just the weather. Just the weather... and it was the death of someone who he had only seen for an instant. _'The amount of grief that they must be handling right now...'_

He didn't think he should send a card... That would make them even more upset, undoubtedly so, but he could understand, even if he was the only child of his father and mother. "I don't know..."

His life had been planned out already. His Huntsman career had been a brief respite from the constant drilling in political topics and other affairs, his body already constrained by the guilt that weighed on him. He had taken a life through his actions... and even though people called him blameless in the ordeal, he could not stop but think about it. He couldn't stop but hear Jaune's voice at times, chiding him for fucking up, for being too slow to guard against the Beowolf on the right, or to be too apathetic to his leader's commands. _'_ _I'm a regular fuckup…'_

"They are a good option for you, Cardin." Councillor Syfres said, her voice encouraging him, even as he felt the need rising to say something. "Azure Arc is still too young, Saffron is the proper age, with the right talents. Good birthing hips." The loss that he felt for their brother…

' _They would never forgive me if I was made to wed one of them._ ' "What… What about your niece?" He had met Melinda a few times, a dark shadow cast over the woman's face. _'Not good.'_

"She has chosen… a Faunus bum." The woman sounded upset about it, though Cardin knew that it really wasn't much to think about. "Your own… relationship, of sorts, can be hacked off. You have not made the final step yet… and she has announced that she was impregnated."

Cardin winced. That was a good way to get yourself disinherited. Luckily, Velvet insisted on condoms… most of the time. She has a good head on her shoulders. "I'm… I'm sorry, but…" He looked at his grandfather, his gaze cast down.

"I feel responsible for the death of their little brother, so I can't marry or make a move on any of the Arc family." He laid it open bare, for them to listen to. Councillor Syfres looked like she didn't understand, yet his grandfather sighed.

"That… That is something that we had not considered yet, Cardin." The use of his name was not as per the script, the man's bony hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry…"

It was as close to personal as his grandfather would get. Cardin loved the man with his whole heart, as he had been instrumental in guiding his path to becoming a Huntsman… Yet there was always the burden of the expectations. "It's.. It's fine, grandpa."

The man smiled softly, even as one of the waiters came. "Let's order something, boy." The man was back to his regular time of calling him 'boy' again.

"I'd like the sautéed mushrooms with the eggplant spaghetti and a side of salad, please." The choice in menu was mostly with the heavier meats, yet the vegetarian options appealed to him more. Velvet liked to keep things as meatless as possible.

"So... how are things at Beacon Academy?" The councillor asked, her voice a little too curious for his liking, his grandfather giving the woman a look.

"We're not talking about Ozpin at this table, Maroon." The personal address, the woman giving him a look which held most of her disdain, her feelings on the Headmaster written on her face, as if the headmaster was someone special.

"Eh... things are going fine, I guess? Classes aren't too hard from some of the preparatory work that I've been doing before I applied." He wasn't usually this chatty with people, yet he figured that he should humour the woman. She was one of the movers of Vale, one of the people who decided policy. "My girlfriend's in her upper years. She complains about the mission length, though."

The woman looked at his grandfather, raising an eyebrow. "We cannot do much about that. The Kingdom's missions are mostly long-term." His grandfather's expression changed little, even as he tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "Though..."

He looked as if he had some secret, that look on his grandfather's face having been a favourite of his when he was younger. The man often had some candy somewhere, or some toy. "I'll let you in on a little secret. We prefer people to inherit our spots on the council who show some merit." The man was insinuating that he step up to the plate.

"But..." He wanted to say that he wasn't the right choice, the man's fingers stopping immediately. "I'm not qualified, I want to..."

The soup was placed in front of his grandfather, who took the spoon and dipped it in, the light risotto that Councillor Syfres had ordered with the small glass of wine next to it put there, conversation stalling for a moment, as he waited politely for the waiter to finish his job.

"You are plenty qualified, Cardin. You have the pedigree. When you graduate, or when this old horse finally falls down, you will be the next to ascend to the seat of the Council of Vale." There was nothing but pride in the woman's voice, even as she sighed. "Not with me... All I have is a wastrel of a niece."

"But... I caused the death of a young man." He said, feeling the guilt rise up once more. He had killed someone... had taken a life, because he thought he was untouchable.

"A civilian who had no place in an institute like Beacon. There are proceedings for such a thing and we follow them." The woman was clearly not as invested in things. Cardin had noticed the difference in skill between Jaune and him during their first spar, yet hadn't put thought in things until he had overheard the admission. _'I could've... I should've helped him.'_

It was a humbling thing to look at it in hindsight, to know that he'd... that he'd been an asshole. A bully. Someone who used another for their own gain. He felt so bad right now...

"You will have a bright career ahead of you. A huntsman AND a councillor of Vale." His grandfather said, yet it did not fill him with any feeling of accomplishment.

What Huntsman was he, if he did not help others?

* * *

 _The burdens of those chosen (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She bore witness to the separation, watching as Kali walked with them like a singular point of darkness within them. It was her own damnation, her own pride, joy and recollection that stayed her hand from ending the girl that had claimed her Jaune as her own... Like she had suffered with him, like she had been the one to feel him rescue her from that deep dark pit.

"Are you jealous?" He asked her, her breath escaping her. _'There is no hiding my emotions from him...'_ She knew well that the emotions that he felt were a greater magnitude than her own sensory perception of the emotions of others, his eyes looking into her own, those mismatched yet perfect eyes meeting her own.

The pain inside her did not fade, even as she could feel the burden inside her shift, relief flooding her body as she realized that she still had things to do, bothers to soothe and there being little to be achieved without the proper guidance that she would give... to the ones who had been blessed with the same gift as he had been. "Yes." She said, honestly.

His hand grabbed hers, squeezing it. He was innocent in a fashion, not understanding the subtle clues that a woman would throw at him... yet she knew well that there would be nothing that would stand against her if he was imperilled, that she would do whatever she needed to in order to bring him back to this world.

"Don't be. I... I may love Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, but..." He sounded so confused, as if the question... no, as if the admission had been something that he had only came to now. "You told me that you loved me. I... I feel connected to you." Her heart beat a little faster, a smile coming to her lips.

"We love you..." She said, looking at Sienna, who coolly stood there, looking like she was unaffected by the words. "Come on, you furry little brat, say that you love him too." She hissed at Sienna, the latter giving a verbal hiss right back at her, a baleful glare at her, before the woman sighed.

"Yes, I like him too." The admission was not any less passionate than her own, at least on the register, even as Jaune shook his head and smiled.

"I did what any man should've done. Women like you three... What man could deny the opportunity to save you, right?" The small little bit in her heart did a cartwheel as she looked at him, Sienna scoffing softly and muttering something about not needing any saving, even though her tone and her emotional feelings did not line up in the slightest. _'Hypocrite... But she loves him in her own way.'_

"I appreciate it... My hero." She wanted to ride him once more. Her body felt heat flare through it, her nipples turning rock-solid as she felt the desire go through her body, even as they waited for Kali to return. Kali was a wonderful way to get around and into places where there was shadow.

That teleportation thing that she did was something that made you feel senseless fear for a moment, before pulling you out into the world in a flash, the faint brush of the world relit with sound and smell something that just sprang out at her.

She let her fingers weave with his own, delivering a delicate kiss to his cheek, tasting the faint perspiration, smelling the perfume of the Nikos girl who had declared her utmost devotion to him... Who had been the guiding light for her team since his departure...

' _Oh... I am going to wipe EVERY trace of her from your mind later on, Jaune.'_ She was going to fuck him, no matter how long or how kinky... she wanted to show him that there was only HER at this time... Before Kali would have her shot. She could imagine her friend getting ready to pull out all the brakes. Some of the discussions that they had...

' _So... there's that little trick with the balls that I didn't get to try with Ghira... Do you think that he would be appreciative?' 'Why didn't you try it with your husband?' 'Not fond of teeth marks, really... he hated it when I bit down in his neck to mark him as mine... but he loved it when I used my mouth.' 'So... Yeah, we've mostly been doing it on the bed... Perhaps you can try doing it eh... elsewhere? Wouldn't that be kinkier?' 'I don't know... I mean, you're having sex with him regularly.' 'You were in the room many times, watching.' 'A woman has needs. You moan loudly. Sienna doesn't like it.' 'I think she's hiding a crush.' 'No, it's a little different, he's... different. Not as she expected.' 'I... see.' 'I think she likes him, though. Have you ever done role-play?' '... Not to my knowledge. I mean... Whenever I see him, my legs go weak and my pussy just starts leaking.' 'Oh... Guess you'll have to play the lonely housewife who's getting a plumber to plug her leaky pipe, eh?' 'Kali!' 'What? He'll like it... All the boys like it when their girlfriend gives them special treatment.'_

It was that Kali was her age... well, a bit older, but the woman's sex life had been GLORIOUS in her own terms. The things that the woman had done were varied and with a good deal of creativity... and now she was having more sex than she'd ever had during her time with Jacques. _'My husband would never have kissed me.'_ The man was simply not that adventurous or daring, considering it mostly his duty to sire progeny.

"Whitney?" His voice buzzed in her ear, her eyes looking up into his own. "Kali has arrived."

A sudden pinch to her left buttock and an amused voice in her ear was all the warning that she got. "Got him all ready for the fuck later on, sweetheart?" She could see Jaune's smile increase a little, his expression looking more at ease with Kali's teasing manner than it had been before. "Time for us to go... back."

A sensation of being pulled through a small tube was hitting her, as they appeared in the room in the hotel once more, the faint smell of blood replaced with something a little more palatable to her nostrils. The honey smell was nice, she supposed... But not quite her thing. It agreed better with Faunus senses than some of the chemical stuff in the spray-cans though.

' _Now...'_ She pushed Jaune towards their bed, her lower lip bitten, even as he was pushed down, her hands laid upon his chest. _'It is time for me to get what I deserve.'_

"I love you." She whispered, hearing how Kali gave them a moment of peace, even as her fingers dove to the buttons of his outfit, starting to slowly undo them. His smell was tainted by another... and she would wipe it all off with her body.

Her fingers traced over his skin as she tugged the jacket off, his arms moving in accordance, even as she placed kisses on his flesh. "What do you want to do with your former team?" She asked, and a complicated expression came to his face.

It was a question that she had mused on, yet his expression was tense now, as he seemed to think, her fingers sliding over his groin, groping and teasing. "I don't know... I think Pyrrha is more on board with our... plans... But we have control over them." The darkness inside her bubbled and vibrated, telling him of things that went on inside her, his touch sending sparks of joy throughout her whole body, her tension fading.

"They will obey us or perish..." The words were easy to speak, the dark urge within her to conquer them and make them hers perishing in an instant, once her beloved Jaune's eyes looked into hers.

"They will serve our needs... I may love them as friends... and perhaps a bit more, but..." She knew what he was getting at. They had not suffered through the same trials as they had. They had been unaware of the yawning chasm that had opened up below them, even without the horrific implications for the world as it was.

"They will eventually dance to your strings..." He nodded, even as he looked over her body. _'That is right...'_ She leaned up, kissing his lips, tasting him once more. _'If there is someone like you... Wouldn't that just be for the best?'_

She was not deluded enough to think that it would be easy, Kali and Sienna having shared some of their essence with the two lovers, but that meant control. Control was everything in the world... and she had it now. Power beyond anything that she could have ever dreamt of. She was now someone who could make the world dance to her tune... Someone who could use her Glyphs to fight with, to make the world a better place... To burn with the powers that she had been granted.

"I'm trying my best to be the hero that people need..." He said, his voice soft as he spoke, her lips claiming his again, before she pulled his pants down.

"You're _our_ hero. That is all that is required of you." She heard Kali and Sienna appearing in the room, even as her own pants hit the floor and she brushed herself against him, her flesh parting, as she thrust her hips down.

' _All... as... it... should... be.'_ A moan, guttural and needy, rippled from her lips as she looked down at him, her hands on his chest, his own hands gripping her wrists, his eyes looking up at him and she _clenched_ around him.

Yes... Everything was as it should be.

* * *

 _There's something about Nora (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

She watched as Vale disappeared below her, her eyes catching sight of some of the people on the ground, awaiting the next ride towards Beacon Academy, looking down at the fading lights with somewhere being the light that showed Jaune's room at... wherever they stayed.

She had a lot to think about, even as her boyfriend's hand gripped hers. Meeting Heather Arc had been... tense. The woman had obviously not been in a happy mood, with the glare that she had given to Kali, which could be explained by the fact that she'd lost a sister and thus was not in the best of moods. Meeting Jaune again though...

She didn't know what to think now. He was the same, yet different...

The darkness inside her twisted and crept even further, as she got a flash of what it was like... _'Like I told you, it isn't that EASY, Nyxie. Every time I try, I just...' 'Don't worry Sienna... It takes a bit of time. Say, shall we go to the beach?'_ to be Sienna Khan, Faunus...

A leader amongst people who had been maligned. Whatever it had been that had been transferred to her... She could no longer stop herself from recognizing that Faunus were mistreated. Not enough to become a Faunus Rights activist but... She could care.

"Do you remember things?" He asked, his voice soft, even as Pyrrha stood there next to him, her gaze looking out over Vale. They could feel things now, between each other. Their whole bodies were now suffused with that very same darkness that Jaune controlled like a drug, a charm... a spell... But it did not hurt them in the slightest.

"I do. I remember fragments of her past. How she..." It hadn't been until after they had nearly come to the docks that the first fragment had hit her. _'But WHY? Why do we have to live here whilst they live so well?' 'We should fight! Show the humans that we are worthy of respect!'_ She had kept standing, whilst Ren and Pyrrha looked at her with concern, yet their own feelings were bounced around perfectly. _'If this is some sort of dream... I don't know if I want to wake up.'_

Pyrrha was superior to them in her blessing, she could feel it inside her bones. It was that direct connection to Jaune that did it, that gave her authority. She felt the faint echo of the woman known as Sienna Khan... yet Pyrrha... Pyrrha felt stronger, like her whole body had been built up on the bones of the earth and blessed with that strange power.

' _I feel so bad for her...'_ Nora thought to herself, knowing that the life that Sienna had led was one of hardness and training, ensuring that the Faunus would have their place on Remnant, to safeguard it.

Cardin Winchester was on the same transport as they were, his eyes looking a little guilty as he looked at them. _'You know the burden we face... To lose one of our own.'_ With her new empathy towards emotions, she could feel the guilt rising every time that he looked at them. She knew that the others would feel it too, and that somewhere in Vale, Jaune and his ladies were. She felt little from their side of the connection, yet it was there.

"How she became how she is now." There was no reason to delve into the depths of the shards that she saw.

"I know how she became who she is now. If I didn't have my Semblance... I probably would not have been able to remain standing. That woman has seen so much..." Her boyfriend's voice was hesitant, as he was sharing personal details, the words nonsensical to anyone listening.

"Let's talk about that later..." Pyrrha said, her voice cutting through their soft discussion, Nora realizing that it would be best to shut up, before they said something that would attract scrutiny.

"What are we doing for the Dance?" She asked suddenly, and Nora looked at her boyfriend, before looking at Pyrrha. "I'm abstaining."

' _No wonder...'_ She wondered briefly whether Pyrrha would have skipped it either way, since Jaune had died and Pyrrha had not been looking at the other men in the Academy like that... But then figured that it probably would have been her skipping it. She was constantly reminded of her own 'amazing' win streak in the Mistralian tournament, hounded by fans who wished to listen to her give them tips... and that was not even the worst of it.

The constant requests for a date to the dance were undoubtedly bothering Pyrrha. She was too polite to make a harsh dismissal, so she said that she would see in time, yet... the people did not back off, increasing instead.

Nora was easy with that. She had her Ren and... well... She didn't need anything else. "Ren... We should do some... partnering." The informal name for their sexual encounters slipped from her lips, even as she licked her own.

"Nora?" He asked, his emotions feeling surprised, even as another shard of memories passed through her mind. _'There is no reason why you should be restrained. Let it go... We care for you, Sienna.' 'I won't... I won't let some humans infringe on our rights, no matter what they think we did to them! There's no way that I can just... go.' 'Just know... Know that we care for you. Harmony... She's a good one, passionate. Adam... They work so well together.' 'They're too close, for my liking. He already has Blake and... I'm a little worried.' 'Blake will know what service to the White Fang means.'_ _'How do you mean?' 'Adam is taking a personal interest.' 'Oh. I guess that is alright... He has the fires of a warrior burning inside of him.'_

It was hard to sift through the shards of memory whilst doing other things. They all seemed to hold some negative experience, something that Sienna had regretted. _'I hope that she's in a better place now... Though with Jaune, it certainly is a better place. He cares for us... he cares for us all.'_

She couldn't hope for anything better than that.

* * *

 **Well... There's more fun afoot! Team JNPR has been reunited! NPR has gotten some of the Jaune-juice... and you guys know that I am still making a good effort to give you all the story stuff that you crave... Even though a certain person seems convinced that I am killing off Jaune to have it become some tragedic ending. Now... ONTO FUN THINGS!**

 **We're going to go lingerie shopping with team RWBY!**

 **Cardin Winchester getting more pussy! (No, not really. That's more Yang's part.)**

 **Also... Because it's been 1 year and a bit since I uploaded the first chapter of A Grimm Tale... What are your thoughts on the story as it is now?**

 **Leave a review if you'd like... The next chapter will deal with... stuff. Nora stuff!**


	40. Allegiances of the past

Chapter 40: Allegiances of the past

 **Another chapter… the 40** **th** **to be exact!**

* * *

 _The deluge (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

She tore and ripped until the body was lifeless and Ghira touched her shoulder. It was a strange experience for her, as she knew that she would not be… subject to the happenings, as she was Nora Valkyrie, not… Sienna Khan. Her claws, regularly filed and kept short for mandatory greetings, had torn through the poor man's flesh, even as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were wild and fierce and she could smell the scent as if she had been there… yet she tried to remember that she was Nora, that she loved Ren, even as Ghira spoke to her. "Let it go, Sienna! You've done enough!"

The need to know had consumed her, even after the events, the rage that had consumed her with equal measure having worked through her system. "I must know! No matter what! They are all guilty! ALL OF THEM!" Ghira looked tired, even as Nora recognized the high emotions that Sienna felt.

"There must be a time for moderation, Sienna." The memories hit her then, the medical report of the man that Sienna had torn into pieces, Ghira's disapproving stance. The care that Kali had given to her, it all had been something that was like a tinkling bell which rang frequently, like the bell that heralded the death of their movement. "You've barely slept for weeks… Let someone else take care of things."

The corruption had gone deep. Nora knew that well… and she had seen it. She had seen the things that the Faunus had kept hidden within their own personal culture. Their habits. Their traits. Their needs and their vices. Sienna Khan, for all her status, was just a Faunus who was hardly different from others, save for her own loyalty, save for her own desires to make the Faunus to be respected in the world.

She woke with a startled gasp, another set of memories hitting her, those eyes looking at her… _'Oh god, the eyes… No, no no, must make it to the bathroom.'_ She scrambled towards the bathroom, leaping over Viridian's bed and then ripping the door open, managing to get to the toilet bowl just in time to throw up, what was left of dinner from last night landing in the bowl, even as the acid burnt her stomach, her whole body heaving, even as she felt the burning rush inside her bowels and intestines.

A hand on her shoulder quietened her nerves, even as Ren spoke up. "Are you… okay?" He was her anchor in the storm, the breeze-buffer that kept her solid and safe. She looked up at him, her voiceless voice speaking the question that she had wanted to ask before.

"I know what she knew… It's pretty far out there." He gave a soft smile, understanding her in a fashion, even as she could see the bloody chunks in the vomit. "Do you think it's supposed to look like that?" She could feel the darkness inside her, even as the memories were arranged.

"I don't know." He rubbed over her back, making her feel safer, content, the soft clearing of a throat audible to her now.

"Is everything alright?" The worried voice of Viridian came from the door, Ren rubbing her back gently, even as she turned her head, a low groan coming from her throat.

"She is fine. We went out for some seafood... It didn't quite agree with her system." Nora groaned again, as Ren filled in the blanks with an easy excuse, seeing Viridian's face turn a little more relieved in his expression.

"Ah, good. I mean..." Nora sighed, knowing that it would be best to strike when the iron was hot.

"I'm not pregnant." She said, Ren's fingers on her back stilling in their comforting motion. "Well, not that I know of. Maybe though... But not likely." She smiled at Ren, as she directed her gaze back to Viridian.

"And... I hope that I wasn't being a bother. My tummy feels really gross right now." She wasn't going to tell anyone else about what she had seen, though Ren probably knew some of the things. He had been given some of Kali's darkness and the woman had seen things that would be hard to forget.

"It's okay. I was just a little concerned." He did look concerned, really. There was none of that cocky hotshot attitude around him now, as he looked at her with a gaze that was like he understood, the worry in it something that should've been there before.

"We'll be fine. Let's hope Pyrrha doesn't get ill too, she'll be crabby all morning." Nora knew that Pyrrha was a good deflector of worries, yet... there was little reaction from Viridian, who sighed.

"Do you... Do you plan on going to the dance together?" He asked, a suddenly nervous tone to his voice. Nora would have dismissed it immediately had it been before yesterday, yet now...

"You can bring your boyfriend and dance with him if you want." She said, Viridian's eyes going wide, even as he looked at her as if she'd just threatened to geld him. "It's not... I mean, it's not BAD, though Ren and Pyrrha have this traditional issue with it."

Viridian fidgeted, looking like he was going to bolt. "We really don't mind, not as much as we could've." The shrug from her Rennie was so amazing that she smiled without even knowing. "It's your life and..." He squeezed her shoulder. "I know what it's like to be with someone I love."

"Aww, Rennie." She cooed, her voice light, even as Viridian released a shuddering breath. "As long as... as long as it's okay, between the three of us. How did... How did you find out?" There was a pause, even as Nora used her brain to work out a proper solution... before Ren came to her aid.

"You were best friends, spending a lot of time together, going out into Vale together to pick up girls and wearing a different style of clothing than you'd regularly do. It's not that hard to see if you do the laundry for your girlfriend, if you're familiar with the Mistralian clothing style." There was some knowledge that he could undoubtedly not have known, yet Kali Belladonna might, with her own origins in Mistral city.

"Ah... Now that you mention it, it was kind of..." Viridian's face showed clearly that he was not getting too happy about the circumstances. "Did... Did anyone else figure it out?" He asked, even as he watched their faces nervously.

"Not as far as we know." Ren said, his voice even. "I can't... imagine what it would be like but... You're free to do as you want. Love who you want..." He looked really conflicted for a moment, yet she could understand it. It wasn't something that he had been raised to accept and it was... difficult, really, to accept things that you would not have thought of before, when prompted to by circumstances.

"That's... thanks, dude." The awkward smile was enough, even as Viridian cleared his throat. "So, eh... Are you guys alright?" Nora gave a nod, rubbing her lips.

"Juuuuust bad seafood. Those servers definitely gave us bad sushi!" The excuse was easy to make, as bad seafood was often served in Vale, something that most feline Faunus knew well. It was something of a thing about them, with their love for fish and the like, to know where the best seafood was available.

Sienna had always enjoyed shrimp when they were available. Her tastes had been diametrically opposed with her best friend, who preferred grilled fish whenever it was available. Due to Menagerie being located in the sea, there was a large amount of fish freshly caught and available, enough to feed the population of Menagerie easily.

" _You're being silly. Just try it!" "Sienna! I'm not going to eat some slimy little creature!" "Try iiiiittt!" "Stop, no, help! Mad pussy attack!" "You're drawing attention to us! Just open up and say aaaahhh!" "Why are you laughing! Stop laughing, ah, help! I don't want to, Sienna, stop!""Stop being a child, Nyxie!" "Gross! How can you EAT that, tiger pussy?" "Practice in the art of being a connoisseur." "Gross... I'm not giving you a back rub tonight." "Since when did you do that?"_ The conversation between the best friends had been during better times, when Sienna had still believed that the White Fang would be able to peacefully achieve its goals.

"Ah... Yeah, eh, is it okay with you guys if I bring Neptune over sometimes?" She shrugged, Viridian being free to do as he wished.

"Sock on the door and we know what's happening, big boy." She winked, even as he flushed. The pat Ren gave her on her back was enough to warn her that he wasn't quite happy with how she phrased that.

"I'll.. remember that." He said to them, as he stepped back, out of the bathroom, allowing them a little space.

"Nora..." Ren said, Nora looking up at her. "I'm here for you." Whatever he wanted to say more, was drowned out by the emotions that surged up inside her, the shared connection that they had together being something that she could only understand on some level, his eyes looking at her, the dark sclera and their pink depths mixing together perfectly, even as her own face was reflected in the mirror, her bright eyes now rimmed by a deep dark circle.

"Woah... We look cool." She mumbled, looking right at her own reflection, feeling the unnatural power surge through her whole body like a flood. It was like a spark of something lighting up inside her, some sort of preternatural power that surged and hummed like the bestial spark of some sort of ancient device, enough to bring happiness to her mind, yet more than that, still enough to burst forth into the darkness like a champion of Jaune...

' _I guess we're damned now... But damned we were if we didn't accept his gift.'_ She saw Pyrrha enter the bathroom, undressing slowly and stepping into the shower. They trusted each other, Pyrrha's unhurried motions showing the faith that she had in them, her head turning and the smile on her face being beautiful and fitting for the champion that she was. "I slept well. Did you?"

The bare breasts, round and plump in their nature, hung there. There was no shyness within Pyrrha anymore now, now that their connection had been established. They were Huntsmen now... Huntsmen who loved one man as their leader. "Few nightmares." She said, keeping it brief. "Faunus culture is really weird. Much more scent-based than visual."

"I keep getting the urge to allow Him to make use of my body for his pleasure." Her head cracked towards her boyfriend, her mouth falling open. _'Fghasthfenmmmllffsfffsssss Nora . exe has crashed, please reboot.'_ "I don't know why... But I feel like..."

"It's okay."

Nora said, even though she knew that it must have something to do with Kali, who had empowered him with her darkness. It was perhaps residual feelings that she had pushed over... residual emotions and memories. "I don't mind. We can share."

The dark growl that came from Pyrrha's voice was something that seemed to cow her, as she looked right at Pyrrha, whose red hair was sticking to her face. "If he asks... You will bend." Her voice was deathly still in its tone, her eyes flashing with that dark intent. "If he requests, you will say 'yes.'. That is what he would want."

The law had been laid down and Pyrrha was smouldering in her expression, the emotions fed through the connection that they had, a distant one with Jaune and the others felt, something that was a buzz in the back of her mind.

As they went down to the cafeteria, they found that team RWBY was already in attendance, the look on their face somewhat tired and weary, Yang looking particularly exhausted for some reason, whilst Ruby seemed to be the most active. "So... What's wrong with you guys?" She asked, Yang giving a groan.

"We had a measuring party! Yang's got the biggest." Nora raised an eyebrow, even as Yang gave another, deeper groan. Whatever had occurred, definitely had been something that Yang did not appreciate.

"Now, Blake is second, I'm third and Weiss is-" The heiress snarled.

"We speak of that no longer! It is embarrassing enough that you are airing our dirty laundry." The way that Weiss defended herself was cute, in a fashion, Nora briefly wondering whether Weiss would enjoy shrimp as well. After all, you had to enlighten someone to the beauty of seafood... and Weiss looked sufficiently stuffy for that to happen.

"Soooo... Do you like shrimp, Weiss?" She asked, the white-haired heiress to the Schnee Dust Company looking at her with a look that was barely comprehending the question.

"What sort of question... Well... Yes?" Nora grinned. This was something that she could use! Fun could be had!

"Let's go eat some seafood! I'll dig out your oysters and you can have some clam!" Yang choked on her milk, her eyes looking at her with incredulous intent, even as Nora knew that they were now thoroughly distracted.

"Nora... I'm not sure that she would like clams..." Ren said, seemingly to keep her controlled, yet she was going to have FUN with this.

"Oh, but she looks the type who can just slurp all the salty juicy goodness out of one." Her smile was voracious as she looked at Weiss, who was growing slowly redder in the face.

"I like mussels! We can be clam sisters, Weiss!" Ruby added, Yang giving a low groan, even as she capitulated.

"I'm fond of seabass..." She mumbled, Blake needing little explanation as to what she liked.

"Tuna. Best tuna." The Faunus nodded. Nora could see the girl that Sienna had been guarding since young in the motions of her head, those eyes no longer as distant as before. She wondered briefly why Blake was hiding her ears... except that it would be something logical no doubt. Sienna did not hide her ears because she was proud of what she was.

"Hmmhmm..." She could feel her boyfriend's hand on her shoulder.

"We went out for seafood last night. Nora got a little sick."He said, his voice as even as it could be, even as clarity formed itself in her mind. She was getting too excited again, which wasn't good for the health of others, or so Ren had told her.

It was more the deflection that would make things different than the real reasons why, she knew, but the reasoning behind some of the things that she had already concocted were far more intricate than most people would get to know. _'Ooh... We can do some special stuff... Sienna knows that little trick with her tongue... Guaranteed to drive Ren wild.'_

She was a good girlfriend, after all...

* * *

 _The past is the past (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Her fingers tapped idly against the desk as she listened to the lecture on Grimm anatomical differences between the older kind and the younger variants, Professor Port going in-depth on some of the structural differences between the joins that happened due to age and adaptation.

She felt better now that Blake was... somewhat better. Her little sister, not too shy now, had called them out on their actions and team PRWN was once more trying to hang out with them... which was a little strange, but she reckoned that being out on the town might've given them a reason to reconnect a little.

They weren't especially close, yet Nora's interesting question about what sorts of seafood they liked had pulled her mind to different things. "And so through the intense amount of study that I have done, I have concluded that the Boarbatusk's alpha variant has three different joint braces which can be hard to break with a single hammer. Know that when you encounter them in the wild, they will not stand still to allow you such inspection, haha!"

The man's boisterous laugh was enough to make her grin as well, knowing that he was nothing like the people who would take everything from them, like that Torchwick fellow. He was a teacher who taught fairly, even though his lectures were dull and boring. She paused for a moment when the dismissal was given, looking at Blake for a moment and then... then she paused. _'Is it right to... ask?'_

"Professor... I've got a question." They were now nearly alone in the classroom, the man tidying up some of his notes, even as she got from her assigned seat with her bag, ready to go to the next lecture after her question had been asked.

"I will try to help you with whatever question you may have, Miss Xiao-Long. Though, if it is about feminine hygiene, I admit that I know little of the subject and you may be more suited to contact Professor Peach." She grinned, shaking her head. _'Who would come to this man with a question about feminine hygiene? He's so old...'_

"Just a question... But... Are the people who receive a Sectioning really all that bad?" She could have asked Professor Oobleck, yet she knew that the man would talk too fast for her to follow, too quick to really make an impact on how she gathered the information and formulated it into a proper sentence.

"I'm..." The man seemed to be conflicted, even as he looked down at his works, his hands adjusting the papers idly, as if his mind was elsewhere. "It's a grading system, Miss Xiao-Long. Usually, Huntsmen do not get to know of their Sectioning designation, unless... Unless it is in the mission parameters. I've met plenty of people who would be worthy of a Sectioning in my time."

The man sounded forlorn, as his eyes looked far-off, his moustache bristling lightly, even as he sighed. "But..." The man paused, looking at her. "You are asking because of your concern for Miss Belladonna, right?"

She nodded, not sure why she had asked, yet accepting the man's thought into the reason for her asking. "It isn't always something that is kept into account. The Kingdoms regulate the ranking by their own case, Vale having remarkably loose rankings... yet even the Kingdom has its own classification of danger."

"Do you think... Do you think that it would be a danger for us?" She wanted to ask someone, anyone... whether they would be thought as dangerous. Ruby may not know yet the cruelty of the world, Weiss may be ignorant of public perception, yet she herself...

"A whole team being Sectioned happens, Miss Xiao-Long." The man spoke softly, as he took a deeper breath. "And... Forgive me the impropriety, yet... I had not thought about your circumstances."

She tilted her head, looking at the man, whose face made a complicated expression, as if he were thinking about things. "When I heard that you had engaged a known criminal, I had merely dismissed it as something that a cocky Huntsman in training would do, yet you coming here to enquire... I mean no disrespect, of course, but it does not..." The man leaned against his desk, sighing deeply.

"I've heard of many of my former students' exploits. They thought they were so big, so great..." Here the man sighed, as he looked at a picture that stood on a corner of the desk. She didn't remember it being there before, a happy team standing there assembled, Port's own bulky form standing there. "And then they did something that took them from us. Not everyone wishes for a happy ending..." The man's finger stroked over the face of a young pretty woman.

"Not everyone gets to see the next morning either." He looked at her with a look that made him look ancient, no longer the buff and boring teacher, yet a fragile old man who had seen too much in the world, who had been there for too many tragedies to still feel them.

"Your partner's evaluation of Sectioning was discussed, Miss Xiao-Long. We care to ensure the safety of our students, even with visiting students from the other Academies. Professor Lionheart and Professor Ironwood have both vetted the students that came from their academy. " The man's voice was serious, even as someone cleared her throat behind Yang.

"And the cooperation with all the Kingdoms for the Vytal Festival will not allow for any miscreants to be thrown into the pool of contestants. Every student is vetted by the Kingdom's board." The voice of Professor Goodwitch came from behind her, even as she turned around and saw the woman, prim and proper, standing there, her glasses on her nose being in motion, pushed up. _'Yikes...'_

"You are expected to be at the meeting tonight, Professor Port." The woman would probably have used less formal terminology, yet the sharp green eyes that met Yang's gaze were nothing if not fierce and passionate. "Please do not be late again."

The man cleared his throat, sighing softly. "Miss Xiao-Long... no matter what happens, stick with your team. One indication of Sectioning isn't enough to discount... other members. Continue fighting the good fight."

She cast Professor Goodwitch a questioning glance, the woman's eyes narrowed, her gaze not shifting in the slightest as she watched. She walked past the woman, only catching the start of what might become a conversation about her conduct. "Peter, I know you are sentimental but please... They are-" The door shut at that moment, leaving the two teachers to speak, her worries now lessened slightly. The files that they had been given to read at the meeting with the counsellor had worried her, their fates similar...

And she would not let her sister be torn away from her... or be abandoned because she wasn't right in the head. Yang Xiao-Long would not become like her mother. She would NOT let anyone stand in her way, no matter how much they railed against her, to make the world a better place with her little sister there at her side.

She just knew that it would be a better day tomorrow, no matter what. Her team was feeling better, Blake was happier now and Ruby and Weiss weren't being so weird anymore...

Life was good!

 _The scholarly aide (Glynda Goodwitch.)_

Disapproval was written on her face as she saw the blonde skip out on her, the faint aftertaste of the tea that she'd had earlier still lingering on her taste buds, even as she looked at her colleague, who had gone a little too much in-depth with a student.

"Peter, I know you are sentimental but please... They are not going to be able to deal with stuff like Sectioning yet... It's fourth-year level, not first year level..." The man looked grave as he took a deep sigh.

"You know well the bother with the girl's teammate... We've discussed it multiple times." The subject was indeed Miss Belladonna. Ozpin had recruited her to the Academy based on her entrance score tests as a solo participant, managing to eke out a win without any additional support, showing skill that had a place at Beacon...

Yet the past of the White Fang had come back to haunt the girl. The counsellor's assessment that she would soon be the death of one of her teammates was something that could not be denied. They were honest with the girls, especially the young leader, yet Miss Belladonna did not belong in a school for young adults... She belonged in an institution, in Glynda's personal opinion.

To see someone who has been through such emotional trauma as to sexually assault her team members remain at the institution was something that made her worry, yet the Headmaster had been resolute in his decision to keep her here at Beacon. She had not agreed, with some assistance of Peach as well.

The counsellor had been more moderate in his view, seeing a hopeful future for the girl, yet she knew that he was only kidding himself. She'd see reports of people who got Sectioned more often than most in her function as deputy under Ozpin, knowing that the delicate balance of the Kingdom's safety and stability predicated upon the people who guarded it, only keeping the dangers at bay through their actions.

"Don't give up hope yet, Glynda... I can see that the girl cares, she practically dotes on her little sister... and her teammate. I wouldn't want to see that torn from her." The man's words were sentimental, Glynda knew, even with his eyes growing faintly misty, a deep breath inhaled as he looked at her with a look that was more serious than before. "Don't... Don't fall into the distancing too much. The first death of the season is always the hardest, even if..." There was no need to say more.

The deaths this year had been low. Three students gone from the roster. One had not even been able to be retrieved properly, only an arm as the testament to his life... "Even if it is a family that grieves."

The Headmaster had attended the consigning to the flame for the Arc boy himself... though she knew that he would not be so easily drawn from his tower, the man's mysterious nature clearly working through in the actions that he took. _'I've got some time before my classes are due to start...'_

She would pay the man a visit. It was nothing if not right to inquire with the man. "I'll see you later then." The old professor made a gesture with his hand that he understood, looking at the picture that he had now within his hands, the features of the woman on the picture pretty, she could see as much, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"If you need to talk..." She decided to offer, the man firming his back, all smiles once more, the picture placed back wherever it usually stood.

"I will be fine. A huntsman does not change its pelt, unless he hunts Geist!" The boisterous persona was back, even as the students would be filtering in soon. The moments when the teachers could be themselves instead of the inspirational forces of this academy were precious, limited only to the moments when they were alone... or when a student needed it.

She remembered her own tutoring of a young man, once thought to be a rising star, culled from the ranks nearly three months post-graduation. It hadn't been love or anything resembling it, merely an affection that seemed to have no way of ground-reaching, yet it had been companionable.

Students that were favoured by certain professors would always be there. Team RWBY had been one of the brighter student teams to come up this year... enough to bring them the notice of the Headmaster.

As she stepped into the elevator, she could feel the anxiety once more push into her, letting her feel the rush of being a young student for just an instant, seeing the Headmaster of the institution. _'He would be here indeed.'_

A rush of energy, a rush of something that could be called nervousness, remembering the first trip up the elevator. She felt no less excited as she looked at the doors sliding open, unveiling the office, the large desk sat there, the chair having no occupant at this moment. _'He must have went out.'_

Her eyes were drawn to one of the walls. A panel was half-lowered, a clear sign that it had been pulled up once, her finger drawn to the button that was set within the workings of the wall. She pressed it and the panel slid up once more, unveiling a wall of stone.

Names were etched into the stone, the names of students whose death she had heard of, long ago, names who did not make sense. Four columns, female-only. One column, male-only. Small death symbols that often featured on legal documents, etched next to most of the names.

A singular name stood at the lowest end. – **Jaune Arc** – with etching that showed that it had been a recent addition. She could see the similarity in the workmanship, something of a connection struck between them...

' _The names... they are...'_ She recognized some, didn't know others. A neat orderly row, the names rolling down the stone with impeccable carving skill.

 **Ozymandias d'Arc-Night**

 **Oswynn Palm**

 **Ospeter Pindragon**

 **Jaune Arc**

These names belonged to the people who had some importance in Remnant's history... and below Ospeter Pindragon, better known as Ozpin to the world... there was the name of Jaune Arc... No... It had changed, right before her eyes.

 **Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night**

' _He...'_ She remembered the blue eyed young man, his hopes and dreams founded here. His death... another failure on her part to anticipate. _'Oh... By the gods...'_ Her eyes went to the names that stood next to the succession of male names, noticing that the columns were arranged perfectly...

 **Tsukiyo Mascarpone – Dorothea Gale – Amber Autumn -**

"You shouldn't have seen that." Ozpin's voice came to her ear, his hand on her shoulder, her body turning towards him, a look on his face that was colder than anything that she'd ever seen. She felt a spike of fear go through her, an unbidden fear, as his eyes were so distant. Alien to her, their warmth leeched and nothing but that cold and distant look that she had seen on his face when a mission would claim the lives of many brave Huntsmen...

"The names, Ozpin... You keep... You keep a record of their names?" She asked so delicately, as she looked into his eyes. With his skills, it was but a pittance to keep... and the names... _'Every Maiden...'_

"Someone has to. I have to keep a record of those who have fallen for the greater good of Remnant." The look on his face was grave, as he looked at her. "All of them..." His other hand reached out to brush over the stone letters, his face regretful for an instant, she could see that expression on his face before it disappeared. "Have served their purpose on Remnant."

She felt a stab of fear. Another moment when she realized that this was above her pay grade. "But..."

He turned to face her. "You have no choice, Glynda." His other hand gripped hers, as he pulled her away from the wall, his hand letting go of her shoulder. "I make that choice."

She blinked, finding herself feeling a little woozy, standing there a little unsteadily, the feeling of being awkwardly placed on her own heels needing a minute adjustment with her Semblance's aid. "So... You came here with worries?"

She looked at him before she nodded. It was something that had kept her occupied. "Team RWBY's Blake Belladonna. I do not agree with your acceptance of her flawed self and think she is a danger to those around her."

The man gave a measured sound, looking at her with a serious look on his face. _'Why does it feel like I've...'_ She glanced at the clock. She remembered the time when she was in the elevator. _'Has it really been ten minutes?'_

"Political forces are in motion, Glynda." The man's voice was measured, even as he spoke, his fingers tapping on the keys, calling up an image, a bold White Fang logo appearing on the screen in front of him.

"The White Fang have been acting more aggressively. I have selected two Huntsmen, maybe a third, to deal with such an issue."There was a hint of something in the man's voice that chilled her, yet... the security of the Kingdom and her students came before everything else. "Blake Belladonna is a child of both factions. Studying under Adam Taurus and Sienna Khan, the daughter of the more pacifist faction's leader Ghira Belladonna, she can be the key towards uniting the Faunus on Remnant as a binding factor." The man's voice was light, casual and with those overtures of consolidation.

"Their tragic death, as well as the death of Whitney Schnee has raised sympathy for both causes." The man's fingers tapped a picture, showing the two side-by-side, Whitney Schnee dressed in a long blue dress, holding a single glass of some liquor, with Ghira and Kali Belladonna standing together on a picture, the woman smiling even as her husband looked irked at being forced to wear a suit, their respective emblems already emblazoned below.

"Ghira and Kali Belladonna managed to quell the rage of an entire species with the speech of peace and non-violence. The public face, Ghira, and his sociable wife, Kali, working together to create unity, despite some of the squabbles that were suffered during their period of rule." Pictures came by, the header of DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT and several other by-lines, mentions of Sienna Khan ascending to the post of High Leader as merely a by-line in the news.

"Sienna Khan. A radical woman for a radical organisation." The picture of the dark-skinned Faunus was placed to the side of the woman, two more pictures placed below either. Blake was put between her parents and Sienna, with a picture of Weiss appearing below Whitney.

"What... what exactly am I looking at?" She didn't dare to comment on how it appeared to her, the headmaster's pictures of her students and their parents and teachers and what-not appearing on his screen.

"Why, the ceasing of hostilities from the White Fang and Faunus unification, after all." The man tapped the icon of Blake Belladonna. "Miss Belladonna has the unique disposition of being taught by Sienna Khan and her father and mother, able to orate decently whilst having a few flaws, mainly in avoidant behaviour and impassioned rhetoric. With a few years of tempering, we can have a true successor to the Menagerian leadership AND the White Fang kept in check. Never underestimate the power of an orphan... As you are well aware."

The man's words made sense, she could imagine the trouble that a militant Faunus organisation would create. "Whilst I do not fully agree with you using our students as test cases... I can find little flaw in your logic." She agreed, even though privately, she thought the means despicable. The man had to fight for the good of Remnant... because otherwise all would be lost.

"The issue is... This." The White Fang icon blew up, showing pictures of several of the leadership. A tall bull Faunus stood there, his mask in place, hand raised in what obviously was a speech. "Adam Taurus, Miss Belladonna's partner and mentor for six years. A charming and highly functional narcissistic sociopath with the ability to create bonds through convincing rhetoric and charisma alone, without any of the emotional attachments that are needed. Counterbalanced by Sienna Khan, he has been put to good use with convincing the Valean department of the White Fang to keep themselves aware... and yet his prowess in the art of speeches and such remains undiminished, his rhetoric for the rise of the Faunus coming once more. The current leader of the Vale cell of the White Fang."

Another picture was magnified, a blurry outline of what might be a woman, a question mark over her features. "Harmony Tallow. Third in command in the White Fang under Sienna Khan, alleged to be one of the ground force commanders under Khan's more radical style. Little is known of her, as those who meet with her rarely meet anyone else again. Possible aliases are Hare Monique March, Ingrid Hasen and Hatsumaki Usagi. Generally thought to wield a singular blade with rifle capacity, though rumours remain unconfirmed by observers. Thought to be in Vale, yet her whereabouts are uncertain. Assumptions have been made that she is the current High Leader of the White Fang."

Another picture replaced the image of Harmony Tallow, showing a set of brothers. One of them had a set of Fennec ears, the other had a tail."The Albain Twins. Zealots who wholeheartedly believe in Faunus supremacy, based currently in Menagerie. Less of a threat than most of the membership of the White Fang's inner circle, still dangerous for the swaying of the minds of those with less fortitude."

A pretty Faunus woman wearing a light blue robe-like garment appeared, a set of floppy ears poking from her scalp, the robe bunched up to show a fake leg that had been enhanced with considerable technology. "Jennifer Sylver. A Kangaroo Faunus whose proclamations rally the people to the White Fang, speaking a message of hope and bloody retribution for the slights done to their people, currently located in Vacuo. A danger, speaking to the masses. Her combat skills are mostly physical in nature."

The elevator doors opened up and the screen turned back to the official desktop background for Beacon Academy, Glynda turning around to see a statuesque blonde striding towards her, the narrowed eyes giving her the impression of fire, even as the woman inhaled and exhaled with a measured manner, a pale white cloak hung from her shoulders, the hood down, the symbol of two golden arcs upon the left breast, a brooch with the symbol as the clasp.

"Prep is done for Mountain Glenn. We've set up twenty-five different caches throughout the majority of the mission area, accounting for different circumstances and weather conditions." The factual statement came before any politeness, the sharp blue eyes locking right with her own before her head bowed as she waited for the headmaster's response as if she was a soldier delivering a report.

"Very well."

The man said, calling up a map of Mountain Glenn. She tapped the map, locating the caches upon it. Standard operating procedure, as it was, for missions that took place in that quadrant.

"Mission briefing at Sunday morning. Make sure that your youngest sister is prepared for a Mission. Allocations for the preliminary assessment will be made post-mission." The look on the woman's face was sharp, yet Glynda struggled for a moment to remember who she was, whether she had trained at the Academy.

"An Arc doesn't break her word, Professor." The young woman looked at Glynda for a moment, nodding to herself. "You were upset about my little brother's death. Thank you for that." The business-like facade brought something to her mind, features rearranged, twisted into a masculine shape. _'Oh yes... He had sisters.'_

"I am concerned for all the students under my care, Miss Arc." The sad look on the woman's face was gone the instant that it appeared, even as the woman turned towards the windows, taking a few steps towards it.

"Yeah... be a bit more concerned. There's a lot of scum that'll be chomping at the bit to really rip into your students." The other blonde cast a glance at far-off Vale, even as the woman sighed, the years seemingly weighing on her enough.

"Casualty – Cremea d'Arc-Night, explosive dismemberment. Remains unretrievable. d'Arc-Night Family strength down one member, Matriarch Emerald Arc-Sepia, emotional distress. Category: Section Fifteen." The words were cold and factual, even as the woman spoke them, Ozpin sighing deeply.

"You were trained in the tenets of the Order, so I wouldn't be surprised..." The man spoke of an Order, a faint recollection coming to her mind about an ancient order of Grimm hunters.

"You are relieved from duty until the mission, acolyte Heather. Be prepared to report in for the mission on Sunday morning." The man's voice was strict, hiding his emotions on the subject perfectly. There was no sign that he was anything but the commander of the good side, watching with regret as people died.

Heather Arc regarded her for a moment. Judging. Waiting for something, before her attention turned back to the Headmaster. "She is uninitiated." It was a statement of fact, dead and dull as the sun rising in the morning, merely the factual realisation that in the end, there would be not a word breathed. "Do you require her to be..."

"Acolyte Heather, suggestions to expunge my deputy are not to be uttered in this office. I know that you have had your issues with the world's ears and eyes upon you, yet the Mission is paramount." The blue eyes firmed up, the face turning grimmer in its expression, lips forming a thin line as they looked right at her.

"As you say, Sir." The words were formal, the salute given respectful, the blue eyes never leaving her own green ones. She had no doubt that if the man had given the order, she would be dead. There was a certain deadly grace in Heather Arc's manners, the eyes going to pierce right through whatever arguments she could make, to deliver that killing blow. Smooth, perfect and with no fuss... and no trace of life left in her body once the woman had completed her task.

She had seen trained Huntsmen for most of her life. She had trained many of them, had seen several fall to the vices and their personalities. This was one of those people who she would have to regard with a cautious eye, for they would strike when you were least prepared. "I shall take my leave." The woman turned around on her heels, striding out of the office, leaving the two of them here.

"What..." She dared to voice, yet her superior looked out of the window, getting up again and shaking his head.

"There are thing that you would be best off not knowing." He made her feel like she was a student once more and he was her educator, a deep trust inside her welling up. "Things that are... Well, not for your ears to hear, Glynda."

He turned to her, something nagging in her mind, telling her to run away, to use her Semblance, his eyes looking at her with an expression. "That's the choice I make." His voice was soft, even as his hand touched her cheek.

She was leaning on his desk, aware that the presentation was on the display once more, the faces of the Faunus leaders of the White Fang looking down at her. She could feel that there was something missing... _'Wasn't there an interruption?'_

She could recall a set of blue eyes, familiar blue eyes that seemed to carry a story, a name 'Heather' coming to her mind immediately, as she remembered... _'Oh, she came in to report in about a death in the family and the upcoming mission, right...'_

She wasn't sure why, yet something inside her head told her that it wasn't the truth, that the Headmaster was not...

"Are you alright, Ozpin?" Her voice sounded concerned, the man wiping his face with a handkerchief, some blood left behind on the pristine white handkerchief, his eyes a little bloodshot, even as he took a deep breath, settling back into his comfortable chair.

"Alright, as can be... Just a momentary flare-up of some issues." The man dismissed her concern so easily, as he looked at her with his trusting gaze, sure that she would be able to help him with his concerns and worries at a later date. "Please... The White Fang is militant enough at the moment to ensure that reprisal is necessary... The mission to Mountain Glenn will take care of at least some of the known hotspots of activity."

"With the Arc sisters... right?" She wasn't sure whether the team would be lucky enough to make it through that hazardous place safe and sound. The Headmaster nodded, as he called up the mission details, zooming in on the portraits.

"Qrow will be there, just to run recon. It would be bad if they suffered an ambush." There was concern in the man's voice, as his gaze went to the pictures of the Huntresses and the Huntsman who would be sent on this mission.

A worried feeling settled in her stomach, yet she calmed herself. Her students would be able to be safe, with such experienced Huntsmen in their vicinity. She could only hope that there would be no unforeseen consequences on their path.

"You do have class in thirty minutes, Glynda." She glanced at the clock, realizing that she'd nearly spent an hour in the man's presence. She shuddered. _'Has it really been so long? It feels like twenty minutes passed...'_

"I should hurry, yes." She nodded, in the realisation that she should let the Headmaster be the Headmaster and she should be the teacher that she was.

She could always make another enquiry the next day.

Beacon wasn't falling anytime soon, after all.

* * *

 _The wisdom of the woman (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She scowled as she looked at the sign on the price tag, the faint hum of her lips in her ears, both sets of them, as she wandered through the Mistralian kimono store. _'A certain time for a certain thing...'_

She let a finger trace over one of the fine kimonos that hung there, her eyes scanning the fabric for just the shade of dark that she preferred. **"Ride the Master until his groin collapses. Seduce his seed from his loins to create the darkness... He will never leave you once you get with child."** The darkness whispered in her mind, even as she reached out, touching the fabric of a nice dark green kimono, shaking her head.

"Find something that you fancy, Miss?" The owner of the store was a Mistralian, not as prejudiced against Faunus as was expected within this city, her eyes looking at the woman even as she made a soft tutting sound in the back of her throat. The tag with 'owner' was enough to clue her in.

"A deeper colour." She said, her voice a lighter imitation of Blake's. It was better to sound like her daughter than like a woman who was older, after all. She looked like a twenty-something Faunus now... Damn fine, she had to admit to herself with some slight vanity. "It is for my man."

"Oho! A kimono for a man to see you in!" The excitement in the owner's voice was real, as Kali knew that the cultural traditions were not so easily waylaid. There was no Faunus or Human, there was just the traditions. "Are you planning for the night-time visit yourself?"

It was a fair question, even as she shook her head. "No, I had thought that it would be best to approach him after his primary woman is elsewhere." The woman gave a little gasp, as she looked intrigued and scandalized.

"Ooh! I sense a story!" The woman was chatty, and there was little in the store that could draw the woman's attention.

"We have been friends for a while... And her man is mine as well. It is a connection that I cannot explain." The woman gave an understanding nod. "Being the second woman to a successful man is..."

She made a gesture that conveyed the meaning, the woman nodding with slightly more enthusiasm. It was generally understood that most men who had the means, had multiple women. "Is he... traditionalist?" The question was something that made sense, yet she shook her head.

"No. He barely knows anything of Mistralian culture." The truth was that, or Jaune would have been clued in on some of the hints that she'd been giving him... But a thick-headed man was also fun to have around, of course.

"So..." The woman held out a kimono in a dark red colour, the colour striking in its redness, yet reminding Kali too much of the blood that so often coated her weapons... The blood that would coat them in the future.

"Too red. I'm thinking more purple... My previous husband liked purples as well." There was a love lost in her voice, as she looked at the kimono. "It looks pleasant to the eyes though." The woman nodded, understanding the need for a change of colours.

A similar kimono, a deep purple colour that would go well with her own personal emblem, was held out for her to look at. _'This looks much better.'_

"Will you try it on?" The owner asked, holding it out. Kali nodded.

"Yes, I'll see whether it'll look good." With her body like this, it would not be odd to see something like this being worn. Her daughter wore a yukata to bed most nights when she was younger, so the Mistralian style was something that wasn't a foreign thing around the Belladonna household.

As she pulled herself into the Kimono and then tied it, she allowed herself a look into the mirror, her ears twitching once, their human equal giving a little nudge up and down. _'Still got it.'_

The look of herself in the full-length mirror that was set outside was wonderful, as far as she could tell. The way that it fit her was very womanly, with the sash wrapping it loosely to her skin, her body as gorgeous as it had always been. "You look stunning."

She smiled faintly, her reflection doing the same. "I know. It is going to be a special night for the two of us."She already had things planned out in her mind. Whitney would be done with the lovemaking two days before, to give her the opportunity to prepare, keeping Jaune in prime form for the mating... Of course, without the proper ceremony, she would hardly be a suitable mate for him. _'It is a shame that Blake doesn't really have the chance to assist me.'_

Her daughter would blush and whine a little, yet she was very conscious that there was a pecking order and that Kali was at the top of that order, as far as seniority and respect went. The Faunus as a people were mostly human in their interactions, yet strength dictated one's status within their society. It had been no issue whilst her husband had been alive still to command the Faunus of Menagerie, due to her husband's strength and her own social skills that pushed forth when his own confidence flagged.

She had not been educated in the art of fighting, yet she had been training now... When they had time, she would show them all the beauty of Menagerie. Her Master, at her side, Whitney with her, Sienna taking the rear and Summer... possibly being an accomplice as well. She was still unsure about the woman's loyalties, yet there would be a reckoning for the dangers that would have to ensue. _' No matter what...'_

"So… Your guy is good-looking, yes?" The store owner said in a tone that was that familiar conspiratorial tone that housewives often busied. She smiled faintly, knowing that he was far more attractive than most guys. She may be horribly biased to that fact, but the looks that he gave her, the power that he had infused within her body…

"He's the best." She said honestly, even as she sighed. "It's a pity that I have to share him."

The understanding sound from the woman was enough. It was the cultural aspect of Mistral coming into play. Wives could have one husband, yet the husband, if successful enough, could have more than one wife. "He has luck, even if you are a Faunus."

The compliment was not lessened by the address that the woman gave to her kind, yet it was understandable. No matter where the Faunus went, they were discriminated against, yet the cultural traditions of the Mistralians trumped their inherent dislikes. "I am lucky, yes."

Power and wealth were respected. She had both power and wealth, the latter mostly in the bank account that belonged to Ghira and herself.. and she knew that it would be inherited by Blake if it were needed.

Her daughter's status in this world was not marginal, even though the girl was passionate about the Faunus rights. "He has given you money?" The owner asked, folding her hands, Kali giving a short nod.

"As expected. We have free reign over the budget. He fights Grimm." The profession of a Huntsman, one of the lines of defence against the creatures of darkness, the creatures that felt so familiar now, the woman's head nodding once in acceptance of that explanation, her gaze drawn, as she slowly patted her own dress.

"I have… Ah, where do I…" A small hairpin came out of a pocket and it was held up, glistening in the light. "You will like these, yes? I have several in the back." The words of the woman were enough, even as Kali smiled. It was nice, feeling that you had some connection to home, even if the woman might harbour strange thoughts about her being in her shop… there was still the mercantile spirit within her.

"I should get some condoms as well…" She mused out loud, even as she followed behind the woman, checking out the hairpins that laid there on display. With her hair longer due to the changes of her body, she would have to do up her hair…

But that was for later review. She knew that she would have to be in attendance to Jaune once more when things came to a head, when they would head into Mountain Glenn, as they had discussed beforehand...

' _We need that which his sister hinted at...'_ More power wasn't a bad thought to her, even as she emerged from the dressing room, taking in her appearance. Stately, she would say that she looked, the hairpin pushing her hair perfectly, the lack of age lines on her face enough to make her look like a radiant blossom.

"You look like a treat to your man." The woman commented, cackling lightly as Kali flushed. She could imagine what the effect would be on Jaune. She had not been shy about watching whilst Whitney got what she craved. _'No, he certainly isn't a shy virgin anymore…'_

"Thank you." Her eyes looked at her expression, a kind smile on her face, even as the shadows around her burst to life. "I'd like this one and the hairpin… oh, and if you could refer me to a store which sells jackets?"

She'd always liked thigh-highs and jackets, although traditional Mistralian garb mostly consisted of dresses and other such modesty-inducing treats. She was not going to be some shy little lily, awaiting her man to pluck her from the fertile fields. "It is there to the right of the main street. That will be one hundred and thirty-nine Lien."

The Lien clinked onto the counter after she had dressed properly once again, feeling comfortable in her attire as she watched the woman expertly bundle the kimono up and the hairpin being put inside a special case. It was nothing special, just something that would keep the hairpin intact, rather than risk it getting ruined. _'Mistralian style beats everything else…'_

"Have a good day, young Faunus." Kali smiled softly, even as she nodded her head.

"The same to you."She did not add any slurs or anything, even as the woman turned away, working once more at getting something set up in the back of the store.

She was not a fool to allow herself the freedom of movement and not use it. Leaving her gaze to go through the promenade, watching the humans and the Faunus mingle, she sought for those who were aware of their life, hearing the quick footsteps behind her as someone brushed past her, the bag ripped from her hands.

"Hey!" She called out, even as the thief took the bag and made off with it. Anger fused inside her, frustration building, even as the shadows clung to her. **'He takes what is ours...'**

The dark voice in her mind was enough, even as she chased after the thief, the young man looking to be around fifteen to eighteen, really just a child... Yet she was not going to have her new fancy kimono be ruined by some gutter thief who did not appreciate her choice in attire for her man!

She stepped into the shadows, carried along through them towards the thief's position, her weapon already primed and ready. She needed little excuse to strike, yet her gaze drew to the cameras and other surveillance equipment that already hung around, knowing that she should leave no sign of her ever being there.

As she caught up with the thief, she didn't even spare him a moment, her Katar punching right through his tender gut, straight into the lungs, the unexpected assault bringing that sharp edge to make minced meat out of the thief's innards, even as her other hand pulled the bag from his suddenly nerveless fingers. Her shadows guarded her, even as the young man collapsed, her body untouched by the blood, save for the blood that covered her Katar, the actual part of her body that had been corporeal and substantial.

It was perhaps the fate of those who held power to guard it jealously, yet she was well and sure that she would be able to do what was needed in order to ensure that her family would have a home on Remnant, no matter the blood that stained her hands. The young man, who definitely seemed closer to fifteen than he had been to seventeen, laid there, a gaping would in his chest, her head turning slightly to the right adn then to the left, checking for anyone who had borne witness to her gruesome execution, the bag fitting right in her hand, even as she strutted into the shadows and was gone once more, disappearing into the darkness and then emerging once more.

' _For my family... For the ones that I have chosen as a husband...'_

She would be the den mother who would guard him with her life. Sienna's own brand of caring was in order to ensure that he made it to the end of their line, preferably with a wedding ring on each of their fingers, ensuring that they would have the best of lives after they had finally sealed the official deal…

Her tongue slid over her lips as she recalled some of the things that she had done with Ghira, Blake never quite knowing about the sexual antics of her parents, something that Kali was not too shy about, even though her husband had been as prudish as they came, without even a hint of something that lurked beyond the darkness inside, the need inside her body growing ever fiercer, as she felt the burn sizzle and sear, the heat working through her body as the craving for Jaune's cock grew.

' _Even if we have to have foursomes and fivesomes… I don't care anymore.'_

She would stand with her husband, no matter his creed, no matter his opinions.

She was a wife, a mother and a lover. Jaune would get the same service as he had given her. A life for a life. A debt to be repaid over that life.

She walked into the clothing store, immediately checking out the coats on the rack, noticing that there was a distinct lack of black ones, as if the store had been all-out just the day before. A soft grin on her face, as she saw a long coat, one that closed slightly at the front. She could already see Blake wearing it, looking like she was going to break someone's hips…

The hood on her borrowed hoodie was up now, and she knew that it was for the best, even as she strolled through the store, checking out the different offers that were on display, showing interest in those that piqued her interest, whilst determining the proper course of action for her purchasing.

' _Thigh-highs…_ ' She glanced at them, noticing that they had no pattern on them… Which was okay, she surmised, as she could do a little bit of embroidery… but that would make things a little more wicked upon the soul of her own desires… _'I don't think Jaune would mind…'_

"Blake!" Her head whipped around to the chipper voice, coming to look at a young Faunus man who had an absolutely ravishing set of abs and blonde hair… but her mind immediately recognized him as someone who was not worth her time.

"I am sorry, you must have me confused with someone else." She said, the boy's excited face falling immediately. She caught sight of a red-haired young man standing with him, a blue-haired young man with the most unique set of goggles looking at a rather fashionable blazer, though it was obvious that he belonged to the same team.

"Ah, you really look like a friend of mine from a distance. She's got that moody and gloomy look on her face sometimes too, so I figured…" The monkey Faunus smiled, a shudder going through her body as she realized that the boy might be… hitting on her. Her fingers moved, even as she sighed.

"I have often been told that I look much like High Leader Belladonna's daughter, assuming that she is the Blake you mentioned, yes." It was the truth, after all. Blake had a lot of her physical traits and looks. _'She is going to be making guys get erections just by walking past them…'_

"Ah… Yeah, alright, eh…" The boy was embarrassed, even as he floundered, unsure whether to continue. "There are no angry blondes around, are there?" The question was strange, yet she shook her head.

"My husband is a blonde, yet I am sure that he would be most reasonable… Mister…" The smile on the face of the boy was enough for her to immediately dismiss him.

 _'I don't like him.'_

"The name's Sun Wukong… And I hope your husband would be eh… yeah, I'll hope things between the two of you are good." She raised the finger that held the wedding ring up for him, giving him a little beckon.

"Dude, woah…" The blue-haired fellow commented, the words coming so easily from his mouth that it was like an endearment and something else wrapped up together in a blanket of diction. "Don't hit on girls that're in a relationship, even I know that it's wrong."

"Mister… Vasilias, is it?" The description fit, even as Neptune raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you've heard of us? Neptune Vasilias, team SSSN, at your service." He didn't move to kiss her hand, like so many gentlemen usually did.

"Esmeralda spoke of you. It seems you made a decent impression with your… lover." The distaste was hard to curb from her voice, as her eyes fixed the young man with a look. Neptune seemed to barely be affected, though nervousness seemed to appear on his features.

"You got a girl? Hey guys, Nep's got a girl!" The monkey Faunus' cheerful voice sounded happy, even as the blue-haired young man's eyes turned panicked.

"Now, it's not… It's not quite like that. I mean… We went out, had a few drinks, then Viri and me decided to call it quits, the girls weren't that fun." She tilted her head, deciding briefly on whether to out him or not… Before she decided to stay her hand and silence her tongue on the subject.

"Kalima d'Arc." Speaking the first half of Jaune's surname out like 'Dark', she was sure that it would fly right over the heads of these young men, as she extended a hand for the blonde Faunus to speak. "My sister and I form the up-close-and-personal part of team JESK. One of our friends would rather have chosen another name, but…"

She shuddered. Team MILF was not a good team name in her opinion, though she DID think that she was still as attractive as she had been when she had first borne Blake into the world. "Do you happen to have any family in Vacuo, Mister Wukong? I have heard of the Wukong family, although they were not hugely important in the world…"

A look of embarrassment came to the monkey Faunus' face as he blushed. "My family's from there, I'm… I went to Haven to get away from the pressure, live my life freely and that… yeah. So, eh… It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dark."

"I'd say something similar… And I should probably continue shopping… Alone." Her ears twitched as she looked into the blonde Faunus' eyes, trying to give him the subtle clue that they were done…

"Oh, I can help with that, to make up for what I've do-" Something inside her snapped. Her leg swept under him and her heel drove itself into his gut in a stomping fashion, knocking the wind out of him. She could see his Aura flicker, knowing that it would've HURT. _**'You are not even worth a moment of my time, monkey boy. You don't understand what it is like to love... nor do you have any idea just what you are insinuating!'**_

"You will not. You will go with your team and stop bothering me whilst I shop for my husband." Her eyes glowed, her glare down at him fierce and potent, anger showing on her face.

"Dude… Don't piss off the Huntress with a license. Sorry about that, miss. He's got a habit of speaking before he thinks on things." Kali growled, looking at the Faunus still underneath her shoe.

"You are lucky. Please… Do tell Miss Belladonna that there are still people in the White Fang who remember her." The look on the blonde monkey's face was stunned.

"You're with those loonies?" Her gaze drew down.

' _WE are NOT loonies! We stood for the equality of Faunus AND the Humans… Not just a bunch of loonies or rabid animals…'_ Her heel rose, and she was about to bring it down again, even before she controlled herself. "Dude…"

It was the blue-haired guy called Neptune that saved the monkey boy from getting his ass royally beaten. "Don't just act like a brainless moron. If Blake's girlfriend could deck you right across the field, just imagine what an experienced Huntress could do. She looks like she's able to deal with you, dude. Permanently."

"But…" The monkey said and she looked at him, her teeth visible. In Faunus body language, it meant 'back the fuck off or get fucking ripped in two', something that most Faunus should remember well. Her late husband had one of those faces that he made when someone challenged him that had sent her wild with desire for him, that primal urge inside her to mate with him not stopped until his clothes were off and she was screaming in pleasure.

The isolation of their bedroom was really well-done, thankfully. Blake might not have been so well-adjusted had she known just how often her mother enjoyed a good rough tussle in the bedroom.

"I will do my shopping. If you know what is best for you, stay away, vegetable boy." The anger in her voice was enough, the words that she busied being one of the highest insults that you could give to any Faunus with some ancestry of a predator of some kind. Monkeys… didn't really eat meat, yet Kali had uttered it anyways, a change from her usual warm self, as she had grown annoyed with his actions.

"Yes Ma'am." The monkey said, her shoe raised once more and a growl rumbling from her throat, a shake of the head enough, even as she licked her lips slowly.

"What's the deal with her, huh?" She could hear him say, her breathing slowly soothing, even as he began to pat himself a little, the sound off to her ears, even with his teammates starting to comment on Sun's skill in the art of pissing people off. _'So… it seems that Blake is dating a girl.'_

She grabbed one of the jackets and then went into a stall, sure that there would be some moment where she could at least shop in peace. As she turned around in front of the mirror nearly five minutes later, the jacket fitting tightly in the chest, she mused softly. _'Hmm… It would look better on Blake.'_

She and her daughter shared most of their traits. Same cat ears, similar bust size (Blake's was one cup size smaller than her, a side-effect of nursing a little kitten like her) and same height. _'Ooh… It'll be a present.'_

"Ma'am, we've received a complaint from a shopper about your mistreatment of a young man." The store clerk was enough to annoy her, even as she sighed, the hanger that she had in her left hand enough.

"Alright, alright…" She mumbled, shaking her head. "Pushy men… Bah." The store clerk did not look sympathetic outwardly, yet Kali could feel a twinge of sympathy come from the young woman, who dutifully escorted her to the register.

"I'd like to pay for this." She said, the cashier ringing the purchase up and her wallet emptying some more of the Lien that had been inside it.

"We hope to have no more incidents with you. Consider this a warning." The clerk spoke, Kali nodding, even as she knew that to explain would only cast more aspersions and suspicions on her. _'In this world, the Faunus have to yield to the Human majority…'_

"It is as it is. What happened to the young man?" The clerk didn't respond initially, yet answered after nearly a minute.

"He was sent out as well. We do not tolerate violence here in our establishment." There was the formal answer, yet she had already expected it, knowing that there would be little to do about it. _'It would be the logical answer to bar us both, as we are Faunus… But that would not give them a good reputation with the Huntsman community.'_

"Have a nice day." The clerk said, yet Kali was already on her way out, her irritation with the young man growing some more. _'I didn't even get to shop for Lingerie yet… I guess we'll have to go shopping together then… Tomorrow is still an option, after all…'_

A woman could not entrance her husband without suitable battle armour, after all. She had one of the most luxurious silken sets of lingerie at home… well, at what used to be her home, before this all started and happened. _'A woman does her duty and her husband knows his own…'_

That was how the world functioned.

* * *

 _The darkness recedes (Summer Rose)_

* * *

She was like a fluttering butterfly on the road to redemption, as she looked at her partner, whose hand was brushing a sharpening tool over the Dust blade, the faint scraping enough, even as she realized that there was to be a change, that there would be a need for something.

She had talked with Rubedo, she had comforted the lost little girl that just wanted a friend, a lover… a companion. A lonely girl that needed some way to speak to the world, even though her words often weren't understood… She could empathize with that girl.

The world was a simple place, she knew. Her fingers ran over the blade, testing its edge. The prick of pain was enough, even as Rubedo's voice spoke up. _"Doesn't auntie Raven want to play?"_ The girl's voice was questioning, even as Summer looked at the weapon that she held.

" _Auntie Raven is busy preparing. We are going back to Jaune again today."_ She was careful not to upset little Rubedo… The poor girl didn't really take well to being told that she was not going to be seeing her boyfriend… even though Summer knew pretty well that the girl would have to be flickering back in control for the movements through the world.

" _Do you think you can handle that little task, Ruby?"_ Her voice was soft, inquiring whether the girl would be able to keep the façade up, the soft laughter that was so innocent and yet with such a delicate manner that it was like the darkness just swallowed her up.

" _Of course Mama Summer… Ruby knows what she will do! When Ruby is in control, you'll get to meet ALL of the friends! You're going to love little sis Ruby too! She's the nicest nice girl I know! Really sweet!"_ It was a method to the madness that came with it, even as Summer knew that Rubedo would be up to the task of handling the interaction with her team.

" _As far as I know… They're planning something big. Jaune needs to know. You've told me about that before, haven't you?"_ Rubedo made a little giggling sound, Raven looking up from her blade-sharpening.

"Is something the matter?" There was concern in that voice, care that she knew was given by Raven.

"Just something that little Rubedo told me. Did you know that my daughter is one of the sweetest girls?" Raven made a sound as if she half-agreed with that statement, her fingers tugging on the sheath and opening the inner workings up, starting to apply some lubricating oil to the internal workings.

"I've observed them for years, Summer." It was Raven's duty at the least to do so. She would have done the same had it been her who had been called away to do some dark and spooky stuff. "She has grown into a fine young girl."

"Of course. She's got the Summer Rose bloodline! I..." Summer looked down at her chest, which was a size or so bigger than before. "I think my breasts grew a little." Raven made a sound in the back of her throat that could be understanding.

"We're going to shop for some lingerie, Raven... Some nice lingerie that we can show to Jaune." The look on her best friend and partner's face was tense, even as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, her motions stalling.

"I'm not..." Raven showed no interest, even as she looked at her. Summer didn't like the way that Raven seemed to immediately leap to the conclusion. "Your fascination with the boy..."

"I took his virginity, Raven. Back when it was just the two of us... It was so easy, the least that I could do. You know what I need to do to recharge, Rae." The wide-eyed look did not suit Raven much, Summer chuckling lightly at her partner's surprise.

"I had my hands around his neck and then... I just could hear his thoughts, telling me how much he wanted to be a hero. I always like heroes, Rae." The tone of her voice, as well as the incredulous look on Raven's face, made it worth it.

"So what if I needed to make sure that it was physical, hmm? The first shot..." Her smile was wonderful, even as Raven started to look a little queasy. "He's quite the young man. It was like... warmth. Warmth and a little hint of normalcy."

She didn't seem to understand. Raven had always been a little dumb at times, but Summer Rose knew well how to fix that. A good roll in the hay with a man would fix that... yes.

"You should try it." Red eyes met her own and anger showed on her partner's face.

"I may be separated from Taiyang, but I still remember that which I vowed, Summer. You should too, even... Even if you do such things." There was anger in her partner's voice, even as Summer didn't see it. _'The mission is bigger than your life, Raven... If there is a chance that we can complete it in our lifetime...'_

She was not going to give up on her partner though, even as Raven worked through the issues. "Also... you should be aware that there's going to be a change... I've been hearing things from Rubedo." There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them. Boyfriend time would be boyfriend time, work time would be work time. Surprisingly agreeable, Rubedo was, when pressed.

The teachings had been proper. Each Huntsman and Order member had to instruct another to carry the lineage onward. It was what was dictated in the ancient edicts... and there was always the burden of ensuring that they would not have outsiders gather Order material from their bodies.

"A change?" The curiosity in her partner's tone could not be hidden, even as she saved a glance for the timepiece, which read the time of the current time zone, the Valean hour nearly midnight.

"We're hunting down the people responsible for my state... one of them has already fallen, and another is... at Beacon." There was a wry tone to her voice, knowing that Raven knew not the issues that she herself was facing now, the needs and the cravings, even as Rubedo's love for Jaune eclipsed her own.

It was like living with a constantly tweeting bird in the back of your mind, yet she was not as affected as she would think, her whole body shuddering faintly as she recalled some of the things that Rubedo had been a part of due to her connection with the other girl...

' _It isn't a bad plan, as far as Rubedo has heard. Emerald doesn't talk much about her mistress' plans, but it is clear that they will do their best.'_ The knowledge of the plans wasn't really important to Rubedo, so it was only a mixed bag of results, the whole length of the plan too detailed and played close to the chest of that woman.

' _A maiden... Like Raven is.'_ There was a curious thought in her mind as she wondered who the stronger of the two was, yet Raven would undoubtedly win. She was her partner, after all...

And the cute blonde young man who was loved by the pale-haired woman would undoubtedly find it within himself to claim the heart of yet another woman... It was logical. Raven could only resist for so long, after all... She would fall.

' _And then we'll be sisters again... just like how it was with Taiyang. Yang and Ruby will know that their stepfather is a good man.'_ Her plans were of course always broader than they appeared, knowing well that Raven needed a little push sometimes to get results.

She wasn't crazy, nope… She was just Summer Rose, kick-ass leader of awesomeness, willing to bring forth the thunder and ride the lightning without any regard for what people thought of her. She was an Executor of the Order of Slayers, and whoever would cast doubt on that would meet with her blades!

As the portal shimmered into being, she stepped through, feeling the change in temperature and atmospheric pressure, watching Jaune look up, even as Raven joined her. "Hiii!"

Her excitement was real, as Rubedo did a little cheer in her mind, allowing the change to happen instantly. "I'm sorry, Jaune." The honesty in her little girl's voice was enough, even as Rubedo did her best to look guilty. "I'm… mama Summer has been telling me about how what I did was wrong."

She could see his expression change, his eyes looking right into Rubedo's, knowing that the girl was at least honest to herself, and he sighed deeply, even as he shook his head. _'He's not going to forgive her… This may hurt her…'_

She felt oddly protective of the girl, even as he sighed deeply. "Very well… I forgive you. If you… If you ever go and date someone else, please don't hurt them like that, alright?" Forgiveness may sound easier to speak of than to do, yet she felt that he was genuine, even as his gaze met Rubedo's.

"I've had a chat with him about you." The pale-haired woman said, currently dressed in only a bra and her underwear, seemingly about to go take a shower. "If Summer manages to keep you sane… Let's be friends."

Rubedo's smile was wonderful, even as she reached out and grabbed the hand. "Second friend!" The cheer in Rubedo's expression was enough to show that she was somewhat willing to go and be friends… and Summer knew that it would be something of a challenge for them to overcome later on. Rubedo knew contrivances of the world… yet they had to be going soon. _'It would be a shame… but they'll have to do without us.'_

"We're going back to Beacon, daddy Jaune!" The words were enough to draw a raised eyebrow from all of the women in the room, yet there was little that they could do about it. It was as it was… and Rubedo was a member of the team of her sister.

"We're going to look at them and make sure that they do what they are supposed to do, yes! Oh… And we'll be hiding too! Emmie never really knows what Ruby does when she's hiding, yes!"The excitement and exuberance in the girl's voice was real, as she skipped a little, her body moving. "But mama Summer says that we should be going for some lingerie."

The Faunus woman that sat on one of the beds gave a soft laugh. "We'll be getting some lingerie as well, dear… How about you go and join us?" The enthusiastic nod from Rubedo made Summer's head spin a little, yet it was understandable. Every girl wanted to look good for her boyfriend.

"That is the plan! Raven's breasts are in need of more support!" The woman gave a sound that was half-way between a groan and a moan of pity, as she looked at the women that were gathered and then shrugged.

"I'm getting to bed." Plopping herself down on one of the chairs, Raven crossed her legs and did her 'passing out' trick, asleep in moments, the woman out cold in a flash. It was something that Summer envied a little, with Raven being able to fall asleep so easily. Qrow could do it as well, something about corvidae or whatever, she hadn't been paying too much attention to things whilst she did so.

As she settled in on one of the comfortable chairs, she couldn't help but muse on what the next day would bring, Summer feeling slightly left out… But that would all be fixed in due time.

* * *

 _A matter of principle (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She watched carefully how much time she took, the cloak stuffed in the small pack, as it was only really needed when speaking with those who had been in the know. The mask was easiest to disguise as just a bit of an attire issue, something that worked with the weapon that she had chosen.

"d'Arc-Night Family, reporting in." Her voice said in the emotionless register, the door opening for her immediately, showing a skull-masked Slayer, the set of blunt flails on the woman's thighs enough to show clearly what weapon she preferred.

"Be welcome, d'Arc Night." The mask fitted on her face well, as it was intended to be. Their identities were a secret to them and their family. The hidden game of obfuscation and skills were enough, even though there were only two to four lucky enough to be chosen.

"The Exarch has commissioned an expedition in Sector Five. I am making you aware of the results." There was the moment that she had been waiting for, the brief shift in poise and style, even as the other Slayer waited.

"A Grimm Surge has been noticed. Nine teams have been sent in order to quell the infestation." There was the news that she needed to hear. It had been two days since the Exarch had called her, the symbol in his office unmistakable.

"Will they interfere? Non-initiates are slated to go there with us." The Slayer shrugged.

"The Mission continues. If they fall victim, they fall victim. Do not think you can pull rank on us, d'Arc-Night. Just because you are one of the Four..." There was a hint of distaste in the voice, even as the skull mask sat on the other woman's face. The eyes that looked at her were not silver, a sign that there was no pure bloodline… But it might be.

"We are but a branch of the great tree that supports Remnant." The words were careful, as to imply things. Heather didn't like word games, yet…

"We are the roots that dig through the vileness and bring justice." The other Slayer complied, speaking with ease. "I will send out a notification. Be aware that some of the others may not heed them."

"Understood." Heather knew that to ask most of them to stay their hand was an impossibility. They were too well-connected, too well-taught not to be proud of their heritage. _'It would mean… aggressive negotiations.'_

They were an Order, they were the Slayers… They did not have to like each other and they knew how to cull the herd of those that would come and upset the directive.

"And your partner?" Heather's lips pressed together in a thin line below her mask.

"Resting. We returned from Sector Five five days ago." The understanding sound was something shared between them. Once in favour of humanity's expansion, Sector Five had been a failure.

"The Grimm are moving ever closer… Keep the blood strong." There was no more need for words, as Heather walked to the map and moved one of the markers.

"Our Patriarch is currently incarcerated. They wish to make him an example." The words weren't spoken easily, yet the Slayer nodded.

"The Exarch has already mentioned such. We will ensure his safety, in ways seen and unseen."

Heather left the safehouse thirty minutes later, a new 'care package' already tucked away.

It was time to prepare. Mother would need some more medication.

The mask was slipped off into one of her pockets, the wood fitting nicely against her thigh, even as she walked into the nearest pharmacy to get some heavy calming tablets for her mother.

' _No matter what… We'll see the dawn rise from the sea of darkness.'_

The Mission dictated it.

Her weapon craved the death of Grimm.

* * *

 **Another chapter… Setting up things, revealing others... It's going to be a fun ride...**

 **I'm thankful for the comments about how I've done over the past year. A Grimm Tale isn't the most popular story that I've written (Probably due to how big it is and how clumsily written the first chapters were) but it is something that I'm putting in a lot of work.**

 **I want to be able to look back at it and go 'You did a good job'. I want YOU to look at it and go 'That was worth my time to read.'**

 **A lot of the themes in A Grimm Tale are contradictions. Characters do not act as you would expect them.**

 **One death can change a world. One loss can bring forth a monster so terrible that it takes millennia to destroy. Salem… Or Ozpin?**

 **Leave a review. I like to read them. They make me feel all fired up to write more stuff!**


	41. Bound by Friendship

**Chapter 41: Bound by Friendship**

 **Mountain Glenn is where it all comes to a head for this Volume, Ladies and Gentlemen... And I am going to fucking make it EPIC. Oh, Kali smut is coming soon. She's just gathering her sexy lingerie now. I'll put it on the AO3, because this place doesn't allow tasteful erotica.**

* * *

 _Lingerie shopping(Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She wasn't someone who was opulent in her tastes. Simple linen would suffice perfectly well for her own benefits, as the garb would be tossed to the side eventually, allowing the sharing of her body to happen, with the dark urges inside her egging her on to do things that would be not so very sane for the people around her, even as she hooked her arm through Jaune's, standing at his other side, Raven currently glaring at her manly companion.

The woman was wearing a set of sunglasses, a dress that looked even worse than the one that Summer wore being worn, showing off plenty of leg and thigh to the onlooker's eyes, even as she glowered behind the sunglasses at Summer, Kali finding the whole manner that she was upset adorable.

"You look perfect, Rae!" The cheerful voice of Summer came from the dressed-up woman, her body dressed in a simple yellow dress that fitted well on her, as she grinned and nudged Jaune. "You think so too, right?"

Jaune's face was a little tense, even as Whitney looked at him with a look that seemed to imply things, her eyes half-lidded with that manner of looking that said 'Don't you dare compliment another woman but me', something that Kali could completely understand. "You look... Nice, yes."

Raven scoffed, as she looked at Summer with a look that seemed to be more or less upset, Kali not really seeing what the big issue was with that, even as she snuggled just a little closer to him, feeling the closeness that she had with him.

It had been something that she had done before Whitney had been fully awake, snuggling up against Jaune, a little sign that she was going to be taking over, her fingers wrapping into his own, a low rumble coming from her throat in approval, even as Whitney looked at her with a raised eyebrow once she was finally awake enough to really function. _'She really doesn't wake up that quickly if she notices something wrong...'_

It was adorable, even as she nudged against Jaune's side, giving him a little kiss to wake him up, seeing the eyelids flutter open and a low grunt, a manly one, coming from his lips.

"I better look nice..." Raven mumbled, Kali shooting her a look.

"You do. We're just going bra shopping... That's not a crime." There was no hurt in saying it like it was, even as Raven gave her a stern look, the previous wear and tear on the woman's mindset seemingly evaporating by the normal thing of going shopping.

"Horrible death traps..."The woman mumbled, even as she tapped Summer on the shoulder. "You're taking responsibility, Summer." There was a hint in the woman's voice, Summer's smile broadening even more than before, her gaze going to Jaune.

"She's melting! She's melting, Jaune! Soon she'll be in your harem!" The giggles that were a mixture of the girl whose body Summer occupied right now and her own came from her throat, even as Raven batted at her with a scowl on her face.

"Don't be silly, Summer." Her voice was cool, collected, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "I still have a husband."

"I had a husband too, you know..." Kali added, her lips pressing to Jaune's cheek, even as she rubbed against him again. She felt affectionate right now, as she smelled the manly scent on him. _'Just a day or so...'_

"It's not wrong to deny your love for multiple men... Hmm, just imagine it, two sets of hands holding you, their big hard..." She was silenced by Whitney's hand over her mouth, Raven flushing slightly, as she obviously imagined that, Sienna giving a deep sigh in her own manner. _'You'll get your time, Sienna.'_

"No... I'm still married." Raven mumbled, yet there was a hesitation in that voice, even as she looked doubtfully at her hand, like she was actually considering such a thing, her whole body seemingly flush with the thoughts, a reddish tint coming to her cheeks. Whitney's hand left her mouth, a stern look of 'behave!' given.

"When I get my turn with Jaune... he's going to be feeling it in the morning afterwards." She stated it so boldly that she felt a rush go through her as he made a little sound in his throat, and she could see Whitney's eyes turn a little frostier, as she realized that she had to give up. "Hmmhmmm... I should set the tune with the music..."

"Kali, it's not..." Jaune tried, yet she pressed a finger to his lips.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not going to be like White..." Her eyes met her friend's, even as her tongue licked over her lips. "But a threesome isn't out of the question. I've always wondered how it'd feel to ride my man whilst a friend licked me..."

"Kali Belladonna!" Sienna hissed, scandalized in her look. Her eyes glowed a little, as she took a deep breath, knowing that it would be enough.

"Well, he certainly shows enough manliness to handle both of us... So what do you say? Up for a bit of a fiesta siesta?" She knew that she was crossing borders, yet she couldn't help herself, her eyes glowing as she watched Sienna flush, knowing that she was now thinking about it. He was so adorable... and he was theirs.

"That... That isn't going to happen." Sienna said, though her resolute tone hid that little subtext of desire, the knowledge that she had already fallen for the young man, who had shown her that there was power in the darkness... **'The one who guides us through our trials, the one who holds our leash... The Master, the saviour, the one who will be standing above us upon the precipice of power.**

"Oh... Yes, you do have your own little quest, Si... But we should get bra shopping." She didn't really change the subject, as her head turned to Jaune. The fact that she was still the same height as her daughter and her older shape was something that made picking clothing a little easier. She had just the perfect little thought about how things worked in her mind now, knowing that the older shape would deflect less dubious looks when shopping with age-similar women. It was undoubtedly Summer Rose who looked the youngest now... but that didn't matter right now.

"Yes, we should... I won't be shopping for any bra's myself though." Jaune added, a smile coming to the face of his Acolytes, knowing that they would not wish to see him in one... the image of Jaune wearing just a set of lingerie was enough to bring a chuckle from her mouth, as she licked her lips.

"Oh? You don't want to make a scene of wearing something frilly and utterly scandalous, Jaune?" She could see that he was growing less comfortable with the thought, obviously reminded of something, his expression shifting a little at the thought that went through his mind, a frown to his face.

"I guess we'll have to be wearing something terribly scandalous then, Mister Arc..." She licked his earlobe, the very taste of salty skin on her tongue making her shudder. _'I'm definitely in a needy state..._ '

"I... yeah, I got nothing." Came the answer, even as he changed his manner of standing, Whitney giving her a look that said 'Back off', yet there was nothing to be done about it.

"I want to make you mine, Jaune..." He was a pillar of her life now, something that supported her, the whole breadth of his body and his knowledge belonging to her, as he had invigorated her... _'Without you, I would be dead. Without you, the power inside me would be locked away...'_

"Shopping first, right?" He made for the door, Raven and Summer following, the former still speaking in hushed tones to Summer about how flimsy the material of the dress was. _'Someone isn't used to wearing a dress... Despite wearing a kimono with a skirt by default... Granted she would wear her weapons with it as well, so that's about a good excuse as anything, but...'_

As they walked through the stretch of land that was the shopping nirvana, she glanced at the stores. Already, she had shifted into the form that she'd had for most of her life, the stress lines on her face making wrinkles appear, yet she stood not out from the crowd. Several of the people who looked at her would undoubtedly wonder why she was dressed in such a young set of attire, yet she cared not, as she held Sienna's hand. "You're being silly, Sienna... You need something nice to wear as well!"

Sienna's face was tense, even as the dark-skinned Faunus gave a little scoff.

"I don't." She mumbled, even as her gaze turned away. There weren't many Faunus around, their kind generally sticking to the less fanciful clothing shops, yet there were enough within the distance to really make them a little paranoid. _'I am sure that if we get her dressed like a proper woman, she would take to it like a fish swims in the sea... Hmm... we should have fish for dinner tonight.'_

"Of course you do. You need something nice to support your chest, going bra-less is not going to work well, remember how you used to complain about the chest-bindings?" The frown on Sienna's face showed that the tiger Faunus was not happy to be reminded of that, the smile on her own face enough, as she exhaled softly, watching the store stand there. _'Victoria Blue's Secret...'_

Her eyes went over the skimpily-dressed models on the advertisement posters, showing the vivacious lifestyle of those pretty enough to work in such an industry, and she mentally patted herself on the back, knowing that Blake would probably be a model if she had not become a Huntress. Blake was a really pretty kitten, someone who could beguile and attract anyone to her side without any sort of issue.

"Can I help you with something?" The female attendant took their measure, the sight of five women walking into the store in the morning hours undoubtedly attracting attention, Jaune letting go of Whitney's arm and turning to look at a rack of underwear for men, deciding that he'd let them do the talking.

The body language of the sales assistant looked like she didn't mind the customers, though the wary look that was given to herself and to Sienna was to be expected. "We are in need of proper brassieres, as well as some lingerie for..." Whitney's gaze went right to her, to which she grinned. "Entertainment purposes."

The sales clerk was not surprised in the slightest by the request, nodding and then looking them over. "C cups, hmm... You two are a D, right?" The woman's measurements were fairly accurate, Whitney giving a little preen as her size was guessed corectly. _'I suppose it isn't that bad...'_

"Huntresses?" The woman guessed, as she led them towards the lingerie section, her eyes glancing at Jaune who stood there to the side. "With... your son?"

Kali mentally winced, even as she shook her head. "More a... friend of the family. The son of a dear friend of my sister and I." She wasn't going to explain the dynamic of their weird relationship to the woman, even as the sales assistant gave an understanding sound.

"Ah, I thought... Yeah, it doesn't really matter what I think. I just work here." Kali looked the sales assistant over once. Dark blonde hair, a moderate chest, a set of dark blue clothes that fit her perfectly, and the look of relative innocence on her face. Altogether, not a bad look for a woman in that line of business, yet Kali knew that there was more to be seen if the woman dressed in a similar manner.

"No, it does not." Whitney's voice was frosty, as her blue eyes looked right at the sales assistant's face.

"He's not single. He's been claimed a loooooong time ago." Summer chipped in, Raven giving a hiss at her friend and partner, Kali spotting the flush on her cheeks, as if she knew more than she'd already shared. _'I wonder...'_

Kali was not easily prone to jealousy. Being the wife of one of the strongest men on Menagerie and the leader of the White Fang, there were of course plenty of women who would wish to share the fruits of her husband... which had been politely rebuffed by him, at his own insistence. None had really made the cut as far as it went as going to be in their bedroom, a lucky existence, she surmised, yet she was well-aware that she had to share now.

"So, look around and I'll be with you shortly, after I've done..." She made a gesture towards the front of the store, where Jaune was currently holding up a navy blue set of underwear, frowning at it. _'Blue is not your colour, sweetheart. It works for your eyes, but...'_

She watched the sales assistant walk away from them, obviously going to Jaune, her eyes catching sight of the little sway in those steps, even as Whitney's face showed her annoyance. _'Uh-oh.'_

"Don't show your anger..." She whispered in her friend's ear, knowing that White would be upset with Jaune if he did anything with the sales assistant. The girl didn't know that she was out of her league, even as she walked up to him, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. _'He doesn't look like he's receptive.'_

He smiled at them, giving them a wave, her heart skipping a little beat, even as he responded with something that made the sales assistant frown and give them a look, sceptical of the words that he'd uttered. She could make out a 'They are the best team that you'd ever want' and she knew that the pride that she felt right now was something of a side-effect of those words, even with how the world seemed to malign the Faunus for simply existing.

' _He cares for us all...'_ She knew that, simply from the feelings that she could feel from him, the sensitivity to feelings and emotions around her heightened thanks to the transformation that she had experienced, the shadows calling out to her. A moment passed, as she looked at the others, Raven's face looking a little irked as Summer held up a bright red bra, the tense look on her face looking unusually serious, as if Summer had taken special care to make sure that it would look nice.

"It doesn't suit you." Raven said, Summer pouting softly at her friend and companion, the emotions that she gave off being a mixture of amusement and distaste, as she went back to the rack and tried to find something else. "Something that skimpy wouldn't look good for Taiyang."

' _Ooh...'_ There was a spike of anger from Summer as she didn't turn around, yet she could feel it as well as she could, the smile on Summer's face looking as natural, whilst the storm of emotions that came from her continued. "Oh, I wasn't really shopping for Taiyang. Rubedo needs a nice little set... Don't you think so?"

Raven sounded noncommittal as she shrugged and grunted, her eyes glinting in the light, even with her attention going to a nice lacy black bra, holding it up and frowning as the middle part seemed to open up, putting it against her front and shaking her head. _'Hmm... Now that WOULD look rather cute...'_

She could already imagine the four of them all lined up, ready to be taken by their Master, the one who held the keys to the shackles that had bound them and had freed them. It would be a moment of freedom, of knowing that the man of the house was back and that they would be loved by him... and that was good.

The black lingerie set that she had selected she pulled into the dressing room, stripping with smooth and practised moves, hearing Whitney give a little breathy snort of amusement. "Something funny?" She asked loudly, Whitney giving a light laugh in return.

"Just the fact that we're all occupying the rooms together... I wonder..." Kali's breasts felt how the bra wrapped around them, looking at herself in the mirror and making a quick judgement, peering out from the dressing room a moment later, spotting Jaune making his way towards them, the assistant still talking to him, yet he was not reciprocating her obvious come-on lines, her eyes spotting a minor hint of irritation in his stance.

"Jaune!" Summer's cheerful voice was heard, even as the dividing curtain slid away, Kali adjusting her bra a little as she glanced at the curtain, a faint splutter coming from Jaune in surprise. "How do I look? Looks good on me, yes?" She could hear Summer's excited tone, even as beside her, Whitney pulled the curtain away.

"Oh, you seem to be captivated, why... Do I look just as good as she does?" There was a teasing tone to the woman's voice, the sales assistant saying something about indecency, only for Jaune to make a strangulated voice, Kali pushing the curtain aside as well, stepping out, her ears twitching slightly. She spotted Sienna standing there, looking at a particularly tight leather top. _'That won't really bring you out...'_

"Oh... Do I look good as well?" She said, her voice purring with amusement as she spoke, her eyes glinting with that deep dark desire within them, a desire that was hard to spot for most people, yet her body moved as swiftly as she could to assure herself of that victory. His eyes met hers and he swallowed, a deep breath taken as he looked at her. _'Good.'_

"Get out here, Raven! Think of it as practice for your husband!"Summer cajoled Raven and the curtain slid aside, revealing Raven in all her glory, a golden set of tit-covering fabric worn, her nipples visible in the fabric, even as she looked at her partner and her lips thinned.

"You are lucky that you're someone I like." Raven mumbled audibly, shaking her head. Kali watched Jaune's expression, noticing that the boy seemed to have gone red, a teasing grin coming on her face.

"Ooh, he sees something that he likes... Why, want to have a ride on us old bicycles for a bit of extra practice, hmm?" The scandalized look that Whitney gave her was enough to egg her on, even as Raven spluttered something incoherent, the sales assistant giving her a look as if she was mad for even suggesting something like that.

"You're out of line as usual, Ka." Sienna said, her voice soft, the earrings in her ear shifting lightly as she wriggled those ears a little.

"Why colour with the crayon between the lines? I know that if you see a hot blonde, you'll go wild for them as well." Sienna coloured, looking at her with that look of scandalized horror, even with her eyes going to Jaune and then back to her.

"Y-you!' Sienna hissed, showing her own emotions, Kali grinning.

"Better go get something nice, Si. You'd be losing out on a partner if you delay for too long!" The teasing of Sienna was always something of a fun endeavour, because she could get so heated about something that she'd forget her train of thought.

"Ahh, it's always fun to rile her up." She mock-whispered to Whitney, who looked a little tenser, even as she sighed. "She used to be like this too when she was a teen... Got in an awful lot of trouble."

"Bleh." Jaune seemed to restart his mental faculties once more, trying to at least make sure that he was able to function again.

"Yes, we know we look hot." The confidence in her voice was not faltering, as he knew how she looked, he knew how she would be with the man she craved. Ghira had been one of the supports of her life, and now Jaune was another.

"So... Get something for yourself. At least three new sets of underwear, young man!" She tried to sound strict, yet the laughter that escaped her lips afterwards was as much capitulation as it was the mere ludicrousness of ordering him to do anything.

"Sure." He said, his voice a little glum, Kali looking to see that Raven had hidden back in the dressing room, Summer was on the verge of turning around and White was merely shaking her head in some sort of manner that conveyed her irritation and annoyance, a yawn coming from her friend's mouth, the knowledge that they'd been up late enough.

"Make sure that he gets something that looks good on him." She smiled at the sales assistant, the young woman meeting her eyes and her powers activated, the fear making the girl rise in her attention, even as her power ensnared the mind of the young woman, the tremor that went through her body enough, as there had been an ultimatum there, an unspoken 'or else'.

"Of... of course." The sales assistant said, Jaune walking right back to the men's section, the assistant trailing behind just a little, obviously not comfortable in the slightest with the situation.

"You used your fear effect on her." Whitney said, even as Kali nodded.

"Challengers must be dissuaded. You know that, White." The rough sound in Whitney's throat was enough confirmation that she agreed with that line of thought, even as Kali pulled her own bra on again. ' _Not quite that right 'oomph' that I was going for... alas... more shopping.'_

She knew that there would be a need for a nice set of underwear to go with her own efforts tomorrow, yet that was only the lead-up to the festivities. This was their 'leisure-time' after all... and they wouldn't be getting anywhere without something nice to wear. _'Hmm... I wonder how he thinks about white...'_

Whitney was more of a white-wearer than she was, but the appeal of something pristine and untarnished covering up a tainted woman like her was something that would be enough to make a shudder go through her... Even though purple might just be a better colour for her.

"I'm done!" Summer announced, as Kali opened the curtain to look out, spotting Summer already standing there, dressed up once more, the cloak absent for once, as it did not fit the body that she inhabited in the least. "So... You look nice."

The woman was genuine, even as she spoke, her eyes glinting with that importance of herself, knowing that there was nothing that could be done about improving her looks. She smirked a little at the woman, the silver eyes looking at her with that impish manner that seemed to be so like Summer. "I try to look nice for my man." She said, Summer giving a nod.

"He's nice... Don't you think? Little Rubedo is smitten with him." There was a wistful tone to Summer's voice, something in that voice yearning for the child that she had left here, their children out of reach, even though she knew that they would see them again... They had to see their children again.

They were all mothers, save for Sienna. Sienna, being a bodyguard and ex-High Leader of the White Fang, would not have the issues that she was facing, even with the world being somewhat of a messy state right now.

They would like to see their daughters, talk with them and get to know them all over again, yet with their status as 'deceased' in every case save for Raven, it would be somewhat hard to get them to trust them again.

"I'd say that he's the best man that I could get. Caring, observant and a little dumb at times, able to make my best friend get her attention... Oh, he'd be a hit amongst the Faunus... We love men who can protect us." There was a physical component to it, actually, yet that would be tricky to explain to people who did not have enhanced senses.

"Hmm..." Summer said, as she frowned, shaking her head. "Can't see it." There was a hint of something in Summer's voice, even as her gaze was drawn to Whitney, who came out, looking as unruffled as she could be.

"So... Shall we get another set to try? I think that the black lace would suit you well, Kali." The rich tone of Whitney's voice was enough to hint at things, the eyes of the woman sliding over her body in the judging way that often was best to check for the people.

"If you try a white set, sure! We've got to be colour-coded, right?" The grin on Whitney's face was challenging, even as they walked towards the rack, the challenge already starting.

' _This is fun... I can't remember the last time I went out with girlfriends.'_

* * *

 _The security (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She looked conflicted as she stared into the mirror, realizing that it was just going to be her and the rest going out for that shopping trip tomorrow, the feeling of being queasy something that she couldn't forget, the feeling of the morning's lessons starting to hit her hard. She knew that she would have to do something or else she would be lost to those emotions.

"Something the matter, Yang?" Blake's voice reached her ears, her partner's hands on her hips, an intimate gesture that felt wrong for some reason, even as the fingers brushed up and down her hips, intimate in nature and yet not fully feeling like it was meant to be. _'Am I just letting her use me for her own stability?'_

She wasn't going to give up on her partner, not without at least a token fight, to let the young Faunus woman know that she wasn't alone. She knew well that the burden of being a terrorist and revolutionary must have weighed upon Blake's shoulders, even as she exhaled slowly. "Just some thoughts."

She wasn't going to explain to Blake that she felt conflicted due to the nervousness that came with a shopping trip, knowing that her teammates were going to be looking at her in an underdressed state... She'd not really experienced that before, Patch didn't really have much of a shopping centre where you could buy something stylish. _'A good sports bra never killed something... except my back. Oof...'_

"Thoughts about me?" The hand that pinched her bottom was enough, and Yang turned to Blake, seeing the playful look in her eyes, the somewhat hopeful smile, even as she brushed against her partner lightly.

"Perhaps... Y'know Blake... I've been thinking..." There was a hum in Blake's throat, as her lips found the underside of Yang's throat, pressing a kiss against her flesh, a low groan coming from her throat as she realized the feelings inside of her, a soft twitch inside her telling her that it was okay.

"About bad stuff?" Yang wasn't going to nod, yet she did. Blake nodded, understanding it somehow. "Want to tell me about it?"

It was a watery smile on her lips, even as she looked at her partner and girlfriend and sighed. "How about we take a shower?" There was a good reason that the sound of the shower would block the sounds of speech out, Blake giving a look towards the shower, nodding once.

 _'She knows the importance... How to tell her...'_

She watched her partner strip, could see the marks on her skin, half-faded bruises and old scars that had turned paler through age, the dusky skin tan that she had taken something that was uniquely Blake. As she stripped, she could feel the unease inside her swell.

 _'What if...'_

She stepped under the shower, Blake joining her after a moment, her arm wrapping around Blake, even as she turned the knob and warm water splashed against her back. She was taller than Blake by a few inches, yet the cat ears looked ready to twitch when they did, her eyes looking seriously at her friend and partner and lover. "I'm not... I'm not sure about all of this."

Blake stilled, as she seemed to process those words, her eyes looking up, golden yellow meeting her own eyes, knowing that she was going to say things that would hurt the girl... But she had to, for her own peace of mind. "I'm not... I'm not against a relationship with you. You're a great girl but..."

She was afraid. She was so afraid that Blake would leave her, and Blake was afraid that she'd lose her, and that was the crux of the issue. She looked into those eyes, the muggy heat of the water making her eyes water a little. She wasn't crying, nope... big girls didn't cry. "I'm not..."

' _I'm not ready for this. I don't want to be your sole support, I can't...'_ She was doing the same thing as her mother. Abandoning someone who needed her, yet it wore on her soul. _'Do you feel the same, mom? Did everything grow too stressful and you had to take a break and dad was nice enough to keep the truth from us?'_

"I... I know." Blake's voice was soft, even as her lips pressed against her cheek. "I don't... I know that I'm bad, but..." There was a desperation in the girl's voice, a need. She resisted the urge to kiss Blake to silence her tongue, knowing that it would be enough for her to remain as she was, that she would...

"I don't want to lose my friend. Even if we can't be girlfriends and lovers, I don't..." There was a soft tone in her voice, even as she pressed against her. Yang felt guilty. She didn't want to feel like this but...

"I don't want you to go." Yang said, her voice sounding pitiful, Blake looking up at her, golden eyes looking pitifully, as the lips parted.

"Yang..." Yang felt how her partner's head pushed against her bosom, the sound of a soft sigh coming from Blake enough to give her some worry. "I don't want you to feel like that, I've... I've been through a bad patch, yes..." There was something in that voice, something fake.

' _THIS IS NOT HOW YOU ARE!'_

Her thoughts were screaming at her, as she pulled Blake's head up, looking down into her eyes. "You're my partner, and no matter what, I'll be here to back you up." Blake's lips pressed against her neck again, a tender kiss, even as Yang's arm wrapped a little tighter around the Faunus' shoulders.

"But... Let's have a break for now, alright? I'm just... tired." The ears moved, even though the face showed nothing of it. It was rejection, it was calmness and sincerity on her end, even as she looked into her partner's eyes.

They had been bound together by their eyes, and she looked deep into Blake's own eyes, a lost girl staring back at her, the memory of the Beowolf still in her mind, of a night that had been spent under the pillows and covers with Ruby, hearing the soft humming of a lullaby.

"I'm... I'm just no good, am I?" The Faunus' words brought a fire alight in her eyes, as she pressed Blake against the wall.

"Don't you dare say that again. You're better than most partners, you... You've got some problems, yeah, and I am not going away, I just need... I need space. Figure things out." Her eyes leaked tears mixing with the spray of the water, Blake sliding down a little, eyes wide.

"I'm not... Yang, I'm not..." The soft voice was enough to bring her to reason, wrapping her arms around the Faunus, Yang's gaze drawn down to look at her partner's delicate features.

"You're not going to be the partner who abandons me, sweetheart." The words slipped out and she looked at the Faunus, a low moan coming from her lips as Blake brushed her tongue over her nipple. "It's just... I feel kind of pressured." She knew that she had to say it, yet she knew that Blake would try to run.

"I... I see." Blake's voice sounded defeated, Yang's hands wrapping a little tighter around her partner, knowing that Blake would make an effort. _'You're not going to be given up on.'_

She was not going to give up on her partner, Blake was simply too important for her. "Adam was... he was passionate and yet knew how to hold me when I needed it." The words were soft, as her voice was barely perceivable over the clatter of the water.

"I care for him still, just a little. The man that he was, the way that he moved the hearts of the people, for the common cause of taking our liberty from the humans that oppressed us..." Blake's voice was delicate in its expression, Yang could notice that. The rhetoric of taking the liberty from humans was... tough. _'Does she know what she's saying?'_

The blood inside her body shuddered at the thought of Blake turning into some kind of homicidal Faunus mass murderer. _'The girl needs me... But I'm not able to take it anymore.'_

"We wanted peace, to be left alone... To not be bullied." There was a tone in Blake's voice that spoke, even as she looked up at Yang, her golden eyes blazing with an intensity that Yang hadn't seen before. "To be... free. Not cooped up in some place where there was little future for our kind."

She sounded more muddled in her words, as her hands stroked over Yang's own ribs, tracing over the outlines of the ribs and the muscles around them. "Then... Then I met you. The smile on your lips, the cheerful way that you hold yourself. I told myself 'this could be a partner I appreciate' at that moment and... I'm not... I'm not good enough."

Yang felt Blake pull herself out of her grip, leaning against the wall, the hair plastered against the skin, her body arching once, as a low groan came from her mouth. "I'm... I'm thinking clearly for the first time in a while... I don't want to hurt you, Yang."

"You're a good girl." The words were hollow to Yang now, as she came closer, Blake's face showing pain.

"I'm... I'm ashamed." Blake said suddenly, her eyes looking up a little. "I'm... Yang... I'm sorry. I'm... sorry?" There was something that she was trying to say, yet the words could not come from her lips it seemed.

"Sorry for what?" She asked, Blake giving a sound deep in her throat, something like a half-purr, even as she sat down and wrapped her hands around her knees, her body rocking slightly. "Blake... Blake?"

She called out to her partner, the cat ears twitching as she did, her eyes rising up, a tender voice of - "Please hold me." – coming from her lips, those eyes looking up at her with doubt and fear and hope mingling within them, as there was enough of that sensation to go through her.

"Even if we're not dating anymore, we can still be friends, Blake." There was enough friendship to work the world. Summer had always said that there were plenty of friends to be found in the world.

"I've..." Blake started, her head cast down. "I've not been telling the full truth to you, Yang." There was a pool of dread starting to spread inside her, as she began to feel the hopelessness of her partner. "It's... It's not exactly a secret but..."

The mouth of her partner moved to her ears and the words that were whispered in her ear were enough to make her freeze up. _'Oh...'_

She was starting to cry. She kissed her friend's cheek, knowing that a kiss to the lips would be interpreted differently, even as she held her friend closer. "He... He had no right to do that. Blake, trust me... If that sicko is ever going to be around you again, I will tear off his arms and beat him with them. He had NO right to do something like that to you... No, that's not how ANYONE should be treated."

' _She thought it was normal...'_ On the inside she was raging, knowing that Ruby and Weiss would undoubtedly not be able to handle such a topic... And Blake had not even stopped to speak, speaking of things that made her feel sick...

Ice seemed to form on the inside. "Blake..." The words kept on coming, a deluge of information that she had little affection for, the words enough, as she could imagine it, a feeling of disgust welling up inside her. "Blake!"

"I... I just want you to know." The voice of her partner whispered, even as she pressed her lips against her cheek. "Mom and Dad..." Yang got an image of the two in her mind, a picture that Blake had shown her a while ago. The man looked like a father, whilst the mother looked like a mother should. Dependable. Totally going to flip their shit if they heard what Blake had just told her.

"They wouldn't understand. Mom might, but dad..." There was a soft shudder that went through her partner's body. "He wouldn't be in the best of moods." Yang could understand that.

' _Gosh, you really ARE the most troublesome member of the team... I just busted up a club, but you...' "_ No matter what happens, kitty-cat... I'm your partner and I care for you still, even if we're not dating anymore. That's the Yang guarantee!" She hoped that the confidence that she portrayed was enough to lift her spirits, even as she felt Blake wrap her arms around her.

"Oi! Get out of the shower you two! Some people would like to shower as well!" Weiss' voice sounded from the outside, clearly showing how the Schnee former heiress had little patience for the wait.

"We'll get out in a moment after Blake's finished polishing my tits, Weiss!" Yang said, the crude language enough to make a scandalized squeal come from outside.

"Yang Xiao-Long! Being more well-endowed in the mammary department does NOT allow you to make such crude jokes!" There was a faint hint of annoyance in the pale-haired girl's tone, Yang getting up slowly.

"We should get out." Blake smiled softly, nodding once. It was something that seemed to have no more words needed to communicate, as she pulled open the door, the hot air brushing against an irate-looking Weiss, whose face showed irritation.

"Come here for a big hug, Weiss!" She hugged the pale-haired heiress, whose blue eyes went wide as those arms wrapped around her.

"Let me go! Yang!" Her hands tried to push her away, yet Yang knew how to deal with little sisters better than most, so Weiss found herself within the warm embrace of a moist Yang, whose prominent features were currently sandwiching the heiress' face.

"Aww, aren't you adorable? Look at her, Blake! Weiss is being adorable!" There was a soft murmur from Blake, even as Weiss tried to struggle a little, trying to get freed from the cleavage that she was being pressed into.

"Let me go! Hey!" Blake grinned, rubbing over Weiss' side.

"She looks good enough to eat." The Faunus said with a soft voice, Weiss freezing up. Yang let her loose, Weiss taking a few steps back, her cheeks as red as tomatoes.

"K-keep yourself away from me!" The high-pitched tone that she took was definitely something that had to at least be teased about.

"Oh? Afraid that we're going to drag you into bed and have our wicked, wicked way with you?" She was only teasing. Things like that should never be forced, even if some people were a little bratty.

Weiss darkened in her blush as her gaze looked elsewhere, shaking her head a few times, though no response came from her. "Oh... Thinking about my little sis now, Weiss?"

The heiress turned to her and there was a definite frostiness in those eyes. "You will cease such insinuations, Yang." The grin on her face was enough to indicate her own lack of seriousness in the words, even with Yang giving the pale-haired heiress a pat on the head.

"Of course I won't. I've got to tease a girl like you or else you'll never start acting like the relaxed teammate you will eventually become." She was still a little unnerved on the inside, yet she slipped into the older sister role without even a fault, knowing that Weiss would need a bit of help... and big sis Yang was just going to be helping.

"Let's get dried off, Blake." She said to her partner, who didn't seem to be too willing to engage much, even as fresh underwear was put on and their hair straightened out. _'Nobody likes split ends.'_

She would protect Blake, as she would be protecting Weiss and Ruby...

She was a good big sister.

" _And when you do, the princess bright, come to guard your sister through the night, my sweet child, my darling baby dear... I'm here so that you can play without any fear."_ The melodious voice, carrying with it the love of a mother and the care of a sister, remembered faintly from the days of her youth.

" _A prince to hold, a princess to guard, a slayer's task to be forewarned, a little soul who needs some help, a gentle love that is bringing help... My sweet little sunshine, a girl so fine, to bring to wed a prince of mine."_ It was a silly lullaby, yet one that she had heard before. The woman who sang it had been a light in her youth, but...

Yang would be the first to admit that aside from the pictures, she really couldn't remember much about Summer save that she was supermom, always ready to bring a plate of cookies and some refreshments, her lullabies always having been just that...

Ruby remembered Summer even less, only a fragment of memory undoubtedly, though Yang had never asked Ruby outright. _"And when the time is right, don your cloak, wield your weapons and enter the night, because the task is never done and the stakes are always tight... We are the guardians, we do care, even if the others don't do their share."_ The words of that song sprang out to her, even as she faintly recalled a set of beautiful eyes looking down at her, the bright red cloak that the woman wore as she tucked her in tight, lips set in that beautiful smile that showed the warmth and affection that she felt.

" _Sleep well, little sunny dragon... I'm going to check with your uncle about something... I'll be right beside you in a flash."_ The gentle voice as she curled up in her bed, the toy in a death grip as she tried to get even more comfortable, the door creaking half-way open to show her uncle, looking as young as he did.

" _Are you alright... I mean... With Ruby and Yang."_ He sounded concerned, the red cloak moving slightly as the woman shook her head.

" _It's no problem at all. I can understand why Raven left... There are rules, Qrow. I can't tell you about them, it would violate the oaths that I have sworn and..."_ The faint memory was enough to bring a smile to her lips. Her uncle was a rogue of a man, capable and yet with that hint of tenderness at times when he wasn't dead drunk.

" _Yeah, Raven wouldn't tell me about that secret club... I mean... Are you... alright?"_ She hadn't known why the man had asked that question, taking a deep sigh as he usually did after he had asked something that weighed on his mind. _"It must be hard, what with missions and the like."_

" _They're manageable. It's just another mission... I've got to come home for my baby, after all_." There was a smile on that face, a truly genuine smile, even as her uncle scoffed.

" _If it was up to me, we'd all live here together. I'm sure that we can talk things out between Raven and Tai, at least for... purposes."_ She never had quite seen Qrow look as despondent as he did, her eyes looking right at the woman with a look that was more genuine than most times, knowing that he was speaking the truth. _"And... Well, I like the way that you sing."_

The smile on her lips wasn't hidden from her, even as the warm laughter came from the red-cloaked woman's lips. _"You should try that line on Glynda sometimes... Perhaps she'll bite."_

The look on her uncle's face had been dark, even as he turned away, the red cloaked woman shaking her head before walking over to Ruby's crib, looking at the child as it laid there. _"Have you fed Ruby yet?"_

The soft shake of her head was enough, even as she turned to her. _"I spot a little dragon trying to peek!"_

She snapped out of the half-memory, reminded of one of the best moments of her youth, reminded of a time when she had still been somewhat able to dilly-dally on the path towards becoming kick-ass.

' _Yeah... If only we could be as innocent as we were when we were kids...'_

* * *

 _The lament of age (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She knew that she was more or less an intrigue within the world, feeling like the world had maligned her and her friends and lover... Yet she was not going to be shy about it. As she moved, she could feel the rush go through her body, knowing that behind them laid the works of the Grand Witch and ahead laid the works of the Grand Wizard, both forces trying to ensure their own dominance.

"This place... I don't like it." She mumbled, the collapsed storefronts looking abandoned for years, Jaune moving with a slow and measured gait, readily trying to stay with them all, her fingers feeling a numbness go through them as she gripped her rifle even tighter. They had little to fear of the Grimm, walking amongst the decaying remains of the world that had been left to history.

"It's Mountain Glenn... What do you expect?" Kali said, the Faunus looking around with a hint of nervousness. "I mean... I don't think that it's the best place to go, but you can... You can feel the energy in the air, can't you?"

The heavy aura of rot and decay and depression, fear and anguish and the horrible fate that had hung over the place was like a cover that guarded her during the night, the feeling of her whole body shuddering briefly as she entered the proper of the city, the buildings only the guide that they had, imposed against an old map of Mountain Glenn.

"You wish to make them on your own, right?" Jaune said suddenly, a start going through Whitney's body as he pointed towards a cluster of trees, overgrowing from their spot where they'd been planted. A Beowolf Grimm brushed against the tree, ignoring their presence as if it was completely oblivious to them, though they were in sight.

"Something like that, yes..." Whitney watched carefully, as Jaune got behind Sienna, moving her hand so that she stretched it out.

"Breathe in, hold the breath and then breathe out, holding the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside you in your palm and then forcing your will to create... It's like trying to put your fantasy into reality." The instruction sounded simple, yet it seemed not to be either, the feeling of the wrongness in the air changing suddenly, as Sienna moved.

Sienna Khan raised her fingers, a low groan coming from her throat, even as the throat continued to make that sound, her features twisting, a wave of unperceivable power slipping from the Faunus woman, even as her features grew more feral, her face turning wicked and darkened by that gift that he had given her.

It would all be as he wanted them to be... and Whitney trusted him to do the best he could for all of them.

* * *

 _Indomitable Pride (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

She had not liked the looks that the men had given her and Kali as they checked out at the border, a faux mission into Mountain Glenn taken in order to give the appearance that they wanted to do something there.

Looks that thought of her as nothing but a pretty Faunus with a set of tattoos, something below them that they could joke around, that they could look at without recrimination, as she was just a lower-class humanoid... Not even fit to lick their boots.

She could feel Jaune's presence, felt how he had wrapped her in a cover of concern and care as they travelled into the designated zone that was called Mountain Glenn, had seen the look on his face when they saw the first body that had been left to rot and decay, the grossed out look on his face enough to make her feel a twinge of pity for him.

' _Sometimes, humans are worse to each other than to us...'_ It was harder for her now to think of herself as belonging to the Faunus, rather than the little crew that Jaune was gathering. She saw the tugging of Kali's heartstrings, the need that the woman had brought to the table, yet it was her own selfish desire that she learn how to properly form the darkness inside her into something that she could use...

A fighter never entered a fight without some sort of edge... and backup was needed during most of the fights that they engaged.

"And then..." His voice was like a hypnotic lure, as his hands rested on her body, guiding her through the motions, the darkness inside her shrinking a little as a Beowolf appeared from the ground, shaped with the will that he had put out through her body. Her body felt lighter now, as she felt the coarseness of her flesh and the lack of subtle reinforcement...

"You've got a Beowolf." The process was easy, at least according to his own words. She wasn't someone who easily asked people for their help, her pride not allowing her to, yet there was that indelible manner about him that just inspired trust amongst them, affection notwithstanding.

"Now... Try shaping it to the blueprint in your mind. It's okay if you fail." The darkness inside her boiled and bubbled, the colours in the world fading out. For a moment, she stood there with his hand on her body, guiding the flows through her blood and the ichors of dark intent through her very core... and then an image dawned.

Stark white bone mask, sinewy muscles covering a skeletal frame that was meshed with the darkness and nothing else, the claws that tipped each of the feline shape designed to tear into flesh, the long tail barbed with spines, venom within the shadowy flesh as the bones were accentuated with the dark colours of the ichors, red eyes peering out at her as the mouth opened and massive teeth were unveiled, designed to tear through armour with a singular bite.

Power radiated from the sleek form, the design automatically adjusting itself in her mind's representation to represent her own dominion. _'A pack...'_

The agility that they would have was another deciding factor, even as she tried to muster the will to form one, the feeling of the darkness pushing through her veins like a sludgy dose of medication enough to make her quiver, even as she tried to form it.

Something misshapen and entirely too frail to work sat there, looking at her with a questioning look before with a wave of her hand, it was absorbed once more. _'If at first you don't succeed...'_

The image was firm now, even as she made another attempt, a spinal defect and entirely oversized paws and legs leaving a weirdly shaped pretzel upon the ground, another attempt at life fading away from her, as she tried again.

She could feel him feed the darkness inside her, replenishing the attempts that she had made with his own. A feeling of gratitude came unbidden to her, as she looked at the newest creation that she had made, definitely undersized, yet able to move slowly. It was the seventieth attempt, the muscles around the bones of the Grimm finally solidifying in the proper amounts to support a skeleton of that size.

"That's it... Now work your way up."

He encouraged her, and she tried. The creature that she formed was now half the size of the intended creature that she had in mind, the claws curved in almost dagger-like shapes in order to tear through the armour and get purchase on trees and walls.

"A little more mass on the body... If the torso isn't constructed well, it won't be able to work. Don't ask me why though, I just know how to make them." The words were comforting, even as she changed the blueprint a little more, the next moment finding that one of the creatures grew from the ground, the muscles detailed perfectly, her hand reaching out and touching the bone-white mask-plate, feeling the curvature of her own creation.

" **A predator."** There was no need for naming it yet, as she was still working out the kinks in their shape, their bodies starting to twist a little as she fed more power into it. **"Able to fight as well as any Faunus, to stalk as any stalker..."**

Jaune's fingers brushed over her back, infusing her with greater strength. _'I can make these, if I have... If I have enough confidence.'_ The muscles on their bones twitched and quivered, working in their own little way to pulsate over the bones and add more life to the creatures.

"That's it... Just let it flow out... Just like how I do it." The words were comforting, she knew, as she forced through the channels more of that dark ichor, burning through her soul like a fire that got lit by Dust, igniting and burning.

Dark veins criss-crossed her hand as the putrid filthiness of the darkness washed out of her, a burning sizzling rage welling up inside her at the pain, as her whole body twisted and twitched like a maddened pike of hate and spite, her body twisting forwards and then moving, as a step carried her further, the predator looking up at her and she looked down at it. _'Nothing but a step of power...'_

Her fingers touched the bone-white mask of its face, the bony growth stimulating, as she manipulated the flesh. She could feel Jaune's hand disappear from her back, leaving her with her own strength. The creature of Grimm crooned softly in a purr-hiss, its eyes looking up at her, pools of redness looking up at her, then away, at something behind her.

Sienna turned around, catching sight of Jaune as he stood there, his face marred by the veins of darkness that worked to accentuate that dark appeal, a corona of darkness wreathing his features as his hair had grown as pale as the ashes of a bonfire post-celebration, the look in those dark pools of vision enough to send a shudder through her lower body, making her realize that there was power within him, power to which she was subordinated to, yet there was that lure inside her that made sure that it was nothing but the feeling that should be.

"How does it feel?" He asked, his voice light and without any sort of warbling twist in it, her mind fogging for a moment as he moved, steps as unhurried as death's embrace, his fingers pressing against her chin, raising it up. She felt her breath escape her lips, her eyes looking into his own for the longest of whiles as she felt the burn inside her.

" **Good... It feels so good..."** Her voice was breathless for a moment, looking at him, at what he represented. Power, the desire to work magic into the world, catalyzing the fear that he inspired... and her own wrath that worked into the system that he had founded, the three of them worked already into a measure of control.

She knew that out of the four women that travelled with him, there was only one who had not proven her loyalty to him, the dedication that was needed in order to bring him to full bloom after this blossoming period something that not many could muster.

" **I feel... strong."** The creature that she had created purred softly under her touch, fingers sliding over bone ridges, a low groan coming from her lips as a sudden dizzy spell wrapped around her, nearly unbalancing her in the eyes of the people, her own gaze drawn to the way that the creature observed her, her gaze long-since resting upon her creation.

"The power is within you all. You have all been blessed with the power..." He looked at his Scroll, clearly waiting for the last two members of their team to come with them. A portal appeared within the air beside him, Summer stepping through, dressed in the white cloak that she had obtained at her own home.

Sienna figured that there must be a significance to it if there were nineteen cloaks that had been left in the house of her ex-husband, yet she knew not much about the organisations of Remnant that adhered to tradition, the clothing-style of Vale mostly passing her by.

" **We will use it wisely."** She would. The darkness within her was like a vile cup of coffee, searing through her veins with no distinction as to whether she would ever get off that high feeling of being in control, being powerful.

"I know you guys will... You're the best." Summer bounced a little as she passed her by, Sienna's sharp nose detecting several scents that had clung to the woman's body, clearly showing that the woman had been busy with the polishing of her swords, if the heavy smell of oil didn't prove her wrong.

"Soooo... What're we doing here?" The question was something that had been asked before, yet Jaune showed little sign of answering it in Sienna's recollection. Whitney Schnee drew up at his side, whispering something in his ear, her sharp hearing overhearing the words perfectly. _"Are you going to tell her?"_

He only nodded once, Summer given a look. "Exploring a dangerous place!" He mustered some excitement, Summer's excitement being increased as well, as if she had somehow gotten more enthusiasm for the exploration parts.

"Ooh! Dangerous places are my FAVOURITE!" Sienna could see that. With how the woman acted, like a half-crazy lunatic, there was hardly not a case to be found for her complete and utter dismissal, if not for the fact that the woman had stuck with Jaune for the longest and actually held some of his respect.

She was the first to mistrust anyone, knowing just how public perception could shift at the drop of a hat, the feelings within people logical and illogical at the same time, knowing little of the grander things in the works and merely going with what was represented in the world, the little hints and allusions falling flat in the way that their theories about Faunus origination came to be, or the simple dislike of one maligned character.

She had run such smear campaigns as well, Jacques Schnee-Gele being a favourite target, with an arguable reason behind it. If the Faunus did not have to work under such hostile conditions, they may be able to obtain a sort of legitimacy. To be feared for their natural traits and advantages had been one of her creeds, working with the assumptions that she had made before, as the chains of commanding bound her once more.

She had been a visionary upon the field, knowing how to strike and where to strike with maximum efficiency. With Adam Taurus as the young charismatic leader and Tallow as the blunt force that had been needed to be brought to bear, it had been something of an eye-opener to see the world change this much... But it was not something that she would want to dwell on too much.

" **No matter what... Are we going to find whatever you're looking for now?"** Her voice was still twisted, even as Raven pulled out a Nevermore mask, Summer looking at her for a moment before producing a similar mask, the bright red marking upon its side enough to show some sort of rank.

"Of course, of course... We've got to work through the place a little more, Raven and me did a bit of teensy-weensy exploring... juuuust a bit of extra, since the place is infested with the Grimm." There was a savage tone in the woman's voice, even as the long white cape fluttered in the wind, the woman's mask barely muting her voice, as silver eyes stared at her through the eye-slits, the faint flash bringing weakness to her core, as she railed against that sensation, trying to keep even.

She could see that there was nothing that she could do right at this moment as long as the silver eyes continued to lock her gaze down, her body feeling unease and something else go through it before the eyes glanced away, relief flooding her body.

"We should be getting closer to the nexus... There's going to be a lot of Grimm coming towards us either way, so just be ready..." He wasn't sounding too certain right now, even as they continued, the predator Grimm that she had created following behind them like a faithful hound or cat would, the connection between her and the creature solid, as its gaze rested on their surroundings.

They saw Grimm, yet they were not attacked yet. The blood within her veins might have been agitated by the stranger forms of Grimm that she saw, a huge Rhinoceros-like Grimm giving her a languid look as it stomped through the remnant of a clothing store, its large horn adorned with a green shirt, giving it a special look, her own mind already imagining Grimm wearing shirts and walking and talking like humans do... But then her mind asserted itself with the knowledge that she had.

They travelled through the destroyed environs, the houses that neatly had been built in a straight line still showing the remnants of the people who used to live there. A door that had half-collapsed into the entryway, a toothbrush that laid somewhat to the side of the pavement, grass and weed choking the lawns that had been left to spoil by the absence of humans. It was a minor miracle that there weren't any sorts of creatures that had come to call the place their home, yet her mind was telling her about the tragedy of Mountain Glenn, listing off the amount of Faunus deaths, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any dangers.

"You look a little tense." Kali commented from behind her, even as her gaze went to a large Boaratusk that rummaged through one of the houses, its bulky frame enough to tear the door-opening to splinters.

"I'm not sure..." She voiced her concerns, even as Kali laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything will be alright... Whatever Jaune has in store for us, whatever power he holds... He will make sure that we are all going to be alright." The faith that Kali had in him was something that she was slowly starting to see as well, knowing that the young man had been instrumental in making sure that they would survive the ambush from the White Fang.

' _Everything will be alright...'_

Blue eyes looking into her own, blonde hair falling into that face, a soft smile on those lips and her heart skipping a beat again. For a moment, she smelled cherry shampoo, her own body as bare as the day it had been born, the tattoos standing out against her skin as she reached for the alarm clock to shut it off, hearing Kali close by.

The image was not helped in the slightest by Kali's own fascination for getting up close and personal with people, her heart beating a little quicker. _'Everything will be alright... You just have to work hard on it, to see whether you can change your destiny.'_

* * *

 _The light behind the lampshade (Azure d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The smell of fresh linen never stopped amazing her, her Semblance's little quivers enough to wake the body to rouse once more, opening her eyes to look at the cup of coffee that was being held out in front of her. "Up you go, Az."

She grumped lightly, looking at her older sister... well, mostly older sisters. She was the baby of the seven, aside from Jaune who was no more and she wouldn't want to be treated as one. She'd treated Jaune as her little dress-up doll quite frequently, something that he allowed without any mention. _'Saff always knows what I need in the morning.'_

Team SCAB, as the combination of Saffron, Cremea, Ashley and Bianca were informally called, was something of a rarity amongst Huntsmen, yet she knew well that their effectiveness in the field was heightened by their Semblances. Ashley and Bianca were good enough to control the spread of the damage and to ensure that there would be nothing but death in the future for whatever opponent came within a hundred meters, with her and Saffron usually up front with their weapons.

Terra Mors was such a wonderful weapon that it had to be said that she was very proud of it, when she was to be put into the field. Huntsmen teams often only had four members, which was enough for her to know that things were going to be... hairy for a while. She didn't have the tactical skills that Cremea had, only knowing how to work her Semblance into her fighting style.

"Sooo... How's mom?" Saffron jerked a finger to the bed situated at the end of the room, the Huntsman-level hotel room that they'd booked able to take care of each of them for an extended period of time. With them being seven now rather than eight, she could see the sense in it.

"Not feeling super hot. She cried a lot during the night."

Saffron had always been someone who wasn't great with her emotions, knowing that their older sisters were loaded with more emotions and problems than the three of them. Comparing Cremea, Saffron and Azure together was like comparing ice-cream, liquorice and jawbreakers... and each of those things wasn't great for a proper waistline.

"I don't know what to say to make it better..." She knew that death was a frequent flier on the Huntsman express trip to ensure the safety of the people. Her eyes glanced at her oldest sisters, the two of them sitting calmly, the sundress that her oldest sister wore mimicked perfectly by heather, who wore a leather jacket with FIREBUG stitched on the back.

"She wasn't this bad when Jaune died." The name was enough to evoke a flash of sympathy within her own heart, reminding herself about the loss that they had already suffered. The pain of being reminded about the only male member of the dArc-Night family's youngest generation was something that she tried not to think too much on.

"It sucks... Mom not functioning right means that we've got no leader aside from Heath." There was a moment of doubt, looking at their eldest sisters, Saffron looking at their faces. Heather was speaking in soft whispers to her older sister, who merely nodded, barely contributing to the discussion.

"Think she's going to step up without dad?"

The question was a valid one, Saffron shuddering for a moment as she tried to imagine that. Their mother was a great woman and a deft hand in dealing with either human or Grimm threats, yet the fragility of the woman was worse after the death of one of her beloved children.

"Likely. They'll spring him free if they want to... So I don't reckon that they are going to take much time."

Azure fished her Scroll out of her pocket, calling up the mission details for the mission that they were due to leave on in a few days. "These're the girls who you're going to be doing the Slip and Dip with, right?"

Azure nodded, humming softly under her breath as she looked at the profile belonging to one Rose, Ruby, noticing the physical statistics and other data that had been outlined. The age was a momentary surprise before she readjusted herself a little with her thoughts, guessing that the girl was a prodigy. _'Like most of us...'_

She wasn't really too up-to-date on the current standards, being relatively fresh out of Beacon, twenty years old now, as she felt the sudden stress on her system pick up. _'We're all so...'_ She didn't want to cast blame on her family or anything, yet there was a definite need in the family for some sort of moderating factor.

Her little brother had been one of those factors, his innocence about the world that they lived in adorable, during the times when she was forming her own weapon, the blood that had went into forging it metaphorically also borne by him, as he toyed with some of the drawings. He was a younger brother to her, knowing nothing about being a Huntsman, yet still wanting to be one, to prove that he was a man.

Azure wasn't one of those girls that easily giggled when looking at boys that came around, knowing that her little brother was someone who was only able to look for the best in a person, not judgemental of their accent or their species. _'I wonder what would happen if...'_

The name Belladonna, Blake, caught her interest. _'Wasn't there some Faunus guy called Belladonna in the news a while back?'_ She wondered, as she scrolled through the list of traits. _'Hmm, looks good on paper...'_

She snapped her fingers, getting the attention of the crowd. "Heather? Are you going to do the initiation chat with that team or do you want us to share the burden?" She asked, even as she parsed the text some more, noticing that the Faunus Trait section was filled in. _'Ah, she's a Faunus. That's handy to know beforehand.'_

"We'll do it together, if we need to. There should be another Huntsman joining us, he'll do some of it too." There was a pause, before Heather continued to speak in muted tones with her sister, her hand making a gesture in the air, returned immediately with the word for 'No.'- in the sign language that belonged to the International Huntsman Standard.

' _Guess I'll have to be breaking in the newbies... Ah well, it gives me some time to ask the default questions of 'Why have you become a Huntsman' to them.'_ There was a small tag that came to the document that'd been sent to her, a symbol of a white wolf or something, visible there. _'Old-style White Fang...'_

She shot a glance at Heather for a moment, knowing just how explosive Heather reacted to some of the things around the Faunus. _'Yeah... She had two teammates who were Faunus, right?'_ There hadn't been much talk about the business side of things when they were at home.

"Need some help, Quakey?" The voice of Saffron came from close by, even as her sister got onto the bed with her. The static cling to her sister's body continued, even with their proximity negating it slightly. "I'm pretty good, but if you want to check it out... I'm sure that Bianca and Ash could probably find something in the file system... The profile of Blake is awfully generic."

"Let me read it..." The Scroll was plucked from her hands, Saffron adjusting her seating a little, sliding through the text. "Ah, we're not getting the whole feed, just the public summary... Ash would be able to push right into the systems and get us the up to date feed... Wasn't this the girl that was with the girl that was Jaune's friend?"

"Yeah, I think so..." Azure didn't LIKE what the pills did to her family, but there was hardly a better solution. _'Dad requires them to function and we require them to keep positive...'_ She didn't have much trouble with staying positive, yet she had seen Heather on one of her rages, when the emotions just came bursting out. It usually came with flames as well... A side-effect of her Semblance. Never around Jaune, though...

' _He was our little Jaune.'_ An image of him in a dress and pigtails falling down his face whilst Heather did her best not to bust a gut laughing, the insulted look on his face when he realized that he'd been duped having brought a smile to her lips at that time, even as she'd applied some makeup.

It had been tough for a while. Her Semblance grew less stable the more emotionally compromised she was. Her father had told her that it was the family trait, to have such feelings and a Semblance that went with it.

' _Jaune, wherever you are...'_ She was a proud big sister. She'd always watched over him when mom was out on missions and dad wasn't around to care for them, no matter what. Heather and Ashley had been stability, whilst Bianca had been the fun older sister that always had something to comment about. Of course, the boyfriends that they'd dated during that time had been hotly debated.

She liked the little thing they had. The eldest sisters, off saving the world and doing stuff for the family, the second oldest twins, being privately hired by patrons and their own Huntsman board stuff together with Saffron and Cremea... And then there was her, who had freshly graduated nearly a year ago, based upon the evidence that she could handle herself just as well...

' _Gosh, I wonder whether I could go out and...'_ She glanced at her sisters, taking the Scroll out of Saffron's hands, a chesty blonde grinning at the camera, a big motorcycle on the background. _'Yeah, I'm going out.'_

There was no need to say much, even as she grabbed one of the keycards that could be used to open the door up. "Going out for a walk, check out the shops for a bit. Bye mom." The woman gave a faint wave, before another round of crying started up.

As she emerged into the streets she took in a deep breath, taking in the fresh air over the stale air of the room that they'd been cooped up in for a few days. Heather would be going out to report to guy in charge of the Order in a few days whilst the rest of them made sure that they got what they needed in rest. With mom being as she was, the loss was still fresh on her mind.

She walked into the shopping district, just mingling with the crowd. Every touch of her feet to the ground made her feel conscious, even as she knew that with perfect control, she would not cause massive damages to the city. _'The dancing lessons that we've had with Jaune were perfect for that...'_

Of course, there was the drawback that her Semblance, if properly amplified with her Aura, could cause collapses in infrastructure. It was hard to find the proper method to get the power working, even as she pushed open the door to an ice salon, her eyes catching sight of the garish display of different ice-cream sundae's and the like that were to be sold here... or at least as close an approximation as it could be made in the card format.

"What can I get you?" The man behind the counter was tall and wore the uniform with style, the cap on his orange hair enough, a bruise on his cheek looking like it'd hurt for some reason, his eyes looking her over with a gaze that wasn't too perverted. _'Not like I like men that old... Really, is he like... ten years older than me?'_

She wasn't great with guessing ages, after all. Who cared about age if you had the power to kill Grimm and be bad-ass, huh? "Ah, I'd like to try the Neopolitan Special, please. It's been a while since I had ice-cream."

The Sundays when they went out as a family had often included ice-cream. Even if dad wasn't around, her older sisters usually had enough cash to fund a lavish ice-tower of wonderful deliciousness, even though Heather said that she'd 'burn off all that fat' with a single push of her Semblance. _'Hmm... I wonder if we can make ice-cream that way... might be a use for a Semblance...'_

She didn't mind a bit of fooling around with Semblances and stuff. If they needed a quick charge for some Scroll, they usually had Saffron bite the chord between her teeth and then charge it up like Boom! Nifty if you didn't have a solar-power-charger with you.

"One Neopolitan Special, coming up for the blonde customer!" The man's hands were deft, the gloves that he wore in order to properly wield the tool of his trade catching her interest. _'Ooh, Huntsman-style. You can see the weave in them... Someone's splurged BIG on those gloves.'_

He didn't have the bearing of a Huntsman to her eyes, even as he made her the biggest sundae that she'd seen... this month, her eyes absorbed by the mountain of frozen goodness. "That'll be nine Lien."

The ten Lien chip was on the counter as she made for the closest table, sitting down without a care, looking at the frozen treat, the whip-cream mountain that rose out of the depths topped with a cherry. _'Damn... I should go out and get some fun going.'_

She wasn't going to spend the day moping whilst the rest of the crew decided that they'd be sad about Creamy dying. _'It's sad that she died, but after all the things that happened... Don't we need to live for the moment?'_

She glanced down at her chest for a moment, realizing that she was still mostly in her Huntsman gear. _'Definitely need to buy clothes... Hmmm... I might have around five-hundred or so left on the card, I don't think that Saffy would be too upset if I bought her a new shirt or so...'_ It wasn't like she was too upset now... She preferred to think on good things.

Mostly.

The spoon dug into the sundae and then she scooped out the ice-cream, the frozen treat making a small wave of frozen air slide down, like smoke from a fire, the coolness causing the frost to gather on the sundae glass.

"Ahh, this is the life..." She threw her head back, smiling a little.

' _Now I only need a cute guy to date and Azure Arc is back in biznizzz!'_

* * *

 _Heart of Darkness (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The air around the nexus was thick with rot and decay even as they neared it. Three different pulses of dark corruption went through his Vitae Tenebris-infused arm, the feeling like a swarm of bees stinging his flesh waking him to the sensation, even with his resistance to it. _'It is close.'_

The darkness hummed, the collapsed underground tunnel that he had cleared away with the aid of some of the Grimm allowing them to proceed, the faintest of glimpses of light casting shadows on the masses of Grimm that had been left to roam in this place. Their presence was invisible to the creatures, Raven herself currently perched upon Summer's shoulder, the infusion of the Vitae Tenebris keeping Summer somewhat invisible, even as they continued onward.

Sienna passed under a half-collapsed pillar, evading a Beowolf that ambulated through the space that she had been in, her twisted features looking natural, even as the sparse lighting that came from the lamps that they had brought was enough to unveil the horrors around them.

" **It's lucky that we aren't affected by the Grimm."** Kali mumbled, even as she pushed an Apathy to the side, the creature ignoring the touch, moving aside without any sort of issue, even as the burning inside Jaune's body grew fiercer.

"It's mostly the fact that you are my Acolytes. We've all been touched by the darkness." He said, voice like a soft twang as he realized that he had changed them forever, his infusion of darkness and power enough to make them different... yet he found himself not caring so much about that anymore. _'When things are done and said, I will... I will hold myself to account. I have to.'_

There was a pause as he looked up at the ceiling, where jagged splintered metal stood out, the beam having half-way been torn through, a hole in the ceiling leading to further Grimm. Every little pulse of his mental cognition lit up with hundreds of Grimm merely in this square kilometre, the Grimm themselves packed deep in these tunnels, created by the nexus that laid there.

" **We are happy that you extended your power to us."** Kali said, even as she slid her weapon into the core of an Apathy that wouldn't move, the shrill shriek that they gave out enough to make most normal humans quiver and fall down, yet there was no result, as they ignored her presence once more, only the registration of one of their pack mates falling leaving them to shriek like that.

Apathy Grimm were a strange type of Grimm. Personally he would never use them except for when he was siegeing someplace, their emotional control enough to ensure that the defenders would be too weak to fight back against the hordes of Grimm that he would conjure up... but other than that? They weren't worth the _Vitae Tenebris_ to create.

His acolytes had a similar power to the Apathy. Whitney's aura of desire and lustful craving, Kali's aura of fear and panic, Sienna's own wrathful nature... They all had varying effects, yet to him they were like the keys to the lock on his heart.

He had changed a lot since he had first woken up in the arms of the Grand Witch, lips locked with hers and the _Vitae Tenebris_ infusing his body with the power. He knew things about the Grand Witch that nobody save for Ozymandias Pinnacle would have known, things that he did not even know or suspect as well as methods of use that had been exclusive to her modus operandi for millennia.

He had held hopes that he could be counted as one of the heroes of the age, to ensure that he would go down into the memory of the world as a brave and valiant Huntsman, a hero like his forebears had been...

Those hopes were crushed by the cruel reality of the world. As he grew more adjusted to the pressures forced upon him, he knew that there was but one simple effort that could make him the king of the world, one moderate little flash of hope that would ignite into the blaze of flames that would send him up high into the sky. _'I can only trust those who I have claimed...'_

He looked at Whitney, whose face was set in a look of grim importance, her outfit adjusted just a little to show some cleavage, the woman's expression frosty, even as the weapon she wielded was held in a position where it would be easy to let loose a shot at the Grimm that dared to attack her. Her eyes met his own and he felt the warmth of her emotions for him as she smiled at him.

His gaze went to his right, watching Kali for a moment, the shadows obscuring most of the leather catsuit that she wore with an elegance to her, her Katar and her Kris in the ready position to be wielded at the first glimpse of danger. Her own eyes lit up as she looked at him, the warm smile on her face enough, even with how the world seemed to be changing. 'I love you' she mouthed at him, a surge of warmth entering his body at the words that he recognized.

' _I'm... I'm blessed with two women that love me.'_ He saw Sienna, pushing a Beowolf aside with a growl, the creature that she had created slinking behind her like a guardian, ready to take the fight to whatever threatened her, the Faunus woman's eyes turning to face him for a moment as a challenging grin came to her face, even as her tongue licked over her lips subconsciously. It was more of a sensual thing than anything resembling a challenge, yet she had warmed to him over time.

Summer Rose looked at him with an expression that was innocent, even as the mask that she wore was fitted tightly over her features, the silver eyes holding a glimpse of something, even as they paused where they stood. _'The nexus is close...'_

"We're going to go in... And I want you all to be aware that you will die if you don't follow my instructions."

He didn't elaborate. They would see what the problem was, what the issues would be and why he would solve them. _'I'm glad that sis said that we should check this place out...'_ The pulse went through his whole body, the fake arm heating up as it felt the presence, before they moved once more, entering the large space.

It might have been one of the water reservoirs that would have supplied this section of the city with its water before, yet there was now only a sea of tar-like blackness, the Grimm that climbed from the depths adding to the milling crowd already within the tunnels. _'Like a sea... If they assault Vale, the Kingdom will fall...'_

He could imagine the terror within the citizens, ready to fall upon their own blades as the Grimm would attack. _'Fall would undoubtedly use the Grimm as well as some other methods... There weren't many human emotions that I could feel here...'_

He had felt some human emotions, knowing that there were people here, a good fifty or sixty. The confrontation with those people he had decided to avoid, knowing that fighting would not do much good for them at this moment.

It was the weighing of decisions like that that made him realize that he was getting matured in his style of thinking. _'Cost and benefit... The cost must always be lesser than the benefit...'_ He could manipulate the Grimm into assaulting the humans, which would draw attention away from anything that would be happening within these desolate surroundings...

But then She would know where he was. The Grand Witch was many things, yet stupid was not one of those. He had been coasting along with the neural network of Seers, knowing where and when to subvert the Grimm into his service or to create his own. For hordes over a hundred Grimm, he would need to craft a Seer of his own in order to fully control the Grimm to the minutiae.

Facing Her wrath wasn't something that he was willing to risk, not now... It would not be something that he would be able to survive, with the amount of time that Ozymandias Pinnacle and the Grand Witch had been alive and able to build their various factions throughout the millennia.

As the reservoir at their feet sat there, he took a long hard look at the ichors that had been collected there. _'Not enough to compare to one of the Elder Grimm... A pittance in comparison. Enough to fortify the Grimm presence here for years, though.'_ He glanced at Whitney, knowing that she would not have the amount of strength that Sienna and Kali had.

"Guard me." He said, the words simple, as he turned towards the darkness and then leapt in.

The tar-like substance wrapped around him, his arm dissolving into the darkened ichors immediately, even as the power was drawn around him, his mouth opening and darkness entering, as his body felt the power coalesce. His hand held firm to the staff, having enlarged it once more, as the power fed into him.

' _This... This is going to be hard.'_

Around Mountain Glenn, every Grimm's head turned in one singular manner towards the spot where he was at and then charged towards him. An image of the darkness around him came to his mind, from the gaze of the Seers that had hidden amongst the ceilings, focus upon him with an intense gaze, as he drew in the darkness...

' _They'll be okay...'_

Raven and Summer stood side by side, their masks in place, their weapons already busy, Whitney already in the process of having her rifle aimed at the Grimm that came charging towards them, Kali half-twisted into the shadows, even as the power rocketed through his body.

Sienna was the first to move, her body in motion, even as he felt the darkness swallow him whole, absorbing the power inside him, the marks on his body drawing in the dark ichors without any sort of handle on his intake.

Red eyes opened wide and his mouth would have uttered a scream, as his consciousness expanded once more.

' _Too_ _ **much...'**_

* * *

 _Prime time (Cinder Fall)_

* * *

She allowed herself a moment of smugness in the reflection of the elevator as the metal construction carried her upwards to the office of the councillor, readily available to have time for her... as all lower servants should do before someone as wonderful as she was.

"Miss Fall, what a pleasant surprise."

Maroon Syfres spoke with a soft tone to her voice as she looked at her with a guarded look on her face, a faint smile on Cinder's own lips enough for the woman to be at least soothed a little. _'The time is right for some concessions...'_

"Miss Syfres, what a pleasure indeed."

Her lips formed a smile that her eyes did not show, as she sat herself down in the seat in front of the desk, even as her eyes looked at the surrounding adornments to the office, the crest of Vale hung on the wall, made from elegant stonework that had been gilded with a noble metal.

"What have you come here for today?" The woman questioned, her tone guarded. The Fall maiden smirked, crossing her legs, her eyes glinting with that glint of amusement as she changed.

"I need a favour... Something a little... private." The words were as important as the meaning of the tone, she knew well, the older woman stiffening a little in the seat, pressing a small switch on the desk.

"The room is secure now." The woman said, Cinder giving a small little nod. It mattered not whether the woman was disgusted with her, as long as the plan would come together.

"The southern armoury... Thirty-first Easthorn street... Would it be possible for a few of my associates to come and retrieve some of the stock?" The Councillor's face turned paler, as the woman shifted.

' _A single step out of line and I will destroy all that you have built.'_

"Just a... little donation." The woman's eyes looked at her as she fished something out of one of her pockets, her tongue sliding over her lips. "A little... insurance, if we may call it that."

The stick contained some footage of the woman's niece, footage that would be utterly irresistible to the media should they get a hold of it. The woman inserted the stick, Cinder's smile turning smugger than before.

' _The additional little virus that I've obtained from dear old Arthur would give complete control over to me..._ ' It was a simple thing, now that the man had done the groundwork. She personally cared not for such little trifling matters if not for the Mistress' command.

"How large a donation are we talking about?" The question came, the councillor biting her lower lip. The footage contained within was the girl she was related to, currently engaged in rather erotic acts with a young man, the audio cut out as it didn't play, the woman's eyes looking with an impotent rage as they flickered up.

"Say... a hundred?" The woman's lips thinned, even as she nearly tore the stick out of the drive, holding it out to her. _'The file should've been uploaded to her system now...'_

"This is extortion..."The woman said, yet she nodded. "I'll have them ready in... a week's time." There was a tone in the woman's voice that knew that the scandal that would be kicked up about her relation to such a loose woman would likely cost her the seat on the Council of Vale.

"You have until Saturday." The troops had to be armed, of course... The wall wasn't going to be blown up... No, that would be too much effort. _'All will go according to plan... And you will take the blame, my dear...'_

She got up, looking at the Councillor for a moment and giving the woman a little wink, knowing that she was the superior in this engagement, that there was nothing that the woman could do to stop her, even as she departed for the elevator again.

"If I... If I help you, would you give me the footage?" The question was enough, Cinder knowing that the woman would not be able to muster much in the way of objection afterwards.

"Why... Do I look like a woman who breaks her word?" The Councillor remained silent, Cinder throwing the woman a look. The woman's face was set in that half-frown, as she seemed to be working out on how to properly liberate the equipment that she had promised...

Once back at Beacon, she settled into the proper stance, trying to create a Beowolf once more, the space cleared in front of her, trying to wriggle the darkness into the proper shape.

Energy flared out from her eyes as she felt the power build up, the darkness inside her quivering and shuddering, even as the form materialized on the ground. _'Yes... Soon... The Mistress will give me more power...'_

Feeling the darkness inside her coil and twist as the shape made itself into the miniature of the Beowolf that she had seen prowling the domain of her Mistress, she could feel a little hint of something deep and pleasurable wriggle around inside her.

The darkness inside her was just another shard of power, even as the flames of magic licked at her body, the power that the Maiden had contained being enough to tide her over. _'There will be no more objections when I finally have the power...'_

There was a soft giggle that she heard, suddenly aware that she was giggling, her finger held out to the small Beowolf. _'It is... glorious.'_ The creature nipped at her finger, the drawing of her own blood barely something that she noticed, even as the darkness inside her felt emptied out, like the burning of her own blood and life-force had accomplished little.

"Hello there, little one..." Her voice crooned, even as she could hear Mercury shift a little, a nervous sound that he made whenever she was exercising her powers. Emerald looked at her, her eyes full of interest. "I have created you."

Absolute power over her creations... and the power that she held was hardly something small. Anyone who was able to create a Beowolf was already gifted in the eyes of her Mistress, and these mere children held none of HER aptitude. _'Yes... It was such a surprise to see that I had the gift...'_

Her little creation dissolved slowly with her will, a deep ragged sound coming from her throat as she felt the vileness crawl into her again. _'A man who is worthy of me...'_

She held no appreciation for Watts, Tyrian or Hazel. It was not her desire to be with one of the men who came with her Mistress on her quest for retribution... No...

Her man would be someone who could be an equal. A man who was easy on the eyes, who was able to tell her plainly what he desired. One who allowed nothing but the best of the best for her to be seen...

Her eyes focused again, noticing that Mercury had suddenly managed to find himself a very comfortable-looking spot in the corner of the room, even whilst Emerald stared at her with a forlorn look. "Did you... Did you mean that, Cinder?"

' _Mean what?'_

She blinked. "Elaborate." Emerald seemed to uncurl herself a little, her dusky skin looking a little flush.

"About... About the man you'd want." There was doubt, hesitation and not a little hurt in her pawn's voice, Cinder putting a smile on her face. _'This can still be salvaged.'_

"Any woman desires a powerful man, Emerald." The use of her personal name perked the girl up, as she knew it would. The girl was so easy to manipulate... so easy to control. "Is it wrong that I have ideas of taking one for my own, when the dust has settled?"

She could already see it... Haughty eyes looking up at her as her fingers wrapped around the choker, licking the sweat off skin that had taken a beating from the sun, smelling the vile little hints of fear inside him when she applied the brand to his skin...

"Or... Do you wish to have more to do with me than merely follow me, hmmm?" She looked into the red eyes of the sane sister of the Beornir tribe, whose flushed cheeks clearly hinted at more... But it was a shame that her tastes did not really lean towards such a thing. "A moment... With little old me?"

"You're not old!" Emerald said immediately, her voice a little more passionate than she had intended. _'Slipping up, girl...'_ There was a hint there, as she seized the girl's chin, the chocolate-skinned girl giving a little startled squeak, as her face came closer, as she pulled herself closer, the dress a little tighter.

"Oh?" There was a definite tone to her voice as she shifted a little, feeling something inside her pop, the darkness inside her quivering, even as the bile rose to her throat, her face sickening, before the vomit splattered right over their fronts, the dark red blood mixing with it enough to show that she had messed up again.

"Cinder!" The worry in the girl's voice was what was needed, even as the girl did her best to make sure that she didn't choke on the vomit, the ache in her body felt, even as the burning seemed to sizzle through her whole self, the after-effects of summoning a Grimm into being no doubt something that she was unable to handle yet.

"It's the backlash, isn't it? Cinder, perhaps you should stop..." She would have given a 'Never!' if she had been in any state to do so, curling up in pain as her insides twisted and turned, her whole body curling up in an agony-drenched ball of pain.

She felt the darkness slowly simmer down, the pain lessening, noticing that her head was now in Emerald's lap and that the young girl was combing her hand through her hair, making soft hushing noises in an effort to comfort her. She gave a little smile, one of those 'special' ones that made the people look at you like you were just a weak woman who couldn't do anything, the girl lapping it up like it was milk and she was a kitten.

"Thank you." She said, trying to affect a voice of weakness, Emerald beaming down at her, seemingly forgetting the outburst earlier.

"It's okay... I'm here to care for you, I'll always be here for you." The silly girl didn't know that the moment when her usefulness expired, she would be thrown away. Cinder Fall cared for naught more than the power that she wielded...

' _I'm the first one able to make Grimm appear... The Mistress will be so proud of me.'_ There would be more power coming to her then, in due time.

' _Yes... They won't know what they're up against, provided Tallow comes through with her deal.'_ The plans to destroy Vale were still going on...

' _These simpletons don't even know the true value of war...'_

She would educate them in that.

Personally.

* * *

 **Another chapter... and Jaune's jumped right into danger! As you might've noticed... There's a bit of a time difference between some of the perspectives, as it was with Heather Arc's in the earlier chapter... That is intentional.**

 **More information on the Order of Slayers too... Oh, and you may be interested in knowing that I'll probably have time to do one more update before I'll be hospitalized for how-long-I-do-not-know... so yeah, watch out for the next chapter on the 31** **st** **!**

 **Within... Yeah, lingerie shopping with team RWBY and Grandpa Nick, the prelude towards the mission with another Azure perspective and some other bits and bobs. More stuff about Remnantian politics as well!**

 **Until next time, faithful readers and occasional reviewers!**


	42. The Homage

**Chapter 42: The homage**

 **Some people are going to be really interested in Mountain Glenn... I wonder why? This is the meaning of life, guys and girls...**

* * *

 _Staring into the abyss (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

His whole body felt pain. Pain searing through his soul, pain searing through his nerves and pain surging through the thoughts, as he strained in the _Vitae Tenebris_ , the Nexus feeling alive under his touch. He had brought his consciousness into the ichors and had pulsed it outwards.

 _'This…'_

There was no doubt about it in his mind as he worked, his eyes glowing with the red crimson, even as his mind was sent far and wide. _'Come on…'_ The channels through his body were open wide, even as the Seers that gathered above the Nexus started to pop, their fluids mixing with the pool once more, even as he sent his mind out.

Her presence was felt. She was not connected to the network right now, yet She would know. The danger was simply too big to allow her the use of this singular Nexus so close to Vale.

 _'The power… Why…'_

He could feel Her stagger, could feel the surprise in her body as she knew what he was doing, yet he cared not for it. A singular Seer remained there, floating above the pool, giving him vision of the women who fought for his safety, who fought in order to keep him protected. Raven and Summer's teamwork was impeccable, as Raven blocked the Grimm with wide sweeps of her blade, Summer dancing almost as she whirled around, a veritable whirlwind of blades, her body twisting and stuttering, even as Kali's body whizzed past her, a shadowy trail left behind as she impacted with a Beowolf.

 _'_ _They… they do good.'_

The colour had leeched out of his body now as he could _feel_ how She was making her way towards her own font of _Vitae Tenebris_ , could feel how her body drew closer, the network that was spread around the world allowing for the communication to come to a point without any serious lag. He drew in more of the power, body sizzling with the nerve endings burning out, the dark goop invading his flesh even more so, the phantom sensation of his missing arm enough to make him wonder whether this was all just a dream or not, even as he detected Her.

The path through the network towards him was enough, even as he smelled Her fury at the actions that he had done, spitting in her face as he had... the _Vitae Tenebris_ draining, the singular Seer that he had remain intact enough, as the burning sensation worked through his body.

He slammed into the mental power that she wielded, empowered by the overflow of the _Vitae Tenebris_ , the attack heavy enough to unbalance her for a moment. He caught a glimpse of wide eyes, even as the physical surface of the _Vitae Tenebris_ quivered, the power burning through the Seer. In a singular burst, every Seer in seven miles exploded, the neural network collapsing for a moment, as the overflow drained some of the excess power from his body, allowing him to feel the moment of absorption increase. He felt the _Vitae Tenebris_ drain ever quicker into his system, the reservoir inside him filling and bursting, reshaping and reforming after a moment and continuing to surge with that power.

She was recovering from the burst that he had sent through the connection, her location mostly fixed in the way that she had set the network up, the signals having to travel through the connections in the network, leaving him with precious time for the counter-strike.

" **OZYMANDIAS!"** The call from her was enough, even as he met Her approach, feeling the presence of Her will warp towards this section of the world, even as the immersion continued.

A connection was forged for a moment that seemed to stretch on towards infinity before he slammed into her once more. Their bodies were separate, yet their wills fought for dominance. Red eyes met red eyes even as they wrangled, metaphysical representations of tendrils fighting against tendrils, the burden heavier on his system, as She fought with the strength of thousands of years of practice.

She broke away first, more of the neural network through the Seers collapsing as they buckled and broke under the strain. The Grimm were breaking away from the control that She had over them, as he felt their minds search for some guiding will, their destructive urges already working to fill their animalistic minds.

 _ **"Come to me..."**_

She slammed against him again, this time through another neural node, pushing against him. About a quarter of the _Vitae Tenebris_ had been absorbed now, and he caught a brief glimpse of Whitney's rifle flashing, a Dust round shattering the Ursa that charged at them, Summer's body whirling to finish the creature off, even as Whitney took aim once more.

The shadows warped around the tunnels as Kali flickered into existence, her Dust-Kris blazing as she brought it down, a spike of ice impaling a Beowolf, her body whirling into motion as she pierced through the side of an Ursa Major, her body turning to shadows once more, even as Sienna bashed herself through the crowd of Grimm, her Dust Whip flashing, a trail of fire following, even as her Grimm predator ripped and tore into the assaulting Grimm.

The chain whipped around one of the Apathy, tearing through its flesh and then wrapping around the next, the whistle of the chain slicing through the air enough, even as Sienna's pull tugged one of the creatures towards her, her leg coming up in an agile move to crush straight through the creature's midsection, the fog-like smoke that was kicked up from their dispersal already starting to fill the tunnels, dark shapes bursting forth from the darkness.

Control was harder to get, even as he began to feel the burning strain of wrestling with her. More of the _Vitae Tenebris_ burned through his body as he fought against her, her words an angry raving rant, screeching about things that did not matter to him, her conviction that he was her Nemesis enough to obscure the fact that he wasn't.

His attire was similar. His face was similar... the hair was bleached with the dark ichors leeching the colour from it, his eyes red and black, like her own... A twisted reflection, yet he knew that when it came to fighting Her, the Grand Wizard still had aces up his sleeves.

She raged futilely against him, even as he pushed onwards, draining more of the dark ichors. She was going in blind, throwing her full mental weight against him in an effort to do so, yet the distance, nearly a continent away, was enough to lessen the strain on his mind severely. Even she could not work through the mediums that she had set up herself, the Seer Network never overburdened, lest she lose control over the Grimm.

Where Her attention went, the Grimm obeyed, her will guiding the hordes. He had been able to tap into the network during his sleep, able to witness the atrocities that she committed without even blinking, yet now... as he wrestled with her and absorbed the _Vitae Tenebris_ he could feel the stress build up.

Denial of her influence was the core reason why he did this daring act. A pool of _Vitae Tenebris_ that was left to bring in more forces, spawn more Grimm... It was a massive advantage for Her to keep it functional and able to reinforce the perimeters around Vale and its environs.

She had mistaken him for Ozymandias Pinnacle, based on the glimpses of his appearance and attire. It was not normal for most humans to resemble the progenitor of this ancient conflict, yet... Her frothing rant about the unfairness of it all was enough to grant him a moment, even as his mental representation grappled with her own.

Summer Rose's blades digging in deep, the mask kept steady, even whilst Raven brought her own weapon to bear, cutting right through the tough hide of the Boarbatusk, the decaying Grimm bodies around them making them be shrouded in the darkness, the air thick with the choking smell of Grimm decomposition, the whole stretch of tunnel littered with the bodies of the Grimm, the rhythmic 'thunk' 'schnikk' 'schwasch' of the blades and bullets and Dust-explosions forming a perfect symphony.

He pressed against her, her tendrils flinching away, his representation slamming against her own, boundless power flowing through him for an instant, the whole network lighting up as he felt the feedback rush through him. For a moment, he could see through the eyes of every Grimm in Mountain Glenn, before the last Seer exploded into giblets, the dark ichors around him draining into his flesh, even as their own consciousnesses parted. **"This is not the end of it, Ozymandias! Bring your guardians... I will see them all torn down!"**

The connection fizzled out, the recollection of her face, twisted in anger and frustration, showing clearly that she would not give up, would not flinch away from things... But he had stopped her. _'No matter what...'_

He could feel the power bristle inside him, letting him feel the warm surge as his arm reformed, the last dregs wrapping around his legs, slowly being absorbed into his skin. He laid into the empty space, the skulls and bones of the hundreds of people who had perished laid below him, like the charnel pits of the old kingdom, the smell of death no longer there... but their essence had remained, like a dark fog that had clung to the scene. "Are you alright?"

Whitney called out to him, even as he got up, a skull supporting his rise as he looked up at her worried face, the dregs feeling like they infused him. _'Do I infuse her with the power...'_ He knew that if he did so, it would undoubtedly change and warp her more. The grand scheme of the world was unravelling already, so making her into a fully fledged Acolyte would not harm the cause that he fought for...

" **Yes."** His voice warped, the tone soft as he spoke, his eyes catching a queer look in her eyes, her breath escaping her lips and her head nodding once. **"I got more powerful."**

The Grimm could hear his thoughts with the absence of the Seer network to guide them. His hands raised and he crafted the new foci, the cephalopodan tentacles wrapping around the nexus and then, another uplink crafted.

Her will tried to search, tried to find and yet... the nexus connection was already established. _'Like a single Dust converter... One light to guide them.'_

The Grimm felt like a massive crowd of people gathered, the connection tough at first, before the reestablishment of the connection brought them peace. A Beringel at the far end of the tunnel froze as he established dominance, the blood inside his body freezing up, even as he took a deep breath. _'Now... It won't do to have such a mess...'_

It was a thought that made him freeze up, realizing that he was starting to think like They did. Control, order, rigidness of structure... All things that both the Grand Wizard as well as the Grand Witch held dear and close to their chest. He created a Beringel, a snap of the fingers, the Relic-topped staff glowing for an instant as it crafted the Grimm to his specifications, the hulking frame large enough to allow him an easier time up, holding on to its back and then feeling it move.

"Did you do what you had to?" He could feel the creation of more Seer as pulses through the neural network, an effort on her part to re-establish control, his own Seer pushed away from the zone, in order to bring forth the power once more. _'We'll be caught if we linger here for too long...'_

The network was re-establishing itself once more, Her will forcing it to re-establish once more, as the Seer drifted ever closer **. "Let's head out."** He looked at Kali, felt the subordination of all the nearby Grimm and he grimaced. **"Get us to the side-street with the collapsed store-front... We ought to be able to hide in the rubble for a bit until their attention fades."**

Without the proper identifying marks and the network out of comission for a short while, She would never be able to get a bead on who they were and what they were doing. The feud between Ozymandias Pinnacle and Her had gone on for such a long while that the variants in the game had been something expected. A new wielder of their own powers was unwelcome, yet not wholly unexpected...

He would capitalize on that. With her focus around the Vale area at this moment, it would be harder to do something like this but he knew that with the proper preparation and forewarning, they would be able to triumph over whatever she would come up with to torment them.

She was calculating and refined, wrapped in an endless hatred for the Grand Wizard and an immortal drive to ensure that her vision came to be... But she was still a mortal-born woman, who required sleep and rest at least once a day. It was the natural state of things, a natural state that he tapped in as well during the moments of rest.

Whitney offered him a hand as he stepped down from the Beringel's back, the creature of Grimm sliding into the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside his arm once more as he patted its back, its form now decomposed into pure darkness once more.

"Alright..."

Kali's hand grabbed his own and he felt himself disappear, shadows wrapping around him and teleporting him away, the feeling of something being terribly wrong hitting him in the gut, his body jerking a little at the sudden sensation that wrapped around him, his whole body shuddering as the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him seemed to coil and twist. He looked at his reflection in one of the dirty windows, spotting the pale hair and the bloodshot eyes, red in their colouration, the marks on his face of the dark enriched veins so similar to her own, like a twisted mockery.

' _Even Ozymandias would grow corrupted if he tried... Yet his way of living does not allow the vessel any independence. That is the fatal flaw of his method of surviving through the ages.'_ There was a soft hiss of air coming from the air around him as Whitney appeared once more, her weapon right and ready for her to wield, her eyes looking at him with a question, even as her hand grabbed his own and squeezed.

Her mouth moved into a familiar pattern. **"I love you."** He responded back to her mouthed words, even as Sienna and Kali appeared from the shadows, a moment later having Summer appear as well, Kali's body shimmering for the last time before it bled into the shadows.

Sienna looked around, sniffing the air, frowning slightly. "Do you guys... smell that?"

There was a softness to her words as she spoke, her eyes looking around. He could see a collapsed storefront on one side, the faded letters of the sign spelling ITJE or something, the building nearby devastated, Sienna walking over to it and starting to shift some of the rubble.

He wondered, even as he inhaled deeply. The smell of blood and something else hit him, his gaze following towards an open manhole, the cover set beside it still, scorch-marks visible on the ground from an explosion. _'Someone fought here...'_

He felt the Grimm move, even as Kali appeared with Raven, making their whole team complete again. "Why are you digging?"

There was a momentary halting of her actions, yet Sienna's hands continued to move. The half-collapsed building looked unstable. "Digging. I smell... Don't you smell that?"

"Blood..." Kali mumbled, even as she looked at the ruins that laid there, Sienna's hands still moving the rubble of brick, faded wood and plastics.

" **Allow me to try."** He said, the Beringel reforming once more, starting the work of clearing the rubble, his gaze going around in the vicinity, sensing for the emotions of people in order to check whether any of the people that he had sensed before were coming to their direction, yet he found no sign of that yet.

As the building was slowly cleared away, he could see the bloodied smear on the walls, a corpse laying there against the far wall, still looking somewhat wet with the blood, which had clotted onto its body. The body laid there like a testament to some brave Huntsman's sacrifice. _'I hope that their companions made it out safely…'_

This place was not a simple holiday destination for Huntsmen. It held enough danger to ensure that there was a permanent mission towards the environs to cull the Grimm, to ensure that they did not further encroach upon the borders of Vale through the cityscape of Mountain Glenn.

"This body..." Whitney said, even as she knelt next to it. The head had been half-way torn off, turned right to him, the woman not having any sort of hesitation about handling the dead body.

With a shock he realized who it was, as the young woman's lips were frozen in a soft smile, the swelling of the flesh already starting, even with the decay starting to work now. _'Oh no... Cremea.'_

The sister who had been the most stand-offish against everything that came with the territory of being a big sister, treating everyone equal and without prejudice... A little smaller than he was, yet someone who was able to make them all laugh, someone who did not stop to make some witty remarks in her dry tone, speaking about 'structural integrity' of cakes and cookies, giving him one once every while with a soft smile.

" **Cremea..."** His voice was soft, as he felt himself falling to his knees. The smell of blood and rot prickled his nose even as he looked at the mangled and twisted body that laid there, his eyes glowing faintly as he noticed the lack of tears that came from him, the rational thought shocking him even more. _'I can't cry about my sister...'_

His difficult expression was noticed by his Acolytes, the worried looks that they gave to each-other enough to speak tons of words in a single look. "Jaune, we're sorry..." The words from Sienna were humanizing to the pain inside him, a sob coming from his mouth as he recalled the times when he was growing up.

" _And this is how you do the equation... Even a simpleton can do this, so why can't you?"_ The tone of her voice had been frustrated, yet there was a smile on her lips, even though she was eleven and he was younger. _"You need to try harder, Jaune Ozymandias. Father said that he would be willing to assist, if you worked hard enough."_ The way that she had always spoken the full name of every member of their family had been something of a tic of hers, only visible when around them.

' _Gods, I miss you already, Creamy.'_ The nickname had come from an incident that Ashley and Bianca hadn't forgotten about, the spreading of the nickname enough to allow for them to poke fun at their younger sister, Azure and Saffron and him hardly knowing why there would be any sort of reason for such a thing.

"We need to bury her." Whitney said, her voice sounding soft and yet with an urgency. "I think there was a small hill a few streets away, I saw it on one of the street maps." He supposed that they should. The proper burial rites were not easily done for a body, so burying it would be the best option. _'After all of this is over... We'll put you to rest in the family crypt, Cremea.'_

He looked at Whitney as she bent low, working without a problem to properly lift the remains, the weight lighter than she expected... or perhaps what was left, lighter than she expected. The Glyph blossomed into existence below her, no doubt aiding her in her endeavour of lifting it... and he appreciated that. Her mannerisms were respectful, even as Kali and Sienna took the lead, Raven and Summer coming in at the back, his hand brushing over her scalp, feeling the touch of her hair. _'It's just an empty shell now..._ '

He felt the burden inside him swell at the sudden realisation that the soul within was gone... that it had already departed to the hereafter, whatever it might be. His older sister, dead...

' _I...'_

There were still no tears coming from his eyes, even as they advanced through the once-busy streets of Mountain Glen, now abandoned. He could see some bones lay there, where someone had fallen to the Grimm, even as they moved towards the park. The wild growth of weeds and grasses had made it look bushy, yet the Grimm were not present in as huge a number as with the other sections of the place, their nature not finding significant emotional loads within the surface area... That was reserved for the dark places below the earth, where negativity thrived.

The Beringel that he had summoned to clear the debris had been disintegrated immediately after they had emerged from the ruined building, his eyes spotting the perfect place. His other hand rose and a beam of flame shot from the head of the staff that he wielded, scorching the earth clear, the heat of the flame enough to bring forth the ashes from the weeds to scatter. Another exertion of his powers, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him swelling in a singular go, and three Beowolves appeared, starting to dig a hole, his eyes looking around, even as Whitney's sad look met his own.

' _You can cry...'_ He looked at her for a long while, as he brushed his hands over Cremea's soft hair, matted with her own blood and viscera. _'She always made sure that she was in perfect condition... Routine, order... a set schedule, just like dad.'_ There was still a hope left in his heart, as he knew that if Cremea had been left behind, she would have made sure that everyone else was safe.

 _'I won't be letting them perish...'_

His family had been his youth. The warm moments during birthday celebrations, remembering what times had been good and which times had been not-so-good, the times when their father had come home and he had just been there for them to look up to, a reprieve from the constant treatment like he was someone who was supposed to be their little dress-up doll... or worse.

The dancing lessons had been nice though, he had not minded them, even with how Ashley and Bianca had evaluated him. **"Can you look for something to write on? I want to... I want people to know where she lies, just in case..."** He asked, Summer giving a sound of affirmation that he barely registered, his eyes looking at the girl that had been obstinate in her desire for order in the chaos of their life.

The girl who had told Ashley and Bianca not to worry, as everything ran according to schedule, as the world had turned and there had been an untruth in those words, enough to ruminate on, his older sister... But he had never been close with her.

She had always kept at a distance, just like their father had been with them. A distance that was hard to push away from... and yet, he loved her as a younger brother should love his older sister. For all her weirdness, she was still a bright spark of life in the world... and she was family.

 _'If only you could see me now, Cremea...'_

Her expression would undoubtedly be something that would barely be perceivable, her face set in that neutral look as she paused her assessment of the surroundings and made the observations that she was so known for. _'I bet she'd say something like... "You are collecting older women. Are they still valid for birthing children? There are a few aides that can achieve such a result, should you wish to be interested in such things."- and then be offended when they were angry with her for just spewing it out without any sort of tact or clue.'_

The hole was dug and the Beowolves waited for his next order, even as Summer returned, a wooden signboard in her hands.

"It needs to be cleaned up a little, but it should suffice."

She said, even as she looked at him with a questioning look, there being little madness in those eyes... and he was happy for that. The way that she had acted before was another annoyance, on the peripheral scale. It unsettled his Faunus Acolytes... and that wasn't a good thing in his mind.

"Alright... Does anyone have a pen?" Awkward looks, given to each other and then to him. _'Well, it's not exactly standard equipment...'_

"I've got lipstick…"

Kali said, even as she pulled out a tube, his face showing enough, even as his hand reached out to the signboard.

"I'll just carve it in with a claw."

The arm made from the _Vitae Tenebris_ shifted, the drain on his body not even felt in the little moments, as his fingers formed into the claw-like shapes, the signboard brushed over with a finger, a sizzling sound coming as the paint was chipped away with the hand, leaving only blackened wood there. _'The influx of power is marginal...'_

' **Here lies Cremea d'Arc-Night, daughter of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night and Emerald Arc-Sepia. May you rest safe, knowing that your siblings will carry on your duty.'**

The words were formal, yet they formed a core belief... and he knew that she would need nothing else. Whitney laid the remains into the grave, the Beowolves moving once more to cover the body up, a soft exhale enough, even as he saw the mound of dirt.

"And though they fall by Grimm hands, the task is up to us to scour the lands. A sacrifice without any fear, we are Slayers and always near, a member taken without pride, to let us carry out our pride, striking into the deep night, Grimm's bane without fright." The soft singing that came from Summer's throat was enough, Raven joining in after the last syllable.

"With the battle done, we will overcome. A sense of fear, blood is near, we will forever be clear. A soul taken now without love, a heart shattered, soul without a glove. I am here, a blade unleashed, the night's fall burning with no ease." The Beowolves faded, even as he pulled the power back in, his eyes spotting a cluster of emotions heading ever closer to them. Two of them, he gleaned, enough that he would need to plan.

Summer and Raven wore their mask and cloak, enough to hide their identities, yet also an issue for them. "A soul so darkened by despair, won't find any solace here. A night eternal without us, to fight for the light is a deep must." The words Summer sang were resonant, the ancient chants coming to mind, as he looked at her.

The people came closer, two of them already massing there, his expression enough, as he glanced at the headstone that he put into the soil, his hand already shifting back into the shape of a regular human. With how he was dressed... it wouldn't be easily spotted.

"A fight we shall give, until our deaths." The voice that joined in was womanly and older than his sisters, yet younger than the ladies who followed him. The pale blue mask of a skull visible, dusky skin below the mask's edge showing clearly that the wearer belonged to some clan of sorts, a memory trailing at the edge.

"A fight to win without despair, to fight and kill for Mission's care. An edge to fight, an edge to live..."

Summer and the anonymous woman continued to sing the final verse, their voices similar.

"And for glory, we won't fight, we fight for what is right, a dirge of death to Grimm's end and what we know is right. The Mission forever, to make daytime come for the night,"

The partner of the skull-masked woman wore a less ornate skull mask, the dark blue accent on the white cloak enough to show the ranking on them.

"A fallen sister?" The question hung in the air, as Summer cleared her throat after the last verse had come from her lips, giving a short nod. Her right hand raised, showing the ring on her ring finger.

"One Wolf. We happened to be in the area, ran into these Huntsmen and requested their aid to bury the body." There was a pause, even as the leader of the two Huntsmen nodded.

"Understandable. The Wolves have their own rites. Will you be requesting any aid, Executor?" Summer shook her head. "And your companions, would they need an escort?"

Summer's body stiffened, even as he could guess what an 'escort' would be. Death. The tone with which the skull-masked woman had spoken was perfectly chipper and reasonable, yet there was no denying that they were members of the Slayer Order.

"Unnecessary. My sworn sister has vouched for their loyalty, despite their traits. The heron does not stalk the deer." There was a pause, Jaune noticing that the two women's gazes went straight towards Kali and Sienna, who looked back, Kali passive and with a faint smile on her lips, Sienna more hesitating and with a little hint of concern on her features.

"Understood. Anything to report?" Summer tilted her head, the Nevermore mask on her face turning with it, the cloak giving her some sort of look of being a twisted Nevermore herself.

"Grimm Surge, Class Six. The talons tug tighter to the tested..." The words didn't make sense to him, yet to the woman it seemed to make sense, as a soft hiss came from below the mask.

"Has the falcon left?" The code was equally mystifying, even as Whitney squeezed his hand, trying to get some comfort, the coolness of the exchange making him shiver a little.

"No falcons have left. The raven stalks the prey." The masks prevented the facial expressions from being seen, yet Jaune had sensed the weight of their emotions, even as calm seemed to come over the two Slayers.

"Understood. Are your supplies still sufficient?" Summer shrugged, making a gesture with her hand. A half-circle and then a finger-poke in the left direction, the skull-masked woman nodding once.

"We will escort you to the gates of Vale."

He watched as the two women shifted positions, their cloaks falling away to show a machete with a gun worked into the blade, the magazine worked into the wooden grip, the other one wielding what seemed to be a chainsaw axe, the head of the axe looking like it would be able to shoot some kind of missile, the massive weapon somehow obscured by the cloak.

 _'They don't really do subtle.'_

"That is kind of you."

He said, speaking for them, the woman who took the lead speaking giving him what apparently amounted to a chilly stare. Jaune was sure that there was a definite death sentence in store for him if Summer and Raven hadn't been present.

"Kindness is not for those like you, who do not bleed for the safety of our kind. Money-grubbing hounds will always be money-grubbing hounds." The answer was fiercely spoken, the tone hostile, Summer stepping in-between.

"We have our assignment. It's off to Vacuo next." The words drew the hostility out of the air, even as the leader of the Slayer team nodded.

"You may give our regards to the Boars. That motley bunch remembers well the old ways." There was only the briefest moment of acceptance for his manners, as he watched the women take a step back, a strange salute given, mimicked by Raven and Summer, slightly adjusted.

 _'Must be some sort of code...'_

The trip back towards the wall was uneventful. There were Grimm that came at them, yet with their strength at offence, there was no real challenge, even as the horde of Grimm that She had managed to control continued to flood towards the spot where the Nexus had been.

Dark power flowed through his veins, even as the sword at his side was unsheathed, a Beowolf cut in two in a flash, the burning Dust around the edges cutting through its hide without even noticing the resistance, the flash of pain that came from his body as a bright silver flash noticed on his retina's, the shudder that followed barely suppressed from showing on his features.

' _Yeah, that may be a bit of a problem.'_ Summer's eyes glinted, even as they met his own, the flash having undoubtedly come from her, no doubt to test him in some fashion... Not that he minded her testing him, of course, but it would be a far cry from the dangerous grounds that he was treading.

As the city gate came into view once more, the two Slayers departed, their cloaks fluttering in the wind, Summer giving a soft little click of the tongue. "Posers..." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"They were dangerous, though." Whitney said, even as Summer turned her head, pulling the mask off, her silver eyes glinting in the light.

"Maybe. The language is a little outlandish, I'll admit, but my guarantee is golden." There was a pause, as she turned to Jaune, her eyes looking more serious. _'I can see where Ruby gets her serious look from.'_

"Our... The Order is not to be trifled with, Jaune. You may be a d'Arc-Night but even they have to be wary of the Slayer Order at large. I am an executor of the Rose, able to command, if need be..." Her voice was wistful, as a dark look passed her features. Her sharp nose sniffed the air for a moment.

"Not always are we so able to command. It was luck that it was an initiate and an acolyte who we met. They know not to go against the orders of an Executor... and that's basically what the mask signifies." She held up the mask, the red streaks on her own suddenly very visible, curving into a rose-like pattern, the moment when the light angled with it slightly. Raven's own mask was muted in its redness, the shape covering her features well.

"It's... Well, I don't think I can explain much." There was a pause, even as she sighed deeply, her right hand showing the ring that she wore. The same crest as Ruby wore in most of her attire stood out against the paleness of her finger.

"The rings... They're not quite... y'know, unique. I mean, there's several people that have one, not every single bloodline as pure as it should be due to the variance in population, but... It shows who's who. Executor Rose... Yeah, last I kept score there were... I think, seven? That's probably whittled down to five or six now, I reckon that I'm not even listed anymore. Too long out on a field mission and you get listed as deceased..." There was a doubtful quality to her voice, even as she turned to look at Raven.

"Rae is still listed as active. They wouldn't list a partner as prolific as Rae as dead unless they are absolutely sure. My little bandit queen's got a looooot of skill." The mask shrouded Raven's features from sight, yet he could feel embarrassment come from the woman, Summer's praise stimulating the emotions inside her.

"I'm not... You always were the best leader that I could want." Raven's words were soft, even as Summer smiled. A hug to the other woman made the emotions flare up even more, even as Jaune watched, Summer giving him a queer look.

"Watch out, Jauney-man... You might get to meet the Summer Rae combo!" Raven made a choking sound, a wheezed 'Summer!' coming from her lips as she spoke up, her voice sounding like it had a serious issue with that.

"What? It'll be fun! Come on, we can beat Snowy and the Cat Team!" The cheerful announcement of... well, whatever it was, was preceded by Summer pulling Raven in even closer, snuggling up against her in an intimate manner. "So... We'll return to the hotel, we'll see you guys later."

The two disappeared into the latest street, the Grimm that surrounded them barely taking note, even as Jaune mulled over the words of the woman. _'I should do some research on the Order of Slayers...'_

He knew of the Order of Slayers from Her memories, the dedicated order mostly consisting of experienced combat veterans, though its current incarnation seemed to hold differing values, undoubtedly as a result of the ages passing by. _'Still... an organisation that Ozymandias Pinnacle kept around for millennia...'_

Humanity had crawled back up from the apocalypse many times during its existence. Even with the origin of their species being shrouded in myth, it was still the fate of many to perish before a singular entity came to rise from the mire of death and doom.

' _I can ask Summer...'_ The masks were similar as well...

* * *

 _The row of masks that hung on the wall in his father's study all bore the marks of combat, weathered wood and metal working into a gruesome shape, even as the eye-sockets came with special lenses to give them an even fiercer image. The symbol of their family hung below, the stylized letters giving it a noble air, a pair of masks missing._

" _Jaune... Are you here?" The voice of his oldest sister was enough, the door opening slowly and she looked at him, currently hiding behind the desk. She smiled softly as she spotted him, his eyes meeting with hers. "Trying to work like daddy does?"_

 _She glanced at the row of masks for a moment, even as she pulled out a mask from the row. It was unadorned and simple, even as she held it out for him. "Come on... Come here." Her fingers brushed over the edges, looking at the insides for a moment, even as he came from behind the desk, the polished wood enough. Papers had been scattered over it._

" _Now... put on the mask." Her smile was soft, even as she held it out for him. A snarling visage looked back at him, the prominent features of the mask being a set of eyes and a lupine shape, visible in a snarl, the back of it looking draped in soft fabrics to give comfort to the face._

" _Go on...It's our little secret. Don't tell dad." She winked at him and he pulled the mask on, fitting it over his smaller features, her smile proud._

" _Are- What are you doing? If Dad catches you, there'll be another sermon on duty that we'll have to listen to." Heather entered, her body mostly covered by a long white cloak with golden trim, accented in the fashion that he could see his oldest sister wear as well. His second oldest sister's mask was clipped onto her belt, the thin golden streak along the edges of the mask giving it the look of it being dyed in gold._

" _Don't worry... Give her a little growl, Jaune!" He did as his big sister asked, the smile on her face making him feel warm. Heather looked torn between two emotions, even as she took a deep breath._

" _Just..." She stopped, shutting the door and leaning against it. "Just make sure that the mask is back in place..."_

" _He looks cute... ooh! Give me your cloak! He'll look like a regular ol' Slayer!" The teasing tone of his oldest sister always convinced Heather of what the right thing was. A plaintive look was given, before the gaze softened, the hands gently pulling the cloak off and holding it out to him._

" _You're going to be a good young man, Jaune." Heather's voice was soft, even as he felt how the cape was draped around his body._

" _Now, give him your weapon." The look on Heather's face changed._

" _No, give him your own weapon! I am not trusting him with a Huntsman-grade Flamethrower." The look on her face was enough, even as his oldest sister's laughter came again._

" _Oh, he'll have a thrower of flames alright when he grows up. That's right, Jaune... You're going to light fires in the hearts of many... Yep! Big nozzle, big flame! Woosh woosh!" She made a blowing motion as her hands went wide, her long hair falling to frame her face._

 _He laughed, happy by his sister's little play-acting, her eyes warm and friendly. "Now... hold this." The massive two-handed blade was held out, the two tubes that fed into the hilt looking to be filled with a blue liquid. "Don't press that button... That's when things go boom and we wouldn't want to do that to daddy, right? Aqua Mors is a very sensitive weapon, even if it's big."_

" _I'm a hero!" He said, his sister smiling as she held up her Scroll and took a picture, his own clumsy hold of the large weapon enough to make Heather smile a little. It had been the screensaver for his oldest sister for a while, before it had changed to a picture of himself at age 8._

* * *

The memory was one of the warmer ones, and he hadn't known what the mask and cloak meant. His oldest sisters both had told him to keep very quiet about playing in dad's study, knowing that they were doing something that wasn't allowed.

"Productive hunt?" The question came from the guards at the entrance to Vale, a yawn coming from his mouth at the sudden wave of tiredness that welled up inside him. _'This was entirely too draining...'_

"Loads of Grimm... We got our target though, the section's cleared but the beasts are acting up a little." Whitney spoke up, the de facto leader in public, even as Sienna and Kali kept quiet mostly, their words never adding to the conversation, as they were generally not thought of.

As they entered Vale once more, he glanced at his Acolytes. "We should get back to the room, get comfortable." He wasn't feeling really great all of a sudden.

He felt like he needed to take a long rest or something of the sort. He hugged Whitney's side, kissing her on the lower cheek. "Thank you for being there for me." He said, her cheeks growing a little hot as he did, her cheeks showing a blush.

"You're our Jaune." Came the answer from the woman, as she smiled indulgently at him. He caught Kali giving him a look, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

"Our Jauney, yep." She said, Sienna prodded by her, giving him a look.

"Our leader." Sienna was poked again by her friend, sighing a little at the unenthusiastic tone that she'd spoken with.

"Good... Let's sleep. I feel like someone hit my head with a building or something..." The headache was really getting to him...

It might be the build-up of _Vitae Tenebris_ , or just the mental assault from the Grand Witch... But something didn't quite feel right inside him now. His Acolytes trusted him... And he trusted them in return.

' _Whatever happens... I'm still me. I can be the hero that they need me to be.'_

* * *

 _The brassiere burden (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She wasn't used to shopping for a specific set of lingerie. Something functional and tough and able to weather a few rounds was more than enough for her tastes, even though her attire often had been a touchy subject around the dinner table with dad.

As they waited patiently in the transport that ferried between Beacon and the city of Vale, they could see several of the students already prepare for a day out, ready to bring some sort of entertainment to lighten up their life.

"So... You think I'll look cute?" Ruby said, her little sis looking a little nervous for the thought of shopping for a bra. Yang remembered the last time that they had went shopping together, her little sister requiring a fresh change of underwear, which had led to a very lengthy discussion about what was proper and what was not proper. _'They don't MAKE Kevlar bikini's...'_

"Of course! There is nothing that we cannot obtain. My grandfather is one of the richest men on Remnant, solely for his exploits in the Dust mining industry." The haughty tone that Weiss had was enough to drive most people up the wall, yet there was a hint of uncertainty in the girl's voice. "But... he has not been feeling very well."

"He'll make it. If he's like you, he'll live for another ten years out of sheer persistence." There came the little screech of 'He is not like that, Xiao-long!' that she had expected, a flippant gesture with her hand shushing the heiress... or rather, former heiress. "Don't give a cow about it, Weissey..."

She shifted a little, her hand grabbing the Schnee's for a moment. "Unless you'd rather want this cow to give you something, huh?" The delicate pale hand was put on her tit, allowing Weiss to feel the warmth and the roundness, the pride that she felt in having a good set on her enough to make the redness of Weiss' cheeks enough to bring a smattering of amusement to her.

"Don't be silly, Yang! Weiss wouldn't like that... But you would, right? Isn't Blake enough for you?" The question didn't phase her in the slightest, as she looked at her little sister.

"Hey... Sometimes I think I should Schnee what's the difference." She winked at Weiss, who bristled, her cheeks flushing red.

"Unhand me! You don't know anything about a maiden's heart!" The rebuttal was enough, even as Yang let go, Weiss' hand squeezing her tit roughly once. _'Ooh... Weissey wants to play!'_

She grinned, trying to affect the cocky behaviour that was expected of her. "Don't worry Weiss, I will defend your honour against my big sis! I drink milk!"

The look on the pale-haired girl's face turned even redder, as she turned to her partner, starting a rushed conversation about what was appropriate when duelling for honour and what-else was important.

"Think that they'll be finishing their chat before we land?" She asked Blake, who shrugged lightly at the thought. It wasn't something that seemed to be too easy to get used to with Weiss and Ruby's own attitudes working to blanket the words in their own little gibberish.

"Maybe. Ruby likes to talk a lot." The impudence of Weiss was something that she could fix though, with a few pointed little comments, a bit of coercion and a bit of loosening of the boundaries between the Schnee and intimacy.

"Yang! I am right here! I do not like to talk a lot!" The sound of Ruby's voice was enough to draw her attention, even as the girl looked at her with an expression that seemed to be more or less heated, yet with her own knowledge, she could see the appreciation in her sister's silver eyes.

"You do. You're always talking. Talk, talk, talk... It's all you do." The words from Weiss pushed against Ruby's sensibilities, her sister pouting a little.

"You haven't told me whether you like a boy or not." The accusation was enough to make her gaze land right on Weiss, who looked a little flustered all of a sudden.

"It's not... It's not like that, I mean... He was nice to me, so I decided to... who knows?" There was a story behind those words, one that held intriguing little hints to Yang's mind. "You will not speak of it, Xiao-Long!"

"But... His girlfriend might object." There was a pause, even as Weiss firmed up. She looked more aware of the world than before.

"Then it would simply have to be so. I can at the very least, inquire whether he would like to take me to the dance." There was a moment where Yang worried briefly that it would be something that would be out of the ordinary.

"One of the students of the other Academies?" She asked, Weiss flushing a little, shaking her head. _'This is...'_

"Cardin?" The frown and glare was enough to nearly make her flinch, even as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company stilled.

"This does not go beyond the three of you... I will know if you blabbed." There was a pause, even as she looked around, suspicious for the eyes and ears of others.

"Lie Ren." The name brought to mind the silent young man who followed after Nora, who was currently DATING Nora... _'Oh shiiiiiiit.'_

This was BIG news. If Weiss wanted to mack in on Nora's man... oof, that would be a problem. "I know it's silly but... He helped with a little issue that I was having." There was a hint of a blush on Weiss' cheeks, as her gaze cast down.

"His girlfriend is not going to be happy about that." There was a silence that fell, even as Yang realized that it probably would never go anywhere. Nora and Ren were practically attached to the hip, their little Renora combination attack something that managed to catch many people off their guard with how varied their formation could be. With Viridian bringing up the frontal assault and Pyrrha ranged, Ren and Nora occupied a more flexible slot in the team, yet they were not afraid to go to any length in order to take advantage of what they saw as a weakness in their opponent.

"No. It is just a like... I mean..." Here the heiress paused, as if it were something that she would only very grudgingly admit. "Jaune was not too bad looking... I would... I might have... There MIGHT have been a moment of giving it a shot, not to say that I would have but..." There was a pause that hung in the air, even as Ruby grew a little oppressed, as it had been her friend who had been sent to die by a bullying student.

"Sometimes, I wonder how we would have been if he hadn't died. Would we all be who we are now, rather than..." The musing was soft, yet Weiss' expression was gentler than before. "Ever since my mother died, I have been thinking about my choices..."

"You're not leaving us, are you?" Ruby asked, even as Weiss pouted.

"Of course not, you dolt! Someone has to keep you cultured and not-savage. I have been the one deemed perfect for such a task." There was the uppity girl again, raising her chin in that noble fashion. "I was simply musing that there are not a lot of men in our year that are... appealing. Thrush looks like he is three steps away from moving from his enclosure."

"He doesn't look like an animal to me." Weiss flushed a little, as she made a gesture.

"I meant... He is like you and Blake." The gesture was repeated again, something Atlesian, Yang realized. _'Oh... She means gay.'_

"Didn't know that guys could be lesbians, Weissey... Unless of course you want to tussle with the Yang a little as well, huh?" She could tease, watching Weiss flush a little as she imagined that. Weiss was a small girl, with a very petite build. _'Damn... I'm actually getting a thought about pinning her to the bed and just...'_

"Your stare is discomforting." Weiss said, her gaze averted. "Please..."

"Didn't want to freak you out, Weiss." She said, even as she coughed awkwardly. It was not something that she'd probably enjoy having done to her. Blake was needy if she was needy and that was definitely something that had to do with her feline Faunus nature... or something.

"It's... it's okay. I mean, I can understand that you would fancy someone like me, even with my meagre..." The awkward sound that Weiss made was enough, as Ruby gave an 'awww!' sound.

"But I like you, Weiss! No matter how big or how small you are." Her little sister's words were enough to give Weiss a little pep, her eyes looking at her partner and smiling, Yang smiling as well as she realized that she was pretty darn lucky with her team. They worked... even if they had some issues.

"And... well..." Ruby paused for a moment, as she looked at them with a look that held an adorable amount of care in it. It was one of those looks that made you want to ruffle her hair until she was pouting and scowling... Totally aww-dorable.

"We're still team RWBY. We're just going to have FUN today." Yang smiled. That was enough for her.

" _Now landing at Vale Air Docks... Please be mindful of your weaponry and luggage."_

The announcement was enough to make her perk up, her eyes glinting with interest and intrigue as she saw Weiss get up as well, her hands smoothing out the bolero and the dress below it, a more modest white dress below, different from the one she regularly wore, more in tune with a somewhat casual outing rather than the default style that she held to whilst in combat situations.

"So... Grandpa Nick is going to pick us up, right?" Ruby asked, Weiss giving a sigh.

"Yes, Ruby. Klein informed us that we would be picked up. Be mindful of your manners. Be concise, respectful and do not act as a child would. Grandfather is not someone who can bear much stress." The haughty tone of her voice was enough for Yang to gander that this was just the guidelines, even as they disembarked from the transport, the air of the air dock smelling like it'd been laden with Dust, undoubtedly from the engines that came loaded with the Dust in order to function.

"So... Butler dude..." Yang spotted the man as he leaned against a wall, reading the paper. "Butler dude spotted, Weiss."

The man looked up, smiling at them like any fond uncle or grandparent would. She'd reckon more like an uncle, if the look in his eyes was anything like her Uncle Qrow had when he was proud about something, even as he tucked the paper away. "Miss Schnee, Miss Rose, Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao-Long, it is a pleasure to meet with you again. Master Nicholas has been waiting in the car."

"Klein!" The excited cheer of Weiss was a surprise, as the small petite heiress hugged the man in an exuberant manner, the butler giving her a fond smile and hugging her back. "I am so happy to see you!"

There was genuine exuberance on the girl's face, even as she had acted in a manner that was opposite to the 'concise, respectful and not-childish manner' that she had warned them not to act. She smiled a little, meeting Ruby's eyes, the girl making little tittering sounds of happiness, joining in the hug a moment later with a bold "Hug Time!", joyfully patted on the back in a good way.

"Guess this is a hug party then, eh Weiss. So much for being concise and respectful and that stuff, aye?" The heiress flushed a little, even as the butler man looked at her and his eyes seemed to change colours. _'Neat trick! I can do that too when I'm really mad.'_

"My little snowflake has a problem keeping her happy heart silent when she sees people she likes." The blush on Weiss' face was somewhat hard to banish now, even as she looked up, hugging the man a little tighter, the smile on her face genuine and warm.

"The Master has been waiting for you, Weiss. I am happy to see that you are doing so well." There was a pause for a moment as the man's gaze wandered over the two of them, Yang noticed, as his eyes looked at Blake for an instant. It was only brief, yet there was a hint of mistrust, even though the man masked it well. _'I guess there was something about the Faunus in Atlas...'_

She was okay with Blake. Blake was really cool and really amazing at times, so she didn't really know why NOT to like Blake… But the Schnee Dust Company had a big kerfuffle with the Faunus population, so she could understand the suspicion. It wasn't something that people often talked about.

She'd have to ask the man about it, sometime.

* * *

 _The snow heiress (Weiss Schnee)_

* * *

She entered the limousine, spotting her grandfather already seated, the dark blue outfit that he wore being perfect for an old-timer going shopping, the long red scarf that was wrapped around his throat one of the more iconic fashion choices that he had made, the tubes that led towards the bottle with oxygen hidden below them as well. "Hello Weiss."

"Grandfather." She said, even as she hugged the man. His warmth was something that seemed to come with those darn feelings of being loved… Which she hadn't felt often. Her mother had been an alcoholic, her father was driven to perform. Her sister had been distant since she entered the army, eventually growing to the rank of Specialist… so there was little love for her at her home.

The butler was akin to a father to her, as she knew well that it should not be like that. The man coupled as a bodyguard of sorts, though his stature would not easily show it.

"Don't be so formal around me, Weiss… You can call me grandpa." The man laid his weathered hands on her back, holding her tighter than before, even as he took a wheezing breath. "Let's get you girls something nice."

"You… you don't have to stress yourself, grandpa." She tried to deflect, even as Klein got into the driver's seat in the front, starting the engine. The man was obviously busy now, and she wondered briefly whether the others would be more or less okay with things...

' _I don't want to look like I am buying their friendship.'_ She wasn't going to blab about some of the things that she privately thought... Even if Lie Ren had been on her thoughts an awful lot. It was wrong to like the boyfriend of an acquaintance, but she could not help herself from feeling like this.

The moment that their hands had touched there had been a little spark, his pink eyes meeting hers and that polite smile just stroking something inside her deep, making her feel her heartbeat quicken just a little. _'I'm... I'm sure that it'll be okay.'_

Girls liked boys from time to time, after all. She wasn't going to immediately approach him, tear her dress off and scream 'Have me, you Mistralian beast', though the idea sent a small flush of heat down to her loins. _'This isn't a thought I should have... but maybe...'_

All the guys were unavailable because they dated someone or they were gay. She knew that as well as anyone... Huntsmen were often in a profession where their love would need to be affirmed quickly, pining after someone was a sure-fire way to disaster under most circumstances.

"Nonsense, Weiss. So, young miss... Yang, was it?" She could see her grandfather's eyes go to the bold and beautiful blonde, feeling a stab of envy as she saw those round globes press tighter against the shirt that Yang had opted to wear under her jacket, the blonde tilting her head. "Do you have much experience with shopping? I personally profess that it has been a while since my daughter has needed a brassiere that fit her."

' _Oh no... He's going to tell an old story.'_ There was no end to the old stories about her mother. The embarrassment that her mother suffered was muted only by the fact that she usually was too drunk to care about them, her grandfather having no filter about these things.

"Some... I mean, I shop for bra's for myself and Ruby... So why are you asking, huh? Want to see little ol' me in a nice set of lingerie, hm?" She squeaked a little, indignation rising up inside her. _'Who wants to see those lumps of fat, eh?'_

"No, no. I simply was inquiring because I am a little out of the loop. Weiss, I am not... exactly, someone who is more or less apt at finding female garments." There was a flush on her cheeks, knowing that he indeed would not be as familiar as she would be. _'Winter helped a few times...'_

"Your mother was better at matching and mixing clothing than I was. A single day spent in the city and she'd come home with a new outfit... All I need was a scarf, a sturdy coat and three to four extra rounds in my rifle." The hearty chuckle that came from his mouth was enough to make her feel a little warmer inside, even as she watched him go for the oxygen, inhaling deeply. His eyes went right to the bottom, as if he saw something... But that really wasn't important, as he took a deep breath of the oxygen tank.

A worried look passed between her team. Blake looked a bit more concerned, even as the man put the mask back. "Dust Lung. Not the greatest for a Dust Miner to have... But you work with what you've got."

"If you need a moment, Mister Schnee..." Yang said. She was obviously trying to keep the conversation going, though Weiss could see some concern in those eyes.

"No, it's okay. This old bear's wrestled with things like this for years." The man patted his chest, giving a bold grin, the beard giving a little wobble. She pressed against him, knowing that he was there to be for her the grandfather that she needed. His weathered hand brushed over her own.

"Your mother..." The man sighed deeply, his head looking up to the heavens, where the spirits of the dead supposedly went. "She was a great woman. She had her faults, she was... lonely, I'll admit. Alcohol hadn't done her many favours, but..." The man struggled, as he looked at her.

"Winter resembles her the most out of the two of you. You resemble your grandmother, bless her heart, more than Winter does." The hand brushed over her cheek. "A glorious woman she was... But alas."

As they stopped at the parking lot that had been reserved for the mall, she could feel a chill settle through her body. It was enough to discomfort her, her eyes looking at the skies, the crystal-clear expanse stretching out before her. "Something to draw your eye, Weiss?"

Ruby spoke up, her voice light, even as she smiled faintly. "Just looking at the sky... The weather is nice." There was always something in the sky. The warships of Atlas that hung in the distance were a distraction, yet she knew well that there was more than the ships of war to look at.

"Let's go. Time to shop for icky bra's." She smiled at her partner, her blue eyes glinting in the light.

"They are highly fashionable apparel that any young woman should be able to wear. But... I will assist you in finding something tasteful. One cannot have you wear mere rags." It was a concession she'd have to make for Ruby... The girl was so outdated on the current styles...

She might actually find this to be a fun expedition, after all...

* * *

 _The cost of life (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her hand was linked with his, grabbing a hold of it with a firmer grip than she had before, knowing that he was hers and the others' in all respects. As she looked at his pale features, Kali and Sienna only a few steps behind them, she wondered briefly whether she should comment on it. "You should wear some sunglasses." She suggested, even as he looked at her. The veins had receded into the skin, no longer inflamed with the darkness flowing through it.

The red eyes had remained though, a testament to the power that he held... And the will that he had used to conquer the opposition. She had felt the Grimm's purpose increase throughout the fight, Sienna, Summer, Raven and Kali having fought to the best of their ability.

"It's the eyes, isn't it?" A little nod came from her and he nodded at that, knowing that there would be a moment for that.

"We'll go on ahead... I need to get my hands on some more things." Kali said, patting Sienna on the shoulder and mouthing something that looked like 'preparation', Sienna giving a little rumble under her breath.

"Well... Alright." He said, Whitney's hand squeezing his own.

"Let them go off for a bit... I'll make sure that you keep safe." She winked at him, a tender smile on his lips as he leaned closer to her and kissed her lips. She could see some people give a little acknowledgement to the kiss she was giving him, their hair shade similar, as her nose brushed against his own.

' _You're the thing that keeps me alive.'_ Her tongue brushed over his lips. She didn't care anymore about anything else, as her fingers brushed over his knuckles, his hand fitting to her hip. The kiss lasted a little longer than expected, her eyes meeting his own, her blue meeting his red... and she knew that she should feel fear for those intense eyes, yet she felt only love and craving.

"I love you." Her voice was a soft, womanly tone, her fingers pulling him even closer, as she leaned in for another kiss, only to find him pushing her back a little.

"We've got an audience."He smiled at her, a kind and warm smile that set her heart ablaze even further to the pyre of love and lust. She turned to look at some of the people watching the two of them, giving them a look. "When we get back?" He inquired, to which she smiled softly.

"Kali is supposed to have you tonight..." She said, uncertain what the Faunus woman had in store. She wondered whether there was more to the things that Kali was gathering, or whether it was merely something that the woman was impulsive about.

"And she will." He said, though she could see some emotion in his eyes that was enough to confirm for her the feelings that he held for her, that he held for all of them.

She pulled him into an eyewear store, his eyes going to the rack with sunglasses. A set of dark blue-rimmed sunglasses she plucked from the stand, holding them out to him, a smile on her lips as she watched him don them, sitting on his nose. He did a little finger-gun motion, a little hiss of air like a bottle of champagne opening up coming from his mouth. "How do I look?"

"Like my man." She said, her eyes looking him over. "Here..." A sleeker model, fitting over the eyes. It looked 'cool' in the words of today's youth, the model covering most of the eyes.

"Hmm..." He looked into the mirror, peering into the depths for a moment and then turning to her. "Think that Kali would like me wearing these?" She smirked.

"Only if you cuff her hands behind her back and tell her that she's being detained... But she'd probably like being detained by you." A hint of teasing, even as he shook his head slightly. He turned his head and his facial muscles twitched a little, as he frowned. "Is something the matter?"

He pressed his lips tightly together, shaking his head. "I thought I saw..." He shrugged, not sure whether he was correct.

"Eh, someone I know with someone that he... Yeah, I don't think I saw that right, there's no way that he would ever do something like that." He took another, fancier model, the curve of the glasses allowing for the shaded part to show a hint of eyes. "So... Do I look sexy enough?"

He winked at her, a smile on her lips. "Of course, Jaune..."

She caught sight of a familiar car as it came past, the darkened windows in the back more akin to the standard procedure, her eyes following the car, even as her hand tugged on his arm. "Jaune..." Her gaze followed for a moment, as she focused her Aura through her will, a small Glyph pushed right below the car.

' _It wouldn't be a coincidence that Klein is driving..._ ' She might be a lot of things, yet to not recognize the butler that had been there for her during all those years would be far out of the scope of things for her. It was perhaps luck that had attracted her, even as a familiar feeling came to her...

' _Is this... the semblance that we have?'_

She watched as he picked a set of glasses, the sleeker model, walking to the counter to pay for it. She realized he must've taken her speaking his name as confirmation... But it hardly mattered. She had spotted someone familiar. "We're going now." She said, hooking her arm in his own, his face showing just how cool he was, as he brushed against her.

As she spotted the car parked in the parking lot to the same mall that they had shopped at earlier, she dispelled the Glyph. _'Well, that means that Klein is escorting Weiss and perhaps a few of her friends... So it would seem that they are having a little expedition.'_

She peered through the window of the vehicle, noticing the personalized inscription that she knew well, the N.S. carved into the wood of the gear shift's head. _'That's dad's trademark... So he's here.'_ Her head turned to the mall, trying to get a good feel for the place...

And she sensed them. Two singular connections that seemed to be in close proximity, their Semblance active and one currently moving slower than the other. _'It would be too much to ask for...'_

Did she want to see her daughter? Did she want to let her husband know that she was still alive?

' _No...'_ Her gaze went to Jaune, even as a plan brewed in her mind. _'But I think I can do so with an intermediary...'_

"Oh, Jaune... Would you be a dear and look for..." Her Scroll was out in a moment, calling a picture of the Butler of her family up on the screen. It was the safest option, as nobody paid attention to butlers. "This man and tell him..."

' _Now... Let's find a café where we can sit and talk quietly...'_

There had to be a discussion with her father... She would not let him worry about the future of the family that she was going to pull right back onto the proper path.

* * *

 _The dance prep (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

"Cardin... Where are we going?" His girlfriend's soft voice was enough as he led her through the streets towards his goal, a fancy store that would be able to outfit her with the perfect dress, no matter what. It was one of the things about the world that he knew well.

His gaze went over the few stores that he saw there, hearing the soft mutterings of the people who took note of the two of them, someone muttering a little too loudly about another kooky couple, yet he paid it no mind. His eyes caught sight of someone in an eyewear store trying on a set of sunglasses, the young man... or well, he supposed that the man was perhaps a few years older, giving him a look, the glasses looking pretty fashionable on his face. _'Damn... I'm seeing Jaune everywhere... If it wasn't for the hair colour and the fact that that guy has two arms, I'd bet my Lien on him standing right there..._ _'_

The woman at the man's side was obviously an older woman, her hair a shade of platinum blonde that turned nearly white, her eyes adoringly looking at the young man, enough for Cardin to immediately realize that she was definitely in a similar spot as Velvet was at his side. "Seeing something you like, Cardin?" His girlfriend's voice was soft, yet there was an element of danger in that tone, a warning that he would do his best to heed. It would be foolish if he were to be distracted, smiling at her and shaking his head.

"Just thought I saw one of my year-mates." Her gaze went to the couple, the young man apparently trying on another, the woman talking softly and the man's face lighting up as the woman spoke. _'Gee… I wonder if we can be as happy as they are.'_

"He's obviously my age or a bit older… I'd put him down as twenty-four-ish?" She sounded a little uncertain. "I mean… Just curious, of course."

"Of course." The fine establishment that they were heading to would serve well for Velvet's new dress, the appointment already made. They were early, but that wouldn't make the plan anything less than perfect.

As they walked in the Greenfeldt boutique, he immediately noticed that the man himself was waiting for them, the broad smile as he spread his arms. "Helloooo Cardin! It's been aaaaagess!" The flamboyant suit that the man wore was enough to make most people look twice, even as he smirked a little at the man, knowing very well that the man was not going to be too much of a fuss-raiser about his current date.

"Randall! It's so great to see you!" The cheer in his voice wasn't faked, even as the man, who had been the chief stylist for most of the family, strode with broad steps forward, offering him a hug. "I've got a special order for you."

He grinned, even as he cast a look at Velvet. She looked a little caught aback by his own manners, as if this was unexpected. _'You're going to love it, Velvet._ '

"Something for the lady? Perhaps a nice little cheongsam, to really bring out those delightful legs? My… You Winchesters have taste! A little older than you, isn't she?" Randall was a professional. Someone who could pull the most out of the least, with a flourish, a wink and the occasional moment where you just went like 'damn, that's something that I never would've thought about' before you were a thousand or so Lien lighter.

"I'm… I'm really not good with the Mistralian style." Her blush was adorable, in his opinion. It made her look like she was someone who wasn't really willing to take the next step.

"Of course not, honey… Let's get you dolled up, shall we?" The man seized her by the shoulder, Velvet flinching slightly, a surge of protectiveness inside him welling up. "Well, you've got some musculature there… Huntsman, like little Cardin here?"

It was all he could do to stop from being embarrassed, even as Velvet's eyes met him. A look that he supposed might be fierce, was on her face, her teeth grit for a moment before she sighed. "Yes… Second year at Beacon, sir."

"We'll get you looking _fine_ , darling… Just come along… It was a dress for a dance, right Cardin?" Cardin gave a soft nod, knowing that if Randall was able to get her a nice dress…

"The Beacon formal." It was the dance that was held every Vytal festival… or so he'd heard. He looked at his girlfriend's face, seeing an unreadable look come onto her face, as she looked at him, a smile on her lips. "And… Well, we're dating, so try to keep that into account."

The stylist was someone who could be trusted to pick out the perfect combination of clothing for any sort of event. The man's own skill in managing both the boutique as well as personal consultation had him highly recommended for the upper class of Vale, and appointments could take a month or two to be finalized… But Cardin knew that Velvet was worth the effort to go through a little sneaky backroad.

"Of course, of course. I cannot with good consciousness allow the date of the wonderful Mister Winchester to go dressed in mere rags! She will be detailed and decorated to your whim, Cardin." The stylist patted his shoulder in that overly familiar manner, yet Cardin did not mind it much. It was as expected, as the man was knowledgeable about clothing and that was all that mattered. _'I want her to shine like a star…'_

She was someone who was good for him, even though most of their dates ended with the two of them in bed together. Between managing team CFVY's team and the schedule that was in place for most of the first-years, it had been something that was more or less a thing now. Their dates, as long as they could be called that, were restricted to a few weekends here and there, their time spent at Beacon far less intimate than they'd like.

"I love you." He whispered into her Faunus set of ears, their soft texture enough to make him find time to give a little smile. She squeezed his hand. "You're a bright ray of light in my day."

She didn't respond for a moment and he worried, even as he saw her face, set in that half-smile of hers, her eyes a little dewy, a soft exhale enough to banish all the worries that he had built up, knowing that she would be only there for him, that she was just a little nervous. Most of the stuff here would clean a family out for a year or so, if one took into account the clothing budget.

"Do you… Are you really planning on spending this much on me?"She asked, voice sounding hesitant, as if there was nothing else to it, her eyes glinting, even with the way that she smiled being so comely.

"You're worth it." He stated with conviction. Her eyes smiled.

"No matter what… At the Valean Vytal Social, I want you as my date." It was a soft smile on her lips, a little passionate glow that entered her eyes, but he knew that he had made her smile.

"It's really hard to get into that… It's only for dignitaries, isn't it?" He nodded. The Valean Vytal Social was the biggest event every two years, due to the amount of power mongers that attended it. To have a Faunus attend was already a scandal… Yet he wasn't going to give up on his girl.

"You're worth it." He stated again, trying to assure her. It was a shy smile on her face that clinched it, a low exhale coming from his lips as he began to feel the pulse quicken a little.

"You've got no idea how much that means to us… To… To me." That light of passion, even as she took a long deep breath. She cared about her people, a different people from his own. In her own way, she didn't want to see anything happen to the Faunus. Her words, the explanation of how dehumanizing it was to be treated like some sort of animal, had struck with him, mainly due to how things had been with the two of them. It had been unexpected, to say the least, to see that she was receptive.

The sex was good, he'd never complain about that. The energetic way that she moved her hips, her eyes staring into him as if she wanted him to give her his all, the soft little hisses as she raked her fingernails over his back, even when her body was jerked and hustled by his hands. He was taller than she was, yet it was alright.

' _I don't think we should discriminate against the Faunus… They are different, but…'_ The image of the young man in the store with his girlfriend or lover, trying on sunglasses. The pale shade of hair that was mimicking Jaune's general haircut, albeit longer and less tamed than the young man whose death he had to bear… Whose life had been cut short.

They had assured him that he didn't have any blame. Civilians weren't allowed into elite Huntsman schools, after all… But it had not soothed his mind. There had been… there had been some progress in the young man's attacks, even though Goodwitch pitted them against each other. It was a good thing… And he didn't know whether he would go so hard on him.

He might have been a bully, yet reality had smacked him in the face. The Arc family did not blame him… Yet he blamed himself.

He had caused the death of someone who wanted to be a defender of humanity. Someone who could have been great, with a little more guidance, partner to Pyrrha Nikos herself… A young woman whose excellence and skill was renowned, as her team followed the rules set out. A killer team, who could slam his own team into the ground with just Nikos alone.

' _If things were different…'_ Nikos had been a bit sweet on Arc, and he could imagine them being a couple around now. He leaned in, kissing Velvet on the lips gently, a bitter smile on his lips as he realized that he'd screwed things up.

' _I'll do better. I'll make sure that nobody will ever call Cardin Winchester a coward, a bully or a scoundrel.'_

Velvet was hustled into the next room, Randall giving him a wink and a grin. "Please wait here… We will have your lady ready for your perusal in a flash!"

' _I think this dance will be a smash hit.'_

* * *

The news for Nick(Nicholas Schnee)

* * *

He could see the young women immediately crowd around the rack of frilly garments, even as his faithful butler stood at attention, a paternal smile on his face. "It is quite a thing to see, is it not, Sir?" The man's tone was respectful, as a long-time steward ought to have. The man's canny knack for allowing a man of some stature to get a reprieve from the worries of one's family members and just relax.

"This calls back memories of the young Miss during our voyages into the Valean market." The butler was respectful, even as Nicholas snorted at the thought. Whitney had hated to shop for certain attire, much more at ease with certain types of clothing than others. Remembering how her eyes had lit up when she'd seen the leather set of pants that she'd bought and suffered under the next day in the sweltering sun, he had remembered well the woes of a day.

"She hated you for a week." The memory was warm enough as he began to count to ten, catching Weiss' gaze back at him. A strange sensation made itself known to him, as if something familiar had just happened, and the lacy little thing that Weiss held up right now definitely looked a touch too large for her, though Nicholas was not one to air such a suspicion.

' _Her mother had a growth spurt at age eighteen as well.'_ The sudden gains in height and chest size had been a moment of frustration to his workers. From moderately flat and tomboyish, to womanly features that had required support, a lack of such distracting the workers. _'It was an annoyance to have to speak with certain enterprising young men who made allusions. One should hardly mix work and pleasure... unless Whitney was sure of it.'_

"So... How does this look, Grandpa Nick?" The young girl's chipper voice was enough to draw him from his musings, a corset that looked a tad more scandalous than the one that the girl regularly wore, the shy smile on her face enough, the girl obviously asking for a man's attention.

"It'll look good on you, Ruby." There was always such a distance that formality dictated there to be. Not a single day went by without a 'Mister Schnee' being thrown at him, which made him feel a little less like 'Just Nicholas'.

He watched the girl perk up, obviously happy with the compliment, a typical type of response from a girl who was uncertain. A bit of psychology never had been a bad thing when entering into the world of big business, his eyes finding the definite traits of a leader within the girl's attitude as she rejoined Weiss and her sister again, smiling a little brighter in her own way. _'If only...'_

His daughter had been headstrong for the majority of her youth. From the times when she had been but the little angel on his knee, gently suckling on her thumb and telling him about how the girls at her primary school had been teasing her about her 'old woman' hair to the moment when she'd come home roaring drunk, nearly decking him to the floor in a moment of drunken rage...

' _If only you were able to see your daughters now, able to work in their chosen profession. Winter is an aide to General Ironwood now...'_ He was proud of his granddaughter to achieve such a high position in the Atlesian war machine, yet there was still the sadness inside him that gnawed at him. Remembering the moments when briefly, they had talked before she had gone off to Mistral, he could feel the weight settle on his shoulders again. _'I am Schnee...'_

The call came at an importunate time, as always. Hearing the number register, he fished the Scroll out of his pocket, aware that Klein was already getting himself properly in the sphere of the girls. "Nick speaking." The connection with Atlas was firm, even as he waited for the assistant to speak. The personal line was only meant for communication that was imperative to the company as a whole.

"The Frosty Jack has decided to melt." The Schnee patriarch stiffened. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the girls communicate, his granddaughter smiling beautifully. _'So Jacques died...'_

"Did he melt by choice or by accident?" There was a hint of worry in his tone, as the White Fang had been a threat that they thought they'd eliminated... And yet, his daughter had fallen to their hands, had been taken from the world. His gaze looked at the children as they gathered, the Faunus girl that was their link to the world of the beast-people, who bore the ears of her kind with a grace that outlined her natural beauty.

"Moby Dick has ensured that his iceberg has melted." Nicholas stiffened. This was a wholly different game... A different nature. He gritted his teeth. The code-words for the members of the household had been already worked through with the person he spoke to, one of the ways into the household that he had kept open, as a method of ensuring that things didn't blow up like Fire Dust in a Lightning Dust mine...

But to hear that Whitley, his only grandson, had been the one to end Jacques Schnee-Gele...

That spoke of cunning and a ruthless personality. He loved his grandson as much as he loved his daughter and granddaughters, yet there were lines in the world that he did not cross, no matter how much he would have liked to do so. Jacques had been good for the company, good for the business bottom line, yet as a person, he had been cold and distant towards his wife. Nicholas had made peace with the fact that they would never see eye-to-eye about most of the important things in the world, even with the time that was needed in order to ensure the company's stability.

' _I won't let you two be hurt, Winter, Weiss...'_ A man like Jacques Gele was a predator, an efficient businessman who cared more for the hard Lien in his account rather than the safety of the people. Currently... It was Whitley who was the primary heir. A suspect in any case for the murder of his father, yet unable to be prosecuted properly... with everything being legalized in Jacques' own manner.

' _If I was Jacques and had a sister who was more or less able to wrest control over the company..._ ' The thought ended in the logical conclusion. _'She would be dead or married off to someone who had something for me to gain. Jacques had not the ability to do so, due to only being the spouse to my daughter... Yet if he could have..._ '

"Grandfather, is something the matter?" Weiss asked, noticing him looking severe, undoubtedly. It was something of an endearing trait that she had, her observant side something that he would normally praise, yet he knew that she might not be able to deal with things.

"Just a call from the home front." He said, watching her face fall.

"How do we proceed, sir?" The voice of the faithful adjutant was there, even as he beheld the scope of the world before him in his actions. With a singular motion, he could sweep the board clean, appoint a successor once the term had ended and then be home free without any worries for the rest of his life.

"My daughter's shares are still under lock and key. Wait for their release and then contact me again, or, in the event of my death, unlock the vault." The extra incentive for the relations that he would leave behind would scarcely be needed, even as he turned his attention back to his daughter. "I need to talk with someone, Weiss. Please allow your grandfather a moment." He stepped outside of the racks of frilly brassieres and towards one of the corners, leaning against the wall, watching as Klein shepherded the girls back to their dressing rooms, standing at the front, before he turned lightly, a young man tapping his butler on the shoulder, the sunglasses that he wore looking to belong to a fairly popular brand.

' _Curious... I wonder if he's going after the busty blonde.'_

It wasn't something that he would immediately applaud, especially with teenage flirtations, yet he had been a young man himself too, once upon a time. The butler nodded once, glancing at the direction of the girls before making his way over, the young man leaning against one of the pillars, his back towards the dressing rooms.

"Master Schnee... Apparently, Atlasian Jane has had her temple of the moon pillaged? Does that... Does that mean anything?" Nicholas blinked once before frowning. _'That's got to be one of the worst...'_ The connection was made a second later, as his frown was replaced with understanding.

* * *

" _Daaaaaad! Come on, another drink! Another drink!" The heavy tread of his boots on the metal floor of the room that they had rented, the half-comatose body of his daughter slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, twisting and turning slightly to try and impress upon him. "I'm gonna be a hero! Fuuuuuck, I'm gonna fuck all those cute guys and make em know that Atlasian Jean wants their DICK inside her temple of the moon!" The sound of his daughter throwing up noisily and the feeling of hot puke sliding down his previously-white shirt was enough, even as he carried her into the bathroom, to get the puke off his shirt and back and to freshen her up a bit._

" _Daadddyyyy... I'm gonna be like Atlasian Jean! Don't... Daddy, don't... I'm a big girl... I can drink!" She'd had more than plenty, even as the young men at the dig had tried in their best efforts to ensure that his daughter didn't have more than three cups of Vacuan Vodka..._

 _But the movie that he'd taken her to afterwards had been the kick-off to another round of drinking. It had been fun, she had tried to flirt and ended finally with him lifting her up and carrying her back to their lodging. "Sure you can, Whitney... Atlasian Jean needs to get clean!"_

" _I'll let the world know that Atlasian Jean likes to fuck with men who are able to treat her like a queen!" The joy-filled statement, punctuated by a raised fist, was interrupted by the wave of vomit that hit the toilet bowl, the reek enough to make his head shake slightly._

" _Atlasian Jean needs to get into bed. She's up early in the morning."_ _It had been one of those moments in their life that Whitney had genuinely looked disturbed at him as he handed her a cup of coffee in the morning with a "Good morning, princess... Or should that be Atlas Jean?" and a hushed "Oh no..." coming from her lips._

 _That she had made him never speak of these events ever again, made the memory all the more pertinent in his mind._

* * *

Remembering those words... and looking at the man for a moment, he made the decision. His face firmed up. Any news from Whitney was preferable to no news. "How does he come across to you? Be blunt." Klein looked at him, before the man's face changed slightly, to show the change in attitude.

"A little nervous, though he seems to be a good young man. I would wager that he and Miss Rose would get along well, when introduced in a neutral setting." That was enough for Nicholas to know. Klein was hardly wrong on his assessment, well-aware of the shiftings of personality. There hadn't been an actor who could fool Klein.

"I will meet with the young man." He looked at the young man again, the pale hair standing out clearly. _'Seems that the girls aren't ready with getting dressed...'_ "Maybe some bad news can be solved with the good news that he brings."

The butler raised an eyebrow, curious about what he meant... yet Nicholas had spoken with enough people that were under Non-Disclosure Agreements to know that it was not a secret if more than two people knew. No matter the trust people held between each-other... Some things people needed to know, were to be between two people. "Please, guide me to the young man."

He approached, drawing himself up to his full height. The beard and the suit were enough to impose on many younger men, his attention directed straight to the young man as he watched the young man shift a little in his manner of standing, his eyes firming in their gaze if the crease of the eyebrows was as good an indicator as it was. _'A young man who knows what he needs to do in situations like this... But hesitating. He shows doubt, yet is steady in his conviction.'_

His business acumen was never the strongest, Jacques being more the shark in the swimming pool, yet he could see the strength in the man's posture. The young man pushed himself off, standing there before him, the white hair almost as similar in shade to his daughter... and the worry that went through his heart was somewhat restful now.

"I have been... I am here to lead you into the temple of the doom. I am sure that there is a treasure lurking within, according to Atlasian Jean." There was the confirmation. The way that the young man phrased it was so similar to the plot of the movie that they had seen together, one of the final outings of the two of them before the wooing of his daughter by Jacques Gele, was enough for him to know. Atlasian Jean and the Temple of Doom had featured a singular treasure, a golden Grimm statue. He had joked with her that she was his golden Grimm statue and had even gotten his hands on a replica of the piece for her birthday. To his knowledge, it still stood within the home that they had lived in together, in a silver-lined glass display case.

' _Whitney is alive...'_

A fire blazed in his eyes now. The young man looked ready, his eyes were sharply aware of his motions behind those glasses. Ready to face him down, should there be a need for it. Those hidden eyes peered at him, a shiver of fear shooting right through his body, a wave of anger at being left alone wrestling with the desire to see his daughter again, alive and hopefully, still well.

' _She trusts you enough to tell you that intimate memory... So I will trust you.'_

"Lead the way." Nicholas Schnee said. His head turned to his butler. "This is Schnee business. Expect me back in half an hour... The frost has melted. Weiss must be kept as happy a snowflake as she has always been." The butler's eyes widened, undoubtedly understanding the meaning of this development.

"I will ensure that the young Mistress remains as happy as she has always been, Master Schnee." The patriarch of the Schnee family looked at the butler, dismissing him before looking to the young man. It was time to move.

"You carry the tank. Bring me to Atlas Jean." He would not be stopped from seeing his own daughter again, even if he had to beat the pale-faced young man to death with his own oxygen bottle.

Nicholas Schnee had a purpose once more.

* * *

 **Alright, another chapter... and I'll be going on hiatus for two weeks going with the writing part. They want me in at the hospital, so I'll be not updating anything for those two weeks. Sorry folks, but if the doctor orders it... It is ordered.**

 **A Grimm Tale is going to enter the darker part of Volume III after the next chapter. Things are afoot. Nicholas Schnee is now going to meet with his daughter again. Jaune doesn't know who Nicholas Schnee it, yet he sees some similarity.**

 **More information about the Slayer order coming too. You'll be enjoying it... and the Kali sex scene that'll take place at the end of the next chapter, uploaded on AO3. Cuz we can't have our Faunus cat woman getting jiggy in the Mistralian sense with a young man, now can we?**

 **Six hundred people have favourited this story. That's pretty darn kick-ass, guys and girls. Brings a whole tear to my eyes... Wooh! I'm keeping you all entertained! Thank you for the reviews, the private messages and the support! I enjoy the little ding of a sign that someone gets just as passionate about the world I'm writing for your enjoyment... Because I hope that you will continue to keep on reading when I return!**

 **Leave a review if you'd like!**


	43. Diplomacy

**Chapter 43: Diplomacy**

 **Another chapter, another time for you to enjoy A Grimm Tale! Much more fun to be had in the next chapters! (I just know that people are going to go 'I made an account just to tell you how much it sucks'.) A Grimm Tale is not just a singular perspective story. It's broader than that.**

* * *

 _A father's plea (Nicholas Schnee)_

* * *

The look on the young man's face was tense as he led him along, taking care to keep the oxygen tank in both of his hands in order to accommodate Nicholas' pace. The man's eyes looked at the young man, the sunglasses a deft touch to the way that the man looked, the pale hair standing messily on his face. _'Almost like a member of the family... Though our hair is not quite that shade of white.'._

As they walked through the parking lot, the young man's attention was constantly shifting, as if he were gauging the danger that they were in. It stood to reason that he would be like this, with the hint of knowing his daughter there... _'Whitney has a plan... She'd always have a plan. I didn't raise my daughter to be a ditz...'_

The young man's appearance was tidy, compared to the way that some teenagers dressed these days. Short shirts and shorts and the most atrocious sandals that he'd ever seen, a pack of the teenagers passing them by even as the young man walked, seemingly going by memory, for he had hardly spoken. "What... What is your relationship with Atlas Jean?"

"We're friends, sort of. She's eh... We're close, yeah." Embarrassment showed in the young man's tone of voice, which Nicholas could read as the subtext for 'we're intimate' or 'I am currently drilling your daughter's Dust deposit on the regular'. The young man definitely needed to work a little on his poker face, yet he supposed that it was Whitney's incentive to guide him through the steps.

"Do you know who I am?" Nicholas asked, the young man shaking his head.

He figured that his daughter wouldn't go too in-depth. A test for the person that she held a fancy to, in order to peer into their mind and see how well they would interact with the family. "Not really. I mean... Social-wise, we're actually of a higher ranking than her family, but I figured... Yeah, I figured that you were like the head butler or something."

It was not an unwise assumption to make. There weren't many pictures of him around in his advanced years, neither did he spread the word that he was still rather active, rather than being locked away in some sort of old people's retreat. "But... if she asked, I'd do anything for her... for them." The words were strange, yet Nicholas attributed that to the way that he spoke so casually.

He dressed as any old man would. A set of clothes that fit well, tailored to his frame and allowing him to move without hindrance, his beard groomed well. The Schnee Crest was something that was a feature, yet it was practically mandatory on all Schnee Dust Company products. "Them?" He asked the young man, a smile appearing on the young man's face as he thought about those he referred to.

"My... my team. Atlas Jean is one of them, we're working together..." It was vague information, enough for him to glean that the young man had some Huntsman training of the sort, or at least knowledge. _'What I am most curious about is his words about the family he belongs to being higher than the Von Schnee's. He does not show overt signs of the milieu.'_

He could tell by the way that the young man walked. There was none of the swagger that the noble families held in Atlas, none of the assurance that they were ready to wield their political might, even with the abolishment of the aristocracy. "You must care for them a lot."

"I do. Without them... Without them, I'd be dead in a ditch." The words came out without embellishment. The young man spoke them with sincerity, something that he could anticipate.

"Ever worked in a Dust mine, kid?" Nicholas asked, as they walked towards a small café that stood at the other end, the street relatively busy, even with their movement more sedate than most. Nicholas could see several people look at the two of them, hearing someone say "Isn't that sweet to see that young man help his grandfather out?", his attention going to the young man.

"I've not had the best of experiences with Dust, sir." Nicholas watched the young man's frown behind the glasses that he wore, his eyes hidden still, yet with the knowledge that there was something that the young man did not approve of Dust, or at least some fragments of its mining process. "One... incident, involved someone using Dust on my back. Not pleasant."

Nicholas winced. That was one of the applications that some people enjoyed when to get information out of people, as Dust had a powerful effect, enough to make sure of the continued pain of the people that were under 'treatment'.

"Apologies." The waitress that approached them wore a warm smile, her dark red hair visibly made up with some spray, Nicholas nearly smelling the chemical smell of it.

"Would you like a table, sirs?" The woman asked, even as the young man smiled. It was always a good sign to see how fluid people could move through the social sphere.

"Well, we're looking for my friend, she's about... a head or two shorter than me, with a long rifle and-" The young man stopped as the waitress seemed to understand.

"Oh! Atlas Jean! That's the best cosplayer I've ever seen, save for the hair colour. Real shame, she's got the look down pat, even if she's a bit older." The smile on the woman's face was enough, even as she looked at him. "She's waiting in one of the upstairs lounges, she informed me that you'd be coming." Nicholas looked at the young man for a moment, even as he smiled in a manner that a young man would, when thinking about the woman that he fancied. _'It wouldn't be a bad choice...'_

Whitney was old and wise enough to pick a man who touched her on some level. If she had survived Jacques without any injuries, she would be able to survive this as well. The laborious climb up the stairs was enough to leave him slightly out of breath, the feeling of anticipation welling up inside him and made him feel like he was just about to head out on another expedition, to some far-flung realm of Dust and wonder. As he checked the rooms, he spotted one that was occupied, the young man taking the lead, knocking on it once.

"Hard Rod is here for Atlas Jean." The original character's name had been Hot Shot, but whatever Whitney had cooked up seemed to have been a little cruder, though he knew well that she slurred many of the character names with her drunken antics whenever she got too deep into the bottle.

"She used to mix up those names when she got drunk." Nicholas mentioned, drawing a raised eyebrow from him, even as from the inside, there was a click and the door opened up. The door was pulled open and the well-lit room invited them in.

"I wasn't that bad... I only threw up twice."Nicholas could hear his daughter's words, the faint amusement in her voice enough, as he hurried, as fast as his legs could carry him, seeing her stand there. Her manner of dress was provocative enough, the midriff bared and her hair a loose style that she'd normally never wear, yet it was his daughter. _'Whitney...'_

"I'm..." She started, looking at his companion. "Could you wait outside for a moment? Please?" The plea was more of a concession than anything else, even as the young man nodded.

"I'll be outside if you need me." The young man was respectful by taking his leave, even as Whitney moved close, hugging him.

"I've missed you." The words were simple and yet, he felt the tears slide down his cheeks. His eyes were moist, even as her own were.

"Daddy, I've..." Her voice was a breathy whisper, even as her arms pulled him tightly to her. "I've done some bad things..." His hands wrapped around her, offering her the comfort that he could grant. She was his only daughter, the one who had inherited the company whilst Jacques managed it.

"I'm sure that it'll be okay, sweetheart... Daddy is here for you." The words came easy, even as he felt the air in his lungs stall. He took a deep breath from the oxygen supply, the tubes inserted in his nose bringing enough air to his system for his breathing to be a little easier. "No matter what... We can make it go away."

She guided him towards one of the comfortable looking seats, helping him sit down, her face looking a little worried, even as her eyes met with his own. "There's... Dad..." The look on that face of hers was enough to show that things were seriously wrong.

"I'm in love with the young man who brought you here." A conclusion to the thoughts that he had held before. His eyes met hers and he nodded. "You may not agree but..." The look on her face was torn up. "He..."

A Glyph appeared on her hand, perfect and without any issue about it. The warmth of the Glyph was familiar, even as he witnessed its radiance for a moment before it fizzled out. "He ignited my Aura. I dove into his soul and..." Tears came, even as she shook her head.

"This is not just a fancy! This is not just... craving." Her face was flush, her features looking years younger, perhaps a side-effect of her awakened aura. "This is love. I... I love him so much that I can't see a world without him in it." The words were genuine enough that it was not easy to keep his face passive, as he knew would be requested.

"You are still married to Jacques." The words were something that he could throw at her, the status of the man who married her and who had soiled her bright spirit with his commercialism still there. A rude sound in her throat, as her eyes fixed him with a burning willpower in them.

"Fuck Jacques. The day I see that man is the day that he dies. He dared to assassinate me... Using the escort ships to do the deed, and it cost us a lot." The words were fierce, even as the question rose 'Who is 'us'?' to his mind, as he steepled his hands.

"Why don't you tell me what happened. Short, please." It was his best trait, to condense the essentials in short bullet points, to be explained briefly and then cast to the side, to get the whole thing over with.

"Met a pair of Faunus. We got to become friends. Decided to head in the same direction as they. Assassination attempt blows all of us out of the sky. One of them died. Their wife is with us as well. The young man you know saved us. He awakened my Aura. We travelled to Mistral city, killed the Headmaster due to him trying to do us in. We travelled here, I confessed my love to him at his ancestral home. Now we're here." The words did not make much sense, as her face turned placid and serene like a lake's surface, her eyes looking at him as if expecting him to immediately know everything.

It was a condensed version of the events that happened. Through most of his channels, he knew that there were several events that happened all at once. Sienna Khan and the Belladonnas of Menagerie were presumed dead due to an ambush by the Grimm, his daughter and the craft that were there to escort her thought lost in the same circumstances.

"You trust him with your life?" He asked her, Whitney giving a single nod. That was enough for him, even as he turned to the door. "Then, I suppose I can-" Her hand grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Daddy, get the Hindenburg here." Nicholas stiffened. The Hindenburg, formally known as the SMS Hindenburg, was an airship of similar size to General Ironwood's command ship, the sole ship in Atlas that was not under the discretion of the Atlesian Military due to it being the flagship of the Schnee Dust Company.

The Dust weaponry on it could level a Kingdom if they were properly charged. To see something like that brought to Vale was to indirectly declare war on the Kingdom, the General's ships only sufficient for the security of the Vytal festival. To have her request it... "Why?" He asked, Whitney's eyes narrowing.

"I am not confident in General Ironwood's stance on the protection of our family." The words were treasonous and seditious if they were aired near any military personnel, yet her eyes were fierce as she looked into his eyes.

"One time is a misfortune, a second time is an ill-timed fate... And a third time..." The adage was enough to bring thoughts to his mind to his eldest granddaughter, who served as a Specialist for the Atlas Military, which was entrenched within the culture itself.

"You believe that James Ironwood would..." The man's geniality during the few formal events that Nicholas had attended had been something of a plus in his eye, yet Nicholas had also heard about the Mantlean barrier project that had been instigated by the man himself, in response to the rising amount of White Fang assaults on SDC transports.

"Wouldn't it be fortunate if one of the Schnee family is conveniently lost whilst on the return trip from one of the Kingdoms? Wouldn't it be wonderful if the two daughters and a son would be put under the sole family member who doesn't bear the bloodline? A tragic accident... The poor children without a mother." Her voice was colder, darkness creeping into her sclera, dark veins surging with a taint, the blues of her eyes turning even more vivid as anger showed on her face.

"To have the man who controls the Dust eliminated quickly and quietly, installing the loyal daughter as the head of the Schnee Dust Company? Jacques would be the second to go after me... James Ironwood isn't as kind as he purports to be... It is all about power." Nicholas knew reasonably well how the power moved within the Kingdom of Atlas. It was the worry in his heart as well, the moment that he had heard of Whitley's move to eliminate his father... that this had been an inside job.

' _With control over the Dust...'_ The man's face came to his mind, even as he recalled a conversation that had taken place years before.

" _Security is obviously a must, Nicholas. Why, young Winter has been making roads towards special training... And I will personally ensure that the Schnee Dust Company will have an heir that it can be proud of." The man had been warm and genial, ready to speak with the air of a man who knew the stresses of the day and had conquered them, who was a friend..._

" _Whitney will do as she must. I am not dying yet, James. This old Dust miner still has some pickaxes left." There had been a forced smile on the man's face, the facial muscles moving, yet the eyes not meeting his own, a coldness in them or an instant. The man had not been pleased, yet Nicholas' mind had been set on his daughter's happiness back then..._

"It is indeed about power..." Nicholas admitted, even as he looked at his daughter, whose eyes were now shining with a faint blue glow, her fists balled in the way that she did when she was livid and in a private place.

"I just don't..." Her voice was thick with emotion, even as her eyes met his own, Glyphs springing up around her from the errant activation of the Semblance. "I don't want my daughters to be treated like that. They are... They are NOT chattel or broodmares! I will NOT let Winter spread her legs for someone that the General approves of in order to breed the next generation of Schnee. I will NOT let our independent legacy be subordinated by a General who cannot see the bigger picture." The anger in her voice was real, as he could see it in her eyes. There was a desire within her to keep the family secure, safe and outside of the military.

"I'm sure that..." He stopped that sentence. _'Would Winter do such a thing?'_ He had thought it teenage rebellion when she had tried to become a Huntress, only to enter the Specialists. The ways that Winter spoke about the General...

" _You should give the suggestion from General Ironwood a little thought, grandfather." The proposal had been in front of him, even as the young woman, barely nineteen now, looked at him, a smile on her lips, even as the Atlas Academy uniform looked crisp on her._

" _I'm not sure whether such a favourable deal would be right." The pout came then, as she looked at him._

" _Father already declined it, said that it would not be good for business..." The plea was there. Nicholas sighed and then signed it, knowing that if it frustrated his son-in-law, it might be worth it._

' _Has she really been...'_ The image of Winter obediently allowing herself to be... _'No...'_ His fist slammed onto the table, as he could see it happening. The girl had an almost pathological need for the approval of General Ironwood, due to lacking any good paternal figures...

' _And Weiss would be married off, if she has not perished before such a time... The Military determines the fate of all the Citizens with the Council consisting of Ironwood and several others...'_ He was not a man who was prone to fits of anger, yet there was something burning inside him now, something dark and angry, something that seemed to brush through all of his mind, even as he could feel someone touch his shoulder with a soft touch. Ice-water seemed to splash down his back at the touch, even as someone spoke up.

"So this is Nicholas Schnee..." The feminine voice that spoke was enough, even as he looked up, spotting the Faunus girl that was with Weiss and her friends. There were three studs in her ears, even as the smell of lavender was strong around her. "My... I'd expected you to be a little taller."

"I am afraid that it would be a little bit hard for me to get up, Miss..." He was not going to call the woman Blake, as she seemed to be more mature than the girl that he had seen with his granddaughter only now. The skin-tight leather outfit that she wore was enough as well, as she cast a look at him that held differing meanings.

"Belladonna. Kali Belladonna." The words and the name confirmed his suspicion. "I'm White's friend." The Faunus woman nodded her head towards his daughter, who looked at her with amusement on her face, as the Faunus woman met his gaze. "I'm one of His acolytes."

He filed the term 'acolytes' away for further musing, even as Whitney gave a humoured sound. "Come to bother him again, you horny cat?" The Faunus woman snorted, shaking her head. It was a surprisingly amused sound that she made, even as her attention went right back to him.

"I am simply informing him about tonight. There's a little hitch to the plan, but Sienna is dealing with that..." The smile that the woman had on her face was something that couldn't be faked, the eyes glowing slightly as the muscles relaxed, showing her true feelings on the subject. "I'd like it if you and Sienna and the ragamuffins would go for a long walk, say... most of the night?" The sigh his daughter gave was enough to indicate to him that she was not very happy with the thought of such a long 'walk'.

"We're sharing the same man. It isn't optimal, but we make do." The woman explained, in her own manner, a catty grin on her lips. "Faunus culture is a little different, but you'd grow to know it well." The look on his face must've been surprised, as she laughed softly. "No, not like that."

"We..." The woman's face, much alike to her daughter, twisted in a complicated expression. "We share the care for him. He is our saviour, our rescuer from the darkness..."The reverence that she used as she spoke about the young man was something startling, almost like it was her faith, her eyes looking at his daughter, as she smiled.

"No matter what, we are those that have received his Blessing. With him as our guide..." The woman's smile moved, even as the shadows wrapped around her and the fear coursed through his veins, a raw and untamed fear, as her eyes met with his own. Pools of amber-filled darkness looked into his own, his heartbeat skyrocketing, even as the small watch beeped with the sound of an elevated heartbeat, his daughter's hand on the Faunus woman's, the darkness receding and those eyes locked with his own a moment later, a smile still on her face.

"We're going to be alright. We've got our duties... One of us is searching for a way to apologize... But in the end, we will make this world a place where you can live safely and happily without the worries of losing someone."The words of the woman were heavy, even as she turned her head to Whitney.

"I'll inform Sienna that we'll have the night together... I just need a good and proper ink stone too... They don't sell those anymore, bah." The Faunus disappeared into the shadows, leaving his daughter to look at him, a sad smile on her face. Not a hint of the Faunus ever being there was left.

"Her husband was claimed by the ambush." The words were so easy to speak, her eyes meeting with his in the manner of trust, even as her hands gently squeezed his own. "Daddy...We can make this world better..." A sound came from the door. "Jaune? Could you come in, please?"

The door opened, revealing the pale-haired young man, the door shutting a moment later. Nicholas could see assurance in those eyes, even as he watched the young man named Jaune take a seat next to his daughter. _'So this is what it feels like to have to lose your daughter...'_

"Jaune, meet Nicholas." The introduction was brief, yet the young man gave him the customary half-bow, even whilst seated. "Could you introduce yourself formally, Jaune?"

The young man stood, the glasses pulled from his face, the white hair falling over his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath. Strands of blonde hair were visible, even as his arms showed visible distension of the veins within, even as he strained to hold in the breath, the hair shifted back to the blonde colour.

" **My name is Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, eldest and only son of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night and Emerald Arc-Sepia."** The way that the young man's voice sounded like it were twisted and warped was unnatural, even as two red eyes looked right into his own, the sharp purplish blue colour slowly starting to push further into those, the black sclera slowly turning white once more. A soft chuckle came from Nicholas' mouth, as he recognized the name.

' _The d'Arc-Night family...'_

The name of the Warrior King who had brought order to the world and evaded the conflict of the Great War was enough to shake the world twice over. The Vacuo Crush was still spoken of frequently in academic circles, with nearly unanimous conclusion of an underground Dust deposit being detonated underneath the forces of the Kingdoms in order to eke out the win. _'One of those...'_

The young man before him had the regal bearing of the family, even as the posture changed to a more formal one. The pale white hair, as it had been depicted with the King of Vale's official state portrait, stood there, now a golden colour. _'Age and such would bleach it...'_

He could see Whitney's eyes, enraptured with a blissful look, her eyes captivated by the young man, a young man who looked to be young enough to be Winter's age, if not a little younger.

 _'A bad choice, socially... But the right one, politically.'_

The repopulation of the Kingdoms had taken most of the Twenties and the Thirties of the aftermath of the War. The Kingdoms as they were now, had been forged through the test of combat, with the societies of fighters from the Great War integrating themselves.

"Nicholas Von Schnee, founder of the Schnee Dust Company." The young man had stood up, and so Nicholas stood, the clothes snagging against the tube that led to the canister, the beard moving with every word that he spoke. "Father to Whitney, grandfather to Winter, Weiss and Whitley." The man's voice was enough to cow most people, frail as he was in his health, yet he looked at the young man, whose eyes showed no shock.

"A pleasure to meet you." The young man's features returned to that state that it had been before, his breathing a little easier, as if some heavy burden had been taken from his back. "Whitney has been a wonderful companion."

Nicholas could see the hesitation within the young man's eyes as he spoke in the most general of terms, the way that she looked at him, the naked desire on her face enough to show that they were intimate. _'Not precisely a good image...'_ The woman was already a widow now...

"What do you intend to do about her husband?" He asked, not busying himself with any of the fancy words that would hide his intent, his eyes meeting with the young man, waiting for a reaction. "She is still married under Atlesian law." The look in his eyes was changing, a wave of anger in those eyes. _'Good... He has the fire.'_

"If he cannot be persuaded to leave her alone..." The look on that young man's face turned savage, like a Grimm that had been caged. Why the comparison rose to his mind was not readily apparent, even as he watched the young man look at his daughter. "I will make sure that he disappears." The words weren't an idle boast like so many people would have. There was a threat there within those words, even as Whitney gave a soft sigh, clearly happy with the words that the young man spent on her.

"I don't think you would need to go that far." The way that his daughter and her lover turned to him at the same time was creepy, their eyes looking at him, even as he fought the urge to shudder, something dancing up and down over his spine for some reason.

"Jacques Géle died a day ago. He was killed through an allergic reaction." The look on Whitney's face was one of vindication, of relief and hope and something else, a deep sigh coming from her, as if the burden had fallen off her shoulders. "Whitney... Please..."

"Who did it?" She asked, her eyes looking at him with that needy expression, the nearly mad look in them frightening to those who hadn't been used to the Dust mines. Dust Fever was a thing, of course only for some of the harshest Dust mines...

"Whitley." The look on her face took on a disgusted manner, even as her head turned away, a soft hiss coming from his daughter's lips that sounded like 'that rotten little bastard', though he knew that his grandson was... twisted.

"Was there any sign of interference from the General?" The question hung in the air, even as he looked at her, a faint worry on her face. "A fourteen-year-old child would not have the ability to plan such a cultivated assassination."

"I will have my man check." It was always good to be prepared... especially if you were going to investigate the family's affairs. A cough came from his lips, even as another immediately followed it, hoarse deep breaths coming from his mouth, as the feeling of pain stabbed right through him, the whole sensation of his body being a mass of pain and faint irritation.

"Dad... Drink." The hand that appeared in front of him had a droplet of blood leaking from the middle finger, her eyes met by his own. "It will... It will make you a little better. It made... It made us all stronger." The words sounded so normal, even as he felt another cough come up. _'What harm could it do? I've got... say, five years to live? Maybe less.'_

It was awkward, suckling on the index finger that belonged to his daughter, yet the first taste of the dark red blood was like an explosion inside of his mind. Pain lanced through his body as he could feel the pain of aching joints increase, a low guttural sound coming from his mouth as he felt his lungs be on fire. " Hush, father… It will all be better soon."

The words seemed to be the truth, even as he rose, his breathing a little easier now, something inside him starting to push through his veins, clearing up the arteries that had been restricting his blood flow from properly functioning. _'I feel like I'm… ten years younger.'_

His fingers rose up, the liver spots on the back of his hand having faded away, leaving strong, taut flesh to wrap around the hands, healthiness now infused within the previously gnarled fingers. A slow exhale came from his mouth as he felt the brush of something inside him, something moving fluidly. " How… How does it feel, daddy?"

The child-like term that she used was of no import, even as he raised an arm, looking at the flesh that had been restored. _' A miracle…'_

It was perhaps a miracle of sorts, yet he witnessed it himself, even as his daughter smiled. The door opened up and the waitress that had sent them here entered, not a single shred of doubt in her eyes. It was like an eye-opener, as he yawned all of a sudden, feeling remarkably tired.

"Would you like to order something?" The waitress asked, even as Whitney took the initiative to speak.

"We'd like a small pot of tea, please. My father is not very well, so…" The waitress smiled, even as Nicholas wanted to protest about him being 'unwell', yet he mustered no such words.

"We have a nice selection of cakes as well. Would you like to taste a slice?" The words were side-dressing, even as he shook his head.

"I should be heading to my granddaughter and her friends… She's shopping for a bra." The look of understanding on the waitress' face was enough, even as the young man spoke up.

"But we'll like a pot of tea, please. We're sort of waiting for a few of our teammates to return." The waitress gave Whitney a look, raising an eyebrow that clearly implied 'But aren't you together with him?' as Whitney smiled in the gentle manner that she reserved for those moments when the feelings inside and the situation outside called for it.

"Huntsmen?" The waitress said, the young man nodding. "Two women, Faunus. Best partners ever. Ever since they saved my bacon from that big turtle Grimm… oof." The young man winked at the waitress, even as she gave him a look, clearly somewhat impressed or mollified by the story that he gave.

"That sounds… very impressive." The girl sounded impressed, even as Whitney gave a moderate look at the waitress, clearly not too enthused about her being impressed with the tale that he was spinning. "I'll… I'll get you the tea." The Lien chip that he held up was taken, a little nod to the waitress and a "Consider the rest as your tip.", said to make sure that she would be in a good mood. _'A good mood and less willing to deny you service… It's a basic rule of business. Create a good impression and they will be more open towards doing business to you.'_

As the door clicked shut behind the waitress, Nicholas returned his gaze to the young man, whose expression had grown a little darker, as he got up. "Want me to escort you back to Weiss?" He offered, Nicholas shaking his head. Whitney made a sound in the back of her throat, a bitter expression on her face. _'She wants to see her daughter…'_

"Dad… Do you think you can…" There was the hope in her voice, as she looked into his eyes and then brushed her fingers over his own in a tender manner. "Can you keep an eye on Weiss? I'm…" She looked terrified for a moment, as she took a deep breath.

"The Dust mine is breaking out in Fire Dust flares and Lightning Dust flashes." The words would register to each miner about a situation that they were familiar with. It was old-fashioned, yet he remembered the times when there'd been a Fire Dust explosion or a Lightning Dust flash. The meaning of it was 'I don't think it's wise to come out into the open when there's danger afoot.'

"Of course." He felt stronger now that she had shared with him some of her blood, whatever stimulant she had injected it with racing through his veins. He trusted her, even as the young noble man at her side looked at him with eyes that looked a little sad.

"She's shared her blood with you, hasn't she?" He asked, to which Nicholas nodded. A wince went through the young man, even as he exhaled slowly. "You'd better prepare for a rough ride. You may feel her emotions at some times… that's what seems to happen when they share the blood with another." There was a wistful tone, as if it had been something that he had craved as well.

"Does your father hold the title of Prince?" The question took the young man by surprise, even as he pursed his lips, thoughtful about the subject.

"I… I think he does… But I didn't pay much attention when I was being told about the ancestral history. My sisters made fun of me for having to write JOAN as my signature, heh…" Whitney hugged him suddenly, an impulsive move that she wouldn't have made under regular circumstances.

"I don't care what your name is. You are mine." Her words were claiming and full of conviction, even as the young man blushed a little, his gaze down at the table.

"But… What does that have to do with anything?" Nicholas could tell him that it had to do quite a bit with the annulment of marriages. It was standard law, as far as the official foundation of Atlas went, that one of higher social caste could 'absolve' the marriage of someone of lesser standing.

A prince, in the case of the Four Families of Vale, would be able to wash away the little hindrance of Jacques Schnee-Gele from the list with a wave of the hand. The laws had been changed only eighty years ago, so they still had the grandfathered in clauses on the nobility and their heritage. The abolition of the power of the nobles had not gone as quickly as it had been assumed by historians. Many families clung to their ancestral heritage, even though the Four Families of the Vale were most known around the noble circles. Atlas did not have many in the way of 'High' nobility…

But to see a d'Arc-Night here, with his daughter…

"Just some legal stuff." Nicholas said, even as Whitney smiled. "Marriages between lower caste nobles and higher caste nobles are not a rarity after all…" The implication was set out. He could only wait for the young man to take the bait.

"I'm not sure… My eldest sister often took the lead in the lessons, if dad was not around. Not that he was around too much, but I suppose it's the thought that counts." The young man was thoughtful, even as he seemed to remember something of the past. "She was like 'You should learn this, Jaune. You may not think it important, but it could save your life one day.'"

A laugh, full of fond memories, came for her. "Official writing was _hell_. Everyone had to write their initials in 'Noble cursive' and we had to compare where we messed up. I was five… I didn't know that finger-painting my name would be considered rude." Nicholas couldn't suppress a grin, even as he got up. The tubes that fed oxygen to his lungs moved slightly, even as he took a deeper breath, unaided by the mechanism to draw in a full lung of breath.

' _It feels good to breathe again.'_

The blood inside his body felt swifter as it coursed through the veins, his breathing a little stronger. "My oldest sister has the best handwriting out of all of us. She spent hours getting me to properly be able to write a letter of engagement, as if I'd ever get a date out of it, hah." He smiled softly, the fond memories definitely showing through. "She was sort of like our second mom… Dad was gone a lot. Being a Huntsman. Mom was… difficult at times. She often stressed about the time that I spent with my oldest sisters. Said that I shouldn't bother them too much, they were important people and that Dad would teach me more. Never did that, but… Well, he was always busy."

"She taught my older sister Azure most of the tricks to actually mastering her handwriting. She had this little quiver that always made her look like she was writing a tectonic read-out… oh, the stories that I could tell… Ashley and Bianca once blew up the furnace in the kitchen…" The smile was a nice lead to the man, even as the shadows disgorged the Faunus woman once more, a blood-streaked hand held up in a wave.

"Little problem, but we got a handle on it. Sienna said that she'd be going the regular route, as she isn't looking like she got out of the abattoir… Honestly, some people can be so fussy when they don't tell us what we need to know…" The woman must've only been gone for around ten to fifteen minutes or so, as her fingers tapped lightly on the table, leaving blood droplets there. "Now… I'll escort mister Schnee back to his place, as soon as I've gotten a little wash…" The woman's voice was soft, even as she dissipated into shadows, the look that Whitney gave to the Faunus woman being one of exasperation.

"Does she do that often?" He asked her, Whitney nodding her head.

"We all like him, Nick." The use of his first name was a surprise, yet there was an intimacy in it, even as he nodded at her and then glanced to the young man, whose face was laden with brooding thoughts. _'A serious young man… burdened by something.'_

"Is there anything that I can do for you, Mister d'Arc-Night?" The young man looked up, a smile on the face of his daughter, even as he blushed a little, looking every bit the awkward teenager that he seemed to be.

"Just call me Jaune, I mean… I am sort of seeing your daughter." The humour in that statement's truth was enough to make him give a little bemused chuckle. It was indeed the case, if he gauged his daughter's look well enough, that she indeed was seeing him.

"You must call me Nicholas then… or just Nick. Formalities are for the people who think it matters." The simple and honest truths were the ones that he always stuck to. You could trust the yield of a lode of Dust and the average compensation for a worker for a month of their time. People who hid beyond masks and faces were hardly worth the time.

It was ten minutes later that he finally emerged from the little café, his steps a little less steady than before, the heavy oxygen canister carried by the Faunus woman, whose face seemed to be a mid-way point between the young girl who apparently was her daughter and someone mature enough to be her older sister. The outfit seemed to have changed in a mere flicker of the shadows to something that wouldn't look out of place in most modern teenagers' wardrobes, his eyes catching the faint traces of scars on the pale flesh, something that seemed not to be able to be hidden so easily through whatever Semblance the woman had.

"It is… nice." She said, speaking softly, demure and gentle, as if she were one of the Mistrali professional wenches at the docks. "White really loves you. We've all been raised on tales about Jacques… But we praise you, Nicholas." The praise was something that fortified him, even as he tried to keep the slow pace that he was known for. _'The cards that you have in your hand are the ones that you can play… Nobody knows that I'm a little better now thanks to Whitney's little assistance…'_

Surprises got people killed in the mines. It also helped against people wanting to hurt him. "She's the apple of my eye… My granddaughters are too, but her…" He couldn't help but let the sadness show through clearly in his voice. "She is the one who reminds me the most of my late wife."

"You should be careful. The White Fang is present here and at its head is a maniac who won't stop until the Humans are subjugated…" The words were telling, even as the woman moved, the lingerie store standing before them, awaiting his entrance as well as hers. "But…" She looked a little pensive. "Could you do me a favour?"

"If it's reasonable…" There was a doubt inside him, as he looked at the Faunus woman, who smiled a little as if she had suddenly gleaned the clue to some inside joke.

"White was just like that… Always so hesitant, so ready to try and protect herself." A sadness shone through in those words as well, even as the woman sighed deeply, her hand brushing through her long hair, her eyes looking into the store, his own following her gaze, spotting the butler standing there, relaxed and yet with his eyes looking around for any sign of him. The visible relief that flashed over the butler's face as he saw him, together with his new Faunus attendant, was there, the hand pulled out of the jacket where the gun that the butler kept for the protection of his charges was holstered.

"I'll just…" The woman flickered into the shadows, appearing from a coat rack, looking through it with a determined look, her gaze searching for something, even as she flickered back, a white flash in her hands. "hand you this. Could you hand this to Blake, after I've paid for it?" The woman's voice was delicate, even as Nicholas walked towards her, the slow steps that the Butler made deliberately in order to let the two of them talk, as Nicholas seemed to be under no direct threat from the woman.

"Of course." A simple request like that was something swift and easy. It was far from actually inciting sedition against Atlas or something like it by giving a coat to the woman's daughter. _'I could've done the same, if I needed to be hidden…'_

The issue that Whitney's group was facing was not something that he would mingle in. There was an ulterior purpose to the young man's leading of the group, the powers that were arrayed between the two women that he knew of definitely enough to make sure that there would be a ruckus… and one of those being his own daughter, making it even tighter an issue.

Whitney Schnee was not an inconsequential name in the international business world. The fact that she was alive was enough currency to stymie a price drop in the Dust trade.

The woman stalked over to the register, flashing a card and a smile, his attention going to his butler, who approached, seemingly casually. "Have you had a good meeting, Sir?"

"It was productive." The words were casual and calm, as he looked at the direction of the girls, or where he supposed they were. He could see the Faunus girl look curiously at the rack of brassieres, seemingly trying to come to a decision whether she should select a certain pair for whatever purpose went through her head.

"And…" The butler inquired, yet Nicholas remained silent, his eyes watching as the woman at the register paid finally, dissipating into shadows, the coat in her hands suddenly appearing in front of him, held by a hand from the shadows, the woman disappearing once more.

"Don't worry…" The woman said at barely a whisper, the feeling of icy talons stroking over his back, the soft breath that brushed over his cheek through sheer proximity enough to make him quiver. "I'll be taking good care of White."

It was a relief to him to hear that, even with how the woman seemed to fade out. He moved towards the girl, motioning for the butler to follow, even as the Faunus girl looked up. "Ah, hello. Is there a problem, Mister Schnee?"

He smiled at the girl, holding up the jacket for her. "Consider this a gift." The raised eyebrows showed a deep skepticism about how the young woman's acceptance would be, the look in her eyes hidden for a moment, before the bright and sunny girl named Yang spoke up.

"Woah… You've got a rich sugar daddy now, Blakey… Come on, try it on!" The receipt he tucked into a pocket, watching as the Faunus girl flushed lightly at the encroachment of her partner.

"Y-Yang, I just…" The hesitation in her voice was real, even as she watched the look on her partner's face, who coaxed her into the dressing room once more.

Once she emerged again, Nicholas took note of how the jacket fit her. The look of her attire had been upgraded to something that looked a little more matured in the way that the jacket complemented her natural style, her amber-golden eyes looking at him and smiling at him. A small piece of paper fell out from below, even as Yang knelt and picked it up.

' _Hmm… Perhaps she left behind a message for her daughter?'_ The blonde looked at the note and then handed it to her. "It's addressed to you."

He was sure that it wasn't anything to worry about. "I'm making a call." The Scroll he whipped out connected immediately, even as he waited for the connection to establish. Given the time difference, it made more sense that the person he was trying to reach would be asleep, yet there was still the worry in his heart.

"What is the issue?" The tired voice came from the speaker, even as Nicholas firmed up.

"I need the Hindenburg here in Vale. Make it so." The words were simple, even as the person on the other end of the connection seemed to wake up immediately.

"As you wish, Mister Schnee." The words were easy, even as he knew that in the end, the loyalty of this man could not be bought, that the wishes that he had would be as easily granted as they would be for Jacques. With Jacques dead… It left open a void.

"Have a pleasant night." The words were merely window-dressing, even as he turned his attention back to the two girls.

* * *

 _The bra trip (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She looked in the mirror, the cheesy golden bikini fitting her well, her mounds of joy pressing tightly against the fabric, even as she let herself go and have a little wobble, the bounciness of the hunks of fat on her front definitely aesthetically pleasing.

She strode out nearly a minute or two later wearing her own shirt, the new bikini top below it visible, wanting to get an opinion from either her sister or the frosty reception that she got from the girl whose grandfather had taken them on this trip.

Spotting the old man holding out a coat to Blake, obviously to try and give it to her, as any great grandpa should, the hint of joy inside her just exploded into full-on happy feelings. Blake looked a little lost, looking at the offending garment in the man's bony hand as if it were something alien.

"Woah… You've got a rich sugar daddy now, Blakey. Come on… Try it on." She could already see Blake wearing the coat. It was looser than the getup that she currently wore, her expressive eyes curious, as they met her gaze.

Blake looked at her. "Y-Yang, I just…" She started, yet her hands grabbed the Faunus girl's shoulders and ushered her into the changing booth.

"Wear it, Blakey… Look good for the whole world to see."

There was no hesitation in her voice, watching Blake turn a little redder in the face, her eyes looking up at her with a hesitation in those eyes, before Yang left the changing booth.

She watched Blake step out, the top covering the important bits whilst the coat fit her nicely.

 _'Grandpa Schnee has a good eye for stuff like this…'_

A piece of paper fell out, and she bent to pick it up. In bold letters, the word – **Blake** – was written with what seemed to be lipstick, turning it over, before holding it out to her. "Here… It's addressed to you."

Blake looked at the note, even as she took it, opening it up. Yang could see a fairly bold lettering write a few words – **Beware your old friends.** – with the scrawled symbol of the White Fang below it, the words not making any sense to her, yet Blake had frozen up, her eyes wide now.

' _Oh no…'_

"Is everything alright?"She asked, looking at the Faunus teen and feeling awkward, not sure whether there was something wrong with her, Blake's eyes wide, looking around with fear in them, absolute fear and terror, as she breathed in faster than she'd heard before. "Blake?"

Her arms wrapped around her partner, friend and somewhat lover, the Faunus freezing up even more, a soft whimper in her throat, even as she nuzzled against her. It was a desperate sound that seemed more to belong to an animal than a normal human, the soft whimper only urging on sympathy from her.

"The Fang… Oh no… The Fang knows…" It didn't matter to Yang right now how it looked. There was a soft cough, as Yang turned to look at the old man, her eyes narrowing.

 _'He wouldn't be working with the White Fang, would he?'_

The thought was ludicrous, even as she locked eyes with the man, the pale blue eyes looking right back at her.

"The jacket was a gift from an acquaintance of mine that I made very recently. She left about five minutes ago." The breathing calmed down a little, even as Blake whispered softly something that sounded like 'it's okay, it's okay, it's not going to be…'.

It worried her. "They knew your parents." The man added, Blake calming down substantially.

"Old Fang then… That's… that's good." The worry in her eyes was still there, even as the old man looked at her with worry in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" Weiss asked, her voice showing concern, a tone that she took only rarely, even as her eyes met with Yang's own. The feeling inside Yang's chest was lighter now, as Blake calmed down.

"We've just had a bit of bad news... Friends of Blake's parents informed us that there's some of her old 'friends' around Vale." The Faunus girl nodded.

"It's not surprising, given that we've stopped their efforts twice before..." She started, Ruby appearing, serious-faced and wearing one of the cutest lace sets of lingerie, the cloak flapping in the breeze.

"Team RWBY will stop them!" The raised finger and the dramatic flourish of the cape did little to hide the fact that she was currently flashing everyone in the store a look on the underwear that she was modelling.

"You'd better do that when dressed, lil' sis. Wouldn't want to have the boys stare at you too much, right?" The blush that covered Ruby's face as she disappeared into the changing stall was enough to bring a soft cackle from her lips.

"If she needs protection..." There was a hopeful question in Weiss' voice, as her grandfather's face looked half-way constipated, a thing that old people often got when asked difficult questions.

"I have requested that the Hindenburg be flown here, as insurance." The words of the man were soft, yet Weiss seemed to be worried, even as her frown increased.

"Don't we have enough warships in the air above us already?"

The question hung there, even as her grandfather looked pensive, as if he was deliberating the answer himself.

"Atlesian warships are beholden to the General's command." The man explained. Yang wasn't an idiot, even though the blonde stereotype often did give such an impression to people who thought that it would be so. The distinction between 'the General' and 'their own' was distinct. Her uncle Qrow would often talk about the difference in political factions, and she knew that it would be wise to have some reasonable freedom there.

"Ah, I see..." Weiss said, the man giving a soft cough, as he looked at the butler.

"It's getting a little late... So we should probably head towards one of the places where you kids can get something to eat." Ruby appeared once more, a suggestion shot out immediately, Weiss rubbing the bridge of her nose, clearly not quite pleased with the suggestion, yet Yang knew that her little sister was just trying to make things work.

"You okay?" She whispered into Blake's ear, the soft nod enough.

"I will be. I just have to be more careful. I don't want you to get hurt." The sentiment was touching, even as Yang adjusted her grip on Blake a little. Faunus were a little weird, in her opinion... So much thought on other people's opinions, not enough fun.

"We're team RWBY. We're kick-ass and awesome."

They'd have to be. They were amazing.

* * *

 _The depth (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He lowered the sunglasses onto his nose again, feeling the glare of the sun hit him as he emerged from the cafe. Sienna and Kali had already gone ahead, leaving him and Whitney to take care of the bill, Whitney's appearance even more sensual than before, as if she was trying her best to show her womanly side to him, her fingers in his own. "I'll just be a bit... I need to head to the bathroom." Leaning against a wall, he patiently waited for her.

"John? Oh, it IS you!" The familiar voice that he could momentarily not place sounded from close by, even as he saw a couple coming his way, the excited voice belonging to none other than Melinda. He saw the pretty sundress that she wore, the golden armbands glistening in the fading sunlight of the late afternoon.

"How are you doing? This is my new boyfriend, Evan!" The tall man looked at him with a surly look, the fierce blue eyes locked with his own sunglass-covered ones, the beanie that the man wore barely hiding the short-cut hair.

"Doing decently. We had a quick stop at Vytal and are now in Vale after swinging by Patch to check up on one of the team's husband. Missed that guy a lot." The young woman giggled, her boyfriend clearly not as happy, even as the facial expression turned darker than before, a look of gloomy darkness on that face, even as the man's eyes met with his own.

' _Back off.'_ Those eyes said, even as the emotions within the young man were a ball of anger and rage, no doubt caused by the friendliness that the girl showed him. "We got together too." The girl smiled, even as she hugged her boyfriend a little closer.

"Evan's just such a sweetheart. I met him whilst I was shopping in lower Vale's district... Say, do you think you two would be up for a bit of... " He didn't catch the hand gesture's meaning, yet he knew that it would probably be something that Whitney wouldn't be up for. _'She loves me so much that she wouldn't want to share me...'_

"I'm afraid not." The young man at her side glared at him, as if the suggestion of his girlfriend was more than enough.

"My darling, I don't think he's up for such a thing..." The young man said, brushing a hand over the beanie, the roots of his hair a rust-brown colour, slowly going to a deep brown in the tips.

"Aww, you little prude... You weren't saying that when you were giving me your hot beef infusion last night, hmmm?" She teased, making the young man flush a little.

"Love, I..." She cut him off with a kiss, letting it linger for a while.

"Let's go to our seats, my strong man... I want something to drink before we go and get ourselves a nice hotel room..." The subtext was definitely something, even as Evan looked at him with a look, the angry feelings inside him mounting even more.

"So... Nice weather, eh?" Jaune tried to make some conversation, the young man giving a low 'humph' as he turned around and strode off into the cafeteria behind his girlfriend, who had gone ahead into the establishment.

He could see the pair already seating themselves, the man's back to him as if he didn't want to even think about him, Whitney coming out of the women's restroom with a faint smile on her lips, walking over to him. "Time for you to go and take me out, Jaune."

She winked, leaning close for a kiss, following his gaze after their lips locked for an instant, spotting Melinda, a look on her face that showed her disapproval there. _'Yeah... I don't think she likes Melinda much.'_

"Let's get going. She might try to get you into a threesome with that guy and her..." He chose not to mention that she'd just about offered that, even as they continued along on their walk, spotting from a distance the limousine that they had checked out before, making its way out again. _'I wonder if things went alright...'_

Whitney had a firm hold on things, and he would admit to himself that she was a little smarter than him at times with how the world functioned. His own life before this decision to become a Huntsman had been filled mostly with studying and being his sisters' favourite toy.

It was frequent that he'd find one of them in his bedroom waiting for him, even if there was not a single hint about what they wanted from him to be seen or heard. Azure's favourite pastime was to bother him, due to the closeness in their ages. Bianca and Ashley often, when they were present at the house, would appear with some new titbit or hint of news, whenever it was feasible.

" _Jaune! Let's play Monster Grimm Hunter! You must try out this new level that I've made." The tone of Ashley's voice was warm, even as excitement brimmed in his body to try out the thing that she had created. Bianca was laid over one of the couches, looking at a magazine that detailed something about a dress, her eyes scanning the words on the page and looking at the picture._

" _-not that I can't, but that I won't!" His mother's voice was loud as they walked past their father's study, the door slightly ajar. "I won't stand for it, Sage! I love you more than anything in this world but-"_

" _I do what I have to. There are rules, Emerald. I broke them, in order to marry you. I'm sorry. You know how I am." The words didn't make sense to him. Why would mommy and daddy be talking about such things. Ashley's eyes met his own, even as she knocked on the door to the study._

" _Yes?" His mother called out and he entered, before Ashley could stop him. She had tried, but he'd slipped past her._

" _Stop fighting! I don't like it when you fight." His mother's face was a little sad, even as his father's face regarded him with the look that he had grown to expect. The facial muscles twitched, forming the smile that he knew._

" _Your mother and I were not fighting, Jaune." The look on his mother's face turned sad, even though he didn't know why. "I was simply explaining to her my reasoning. Every man needs a moment to explain his reasoning." The words were a little fancy, even as he looked at his mommy, who smiled at him, her eyes looking sad still._

" _Hey… How about you two go play a little? Your daddy needs to… needs to have a chat." The smile on her lips was like his father's, even as she tried to encourage him. "Play some games… See whether… See whether your oldest sisters want to play too. Heather will be going to Beacon next years."_

" _What's Beacon?" He asked, his mother's expression changing slightly._

" _No place important for you, my son." The voice of his father came through, as the man had gotten up, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You are still a child."_

" _I'm five!" He said proudly, even as his father went through the motion of a smile, yet it did not reach his eyes._

" _A whole five years... How quickly time passes. I remember when you were born, my son." His mother whispered something to herself as his father spoke, barely audible to his ears, yet his father had obviously heard it, looking at her with an unreadable look. "It's the Mission. I won't budge on my principles, Emerald."_

 _It had been a fun afternoon. The four sisters had taken turns to play with him, Heather even managing to beat him, once. She smiled at him, ruffling his hair._

Another shard of memory, pushed to the forefront by half-remembered words.

 _Ashley's head rocked back, the hiss of pain from her lips enough, even as his mother looked at her with a look like she was really mad at her for something that he didn't understand. "Ashley Arc! We do not talk about such things!"_

" _But, empirical data suggests that-" The look on his mother's face was fierce, as she fixated a look on her daughter, his other twin sister nervously ambling at her side. "You should-"_

" _Not another word. Not in front of Jaune. He shouldn't know how... that stuff works. Yet. He isn't even six yet! I know you are older than him, but please..." The look on Ashley's face was enough to clue him in that there wasn't a good way that this had ended, his mother looking at him, putting a smile on her face._

" _Honey, don't worry. Ashley did something naughty and asked a naughty question. Why don't you go and ask Heather whether she'll take you three to get some ice-cream at the settlement, hmm?" His mother's face was flushed, he could tell that she was a little upset._

 _As Ashley joined him, she gave him a look, one of those looks that made the world look logical and sensible. "I love you, Jaune." Her hand, bigger than his, took his own, giving it a little squeeze. "Mama is right to react like that."_

" _Will she hit me too?" The look on his sister's face was aghast, Bianca's face looking similarly disturbed. It was a question that he had asked, but Ashley shook her head._

" _No, no... I was asking about... about birds and bees. We had an essay for biology about the difference in sexual behaviour and I was inquiring about practice materials." He nodded, that made sense. He didn't like school much. The stuff that you had to learn was tough._

" _But you were so certain that-" Bianca started, yet Ashley cut her off with a look. He wondered about that, sometimes. The bond between Ashley and Bianca was enough to make him worry sometimes that he would be replaced as their little brother._

" _Heather! Mom said we can go for ice-cream!" The look on his sister's face was tired, even as she put the Scroll down, his eyes catching sight of a picture that belonged to one of the young men that occasionally tried to talk to her._

" _Oh, has she?" Heather smirked at him, ruffling his hair, which he bore. "So, do my little sisters want to get some double-fudge triple-chocolate ice-cream?" The smiles on their faces spoke volumes._

" _Heath, I'm-" His oldest sister emerged from her room, the tank top that she wore casual, the towel over her shoulders still somewhat damp, her eyes meeting with Heather's for a moment, his oldest sister giving a languid smile._

" _I spot a little hero..." Her smile was brighter now as she approached, pulling him into a hug. "I heard something about ice-cream..." She said, looking at Heather, who shrugged._

" _I've got to prepare for Beacon, Ro. We need to be prepared, even if..." The look on his second oldest sister's face was pensive, even as she flashed the ring on her finger to her older sister._

" _That won't be a problem." His oldest sister's voice was soft, yet with the tone of finality to it that said enough. "We can go for ice-cream together, right? Consider it... yeah, older sister benefits!" She smiled at him, her happy eyes sparkling. "We're going to get your tummy full of ice-cream, Jaune!"_

 _He had cheered, even as he hugged his big sister._

* * *

Her hand that held his own felt like a certainty as he held it, his eyes looking into Whitney's for an instant. He wondered how she and her daughters and son were, in their private circumstances. His sisters were a mixture of different personalities, working together, even if their father was often gone, prioritizing the way that he had been leading his life.

* * *

" _Daddy! I want to be a Huntsman just like you!" The look on his father's face was placid and tranquil, even as he took a deep breath. The dinner table was mostly empty, his sister Azure just about to put her own plate away, looking at him with that smug look of a sister._

" _That is out of the question, Jaune." The man's words were not even emotional as he spoke, placing his hand on his shoulder. "You can be something more useful to the world..." There was a look in the man's eyes that clearly knew what he was talking about. "A farmer, perhaps?"_

 _It seemed to be a serious answer for his dad, even as his eyes looked at Azure. "Put the plate in the sink when you're done, Azure." The man's voice was stern, even as he got up, pulling the jacket that he wore off, exposing his muscular arms. "Before you protest, Jaune, you must know that not every family member is going to be a Huntsman."_

 _The man's eyes were like chips of ice as they looked at him, the pill pulled from the small box that he kept them in, the eyes closing and looking even warmer than before. "But... There are many things that can be done to support Huntsmen. I will leave you to be the man of the house whilst I am gone."_

 _The smile that the man smiled was still as wooden as before, a practised motion that he had spoken to his mom about, even though she had assured him that his daddy did care for him. "But... I wanna be like Rowe and Heath!"_

" _What they have..." The man spoke softly, as his hand went through his hair. "is not something that you can have, Jaune. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices."_

 _He had wandered out in search of his mommy then, upset that his daddy wouldn't let him be this cool Huntsman. He wandered through the house, looking for his mommy, calling out loudly._

" _Hey squirt.. Looking for mom?" Heather's soft voice was enough to distract him, her hands busy with one of the Scrolls that they had for personal use, though he was still too young, the fingers continuing to work as she leaned against a wall, the pale blue shirt and grey slacks that she wore not being a super combination._

" _You know where mommy is?" Heather's face showed her usual warm smile, even as she knelt slightly, ruffling his hair._

" _Sure, let's go find her, shall we?" He felt her lift him up, Heather giving him a little wink, as she carried him through the place, easily so, even though he was now at the height of her middle, perhaps a little shorter._

" _And you will need to add several of those to-" His mother's voice was strict as she spoke, Bianca and Ashley bearing identical looks of boredom as they went through the exercises, his mother's attention going to him, a warm smile on her face. It was genuine, compared to his father's smile._

" _Hey there, little one. Come to spend some time with mama?" He hugged her after getting out of Heather's grip, Heather giving a soft laugh as he did._

" _Our little Jaune is growing up. Becoming the real man of the house, ever since dad went on a Grimm killing spree." The look that his mother gave her was one that showed displeasure, even as she brushed a hand through his hair._

" _He said I shouldn't be a Huntsman, mama." The soft tone that usually worked on his mom wasn't working now, even as she smiled at him and brushed her hand through his hair._

" _He's got his reasons for that, Jaune... He's a busy man." It was an excuse, yet he pouted, turning around and running to his room._

 _He wanted to be a hero! Not some stupid farmer who only had pigs and cows!_

* * *

"Were you ever trained when you were young?" He asked Whitney, before he realized that the question might be taken awkwardly, looking at her. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, the gesture not being too far out of the comfort zone, even as her gaze looked away.

"Some rifle training. My father enjoyed taking me to the mines, and every miner knew their way around a rifle. It was practically mandatory to learn how to shoot. I can't say that I'd had much chance to do so after getting married." She remained silent, even as she held his hand, continuing to walk. Sienna and Kali were off doing something else, after all, only a brief visit to talk about some things before they both parted, the latter having some more preparations to make.

"Your sisters were trained well, I believe?" He sighed, even as he laid his head in his neck, looking up at the crimson sky.

"As much as they could be, yes." He said, voice sounding weary, even with how the emotions started to rise higher. "I'm not sure... Mom and dad took turns doing that. Never really gave me much of an answer when I asked why they got training and I didn't."

* * *

" _I'm proud of you." His father said, his voice as neutral as it always was, patting his oldest sister's shoulder. She was eighteen now, fourteen years his senior, her eyes catching sight of her and his father. The man looked the picture of health, the eyes still as sharp as a hawk, even as his oldest sister looked a little battered. The shirt that she wore looked a little over-stretched from exertion, even as the tight set of jeans were a little tattered. Sweat dripped from her skin, soaking the top._

" _Hey Jaune." She said with a friendly tone, even as his father stood there, not going to come closer or anything, his eyes looking at the happenings. "How's the littlest Arc today? Excited for your etiquette class?" He made a face, even as she laughed, her head turning to her father. "Dad, can I?"_

" _You, back in the room. You're not done yet!" His mother's strict voice sounded, his oldest sister giving a little start as she heard it. She gave him an apologetic smile, even as she responded._

" _Coming, mom!" Turning to look behind him, he suddenly felt a set of arms wrap around him, tickling him and making him burst out into giggles._

" _Heather, be a dear and entertain Jaune for a while." His oldest sister said, even as she stepped back into the room with mom. The door shut, clicking into the lock immediately, a muted 'thump' audible to his ears, the room being one where he really shouldn't be in, according to his mom. It contained lots of scary bugs and wee-pons._

" _Let's go and see whether Azure and Saffron and Cremea want to watch some Gordon Marshsey. I like cooking shows..." There was the tone of voice that brooked no disobedience. Heather Arc wasn't a stupid woman, as she interested herself in things that would allow her to survive even longer than before._

* * *

"They were... There were a lot of excuses." He said, sighing deeply. "But I guess that they wanted me to live happily."

Whitney made a sound in the back of her throat that could be assent or something similar, even as she sighed deeply.

"I want you to live happily as well, Jaune." She said, her voice sounding wearier than before, as she squeezed him gently. "Kali has you for tonight..." The regret in her voice was enough as she looked up at him, her eyes moist as she spoke. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He had to face Kali eventually. The woman cared for him, loved him... and wished to sleep with him, just as Whitney did. She was like a shadow, coming to him and being with him.

As he pushed open the door leading to their room, he became aware that there was soft music already playing.

Kali was half-seated in the middle of the room, dressed in what seemed to be an ornamental kimono, her eyes looking up from her seated position and meeting with Whitney's for a moment. "Give us the night." The words were soft, gentle and understanding, even as Whitney backed away.

"Shall we go for takeout?" She asked, even as Summer and Raven appeared from a side-room, the latter currently busy with brushing her hair, a fresh sheen of healthiness on her features, her gaze meeting with his own.

"Sure... Let's go for Mistralian! I love some Kung Fuk Bao." The cheerful Summer added, even as she strode towards the door, her weapons in hand easily enough, Sienna appearing from the shadows, yawning softly.

"Do enjoy." She said to Kali, giving him a look. "Be understanding..." The threat was in her voice as her eyes locked with his own, that dangerous glint definitely threatening him with the look of a woman who would beat the ever-loving shit out of him if she saw Kali being saddened.

The music turned a little louder, even as the door clicked shut. He thought that it was zither music, but he could be wrong, his eyes catching sight of Kali's head slowly rising, a soft smile on her lips. "Please, do rise."

Her body rose sensually, her kimono managing to stay on through some sort of magical hint, her golden eyes locked with himself. She moved closer, her nose sniffing once, as her hands gently brushed over his clothing, before she took five steps backwards, her body kneeling in one swift motion. One kowtow, a second one and then a third, without a word spoken, even as she did a fourth and a fifth, before she pulled something out her kimono, the cleavage that it showed bringing with it the feeling of lust and need.

He slowly unrolled the scroll, looking at the characters that had been painted upon it.

"I don't think I can read it." She smiled at him, an understanding smile.

"Then this lowly one shall speak the words for you, so that you may glean the meaning." The words were formal, even as she took the Scroll from his hands.

The shadows clung around her, as the youthful face looked up at him, her eyes never looking away from him.

" **I was, when you were born."**

Every syllable that she spoke, was spoken with deep emotion.

" **I was old, when you were born."**

The regret, the pain of being born before him and being older than him by a considerable margin, showed through.

" **You may regret that you were late born."**

The standard desire for a young, fresh woman. Not someone who had been a widow through the events of fate, her voice never halting.

" **You may regret that I was born earlier."**

The same feelings, even as her eyes seemed to tear up.

" **You were not, when I was born."**

The mournful tone, as her lips formed a soft smile.

" **Old, when you were born to this world."**

Her eyes, containing the sadness that she felt.

" **I wished to be born together."**

Hope, flaring in those words.

" **We could enjoy our time together."**

There was yearning in her voice.

" **You were not there, when I was born."**

The regret once more.

" **I was older when you were born, beholden to another man."**

The remnant of those feelings for her husband, laid bare there.

" **So far from you."**

The distance, the time spent. Her eyes glistened with barely shed tears.

" **You were distant from me."**

Hopes, a craving. Her bosom raising and falling, as her eyes flickered up.

" **When I was reborn, you were not as you are."**

The transformation. The power that he had granted her. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her quivering and thrilling.

" **I am older, when you were reborn."**

Her eyes locked with him, as her fingers laced together.

" **I would become a mere butterfly, raised from my cocoon."**

Hope, desperation.

" **To sleep on your fragrant grass each night."**

The desire, even as she paused, awaiting his response.

He looked at her, feeling the surge of emotions, even as she waited with baited breath. "Is that..." There was a pause, even as Kali nodded.

"A traditional poem. It is about an older lover and a younger one, lamenting that they were born first... I've given it some twists, but..." Her eyes teared up, as the droplets fell onto her kimono, sizzling sounds heard, the zither music on the background enough of a mood setter that it hardly mattered.

"I love you." The words were out, even as she perked up, her back straightened. Her eyes widened, even as her ears flicked back and forth, her breathing growing heavier, her eyes locked with his own as darkness swallowed the sclera, leaving only pools of molten gold to look at him.

" **I love you."** Her voice warped with the corruption of the _VitaeTenebris_ on her throat, even as the room darkened, a soft pant coming from her lips, rising to her feet and moving swiftly, her fingers pressing against his shoulders, his head tilted up, and her lips found his own.

" **You're all mine."** The words were instinctual, even as he knew the truth. They were more than the truth, they were the foundations that kept them safe. **"No matter what... I won't let anyone take you from me..."**

There was hope in his voice, even as she gave a throaty purr. **"Master..."** Her voice was sultry, needy and with that tone that Blake could probably use to give spontaneous erections to most men around her. **"Your servant awaits your orders. This blade..."**

Her fingers caressed over his skin, as her tongue slid over her lips, his eyes locked with hers, a dark red and a blue eye meeting with her own, tension going through him. **"This blade will pierce through any who dare to attack you."** Her lips pressed against his neck, as his hands fell to the kimono. The garment slid down.

Bare breasts were unveiled. Obviously larger than Blake's, by virtue of having given birth to Blake herself.

" **Your servant requires instruction."**

* * *

 _The bad news (Weiss Schnee)_

* * *

She looked at her grandfather as he sat opposite of her, the other members of team RWBY looking a little uncertain, as her grandfather took a deep breath from his oxygen flask, his eyes unusually clear. She had been paying attention during her classes in formal etiquette and the like, as a Schnee was required to do, so she waited for him to speak.

A tingle shot through her body suddenly, her gaze drawn out of the window to the crowd, some sort of familiar ache brushing over her, watching her grandfather do the same, her eyes catching sight of a woman who wore an outfit that looked a little like the movie that her mother had taken her to once, a large rifle on her back, the young man beside her wearing a rather stylish coat in the style of Professor Ozpin, the sunglasses on both of them making them look 'cool'.

It was just a flash that she felt, as she turned back to her grandfather, who was regarding her with a calm look.

"Weiss... I have to tell you something."

The man's voice was soft, gentle and understanding, the age showing through in how slow he spoke, the man's eyes flickering to her teammates.

 _'That isn't usual...'_

"Your father died a few days ago."

She felt her breath freeze in her throat, the gasps from her team signalling that they too had not received the news with a great fondness, her eyes glinting, as she tried to fight back the emotions. _'I'm... I'm free...'_

The thought was treasonous, her eyes looking at her grandfather's, as the reality hit home harder for her. _'No... Mama is dead too...'_ The world came crashing down. She, her sister and her little brother, as well as their grandfather, were the last Schnee in this world. The last bearers of a Semblance...

"H-how... How did Jacques die?"

The question hung in the air, even as the man's face darkened, his expression showing anger and rage, even as he looked between the girls that were her team.

"Weiss, I'm so sorry, please..."

Ruby tried, even as Yang laid a supportive hand on her shoulder, Blake remaining silent, yet showing a look of sympathy.

"Are you sure that you want to know?" The man asked, even as his eyes looked at her with a look that she knew meant nothing good. "If you know..."

"I want to know."

Her voice was stern and strong, even as the tears started to come, going down her cheeks.

"Whitley assassinated him." The news hit her like a bomb. Her younger brother, killing her father...

 _'But...'_

"What a dick!"

Yang succinctly summarized it, even as Weiss brushed a hand through her hair, breathing a little heavier.

"Seriously, who names his child Whitley?"

"Jacques Gele and my daughter did. My daughter was not fully on board with the name, she had desired Winthrop."

She saw the dark look on her grandfather's face, even as Yang's expression changed, a look of disgust twisting her features.

"Her own brother? Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with that kid?"

Weiss sighed, knowing that Whitley was the more career-focused member of the family in the business world, her eyes looking at Yang.

"It's more about inheritance, I presume. Women can only inherit if they have a spouse, under the Atlesian law." There was a pause, as the pertinent laws flickered into her mind. "It's one of the reasons why I can be the heir, until my marriage is conv-"

The pieces clicked together. The eldest male member of the family could decide whether they would be married off. Her father had not decided to do so, in order to capitalize on the monetary flow that came with having two bargaining chips, yet it was their own freedom that they were essentially handing over to the Schnee Dust Company as one of the major players in the world economy.

"Please tell me that he isn't going to marry me off."

The desperation in her voice scared Ruby, she could see the girl's eyes look mystified and a little afraid.

"I am still alive, you know..."

Her grandfather's voice was a little sterner, enough to make her take a deep breath, suddenly feeling relieved by that very fact. In order of seniority, the word of Nicholas Schnee still held more weight than her little brother's.

"But if your sister were to marry, she would have to get the right to decide your destiny, provided I and your mother are legally deceased." The words were calm, even as she felt her heart seize up and then unwind.

"Winter would never do such a thing to me." The confidence that she had in her words was enough, even as she looked at her grandfather. The look on his face was a little grave, as he looked at her.

"Would... Would she?"

Her doubt flashed, as she looked into the man's eyes. Doubts about her sister, who had cared for her, who had been there to offer her support in-between the studying at Atlas Academy.

"I am not saying that she would." The man said, but there was that definite tone in his voice that he held similar doubts about Winter's own goals. "It would be a choice to make, for Atlas."

Weiss felt something cold settle into the pit of her stomach. "But... mama hasn't been dead for six months yet, so the prime heir would not be Winter yet... There is a rule to this, a law."

"We won't let anyone take our Weiss from us." Weiss felt the strength flood into her as she heard Ruby's voice, turning her head to look at the young woman as she smiled, looking at her with a hopeful look. "She's a member of team RWBY. Even if she's lost all of her family... She's _our_ family."

"Admirable." Her grandfather said, as his gaze slid over each member of her team, his eyes barely showing his emotions, even as Blake spoke up.

"The White Fang... was a family to me, once upon a time. Now... Now your granddaughter is like a sister to me." The admission of familial feelings from the Faunus made her feel a little warm inside.

"If we're all like sisters to you, does that mean we've got the most incestual parties?"

Yang commented, Weiss giving a low groan as she heard that.

"She's usually a little tamer, grandfather. Don't take her words as the truth, I do not have... such feelings." The bark of laughter from her grandfather was unexpected, even as he started to laugh.

"My, Whitney would have torn her hair out had she met you when she was younger. She would have given you the sternest look ever and then said 'Shut up with the fancy words, if it's a dick, it's a dick. Ride it or run away from it.'." The words of her grandfather brought to mind her older sister, who had a similar verbal manner about her, even as she looked at the man as he brushed his hand over his cheek, leaving the image of her mother cussing like that, like a Dust miner would...

"She... she would've? But... She's always been so formal." Her mind yearned for some more information on her mother, the disconnect between their relationship and the fate that she'd been dealt.

"Whitney was the girl who drank a bottle of Vodka and then started to cuss. Ahh, I remember when we came home from the Atlesian Jean movie, she continued to cuss about things in the movie not making sense..." The man's voice was wistful, even as he sighed.

"She grew more formal when she had Winter. She wanted to set an example for her daughters, in order to make sure that you could have what she did not have when she was younger. We were just one of the Dust mining companies back in the day. Your father was brilliant when he was younger, full of passion and... Well, I will admit to being hoodwinked by him. But Weiss..." The man's gaze met her own, an old patrician staring at the youngest daughter of his lineage, his hands curling together over a walking cane shaped in the symbol of the Schnee family.

"You need to learn how to use our Semblance to the fullest extent possible." A motion to the side, a Glyph appearing in the air, a small Beowolf appearing upon it, looking at them with a look, the man's face turning even more haunted as he looked at her.

There was grief in that face. "To summon defeated foes..." The man's voice was laden with emotion, as he exhaled deeply. "to fight for us."

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back, his expression not seen, yet she could hear the soft voice of Ruby inquire whether he was alright, to hear him say at a breathy tone – "I'm... Okay. My little Weiss needs to learn..."

She knew that her sister could use the Semblance to fight... But she herself would need some time to learn how to use it.

"Of course, Grandfather."

She was going to make him proud.

* * *

 **And another chapter for A Grimm Tale, for the whole load of people to go and tell me that it's crap and the like. The first chapters are a mess, I'll admit. Hopefully the later things are better.**

 **Now, in all seriousness – I have a plan. Just because you don't SEE the end result, does not mean that there is no end result planned. That's the thing with A Grimm Tale – It's multiple storylines making the same fairy tale. Summer and Raven are off doing who knows what, Jaune and Kali just did the sexing, Whitney and Sienna are now out on the town together, the d'Arc-Night family is still somewhere in Vale and team RWBY just got hit with the news of Jacques kicking the bucket.**

 **Just because you don't like a certain pairing, does not mean that there is no merit to the pairing. Blartubus, who is a self-admitted fan, has commented on how the setting appeals to people. A lot of people go 'Omg, these people are edgelords' not considering that it is the cold and hard world that MAKES them like that.**

 **To the people who consistently give me the 'oh, this sucks' thing – WRITE YOUR OWN STORY! I will look it through and give critique, just as you've done to me. I don't know if I can finish this story before my body gives out. I don't know if I can finish any story... But I am going to damn well try. I am going to deliver something amazing to the RWBY archive and to make sure that you all will be AMAZINGLY entertained.**

 **Kali Belladonna Character Song 'From Darkness'**

" **I was happy once, my days were all complete  
Filled with the love for my husband and child,  
Then they tried to kill my man, whenever we tried to meet,  
we dragged our hurt feet,  
As we kept our pacifism, it led unto a schism,  
My time with you was not lost,  
but at what greatest cost,  
my husband, I love you,  
Ghira, my love is true...  
but they took ****you.**

 **Chorus**

 **From darkness, I will strike at their hearts,  
bring my final card,  
swallow them with fear,  
Watch the shadows because I will be here,  
a blade flashing in your light,  
better hold your weapons tight,  
I am here, from darkness bears your fear,  
I am to make the terror flash,  
cut, rip and tear,  
From darkness I am here, to be your mortal fear**

 **A moment taken from me, a love slain without care,  
a darkness settling into my soul,  
a hopeless duet with only a single functional snare,  
I am all alone, far away from home,  
darkened moods guide my path, my heart never whole,  
A gift not given to the world,  
everything feels so cold,  
from darkness, my heart is without a care.**

 **Chorus**

 **Touch of fire on my soul,  
the shattering heart mending, ever whole,  
feelings inside me that I know to be true,  
love reawakened, not even crude.  
A vile darkness within me roams,  
fear bound to flesh, spoken of with my bones,  
To rip and tear, scare and bring fear,  
is that not what my duty is, to realize and to terrorize?**

 **Chorus**

 **He may be young, he may not know it true,  
from shadows I will be guarding you,  
My daughter not yet grown, I am still alone,  
my soul to leave with you when you are gone,  
but not until this endless battle is won,  
I am your lady of terror, your maiden of despair,  
ripping through their lives, from darkness with no care.  
I am the blade in the night, to take their life's light,  
a sword in darkness, a dagger in the light,  
please guide me to my target, to kill for whatever slight.  
From darkness, I bring the terror and fear and the night.**

 **Yeah, that's a character song. For Whitney is it 'The shattered Mirror', in an homage to Weiss' Mirror Mirror, Sienna has 'White Fangs, Tiger's Wrath', dealing with her past and her hopes for the future, Summer Rose having 'Summer's nightmare' With Raven having her own 'The Raven's call', both songs which deal with their feelings for each other as partners, friends and members of the Order of Slayers.**

 **Team RWBY in A Grimm Tale has, 'Red like Roses Part III' for Ruby, 'From Shadows into the Abyss' for Blake, 'Broken Mirror' for Weiss, majorly dealing with the grief she feels for the loss of her mother, set around Volume I-II of A Grimm Tale, with 'A sister's lament' for Yang, dealing with the roles she's been forced to fill, Mother, older sister, caretaker, lover of a broken girlfriend...**

 **And even Cardin has a character song!**

 **I love to write and put a lot of thought into the world I am giving to you all. Thank you for reading!**

 **Please leave a review.**


	44. Staying true

**Chapter 44: Staying true**

 **Writing this is great therapy. It's the little things like hearing that people actually think it's a good story that keep me going to write this story. It is one of the stories that has slightly more negative reviews than positive. If this was a movie, it'd be like 44% approved. Alas... more grimm stuff in the future for you all. It's going to be amazing.**

 **And as a small aside - The ladies who HAVE slept with Jaune generally will NOT cheat on him.**

* * *

 _The defining moments (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

There was a lazy little motion to his hand, even as Kali rubbed against him, her eyes half-opened as he opened his own. The soft lazy moments when she looked up at him with those delicate eyes, a soft murmur from her throat, were precious. "I love you." The words were simple, yet to her, they meant the world.

Three simple words that had been spoken by a fair-haired woman, who had claimed the same, this woman, who had sworn herself to him. She looked up at him, scooting a little closer to him as she did, placing a gentle kiss to his lips. The soft zither music was playing again for some reason, even as he watched carefully how she seemed to shift in her stance, a low rumble coming from her throat as she shifted carefully on his chest. "Jaune…"

His lover's voice was soft as a whisper, her golden eyes looking up at him with the wonderful expression on that face of hers. "You mean everything to me." The voice was soft, tender, even as she pressed her nose against his bare chest, the pale flesh vein-ridden, the power of the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him twisting and turning like a dark maelstrom. "No matter what, Jaune…"

Her eyes locked, as her nose raised lightly to let her gaze look up at him. **"If you wish me to… I will. No matter the cost."** Words of loyalty, of love… compassion. Hope. Abandonment of one's own desires. She would do whatever he wished.

A teasing smile appeared on her face. **"Even anal."** She winked, even as he spluttered, her lips pressing against his skin. **"No matter what… Even if… Even if I have to… hurt my daughter."**

"I won't ever ask you to harm Blake." He said, a smile on her face that was as bright as the dawn, her eyes looking into his own, as her head moved up, kissing his lips. **"I will get her in your bed, Master."** The words were a strong signal to him, that she was willing to do so. For a moment, he imagined Blake and Kali in his bed, looking up at him, Kali's smile broadening. **"Ooh… You want to have a bit of fun with mother and daughter?"**

A guilty thought about the entirety of team RWBY and their mothers in the bed with him rose, and his body responded immediately to that, a breathy little moan coming from Kali. **"Someone is thinking about getting some Faunus pussycats... Or..."** Those eyes locked with his own. **"The whole team? You DO have the mothers... Ooh, getting harder now... Just imagine Summer grinding her hips on your face whilst Raven and White get that big hard cock pleased... That's a good master..."** Her words were soft, even as the clearing of a throat behind her was audible and his gaze met Summer's, who shimmered into being with Raven at her side.

" **Hmm... I thought I heard the door opening..."** The woman's warped voice was enough, as her hands continued to move in a stroking motion, his eyes following Summer, whose shape was now Ruby Beornir's, the lazy little smile on her face enough to clue him in that she was in a certain mood.

"We've not got that much time." Raven said, her fingers pushing the mask onto the hook, her other hand running through her hair, looking anywhere but at the bed. Summer nudged her friend and partner slightly, even as Kali's mouth made a soft 'Agh-glk' sound as she got to work. "Can you... not?"

Kali did not respond, the shiver that ran over his spine like lightning, even as she continued, a low purring coming from Kali's mouth, as she seemed perfectly content with the moment that she'd taken for herself.

"I'm not eh... sure?" Kali's eyes locked with his own, as she did a slower bob, her tongue batting over sensitive flesh. "But yes, eh... What's the matter?"

"General call went out, six or seven teams of the Order being deployed." A pause, Raven waiting for Summer to speak up.

"That means around fourteen up to twenty-eight. Depending on the Clan. The Calavera work as four... Bunch of skull loonies, going all 'We fuck up shit', heh." A savage grin on Summer's face, clearly showing her opinion on that clan.

He felt a shudder go through him, as a memory hit him, recalling the events clearer than before. He had been young, yet... The word 'Calavera' pulled the images forth from his mind, triggering the memory.

* * *

 _I_ _t was for them to hold down the fort whilst their mother and father went out to a gathering of Huntsmen in order to reinforce the defences of the settlement nearby. They gathered in the biggest bedroom, cuddling up on the two beds that had been put together just so that there would be enough space for all eight of them._

 _It was rare to see them all still together, Azure looking a little put out at the sudden closeness to her brother, even as he tried not to mention the horrible pink wallpaper. It was his oldest sister who spoke up first, even as she brushed his hair, currently having been released from the pigtails that it had been done up in for most of the day._

" _Let's sing a song." The announcement was strange enough to come so suddenly, as most of them looked at her. Her warm eyes were a comfort, even as he looked at her. "Now, I know what you're going to say... It's got a boy part and a girl part. It's even." The smile on her lips was enough to affirm that she was undoubtedly speaking the truth._

" _Dad said that we sh-" Heather tried to say, yet his sister shook her head._

" _He isn't here, is he? It's our tradition... So, let them sing with us. They're a part of the family too." His oldest sister silenced her younger sister, looking at him for a moment. "Come and sit in my lap, Jaune. It works best if we sit together, so that the boy and the girl parts are sung separately."_

 _As he did, she wrapped her arms around him. "Alright, let me hum the tune for you." The soft humming that came from her throat was melodic, even as she slowly wiggled where she sat, swaying back and forth. "By dawn we come, with cloaks like blood,"_

 _The words were easy, even as he sang them with her, her smile growing even broader._

" _In light we stand, to defeat darkness for good." Heather's soft voice was added to the tune, as his sisters repeated after her._

" _In morning we rise, to go on our way." The words came easily as his sister sang for him, his voice gaining confidence._

" _At night, the mission calls, the evils we slay." The words that were enough for an epic ballad came then, even as his sisters caught on to the tune swift enough. Cremea looked a little offended, as if she had suddenly found something she didn't like, Ashley and Bianca sharing a similar vocalisation of the words._

" _Arc's word is their bond, the game is rigged," The words he sang were probably to be sang by a man whose voice had matured, even as he tried to mimic his father's voice as much as possible, a giggle coming from Azure, who saw his serious face._

" _The Rose will bloom, the blades will be chipped." The look on Heather's face was one of contemplation, even as she sang. Her eyes looked at him, or specifically, at his sister, who was softly whispering the next line to his ear._

" _The Argents are dead, their house long-since gone," The sad words were sad, he knew, as people died, you couldn't talk to them again._

" _The Calavera carry the strays, united under the ancient ways." The words sang by his sisters had a similar mournful quality, even as his oldest sisters started a mournful hum, finishing after what seemed to be an eternity, but which probably was closer to a few minutes._

" _That's a song called the 'Requiem'. Dad probably wouldn't want you all to know of it, so keep it hush-hush, alright?" His sister spoke from above him, even as he watched Ashley and Bianca nod at the same time, Azure's head nodding once, hesitantly, Cremea's firm little nod enough to affirm the acceptance of this little secret, Saffron's eyes meeting with his own before she smiled and nodded._

" _We'll..." His sister stopped mid-sentence, even as she caught sight of something at the door._

" _I am a friend of your father." The soft voice was enough to pull at his attention, even as the man stepped into the light of the lamp, his pale hair and green glasses immediately noticeable._

" _Professor, what a surprise, I hadn't..." His oldest sister's voice sounded nervous, even as the man smiled._

" _Your father sent me to check up on you all." The man's voice was gentle, kind and with that noticeable tone that seemed to convey a sense of trust to them, even as his oldest sister's grip on him tightened. Her knuckles were white and her breathing grew louder, somehow sounding fearful._

" _Now... I know you, you and you..." The man's hand indicated, even as he leaned on his cane with his other hand, his eyes going to his oldest sisters and Cremea, who nodded._

" _You were the man who helped me with my thing." He didn't know what she was talking about, even as the man smiled at her._

" _It is easier to control now, isn't it? Your father has a good usage of his own, there is nothing to be afraid of. Your great-grandfather was much the same… You could say that I've got a good grasp on the tides of history." The unnerved manner in which his oldest sister seemed to be breathing was enough, even as her arms adjusted him a little._

" _Please... Mister Arc." The words were enough, as the man beckoned to him. "Your father has asked that I take a proper look at you." The man's gaze slid up, meeting his sister's eyes. "Please... Do release him, Miss Arc. It will be okay. Just as was discussed previously with your patriarch."_

 _Her hands let go immediately, almost forced apart, and he could feel how she pushed him off her lap. "Go... Go to him, Jaune." Her voice was a breathy, deeper one, something that could be considered panic flashing in that voice._

" _But... he looks weird." The man's smile did not slip, even as he beckoned once more. He looked a little weird, like he had been… old but was not yet young. An old man in a body which was only forty._

" _I assure you... You will have the choice to be a hero in the future." The man's words were like catnip, as he perked up. He always wanted to be a hero._

" _I want to be a hero! I want to be there to defend my sisters! They're the bestest sisters in the world." A low moan came from his oldest sister's lips, even as her breathing went harsher, Heather's own breathing audible as well. His senses seemed to burn, writhing with heightened sensitivity._

" _Sir, please... Please!" The words of his oldest sister were desperate. "Don't do this, I'm sure there is another way. I'm sure... We can do better. We will do better, sir. You know what I can do, I will... but please, don't take him from us. Please, sir." The pleading voice, the desperation in her voice enough to make him feel confused, turning his head to see his eldest sisters' ashen faces._

" _He doesn't know what he's saying. He doesn't... Please, don't take our little Jaune. Our father has… He's made his stance clear and…" The tone Heather took was enough, as she inhaled deeply, panting breaths escaping her lips. Flames seemed to lick from her lips with every exhale that she made. "Please! I'm a new one, but I survived the trial, didn't I? I'm... I'm legit, so I will be... I will, please... Please just take me. Don't take our little brother away from us, you know-" The silence that fell suddenly as the man held up his hand, taking his own little one in it and then gently taking him along._

" _I've made my choice." The words were final, and he could hear crying. Hysterics, even as his oldest sisters sounded really really sad._

 _He was going to be a hero and protect them all! They'd never be sad as long as he was around!_

* * *

He snapped to the attention once more, inhaling deeply, feeling his mind flash to that moment when the hand had laid on his body, his eyes hurting, even as he felt the tightness of his muscles, the pain that flashed through his body with every halting breath, a low groan coming from his lips.

"Are you alright?" Raven asked, sounding concerned, even as his gaze went down, where Kali was still busy with him, her motions stopping, yet her eyes locked with his own, a worried look, even as pleasure bounced over his spine.

"Just… Just a memory." He said, as he rubbed through his hair, laying himself back on the bed, Kali continuing her ministrations. His hand reached out for the staff, the Relic floating over towards him as he held onto the faint remembrance of events, a deep hole starting to suck the happiness out of him as he needed to know more, his breathing rushed.

"Were… Did you ever get Ozpin's command to do… Questionable things?" He asked, Raven's face inscrutable as she schooled it properly. Kali gave a low gagging sound, as she continued to move her head, a sensual little purr pulsing from her lips, even as those eyes locked.

"Pacifying a village through assassination and culling, ensuring that the Grimm were taken out along with the inhabitants in order to limit the spread of despair." It was Summer who spoke, even as she looked at him, her eyes shimmering, as the fuller figure of Summer pushed itself to full height once more.

"Jaune, being a Huntsman is not as glorious as you would think. He has offered a mission to abduct a young child that showed a frightful Semblance once." The look on Summer's face was grim, as her silver eyes narrowed. "I did not take it at that time. I did not have the confidence, and so it was left to the Calavera. Sometimes, I wonder what happened to the young girl. The big families usually have two children to assume the cloak."

A term that he was unfamiliar with, yet made sense. Given the archaic structure of the Order, to take up the cloak was to devote oneself to the eradication of the Grimm until your dying breath, to fight against the darkness until you are dead. His…

His oldest two sisters were in the Order, going by the cloaks and the masks that they wore. Raven and Summer wore Nevermore styled masks, their colour dictating their ranking and their ability. He imagined his older sisters as merciless killers, yet couldn't find it inside him to think of them like that. They had been there for him when he needed them, kissing his booboos when he had been hurt, listening patiently to his wild ideas.

His father was a man of logic, a man who was unmoved by impassioned pleas. He loved his father, yet there was a definite stance that the man had about his place in the world. A moment rose to his mind, having asked what a good occupation would be for him, the man having suggested "A farmer." Shame and frustration had come to him, even as he had gritted his teeth and said that he'd rather be a Huntsman, just like him… Like the others of their family.

His sisters had at least supported him, and his father had not budged on it. Azure and Saffron worked together well, whenever they worked together. It was a sign of their trust, as they helped him with projects and the like, working through the issues that presented them. His older sisters were old enough to go on missions during their holidays and time between the semesters, Bianca and Ashley being without any sort of embarrassment as they taught him different subjects, although they remained quiet when he asked them about their works as a Huntsman.

It was an interesting moment when they had gone with him to dancing classes. They always wanted to do things with him, damning the consequences, pushing him around… but they had loved doing things with him. It was their time to connect, to… care. Even if he had to play at being some sort of boyfriend in an imaginary opera, or had to be the one to carry shopping bags because of a boyfriend deciding that they'd rather remain absent, it had still been fun…

"My sisters…" He paused, even as Kali spoke up, a soft little smack of her lips following.

"They love you. Your sisters spoke so highly of you, that I'd almost imagine that they'd marry you if they'd have the chance. You were the light in their lives…" He mused on her words, as he felt the fraying ends of his mind start to knot together once more.

"You are not a mere boy. You are a d'Arc-Night, a child of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night." Raven spoke up, her voice a little more steady. "A man who would see the task completed, heedless of the problems of morality. I have made my acquaintance with him, despite him being formally not…" The hand gesture that she made was enough, as she glanced at Summer, who nodded slightly for her teammate and partner's benefit. "accepted, as we say. The Rose keep their blades sharp, even with adoptees such as me."

"I only hold a passing acquaintance. I was sent to train your older sister." Summer spoke up briefly, her silver eyes focusing on Raven, who had seemingly spoken more than enough for her liking. "A good fighter. Fierce. Able to do the job just with enough energy to bring down the beast and kill it with the final stroke. I was able to talk with your older sister Ashley, the one with the machine thing… And she went into detail about your father and things surrounding you."

Summer was chatting a little more, as she looked at him, a look on her face. "Your father… Was not the kindest." She paused, as she looked at him. "And… Not in the sense that you would interpret it. He is a man of values and honour. He will do what he must, letting logic dictate things that he should. Can you… Can you remember a time when he laughed?"

He couldn't. His father always seemed apathetic or stern, focused on something, his actions without any sort of reason to it to him at the time. His father did not have any hobbies, nor did he go out often unless it was in the service of the settlement. Only when he took his medicine was he… warmer.

"Your sisters did a lot of things with you." He smiled as Summer said that. They indeed had done plenty of such things.

"They did. We always went for ice-cream, Saffron had her little bits and bobs that she'd have me wear. She is great with fashion, I hope she'd continue that even if she's a Huntress now." The look that Summer gave him was pitying, even as she sighed. It was a more rational Summer compared to the unstable one that he'd met at first…

"Sweetie, sometimes… Sometimes a man is needed for order in a household. I'm… I'm pretty sure that Taiyang would have given the girls his life if it had been needed, but to keep them safe and secure… That's a tough task for some people. I and Raven aren't the best examples, being absent for such a while." Here she paused, a look on her face, even as she took a deep breath.

"But with that many children… You do need someone to unload the emotions off on." There was a pause, even as she looked at him. "You were probably the one who had to do everything with your big sisters, right? Going to parties as their date, learning to dance, if I remember right. Even getting mad about their bad boyfriends." There was a sound in his throat that was like a half-sob, as he slowly started to realize that he'd been…

He'd been the only stable man in their life. With his father often being closed off to them, they had focused their efforts towards him to be getting the attention of someone who could understand, who didn't… judge.

It was sad, and it cast a new light on the words that Ashley and Bianca had said before they had left. They'd always been protective of him… Because they didn't want to lose their brother, the one who made them feel better with a massage or some sort of lame comment about their current ex-boyfriend. _'I was a horrible brother… always complaining about being the little baby of the family.'_

The staff in his hand slowly was let go of, the heavy head with the Relic attached to it hitting the floor with a thunk. It was a slow and gradual realization, even as he laid his head back, Kali's eyes worried, yet the feeling of her warm mouth sliding over his manhood once more making a shiver go through his body. "I wish I'd had a brother." There was a pause, as Summer spoke those words. "A little brother who I could baby. My… My father was not… in the picture." There was a pause, even as Summer looked regretful.

"You could have mine. He's always carried a torch for you, Summer." Raven added, Summer snorting lightly at the thought. It was a sign of dismissal, of lack of concern. He felt kind of bad for the guy for being dismissed like that.

"He can stuff that torch somewhere where the sun doesn't shine! I'm done with dating a guy who always has the condom break when he's laying dick in someone! Remember that time when we did that hour-long thing? The whole tent collapsed!"

"I see that it was a… strenuous engagement?" He said, diplomatically. There was a brief moment when Raven and Summer fixed him with a look, which faded as Raven chuckled.

"Sometimes, I forget how fresh you still are." Raven said, with more bravado than she usually showed around Summer. Whatever had happened had made things easier between the two of them, the partners having revitalized once more their own partnership… and yet, he knew that Raven would keep to her word, even as Summer Rose smiled brightly.

"His dick isn't fresh! Kitty-cat's been busy with that for a while!" Kali looked up, as she gave a frown to the two Huntresses. She bit down a little harder, making a low groan come from his mouth. "Hey, Jaune… how about you take on Rae? She's needed a hard cock in her since we met up again! Please… I'll even sweeten the deal and show you all the spots that get her going! My bestie is not going to go without a cock filling her up, nope!" The attitude that Summer had towards her teammate's activities was something that was worrisome to some part, even as he wondered briefly how achievable that would be to weaponize it. The boundless optimism that Summer seemed to have, as well as her erratic thoughts would be something of a boon, should he be able to catalyze that into some shape or form… But he wasn't sure whether she would go along with it or not.

"I am not going to do anything with him, Summer!" Raven's vehement denial was strong, even as she blushed, her cheeks definitely red as her armour was. "He's the same age as Yang, I have a husband."

"Nope. You HAD a husband. I HAVE the husband. You're the ex-wife!" Summer's words hurt, even though she seemed not to notice it, as she wrapped an arm around her partner's shoulder, Raven's expressionless face twisting into something that was like a dark shadow, as he could feel the tension inside her emotions increase, her eyes showing rage.

A dark urge inside him welled up, and his hand grabbed Kali's head, driving it down, the woman resisting not one bit. "I think that's enough, ladies." Summer and Raven looked at him, the latter giving him a look that might hold gratitude, yet might also be a condemnation of sorts, even as she took a deep breath and then released it. "You're not going to quibble whilst you're here." Kali's hands were brushing over his lower body, and she shuddered once, twice and then seemed to purr, her head lifted off.

"Now… What's that as far as our status? Are we good to go?" He asked, even as Kali's tongue slid over his skin, his eyes looking into Summer's, who grinned.

"Rubedo's still sleeping inside, but we should be able to get Beacon infiltrated if I let her take control for a bit… The poor little dear is so tired since mummy got into her that it's almost too sad… She likes you so much." The insanity burst forth once more, Raven uncomfortable as she looked at Summer, clearly watching the way that Summer switched between professionalism and politeness as something that would be hard to tolerate normally, a low sigh coming from her lips.

"But why… I'm not…" He tried to form the words, yet he failed to. It was not something that he could easily put into words, as they both were career Huntresses, both of them having been members of the Order… Were still members of the order, as far as he knew. It was not something that he would normally notice, but the way that Summer seemed to deal with her issues was to barge on straight through them, whilst applying minimal tactics.

"You're enough, Jaune. Summer knows good men when she sees them." The voice that had haunted his dreams was back, Ruby Beornir sitting down on the edge of the bed, Kali automatically scooting to the side to give her space. "You are the bestest boy that mama Summer could want."

Raven's gaze met his own, as he knew that the woman was once more speaking nonsense, the flash of anger and fear suppressed in an instant. If Rubedo was going to be an issue, he would handle her together with Raven. He knew enough about her methods to know where to strike to disable, rather than to kill, Raven was someone able to do the deed without worries.

"Am I?" He felt tension shoot through him as he looked at Rubedo, the girl smiling at him. "I'll keep you safe, Jaune." He frowned, his face showing confusion at the title. "Don't worry… I won't tell Ruby about you. She's been a sad little Ruby, thinking so hard about things… But I will keep an eye on Emmie's girlfriend. Ruby's my little sister now… So I've got to prepare her for the REAL world! And boys. She'll want to know about boys too..." There was a soft chuckle that came from the girl's mouth, a giggle that sounded more nervous than anything else at the thought of boys.

"You be good, Jaune… Because I'm going to Beacon." Summer's voice was soft, even as she strode forward, features shifting again. "Raven… Port me up." The woman shared a look with him again, shaking her head lightly. It was her decision, after all, but one that had to be made carefully.

A slice of the blade and a portal fizzled into existence, even as Raven stepped through and Rubedo gave a little wink. "Ta ta, Daddy. I'll make sure mummy arrives back safe and sound! Rubedo can be trusted, yes yes."

She disappeared through the portal then, leaving them in the uncomfortable silence. " **So… How about a continuing of our little enjoyment, Zhu?"**

Kali smirked at him, her hand wrapping around a very sensitive part of his body, a low groan coming from his lips. "If you feel like it, I don't suppose I can ignore your desire."

There was a benefit to an experienced woman, after all.

* * *

 _The plans come together (Cinder Fall)_

* * *

She looked interested on the outside, even as she let her attention roam from the prattling about some ancient Grimm challenging the moustachioed man to a personal duel, the plans that were starting to come together in her mind already working out. With the efforts being concentrated around the accommodations for the White Fang members who would be working with them, it would be a pleasant evening out for them.

' **Have you prepared the dinner guests for the feast?'** A message she sent towards the contact with the White Fang, the woman undoubtedly responding within due time. It was enough for her to be stuck here with a man reliving his glory days whilst dispensing 'tips' with his ornate style of storytelling.

She could spot several students also busy on their Scroll, messaging each other and the like. The redhaired young man who was a part of the Winchester family directly linked to Councillor Winchester, was busy with texting his girlfriend, a mousy Faunus girl who was a few years his senior, yet seemed to get on well enough with the young man, her own fingers tapping away at the Scroll with a little smile on her face.

' _So fussed about a simple party…'_

She couldn't get behind the idea of such a festivity for kids… Even though she had been seventeen once upon a while, it had been a day of work for that birthday, with another work day ahead of her the next. She knew well that she was now working with the tight timing that the dance would give her, just enough time for her to slip through the cracks. Exploration of the CCT to 'send home a message to mama' had netted a reasonable patrol schedule, even as she blushed and stammered like some simpleton that she'd just lost her way, the unfamiliar building and such…

They ate it up like candy, her casual mode of dress showing plenty of the cleavage that men so desired to look at… and even now, looked at. To the heated gazes of men, she would barely pay any more attention, unless she knew it to need some extra touch of charm.

Men were so easily led by their own base desires… Any man worthy of her would have to have more power than her, be stronger than her and be able to show her why he was worthy of her body. He would be a man who would mercilessly tear the floor from under her, would pin her down and would show her why he was the man who would be telling her what to do and force her obedience…

It was not submission, she knew. It was the right of the strongest. She would obey, as long as he showed her the path, the way… the strength that demanded her loyalty. Afterwards, she would cut him loose, after there was no more strength to be gained. "Are you alright, Cinder?" A soft question from Emerald, her ever-faithful minion. She put the smile on and nodded.

' _Show some concern, a little care and then she'll be eating right out of your hand…'_

"Just a little tired. It was quite a night last night." Her fingers trailed lightly over the foolish thief's hand, stroking over the back, the girl shivering a little at the touch, cheeks flushing slightly at the touch. Cinder made sure that the caress was absent-minded enough in the appearance that it might be constituted as affection, keeping a careful observation through her half-lidded eyes.

"It was, wasn't it?" The Scroll showed a message from the contact then, a smile on her lips as she brushed her other hand over it. "Do you think we could go to the dance… together?"

Cinder weighed the options, even as she mused on the consequences of such a thing. Lesbian lovers were still seen as a little rarity, even though the social acceptance had come a long way since the War, but it was still… distasteful. "I'm afraid our evening plans might have to be postponed."

' **We're ready to eat some meat. Some of the guests will bring their own dinnerware.'** The news was amusing, she knew, as the White Fang always had the best of options… and it wasn't like the poor animals could know which end of the gun shot bullets, right?

' **I'll be sure to prep the meal. Expect red sauce and chunks.'** The terminology was a little bland, she'd known that, but it was as innocent as it appeared on the surface. Just a friend texting to someone else about a dinner party that was being prepared.

That they were talking about the operation to ensure that the White Fang would get the respect they deserved… well, that wasn't anyone's business, now was it? "Your sister…"

"Hello there, Cindy." The voice of the annoying sister appeared from her right, a seat that had been vacant suddenly filled with the excitable young woman, Cinder suppressing the start that she'd felt at suddenly being addressed. "How've you been? I found the nicest little toy… There were so many buttons to press that it was poof boom, zap."

Cinder knew Emerald well. Her sister, Ruby, or Rubedo, as the girl often was called by Emerald, was someone who did not mix words well with sanity. A veritable Dust genius, but one whose eccentricities outweighed the use she was for the plan. Cinder had told her nothing, had instructed Emerald to tell her nothing… And the girl did what she wanted. She wasn't necessary for the plan… But her allegiances would obviously lie with her sister. Emerald had assured her that she was daddy's little girl, in the way that all the sisters doted on her and rightfully feared her…

And Cinder knew well how to manipulate such a girl. "That's nice. Will you be attending the dance as well?" She asked, Rubedo giving a little nod. "Have you found a date yet? Your sister will be dancing with Mercury, whilst I will be otherwise occupied."

The girl looked at her with a queer look, her eyes blinking once as she took in a deep breath, a smile that was a little more radiant. "I may take Ruby! She's nice! Something always told me that Ruby was nice." A glance at Emerald, who shrugged and mouthed 'I don't know either.'

Rubedo was an enigma, working in the bounds of the sanity that was allotted to her. It would not be the best of plots to ensure that Rubedo fight against them, as it would be certain that Emerald would pick family over her. The Beornir bandit tribe was something that would be a boon for the taking of Mistral, after the gaffe with Lionheart and Watts.

"You didn't cause too much of a mess with your toy, did you?" She asked out of politeness, Rubedo shaking her head.

"It was just a boy… He screamed so loud when he saw me, the poor, poor dear whose head I tapped on was laying there so still…" Cinder didn't frown, looking at Emerald for a moment, who gave a pained look. _'That's two dead, undoubtedly… But she's able to cover her tracks pretty well, if we didn't get any news about her whereabouts for a few days…'_

The bandits usually had a nomadic life, able to live off the land and their banditry for the existence that they had chosen. They would not worry about the official law of the land, but scavenge what they needed, blending in with the people and doing their deeds under the silence of the night.

"Did you cover your tracks well?" She asked softly, Rubedo nodding, frowning. The fact that Rubedo and Emerald only differed in hair colour and that their attire was somewhat different was distracting. _'They are definitely sisters…'_

"I always make sure that nobody gets back. The first rule of being a Beornir is – always make sure that your shit is covered or someone will step in it." The words were crude, Cinder sniffing with slight disdain. It was half a bother to arrange for an assassination, but to clear up a trail of bodies…

' _Whatever the girl did, it's not going to impact too much with our plans.'_ Cinder's eyes slid from Emerald's sister, whose eyes slowly were changing towards a silvery colour, to the teacher, who was bombastically laughing at some joke that he made.

' **Bring extra guests… I think we've needed to make an impression on our hosts…'**

* * *

 _Friends, Family and Fun! (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

"Heeeeeyyyy girlfriend!" The cheerful voice of Rubedo was heard from behind, even as she was suddenly the recipient of a hug from behind, the cheerful sound of the older girl's laughter enough, even as she turned around and smiled at her friend.

"Ruby! You're back! Whee!" Her older sister chuckled behind her, even as she felt a pat to the head, Yang's body moving past the two of them, Blake giving them a cool look, even as she made her way along with Yang. _'Ah, yes… they have their sessions, don't they?'_

"So… Where've you been?" Ruby asked, even as she spotted Weiss giving a complicated look at the two of them, smiling at her partner and ultimate bestie, the Schnee girl smiling back as well, her eyes looking a little warmer than before, as they seemed to have reached some form of conclusion, a faint smile that lingered upon those lips as she moved closer, a soft little groan coming from Rubedo as she pulled herself away.

"Your titties have gotten bigger! Gosh!" There were a few people who looked at the two of them discussing such a thing, flushing bright red at the bold statement that Rubedo had just given. "Rubedo!"

The girl smiled, her sister looking a little conflicted, as if she wanted to speak to her, the girl that she was dating tugging on her arm, just like her evil lesbian self (if Rubedo could be believed) seemed to be. Ruby didn't really dislike lesbians, she just found them a little weird. It wasn't normal for people to just act like that and she didn't like it one bit… it felt a little fake, and she wasn't sure why she had the feeling about Cinder Fall, but something was off, just by a bit.

"So… Let's go to my dorm!" She suggested, as Rubedo hung against her. "I've got… things." She blushed a little. Yang and Blake had shopped for a few more things than she'd really thought, Blake having put them all away in a spot… and Yang undoubtedly would have kept herself more than a little occupied if there was a moment…

She flushed. She just wanted to show Rubedo her new things. "Sexy things?" Rubedo whispered in her ear and Ruby squeaked a little. "Just lead the way, sweetheart. Rubedo's gonna follow right behind ya."

The confidence in that voice was bigger, even as a thrill rocked through Ruby's body, knowing that Rubedo meant nothing but the best for her as a friend, knowing that there was more to the girl than she appeared… her interest for horror movies aside. Those were kind of creepy.

As she entered the bedroom, she caught sight of the little box that she'd been handed by Yang, still standing on the edge of the side of the bed where she'd gotten her extra stuff. "Can you… get on first?" She asked, Rubedo moving swiftly, getting onto the bed with her. _'This is it… You can show her your… sexy girl pants.'_

It was a hidden and thrilling feeling inside her, as she looked at the girl that was one of her friends. Weiss was… more or less closed off to such things, whilst Blake and Yang had their own issues. She pulled the box out, showing the lacy little thing. Rubedo's eyes went wide, even as she looked at the sexy girl pants that she held there. "Ooh… Sexy! Are you going to wear those for your girlfriend?"

She blushed, even as her gaze went down. "I don't like girls… well, not much anyways. I liked to… I liked to read the stories. The girl in the tower was favorite, because Yang used to… y'know, tell me it." Rubedo smiled, as she leaned in close.

"There was once a girl in a tower…" The voice changed slightly, turning an octave lower and perhaps the register changing for a bit, as the redheaded girl moved past her, her lips close to her ear, as the story rolled off her lips. "And then, the prince came and sprung her free, giving her babies."

It wasn't exactly a retelling of the story, yet she knew that it was more than what she wondered about. "There are songs too… Songs that have stories." The door opened and Blake and Yang entered, Weiss still curiously absent. _'I think she went to her grandfather, something about training for something…_ '

"And so, I was like 'woah, woah! Don't you dare touch my doggy!'" A long cylinder was under her arm, as she chuckled at the memory, Ruby faintly remembering Yang's chase-down of some guy who wanted to abduct Zwei… for reasons that they didn't know.

"How fun… A dog." There was a pause in Blake's enthusiasm, as she looked irritated, Ruby guessing that it wasn't so much an issue of merely being bored by Yang's enthusiasm, but more a Faunus thing. _'Maybe she doesn't like dogs?'_

"So, what's the situation with you and your lingerie, Ruby?" Yang asked, Ruby realizing that she still had her sexy girl pants in her hand. She tucked them away immediately, Rubedo's gaze turning to Yang and the girl smiling a very warm smile. _'Funny, I didn't think she liked Yang much…'_

"I'm adopting you both as my little sisters. Yep." The smile on Rubedo's face was enough to make Yang give a blank look to the young woman, whose smile broadened even more. "Little sisters, Yang and Ruby!" There was a little ta-daaahh sound that she made, even as Yang grinned after hearing that.

"Hey, careful about that, Red… We might be going out to hit on girls if Ruby's little crush on Weiss is enough." The flushing of Ruby's cheeks was enough, even as Rubedo giggled.

"She isn't gay, you know… I'm sure Ruby is thinking about a big hard cock ramming right into that tight hole of hers." Rubedo's mouth continued to spew obscene, dirty little things, Ruby flushing even redder as she imagined it. A gentle boy, whose hands parted her legs and did… things to her.

"Shut your mouth, Ruby isn't old enough to hear that stuff!" Yang's voice was angry, as the purple eyes looked fiercer, a low whine coming from the tube that she had between her arms, Yang's attention pulled from her to the tube.

The lid popped up and Zwei popped out of it, giving a cheerful yip. Rubedo's expression turned curious, as she leaned a little to the edge, looking at the small dog. Ruby could see Blake leaping up onto Yang's bed, hissing softly at the sight of her own cute puppy. _'Aww, he's so cute!'_

"Zwei! Oh gods, Rubedo! This is our dog!" Yang plucked a piece of paper off the ground that had fallen onto the ground, reading through it.

"Ah, dad says he's out on a mission to do something for a few days, so he asks whether we could look after Zwei." Ruby's excitement was enough, even as Rubedo seemed to freeze up.

She looked at the small dog even as she waited, seemingly watching for something, before she sneezed loudly. Ruby giggled a little. "Not fond of dogs?"

"Hate the little buggers. Someone… Someone who was once very dear to me asked me whether we could have a dog, once upon a time." There was a wistful tone that Rubedo used, as she sighed deeply, her eyes looking at the way, even as Yang put the letter on the table, her fingers pulling at the clothes that she wore.

"Didn't you like them enough to stay?" The question seemed to rattle Rubedo slightly, even as she shook her head.

"The Mission comes before personal pleasures… No matter what…" There was a tired voice that spoke, one that had seen many things before and had been accustomed to failure and a lack of hope. A soft sound, as the dog brushed against Rubedo, another sneeze coming right from the girl's mouth. _'Must be allergies… Yang was allergic to some sort of monkey at the zoo and couldn't stop sneezing…'_

It was natural to assume such a thing, especially with how rough Rubedo seemed to be in her interaction. The awkward petting of her cute little doggy Zwei was enough, even as Yang smirked, shaking her head.

"He knows who's a good person and who isn't, don't you boy?" Ruby cooed, even as Rubedo and Blake shared a look. The expression on their face was pretty similar… _'I guess they don't like dogs…'_

"So, what's this about a mission, hmmm? You and the rest of your team do a bit of extra work?" Yang teased, even as she watched the expression on Rubedo's face with a look that Ruby termed her 'suspicious' look.

"It's… You wouldn't understand. You've never lived outside of the Kingdoms." Rubedo's voice was soft, even as Ruby shifted the dog a little on her lap, a smile on her face as the licks came, her eyes tender.

"It's hard living. If sis beat up some guy and he didn't come back, she'd be mopey all day long. Daddy didn't really want me out, but…" There was a fragile tone to the girl's voice. "But he's dead now and Emmie is gay." A look up, right at Blake. "You don't know what it's like to fucking see the Branwens just shoot at you like you're some fat turkey, and you've got to fight those bastards off. If not for daddy, I'd be…" There was a look on Rubedo's face, one of hurt and pain and fear, a shudder going through them as the tears came and she looked so lost for a moment.

It was definitely genuine, as she shrank in on herself, hugging her knees and starting to cry, soft little sobs that started to grow louder. "Daddy's dead, mommy's not here anymore… I've tried to be good, I've tried so hard, and I'm still not…" Ruby looked at Yang, who gave a look that was half-helpless, Zwei nudging against Rubedo, who didn't seem to register the nudge.

"It's going to be okay… The Branwens… Who are they?" The question was loaded, as Yang's voice hitched slightly, even as Rubedo's head turned slightly.

"Demons. Their leader, Raven Branwen… A cold and merciless woman. She will do everything to guard what she loves. Money… Dust…" Anger fused through the voice of the young woman, a genuine one, as she spoke about the way that Raven had impacted her.

"But… But I can't hate her. I just can't. She's…" There was a helpless raising of the hands, even as the young woman gave a deep sigh. "She's a friend of mama's. I've… I've got to be a good daughter." Yang sighed deeply, rubbing over the girl's back.

"You will be… Tell me a bit more, how… how is she?" There was concern in Yang's voice, a deeper need to know, as her eyes turned that sad shade of purple that she got sometimes when she was around Blake.

"Good, I believe. She's… She's taught me stuff. She is… She was everything that I was taught to fear." The girl paused, looking up at Yang, tears in her eyes. "I love her and yet I hate her. I'm not… I'm not sure what to do anymore." The heavy breathing that Rubedo did made her chest move, as her eyes were sad. "She said I was going to be good… To be a good fighter, to…"

It was a small change, as she watched Yang pull Rubedo into an embrace. It was something that she couldn't have imagined beforehand, but now was witnessing. Yang's hands gently brushed over Rubedo's side, as she slowly tried to calm the girl down. "She saved me when the Grimm were eating everyone…" There was a pause, as she exhaled.

"Emmie can't know, it'd crush her and her girlfriend will take her away…" The look that Rubedo gave her suddenly was intense. "She'd take her away and make her do bad things, Ruby." The speech was far more stable than the emotions on her face betrayed, and Ruby could feel her heart go out to the girl.

"It's a job for a big sister to care for her little one." Yang said, giving Ruby herself a pointed look, making a little gesture with her head for Ruby to come join them. It was an easy task, as Ruby was already in motion, hugging the older girl to her chest.

"We're here for you, Rubedo… Beornir or not…" The look on Yang's face was confused.

"I thought her name was Sustrai?" Ruby smiled, shaking her head.

"That's her sister's name. Rubedo is of a bandit clan called the Beornir." A hiss of escaping air came from Blake, as she gave a look at Rubedo.

"They're really mean people. Good with Dust, but really mean… I've heard stories about the Beornir and the others around them, actually eating people." Rubedo gave a soft sound as she heard that. Blake hadn't been kind in her manner of talking about her friend's family, even if it did sound true.

"We weren't that bad. They were fed and released… eventually." The hesitation made Ruby worry, even as Yang and Blake shared a look. "We didn't exactly KEEP them most of the time. There were other settlements that needed working hands and the like. So… we sold them. Everyone's got to make a living, outside of the kingdoms." The innocent way in which the girl stated such a horrific thing really gnawed at her.

"But you're here now… To be a Huntsman." Rubedo smiled, even as she leaned against Ruby a little. Ruby could feel her arms wrap around her and Yang, pulling her closer.

"I'm here to be the best Huntress in the world, with Yang and Ruby!" A cheerful tone, as she spoke with such enthusiasm that Ruby couldn't help but smile.

"That's good… Don't go killing people." Yang cautioned, even as she looked at Ruby. Rubedo smiled at her, coming close to Yang's cheek and giving it a gentle kiss.

"You're good, Yang. I love you, just as much as I love Ruby." There was a softness in those words that reminded her a little of mom, of the time when she had still been alive. Ruby leaned against the redheaded girl, even as she felt the hands hug her a little tighter.

They would make sure that this girl wouldn't be hurt in the fracas between the world and them.

"What is this?" Weiss commented, even as Zwei yipped loudly. Another sneeze from Rubedo came, even as they shifted a little on the bed, Yang and Ruby herself not letting go. It had taken some ice-cream (Graciously stored in the minifridge that Weiss had brought with her at the start) and some talking about things that didn't really make much sense, to get the world moving again.

"Ruby's been… sad. Don't worry about it." Yang looked guilty, inasmuch as it was so. Blake was currently happily curled up on Yang's bed, clearly not too happy with the little dog that was starting to yip at Weiss' feet.

Ruby watched as those eyes went big, the irritation coming to be replaced with something that looked like appreciation, love and a generous dose of 'cute', as she picked up Zwei and held him up. "Aww, who's a good little boy? You are, aren't you? Do you wanna stay with us?"

"Who could love such a thing?" Rubedo murmured under her breath, another sneeze coming from her, even as Yang hugged her a little closer.

"We can. Now… I don't really approve of you yet, but you've been trying to improve, or so lil' sis says… So you aren't out of the doghouse yet, but we're getting warmer to you." The look on Yang's face was mostly for her benefit.

She knew that Rubedo wouldn't be so easily trusted. The red-haired girl seemed to be distracted by the clock, a soft hiss coming from her throat. "I should go. I promised to meet up with someone." That probably meant the team leader of her team, someone that Rubedo complained about frequently, in a relationship with her younger sister.

"You do whatever's the best for you, Rube." Yang said, the girl disentangling herself out of Yang's grip, giving Yang a look that was half-challenge and half-amused at the way that she said it.

"Do have… Do have a nice day. I swear, I won't let my little sisters come to harm." The warmth that flooded through her at those words was enough to make her shiver, her eyes looking at those determined features, ready to take the fight to the logical conclusion.

"Oh, did you throw away dad's note?" Yang asked nearly an hour later, as she looked at the desk where she'd laid it on, the short message about the mission and them taking care of Zwei gone. _'I thought you threw it out.'_

"Ah well, I guess I must've done so myself. I mean, he's just asking us to take care of the dog, isn't he?" Yang grinned, even as she hopped up on the bed with Blake. "Now… Does my little Blake need to feel a big hug?" The girl shied away, hissing like a cat in danger.

Sometimes, her sister could be a bit too much…

* * *

 _The chaos (Summer Rose)_

* * *

She took three turns before she shifted towards the side, the Semblance cloaking her perfectly in a flash. The optical illusion Semblance would be nice for when it came to hide herself from the people around her.

The mask was pulled out in a flash, even as her eyes scanned the vicinity. The form may be Rubedo's, yet she was not going to allow anything to come to harm her little adopted daughter. It was Rubedo, Ruby and Yang now…

' _Alright, mix the agent…'_ One of the quill-feathers that had been stuck in the mask that she wore professionally was unscrewed from its socket, a long reddish capsule pulled from it, a large glob of jelly-like substance pulled out of it. _'Not too much left… I should resupply.'_

There was obviously a need for resupply anyways, as she counted mentally just how many clotting agents she had left, her tongue sliding over the droplet of reddish jelly, wetting it with her tongue. The taste wasn't much to say anything about, the compounds used to make it consisting of several bitter beetles that were native to the part of Vale that had been ill-travelled, yet had been in use for years.

It was all to unveil the message that was coded on the paper. As the jelly turned into more of a liquid, she brushed it over the back of the letter, unveiling the script that had been leaked into the fibre of the paper.

It was definitely the smell of the ink that had clued her in. The girls likely did not notice, yet there was something in the ink that clued her in about the contents of the message. To pass messages to students at Beacon, you'd have to get clever, you'd have to write in code, dissolvable ink that only showed when the proper reagent had been applied… all to pass through the people.

Of course, that hardly functioned when they didn't pay careful attention. Summer remembered several of the letters from back home that had been coded properly. Thanks to her own knowledge of the codes, she had easily passed them along to the controller behind the scenes, even though with team RWBY, it would undoubtedly be different. Someone would come into the room and carefully dig through the trash in order to retrieve the message, likely when the girls were all asleep.

Raven and herself were very light sleepers, with Taiyang somewhat of a heavy sleeper and Qrow regularly sleeping deep enough to be unable to be woken up unless you got his balls in a vise and squeezed really tightly.

She'd have to forge something of a facsimile and throw it in their bin later on. It was too important to forget, so it would hardly serve the cause if she forgot. The Grandmaster of the Order was important enough to have such checks and balances on the students… and it would be likely that it was something that the man would not forget.

As she waited for the liquid to clear up, she did a mental check of what she still had available. As the letters finally revealed themselves, she frowned as she read them.

' **Ozpin** **,**

 **The duty has been fulfilled. Will be in the kingdom in three days, meet up with Qrow. Sent dog to Y/R. Thank you for your interest, Yang is prepared for initiation. Seven-Three-One, One went One Three. Will reconvene at M.G.**

 **Taiyang Xiao-Long.'**

The code was understood immediately. She knew the major codes for every member of the Order, as she was one of the seven, the ones who knew and watched and killed. Raven would know about fifty percent of the code, just as a security thing, because she was not of the blood… But her children would be of the Rose, as the creed had dictated.

Summer Rose blanked at that moment. Rubedo's chatter in her soul was starting to grow even more tiresome, even as she re-read the sections on the small note, her heart feeling heavy, even as she had… she loved him, in her own way.

' _I'd…'_ A tremor went through her heart as her breathing quickened, the panic gripping her as the terror communicated itself through her mind, knowing what the codes meant. Her own initiation had been something that she had suffered through…

' _No, I won't let him become a part of the schemes of you, Ozpin.'_ There must be a reasonable explanation for Taiyang writing to Ozpin about her little Ruby and Yang, there must be a reason why he was using the codes and to… to…

Anger boiled over, and she found herself going towards the training rooms, spotting a guy with blue hair, together with some blonde kid with a monkey tail. "Oi, scum. Yeah, you two assholes. Get in the ring instead of encouraging your fucking homomance. I'm taking the two of you crotch-robbers on, whether you're going to be kissy kissy in the shower afterwards or not!"

She was irate and angry and needed to work the frustration off. The Faunus of the pair seemed offended, whilst the blue-haired young man moved. She could see that the silver-haired young man seemed to be aware of her, and she realized that she'd have to act a little more like Rubedo. _"Any tips?"_

" _Mama Rose, you should giggle more. Giggling and laughter is good, daddy said… But better daddy is even better than that. He's cute… heehee."_ The girl wasn't much use, but she giggled either way, as she looked at the two young men, whose amateurish stances looked like they were there to dance, rather than fight. "Come on, you sissies! Stop looking at me and fight."

Rubedo's weapon was in her hands in a flash, the kopesh feeling slightly underweight for the length of the blade, the unfamiliarity with the weapon enough to show her that there would be less reckoning for her than she thought, even with the world railing against her and her mind a cluttered mess.

Monkey boy was the first in, even as the trident-wielding blue-haired fellow waited back, cautiously, the first swing of his weapon dodged through dropping backwards after flicking the kopesh up, arms used to brace herself, as her legs shot out and tried to swipe the legs from underneath him, catching the eye of the silver-haired young man who had come with Emerald, Rubedo's sister. His eyes were trained on her, even as the savage grin blossomed on her face.

' _Time to give a show.'_

The monkey went down like a rank amateur, her body already in the next motion, her supporting hands pushing her back up on her feet, only to side-step the stabbing trident, her fingers catching the falling Kopesh and then stabbing, witnessing the monkey agilely try to do the same move as she had, moving her body up through a small jump to dodge the leg sweep, her eyes catching sight of surprised eyes, even as she bore down onto the blue-haired young man, her Kopesh glancing off his aura, the panicked look on his face enough to show for the fact that his inexperience was definitely a factor.

"Pussy."

She growled, as she headbutted him, rattling his little brain whilst the monkey-man was getting up again, ready to strike again. Ranged weapons weren't allowed within these rooms, so she wasn't getting the gun that came with Rubedo's standard fighting kit, but that was hardly necessary, as she let the blue-haired guy drop to the ground, in order to deal with monkey boy.

"You're never going to get a girlfriend if you attempt to go to girls like that, you asshole." The chastisement felt good, even as Rubedo cheered her on. "Actually, I don't think I'd let you go for me… you're just a silly little monkey man, after all." The taunting was an essential part of letting people lose their cool, even as she dodged one of the nunchaku with ease.

"Hey! You can't just say that to me! Not cool!" The boy had a mouth on him, she supposed. Her body moved into range, her shoulder taking one of the nunchaku and then hitting him fully in the groin with her knee, the body raised up a little as her knee hit him right there.

"Not cool is being a fucking pussy when challenged, Monkey." Her voice was calm, even as he leaned against her, her knee grinding a little against the flesh, as she knew that his Aura had caught the blow. "Not cool is…"

Her hand grabbed his head and her eyes stared into his own. "Are you fucking getting OFF on a girl ramming her knee in that little bitch-nest you've got down there?" Her language was slipping again, as she pushed him away, only to feel the lightning-dust powered trident hit her in the size, electricity arcing along her spine as she quivered, her muscles involuntarily contracting under the stress. She allowed herself to fall, as much as she could, hitting the ground and then twisting upwards with her legs, an improvised move that deflected the trident before it could do much harm, the monkey boy getting up again, his weapon changing to a large staff.

"If we're going to win against this girl, we've got to play mean, Neptune…" The name rang a bell inside her, as she placed the young man in her mind, immediately linking and associating with him.

"Let's fucking play, you bitches. You and your gay lover can have little threesomes together in the shower when you're getting together again." The constant cussing was not longer any issue for her, she just wanted to vent the frustration that she felt. She was focused on the task, yet this…

This could hardly be called anything more than kids trying to brawl. The Neptune dude's stance was right for the most part, yet he lacked the initiative, whilst the monkey man was getting himself thoroughly thrashed, the moment she caught up with him.

"You're awfully rude." The monkey man said, even as Summer bared her teeth at him.

"Yeah, fuck you too." The body was in motion before the mind caught up, even as she moved, another stride forward delivering the blade to the Faunus' neck and slamming into it, the aura shattering, a kick to the stomach sending him out of the ring. "And now you, homo boy!"

Neptune straightened a little, his eyes looking at her with a look that was pitying and at the very same time, also cautious. "Are you sure that you'd not like to go out on a date with me?"

The thought of being asked out by this pipsqueak with a pretty face that hadn't been smashed in by a Beringel a few times was something that made her laugh. Rubedo's laugh, a tint of mania through it, bubbled up, tears welling up from her eyes. "With just YOU? Bitch, I've seen bigger dicks when I was still living out in the sticks and we had to wash in a pond. What sort of right does your little matchstick dick have to get into THIS body, huh?" The manic energy was enough, as she reached forward, seizing him by the jacket and then pulling him in close, her knee blocked, obviously out of the experience that the young man had with trying to grind up to men.

She might be biased as hell, but Rubedo did not like him and she did not like him. Egads, he might actually be good at pulling off the 'I am straight and utterly not eye-fucking Jaune' thing. "H-hey, no need to get so violent."

"Fuck you." Rubedo's voice allowed for a remarkably expressive fuck you, as she moved closer and head-butted him once, her smaller form enough to push up, hitting him right into the kidneys. She didn't use much of the style of the Order, as that would probably perforate his kidneys, using the more brawling homebrew style that Rubedo's body was able to do by mere muscle memory, even as she downed him, the aura breaking up.

"That was a good fight. For a buttfucker like you, you fight well." The compliment was more than the kid deserved, but Summer Rose didn't know how to pull her punches. "Monkey boy and you make a decent team, though I'd suggest that you two learn to tag team other things than your shared bitch-hole."

The blue-haired young man gave a half-smile, as he held out his hand in a sign of reconciliation, which she shook without even batting an eye at it. "You fight well. I'd heard that several members of team CREM had been replaced, and well…"

The blonde muscle-Monkey came to them as well. "Yeah, I mean, we're still good, yeah?" Summer gave a little smile, one that flashed most of her teeth. On Rubedo's face, which was almost a mirror of Emerald's save for a little bit more expressiveness in the cheeks, it looked friendly and sociable.

"Of course! I like fighting with guys who can at least give a girl a task. I mean… You're perhaps needing to work a bit on your staying power, but you're good." The act of being just a regular girl, albeit a little too passionate and crude with things, was something that Summer could do, the letter that was tucked away in her pocket still on the background.

"Good fight. Say, Ruby, think I can borrow you for a moment?" Rubedo's 'teammate' appeared, looking as jack-assly competent as he did. She could see the relaxed, yet tense manner about him, even as she gave a nod, starting to walk with him.

"What're you going on about, what's with… that?" He asked her, even as they walked from the training rooms, towards the team's dorm room.

"Funsies… Emmie doesn't really take much of a hit… ooh, you should ask her about playtime. She'll know what it means." Summer knew well what it means, from Rubedo. Playtime was when you strung up two or three people who couldn't make the cut, then set them loose and counted how long they survived.

"Still… Don't dare to risk our cover. I'd hate for something unfortunate to happen to y-" Her hand grabbed his own and squeezed.

"Ask Emerald what I did to my last toy, before her fifteenth birthday. Trust me, my dear little Merc… Life isn't as easy as you think it is…" Her mouth came close to his ear.

"And if none of us fight to show that we belong, we'd be thought of as chumps… Do you wanna be a chump? Emmie already fights like a chump… So I won't let my little sister be a chump… If she needs the guidance of an older sister… I'll be there for her." Summer knew that Rubedo didn't like Cinder, but Mercury was a little different from Emerald's near-worship. Not as attached to the nebulous goal that they seemed to have, more in it for a thing to do, rather than the ideology that followed along with it. A tool, to be used and then let go to serve as another tool…

The young man shuddered a little, and Rubedo inside her head commented on how he was being scared… _"That's because they are always scared the moment when they see a strong woman… Hell, I bet some of the Skulls would just go 'omg, cute boy, we need to fuck him.' If they saw him though… Those tarts just go traversing the world and plucking off every darn orphan."_

"I… see. Cinder had planned for me to show some skill, but…" Rubedo's body was developed in different ways from Emerald's. More fatty tissue on the chest, slightly curvier hips. The boon of maturity, over the rigid stealing that her sister had admitted to doing, her eyes looking into Mercury's own.

"We're supposed to be the best, silly-willy… Why only have one team member that is good… Cindy can't be the one, she's trying to be sneaky-sneaky about giving my little sister some of her love… Aww… Won't you help me a bit, pretty please?" She batted her eyelashes at him, acting as the manic Rubedo would. Rubedo's lips formed the words that Rubedo herself whispered into her mental connection, the look on the young man's face turning a little complicated.

"Alright…" There was a hint of fear in his expression, something that made Summer and Rubedo both smile. Fear was good… It showed that a person could still recall that instance of life.

"I'll see you later… I need new Dust… and a whetstone. It's getting awfully dull, y'see?" The Kopesh was raised, a shudder going through the man as he beheld her face. There was fear in those eyes, even as Summer knew that she had intimidated him successfully. Mercury Black was not a man who shirked his duty… yet fear and purpose kept him aligned to Cinder Fall.

As she separated from him upon coming to the rooms that Cinder had allotted to her, she allowed herself a little smile, even as she stretched lightly to allow herself a moment of relaxation in the manner of her upper body. It was important to keep the muscles ready to be used at all times, even as she patted Mercury on the back. "Don't be a stranger… Fight me sometime, Mercey."

She watched him, even as he opened the door and then walked in, Cinder in full ornately worked dress with entirely too much Dust in it, standing there taking her measure in a mirror. "Little Miss here decided to go and challenge two of team SSSN to a practice match." The lackluster comment was enough to draw the attention of the woman, who regarded her for a moment.

Summer flashed her best grin, noticing that Emerald stilled, her eyes looking at her. _"More enthusiasm?"_ She mentally asked, and the affirmative response that she got from Rubedo was enough, as her grin turned even more wicked, Emerald giving a little shiver. "Oh? Did you win?"

"Yes, Cindy! They were both totally beaten! Them queer guys… pfah! If big sis Topaz was here, she'd show them how to get done like a rug… though I'm not sure exactly what a rug has to do with that." Summer knew that Rubedo was innocent of many of the cruel sexual things that her sisters did. She did not perceive the world as others did, Cinder giving a mere 'hmphf' as she heard that.

"It is more a term of phrase, dear… What possessed you to challenge them? I thought my dear Emerald…" Her eyes caught Emerald perking up a little, Summer mentally wincing at the sight of that. There was someone there with a love interest that didn't give a damn about them. "would have impressed upon you the need to keep a low profile."

"But… The party. It's just so boring! We would've burnt a few bastards on the barbecue if this took so long… plus, we're both from Haven! Only Mercey has been fighting… And I won't let Emmie fight! She's my younger sis, so she's precious! She is!" Wild gestures with her hands formed the words that she spoke, even as her eyes locked with Cinder's, even as she nodded.

"Perhaps we have been less than active. A good showing in the fights ought to be… productive, at least in proving our credentials. Will you be attending the dance?" The thought rose in Summer's mind about seeing her darling babies together at the dance, but she dismissed it. It was likely that they'd never get to be around during that time, with how the world seemed to be throwing them curveballs every once in a while.

"Nope! I'm gonna find a friend in Vale and show them the world!" The bold smile, even as Emerald winced again.

"Can you at least keep the Dust to a minimum? People have been finding the bodies…" Summer pouted at that comment.

"But they didn't wanna play with Ruby no more!"

The way that Cinder rubbed her temples was definitely an indicator that she'd reached the proper dismissal. The way that the woman moved was enough of an indicator, even as Rubedo in her mind giggled.

"I'll… I'll try for you, Emmie. Big sis would be sad if I let my little Emmie get alone and hurt… I am not going to give up on my little sisters, nope." The strange look on Emerald's face was curious, even as Rubedo spoke about Ruby and Yang. Summer mentally made a note.

"When am I gonna be an aunt, Emmie?" The excitement in her tone was enough to make Emerald blanch, Cinder's tenderly arched brow enough. "Mercey was acting all like 'ooh, Emerald, emerald!' and he was so nice to me! So… When it my little nephew going to be born?"

"I'm not pregnant! I've not… How could you…" Summer tilted her head, Rubedo's features adopting a quizzical look.

"Aren't you always staring at Cindy? Isn't that how babies are formed?" Emerald blinked, before she flushed even redder.

"That is no- Oh gods, daddy always protected you…" Emerald said, and she turned to Cinder. "She was never told about… stuff, because she was… like this, Cinder. I swear, I didn't know. I-"

The long-haired brunette held up a hand to silence Emerald, even as Summer moved closer to her.

"A lack of education can be attributed to your rearing, my dear. See to it that Rubedo gets corrected on the issues with reproduction, right? Now, what was that about your sisters, Rubedo?" The woman's voice was soft as she spoke, her haughty golden eyes looking at her.

"Aren't we all going to have sisters? Daddy told me that the world is a big family and that we're alllll brothers and sisters! I've got lots of big sisters!" Cinder looked at Emerald, who blanched once more. The woman was not amused in the slightest by the way that Rubedo showed the critical skills of understanding the world.

"It's not exactly like that, dear… Emerald, could you take your sister aside for a moment, as soon as possible, so you get that straightened out?" There was a light sound of amusement that came from the woman, as if she found something rather amusing, though none of the faces of the other two teammates showed much amusement.

"Come along, Rubedo." Emerald said, even as she dragged Summer along, leaving the room. "Daddy wasn't… He was always protective of you, for your skill with Dust."

Summer and Rubedo nodded, the latter mentally doing so. "So he's neglected a few aspects… and well, I know what you were like. It wasn't like…" The hand of the younger girl moved and she produced a wallet from one of her sleeves, holding it out to her. "It wasn't like we were close back then before I left."

Rubedo's face was expressive enough that it made for easy manipulation, even as Summer looked at the offered wallet. "But everyone said that kissing makes babies. Uncle Bear was like 'You have to be careful! Kissing a guy makes you pregnant!'." Emerald's discomfort seemed to increase with that statement, as she sighed deeply.

"It's a bit more involved than that… I mean, you are a little…" The girl was hesitating to say that Rubedo was a little crazy, the internal communication with little Rubedo working well at establishing the basic facts about the girl, even as there was a soft little hum that came from her throat at the thoughts that surfaced within her mind.

"It's that thing that Topaz did with that guy that daddy nearly filleted when he found them doing that in front of you." The giggles from Rubedo in her mind were disconcerting. The flashes of memory came to mind, even as the sight of the yellow-haired sister and the blue-haired sister flashed past her face.

"Oh… So that was it. She just told me that she was punishing the guy… He was crying, and not like the crying that my toys do when they're entertaining me." The look on Emerald's face was a little glum, even as she shook her head lightly. "No, but… Some people do it for fun."

Summer smirked, as she winked at her sister. "I'll go and have that thing with Ruby! She'll be so happy, Emmie!" Emerald's eyes went wide, as she grabbed a hold of Rubedo's right arm, preventing her from moving, Summer giving a little smile to herself, as Emerald took a deep breath.

"Now, that won't be necessary… But we should have a talk… Please, don't mention such things about me to Cinder." A look that Summer recognized. A look of hope, of fear of rejection, the same look that Raven had once given her, when she had told her that she was a bandit.

"I'm sorry, Emmie… You love her, don't you?" The small nod was more than enough, even as Rubedo inside her seemed to cheek. "Then I'm going to help you."

"You will?" Rubedo's face turned to a smile.

"Bear's Burden, I promise." Emerald smiled, even as she handed over the Lien.

"Go and have fun… And buy something nice for yourself, alright?" The care in that voice was enough, as the familial link between the two of them was still reasonably strong.

"I will. Want me to bring you a souvenir, Emmie?" The little nod from her sister was enough, even as she let herself move, the air around her shimmering as she disappeared in the red haze.

Listening to the conversation behind the door, she could hear Cinder speak up. "Will she be a problem, Emerald?" The question hung in the air, yet Emerald hesitated for an instant, if what Summer gleaned didn't disappoint.

"Not at all, Cinder. She's just… Special." The snort from the Mercury boy was loud.

"Total nutter… But she fights like a demon." There was a light cough from the woman known as Cinder, even as she straightened out.

"Well, as much fun as this is, we should proceed with the next stage. With our fourth teammate out of the way and indisposed… How do we proceed?"

Summer knew that it would be the best time for her to move out by the way that the words made little sense, even as she mentally noted down the words used. It would make sense eventually, she thought.

Thirty minutes later, she was using a desk and scrawling the letters using the same style of writing that Taiyang busied in the original letter. One of the skills that she had picked up was forgery, Raven's own hand being much more steady, yet to create a good illusion of Taiyang having written the original, she would have to adapt his style of writing. As the team leader, she'd seen it more often than most.

' _Three extra moments for the ink to sink in and then burn the remnants of the original, leaving behind evidence is just sloppy…'_ She knew that there probably would be a moment where team RWBY's room would be searched by whatever inspection the Headmaster had cooked up, the message retrieved.

' _It wouldn't be unusual for a father to send a message, but if I was Tai…'_ The implications, she did not want to think about. She might be suspicious right now, but the Order was something that was inviolable, so there would need to be a change first. They hadn't been exactly hiding the fact that they had a girl thing together from Qrow and Taiyang, so perhaps Ozpin had asked that the man use the codes... The man was awfully persuasive.

As she inked the final code line into the paper and then scrawled the words onto the paper, she mentally went over the arrayed information inside her, before she crept towards the room that contained Ruby and her team.

Slipping in after a brief second of waiting and checking, she crumpled the forged note up a little and then dropped it into the bin after a moment's hesitation, her nose itching from the presence of a dog, her face showing a frown.

' _Time to get to Raven.'_

The Scroll in her hands beeped, even as she walked through the hallways, the student uniform that she wore fitting her like it had been tailored to her form (which it had been, Emerald had made sure of that), her weapons in easy reach, even as she went to the rocket locker that had been assigned to Rubedo, pulling her weapons out of it and then equipping herself after a moment, checking for anyone who looked oddly at her.

' _Time to get going… I should head by resupply point seventeen.'_

The map with resupply points of Vale was very clear on the points where a member of the Order could go to resupply. That there was a ceasefire within those places definitely mattered a lot, even as she knew well, Raven's number called after a moment. "I need a pick-up, sweetheart. Time to set the town ablaze with glorious style."

A soft affirmative sound came, as voices could be recognized, and she felt the weird feeling in her stomach swell up.

Everything would be okay… No matter the cost. The Mission was more important than one's life…

Was it?

' _Is it really that important that I would have…'_

Anger flooded her system, as she remembered. It frightened Rubedo a little, who asked why mommy was feeling so angry and what she had done wrong.

' _The mission… I will ask him…'_

Asking Jaune might be a good thing… He had the perspective that Raven and her lacked…

* * *

 _To arrive at a destination(Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

The feeling of travel through Kali Shadowlines was something nebulous and yet tangible at the same time. As the shadows pulsated around her and her friend's arms pulled away, she allowed herself a moment to adjust, feeling the difference in pressure around her, the sight of the door opening up and Weiss exiting from the room that contained her father, the butler following along with her.

Seeing her daughter again made complicated emotions rise up in her chest, as she looked at the beautiful young girl that her daughter had become, freed from the oppression of her late husband, her eyes catching sight of the girl's slender neck, adorned with no fine jewels yet as pristine as it could be. "Could you make grandfather some tea, Klein? I worry for his health, so…" The concern in her youngest daughter's eyes was enough to melt her a little more, the soft whisper in her mind about having done a good job only reaffirmed by the way that the girl seemed to treat her friends.

' _I have been the witness to something beautiful.'_ The way that Weiss seemed to shine, her eyes happy and her gaze holding nothing but the care and love for the butler that had nearly raised her from birth, the man affectionate as well in his response, made her feel like a failure, but her heart hardened. _**"She is a beauty… But my Blake isn't bad either…"**_

The feeling of power inside her once more brought thoughts to her mind of her eldest child, the one who had went for Atlas Academy and never looked back. It had been tension after tension every time when they met, be it at a social affair or something else… _"_ _ **My eldest daughter is a beauty, yet I fear…"**_

The butler and her daughter went to the door of the apartment that her father had gotten in one of the upscale hotels, her body materializing from the shadows. She materialized fully, standing there in her full Huntsman attire, the hat shifted slightly to the right, even as Kali hissed in amusement at the hat, Whitney giving a light shake of the head.

"… while, hasn't it?" The voice of her father sounded from behind the door, a faint sound coming from the other door.

"It's been a while indeed, Nicholas. Usually, I am relegated to merely watch. You have done a good job… And I'm so proud of you, you wonderful man." The voice was soft, womanly and had an odd lilt to the tone, her father's deep sigh enough to clue her in, even if the rush of depressive emotions seemed to rush so well.

"Weiss is like you in so many ways… I remember still from the time that we first met, the moment that you decided that I was worth it…" The knock on the door that she gave sounded through the apartment, even as her father sighed deeply. "Come in."

She opened the door, the man's head turning to her to look at her, a look on his face that was sad, even as he set the Scroll to the side, the sight of tears on his face enough, even as he brushed his hand over his face, wiping them away. "It's been… It's good to see you again, Whitney." He didn't get up, even as she walked to his seat, giving him a hug. She smelled the faint scent of her father there, even as she shuddered a little at the feeling that came with it, a low sound coming from his throat and a little tap to her shoulder to signal that he wanted her to release him.

"Weiss has some skill with Summoning… So you should be able to as well, as my daughter." The faint smile on his face as he motioned for the chair opposite of him, an elaborate leather one that had a small cover for the cushion below it, seating herself. She caught sight of Kali appearing out of one of the shadows, a little smirk on her face, even as she winked once. _'She's smug because she had the night with Jaune.'_

"Summon a Glyph, the regular ones that you see everywhere… No matter which one." The man demonstrated, raising one of his hands, a Glyph appearing on his palm, miniaturized, a small Beowolf appearing on top of it, his eyes looking at her expectantly. Her hand moved, a Glyph appearing in a millisecond, fitting between her hands.

"Imagine the moment when you struggled against a foe you could not beat. Those creatures that forced you to stall, who would not let you advance. Think of that which made you who you are now." As she tried to imagine it, her body felt cold. Desire flared within her, as she saw that moment when she had finally realized that she was going to fall, that moment when the darkness of her emotions started to hit her, the realization that her husband wanted her dead, that they were going to die…

A young man, coming like a gallant prince, creatures of the Grimm leaping at his will. His eyes mismatched, yet his charm something simple, something so elegant that it brought tears to her eyes, that it moved her. The emotion fed into the Glyph, the air above it quivering.

"Imagine them coming to your side, to help you… It is a simple pull and a tugging sensation, Whitney." Her father spoke, and she thought to that moment when she faced against the man who had been enough, a face appearing to her mind of a traitor to humanity, the bearded man's face visible, even as she willed it to go away.

"That's it… That's it… Just force the image into being, focusing with your whole will." Her mind switched to other encounters, the massive bulk of the tortoise Grimm appearing to her mind, her father's disappointed sound changing into excitement. "Good, good… Focus on materializing the Grimm. Dismiss the other images, just focus on that creature…"

The man's words were almost like a balm to her mind, as her image of the massive Grimm firmed and her fingers twitched, forming the image, her eyes opening and spotting the miniature there, the small roar that it gave almost life-like. **"You have called for me and I have come."**

"A Grimm that speaks?" Her father's voice was surprised, as he leaned forward, Whitney's eyes going to the Testudo's sparkling whiteness, her fingers reaching out to caress its side. It was just as she remembered it, a hellish flame pushing through her whole body as she felt the darkness inside her respond, a slow darkening of the Glyph later and the feeling of the pleasure inside her lower body, as images of Jaune appeared to her mind's eye.

" **We encountered it in Mistral… Quite a fight. Big as a house…"** The door was knocked on, even as Whitney dismissed the Grimm, the feeling of something snapping back into place following immediately afterwards, as she exhaled slowly, feeling the burning inside her continue, like lit kindling.

"Some tea, Master Schnee." The butler started to wheel in a trolley, occupied with ensuring that there would be no spillage. She could hear the butler move, the faint after-effect of her focus leaving every sound to be an elaborate cascade of noise.

"Please put the pot on the table between us, Klein." The voice of her father was enough, as she looked at the butler, spotting the signs that the man had been reasonably well since he had started to follow after her father. The man's hand quivered as he saw her sitting there, his eyes going wide, the pot in his hand dropping from nerveless fingers, as his face showed surprise.

A Glyph appeared below the pot, keeping it from falling. "It's better when the tea is poured whilst it isn't in the carpet, Klein." She said, fondness seeping through her voice. The darkness crept around the room, filling the corners with shadow, as the ground was coated in it. Kali's appearance flashed behind the man, even as the blades were ready to strike.

"Mistress Whitney…" The man said, to which she nodded. "We had thought…" The man's gaze went to Nicholas, who shook his head. The darkness around them quivered, even as she slowly shook her head. Kali shrank back into the shadows, yet her golden eyes shimmered in the darkness.

"Her lover came to fetch me." The eyebrows of the butler shot up, as he fixed her with a look.

"But he is so… young." The crass voice of the Butler came, and the man stopped himself before he insulted Jaune more. "He looks…" Kali appeared, frowning.

"Looks can be deceiving." Whitney said, her voice turning cooler, as she drew herself up. Here, she sat, a woman dressed up in a very darn great cosplay of Atlas Jean, the hat perfectly arranged, only missing the whip, the rifle sat against the side of the chair.

"I am happy to meet with you again, my lady. Does… Does Weiss…" The question made her flinch, as she shook her head.

"At this moment, I am still listed as dead to the world." The words were important, as her eyes locked with the man's. "It is imperative that I STAY that way. Klein, please… Not a word to ANYONE or they WILL put me in the ground."

Her father coughed, as the butler's attention went to the man. "Mister Sieben, consider this to be private between a long-time employer and his employee." The way that her father phrased it was something that he did when he demanded the attention of Klein fully, and demanded silence and confidentiality.

"I have reason to suspect that Atlas may be moving against the Schnee Dust Company, eliminating myself, my daughter and my son in law. Whilst Jacques will not be missed, I distinctly wish to avoid my grandson share his fate, or my daughters to be turned into puppets for the state." The tone of her father was smouldering, his face cold, looking seriously at the man.

"Remember the day when Willow passed?" The butler nodded, Whitney's eyebrow rising. This was a story that she hadn't heard yet. "This is similar. Prepare the extra methods." The butler nodded, as he bowed.

"As you wish... Though this darkness seems to be a bit of a novel treat..." A chuckle came from behind him, as the darkness was suddenly evaporated.

"All the better to block out the sound of conversation, mister Butler." Kali's throaty voice spoke with a definite murmur of amusement, even as the woman's touch lingered in the corners. "It is important to keep the ones paying attention from noticing that there is someone that shouldn't be here... Right, mister Butler?" The voice was soft, even as the soft hiss came from the shadows, Klein nodding once.

"Of... of course." The soft admission was enough for Kali's presence to dissipate once more, even as Whitney poured herself a cup with the pot of tea, the smell strong enough for her nose to remember the fragrance. _'Father's special tea.'_

The taste of it had been bad ever since she'd first tried a cup, yet she looked at it for a moment. "Would you enjoy a glass of scotch, my lady?" The question was met with a shake of the head. She'd had enough of the drink for a lifetime.

"I've lost my taste for alcohol." There was a faint smile on her lips as her head nodded to Kali, a cup snatched by a tendril and drifting into the darkness after being filled. The butler's fear was something that she could feel, could know that Kali felt it as well, yet her father seemed to not notice. The darkness within them was like a bond, one that brought with it the sensation of familiarity.

"One lump, as usual, Master Schnee?" The man's voice was calm, even as she could feel his nervousness, the Glyphs that appeared in her vision enough to draw her attention, with the darkness inside her quivering.

"Of course, Mister Sieben." Her father's voice was soft, even as the butler did as was expected. She raised the cup to her lips, tasting the bitter brew. As the butler looked at the two of them, they realized that he was still here.

"Will you stay for dinner?" She was asked by her father, nodding her head.

"I'm not sure whether we will go out tonight... We've had some really bad Mistralian last night, but with him..." A light shake of the head, as she grinned at the memory of a dazed-looking Kali sitting on the bed, her hands currently brushing through Jaune's hair.

The smug smile and the big stains that had landed on the ground had definitely spoken the truth of what had happened, Sienna's eyebrows having shot up and a 'Gods damn it, not again...' which had made her question the Faunus woman's thoughts on joining this relationship.

She had a good chat with Sienna about the way that she and Kali had decided to live together in the manner that they did. Over the food, they'd gotten a little more familiar with each other's habits, now that Kali was currently indisposed. The sensations that drifted down the connection to each of them were something truly marvellous, even as a half-lazy eye had spotted a few Faunus, Sienna not even giving a start as the men were shown out.

Whitney would have thought that the woman, who had been an advocate for Faunus rights, a fighter for the White Fang, would have responded, but the eyes had merely opened a slight, before closing again, the conversation resuming.

She had asked why she did not respond later, and Sienna's eyes had opened little further, even as the chopsticks elegantly fished a massive noodle from the bowl. "Because it would not have changed anything. I am here as a Faunus, enjoying my food. That they do not know the etiquette of the place is not my issue..." She had paused then, as she looked at the servers of the place, a glum look passing over her face.

"I used to take everything personally... Work, pleasure... Our place in the world." A soft tone she used, as she looked at her dish. "And then Jaune came, and he took us from that dark place. I don't _love_ him, in the way that Kali does. She... She clings to him, and I'm not like that." Sienna spoke softly, as her gaze looked up. Those eyes smouldered with wrath and anger, as her face twisted, Whitney bearing the gaze without even making a slight change in her manners.

"I will take my pound of flesh from those that did this to us... Ghira's death... It's all going to be evened. When I take the time to get my hands on the asshole who did this to us... When I..." Anger had twisted the Faunus' face, even as the people around them were enticed by the dark aura, the feeling of darkness surging, even as Whitney's hand pressed to her, suppressing the anger by distraction.

"We don't want a riot." The Faunus had looked at her for a moment, before calming down a little. "Tell me... What made you become the woman you are now?" It was not a conversational subject that Kali enjoyed to talk about, the earlier years of the White Fang a major mystery for most of the humans.

"The moment when I became..." The mirthless laugh that the Bengal Tiger Faunus gave was enough, as a sad sigh followed straight after. "My care, spat upon. I tried to, I really tried, but nothing that I tried was good enough. Menagerie's ability to get a message out is limited, and so I travelled..."

"Vale is a crap place to visit, let me say." There had been a bitter tone in the woman's voice, even as she had spoken, grabbing a bottle of hard liquor and downing it.

She was drawn from her minor musings as she heard her father cough, flushing slightly red with embarrassment. "I was just thinking about something someone said. Excuse me."

"Would you like traditional Mantle cuisine, or rather something Vacuan?" The man asked again, shaking his head fondly. "Really... I'd have to fire you if you got distracted whilst at a dig." She grinned back at him, impishly.

"I'd like some Vacuan, please." Kali added, even as the Butler took note of that.

"Then we'll have Vacuan. Jaune and Sienna won't be joining us, right?" She asked, to which Kali replied to the negative.

' _I guess it's just the three... no, four of us.'_

Not bad, for a dinner with one of her best friends, her father and the faithful butler.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. A year ago, my father passed. The decision was made in order to better manage my time and ability to crank out good fics for you all, to update once every two weeks, so, here, I've got a new chapter for you all. Thank you for the kind words, last year. I remember them, as I should. I was at chapter 16 then, and now I'm at 44.**

 **Enjoy another year of A Grimm Tale at the very least. Enjoy it, for it is different than most stories on this site.**


	45. Sincerity

**Chapter 45: Sincerity**

 **Three chapters in 3 weeks for one story! Thank you for the support, guys and girls!**

* * *

 _The moment when the world stops to work (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

The feeling of superiority wasn't something that she revelled in. The world made sense, whenever she looked at it. Supremacy through superior strength, the survival of the fittest. To use her blades to kill and to stay on top, to help and assist her team and partner.

It had made sense. It had been logical back when she had first looked at her behaviour and had found herself to be a woman who did not stop at the mere breath of the enemy, but one who conquered. Upon one nearly forgotten autumn morning, she had given herself to her partner, Summer Rose, to be the instrument of her desire. It was logical, even as she laid there panting in the dust, the victorious smile on her friend and partner's face, the look there.

"Raven?"The soft tone of voice that Summer used right now was one that often preceeded something that would not be comfortable to listen to, something that would be hard to swallow, that would upend her ordered world once more.

Her mind went to the young man who they were nominally aligned to, the way that he had struck her, the way that he had impressed her. So much like Taiyang he was, a stern man who could handle a woman, who knew when the life of his people was hanging in the balance and he would need to tip the scales.

They were currently located nearly three miles away from Vale proper, the spot where they had decided to meet being one of the old haunts that they had around the city of Vale. Dismembered decomposing Grimm bodies laid around them, even as Summer looked out over the city of Vale in the distance, the light starting to slowly fade into the distance, her eyes morose, silver glow almost an afterthought.

"Raven?"

Summer's voice came once more, her eyes looking at her, her blades whizzing through the air, carving straight through a Grimm's body, the Beowolf almost surprised, yet Raven knew that it was near-instinctual for Summer, as she was the strongest woman that she had ever met… but she looked so fragile right now.

"Please, Raven…" The plea was suffused with a need in that tone, as the woman turned her head to look at her.

"Yes, Summer?" Her voice was respectful, as she addressed her. Summer's expression was a little downcast, as her silver eyed gaze looked up at her.

"If you… If you had to pick between the Mission and…" Summer's voice was hesitant, as if she was to speak on something that was anathema to how she viewed the world, Raven's eyes widening, as a shock ran through her heart.

"If you had to pick between the Mission and Yang… What would you choose?" Raven's gaze went to the woman who was like a sister and a lover and more than that, a partner who had been with her for nearly twenty years or more, one who had been there for the deepest lows, who had been the support that she had needed, even as Team STRQ had nearly fallen apart, the one who had taken _Taiyang_ from the wreck that he had been and raised her like… like she should have done.

Her heart throbbed with pain, as she remembered the creed that she had learned upon the day when Summer had inducted her. The red cloak around her neck like a choking hand, as she had knelt before the others, who had all donned the mask.

"Yang."

It was an answer that she could support, fully. Summer, who had been about the Mission completely, who had believed with a zeal that frightened and inspired her, looked at her and smiled, faintly.

"That's… That's good."

The relief in Summer's voice was there, as she ran a hand through her short hair, the feeling that she'd just made the right choice somehow hitting her, her friend looking at her with a morose look.

"We've killed a lot of people on the Mission, haven't we?"

' _Why is she asking these questions? Isn't it normal?'_

"I don't understand, what do you mean? Summer, I…"

Her partner raised a hand, turning half-way to her. There was a chilling look in those eyes.

"We have killed many, haven't we? Innocents. Fathers, mothers… Children."

She remembered every mission that they had undertaken together. Qrow and Taiyang had not had the stomach to do what they would, they were left uninformed about the Mission as a consequence. They had their orders and they would complete them.

' _Why is she…'_

The next words made her breathless, as she saw the lips move but the sound didn't quite register. Her emotions froze as the words hit her, Summer's expression turning mournful, even as the words processed.

"No… I can't just… I don't think I…"

She faltered, unsure of what to say, unsure that she could even trust herself. The mask was pulled out by Summer Rose, the quill-pens removed, held up for her to see.

"These can write code onto pretty much any scrap of paper, which can easily be written over in a flash. It's good for writing messages with relatively high value, though it is generally only detectable when you've got the counter-agent there." The pen was tilted, showing the ink within, visible as a slight drop.

"I don't see…"

Summer produced a small piece of paper, pulling it out of a pocket, her fingers unwrapping it with a swift motion, handing it to her, as she read it.

"They got a bloody dog. I fucking hate dogs."

Raven could imagine it so. Summer's allergies had been horrendous, to the point where her mask had always included a special air filter, just in case. The distractions alone would be enough to annoy Summer into being a little more violent in the interactions with people who didn't need killing, so there was a good choice that Summer preferred to, anyways.

"So, Tai sent this message."

She looked at the message, the code clicking into place, the smudged other writing enough that it would look not out of place as another ink stain.

"I'm not sure what to make of this…" There was a hesitation in her voice. The codes that she knew, she would use, but did this mean that her husband was under some sort of oath to work for Ozpin, like her brother was? It didn't make too much sense that he would be doing so… she had seen his depression and she had seen the hopes of her brother for his recovery, even as he tried to be more aware of the circumstances around the house after the time that Yang and Ruby had been out.

"You… You remember the trial, right?"

As if she could forget. Herself and Summer against a Grimm… The silver eyes had been a boon, even with how the world had twisted afterwards… She had been young, cocky… not as aware back then.

"Is Yang going to do it as well?"

Summer's face said it all. That little twist to her lips, the eyes looking away, it all confirmed to her that… that her daughter was going to be dragged into the world of the Order as well. She was of the Blood now, with her own submission to the Creed of the Order.

"Not… precisely." Summer's voice was soft, even as she looked down. "We need Jaune, Rae."

Raven could not see why they would need him, yet Summer had never lied to her, had never led her astray. She was the guidance in her life. "We need him for…"

A hush fell over her, as she mouthed the words, speaking them not, yet Raven could imagine them as if they were spoken.

"Is that confirmed?" She questioned, leaving Summer to nod once, as if it had been a done deal already. It was something that filled her with dread, something that brought the memories out once more of the first few weeks since she had survived the trial… since she had become a member of the Order, one of the Roses that bloomed when death was to be dealt.

It was a strange twist, as Summer inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly. "I wish it was different. I wish… I-"

Summer's face turned a deathly pale, before she looked at Raven. "You watched over them, right? Did… Did you ever see members of the Order come to visit?" The question was something that made Raven look thoughtful.

Inasmuch as she had been able to visit, she had always kept to the trees, only cursory checking over the people who had come to visit. She had not noticed the members of the Order, if they had been there, nor had she noticed anything else. Yang and Ruby shared a room, so it was normal.

"Not… not to my knowledge? Tai was depressed for five years after you went away… He only started to recover when Qrow came back into the picture. Yang was… eleven, I think she was?"

She didn't know why, but Summer's exhale was a little steadier, as if some sort of danger had been averted, which made her feel a little awkward.

"I'm not supposed to tell you… Hell, I'm not supposed to tell anyone aside from the other executors this…" Summer reached into her cloak, pulling out a small rose-shaped pendant.

"There's rules… Do you remember Red like Roses?" The song sounded in her mind, immediately upon the mention.

"Yes, but…"

"We all have a song that is dictated to our Creed. Our family…" The blades at her sides were gripped, as Summer took another deep breath, obviously struggling with the thought of what she was about to say.

"Our family doesn't know. The family cannot know that we fight for the Mission's completion, when we finally get the time to be with the ones that we love…"

The Mission… It had been a noble goal, when Summer had spoken to her about it. It was one of the foci of her life, aside from the way that they'd bonded as friends and partners. She wouldn't say that she'd ever embrace a woman out of instinct… but for Summer, there was more than just womanhood between the two of them.

"Now… Let me sing you the song of the Rose." Summer's voice was soft, even as she walked further into the glade, the quill put back into its slot on the mask, as her voice sang the words.

Raven followed behind, hearing the song without the music, listening to the words of sorrow, of hope and of despair, mixed with the charge that had been laid before them and had been picked up.

Summer Rose stopped with the final line, even as she held up her hand.

"I ask you, Raven Branwen…" Summer's voice was soft whilst she spoke, her head turned away. "Are you ready to take the leap forward into the unknown…"

She took a step forward anyways, Summer's body not moving in the slightest. "To sacrifice your child for the Mission…" The words were damning, as they spoke of the way that she had ran from the responsibilities as a mother. Summer had tried… but she had failed. She had 'died' and left the family a mess.

It had been a choice for her then, to step in and be a mother to little Yang and Ruby, yet she had not been able to put herself in that position, too stubborn about the world and hating how weak Taiyang had been.

The words had been spoken before, Summer knew that well, yet Raven did not mind them, as she grabbed her partner's hands. "If you want me at your side…"

A soft smile cracked on Summer's lips, as she leaned against her. Raven felt the warmth of her best friend and partner, felt the heat of her body as Summer suddenly leaned up and kissed her full-on on the lips.

She tried to struggle for a moment as something was pushed into her mouth, a capsule of some sort that came with a taste of bitterness, even as she realized something… and then Summer was pulling away.

"Swallow, Raven." The voice of her partner spoke and she swallowed, the bitterness making her stomach roil and revolt, as she looked at the woman for an instant, trusting her still. It was only a moment before her body started to twist, the feeling of her throat burning as she coughed, her friend's arms around her.

"Work it out…" The words were gentle, as she felt hands stroking her back. "I just had to know for sure…"

The words that came afterwards were enough to rile her up, as Summer spoke about the things that had been hidden from her.

It had been a poison of some sort that would leave people be breathless and ailing for a while, yet it was enough to let her be unable to defend herself from Summer. To any other person, it might be strange to let someone poison you and then hear them out, yet to Raven, it was as expected. Summer knew the stakes, and with every word that she spoke about the Order, more and more of her stomach turned.

"And that, is why we fight. The Mission, as you call it…" The words had been many, even as the darkness started to wrap around the land like a blanket of safety… though within that night, there laid terror and madness, a darkness that had to obscure the world with its ignorance…

"That's…" She had no words for it. Summer laid bare the plan, as much as she knew of it anyways, and had followed for years on end…

To see that there had been such a movement on a scale… to see that the world had been shaped by one man… She knew that, obviously, knowing that much from the investment of the Maidens… the maidens who held powers of a wizard whose skill in survival was now in the realm of gods…

' _To think that I believed him when he said that it had been a special occasion when I had been chosen by Summer…'_

A deep disgust filled her, as she looked at Summer, who seemed to be in better spirits now, her gaze looking at the way that the landscape stood before them, a soft sound coming from her throat.

* * *

 _A moment where she looked at the man, barely comprehending as he stepped forward from the circle of the Order members, the special emblem on his left breast showing that he belonged to the upper echelons, the man's eyes fierce and powerful as he stood there before her, unconcerned about things. "Initiate Branwen… Do you wish to change the world for the better?"_

 _Summer's voice had been insistent in the back of her mind as she knew what to say, what to do, how to speak to this man, even as she knelt before him. The cloaks that had been worn during the extermination had been pure white, where the Grimm would not leave a trace upon if they perished._

 _It was not something that she would admit personally, yet Summer always seemed to have worn the white in preparation for things. "I do." She spoke, as his hand laid on his shoulder._

" _You should remember, Initiate Branwen, that this is your choice. You chose this life, the choice to back out has been rejected…" There was a light scuffling within the ranks, a similar mask-wearing woman stepping forwards with a cloak of red and a cloak of silvery white, embossed with the Rose Emblem that shone in the light of the green torches that flickered in the night's light._

 _As Summer stood there, a silent sentinel, the man speaking further on the duties that would be expected from her, she could see from the masked faces that they were laughing at her, amused by an outsider being given the same task as they all had._

" _Then rise, Acolyte Branwen, survivor of the trials. Accept your cloaks, to be wielded for justice and the betterment of the world."_

 _There had been a hidden meaning in those words, she had known that ever since she had met Summer and the mission from the Tribe had been given a new purpose. Summer's strength and skill in the way that she managed the team was enough, even though her brother definitely had his eye on her silver-eyed partner, Taiyang being nothing more than a nuisance… who did look very fetching, she would have to admit._

" _We're going to go on adventures together, Raven!" Summer's excited sounding voice was enough, as she leaned close and kissed her on the cheek, the mask that she wore still clipped to her side, the man smiling faintly at her, as the six other members of the Rose tribe came forth._

" _Now…" The man pulled out of his pocket a single piece of paper, handing it to Summer. "Your first mission."_

 _A simple request. Exterminate the threat to the Kingdom._

 _It seems that they were going on a simple rat hunt._

 _She could hunt rats. It's not like they were worthy of respect, if they went against the rules, right?_

* * *

She felt Summer's hand squeeze hers, drawing her from her musings.

"Don't worry, Rae… I won't tell Jaune of this." Her concern seemed reasonable, even as Raven's brow furrowed.

"What does… what does he have to do with this?" She inquired, even as Summer's face turned towards the moon.

"That he has this… burden… He is a d'Arc-Night… but it's complicated. You don't… you don't understand how we work. You won't understand, because you weren't raised like I was." The look that Summer gave her was one of trust, of wanting to trust her and be safe.

"I once… I once went to the house and instructed the eldest. He was…" The pause that Summer gave showed within her face, a complicated expression in her eyes. "He was the light of that family. She spoke to me about how every day was just… worth it. A little brother, the youngest. Her frustration that she wasn't allowed to teach him things… But…"

Summer's face turned grave, as she looked up. "There are three Families now left for the Order. D'Arc-Night, Calavera and Rose. We're going to one of the drop sites for some new gear… Get a bit of extra intel."

Raven could see the smile on Summer's face, even as she winked at her. "Now… How do you feel about being the captain for a little bit, hmm? I think little Rubedo needs her formal introduction to the Order… Oh, the poor dear won't know a thing, she's too innocent and pure for this work… But she'll be a member either way…"

Raven knew faintly the position of each Order gathering point, the supply caches that had been spread throughout the city, as well as the differences in codes for each spot.

She could still make use of them, as her membership of the Order surpassed her Huntress qualifications… and there had been a need for some more things, after all…

"Do I have an alias?" Raven asked, even as Summer hummed softly, her gaze turning to the lights of Vale.

"Of course. Raven Rose, of course…" The look on her face must've shown her surprise, as Summer giggled.

"Of course you're going to carry my name, sweetie… We both bore a child to the same man, that makes us practically married." The madness in her must be coming out again, as a happy smile settled onto the woman's lips.

"And well… Seeing how things are today…"

Summer leaned forward. "We won't let them do that trial to Yang, right?"

Raven could see her sunny little dragon already, broken beyond repair, the blood on her hands indicative of that which she had been forced to do. It was a brutal test, one that had a high mortality rate… yet it was necessary to make the strongest be the strongest, to be the best of the best. It was enough for her to know that she was what she was…

But her daughter was different. More emotional. Less willing to retreat when it would be the best order for survival. Caring for her little sister, Summer's child…

' _To see you…'_

A cold look in lavender-coloured eyes, a cloak fluttering in the breeze as she firmly tightened the battle-worn gauntlets, her companion and partner's own red cloak fluttering in that same breeze, the ungodly and unwieldy scythe held in her hands, their eyes a contrast, yet coldly indifferent… products of training, of age… of experience.

' _No… I won't let you turn out like me.'_

A single step she could take for the future to be different from that… Yang was seventeen, little Ruby was fifteen… It was clear what would need to be done.

' _The cycle needs to be broken.'_

It would break the tenets of the Order, yet Summer was right. A world where her daughter would become her, was not a world where she could die with a peaceful mind and an ease of her heart.

"Let's help Jaune in his quest." She said, the face of the young man flashing before her mind for an instant before it was gone, Summer giving a sound in the back of her throat that was like a happy sound.

"I love you, Raven." The admission of love was simple, yet it moved her.

"I love you too." This time, it was not a lie, spoken for the benefits of others. It was not a single cowardly utterance, because she felt afraid…

Raven Branwen was a coward, a woman who thought only of absolutes, of strength and ability to survive in this harsh and cold world.

It was time for that to stop. If her brother could change, then so could she.

It was time to be a mother and do what was best for Yang, no matter what other people said of it or whether it messed up some sort of grand plan.

* * *

 _The ice-cream enthusiast(Jaune Arc)_

* * *

A low gurgle in his stomach had pulled him towards the ice-cream shop that had been put in one of the local promenades of the Valean entertainment district, opening the door up for his accomplices and finding that he was more than a little overwhelmed by the amount of choice that was there.

The orange-haired man who was their server seemed to look up from his Scroll, turning pale for an instant, before putting on his best business-like smile. "What can I do for you, blonde and spooky, huh?"

"Ah, it's you." He said, dully. Kali and Whitney were at his side, whilst Summer and Raven were off elsewhere, the two women giving the man a smile, even though Kali hadn't been formally introduced just yet.

"Yeah, it's me." The man looked around, seemingly for customers of some sort. "Now, what can I get for you?"

"I'd like a vanilla and banana scoop with some chocolate sauce on it, please." He smiled, Whitney nudging him in the side, even as she changed her manner of standing.

"Atlesian Mint with a dash of menthol syrup and a scoop of blueberry ice-cream, please." Jaune was already pulling out his wallet, even as Kali ordered afterwards.

"A scoop of full milk, a little dash of chocolate and then a hefty scoop of caramel, please." The woman smiled cattily at him, winking with an over-exaggerated manner.

"Gee, call it the lovemaking cocktail and be done with it." The sarcastic comment from the man that they'd ran into during that evening had been the clincher that he'd definitely made some error in interpreting the ladies' words now.

"So… That'll be fifteen Lien." The man said, and Jaune offered the Lien card, a soft smirk on the man's face, even as he walked to the store and flipped the sign to 'We're closed', making sure that he looked a little out the window as he adjusted the little cap a bit.

"So… What're you here for?" The man said, as he sat down at one of the booths, Kali, Whitney and Jaune himself seated on one side. A young woman, clearly a friend of his, sat at the edge, a single bowl of Neapolitan icecream in front of her, her eyes curiously gazing at him.

"Actually, we were just going for some ice-cream." The man's face turned a little sour, even as he took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you… Wait… Tilt your head a bit to the side." Jaune did and the man gave a groan.

"You got a sister, kiddo?" The man asked, even as he ran a finger through his locks, pushing the fringe back a little and looking sharply at him.

"Seven sisters, actually." The man's eyes bugged out, as he whistled softly.

"Eesh, I wouldn't like to be your mom… Seven… no, eight kids. Fuck, your mom's womb must be like a clown car, if it's producing you people." Jaune's face showed a frown at the crass language about his mother, though he could hardly fault the man for thinking like that. Eight kids was a large amount, even for a family of noble blood.

"I think I served her something a day ago or so… She had this really queer look about her face, but she's got the same shape as you do." That pulled up an image of Azure. The nicest of his older sisters, but the fact that it was similarity in the facial features that the man reference, brought to mind his older sisters. Comparing himself looks-wise to his sisters, most of them had the general shape of the face down well.

As far as hairstyles went, there laid the difference. With a wig or two and perhaps a bit of makeup, he would be able to pass as any of his sisters without much effort. It had been attempted a few times as well, he remembered.

"So, Roman… What's new with you? Your arm doing alright?" The man's eyes met with his own, a deliberating calculation within them as he peered at him.

He looked away from the man, even as an explosive sigh came from the man's mouth. "Why, yes… it feels just as new after you fixed it. The extra little gift that you put in me as well… Fuck, every time I see that bitch I just feel like there's spiders creeping down my spine." There was a hint there within his verbal talking, as he looked at him and his companion merely made an open-mouthed gasp, her fingers working to sign something in the sign language practised by the deaf or the mute.

"Can't she talk?" He could feel the concern that the man held for the woman at his side, could see it in his eyes, could feel the emotions within him as he looked at the short woman.

"Her voice was never really there…" Roman said, his voice a little sad. The man's eyes met with the woman's and he could feel that there was more to be said about it, more unveiled to the world than they knew themselves.

' _Well, that isn't nice…"_

' _ **Primary Reconstructive Matrix Available. Use? Y/N?'**_

The appearance of that query made him stiffen in his seat, looking at the woman, who clearly was around twenty-five or something, despite her petite stature. "Can I… do a little thing? It won't hurt, or at least… not as much." There was a snap of his fingers and the Staff appeared within his hands, the Relic glowing faintly, as the matrix overlaid the flesh, visible to his eyes.

"If you hurt her, I'll… I'll…" The impotent look on the man's face was enough, as angry eyes looked right into his own, a grudging dismissal from the man's voice stalling the girl from the action, even as Kali and Whitney's bodies had already sprung into action.

Power fed into the staff, as the matrix realigned the proper channels, according to the blueprint for humanity, the knowledge to alter and reshape made, even as the woman made a swallowing sound, coughing once. Roman stiffened a little at the sight, as he looked at him, the woman grabbing her throat.

"What've you done to her, you freak?" The anger in the man's voice was real, as he tried to get up, yet the prevention of that action was done by Kali, whose shadow had popped out from the darkness and forced him back, the woman giving a low hiss.

The woman mouthed something, her tongue sliding over her lips, before she took a spoonful of the ice-cream, shaking her head softly and then making the universal 'okay' handsign, Roman calming down immediately, the relief that flooded through him like a blur.

"Well, that should see her improve just a little bit." He mumbled to himself, as the matrix disappeared from his gaze, the staff tucked away carefully in a pocket, aware of its location at every moment in time, knowing that there would be a gradual change.

Vale wasn't founded in a day, after all.

"So… Do you have any orders? Anything to throw the big bad bitch off the track to whatever hellish thing she's got in store?" The question brought to mind the face of the Grand Witch, whose plans ran through the world like an insidious poison, whose mind was as keen as a razor's edge.

"Oh, I don't think that it would be wise to interfere just about now…" It was the safer choice, he knew. If Cinder Fall was anything like his acolytes, he would best prepare for the worst… If she could summon Grimm like Sienna could, it would be a fight that would allow for a lot of damage to be done to the surroundings.

' _Better to observe for now.'_ The man frowned, even as his partner in crime finished her ice-cream. "You want another one, Neo?" The care in his voice was real, even as she smiled at him. A happy smile, one that was enough. She mouthed the word 'Special', the man giving her what seemed to be one of the warmest smiles that he could muster, a sign of the care for the young woman that he felt.

"Your funeral, kiddo… There's a lot of people out there who've got a grudge against Vale… You'd not be the first to overestimate your own force." The man cautioned, even as he made another bowl.

"Here's your ice-cream, Neo." The man sat down, the small petite woman hugging him suddenly.

"I… love…" The man froze up, as the mouth spoke softly. "You… Roman."

Tears came from the man's eyes, as he exhaled, a shaky breath coming there, as he looked down at the younger woman, who had just declared her love to him. "I… I love you too, Neo." His voice sounded choked up, as tears started to well up from the depths of his eyes.

They had eyes only for each other, Jaune could tell. "I… want… you… to… know… that… I… love… you. I...always... did." The soft way that the petite woman spoke with was almost like a balm to the soul, as she let her voice sound as gentle as she could, her eyes looking up into her partner's. It was endearing to see.

"We should let them be." Kali said, even as Neo leaned up to kiss Roman lightly on the lips. He caught sight of her hand already tugging on the uniform, and he wondered briefly whether he would have something so pure and similar to this…

Yet this had obtained the loyalty of the man moreso than any threat ever could have…

He felt like a villain… yet he had restored someone's throat to working condition.

That was good, right?

* * *

 _The mornings you'd like to forget (Azure Arc)_

* * *

She felt like crap as she rolled over in her bed, aware of the fact that her older sisters were already getting ready to leave. She could spot Saffron busy with her own gear, getting the Dust packed away in the special case, her mother being helped with the additional weapons that she kept around for when her Semblance was utilized to its full extent, the red Fire Dust crystals glowing in the light of the morning and letting her relax just a little bit more before she'd have to appear to get active.

Cremea had died, so there was a space that had been allotted to the body… _'We'd better go and check the site of the body, if the Grimm aren't too heavily present there…'_

"Are you going to be safe?" Heather asked in her regular grim tones, her eyes looking sharply down at her, even as she adjusted the outfit a little on her, dressed up in what was 'casual-wear' for her, that looked utterly unstylish. Saffron was the one who really knew how to doll herself up like she was able to wow a crowd, so that was just her thing, but Heather just wore whatever was appropriate.

"Probably… I'm going to be getting out tonight, just because of things." There was a definite hint within the words there, as she wanted to get utterly sloshed for the evening. "You planning on coming along with me?"

"Nah, you know…" The mask in her hand was enough to show what she meant with that. It had been a revelation, a year ago and a few months, that they'd been one of the families that had some ties to an ancient Order, even as their father had stressed that this was not to be spread around. His eyes had been distant, even as he told about the Order's grand goal. _'As if that's ever going to be achieved… Fuck, I'm turning into a cynic just like Heather…'_

It was one of the few things that she really missed at times, the ability to get drunk. Of course, with Beacon being the premier institution for Huntsmen in training, it would have to be a little stricter on alcohol use, but when she had graduated, it had been pretty usual for some of the older years to get drunk together. Sure, she joined in a few times, yet she'd only lost her virginity about three weeks before graduation. It was one of the benefits of being the youngest of seven.

As far as sex went, she was only moderately certain that it'd been the oldest sisters who'd gotten laid before her, a reasonable thought, given their age. Ashley and Bianca teased a lot, yet they never really dated. If they had sex before, they didn't tell. Given Bianca's personality mixing with Ashley's, they would've heard something about it.

' _Damn it Jaune, we were supposed to threaten the girl that you bring home, to make her know that she's got seven big evil sisters to fight!'_ It would be fun too! All seven sisters against one little harridan who'd be getting made into minced meat!

They weren't as protective, really, but the fact that Jaune had been the only boy, the only…

She felt sad. There had been a lot of things that she had wanted to do with her father, yet the way that he was closed off to them all, to anything but their mother, to… the world at large. _'He never was there to go with me to the dances.'_

They'd used Jaune for that.

He had been the boy in their life that inspected their boyfriends, the boy that they'd taken to the dance. It had been adorable, for some measures, to have such a cute little blonde boy dancing with his big sisters, but… it hadn't been their dad.

Their mother was more involved, yet even she kept her distance. They saw her infrequently, as the missions that their mother and father went on both varied in their locale. It was their specialization that often kept them from the home, leaving the oldest sisters to do their part in raising them.

If she had to pick a mother figure, it'd definitely be her oldest sister. She cast a glance at her oldest sister, currently conked out on the bed, sleeping still. She glanced at the clock. Nearly ten in the morning. _'That's about the best time to wake up for me…'_

"Don't get too drunk, Azure." Saffron said, patting her head. "Now, show me your outfit." The older sister who had been mostly led along by Cremea whenever things got tough, smiled, yawning once. Azure rolled off the bed, the tremor below her giving her perfect vision of where things were, a sense that just pinged everything around her.

It was remarkably handy for finding whether there were Grimm coming, with the vibrations of the earth around her enough to tell her. It didn't work with things that came from the air, though, logically. That's where Bianca and her had-ass gun came in handy with.

A blue shirt and a red set of pants were tossed onto the bed, Heather giving a faint scoff as she looked at it. "Even I can tell that that isn't going to work out." Saffron shook her head.

"Don't you have something lighter than that?" Saffron asked, and Azure dug into her suitcase, spotting a few brown shirts that functioned well enough, even though the usual combat garb was a bitch to get off.

"Combat stuff, yeah, but…" The snort that Saffron gave was enough, even as she shook her head.

"I'm not going to let you walk around like you're going to be crushing balls like some bitch on the streets, Az." The assertiveness that Saffron showed with her clothing things was hardly seen elsewhere, even as Saffron dug into the suitcase that belonged to her. "Here, have this. It'll make your breasts stand out a bit more for all that it fits." The light yellow shirt with the plunging neckline did look rather comfortable as she handed it over, before diving deep into the suitcase again.

"Pants." The dark jeans that were deposited on the bed looked to be the skinny type jeans, enough to make her legs spring out. "Stain those and I will rip your nervous system out and make you feel like the worst bitch in hell." The threat was real, as Saffron took her clothing seriously. _'Better make sure that those are off and on the ground if I do get some action.'_

"Sure thing, Saffy." The frown on her older sister's face was about thirty percent serious, even as the woman sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"If they do end up getting stained, you're giving me money to replace them. I'd intended for… yeah, that doesn't matter now." There was a tone of defeat in that voice, as Azure grinned. It wasn't too hard to know that she was the littlest sister amongst the seven, and with Azure getting such a boon in the manner of clothing, it was natural that she'd get some grumbling and whining, yet it would never spring out to be something more.

"Think you'll be alright for the remainder of the trip back?" She asked, Azure's eyes going to the packing sisters, their mother sitting on the bed, her eyes still staring at nothing. _'Cremea dying hit her hard…_ _'_

She wasn't going to cast stones in glass houses, but the mess that had already happened to the family with Jaune's death was starting to destabilize the tense balance that they had achieved over the years.

Jaune had been a pillar around which they could find the support needed. He'd sat with her a few times, her younger brother giving a little dopey smile and a 'I'm sure it will be fine...' that had lifted her spirits. Of course, she had teased him more than a little. Whenever he was drawn aside by one of his older sisters, she'd teased him about being the little pet of the family. The looks of annoyance hadn't really hurt her, because she knew that it was just normal...

They all had enjoyed the lovely young boy's company, before they'd been forced to grow up. Her own mission record, not as diverse as her older sisters' or as exciting, had been something that would be described as 'sparse, but with a lot of action'. The first time that she'd gotten home from Beacon, her little brother had stood there at the entrance hall, waiting for her, a smile on his face, only sixteen years of age, yet already smiling at her and giving her a hug. She could feel the hug still, even as it was but a mere memory.

' _If...'_ She'd nearly done something that she wouldn't have ever done, the moment that the hug had been given and he'd told her that he'd always be there. It wasn't something abnormal, she knew, but she'd nearly called him Dad... Because her own father had merely given her that moment of acknowledgement and an "I am glad you are back." Which had been fake, in the way that it had been delivered.

She'd sat on the couch with Jaune in the main living space, her older sisters present, or not. He'd pulled her in for a hug and she'd let him, the feeling of intimacy being something that she'd not felt before. It'd felt pretty wonderful.

It'd felt... safe.

' _Damn it, Jaune... We should've had you at whatever wedding we'd have, to give some sort of speech about how you're 'going to help us find the sod we'd marry and help us torture him', not... not lost in some fucking mess-up by a kid who doesn't know the worth of life...'_

She looked at her older sisters, Heather looking pointedly at the clock, her hand on her Scroll, as if she was ready to make some sort of call. It would all be something that they would be for, but it was something that she'd only have to make sure of.

' _Let's just get properly sloshed first, eh? I heard that there's a club called Junior's out there that's supposedly got some good stuff..._ ' Maybe she'd get a good dick there too. Who knew what sorts of scum roamed there, eh?

* * *

 _The preparation (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She pushed open the door again tot he counsellor's office, spotting the man behind his desk and the snarky professor seated right on her sofa, ready to comment on whatever happened. It was only the manner that they interacted that really brought a grin out on her face, even with how the world seemed to feel like a scary and frightening place at times for the people that lived in it.

Yang was not immune to fear. She feared for quite a few things, but Blake... Blake and her were cool again. "So, you've come again, Miss Xiao-Long." The man said, his fingers drumming lightly on the desk's wooden top. It was a confident manner of a man who knew what he had in store for her, and she was not going to disappoint the man in the slightest.

"Yep." The man's grin was a little more savage than before, as he nodded, his eyes looking over her, a look that was definitely something that intimidated her, just a tad. The way that he looked at her was as if he was a predator, the manner that he had seated himself allowing him to loom over her.

"With all the things that have happened, including your brief sojourn into the city, we have not had much time to talk." The man's voice was level, Yang feeling a small surge of something go through her as she looked at the man.

"Your partner is showing better on the scales we use, going by our previous chats. There is a marked improvement." The man's voice was factual and calm, as Yang looked at him. Stubble was on the man's cheeks and his eyes held that look of a man who hadn't slept very well.

"Still... You are to leave on a mission in two days." The man paused, even as she smiled confidently at him. "You may smile now, Miss Xiao-Long, but know that I am not as assured of your capacity to handle such stressful situations."

The smile fell a little, uncertainty coming through in her manner of seating. "There is a very real danger in each mission we send you on, even with the supervision of a trained Huntsman." The man's hands pulled a file from the desk's drawer, put in front of her. Yang could see the label with 'Team RWBY' on it, the man's face severe.

"Given the way that your team functions, Miss Xiao-Long, I would like you to be cautious." The man's voice was stricter and sterner than before, as he moved, his face showing nothing but the coolness of business.

"You'd want to keep your back guarded and your friends safe." Peach added, as she shifted a little on her seat. "Even fluffles the woof woof says that." The scowl that the man gave to his colleague was enough, even as they looked at each other. Yang could probably have lit a fire with the irritation in that gaze. _'Gee, talk about opposing policies... It's like cats and dogs... or is that racist? Is it?'_

"Whilst I may not fully agree with your comments, _professor._.. There is some merit to keeping your team safe. You are an older sister, and you are somewhat of a beacon of the team." The man's voice spoke, as he looked her in the eyes.

"In maturity, you have been forced to grow up quicker than most people would have." There was a pause, as the man's gaze fixed on her. "And you would have been the leader of the team, had Ruby Rose not impressed the teachers with her snap judgments and her ability to utilize the abilities of the impromptu team that she fashioned."

Surprise rushed through her system as she looked at the man, whose face looked serious and without any sort of doubt. "Me? I.. I mean, I don't think I'd do a bad job, but Ruby is-"

He held up a hand. "A socially stunted girl, whose naivety is going to see her dead in a few years time by biting off more than she could chew, forging on into places where there is no hope left." The man's voice was stark and serious, as he fixed her with a look. Her heart froze... and she knew that he was right.

Summer Rose had been a warm woman, the best mother that you could wish, yet she knew how to retreat when things got hairy and heavy, and how to make the best of each situation. Summer Rose had been everything that she had ever wanted to see in a mother and even she... she had died. Standing at the gravesite with Ruby and their uncle had been exhausting, even as she knew that it was as much therapy for her uncle as it was for herself and something for her little sister to draw strength from.

She... she couldn't deny that Ruby would probably get herself killed sometime, sooner or later. The girl was too innocent, too pure for this world to last long. _'She just can't...'_

"You realize it." The man's voice was like an insidious whisper, even as her head whipped up.

"I'll keep her safe. I will make sure that no bastard comes within twenty yards of her!" The heat in her voice was enough, as she could hear the other professor get up, the click-snap of her weapon activating, ready to do whatever it could to stop her. "I'll keep her safe! No matter what!"

The man's voice was calm, his eyes directed right into hers. "And what if Miss Belladonna betrays you? What if her old lover returns and coaxes her into his line of thought?" The man's voice was as calm as he managed, yet his eyes burned like icy flames, as his gaze met hers. "What will you do when you see your sister, hanging from a wall, her arms and legs brutalized?"

She wasn't aware of when she'd kicked the desk at him, but as her head slammed into the carpet, she became aware of the strong hand pinning her to the ground. "Down, girl." The woman hissed, keeping her down as she was, her body struggling. "This is the reality."

"And what, Miss Xiao-Long..." The man's voice was a damning tone, even as the fear gripped her. "if it was you? Peach, if you would..."

A hand was pressed against her head and she could see her world twisting.

One moment, she was in the office with the counsellor and the professor, the next she was hanging from chains, her legs feeling broken, even as the shackles had kept her restrained, the angry looks enough for her to bear. She would not give in, no matter how much they beat her, humiliated her or anything of the sort.

A door opened and a pretty young woman entered, a smile on her lips. "Hey Yang... Comfortable?" She hissed something, even as the broken shards of bone pricked lightly, the young Faunus moving closer, smelling her scent, like an animal would. Disgust welled up inside her, even as the rags that she still wore were left intact only through the solid thread inside it.

"Traitor!" She hissed at her former friend, the empty eyes looking up at her, at the realisation of that which she had been called. The smack rocked her head to the side, even as a pained moan came from her mouth.

"No... not a traitor... Blake is a good girl..." The whimpering voice came from that mouth, the girl who had loved her once upon a time and was just led astray looking at her. The eyes were so empty, and there had been so much blood that one time... "Blake is loved by her lover... Yes, she's good and she's of use... You're going to look so pretty when we finally get what we deserve, Yang... your little head on a spike... Oh yes... You filthy humans have oppressed us for so long... We just need to pay you all back..."

She'd struggled then, even as the door opened and a man entered, his facial features obscured in shadows. Blake hadn't really told them much about the man, save for that his name was Adam. "My dear... Leave the silly little human. You want to be of use to your people, yes?" The silly happy little smile on Blake's face was enough to show that she'd fallen completely on the man's side, as she joined him again.

"Yes, Adam." The smile was simple, even as Blake waved. "Goodbye, Yang. Be a good little human and die."

She was aware of the room around her again and she looked around, even as Professor Peach pulled her hand away from her neck, a low groan coming from her mouth at the feeling of the burden on her body, the knowledge that she'd just suffered through humiliation and lived. "How'd that feel?"

The woman asked, even as she let go, the after-images still left in her brain making Yang whimper. "Not good." The professor's face turned grimmer, as she nodded.

"Yeah, it's usually not needed, unless in the really bad cases... Mutty can probably tell you more about that stuff, I'm just here to be the medical specialist." The dismissal in her voice was enough for most things, even as Yang felt sick.

"Please take a seat." The man's desk had been put right back where it used to, only the faint splintering of one of the sides showing where her foot had hit it. "It's always a shocker to see such a thing happen, but it is not outside the possibility." The man's tone was soft, yet there was a definiteness in his voice that made her believe him.

"You have been forced to be the mother figure for your younger sister. Your brash personality is but a shell that you crawl into in order not to deal with things." Putting it like that made her feel like a bad person, yet it was the truth, in more ways than one. With how the world was, it was only through the manner that she had adopted that Ruby had been able to grow up without... turning bad.

"That's not true... Ruby is a good girl." She tried to offer, yet she was lying through her teeth. Ruby would have gone bad if she hadn't been the supportive big sister. Ruby had no friends to speak of at Signal, a side-effect of being the daughter of one of the teachers and the niece of another... And whilst some were merely passing acquaintances, Ruby still clung to her, even though she'd wanted to distance herself a little.

"She may be a good girl, but is she healthy for you?" The question came and Yang froze up, as she imagined... as she imagined what things could have been. Not having to look out for her dad could've made her more social, rather than the forced sociability that she'd have to put on when the people started to come around for the inspection again. She had learned to mimic uncle Qrow's voice more often than not, the gruffness of that voice and the softer tones that often came when the man was in a funk, something that she'd learned to do through experience...

The people who had come to check on little Ruby and her had been polite, supposing that dad was awake enough to work them with the charm that had to come from some deep dark reserve within him, the tired expression on his face when they questioned whether he was able to give them the attention that they needed...

Ruby never spoke during those chats with the people, unless asked. _'I've always been the more extroverted one... And she's been the geek.'_ The questions of "Yang, tell me a little about things around the house. Has your mother been around, if at any point?"

There had been...

There had been questions. One time, there'd even been someone willing to foster those questions, as the same social worker never came by twice. Different experiences, different mannerisms... the same questions.

"Are you happy, living with your daddy?" "Yang, you're a big girl but you don't have to cook. What if you get hurt?" "Are you sure that your mommy is just out for a bit? Your daddy doesn't look very healthy." She had faced all of those questions and given the best answers that she could. She knew well that if they had gotten the wrong answer, daddy and Ruby would be taken away from her... She wasn't going to work that.

It was usually the case that Uncle Qrow was sober during the visits, his demeanour as friendly as he could make it, fielding the questions. "She's a bright girl, my niece. Yeah, I've got work as a Huntsman, me and Tai go way back." The man's question-answering had always been sneaky and savvy, something that she'd picked up in due time. There was never a need to talk about dad's way of laying on the bed, just staring at the ceiling. No need to talk about feeding him or washing him, though Uncle Qrow often helped with that, as dad was too heavy.

She was daddy's girl and she would help him. No matter what. No matter when he started to call her Raven, or when he gave her a kiss that was not too fatherly... but he always stopped, realizing that she was not her mother. It was that moment when he looked at her, snapping back to reality, the dazed look in his eyes turning clear for a moment, as he realized that she was not the woman that he loved...

"Yang, I'm... sorry." The man's voice had said sorry so many times, even as he held her. It wasn't a bad sorry. She was sorry for him too for not having the woman that he loved with her. She would bear it, she would bear the looks, the soft whispers of how much he loved mama Summer... the ways that he would mumble softly about how her daughter was growing bigger and how she was going to be a good Slayer too... Whatever that was.

"I love you, dad." The words had been easy, snapping him out of his trance whenever he was remembering the past. It was enough, when the hands got a little too tight of the remembering of her mother got a little bit too much. Uncle Qrow did not... He wouldn't understand. She was... she was there for her family.

She hadn't even touched a boy, yet she had taken to washing her father when he was in one of his moods. The days blurred together. Wake up in the morning, feel the water temperature, then prepare a shower for Ruby, then work on breakfast whilst the other two slumbered. Her uncle was there infrequently, yet she had been taught well. The lessons had been more than sufficient to care for her father and her sister.

Waking up Ruby and then making sure that she got into the shower alright, flip the eggs and then get the bread ready, before making the list for uncle Qrow to go and pick up the groceries. The man could be gone on missions for a week or so, so the bread that they had was carefully rationed and frozen, with portions allotted to each person.

Her father was annoying to get out of bed, whenever he was in his moods. A soft 'Get up, Tai' at a certain tone seemed to perk the man right up, his gaze wild at shadows, before he looked at her and he smiled. "Ah, how's my sunny little dragon?" He would act normal for about an hour... but it would be emptiness once more, soon afterwards. It was one of the side-effects of how things were, but whenever they needed an escort to the primary school, he would be functional...

After school, she would wait for Ruby, making the trek back home without any difficulty. It was only normal for the teachers to see the man in the mornings, she'd quickly found out... Uncle Qrow had called it 'perceptions', and hadn't elaborated on it more.

"People see what they want to see... It's just like with my family. We show them the face we have to the outside, yet on the inside, we are our own people. My sister is cold to the world, but she cares for me a lot, I just know it. When you've shared your love with someone, it is impossible not to care." The smile on her face was hopeful, even as she looked up to the figure that'd offered her the care and security in the world. "Don't ever stop being the bright little sun that you are, Yang... Yellow is my favourite colour, don't you know?"

The evening meal usually was cobbled together with the foods that she felt like making. Pork cutlets weren't that hard to make once you had the recipe book ready, even though it was a loaner that never really was asked for again. It had a lot of dishes listed with simple instructions, some even with pictures. The other kids in the pictures looked very happy as they were served the dish, the owner of the cookbook long-since gone, according to her uncle Qrow's words when she'd asked him about it a few years ago. It had been developed pictures too... Who used those in this day and age? That cookbook must've belonged to his mother or something...

Putting dad to bed after getting him washed up with some prodding was not great, but the man did so with little protest. Ever since mom died, it had been her charge and her duty, even with the man's occasional flare of life.

' _No matter what...'_ She would not falter. She would not stop at making sure that her family was right. Ruby, Weiss, Blake... Dad... Uncle Qrow...

"Yang?" The voice of the counsellor came from close by, the man looking serious in his expression, even as he directed his gaze to her, a concern in those eyes that was real.

"Ah, sorry, I dozed off into thoughts, I get like that sometimes." The man's voice was enough to draw her from the thoughts, even as he held the file up again.

"You should at the very least be aware that you will have to keep in mind your team, when out on a mission. Miss Schnee is not as aware as she thinks she is, and she and your sister are more alike than they would imagine." The man's voice was strict, yet Yang could see it.

' _Those two would not know if danger hit them in the face… Naïve…'_ Weiss and Ruby were great partners, yet Weiss did nothing to stop Ruby from getting too excited. She loved her little sister with all her heart, but sometimes you had to smack her down when she got too into things.

"I'll keep all of them safe, Sir." The man's eyes looked into her own.

"You should choose for yourself something that makes you motivated, Miss Xiao-Long. This world isn't meant for your sister and your partner to live… It's meant for you to explore your thoughts as well. Do not be chained down by being a caretaker for people… Live a little."

The advice sounded sound to her. Perhaps it would be right to live a little bit?

She was still young, after all.

* * *

 _A drinking problem (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her eyes looked at the drink that was put in front of her, a frown on her face as she looked at it. She could see Summer and Raven already downing their next drink, the fruity cocktail that sat in front of her something that brought out to her the worst woes of the evenings of spending time alone in the house.

She grabbed a hold of the drink and then raised it to Jaune, who was smiling at her, his own drink something a little lighter on the system, the shot of liquor that had been mixed with a fruity drink something that would do better with his senses than with her own, Kali and Sienna both already on their fifth drink, drinking like they'd have time to go swimming in a bathtub full of liquor. Torchwick and his girlfriend were currently busy with their own personal little dance, the table that'd been set aside for the two of them in the corner giving them enough privacy.

She could see the love that the girl held for him, and the love that he held for her. It was a twisted pairing of sorts, yet the young man seemed to love, which made him alright in her book. That the darkness inside him and his lover was presence was a bonus, something that Jaune had learned well… Incentives were always to be maintained, or you would get stabbed in the back, like her husband and she had done.

"And so, I was like 'Get your tits out! Show Ghira what he's missing, you blonde tart!' and she was like 'Alright, time to give the booby bounce!' and she actually did it. Her father was absolutely _scandalized_." Kali's giggling was loud and irritating, even as the woman downed drink number six. This little moment of relaxation was enough, even as they knew that when the time came for the bill, they would be long since gone. She felt the need inside her, even as Summer and Raven continued to get a refill, the bartender a gruff-faced man wearing glasses and looking at the pair of them like he was going to shit his pants, though mostly at the woman.

"So, mister Bartender…" She said, her voice a little lower in the register, the man raising an eyebrow. "Why do you keep on looking at my friend here, huh?" They'd opted for some sort of hair colouring for the night out, just to keep from being recognized too well. That they all resembled their daughters in a certain fashion just made things harder, so the option of bending over a sink and letting the hair colour fade just a little bit was enough. Sienna often could pass easily enough for just any old Faunus, with her tattoos mainly hidden through a layer of makeup, so it was up to them to hide their natural hair colour a bit.

"Ah, I'd swear she was the chick who levelled my club a few months ago, but the age just doesn't match up…" The man said, even as Raven took notice.

"About 5'7, big tits, blonde hair and shotgun bracelets?" She asked, her voice sounding a little double in term, even as she herself had bleached blonde hair, the roots still dark, no doubt due to the way that the dye worked.

"Yeah, that's about her. Came in, asking for her mom." Raven nodded.

"Sounds like my daughter… Ah well, I guess I don't have to kill you. If she left you functioning, there must be some use to your life." The man's face paled a little as he seemed to put one and one together, the look that he gave Raven somewhat more intimidated than impressed.

"So you're…" Raven smiled, flashing something for the man, something of a symbol. The man's face turned a pasty white.

"Here to get drunk with my bestie. It's best not to ask…" Summer cooed something about being great for killing scrubs, something that the man seemed to overhear and look even more disturbed by. "But I'd like a refill… Hey, Tai? How'shhh…" The woman swayed a little, Whitney watching clearly how the mannerisms of the woman seemed to change, as she lurched at Jaune, pressing her head against him.

Her Jaune was still drinking slowly, his eyes far-off in the distance, contemplating something that they would undoubtedly hear more of. With his old team being already introduced to their own little branding, it would not be hard to meet up with them, deciding on what they would do.

"Soo… How'd you get to know Roman, mister Bartender?" Summer asked, even as her fingers brushed through her hair, the silver-white cloak that she wore looking elegant in the flashing lights, though it wasn't as distinct as the other ones. Sienna currently took that moment to give a soft snicker, making a motion with her hands. "Thiiiiiis big. And the guy thought he was being smart by waving it around and going 'Look at my machete, Si.'. That fucking tool got iced in the first wave."

"Ran a few jobs with him… Eh, nothing much, really." Summer gave a little titter, as she nodded.

"Good, good… I'd hate to have to kill you. You serve good drinks." The delivery of the news that she'd kill him if the drinks went down in quality, definitely worked to make sure that the man went right back to serving more drinks, a content little smile on Summer's face, even as she nudged Jaune.

"Make em forget, Jaune… You won't make em forget, they'll start to blab…" Whitney could see this working out badly. Alcohol and the ladies that gathered around Jaune was a bad combination, even though with the amount of people already on the dancefloor and the general ruckus around them, none would really notice the conversation going on.

"So… Are you happy?" She whispered in Jaune's ear, a soft smile on his face as he turned to her.

"With you all?" He inquired, as she nodded, asking for confirmation of those thoughts, his eyes softening up a little. "Of course. You're the best I can wish for."

The news made her feel a spark of happiness, even as she felt the love inside her explode once more, her fingers lacing with his own. It was a small thing, yet she knew well that there was just enough, even as Raven and Summer went for drink number seven.

Whatever had prompted Summer to say that they were all going out for drinks tonight to 'drink the pain of being without drinks' away, it had spurred them on to make a decision. Even whilst slightly tipsy, she could still fight… and it was not like anyone would be looking for them.

She felt the grip on her hand increase, even as he tensed up a little. "I love you." She whispered in his ear, even with his mop of silvery coloured hair, a compromise with the lack of colour that it had due to his powers at this moment being over-saturated with… whatever it was. It had been an explanation that didn't make sense, yet she knew that if he willed it, the natural blonde colour would return… Just like she liked it.

The pulse of the Relic was like a wave, even as the knowledge of the topic of their conversation was stolen from the people around them, the machinery, the ancient Relic of the Gods who had created Remnant working to sequester the information inside of it as easily as it was for flicking a button. Every single one of them perked slightly, even as Kali and Sienna ceased their conversation, Sienna half up from her seat, before she went for the lavatory.

They were just here to get drunk and enjoy the evening. Nobody should bother them…

* * *

 _An errant thought (Azure Arc)_

* * *

She pushed herself through the crowd, entering the club. Several of the guys that looked modestly passable tried to get her to stand in the line with her, yet she was an independent woman, her weapon already in sight and ready to unleash hell on someone for just talking to her. The open carry licence that she had obtained for her weapon was great for the moments when you just needed to show superior force.

That she'd been at a bar getting thoroughly drunk beforehand was just some incidental information that nobody should ask about. Every girl got drunk before they went clubbing, right? That's just how the guys got good fucks and the girls got laid out like bitches in a rut. She might be seeing double, but if she needed to get her footing, she could always trust her Semblance.

' _Alright, Azure… Time for getting that whole bucket list out of the way… lezzo experience, a go go!'_

As she felt the beat of the music go through her, she could see the interior of the club, recently refurbished after someone went and drove the whole place down into the subbasement, sparkling and shimmering. It was like a dream and a nightmare together, the disco ball lighting up the dance floor whilst the bar stood there like a beacon of hope and dreams. She could spot two different cloaked Huntresses sitting at the bar, each already in the process of getting themselves thoroughly drunk, by the volume of alcohol that they were going through, the cute guy sitting at the bar next to them with a woman who obviously was his partner, given her light blonde hair… Oof, she'd have to hand it to the guy's stylist, he could really pass for her little brother if he'd have blonde hair. Spotting a cute Faunus woman sitting alone at a table, she grinned.

' _It'd be nice to experiment a little bit…'_ "Hey there, I noticed you sitting alone and figured 'That kitty needs some company'." She didn't slur, to her credit.

Bright yellow eyes locked with hers, as a smile came to her lips, even as she nearly hurled, her balance disturbed a little, nearly falling onto the woman. "Do you need me to guide you to the bathroom so you can throw up?" The gentle voice of the woman spoke up, even as Azure felt comfy in the grip that the woman seemed to have on her.

"Would be lovely, thanks… I mean… and your crotch too, kitten." The come-on line wasn't even going to be finalized, even as the Faunus woman smiled at her.

"Now, dear… Don't you go and bite off more than you can chew." Her voice was gentle as she spoke, yet Azure could feel something in the woman's voice that hinted at danger. "You are a Huntress, right?"

The nod was enough, even as she was helped by the woman towards the bathroom, a savvy smile on her lips. _'This is going to plan… Azure Arc's got that darn charm going on, yesssss! ALL YOU NEED IS CONFIDENCE! THANKS DAD!'_

She was gonna score some pussy, and then get some dick to go with it, yes ma'am!

* * *

 _Nightmares (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

" _Cut it out, Qrow." The gentle voice, demanding him. Another failure, another happy memory soiled. Eyes looking at him, even as the look turned to something fiercer. "I don't want-"_

 _Fire and blood, another mission completed. Summer looking at him and passing him a fresh bottle of liquor. To dull the pain, in the way that he knew. His assistance was needed, as the civilians had to be herded to a place. It was… it wasn't good work. He did it, for Remnant. For a better future for Yang and Ruby. The last mission, before… before she left._

He snapped out of his dream, remembering yet another of his failures, the memory perverse. He could never look at that stretch of pier again, nor would he be able to wipe the hands clean of the blood that stained them.

He looked at the room that he'd occupied, the bed creaking below him, failing in is support and collapsing, letting him hit the ground with a painful accent running through him.

He crawled back up, finding his flask, looking at it for a moment and then downing another shot, as he glanced at the calendar on his Scroll, noticing the big flashing button for the message.

"Let's see…"

' **Qrow,**

 **Be prepared for the mission the day after tomorrow.**

 **Ozpin** '

The man was getting worse about making him be on time, he figured… _'Egh, I need a drink…'_ He wanted to just forget about things for a bit, knowing that being late once was enough to make the headmaster of Beacon give him a message personally before a mission that he was supposed to attend…

' _But for Ruby and Yang… Yeah, I better set my alarm clock a little earlier.'_

He could be late, but he'd best be earlier… Taiyang was depending on him to keep little Ruby and the firecracker safe, after all. He couldn't be the bad uncle all the time, yeah…

* * *

 _Bad decisions (Azure Arc)_

* * *

She leaned over the toilet bowl, vomiting up another load of wretched stomach juices nearly thirty minutes past the time that it'd been when she was introduced to the woman known as Kali, with no last name given… Though that didn't really need to be said.

"There there, sweetheart… Now pull yourself up." The woman's voice was enough, as she raised once more, the swirling vomit in the toiletbowl growing enough, as another drink was offered to her already sloshed self. "Drink up, it'll clear your palate a little."

She was starting to see things. The sour-looking woman who shared a table with the other woman was getting all huffy, giving her dark looks, the hot blonde and the other cloaked woman were currently hugging and crying and the guy and his smoking hot blonde girlfriend were currently making out like they should get a room and get their fuck on.

As she staggered out of the toilet with a drink now emptied, she caught sight of the young man currently in the process of drinking another shot. She stalked… well, more like staggered, right up to him, even as she hugged him from behind. "Hey there, partdnarh… Yoush wanna get lucky with me an' the Faunus chick?"

The question wasn't too bold, she figured… as her hands slid down over a chest that looked like it'd been good and well-trained, the smell of alcohol in her nostrils, even as her hands groped over his groin. "Ooh, that's some banana I feel here… Hmmm…" The weapons that suddenly found their way at her neck and other spots were definitely a bad call from them, even as she pulled herself away. "Aww… Imma go and cry now."

She definitely was gonna cry if she didn't get laid… "Fuck…"

"Now… Why don't we take you to our room, sweetheart? You can go and lie down a little…" The Faunus chick with the nice eyes suggested, even as her friend, dark and dusky, like chocolate ice-cream with a dash of chocolate chunks in it, hissed something.

 _'What a fucking prude…'_

She'd let that hottie lick her snatch out like it was fucking cream, yeah… Fuck, why'd they have to be so fucking beautiful, huh? "If you've got it, Imma go and come with ya…" The blonde woman at the bar looked up, her eyes a little unfocused, as she went for the guy who was currently with the hottie blonde wearing the Atlas Jean getup-alike.

"Take me home. Summer's bullying me again… She wants to sell me into slavery to John!" There was a tone of plaintive hope in her voice, as the name clicked. _'Ahh… Yeah. I had a little bro called Jaune… Fuck, the day that he'd bag such a hot bird is the day I go sober.'_

The thought of Jaune being able to handle such a woman with such striking features was enough to draw a snort from her lips. "Are you going to be okay? We've got to go and bring our friend back to the hotel…"

The young man, who probably wasn't named John, if the woman's words were any indication and how she seemed to sob against him, looked at her. _'Fuck, he'd be a younger copy of dad if Dad had silver hair…'_

It might be the alcohol, but the look on his face changed. "We're bringing her too. I don't want her to wander the streets alone." A surge of warmth went through her body at the thought of him caring for her. It had been a while since she'd cut loose, since she'd imbibed enough alcohol to really care, yet since the death of her little brother, things had gone to shit.

A threesome… fuck, fivesome? Whatever you'd call it, with this dude and his hot bitches? Sign the name of Azure Arc down on the dot and pump them hips!

"Alright… Up you go, girlie…" The woman pulled her up, stronger than she appeared. She giggled a little, even as the other Faunus woman gave her a disapproving look. _'Doesn't like me much, does she?'_

"Taaiiiii… Taaaiiiiii." The mournful tone of the drunken woman was enough to clue her in as to who the silver-haired dude was. Damn, that guy must be lucky with such a hot bird and a blonde getting him some attention. _'Tai, eh? Hell, I can dig that. He can give me the Tai-me of day.'_

This was gonna be one hell of an orgy!

Best. Night. Ever!

Passing out the moment that she'd gotten laid on a bed hadn't been in her estimation.

A true pity.

* * *

 **Another chapter for you to read and enjoy! Writing Azure Arc is fun. In the next chapter - Hangovers, Cardin Winchester, Sage Arc, still imprisoned!**

 **Leave a review if you'd like to! I always like reading them!**


	46. Staunchness

**Chapter 46: Staunchness**

 **One thing I can say... Mountain Glenn Arc after this chapter! The final part of Volume III!**

* * *

 _A bad decision (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He could feel something warm around his manhood, even as he flitted in and out of consciousness, the morning feeling like it had already started with a headache, the pounding starting to grow even heavier as he realized that he was now in a bed, feeling really good for some reason.

He caught sight of Kali laid on his side, the warm feeling of someone performing some damn good oral stimulation down below, his mouth giving a low moan as he felt a tongue slide up and down, a little gagging sound coming from the woman, the trust he felt for his women enough, as he turned his head, looking at the passed out Whitney that had a steady grip on his other arm.

 _'Wait, if this is Whitney and Kali is on my other side…'_

He raised his head, looking at the woman who was doing such wonderful things, catching a heavy-lidded red-eyed gaze, Raven's head moving in rhythmic movements, as her actions made her face look… well, it would be a lie to say that he didn't like it, with how enthusiastic she seemed to be, Summer already busy with stroking the hair of the woman, looking at him with a wink. "Now, do the little trick with your teeth! It's time that I get to ride him!"

Raven obeyed, and he watched as Summer crawled over Raven, her body as bare as it could be, only a single red cloak worn. He could imagine Ruby doing something similar, even as Raven continued with her work, the teeth running over the sensitive edges on his manhood enough, making him whimper. "Eat your breakfast, honey."

He wasn't going to complain, even though he knew that Whitney and Kali might be complaining about how they had snuck a march on them, as Summer forced her hips against his face, her sex there. "Just munch it like it's breakfast and we're going to be allllright." He could hear his older sister stir, Summer's voice a little louder, even as Raven increased her ministrations, really getting into it. _'I wonder if it was Summer's initiative or her own?'_

Summer was the guiding drive in Raven's life now, the woman had submitted to him for taking down Summer, her request enough, even as he knew well that there would be more to the situation as it was… there always was an additional story behind everything, as the world seemed fit to point out to him at every twist and turn. He was pretty certain that life was going to throw him a curveball the moment that he finally met with Ozymandias Pinnacle…

Azure got up in her typical fashion, yawning loudly. "Woah… That was one hell of a bender…" He could see nothing but Summer's hips, pressing against him. "You guys are still busy… Damn, it's half-past eight, eh… Yeah, thanks for the fun, but I've gotta go. You go and suck that dick, yeah."

It was a very curt dismissal, yet he hadn't expected anything different from her. Azure was both the problem child as well as the youngest daughter of the house, so her excesses were swept under the rug easily by the elder sisters, but he remembered still the way that she'd crawled up against him as they watched a horror movie with the others. That he hadn't been able to watch it was beside the point, it was still his sister that crawled up to him and had mumbled something about protecting him, whilst obviously wanting it herself. She was one of the people who had never judged too much.

"Well… We've at least managed to keep her innocent of your identity… I figured that you'd rather not want to deal with her." Summer Rose said, even as she pressed her groin against him. Raven's motions grew fiercer, even as he felt the urge to release all the pent-up lust, Raven's tongue and teeth working like a professional. _'Oh god, if this was what made Ruby's dad love her, fuck, I can see it happening.'_

He felt stars pop up, even as Raven's work ceased and she remained, Summer's hips lifted up. "Now… Time for me to get what I need, Jaune." Her voice was enough, even as Raven's lips pulled away and Summer grabbed a hold of him.

Raven's eyes were a little glazed, as her tongue moved over her lips, a soft little giggle coming from her lips. "I love you, Tai." She said, smiling beautifully. If he hadn't seen Yang before, he would have guessed Raven to be around the age of twenty-six or so, her eyes a little distant, yet with the love in those eyes not fading in the slightest.

That she thought of him as her husband was definitely caused by the way that she'd drank herself into a pleasantly inebriated state, her eyes glistening lightly at the way that he looked at her. "Yeah, I love you too, Raven." It wasn't sincere, not fully, yet the woman seemed to need it. Tears came from her eyes and she leaned down to kiss him, her eyes looking into his own. Her lips were soft, even as Summer started to move.

It was a twisted little feeling inside him, yet he knew well that there was enough on their plate to bother with, as they would have to fight. It was best to allow for the variables to come together, with how the world was going to move.

The moment that they stepped out from the shadows, they would have to be ready to fight. Ready to kill and make sure that whoever believed in Pinnacle's mad plan would need to _stay_ down.

Raven's eyes cleared up a little, even as he began to feel the brush of her hand over his chest. Kali stirred awake, hugging him a little closer, opening her eyes.

"Ah, yes… Yess…"Summer moaned, even as Kali's eyes flickered towards Summer, a hiss from her throat.

"Get off him. He's ours." He wasn't sure whether Raven was getting back to consciousness, yet within her, the darkness stirred. The kiss was broken, even as saliva was making a little line between their lips.

"Jaune?" Raven asked, her eyes clearing up, surprise in them for a moment before something seemed to click. Her lips went back to him, greedily kissing him, her hands wrapping around his head and just holding him, as she pressed against him. That she was wearing little more than a thong wasn't really the issue.

"Get off my man." Kali hissed at Summer, even as he was occupied with kissing Raven. The woman's needy kisses were like a tempest, her lips burning with the need to kiss and be held, even as the woman's eyes pleaded with him for something, his hand brushing through the thick mass of her hair.

"It's… It's okay." He said, breaking the kiss, the red eyes looking at him with desperation, fear and hope in their depths, even as she pulled away, breathing deeply at him, her eyes heavy.

Summer crawled off him, giving a lazy smile. "He's the best man we've got, darlings…" The chuckle came from around her, as most of them seemed to agree. He wasn't sure whether he was the best man, he was only sure that he was the only man around that they could have… and that made a spike of worry and doubt go through him.

"We love you, Jaune." Whitney said, spotting the doubt after an instant. "We'll never stop loving you, you're the man I chose to be mine." There was a note of love in that voice, a love that he'd barely heard at home. Romantic love, that is. Familial love… he was sure that his family loved him.

"You're the pillar in my life, Jaune." The words came from Kali's mouth, a manner of speaking used that brought out the darkness within, a twitching twisting conclave of fear and hope to mingle together in a twisted blend. "Without you…" There was desperation, panic. "Without you, I'd die."

"You're nice enough." Sienna said, her voice soft, as she looked at him with eyes that didn't seem to be cold. She was more in the distance, as the women he had marked gathered around him. "Your… sister…" There was a pause, as she seemed to get herself back together.

"She snores when she's drunk. Can't you fix that?" A chuckle came from Kali and Whitney, who shook their head at the same time.

It was a soft moment of repose, when he could see the look on the women's faces change a little, Raven cracking a smile, Summer looking like Ruby did when she was happy, Whitney's face resembling Weiss' more than before and Kali's own looks more like how they should be by Blake…

' _My own twisted version of Team RWBY…'_ He knew the daughters, and he knew the mothers. He'd… he'd slept with their mothers, before even getting past first base with one of them. It was a daunting thing, because he was unsure how they would react. _'Am I… Am I dating their mothers?'_

"No matter what happens, Jaune…" Whitney's voice was soothing, as she hugged him. "We're always going to back you up… You were there when things got dark for us… And now, we're here to pull you out of the darkness if you need it."

"She's going to be sooo sick in about an hour's time…" Summer said, smiling at Raven, who was looking paler by the moment, looking at him as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Oh god, I cheated on Tai…" The woman said, before she got up and rushed towards the toilet, Summer shaking her head lightly.

"I'll take care of my little birdy babe… You just go and be all cool, alright? I know juuuuust the trick to getting her back into peak condition. Not the first time I've ridden this rodeo with the Branwens…"

He could see Sienna pick her weapon up and give a little shake of the head, before miming drinking something. "Out for a coffee. Enjoy your fuck." The woman was at least more cordial now towards him and his women, a good thing in his mind.

He wouldn't want to imagine what it'd be if she actually was against this relationship.

* * *

 _The burdens of perfection (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

She felt the morning capture her once more, the buzz in the back of her head like a dark drone of desire, knowing that she would have to escape the comfort of her bed once more and feel like she had to do the song and dance again. The hopeful eyes, the dedicated people who wanted to impress her… They laid beyond the comforts of her bed.

She closed her eyes and reached out to the feeling of her Jaune, feeling that warmth and soothing presence, the darkness inside her telling her that it was alright, that there was safety within the darkness. _'Jaune…'_

She could feel her hand descend, touching over her pyjama's bottoms, delving into her body, a shuddering gasp coming from her lips as she could imagine what it would be to have him with her, to have him destroy and remake her… That single touch of lips, that moment of unity with the others… The sensation of power that flooded inside her, that made her feel less alone in the world…

Her fingers dove in and a soft 'ah-ahhh' came from her lips, her other hand grabbing her breast and giving it a squeeze, imagining that it was his hand, that he was being there with her. A pleasant sensation, working through the whole breadth of her body, as her fingers started to move faster.

The sensation was like tingles shooting up her spine, like miniature fireworks blasting off into the darkness of her existence, his name on her lips, yet not uttered once, knowing that he was the one that she followed, that he gave her life a reason…

She came like a flood, twitching and quivering, even as she felt the burning need inside her to possess him… to let him possess her, to just be the Pyrrha that he needed… Whatever he would want her to do, he would find her willing to do. Murder, arson, any depraved sex act, even if it went against anything that she stood for mentally… For him, for Jaune…

"Ahh…" She gave a content little shudder, imagining the feeling of the chains around her, the hidden little fantasy of being wrapped in chains and unable to get out until freed by her lover bringing a deeper stimulus inside her, as she felt the burning increase inside her depths, the touch to her shoulder bringing her to a sudden stop, Nora's smile infectious.

"Nice dreams, Pyrrha?" The flush that she felt as she looked at Nora, who was wide awake and only wearing her underwear, whose face showed amusement at the way that she'd been caught touching herself, even getting off.

"Y-yes." She mumbled, looking at the other beds, finding Viridian still face-down in the pillow and Ren giving her a knowing look, her red cheeks growing even redder. 'I dreamt of… him."

Nora knew and smirked, leaning close. "Oh… You should see some of the thoughts that Rennie has about him… He's quite confused sometimes when he thinks about me." There was a moment of confusion for her at that moment as she imagined Jaune with Ren…

' _Oof…'_ There definitely was a new little thought in her mind now, even if Jaune would not want to do something like that. They definitely had to get together as a team… nice bed, plenty of drinks…

"Your smile is more natural now." Nora said, even with her getting up. "You're thinking about pervy stuff, aren't you?"

"Hey, the mind has to keep busy…" She said, voice more bemused at the thoughts that Nora was planting in her mind than being disturbed whilst taking the edge off. The feeling inside her that she felt was like a fireflash, even as her thoughts turned to surviving this day in Beacon's halls of learning. It would not be the easy strut now that she knew that her love had returned to her, but she would manage.

As she dressed in her school uniform, she looked at Viridian, who was getting out of the shower and ready to dress himself up once more from the bed, scratching at his cheeks. Ever since they'd had a little talk about propriety and homosexuality, things had been going much better for the young man in working together with them. The arrogance and egotism were dialed down a lot and they'd even get to ignore the petting that happened between the lovers, even if the heavier expressions of love were still taboo.

It galled Ren a little, but that was due to how he was raised. It was how she was raised as well, though she knew that her own feelings for Jaune surpassed any such desire to be with filth like that in his mind… She at least though that it would be like that. If he wanted to have a man as a partner… she would condone that. She wouldn't like it, but… whatever he wanted…

"Morning, Pyrrha… Say…" Someone stopped her, a student of the upper years, to her guess. It wasn't someone that she spoke with, the familiarity enough to make her halt, as her smile slid onto her face.

"Yes?" She asked, though a little colder in her response than one would immediately assume. Public training had been a heavy factor in the endorsement deal that she'd made, even how the world seemed to have mostly forgotten about Pyrrha Nikos by now… in such a capacity, that is.

"Would you like to go to the dance with me tonight?" The question hung in the air, even as she blinked, unsure whether this was some sort of elaborate practical joke or not. The other people around seemed to wait with baited breath for her response, so this seemed to not be a practical joke of sorts.

"Well, I'm sorry but I have decided not to go, out of respect for my deceased partner." The answer was polite, cut clearly through any objections and was, at the very least, still something that was an excuse. Four months ago, she had still been pining for the young man… before everything had changed and the world had turned a darker place for her.

"Ah… yeah, that'd… that's…" The hesitation in the young man's voice was real, even as she nodded.

"I'm sorry, but…" She didn't have to finish her sentence, as the energy seemed to flow out of the young man, who seemed to realize that he had committed a blunder.

"Yeah, I… Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry and… yeah, sorry." The confidence had seeped out of the older student's body, even as he moved away. She hardly gave him a second glance, raising her chin and knowing that she was right. She was doing what is right for the world for Jaune…

' _No matter what…'_ She glanced at team RWBY seated at the cafeteria as she picked her options, the nuggets being the least healthy of choices that were available, yet she felt like she should at least pick something that Jaune enjoyed (even though she remembered chiding him for his choice in food only a day before the unfortunate happenings), the ketchup tasting fake and reprocessed, dipping the nugget into the ketchup once and then chewing it, thoughtfully.

"So, what's your plan for the dance, Pyrrha?" Yang Xiao-Long, a busty blonde brawler who talked too much spoke up, her eyes flickering with annoyance, as the girl knew not the pain of losing someone, the distance that was between the two teams of them since the death of Jaune having been something that was hard to fix.

"I'm going to stay in our room and prepare for the mission in three days." The mechanical answer, as the mission had been selected beforehand, their Huntsman being present in the city in nearly three days, ranging from far-off Vacuo, according to the mission board.

Selecting their mission had been arbitrary. A small village where they would need a Huntsman presence, with a few scattered reports of Grimm infestations present which would be enough of a challenge, even as the blonde grinned.

"We're going to leave tomorrow. Someplace named Mountain Glenn, heard it was pretty fabulous back in the day. We're going with three kick-ass Huntsmen, no doubt!" The excitement in the girl's voice was enough to make Pyrrha's own enthusiasm be dampened. Some of the teams that had been sent out into the world had different times at which they'd leave, a safety net in order to ensure that the Academy would have at the very least a decent amount of Huntsmen trainees present.

"How… fun." She couldn't get excited about that. She would be gone from Jaune's presence, she wouldn't be able to feel his comforting touch in the back of her mind, Yang actually noticing her droll manner of speech.

"Yeah, I mean… I'm sorry. I know that missing the blonde goof is… yeah, tough." Anger coursed through her, but didn't show on her face. A time of learning to control one's expression was well-spent, as she fought the urge to snarl at Yang. _'What does a blonde bimbo with blow up tits know about how good Jaune is? She should be pressed down and be made to FEEL how good he is, to feel how he will ravish her and then… then she can try to call him a goof again!'_

The thought was sickening to her mind, before she would've met Jaune… to pin someone down and to let a man violate another woman, yet the darkness inside her caressed her, the feeling inside her welling up, as Yang was just some dumb broad who didn't know better. Every interaction in combat class with team RWBY had been of boastful actions, the little silver-eyed team leader trying to forge a connection, yet without Jaune, the red-cloaked girl had been an irritant, her sister had been a forward glory hound, their token Faunus teammate had been a silent mute who didn't do much more aside from trying to evade her righteous spear-rifle… and the final member was Weiss _fucking_ Schnee, who had dared to try and be HER partner, whilst Jaune had been…

' _Oh, if I had my way with you girls…'_ The smile on her face must be something wonderful, as Yang seemed to spot it, leaning away. "Something… Is everything okay?"

She could already imagine that arrogant blonde face twisting, even as she cooed at the girl that everything would be okay… Oh, yes… She would make sure that Jaune got everything that he wanted…"Just… thinking." She said, noncommittally. Yang looked a little weirded out.

"Yeah, I mean… I didn't want to call up bad memories. Ruby still… She keeps a picture of him in her little Beowolf wallet. His death hit us too, y'know?" The girl was making useless noises. She would never know what it was like to feel a part of you being ripped out… to have the boy that you'd shared your aura with, disappear and be thought dead. That arrogant attitude, full of confidence… She wanted to wipe it away, to make the girl shudder and tremble before her. It was not just vengeance… it was retribution.

"Yes… it was…" She took a deep breath, even as she mustered the will to be 'Pyrrha Nikos, Champion' again. It was a moment where she let the control slip, where her frustration with these arrogant _bitches_ came to the fore. "It was the worst day of my life."

She remembered how she had cried. She remembered the moment when the arm was cremated. The tears afterwards and the soft healing… the void remaining. "The one thing that we had…" A sigh from her lips. "I wish…"

Yang patted her on the shoulder, as she should do to any girl who was depressed because their boyfriend went and died, their lover had gone away permanently. "You'll get over it… But… but if you need to talk to someone, we're here too."

She couldn't imagine Yang Xiao-Long, confidence supreme, could sound so understanding before, and she revised her opinion, slightly. _'I guess she might have some redeeming features…'_

There was something to be said about ensuring her love's happiness. "Thank you." She said, though she didn't really feel like she meant it. Her eyes watched Yang out of the corner as she got up and went for another drink, the assets that were prominently on display there giving a wiggle, and for a moment she felt envy go through her, squashed after an instant of recomposing. _'You're blessed by Jaune… She isn't.'_

It would be wrong to immediately assign the blame… But it would feel so good to crush that arrogance into little bits...

As the morning turned to the afternoon, she allowed herself a little indulgence, bumping Nora's side. "Are you ready?" She asked, the question hanging in the air for a moment as Nora thought, the darkness inside the two of them quivering, as they looked at the opponents selected for their combat class spar. Her weapons were already prepared for use, Nora's weapon equally readied to fight, even as Professor Goodwitch looked at them. "And your challengers shall be team CRME's Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai."

The feeling inside her was like a burning tide of hate and pain, looking at her opponent as she went for the dressing room, getting herself ready for the fight. There was going to be a beat-down, just like how team CRME's Rubedo Sustrai had decimated Viridian's boyfriend and his team leader a day before.

She fit her greaves with a little bit of patience, even as Nora looked at her. "Bust some heads?" She asked, to which Pyrrha nodded.

"Break some heads, if we're lucky." There was no denying the violent urges inside her now, the darkness inside her telling her that it was okay, that there would be little consequence. Instincts honed by years of training and fighting told her that there was enough to be done in the world for her, even as the burdens of life would accumulate…

Stepping into the ring, she became aware of her opponents, the green-haired girl and the silver-haired boy looking almost bored, with Emerald looking straight at her before nodding to her partner, shifting places as they did. She could see their team leader, Cinder, sit at the front seats, watching the two partnered individuals of her team like a hawk… _'Not bad, missy…'_

There was a challenge here, from the way that they moved. Her Semblance had been enhanced since she had partaken of Jaune's blood, the darkness inside her hyping her cognitive abilities up. It gave her a sort of sixth sense when there was metal around… and it told her that the young man's legs were nearly fully composed of metals which were slightly ferrokinetic, something that would be more or less a threat when it came to it in combat… But not insurmountable. _'He would notice my Semblance…'_

She would've just used it, had this been a regular match… Yet she was more than aware of the world and its perceptions… There was no longer that guarantee that the friend of today would be the friend of tomorrow, even if they shared the same Mistrali heritage. _'I can win this without my Semblance…'_

She moved as swiftly forward, preferring to lead with the javelin, shifting the shield in front of her whilst Nora raised a war cry, electricity shooting through her body in a slight flash, adding to her strength even more. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emerald give a startled squeak as the kama-shotguns were knocked out of her hands by the energetic Valkyrie, the hoot that she heard Nora giving enough, even as the next swing went wide. _'A Semblance that alters perceptions…'_

She had dealt with those more often than not in the circuit. Her own Semblance was easier to mask, especially when she was around people who did not often find themselves to be in the presence of one so well-acclaimed as her. _'A bit of extra work for Nora… But not too shabby.'_

"Nora! Ren Mode!" Calling out to her friend for the method of 'sensing' that Ren had come up with the day after they had been blessed with Jaune's gift, Nora giving a soft little cheer as her eyes closed and her strikes grew more accurate, the girl having to actually dodge them in order not to get flattened.

Her own opponent was circling around her, his presence like a buzz of metal in her presence. "So, that's the famous champion I've been hearing about…" The young man's voice was even, yet she could detect a small hint inside him that spoke of nervousness, a lack of clear direction coming from him, as he didn't know what to do. She hadn't used her Semblance yet, nor had she made any further aggressive moves… She was searching him out.

Whatever Semblance he used for his methods, it was still something that she did not know. She might have rushed in before, to test it out, to check what it was before dealing with it. A great fighter fought with experience, especially if the days were to be limited to one or two fights, to make the fights last a little longer. The people enjoyed a show…

"You don't attack much… or speak much. Why? Still moping after that fallen leader of yours, eh?" The taunt was more effective than she'd imagined, anger flowing through her at the feeling of this asshole taunting her with Jaune's death. If she had not been aware that he was alive, she might have seriously maimed him, yet only a cool fury surged through her.

"At least my leader gave me affection, rather than making you into the eunuch."The taunt was Mistralian, the young man's face shifted to one look of 'The hell you just said?', as a leg shot up to try and attack her. Nora's cheer in the background was loud, even as Emerald's body hit the far wall, one of Magnhild's strikes connecting fully.

The students from Haven got her dig, though… _'If he is from Haven, he should…'_ Things did not add up. She'd basically called him the servant of the harem, a low position in the noble courts, and all she got was a lame attack…

"I don't know…" She frowned. The cultural match-up wasn't there, and he didn't look like he had been with Haven's student body long enough to pick up on the cultural lingo. His words confirmed it…

' _There is no way that he's ever been a student at Haven if he missed THAT reference… So that means…'_ Her gaze went to Emerald, who was picking herself up again, though she held up a hand. "Nora? Third Strike." The fact that she kept her face as neutral as possible during a match probably made it so that the young man wasn't clued in to the way that she realized that he had barely had the formal education to be a Haven student, Nora's 'Okidoki!' coming like a charm, even as the silver-haired guy danced out of the strike that'd been coming from the right.

She slammed Akuou in his face as retribution for daring to dodge Nora's strike, which essentially sent him to the ground. The blow that followed knocked his aura out of commission, which made Nora grin. "Alright! Pyrrha! Your sagacious teamwork has once more won us the prize!" Nora's enthusiasm was undampened by the way that she had been embraced by the darkness.

"So, Nikos? You got a date for the dance yet?" The cocky way that the young man asked her made her raise an eyebrow, even with the way that the world seemed to go against what she thought it would do…

"No. I will not be attending the dance." The statement was simple, factual and totally within her right. If she did not feel like it, she did not feel like it.

"Ah, that's a bummer. Well, I'll make do. Thanks for the good fight." The young man's eyes were cautious, she could see that much, even as she smiled, the kind smile that she knew would disarm most people.

"It was grand." She said, turning to professor Goodwitch, who called the match in her victory.

This was going well, thus far… She was still in control.

* * *

 _The absence (Lie Ren)_

* * *

He looked at the screen of his Scroll, aware of the dedication that was written on it, the knowledge about the mission parameters already rearranging itself in his mind, before he heard a soft cough.

He turned his head, looking at Weiss Schnee as she stood there. Nervousness flitted on her features as she inhaled deeply. "H-hello." There was hesitation in her voice, the nervousness translated to actions not, yet he could understand how she would feel, with the first-year missions that were soon to be completed. He himself was a little nervous, smiling at her, even though he felt little on the inside, the power that had been poured into him by the Faunus woman still adjusting through his body, the energy like a current that had been impeded by a dam.

"Hello, Miss Schnee." It was never a wrong thing to be polite, even if the world did not think about politeness, though the young woman wasn't in the favourable books of Pyrrha. He could see the small expressions of irritation that she held when dealing with team RWBY, the anger inside her that chewed at her sense of self.

"W-would you l-like to go to the dance with me… t-tomorrow?" The question was received, and he blinked. _'It is a good thing that Nora is not here…'_ There was an answer to give to the young woman, a soft answer that would put her down gently, not to harm her in one moment with cruelty. He could feel the sensation tickle along his spine, as he felt the void slip around him, the utter lack of things mattering clearing his mind up a little more.

"I'm sorry, but I'm already going with my girlfriend, Nora." It was proper to announce that he would be going with Nora, even as Weiss' eyes turned wide, her breathing hitching and her expression shifting a little, as the touch of his hand allowed her to feel the refreshing void cool her emotions. The quiet always made people more able to focus on things, as her eyes slowly returned to normal, his Semblance flowing through her.

"Ah… I see. I apologize for bothering you then… It was not my intention to…" The touch was gone and the emotions came rushing back, the tears starting to come now as the emotions rushed back in, his hand going for the tissues that he kept on hand in order to deal with messes that Nora made that required a tissue, the feelings that she was currently feeling totally normal and understandable.

"It is not logical, love… But I am quite in love with Nora." The logical, cool answer, as she nodded, sighing deeply. "But I appreciate your request, but I cannot fulfill it." The girl nodded, understanding the reasons behind his actions, and she would be happy soon enough, once the worst of the pain was done.

"So… Weiss asked you out, didn't she?" His girlfriend's voice was a comforting one, as he sat in their room, her body currently resting on the bed, Viridian being elsewhere and Pyrrha busy with preparing something.

"She did. She asked me to the dance, which I declined." Nora nodded, seemingly comforted by that news. She was such a wonderful girl, even if his emotions at times were hard to get a grasp on.

"The gift is really great, don't you think? I know a lot of things now about how to lead a terrorist cell…" There was a hint of something in that voice, a proud sentiment that had not been there before. Passion and pleasure did exist within Nora, yet he felt something inside him that was perhaps a leftover from Kali's own infusion.

"What do you get?" He looked thoughtful, closing his eyes and delving deep within the memories, all ordered in a fashion that would make it the most accessible. Memories that were his own, memories that had come later, a memorandum of Kali.

He opened one of the sections up, allowing the memories to flow into him and warm his mind with their contents.

" _And so, the little swan turned out to fly after all." The voice of the young woman was like a soothing balm, she thought, knowing that the woman was not the worst off, even with her obvious handicaps in social interaction._

 _To see Sienna sit there and read the story to her little Blake was amazing, even as her husband was off dealing with the business that the emissaries of Vale often had to give him. Import taxes and all that sort of thing were not as important to her, rather enjoying making a curry and some wholesome foods._

Another shard, pushing itself into his mind like a coin in a slot machine.

" _Ghira…" An evening alone in the shadows, further from the camp than she should have. Death was perhaps a hopeful wish now that he was gone, the only thing standing between them and total annihilation being Sienna and White, who would not even be able to defend against the creatures of the Grimm._

 _She could feel the shadows around her and felt so alone now without him. A terrible tragedy it had been… and it had all been the fault of Humans! She should hate them… she should revile them and wish to tear at them, yet it was not in her nature to do so, to feel like that. It was not to her nature to wish death upon others… but for a moment, she felt like it._

More of the fragments, a moment when she was freed from the chains that bound her, the moment that the shadows had come alive.

" _It isn't fair, White…" The conversation between the two of them in an unfamiliar kitchen, as she leaned against the wall, holding a cookbook in her hand that had hand-written words in it. "How this world treats us…"_

 _Her friend smiled, a warmer smile as her hand brushed over her stomach. "Life isn't fair. When I first met him… I had thought that he was a guardian angel…"The emotions inside her were devoted and pure, the need to be present for someone, to help… to be not so alone in the world. "And now we're having sex."_

" _Yes… I still want to join. Sienna… She's got her own hang-ups about things. Promises that she's made… She's always been a stubborn cat, that girl." There was a hint of wry amusement, as the emotions inside her knew very well what Sienna Khan was like._

" _Stubborn or not, she'll be moaning like a stray cat in a back alley when Jaune gets his claws in her." The other woman smiled, even as she returned the smile, her fingers brushing over the cookbook and looking at the hand-written instructions._

" _Only if she's being a naughty cat… You should see what we've gotten up to… Ooh, sometimes…" The conspiratorial smile on Whitney's face was enough, as she patted her stomach. "Sometimes we get into the acting out stuff."_

 _An excited thrill that went through her. An idea forming… It would be proper for a blade to swear herself to her lord and owner, of course…_

 _A traditionalist swearing may be something that the doctor ordered for Kali Belladonna, after all…_

"A lot of flashes of memory and emotion. I think I'm at least thirty percent more homosexual now." The giggle that she gave him was enough to draw out his own laugh, even as she seemed to find it humorous moreso than he did.

For her smile, he would fight. No matter what she wished for… He'd give her it, even if it was something that he was not into fully.

"Ooh… Are you going to be thinking about a big, hard dick?" The teasing tone, as she rolled over, pulling him down onto the bed, her lips closer to his ear. "Or are you going to let me take that ass of yours to town, hmmm? Prepping you for the glorious leader…"

The idea was not as revolting as it would have been. Kali Belladonna, for all her flaws and faults, was not a woman who loved merely passively. The thought of taking him…

 _Two people on the bed, their clothes absent and their flesh sweat-slickened, moving together. Her eyes looking at the part where they were joined, envy burning in her mind. The taste of sweat on her tongue's tip, even as her fingers brushed over a pert rump, the motions freezing, before the two on the bed noticed her._

 _She slipped back into the shadows, and the low throaty moans came from her friend once more, as the envy burned inside her, her nose flaring with the need for the tasting, the need for the pleasure and the pain that came with it._

"Well…" He was damned by this woman. If she asked with a pretty smile, he would do so. That was one thing that he could sympathize and empathize with Kali Belladonna on. "If you want it."

The smile on his girlfriend's face made life worth it, even if she was going to be making him sore for a week. Perhaps he'd have to ask Viridian about any tips on that front… Maybe during the mission or something.

The sacrifices he made for love…

But Nora was worth any sacrifice. Even though he was straight, if she desired it…

* * *

 _The infiltration (Cinder Fall)_

* * *

She looked at the silver-haired young assassin in front of her, as she shook her head. "Impossible. She might suspect that you did not study at Haven. It is impossible for most non-Mistrali to know of the Book of Five Squares and how it is taught in their education… An oversight that I had not counted on, yet… We can make it appear as if you were a recent inductee."

That Nikos would have thrown the slur out due to her own emotional disturbance was normal, even as Mercury had struck at a vulnerable spot in order to destabilize her mental fortitude… _'Does it really matter? It is not as if Haven does not accept sufficiently skilled students from outside the Kingdom…'_

She might be over thinking things a little too much, if she was honest with herself. Nikos was a trained champion, someone who was a paragon in the circles that she ran in. Obviously, she might suspect, yet to the truth… No, Pyrrha Nikos was not someone who would know about her team's true goals… But suspicion might turn to something different altogether. "Yes… A young man, travelling together with his girlfriend and her sister, picked up by an older student as a mentee… Forming a team…"

She couldn't have thought it up better herself, even with how the machineries of the world worked to churn out the perfect little alibi for her little infiltrators…

As she stepped into the elevator nearly six and a half hours later, she allowed herself a little smile, the infiltrator's outfit that she had cobbled together from a spare leather suit that she'd shopped for whilst back in Mistral and some creative working with Dust allowing her the anonymity AND a certain level of ability.

Her swords slid into the bodies so easily, as she took out one of the guards, the muffled cry enough for her to muffle with a light push of her body, the body hitting the ground and silenced permanently before she could even blink, The hour slowly growing closer to ten minutes to twelve, the bright moment of personal performance something that she had not calculated into the work, even as her whole body lit up in the sensation of her Semblance, the dust around her crystallizing into glass immediately, the Dust worked into her outfit responding, slightly, as shards shot through the air, hitting the other two guards in the neck, stifling their cries. For an infiltration, loud noises tended to be the deathknell.

Her blades were pulled out in a flash, as she advanced, the Scroll lingering in her back pocket, freed for an instant as she laid it on one of the connectors to the main terminal, pushing in the keycode that she'd liberated only minutes before, the bodies of the guards still warm. The elevator dinged again, a sound that was enough for her to look up, spotting someone there in the elevator's opening doors, a resolute look on the face of the young women, drawn weapons. _'Not good…'_

It seemed that there was a little rat who had spotted her making her way towards the CCT and had followed her. A Semblance flared to life, rose petals blossoming along the wall as a massive combat scythe flashed through the air, blocked after an instant, with a Glyph appearing below the girl, before the counter-stroke could harm her, Cinder's face twisting into anger, even as she let her breath escape. _'Don't lose your calm… They're first-years…_ _You've got at least seven years on them…'_

They were silly, as far as girls went, as they attacked straight on, Cinder parried the strike, flipping back, the blades cutting through the glass behind her. She shook her head lightly to get the dust out, inasmuch she had dust in her hair, her fingers pushed onto the Dust shards that she'd put into the dress. "Hmphf"

The blast of Fire and electrical Dust short-circuited the lights as easily as it could, as debris whizzed past her ear, working once again to ensure that she'd have her hair mussed up… but that could be fixed easily. _'I wouldn't have struck if I didn't have an escape plan…'_ There was enough time for her, as she lunged forward at the confused-looking white-haired girl, her blades striking against the Dust Rapier, the blade glancing off the girl's grip, even as a Dust round passed by her head, exploding in a blaze of flame. _'Dust Rifle cartridges… This is not as expected.'_

Her hand grabbed the Scroll from its place, checking for an instant to see whether the file had been uploaded before dashing towards the window. A bullet impacted with the space she was at a moment before as she threw herself out of the hole that she'd created beforehand. _'My identity is secure… All they'd be able to confirm is that it was a brunette who attacked them with Dust…'_

The loss of life was something that was not something she cared about, even as she twisted, a long blade slicing into the wall, arresting her descent slightly, before flipping onto the ground, dashing off towards the shadows, making her profile less than noticeable in the shadows, should the sniper rifle of the red-cloaked girl try to find a target.

Crossing over one of the roofs to the package which contained her dress and other essentials, packaged essentially as a handbag, she stripped bare in a flash, the dress pulled on in a moment of thought. _'Lingerie is hardly important.'_ It would be a little breezy, but she hardly cared for things such as propriety when it was her evening at stake.

"Good evening, Mercury." She said, as she tapped her heels onto the ground, the motion drawing his attention, even as he looked at his watch. "Close to twelve, ma'am… Did you have a nice time outside in the moonlight?"

Her gaze was drawn to the swift departure of General Ironwood and the headmaster, her lips quirking into a smile. "There were some unforeseen consequences… A red-furred squirrel and a white weasel came to interrupt my stroll through the woods."

The young man winced. It was one of his failings… He could not show the proper décor. With his powerful manner of assassination, he could be worthy of her… Yet he did not have the control necessary to bring her with the proper gifts… _'A pity…'_

"Only the blonde and the Faunus were together." The young man said and she sighed, knowing that it might just have been bad luck. _'You can't plan the places where young teenagers will be…_ '

She wasn't arrogant enough to believe that she could control every factor of the encounter, after all… The program had been uploaded and all she needed to do was to open it up in order to connect with the servers for the fleet…

' _And then, the magic will happen…'_ The smile on her face was nothing but terrifying as she dragged Mercury to the dance floor, the faint rustle of her dress enough, as she pulled him a little closer in order to stride the first steps.

The dress was a bit chilly, though, her flesh unused to being so nude. _'As long as I don't have to do anything to make it hitch up…'_ The difference was hardly something that she bothered with, as her mind started to come to the next phase of her plan, the feeling not enough to really bother with, as the moment was there, his steps unhurried, yet his dancing… sub-par.

' _You would think an assassin with replacement legs would know how to dance…_ '

* * *

 _The logical mind (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

The rhythm was logical. Wake at six in the morning, be given the portion of food for the morning by the guards at eight. A simple meal, even as he went through the routine that had been instilled in him since the day he had first picked up his weapons, the training as easily done as it was every morning.

The coolness of the cell was enough to care for him, as his eyes sought the difference between the moments, as well as the books that he had been given to read, the keepers at this place having allowed him a small allowance of books so that he would not grow too bored.

Boredom was only a figment of the mind. The true rational mind only allowed a yes or a no answer to each question posed, Sage having been perfectly logical up until now.

"You've got a visitor." The guard said, the look on his face hardly different from before. It was something that hadn't occurred before now, with the interaction that he had with the Headmaster of Beacon as the sole compromise with the Councilor's statement about his own imprisonment.

The energy shield that kept him imprisoned flickered, even as the guard led someone down, the blonde locks falling in her face, the same sapphire eyes that had charmed him before, when they had been young and his Semblance had still been… unexplored.

It was the moment that she looked up at him and smiled that brought what passed for a smile from his face, even as he tried to remember whether he had stowed one of the pills somewhere, in order to ensure that he could interact, that he could feel…

' _I love you, my wife.'_ The words were something that he had spoken long before, even as she stepped into the cell. "You have thirty minutes, Miss Arc, Mister Arc… No hanky-panky in the cell, please… We'd hate to clean the mess up."

"You…" The voice of his wife was muted, as he noticed the minutiae about her face, the tracks on her cheeks, as she seemed to have been crying. He could only determine it, as he felt nothing. _'There must have been something.'_ It was irrelevant in the end, either way. The Mission came before everything.

"I love you." She whispered, as she pressed her lips against his, the soft touch of her tongue like a warm slimy slug invading his mouth, her throat moving, as something pushed up out of her throat and into his own, her eyes looking into is as she pushed the small container into his mouth. She broke the kiss afterwards, and he moved his hand over his lips to wipe the saliva away, the small case pocketed immediately, as he knew what it contained.

"I love you as well. Are my children alright?" The rote song and dance of a husband and wife, concerned for their children. Emerald's face was beautiful, as it always was, her features barely shifting a little as she looked at him, her gaze cast down. The play was to ensure that they did not endure more scrutiny.

"Cremea has perished." The news was accepted with a nod. The daughter who had inherited part of his Semblance, who had the same view of the world as he had, had died. That was a logical loss of life. In comparison to the Mission, she was but a small sliver of the family. _'There are six left…'_

"S-She died, Sage…" Her voice was mournful, even as she rested herself against him. He wrapped an arm around her, aware that she was too close, that her tears were soaking into the clothing that had been provided for him. She started to cry, as emotional people always were.

He preferred the logical way of the world, rather than the illogical, emotion-driven one. "Inform Heather that she is to be bestowed with the Gift of the family." Code words that meant little to an outsider's ear, only a minute inference from the way that he spoke it. Cremea had been the perfect heir. She saw the bigger picture, as he did. She would keep the records and the family intact, if she had not passed. It was regrettable, yet it was life.

Compared to his life, the Mission came first and foremost. To the Mission's importance, there was nothing that could compare. Emerald had allowed him to guide her on the path, inexperienced as he was at a household. _'For better or worse, she said upon marrying me… So it will be.'_

He had loved Emerald Sepia when he could still feel love. A day when the Mission had not dominated his mind and had been free enough to choose the woman he loved, who reciprocated his feelings… rather than marry his intended.

" _Are you sure that…" She asked him, even as he knew the mission that he had been entrusted with. His father had personally instructed him to rear them, even as the other members of the family had perished, the branches of the family tree snipped and culled by their lethal profession._

" _Yes." It had been the last time that he had felt warmth, as he looked at the babe in the enclosure, looking up at him with beautiful blue eyes. "They will be beholden to the Mission, just as I was…" The smile on his wife's face was mimicked by his own, yet he felt not the emotions that came to be associated with as his young daughter gripped his finger with her small hand._

" _She will be the one who will guide her partner in the trials… She is my daughter." The look on his wife's face he recognized faintly as discomfort, yet he mentally shoved it away. It was unimportant to the Mission. She would obey._

" _But… But what if she won't…" His wife tried, yet he was firm._

" _She will. I have spoken to the Rose. They will send an Executor to teach and instruct. Our next daughter will be her partner." His wife's stomach was already filled with the next scion of the family. She was fertile. The Mission came before simple things such as feelings…_

"Was it the right thing, Sage?" She whispered in his ear, softly. He took note that nearly a minute and a half had been spent with his wife, the arbitrary allocation of time unnecessary, yet somehow feeling important. There were twenty eight minutes left of their meeting.

"They are strong Huntresses, Emerald. I could not wish for better daughters. They understand what needs to be done. She has been educated, as has…" His wife turned away, her fingers grabbing the outfit. She sniffed, a sound that was associated with discontent.

"They know, yes… But what… My daughter is dead, Sage. Your daughter is dead." The losses were acceptable. He was still functional and could sire an heir, if the need were present. _'For the Mission, I will. If the grandmaster requests it, I will sire another child.'_ "Can't you…"

She was asking the impossible. "You know, Emerald." The emotionless voice was real, as he took a deep breath. The Mission came before everything.

"When we… made the decision to have him…" She started, yet she knew not what she invoked. She was unaware of the importance of events, even though she had been present.

 _The hall was full, even as the masks were up and the people mingled. A drone of noise, muted only by the presence of the Grandmaster, the masks that they wore enough to muffle the sound, even as several of them mingled. The six Executors of the Rose, all accounted for save for the seventh, a loss of great importance, standing there._

 _The Calavera with their Grand Mistress, the daughter of one known as the Grimm Reaper once, her back arched proudly and her dusky skin like a shadow behind the mask, hair cut in a loose style. Silver eyes looking at him scornfully, one of the only men in the room._

 _He was the representation for the d'Arc-Night… "The vessel has been prepared, Grandmaster." The voice with which he spoke was void of emotion as he looked at the man, his eyes watching how the forty-something-year-old man nodded, his hand brushing over the glasses that he wore with a cloth. The body had belonged to someone else, he knew from the first time that the deal had been struck. He had borne witness to it, eighteen and a month. The ceremony. The Awakening of a body to greater potential._

" _Then I will go see the young lad." The jovial smile on the man's face could have been on Sage's own, when he had to appear collegial to others. The darkness did not die through niceties when pure forged steel would suffice._

 _Seeing his son descend the stairs with the Grandmaster, his wife startled a little. "Sage…" She whispered, even as the members of the Calavera sank to their knees as one entity, their weapons out and obviously showing their respect, even as he stood, unmask together with his wife. She was here on his urging, an uninitiated woman who had not passed the muster, yet it was important._

 _There must always be at the least two representatives from each of the Order families present during the Awakening. She would fill that void, even if the world grew tougher. She had sworn to him that she would support him in everything._

" _Unclothe him."_

 _The Grandmaster spoke and two of the Calavera came forth, their hands easily pulling the clothing from his child's body, even as he watched his son be raised in the air, their fingers pulling every last scrap from his flesh._

 _They set him down then, stepping aside, the Grandmaster stepping forward to assess his child. The fingers against the temple of the child who had asked him whether he could be a hero as well, just as his oldest daughters were, as he was._

 _"The spirit is open…"_

 _He felt nothing, though he could see that his wife was having a problem with her emotions, her gaze looking straight at his son, his hand laid on her shoulder. A show of support that he did not feel._

 _"And the wellspring is yet untapped. You have done well, Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night."_

 _His son's eyes met his own, his little nod to his son enough, as he felt the faint satisfaction inside him at being able to suffice in his task. "Dad?" His child asked, surprised to see him, confused and another emotion dancing over its face._

" _The flesh is suitable… Yes."_

 _The Grandmaster said finally, relief flooding through his system, even though he felt the emotion not._

" _Ozymandias d'Arc-Night..." The Grandmaster mused, even as he smiled, the name of his grand-sire easily remembered, a man whose depiction was in one of the lower halls, away from the main part of the house._

" _The name is Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, creepy old guy!" Sage could see the members of the other families shift a little, as the Grandmaster smiled still. There was no immediate call for the child to be disposed of, as the flesh had been professed to be suitable._

" _Well…"The Grandmaster spoke, whilst his hand slammed into his child's stomach, worming right into his flesh, the flesh warping and twisting around the hand as if it were merely a comfortable cloth rather than the very flesh that held the organs._

" _You'll come to understand in time, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night." The words were merciful, even as he lowered his head. The body of his son started to glow, as the members of the Order of Slayers rose, as was their duty. A protective shell, around the Awakening, as the Grandmaster worked his magic._

 _Lights flashed, a sign of the acceptance process. His son's eyes rolled back, even as the whites of the iris grew darker and darker until they were near-pitch-black, the Grandmaster's fingers writhing, as flashes of light appeared, a grand circle of silver and gold appearing below the pair, as they rose into the air._

 _He could hear something, someone shouting, even as he pulled his gaze from the sight of his son accepting his destiny, spotting his eldest daughters, armed and ready. His oldest was already in the proper stance, as her partner backed her up, their cloaks red._

" _It is pointless to resist, Initiates… Why would we allow it?" The voice of the Calavera Grand Mistress was calm as the massive blade was hefted, the woman shifting into the position to fight against his daughters. The children were being foolish, after all… They were not fully informed and did not understand the importance of the Awakening._

 _He glanced at the others, the baleful looks cast at him by some of the Calavera definitely a feature of their kind. "He is OUR little brother! We would rather have him with us than surrender him to a cruel fate!" Heather's voice was impassioned, even as his oldest daughter's eyes were a frosty cold._

" _The Mission takes precedence over your desires, Wolves. We of the Calavera will guard the vessel if need be." The threat was there from the woman herself, as the members of the Calavera raised their weapons. His oldest was going to attack either way, even as she raised her blade, the sword already activating the Dust inside it._

" _Lower your weapons. I did not make Jaune to be some sort of toy for you and your sisters. He has to pay the tithe, as we all have." The look on his oldest daughter's face was mimicked in her younger sister's, one that he had seen plenty of times. "Be ready. They look as if they are going to interfere." He spoke calmly to his wife, whose face firmed up and she got ready. He meant everything to her, he knew._

 _The eruption of anger was there, as were the angry words. He could understand their meaning, he could see the tears that threatened to flow from those eyes that were switching between the Calavera Grand Mistress and the Awakening._

" _It is his destiny. You know that, daughter. The moment he was born, your mother and I knew what had to be done. We told you and Heather, as you would go on to become members of the Order." He caught the eye of his child, as his eldest daughter sprang into action._

 _It was over swiftly. Two initiates would hardly match up to nearly seventy members of the Order, all trained from the day that they could walk in the methods of ensuring that the Mission was fulfilled. He walked over to his eldest, who was trying to reach the Awakening despite being pressed down by three Calavera's, looking at the sight of the lightning coursing through the air in a circular pattern around the two with wide, terrified eyes._

" _Please, PLEASE!" The girl didn't know what was proper. He would feel sad for her later, when the pills would kick in. "Not… No! Noooooo…!"_

 _The heart-rending sobs did not even touch him emotionally, as he stroked a hand through her hair, her arm trying to reach the child, even as the other one was half-broken and useless. Being held down by the Calavera, there was no chance of her interrupting the most important event of his life. "He will become someone who will be able to make Remnant a better place, daughter."_

 _The words were useless, a mournful wail coming from his oldest daughter's mouth, even as he glanced at Heather, currently pressed to the ground by two members of the Calavera, each having seized the limbs that hadn't been broken in the fight and kept his daughter down. It might have been a mistake to rear the child with his other children. Emotional attachments were only hindrances in this world._

 _His daughter sobbed and cried tears, yet he felt nothing, his hand stroking through her hair in an effort to comfort her. "All will be as it should be, my daughter… The sacrifice of one child for the peace of Remnant to last… Your mother agrees that it is for the best. We all want peace here. It is his destiny." She would see in time that this was the best option, of course… She would always see his side of things, when properly explained._

 _His words did not comfort her in the slightest, her tears growing even more profound, as did her struggling. He watched the Awakening, the colours glowing, even as his former child's body was imbued with something much greater._

 _Her struggles grew weaker over time as she watched what was inevitable. To his daughters, he was a little brother, a child of his loins. To him, he was simply the sacrifice that had to be made in order to guarantee peace in the world._

 _This was a sacrifice he was prepared to make._

"I love you, Sage." His wife said once more. Another glance at the clock showed that seven minutes had passed, his hand patting her on the shoulder.

"Are you functional?" He asked, to which his wife sniffed once, her eyes threatening to cry once more. It was one of her more annoying traits, compared to his own relative state. He did not enjoy the sight of her crying, as it was not aesthetically pleasant in the slightest.

"Y-yes." The soft voice that she used was enough, as she pressed him down to the cot that had been his sleeping arrangement for the better part of a month, the feeling of her body against him not unpleasant. "I will… I will hope that they'll let you off with a slap on the wrist… No matter what they claim, it isn't… it isn't going to stick." The hope she uttered was a foolish one. They would. It was logical.

"The Headmaster said that he would hire me to teach at Beacon." A noble way out. Different jurisdiction, different laws. Legalities that could be exploited, the service to the state done in a different manner. The paycheck would be less, yet his daughters would contribute. They would ensure that the d'Arc-Night family would not grow impoverished.

"Have you… have you given it thought? I would like to… I would like to…" The unspoken desire, craving, even as she looked at him. "Not to say that… well… I was stupid, back then. After what… after all that." The events had been water under the bridge. Mere statistical knowledge, even as he had been there to guide things to the proper channels.

"I'll give you another child to care for, Emerald." The implicit agreement between him and her, the smile that she made, all would have made him smile and cry, if he could. Now there was only an emotionless face, a mind that could interpret things logically and ensure that Remnant would be safe.

"We'll make it so that you have another child to coddle in a year's time. We can do it, together." He was a man who kept his word, even if it hurt others. A man who did not flinch when his body was torn and fractured…

She leaned in and kissed him again, a passion that he did not feel, her eyes tearing up, as she smiled at him, happy to know that he was going to give her another child.

The Mission was above everything else. For the peace of Remnant, what was but a single child?

A sacrifice that he could justify to himself and would justify to anyone who dared to challenge him.

What was one life, compared to the safety of every human of Remnant?

* * *

 _A hurried moment (Azure Arc)_

* * *

The waking up process sucked, especially if you had drunk too much. Coming to that conclusion when a Faunus woman raised your head up from the pillow to check whether you were still breathing was something that she didn't really enjoy, even as the woman frowned slightly.

The sound of someone choking on a damn fine dick was something that she heard, looking to the bed that'd been claimed somewhat by the other Faunus and her friend… or well, one of the women that she'd run into. Her head pounded like a drum during a drum solo, really, as she watched the blonde's head bob rhythmically whilst the other woman rode the fortunate guy's face like it was going out of style. _'Fuck, I'd want some of that if it's still available…'_

She wasn't a shy girl, though often, she wasn't as secure about things… Alcohol fixed a lot of those insecurities, she figured, even as she watched the blonde give her best performance on the flesh flute. _'Fuck me… I-'_

"Woah… that was one hell of a bender..." She affected a loud yawn, even as she felt the throbbing pain in her head barely subside, like the tremors that she could feel oncoming if she flexed her Semblance a little. "You guys are still busy… Damn, it's half-past eight, eh… Yeah, thanks for the fun, but I've gotta go. You go and suck that dick, yeah."

She felt a little embarrassed, actually. She took a little longer to get herself altogether, noticing that she didn't feel the burn of someone having penetrated her… and she stole a glance at the sausage that was being pumped into the blonde's mouth. _'These women are lucky with such a dude… Kind of wish that I'd have a dick like that to give me a boost every now and then…'_

She'd have to go and appear at the hotel first, though. She was sure that Heather would be the most upset about her staying away for that long as well as not letting her know where she was. As she stepped out of the door, she passed by someone who was looking at the door next to it, a frown on the man's face. "Mornin'." She mumbled, sleepily waving at the man. She didn't pay attention to the man aside from an _'Oh, who the hell wears sunglasses at this early in the morning...'_ thought, as she had other things to worry about.

As she stepped into the hotel room, the absence of her mother immediately sprung out to her. "Where's mom?" She asked, a lethargic-looking Heather giving her the middle finger, as well as a soft cuss as something sparked in her weapon.

She could see her older sisters currently huddled together, enough of time spent between the two of them to know that she probably shouldn't interfere. Heather was currently polishing the bladed edges on her weapon, even as Azure grabbed her pack. "At the lock-up. She's visiting father." Heather's voice was soft, even as she didn't look up from her maintenance.

"Do you think we'll be allowed time off after the mission is completed?" She asked, Saffron looking up from her work and then shrugging.

"Did the clothes work out nicely for you?" Azure nodded. It had worked to get her a few free drinks… or so she thought. Everything grew a little hazy, even if that guy had made sure to put her up for the night.

"Yeah, slept with a lady and a few Huntsmen… Or at least, I reckon they were Huntsmen. They had Cloaks." Heather looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Pattern?" The question was there, even with the sharp tone that she used, as Azure struggled to remember. _'Well… I reckon that…'_

"Rose. Yeah, that's it. One of them with the special symbol that you put on. The guy was kind of cute too." The nod that Heather gave was an assurance that everything was cool and good. _'No bummer for me, then…'_

"Nice eh… tool?" Saffron asked, flushing a little, even as she grinned. Girl talk was amazing.

"Yeah, the blonde woman was shoving it down he-" The click and snap of Heather's weapon was loud enough to stop her from finishing that sentence.

"We don't talk about that stuff here, not now. We're planning for tomorrow." The finality in her voice was enough, as Azure looked at her, the stern look on Heather's face adding a dimension of sharpness to it that made it hard for her to deny the older sister. "Whatever you do outside of missions is your own burden to bear." The words were calm, yet Heather's tone was fiery.

"Have you seen my locket?" The smile on Heather's face was warmer, as she pulled the silver locket out of the small box that it was kept in. "Ahh… Thank you, Heather. Can we see Jaune soon?" The question was enough to make them all wince, though Heather did not show hers visibly.

"We'll… We'll see him soon enough, he'll be excited to see you again." The lie was so easy to say as a happy sound came from their oldest sister's mouth. Azure could see Heather look away, running a hand over her face and exhaling deeply.

"I wonder if he's got a girlfriend. Ooh, do you think we should meet those nice people and that redheaded girl again?" The question made Saffron look uncomfortable, even as she mouthed something to Heather, something that Azure couldn't quite get.

"They are his team, after all…" Heather said, in a voice that was quieter than before. Her expression was hidden behind her hands and Azure had a faint clue that she might be trying to suppress the emotions that welled up inside her. It had always been her two older sisters who had been the guiding figures in the family, what with father and mother being gone so often in order to make sure that they had a roof over their heads.

"Great! He'll love going shopping with me! Just like a year ago!" Azure winced. The Pumpkin Pete taste was still enough to make her stomach turn. To see the onesie that they'd returned with was still a memory that made her shudder. _'Saffron nearly had a seizure when she saw it.'_

The mission that they were going on would be enough for them. With her two oldest sisters and herself, the team that they were assigned to would be able to complete their mission without a problem.

The kiddies would be able to get over the embarrassment that'd be handed to them in spades when she got to joking around with them. Sure, this was usually second-year stuff, but Heather had said that it'd be a mission to 'impart wisdom on the young promising minds of the future' or some other tripe.

That meant getting a bottle and getting thoroughly drunk with the guys or girls that were in the team assigned to them, yeah!

She could dig that plan.

The world needed to stop rumbling, though…

* * *

 _The dating hopefuls (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

Cardin's eyes watched as his girlfriend emerged from her team's room, a gentle smile on her lips. "And? Do you have Monday off?" The excitement in her voice was enough, as those eyes of hers looked up at him, impressionable and warm, like a comfortable blanket that wrapped around him, a soothing sensation that tingled over his spine even when she was being serious. _'I love you.'_

The pain of things seemed to be a little bit less whenever she was around. Her team leader looked at him from behind the door, lowering her sunglasses and making a jerky motion with her thumb over her throat, daring him to deny Velvet the chance. _'The mission's on Tuesday, so we can make it a date…'_

"Yeah, Monday's free. We're due to leave on Tuesday for that silly mission of protecting a town." There was enough to be done, even if the world did not have such emergencies like a date cropping up for him. The smile was enough, as she nodded.

"Let's go on a date on Monday. A friend of mine wants to meet you." There was a smile on her face, as she hugged him close. "And I'll make sure to make it something that you'll never forget."

The implication, as she pressed herself against him, the smell of her sweet shampoo enough for him to nearly taste, the words 'make it something that you'll never forget' reminding him of the moment when they'd first become boyfriend and girlfriend. Those words meant sex. Good sex. Sex where she was a freak in the bedroom, where she was experimenting with things and positions that made his hips ache.

His breathing came a little faster, even as he leaned closer, licking along her ear. "I'll make sure that you die a lot of little deaths, rabbit." The stiffening of her body, her hands tracing over his abdomen and a little lower, as she smiled.

"Oh, it'll be amazing…" She said, her tongue licking over his neck. "Trust me… It's the first time I've done something like this… I've asked a friend…" Here she smiled and leaned up, using her arms to lift herself up using his shoulders.

"We're going to have a nice time together." There was a hint of anticipation, as he firmed up, breathing heavily at the prospect of a threesome… or perhaps more than one. He glanced at the team leader, who was looking at him with a look that was dubious, Velvet nuzzling against his neck. "Not Coco… No, this is one of the friends that I've made in combat school." There was a moment where she pulled a little on his ear. "Now… how about we go and make ourselves scarce for a bit, huh?"

She was in the mood, he could feel it. Her fingers were starting to fiddle a little with the buttons on his shirt. "Let's keep it between the two of us… And just enjoy the day without the teams harassing us." There was a moment of amusement in those eyes, as he smiled. "And the dance, of course…"

Coco had the habit of calling Velvet for every little thing that she noticed, and how his own team was at times, a little too curious about whether her legs could really go that far up…

That evening, as she appeared in her pretty red dress, he could barely believe it. Her legs were beautiful, the manicure and pedicure something that he could only wish for… and the feeling of being with her was just something out of a storybook.

' _I should ask her whether she'd like to… take the next step.'_ As she turned and twisted in his grip, leading to the next part of the slow dance, her eyes caught his, a warmth in them that was enough to warm his heart. _'Grandpa might be upset… But as soon as he'll see how wonderful she is, he'll understand.'_

As they got to his room, the dress was on the floor after an instant and she was atop him, pulling his pants open and fishing him out. "I love you, Cardin." Her voice was gentle, as her fingers worked…

"Now give me that hard cock." He loved it when she talked dirty to him. The role-play that she occasionally liked to indulge in was enough to stimulate him, even as she pushed herself on top of him, hissing something with her lips that might be an encouragement to proceed.

Life was good…

' _Yes… Perhaps it'll be time to phrase a proposal.'_ There was a way to these things… Society would understand. If they could bear Melinda Syfres, the enfant terrible of Councillor Syfres, they could also bear Cardin Winchester.

She raked her nails over his flesh as her hips smacked against his own, her legs half-way up, looking down at him, her ears bouncing, as she leaned forwards and kissed him.

' _Now… Time to give the rabbit her carrot.'_

Life was god-damn GREAT if you were Cardin Winchester right now.

* * *

 **Another chapter finished up in… a week! Egads! Cyanide is working overtime! (actually, I decided to push through a few things to next week, after I recovered from some stuff.)**

 **I'll try to get another chapter of A Grimm Tale out next week! It's gonna be amazing! Thank you for the support, ladies and gentlemen!**

 **Leave a review if you'd like!**


	47. Sisters

**Chapter 47: Sisters**

 **Enjoy the chapter. Second Ghest, thanks for the comprehensive review on whether people should read it. It's nice to see passion for the tale I'm telling in people. I try to make sure that you've got something to read to enjoy, ladies and gentlemen!**

* * *

 _The morning after(Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

She was up before anyone else, buzzing with energy and excitement. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she thought back to the wonderful evening that she'd had, knowing that Ren would be more than willing to make sure that she had an even better morning. The romantic slow dance, even with the additional setting up for that romantic kiss… ooh, it made her frizzle in excitement.

She could see Viridian look a little befuddled as she skipped towards the bathroom, the young man having dared to dance with Neptune as a 'friend dance', though it had looked a little like they'd finally decided to hit the-

"Ah, hello." The soft voice of the blue-haired guy reached her ears and she looked at the barely clothed man whose upper body peered from the shower. Her eyes blinked, as he looked at her. _'Oh my god, we've got gay in the shower! Quick! Female energy!'_

"Ah… I… see. Occupied. Sorry." She beat a hasty retreat, standing outside, giving Viridian a look. To his credit, he looked abashed, the- _'IS THAT A BOTTLE OF LUBE?!'_

"Soo… You got some, last night." She hadn't really checked whether he was in the room or not, but the thought of the two of them going at it just sent her going all goo-goo in the brain in a non-pleasant way. It was the thought that just revolted her, even with Sienna Khan's own experiences with homosexuality added it once more to the folder of 'bad stuff'.

"Yeah… I mean, sorry, we couldn't shower at his place. Sun's brought a girl from Atlas over and he's been talking with her about stuff… And heh…" There was an embarrassed smile from him, as he shook his head. "We had fun."

' _Fun, my knickers! That booty of yours got ploughed!'_ She firmed her face up, looking at him. It was the sight of the way that he got blushy and all creepy that just made her fear for her poor little Ren's butt! "Good for you! Now… We've got that mission in… eh, tomorrow right?"

The soft head-nod that Viridian did was enough for her, as she nodded, glancing towards the others that still slept. "Good! We're going to be doing some extra training, Pyrrha said. She wants everyone to come back alive and unharmed."

A good moment for her to at least enjoy the sights and smells of the morning, at the very least, until they all had to appear, skipping slightly towards the cafeteria. A good warm shower might've even made her feel a little bit less sticky in the groin, but that'd just mean a little less time for her to get food. She wasn't going to pass up the feeling of having a good warm meal too… She knew well how to deal with the smelly bits. Ren had been able to get some deodorant, and it wasn't like she was _dirty_ per se, she just… smelled a little like the party of yesterday. Some people didn't mind that too much.

Ren didn't. He was good, cool and awesome. She spotted Cardin Winchester currently sitting with his girlfriend, the two of them having a veritable cloud of happy feelings around them, the way that Cardin just glowed as his hands were in motion telling her that those two had been happy and enjoying themselves, even though Velvet seemed more biologized by the way that his hand moved, her face smiling, whilst her eyes paid attention. She could see the members of team CVFY seated a bit away, the drowsy look on the team leader's face enough to make the look of minor dissatisfaction on their massive giant team member's face more poignant, the look that he sent to Cardin something that she took note of.

She piled the pancakes on high before adding the delicious syrup to the pancakes, the smell of warm pancake-ey goodness hitting her nose, as she caught sight of a bleary-eyed Weiss Schnee striding up to the counter, together with Ruby. The two of them looked like they'd been through the wringer, their eyes tired and their face showing clearly that they had been through one hell of a night or something. _'Ooh, I think they fucked! I can already see Ruby bend Weiss over and give it to her from the back! There's a story there!'_

She could already see the pale heiress be bent over the bed, screaming and pleading for Ruby not to fuck her like it was going out of style, the young prodigy pulling out a special ornamental addition to the harness and going 'Ooh, Weiss! THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT!'

' _Damn you, gay thoughts! I am straight! I love Ren!'_ It was probably just feedback from Sienna that made her imagine something like that, watching how the two girls took a look around, the early hour enough for the two of them to spot only a few breakfast takers, and they seemed to decide on actually joining her.

She took another bite of delicious pancake, even with how the wonderful taste and flavour worked through her body like a balm of love and pancake justice. _'I wonder who's on top…'_ There was that niggling little thought again, as the two girls sat down, Ruby immediately being her cheerful self. "Hellooooo Nora!"

She made a wave with her hand, a grin on her lips. She was by far the more social one, Weiss looking a little difficult like she'd just had something pop loose that shouldn't pop loose down below. The look on her face was something that seemed to be inherent. "Nora, I…"

The words seemed to be begrudgingly spoken, as Nora felt a spike of fear, perhaps of distaste or something equally going through the girl. "I requested that Ren take me to the dance, and I wish to offer my apologies to you for attempting to... well... interfere in your relationship."

It was a lucky thing for Weiss that she was not in possession of Magnhild right now, or there would be blood. She'd at least take an arm or a leg from the girl, as the jealousy inside her rose up. Words that had been thought of blanked, as she looked at the girl, her expression carefully moderated, as she brought another slice of pancake to her lips, chewing slowly. The taste was bitter and the fluffiness was like chalky gruel to her, as her eyes regarded the sinner who had dared to lay a hand on _her_ Ren.

"I… I can't help the feelings, but I figured that I would do my best to apologize. He… He is a wonderful young man." Her mental line of thought involved a lot of death, stabbing and murder. Her expression must be something terrifying, as Ruby seemed to lean back a little, her silver eyes a little wide at the sight of it.

"Oh, that's okay." The lie slipped from her lips, as she looked at the window. _'A nice and sunny day… Perfect for a funeral.'_ Nora Valkyrie was not someone who restrained her urges, most of the times. "Rennie is pretty amazing, I know… Ooh, he was getting so hard when we were slow dancing…"The tone of voice at which she delivered her words was like a soft jab at the girl, who seemed to shrink back.

"And well… The sex was pretty darn great." Her eyes met Weiss', chewing the pancake slowly. The girl looked uncomfortable, as she seemed to shrink in a little, Ruby's eyes going wide in what must be amazement. _'Yeah, I am pretty amazing!'_

"I… I do apologize." The girl tried again, as she put on a smile for the heretic.

"Rennie is amazing. I don't dislike you for it, though it does… sting a little." There was the trust between them that was unbroken, yet if… If he would do something like that to her… He'd BETTER be making sure that she was involved as well!

As she watched Pyrrha slide through the morning crowd like a queen of battle, she could feel the dark urges within her recede, Pyrrha's eyes catching hers, as she put another pancake in her mouth, the redhead moving to the line to get her food. Some of the people who recognized her, struck up a conversation, giving enough time for Pyrrha to put on the song and dance…

The darkness inside her told her that Pyrrha was higher in the chain of power than her, it told her that Pyrrha was to be trusted, to know what would be right. The facial muscles on the champion twitched barely, as the polite rebuttal was offered, a gentle smile and a light response, yet the darkness within her seemed to glow and radiate from within.

"… right?" The Ruby girl had been talking at her, and she had barely realized that she'd stopped eating pancakes, the fluffy texture already fading.

"Eh, what?" She said, in an uncharacteristic manner of absent-mindedness, the girl offering her a smile, like some optimist who wouldn't think anything bad would ever happen.

"It's going to be alright between the two of you, right?" The words were moderating, as those silver eyes seemed to nearly glow. Nora felt a little twitch inside her, the darkness feeling a little different from how it usually was.

"S-sure." She mumbled, unsure why she felt so ill at ease now, as her gaze went to Weiss, who looked nervous and hesitant. "I'm… sorry. I just don't like sharing my Ren."

Pyrrha sat herself down on her other side, her fingers brushing against her thigh, tapping twice, a little thing that they'd cooked up to work as a code to signal when one was getting annoyed, turning to her. "Good moooooorrrniiing Pyrrha!" The smile on Pyrrha's face was as fake as she could make it, still looking as respectable as before, still giving the right cues, yet she was definitely asking why Ruby and Weiss were here, her eyes boring into her won, the coolness in them hidden for now through the careful schooling of her expression, only bringing with it a slightly frosty manner, the tray with chicken nuggets and a generous helping of ketchup noticeably the same as yesterday.

"Jaune would've been better at this." To hear the name of her glorious leader and to _feel_ an eruption of anger within Pyrrha that was suppressed only through the rigid control that she had, was something that was new, as Pyrrha's smile turned a little more wooden.

"Anything the matter, Ruby?" The words could have been like 'I will kill you' and it would have sounded just as pleasant as before, the manner in which Pyrrha's self-restraint was working to keep her moderated and peaceful for the eyes of the onlookers, whilst the darkness within her roiled and bubbled.

"Oh, Weiss… Eh, she had said something that made Nora a little annoyed."The look on Ruby's face was pleading, whilst Nora decided to be the moderating influence. "Jaune would've been more… savvy, I guess? He's had that look about him that made you want to trust him."

The feeling of Pyrrha nearly going apocalyptic with her anger and frustration was something that she only stalled by squeezing Pyrrha's thigh HARD. The tableware that was metallic still rattled slightly, as the current leader of team PRWN fought to restrain herself, keeping a sad look on her face. "Yes… He would…"

The rush of dark emotions from Pyrrha made her feel…

 _An image of Ruby strapped to the bed, something dangerous and awfully big about to go and push right into her, the soft sounds of pleasure, whilst the girl was educated in the proper respect of Him. To hear the whimpering girl recite the litany of the Master, to take her to the edge and then squeal about the greatness of Jaune…_

The images blurred out of sight and she looked at Pyrrha, taking a moment to rub the image out of her mind's data storage and hopefully in that folder which listed horribly uncouth things. Imagining Pyrrha taking an active hand in educating Ruby to be a good pet… Oof.

That was scary, as Pyrrha looked at Ruby with a sad look… _'Scary…'_ "We'll be okay… We just have to keep on going forward…"

Pyrrha was not alright… But they would be. Jaune was the glue that kept them together, the one who would lead them…

She had ideas…

As they went for their after-breakfast stroll in order to get the blood pumping, the images faded, Pyrrha's tread as normal as it would get whilst they traversed the greens, spotting several of the Huntsmen who would be accompanying the first-year students to their varying missions. She could see several of them, seating themselves as they chatted about this and that, a young man who had a massive lance-like mace resting against his shoulder boasting about his record. _'Someone who's graduated would be more humble, I think…'_

They sat there and watched since they had the day off. The soldiers of General Ironwood were patrolling around Beacon, a small fuss raised about something that didn't really involve them, yet their own observations were enough. Huntsmen came, Huntsmen went. It was nearly eleven when they finally noticed movement amongst the Huntsmen.

Several of them had their teams assembled, going over the basics to the students, several of them in their year. She was surprised to see that several of the lower-expectations classmates seemed to be bored whilst the Huntsmen did their little caution check, a strict-looking woman who looked like she could be Professor Goodwitch's daughter, save for the dark skin colour and the shocking pink hair that fell in dreadlocks down her face, explaining something with plenty of gesticulations with the set of wrist-mounted chainsaws giving additional 'oomph' to the way that she was tearing into one of the slack-jawed guys who'd asked her a question that obviously was to personal affairs.

She noticed the three women first, nudging Pyrrha's side. "Look. It's Jaune's sisters." The way that the women moved was less than hurried, their motions almost casual to the average eye, yet there was a certain attitude about them, the combat gear that the youngest sister of Jaune, Azure, wore being an interlocking mesh of armour-plates, her weapon currently locked in place on her back, a large bag being held by her hand, the look on her face one that was calm, professional.

In contrast, the oldest sisters moved with a grace that experience brought. Heather's hair braided up and whipping slightly with every step that she took, the lighter outfit that she wore covering much of her shape with something that looked tight and yet comfortable, additional padding on the chest and the sides of the body showing that there'd been armour sown into it. Every step seemed to be with a purpose, a small bag visible at the back, a symbol that Nora faintly recognized to mean Fireproof on the back. Something hung on her back, a longer, thinner blade that had something worked into the side, obviously a backup weapon of sorts. A single case was hanging off a small hook, the backpack that had been fastened on Azure looking like it contained another weapon.

The oldest sister was by far the one who went the most plainly dressed, a single yellow sundress that was enough for the weather, a set of shoes that looked elegant on her feet, though Nora could see that her steps were by far the lightest, clearly outlining something about the fighting style. You could see how someone walked and immediately know what sort of style they preferred. There was no weapon visible, though the backpack that the woman wore was well-stocked with things already. She spotted several things that had been stressed in Huntsman Class in the combat schools sticking out. The short blonde hair was lightly brushed through by the wind, leaving her to see the woman look at her and a big smile break out on that face. _'Such an innocent smile... Is she...'_

Something tugged at her mind, as she locked gazes with the woman. The faint taste of breakfast seemed to fade, as she smacked her lips suddenly, feeling a dryness in her mouth as she remembered something of the time that Ren and herself had travelled whilst trying to get to civilisation.

"Heather! It's the pretty girl and Jaune's team!" The call was enough, as the younger sisters stopped, the oldest sister walking up to them and smiling. Nora could see what had been nagging at the back of her mind.

The face, definitely did not look like a Huntress' face. The eyes were too innocent, the smile was almost child-like with its brightness, and she found herself feeling a stab of heavy emotions, as she recognized the smile of someone who had...

"Good morning, Miss Arc." The woman hugged Pyrrha tightly, enough to discomfort Pyrrha at least a little, the look on her face a little plaintive, as she didn't seem to know what would be proper to do with the way that she was suddenly hugged.

"Huuuuuuug!" The child-like, unguarded cry was enough, as she hugged the older woman. She smelled like blood and ashes, mixed with... _'She smells like Jaune's shampoo.'_ They'd always stocked some, and he had claimed that it made him smell fresh and nice. _'They all use the same stuff, if I remember right...'_

It was something undoubtedly bought at the economy sales, as they had ten members of the family... well, nine, now. They didn't have Jaune... anymore, but he would be with them again soon.

"It's nice to see you, Rowan." The smile was warm on Pyrrha's face, as happiness joined them. Nora could see that Heather's face had a look on it that was guarded, cautious and perhaps a little unwilling.

"Are you willing to look after her for a bit? We've got to... well, I've got to inform Professor Ozpin that we're here and going to take our team." The way that Heather's face turned severe was enough, as she glanced at Azure, who seemed to be torn about whether she would actually accompany her sister or not.

She answered, as she looked at the face, feeling the emotions hit her. "Of course, we'd love to." She caught the look of Pyrrha, as she mouthed – 'tell you later' – to the girl.

"So, we'll leave the bags here with you. Take good care of them, Ro." Azure said, giving her older sister a hug, the smile enough to make her feel the soft tingling in her stomach at being thought of as family by the Arcs... She'd always wanted to have a big family, though she knew that Rennie would want to graduate first before putting babies in her. _'Not that I'd be against some practice...'_

"I'll wait for Jaune here, yes." The wince that Heather and Azure Arc showed was enough to make Nora spot the difficult situation that they were in. With the eldest starting to lose touch with reality, it must be tough on them...

' _They all were so affected... and their father was so calm and directive... Even their mother was following along, trying to soothe their emotions.'_ There was a faint hope in her heart that things would be okay, as she put a smile on her face. "Jaune will be with us soon." The look of gratitude from Heather wasn't faked, as she patted her older sister on the shoulder.

"We've got to go, Ro." Her voice was enough, as Heather startled as a smack was heard, her body jolting a little, turning around. "What the f- Oh, hell no... We're NOT having this discussion again, you asshole."

The Huntsman with the large mace-lance grinned, as he looked at Heather with eyes that definitely were aimed at the assets that had gotten somewhat squished below the armour, the man's gaze directed to those spots and clearly telling of the lecherous nature of the man. "Why so cold to me, Heather? I thought you wanted to go and be friends again... Heard this awful rumour about your little brother getting coffin'd."

Heather's eyes were cold, as she smacked the man's face, the smack heavy enough to crack his head back. For all that she wore as far as armour went, her speed was largely unimpeded, as she looked at him. "You've got no right to bring that up, Alturas. Hell, if I wasn't expected at the Headmaster's office, I'd show you exactly what I think of you." The preen of the man was enough, as Nora could see the look on the face of Heather shift a little, her gaze looking at the oldest, who was still smiling innocently.

Nora wondered for a moment, as the look on Heather's face changed a little, how this would go down. Professional Huntsmen often had to watch for more restrictions and such, as she watched the man give an easy grin. "You're Heather's oldest sister, right? How about you and me try and see whether we can beat the record Heather and I set?"

The raise of the oldest Arc sister's head was minute, yet the smile never slipped. "Oh? Making pretty little flowers? We've made plenty of pretty flowers over the years..." The man seemed to take that as an incentive to approach her, as Heather stepped in front of him.

"Buzz off, Alturas. Go bother some other innocent girl with your little microdick, you over-compensating twatwaffle." The hostility in her voice was fierce, as she pushed him away confidently, the look on his face still in that manner of arrogant acceptance. Nora didn't like that look, it reminded her of Viridian when he'd still been in the closet with them about his leanings.

"Now, could you please leave? I'm sure that you've got something else to do." Ren spoke up, trying to be the voice of wisdom, her heart leaping in her chest at the feeling of the good and awesome Ren of her heart doing a bit of assertiveness!

"Ah, yeah... I-" The man seemed to become aware that he was making a scene, several people looking at the engagement and most of the professional Huntsmen with one hand on their weapons, ready to draw, if the need became real. The tension deflated as he took a few steps away, shaking his head lightly. "See ya around, Firebrand."

Heather made a gesture that did not bear repeating, involving a single finger raised and the other hand making the universal head-loss gesture, before she turned to them. "Please look after her for about... say, an hour?" Nora nodded, grabbing the oldest sister's hand. It was cool to the touch, a little clammy as well, yet there was warmth within that flesh.

"We'll make sure that she's smiling when you return." The look on Heather's face was pensive, as she looked at Azure for a moment, as if deciding whether she should leave Azure with them just in case of her sister wandering off.

"Alright... Come on, Az. We need to report to the boss-in-chief for this mission." They didn't waste any time, as the oldest sister looked at her. Nora wondered briefly how long it'd take for her to do her hair if she grew it out longer. There were hints of a classical beauty already in the woman, with Heather's braid allowing for a more masculine expression to her manner of holding, though the usual scowl on her face really hid the beautiful aspects of her from the world. Azure, still in her late teens, held less stress, yet was made up slightly with aspects that hinted at her needing a few more years to truly blossom.

It probably was something with Aura or something, which brought out beauty in people. Nora didn't mind it too much, knowing that there was enough time for them to worry about other things. She had someone to entertain now.

* * *

 _The experiences of those who have come before (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

"Do you wanna see my pictures?" The smile on the oldest sister's face was warm as she moved, her hand moving into a pocket in her dress, Pyrrha glancing in the direction of the two younger sisters who carried the long case and one of the other bags with them, the Scroll that she pulled out after a moment looking a little worn, yet still functional. A finger pressed against the identification plate, as the letters of the initials appeared on the screen.

A large picture of Jaune appeared on the screen, nearly fourteen to fifteen years of age, a few icons already on the screen with 'Jaune' marked as one of the folders, next to 'Slayer reports', 'Friends and Family' and 'Mission Tactical', the woman's finger sliding over the folder and the amount of files that came up, as they gathered around her.

"He's such a good boy... Always looking out for us." The softness of her voice was like her emotions, almost too gentle for the world, innocent and without any sort of thing. "I have... Ah..."

The locket around her neck was pulled off, held out for her to look at. She saw the silver locket with the fading inscription on the metal of a crest that had been in the history books, if she recalled slightly, opening it up to unveil a small picture of the woman herself and the rest of her sisters, Jaune in the middle, aged around eight or so, the little boy looking like he was happy, white cloaks worn by the two eldest. It wasn't certain who had taken the picture, yet the way that it looked, it was a happy family of sisters and a little brother.

She wished that it would be her with them. A little picture of him at age seventeen, next to her at age seventeen, their arms linked together and the wedding rings there. Nobody should be able to take him away from them again, not when she needed him so much.

Nora sighed, sadly, Pyrrha's gaze raised slightly, as Nora started to animatedly chat with her about... fish? Turning the small little metal plate to see the next picture, she saw Rowan holding little baby Jaune, Heather present as well with a smile on her face, her fair hair in a loose ponytail. It was apparently a picture of the first time that the two had been allowed to hold Jaune. "Aww, that's so sweet."

Pyrrha said, her eyes looking at the little child in the oldest sister's hands, the broad smile on Heather's face showing how happy she was to have another member of the family there. "Little baby Jaune..." The older sister smiled at her, a finger brushing over the locket.

"We swore to keep him safe and happy... Heather and the others..." The wistful tone to the older woman's voice was enough to make Pyrrha know a clenching of the heartstrings. The look on her face was enough, as Nora nudged her with a warning.

"But he's alive, isn't he?" She said, trying to inflect a sense of cheer in her voice, as the woman nodded. A hint of desperation in her voice was there, as if the realisation that Jaune was dead was lurking in the background.

Pyrrha supposed that it was the coping mechanism, knowing how affected the family must be by Jaune's death. The smile on her face didn't even falter for an instant, as she handed the locket back to the woman, Ren giving her a look that was asking, obviously, whether he could chip in as well.

"He is..." Her hand slid over the Scroll once more, pushing it into her hands. "Third map, you might like the pictures." A smile on her lips, as she held it out, Nora looking at it and then starting to talk in hushed tones, as Ren peered over her shoulders, going for the map that had been marked as 'Friends and Family', opening it up and then looking through the massive amount of pictures. A picture that sprang out immediately was one of Jaune at around age 13, showing off his bare upper body. Already his face had the signs of being the handsome face that she remembered, her eyes looking over the body that stood there at the beach, the smile on his face as warm as he could imagine it, the twin sisters having their arms slung around him, both looking like they were enjoying themselves.

' _Vytal Beach, Summer 76 AV. Jaune, Ashley and Bianca_ ' The title of the picture was thus, dated nearly five years before, showing the happy face of the boy that she liked, as his sisters, twins, held on to him, the matching swimsuits enough to draw the eyes. "Ah..."

"His sisters, are they usually so..." The serious faces that they'd put on during the funeral came to mind, a shudder going through her as she recalled the way that they had been friendly, yet a little distant. A faint memory of the two of them looking at him with concern, standing in a hallway. A statue standing before them of a man who she faintly remembered to look much like the King of Vale who ended the Great War.

"Bianca and Ashley? They always liked to play with Jaune. If the Mission doesn't call for us... I like to play with Jaune. He's got the funniest jokes, you know..." The smile on his sister's face was unfazed and genuine, the stillness of the emotions that she could feel through the connection with Jaune something that alarmed her. There should be no reason for this emotional placidness, this forced happiness.

"Do you... Do you take pills?" She decided to ask. Most combat tournaments strictly regulated the use of emotional suppressants, because the muscle tearing that could happen if someone was able to push their body past the limit.

"Father takes pills to make him feel. Creamy also did, but she was a good girl who always listened to father." The smile on her face didn't slip once. "They make them more able to handle the world, Heather says."

' _So, you're saying that they're basically drug addicts...'_ The sense-drugs were not something that she dabbled in, even if she had gotten a comprehensive oversight of what the major ones were, as was expected of a champion fighter whose doping tests were screened extremely for anything.

"It's okay. I was..." There was a snap-second of clarity in those eyes as they met her own, a moment where Pyrrha Nikos glimpsed the true depths of the woman, and then the placid happy look came once more. "I was stupid. After all, I..."

"Ah, my dear... How are you doing?" The voice of Professor Port drew her from that gaze, the woman looking up at the man with wide eyes, as she got up with a bit of a bounce. Pyrrha idly noted that the woman did not wear a bra, with how the dress moved.

"P'fessor Poor!" The woman hugged the man, who smiled at her, patting her back, the look of discomfort enough, as she hugged with what apparently was great strength. "I'm Ro'an!"

The man's face only showed a minute twitch at her announcement, his hands gently pushing her off him, yet Pyrrha could see a stiffening in his body, the man smiling as if nothing had happened. "That's all very well, my dear. I am glad to see that you are alright." There was a smile on the older woman's face, one that could just have been swiped from Jaune's face, the happiness in those eyes enough, as the Grimm Studies teacher smiled, ruffling her hair, treating her as if she were a child.

"She used to be one of my best Grimm Studies aides, once upon a time... Though her graduation was something... oh hoh hoh... If not for the control over the shutters, we might have..." The giggle from the woman was a refreshing change, as the man gave an inquisitive look at them.

"Have you seen Heather Arc as well? If this one's here, her sister usually isn't too far away either. One of my old favourite students, but..." Pyrrha could see the tension in the man's stance, his expression a little more weathered than before, as if he were contemplating about some issue or the other.

"She went with her younger sister to Professor Ozpin, Professor Port." The man looked pensive, and he turned to them, his face turning a little more grave.

"She trusts you. I may... Yes, my dear girl?" The woman was tugging on his sleeve, as he focused on her.

"Have you seen Jaune Arc? He's not here with his team. I hope he isn't sick." The tone that the woman had used was one of worry, as conflicting emotions showed through the stillness of her own emotions.

"He was fine, the last time I saw him." The man said, his voice sounding a little sad, as he closed his eyes, patting the woman's head. "We... We heard what happened." The woman nodded, six or seven times in a few seconds.

"He's such a good boy! He's going to make his princess very happy-happy." Pyrrha shared a look with Nora, Ren speaking up suddenly.

"He's made us very happy. We are his team, after all." The woman smiled broadly, her hand going through her hair, the short locks brushed through a few times, as she mused, a curious expression on her face.

"Good, good... I will need to... Yes, yes... A little present for Jaune."The silly smile on her lips was the last droplet that spilled the pot, as Pyrrha turned away, unable to deal with it. It reminded her of the time when Jaune had been gone from her, the moment when her world had come crashing down when the darkness had been like a presence that had threatened to swallow her.

To see one of his sisters be reduced to a state like this... It reminded her of herself during that time. A time when she had been weak, unwilling to face the world and caught up by emotions...

A time that hurt, a time which had only darkness in it. "We'll make sure that you meet him after the mission, Rowan." She tried to catch the attention of the woman, yet the woman ignored her. She was looking at some of the Huntsmen, Professor Port blocking her line of vision.

"Ah, I've got a sweet for you. You liked the lemon ones, right?" The smile on the face of the woman was bright and sunny, as she nodded. _'Like a child, easily distracted... It must be nice, living like that...'_

To not be bothered, to never worry about the next time you saw someone die...

"Oh, I love the colour. It's just like Jaune." She popped the candy into her mouth, as she sighed happily. "P'fessor Poor, tell them the stories about that mission you helped us with!" The excitement in her voice was enough, whilst the man's face showed indecisiveness.

"I'm not sure whether we should spoil their excitement, my dear... They have their own missions to attend to." The man obviously tried to steer the conversation to lighter topics, if the brusque deflection of the mission's contents had been any indicator. _'Something must've happened.'_ She didn't want to think about what might've happened to make the man who basically had storytime as a class section not wish to speak about it.

"Hey there, Port ol' buddy! Still hanging out here, and who's the cute lady with you?" Someone called attention to them, a tanned man with a set of sickles hanging off his belt standing there, the professor taking a look at the man and smiling broadly.

"Why, if it isn't Moore Granite!" The man spoke up boisterously, as he motioned to the woman at his side. "This is Heather Arc's older sister." The man winced, looking at the oldest Arc sister and giving a little shudder at the name.

"Yeah, if you're anything like that pyromaniac, I'm not sure whether to shake your hand..." The man said, as he offered it anyways. The woman didn't take it, looking at the man with a look, almost hesitant, yet there seemed to be no shyness in her pose or in her stance.

"Yeah, let's not. Your little sister kicked my ass big time in the practice matches, and if you're like her, you'll be hell on my style." The man tried to make light conversation, yet the woman did not seem to even notice, plopping herself down on one of the bags, looking at it and then smiling as she turned to them again, dismissing the man as unimportant.

"Do you want to see my doll?" The Huntsman named Moore Granite looked at Professor Port, who shook his head, mouthing something that looked remarkably like 'leave it'.

"We'd love to." The woman's fingers pulled the straps open, as Professor Port cleared his throat.

"Have a good day, dear. Make sure to come back safe and sound." The smile on the woman's face was wonderful, as she nodded.

"They're not gonna be hurt by big monsters, nope... I'm gonna kill all of them freaks and monsters, yep! Heather's got my weapon, she'll keep my baby safe, but it'll be killing ALL the monsters..." The woman's tone turned darker by the end, as Pyrrha felt her body grow heavy with the emotional load, her blood almost sluggish at the feeling that she felt.

"You were going to show us your doll, weren't you?" Nora asked, Professor Port and that Moore guy walking off, perhaps a tad faster than they should. The woman nodded, pulling out a doll from the pack and holding it out.

It was a doll that a young girl might own, pretty blonde hair falling lightly around the cloth that made up its body. A small tag stuck out, some initials sown into the fabric, holding it up gently. "This is my doll. It's magical."

The statement was enough, and she could hear Nora gasp, whether it was from excitement or something else. "Oh god, it looks so cute! What's her name?" The smile on the woman's face remained there, as she smiled.

"Sunny." The doll moved up and down, the hands raised with a touch of the fingers. "She's a little princess, she's going to be a kick-ass Huntress when she grows up. She's gonna marry the prince and become queen, yes. Her brother only comes out at night, he's cursed! Spooky!" The story was like a fairytale, Pyrrha feeling warmth enter her, a memory of her grandmother telling her a story, as her mother and father continued to stimulate her to enter the Combat School training sessions.

"How wonderful." Nora said. Rowan nodded, her fingers manipulating the hand so that it laid on the puppet's heart.

"She's going to be the best. She's got a momma who's a Huntress and is amaaaaaziiiiing. Her dad is evil, though... He wants to marry her to some old guy!" Pyrrha could not see it. If this woman was trusted with the safety of a team... What would become of them? Would a simpleton really be able to be a Huntress... There were plenty of reasons why someone would be unfit, as far as she knew.

"How grand." It was only because of Jaune that she did not dismiss the woman from her mind, Nora's hand grabbing hers. Nora's squeeze actually hurt.

"Rennie, tell her the story of how we got the fortune cookies!" Nora said, before leaning over. "Be polite to her! You don't want to make Jaune upset with you for dismissing one of his sisters, right?" There was steel in Nora's tone, as the realisation clicked into place that Jaune would not like to see his sisters mistreated, no matter how they acted.

The shards of memory that she could tap into, a remnant in the darkness, contained moments of warmth, of family and fun trips. It was a sign that they had loved him... _'Who am I to dismiss someone, just because they are a little simple?'_

The woman didn't look like she could fight very well, yet she was still a graduated Huntress. She was able to fight as well as any graduate, perhaps. Appearances could be deceiving, after all... The laugh of the woman was still somewhat girlish, yet she worked through her prejudice. "That's grand."

Nora jabbed her in her side again.

' _How to entertain a woman who seems to be like a child...'_

* * *

 _The Mission Briefing (Heather d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The steps towards the elevator leading to the headmaster's office were familiar, as the fabric of her battle gear pressed against her. The special cloaks, sown with fire-retardant fibres and coloured and dyed to show her ranking, were in the equipment bags, for the mission that would come. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her there with... them?" Azure asked, yet Heather only nodded.

"She wants to see Jaune. She can... mingle with his former team." The pain was shoved aside. She knew that she should not feel such heavy emotions, yet it still hurt her to see her partner and sister hurt like this. "You're carrying her doll, right?" Azure nodded, the sad look on her face enough, whilst Heather's smile turned grimmer by the moment.

"Locked in with her weapon. You're going to report to the Headmaster, right?" Heather nodded, as she pulled her insignia out of her pocket and fastened it to her shoulder, where the cloak would regularly be attached. The two golden arcs that belonged to the family crest stood out there, as she pressed the button.

"Get yourself something to eat. This won't take more than an hour." There was an urging in her voice to go, as she turned towards the elevator, pressing the button once again and then sighing, the door opening up for her.

Azure gave an awkward look, the doors closing around her, as Heather's eyes closed and she counted the soft whirring of the gears that drove the elevator upward, the soft ping of the elevator door slowly opening at the Headmaster's office, stepping out of the elevator and coming to witness the man bent over his desk, outlining something. "Ah, Miss Arc. Just in time. "The man looked at the Huntsman, who looked like a grizzled type with silvery-white hair and a set of bola-rifles on his back, nodding once.

"Be prepared to receive team HRBR in an hour's time. Mission details will be sent to their Scroll." The Headmaster said, as the Huntsman nodded, his eyes looking at her for a moment.

"'Ave a good day, sah." The man walked past her without a greeting, whilst the Headmaster turned to look at her. The elevator doors closed behind her, the man righting himself again, his shoulders squared as he looked into her eyes.

"You have brought your sisters?" The question was in need of an answer. Her body automatically supplied the answer, as the man's eyes looked into hers, the Headmaster of Beacon replaced with the Grandmaster of the Order of Slayers. An existence against which there was no chance to win.

"My partner is below, her weapon secured away. My youngest sister is at the entrance, awaiting my return." The answer had to be given, as the man nodded, the hands at her side aching to put the mask and the cloak on, as was proper.

"Good. How is your teamwork with your youngest sister?" There was little patience in his tone of voice, as the doors to the elevator opened up and the deputy appeared, her blonde hair in a perfect bun. Heather's eyes looked at the woman for a short while before they turned to the Grandmaster once more.

"The assignment for team RWBY, sir." The woman spoke with the politeness that should be expected, the Headmaster standing there with her once more, an affable smile on his face.

"Thank you, Glynda." The man spoke softly, as he pushed a button. Her sister's profile appeared on the screen, her own joining it after a moment, the official readings on her youngest sister also appearing there, their icons appearing above the mission's team.

She recognized them faintly as the girls who had been at the ceremony dedicated to her younger brother, her heart aching a little at the thought of the girls. A gasp came from the woman, who looked at the icons that were on the screen.

"This is too advanced for them. Miss Xiao-Long may be able to have the fortitude to do what must be done, yet the others are not stable enough for the mission at hand. Sending a first-year team into that place... With..." An icon joined them, a confident man with scruff and a sense of 'I am a cocky asshole' about him, just the type that they'd wish to avoid. _'I bet he's got a drinking problem as well...'_

"You're sending Qrow as well?" The woman asked, the name of the mystery man given. Heather wondered for a moment whether she'd heard the name before, yet there was a blank drawn. She hadn't paid much attention to names whilst on the job.

"He will be able to initiate them properly in their tasks, Glynda. The balance is skewed as well, so I have ensured that we have... ulterior actions to be taken, if the need is there." The code word for 'kill and make sure nobody gets out alive' was enough as a subtext, the woman frowning a little. _'She cares too much for her students...'_

It was a known failing for most educators. Caring too much got your students offed. _'A weak woman.'_

"Can you leave us for a moment, Glynda? Miss Arc and I have to speak about confidential things." The woman hesitated for a moment, before acquiescing, nodding once and then entering the elevator once more and riding it down.

"Acolyte Heather, you will ensure that the mission is a success. I have sent for an operative called Qrow Branwen, brother to Raven Branwen, to accompany you three into the Mountain Glenn area. Your mission, is as follows: Ensure that team RWBY is briefed on camping techniques, offer guidance during moments of need and motivate them. Your partner will take Xiao-Long for her initiation upon the third day during the midnight hour. Instructions for your partner are upon the data-chip." A data chip appeared on the desk, where it had not been before. She had not been looking, either way.

"Threats, confirmed: Grimm of Category Five to Nine. Permission is granted to stop the regimen. With the Grimm and rogue actors on the board, expect class Seven situations." Heather nodded, understanding perfectly well.

"Permission to speak, Grandmaster?" The question was spoken meekly, as the man indicated that she could with a little motion of the hand. "Is operative Branwen to be trusted? What of the Faunus presence?"

She felt a thrill through her body, as she waited for the answer. The Grandmaster waited for a long moment, taking a deep breath as he did, seemingly coming up with the proper response. "He can be trusted as much as you can trust your partner, Acolyte Heather." The man's voice was to be trusted, her instincts told her, as her mind told her 'no'.

"The White Fang is present. I want your top game." The order was given and she would obey. Her face betrayed her worries though, as she let her eyes meet the man's.

"Are we allowed to induct her fully?" She asked, the Headmaster looking away for a moment, a pensive expression on his face.

"She will be tested. Have your partner decide as she wishes. The dark night looms for you, daughter of the d'Arc-Night." There was a response to those words, yet they were not for her to utter. "You will do your duties."

There was no denying it. Her stomach twisted itself into a knot, remembering the words that had been spoken to her before, during her own first night. _'There must always be one to guard against the terrors of the dark night, Heather. At first, it was me. Now you will take up the cloak and the mask and become that which the darkness fears.'_

Her sister, a paragon, someone who she looked up to... Jaune, whose softness and gentleness was like a healing balm when the blood would not wash away from her hands, who had been a loving little brother that cared for his big sisters. The nights sat on the couch with her sister, Jaune in-between the two of them.

The first moment that she held him, she had been handed him by her oldest sister, her mother's voice in her ears to softly instruct her to support the head of that little life... _'I couldn't help but love him. A little boy, innocent..._ '

He had been something of normalcy, especially when the screaming in her head got too loud. Burning people alive with her weapon never was a pleasant thing, yet Jaune had made it better, rubbing her shoulders and telling her that it'd be awesome if he was a Huntsman too.

"As you wish, Grandmaster." Her voice was even, as she put the chip in a pocket, feeling it sit there. The instructions for her partner she was not to be privy to, containing greater information about things than she knew. With how her sister was now...

She would do as asked of her. Undoubtedly so.

' _Now let's hope that things are going alright.'_ She hoped that it would. There was always some glimmer of hope.

Her own hand strayed to her neck, where her locket hung, a picture of her family in it. A group picture of every sister of the d'Arc-Night family, with Jaune at the front. On its back was one when Jaune was newly born and their mother helped her support the head of her brother. _'We don't need this burden...'_

"Ensure that Miss Rose is kept safe. She bears the silver eyes." The nod she made was enough, even with how the news bounced around in her mind.

' _The eyes...'_

Envy sprung up inside her, a twisted thing, yet she squashed it. It was not her time to judge. "To become the Seventh Rose?" The man didn't acknowledge her words, as he called up an image. A map of Mountain Glenn, visible with hotspots.

"The Rose do what they wish. It is your duty to fulfil the Mission." The man said, denying her the answer to the question. She responded, looking at the map.

"In death, duty ends. To live for selfish ideals is to be a coward." The words were a guide, as she let herself slip within the coolness of her business personality, knowing that everything else would be done by Heather the Huntress, rather than Heather the Slayer.

"The mission is clear. When you find a threat, exterminate it. Guard them, initiate Xiao-Long." The man said, as the map changed. "You are dismissed, Acolyte Heather. Discuss it with your partner when the night falls."

She would do what she must. For Remnant. No matter how much it hurt. "I shall inform my younger sister of our departure, as well as give my partner her orders. May the dark night never let the rose that grows from the skull in the silver brook wilt, Grandmaster." The bow was standard-issue when addressing to the man. She had been respectful, after her body had been broken during that night, ten years before.

"May your dark night bring forth many stars to it, Acolyte Heather." The words were formal, yet they spoke of things not meant to be. She knew that there would be no happy ending for her or for her partner. The duty that had been laid on their shoulders had to be fulfilled.

She would never hold a husband's hand. She would never be with a family. The Mission would come before everything else. She would do her duty, no matter how much her heart wept.

A face came to her eyes, brilliant blue eyes looking into her own, as a smile that was as sweet as the summers that they spent together as children was on those lips. _'Ro and Heather, forever together.'_

It was time to find team RWBY and take them to the mission site. This Qrow fellow better be able to find them before they left, or else he'd find himself without a ride to Mountain Glenn. If the girls were to be initiated in the art of camping techniques, you kind of needed a guy.

' _Heh, Azure managed to skip out on that lesson...'_ It had been an amusing moment about seven months ago when Azure had stated that... But it was something mandatory, in the world they lived in.

* * *

 _The pressures mount (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

" _I... It's better this way, Qrow. Say... goodbye to... Y-" "No! You can't die on me, silly girl! Come on, come on! WHERE IS THAT MEDIC?!"_

He startled awake by the beep of his Scroll, looking at the incoming mission briefing that was sent to his Scroll, scrolling through the text to find the icons for the team he was most anxious about, RWBY standing out... and the Huntresses who were to accompany them on their journey. _'Let's see...'_

The time was 12 in the afternoon and he could just about see Vale's clock tower from the park bench that he'd fallen asleep on after a binge, a kid looking at him like he was some sort of strange creature. Harbinger was resting comfortably against his side, never out of reach. A Huntsman had to be prepared, after all. _'Alright... Azure Arc... Wait, don't I-'_

He saw the mission time, and glanced at a picture of a braided blonde woman, idly noticing the way that she half-glared into the camera, freezing up as he saw the clock of the clock tower strike twelve. _'Oh fuck...'_

He glanced at his watch, which seemed to have stopped functioning, fear gripping his heart. He knew what the Arc name meant. The kid whose sword he'd recovered had been one of them, so it'd stand to reason that these were relatives.

He thought back to the days past, to the moments when he had been in charge of Yang and Ruby, a faint grimace coming to his face. _'Things spiralled out of control so fast... It was just a few short months after all, but...'_ It had been for Ruby and Yang's benefit. The moment that he'd seen them there, about to be killed by the Grimm, something had snapped inside of him and he had fought, even with backup.

' _I wish...'_ There was no happy ending for him, there was only the duties that he did for Ozpin. His flask a crutch to keep living for another day, to make sure that the world makes sense.

A way that he could live with the crushing guilt and bad dreams. He sighed, rolling his shoulders and departed for Mountain Glenn, knowing that the quicker he got there, the safer Yang and Ruby would be. The Arc family was messed up... Even he knew that.

* * *

 _The trip (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She was packing her bag with another spare top and a fresh set of underwear as the door opened up and her little sister blitzed in, a soft 'ohmigosh' coming from her as she grabbed a bag, stuffing Zwei in it. Yang sighed a little. They could've let the dog remain with someone here, if they really had to. This mission was important, they didn't need to bring their dog with them.

"Ruby..." She sighed. It fell to her to be the responsible one again, as she felt the faint hopes inside her turn to dust at the sight of Ruby's cute face making sure that she would fold once more. _'I've got to be the older sister again...'_

Sometimes it felt like she had gained multiple sisters with how the world seemed to be acting, about their own team and how they interacted. There was a knock on the door, and she turned to it, Ruby's excitement there, as Ruby opened the door up.

A blonde-haired and blue-eyed woman stood there, wearing armour that looked like a veritable fortress in armour plating, her expression casual, with a smile. "Ah, you're team RWBY, right? The name's Azure Arc, and I will be one of the Huntresses taking you along on an expedition into Mountain Glenn." The casual style of address made Yang think of herself, and how she held herself in public. A party girl would not be oppressed so easily.

"Ah, Jaune's sister." Ruby said in a tone that was sadder than before, a faint gleam in her eyes that seemed to be like a tear, yet she seemed to brighten up. "Ah, you can come in! We were just packing stuff! My eh, sister is a bit slow." Yang frowned a little at that excuse, yet she didn't complain, walking over to Ruby's bed and starting to pack, like she usually did when Ruby needed something packaged and such. It was her duty, among others, when Ruby had been young.

"Ah, you're a Faunus, aren't you?" The older woman asked Blake, who nodded softly. Blake had been better since the chat with the Headmaster, the woman's face taking on a frown. "You should hide your trait. My oldest sisters... Yeah, they don't really like Faunus." There was a tone to the woman's voice that sounded like she barely knew why that was the case, yet Yang filed it away.

"I've got a bow that I can wear." Blake said, as she pulled it out of the dresser, her hands moving it into position, Azure looking at her and nodding.

"That's good. Just eh, be careful, yeah." The woman did not elaborate, whilst Yang packed the bag, looking at Zwei. "Do bring the dog. Rowe might like a dog around." There was a faint sound of concern in the woman's voice when she mentioned her sister, yet Yang was savvy enough not to mention it.

"Looks like we're going on an adventure, Zwei." The dog yipped a little as she patted its head, Ruby plucking her pack from the bed and then doing a little victory pose. "It's going to be aaaaaaamazing!"

Azure Arc shook her head softly, as she looked at the girls, Yang spotting a look of something that might be envy on her face, as she turned away. "Yeah..."The woman mumbled, seemingly to herself. "Amazing."

As they walked from their room, Yang could see the second oldest sister striding up to her, the tight suit that she wore covering most of her extremities, the pin that had been put there to fasten some sort of cloak on her shoulders nearly the same as the ones that Ruby used for her cloak. The woman's braid was whipping back and forth as she moved, directing a look at Azure, before letting her gaze look over them. "These are the girls?" The woman asked, Azure nodding once.

"Present an' accounted for, Heath." The woman turned her gaze to them, resting it on Ruby.

"And you are the team leader, Ruby Rose?" The stern tone of voice was one that demanded obedience, Ruby snapping to attention immediately, nodding her head once. "Y-yes!" The answer came, as the woman named Heather Arc, stern and with severe countenance, looked them over.

"Good. We should be gathered then. The dog is yours, I presume?" The girls shared a look, before nodding.

"His name is Zwei! Our dad's on a mission, so I didn't want him to be lonely!" The cheerful tone of Ruby's voice never diminished, as she continued to be the little beam of sunshine in their life. She could see Weiss and Blake look a little distant, Blake's eyes looking away from everyone, the bow on her head twitching a little.

She could spot the minute little calculations in the woman's mind as she started to calculate in the extra presence of a dog. "We will be joined by a male Huntsman later, or, if he misses the flight, at Mountain Glenn. Do not think that this is going to be like one of the trips you were on whilst a student at your combat academy. The place we are going to is deadly and has claimed the life of many a Huntsman." The woman's voice was stern, her face looking harsh and cool to the looks that she got.

"Alright... We will be retrieving my oldest sister in a moment." The woman's expression softened, as she took a deep breath, a faint hush falling over them. "No matter what you do..." The look on her face was soft, complicated emotions below the surface. "Don't mention Jaune's death. She's not taking the loss of Jaune well."

Yang could feel for that sentiment. Losing a family member hurt a lot, so it was likely that the oldest sister would suffer from the loss. _'I would shut down like dad had if Ruby died...'_ The feeling wasn't lost on her, as she followed behind the silent Huntress and her younger sister, their tread heavy in the carpeted halls of Beacon, the grim look on Heather Arc's face not shared by Azure, yet neither spoke.

She could see team PRWN's PRN sitting there at a collection of bags and equipment, undoubtedly the things that the Arcs had brought with them, a pretty woman with short hear and a very nice yellow sundress sitting there, her hands playing with a small locket. It was sweet to see, yet she wondered if the woman would fight in the dress or not.

"Is she going to fight in that dress?" She decided to ask, Heather's head turning to regard her for a moment. Fierce blue eyes pinned her, as if a predator looked at her and judged her.

"No. It is better to wear something light when amongst people. Her Huntsman gear is specialized around her Semblance." The answer wasn't much of an answer, but she figured that with the armour that the youngest sibling wore and the skin-tight coarse outfit that Heather wore right now, there would be a method to this. The big weapon that she wielded definitely was a good reason to imagine that the oldest sister would have something a little different prepared for her. _'Odd weaponry.'_

Pyrrha's face was a little frustrated, as far as she could see it. Nora was nudging her in the side, the redhead looking like she'd swallowed something vile, as the oldest sister was humming something, her head turning and regarding her. "Heather!" The happy sound was entirely high-pitched as she got up and leapt at her sister, the dress hitching up a little as she clamped onto Heather, despite being marginally taller than Heather was. The feeling of that reunion made her feel warm on the inside, as the oldest sister rubbed against her younger sister's face, the happy smile making her feel warm on the inside. Yang could see a set of dark underwear, a little lacy trim on the side and something that looked like an old burn wound on her upper back.

"We're going to see Jaune when we come back! Isn't that wonderful, Heather?" The excitement in the woman's voice was palpable, as she turned her head, looking at her. "Ooh... She's a sister too! She's got the nice blonde hair, just like me!"

She blinked, as she pointed at herself with a raised eyebrow. "Yes! You're pretty!"

She would blush crimson as the older woman let go of Heather and got in front of her. "Hug!" She awkwardly provided the hug, feeling the older woman press up against her, her own breasts pressing against the woman's stomach, as her face was pressed against the woman's breasts, due to the size disparity. The Arcs were anything but short.

"Soooo... Did you bring candy, Heather?" The smile on Heather's face turned a little painful, as she pulled out a small package of pills, popping one out.

"One candy for youuu..." The tone was sing-song, as the older woman stuck out her tongue, taking the pill and then swallowing it, without even requiring water. _'Damn, that's... oof. I'd always vomit when someone gave me painkillers without water.'_

"Is she... alright?" Weiss asked, as the oldest sister started to animatedly chat about meeting a professor Poor or something, the gestures reminding her a little of a young child. _'Something...'_ The image of the woman who was keeping herself together at the funeral, with this one. _'She's... regressed to the state of a child thanks to the trauma.'_

It was not a bad conclusion. She could see Azure Arc look away, brushing a hand over her face, wiping away some moisture that might be tears, as Blake and Weiss shared a look with Ruby. _'They'd want to prevent Ruby from turning out like that.'_

"And we're going to be a queen of the castle too! Amazing, Heather! We're going to be queens!" Heather sighed softly and kissed her older sister's cheek.

"It's amazing, but we've got a mission... Don't worry, I've got your orders here with me. You can wear the helmet and you won't get sick whilst flying, alright?" The soft nod of the older sister to the younger one was light, yet she could feel the relief flow through Heather Arc's body, the relaxing of her stance, as she looked at team PRN. "You guys, yeah... Stay safe. I think she likes you, given that none of you are dead yet."

"But Heath, they're friends of Jaune! Nora was telling me allllll about how she was amazing! Pyrrha likes him, I can tell! She's going to be a member of the family!" The smile on the oldest sister's face was broad, as she nodded her face multiple times. Nora looked a little conflicted, leaning over to whisper something in Pyrrha's ear, the green-eyed redhead's eyes widening as Nora continued to speak, a sigh coming from her lips as she cleared away. "Bye! Tell Jaune that I and Heather and Azure love him very much."

The hope in that voice was hard to squash, as Pyrrha smiled genuinely. "I will, Miss Arc! Come back safely and we'll take you to see Jaune! I'd love to join your family." The tone that she took was warmer than her previous expression belied. _'I guess Pyrrha's coming to terms with Jaune's death... Not everyone can.'_

As they neared the airship docks, a man came to them, grinning saucily at Heather. The large mace-like weapon in his hands looked like danger, even as he swaggered up to Heather Arc, who was leading them. "Missed me so much you're coming to me, sweetheart?" The man looked sleazy, Heather's face tensing up, as the older sister, whose hand had gripped her sister's, tilted her head.

"Please... leave." Heather's strained voice was enough, as the man motioned to grab her. It happened in an instant, as the older sister let go of that hand, seizing the man's sides and delivering what must have been one of the hardest male takedown tactics she'd ever seen.

The knee hit right between those legs, the woman holding him up with her hands, as her knee pulled back, hitting with another blow that seemed to almost have a wet crunch behind it, the Aura fizzling out. "Don't!" Heather said, as the knee struck a third time. Spittle and slime came from the man's mouth as eyes rolled up and he dropped to the ground. Every Huntsman around had their weapons trained on them.

"Everything's under control... Everything's fine, just an old grudge." The weapons were slowly lowered, as the man's body laid there, curled up in the foetal position. There was a stain coming from the front of his pants, Yang noticed... and it didn't look like urine. _'Just how hard did she hit him?'_

She looked at the woman as she took Heather's hand again, her head turning and giving a little smile. "I won't let anyone hurt my little sis." Yang empathized to with that subject, as Heather sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Well, at least you didn't kill him." The woman said, dismissing it. "Healthcare's free for his ilk here, so eh..." She looked at several of the Huntsmen, who did not lower their guard. "You guys, go and fetch a stretcher or something. We're off to our mission now, and spent way too long on idiots who can't keep their dick in their little bitch pouches."

She sat down in the Bullhead, Heather Arc seated on the oldest sister's right, opening up a small case and pulling out something that looked like a headset, fitting it over the woman's head, like a helmet would. Earbuds were put in, as the oldest sister looked like she was getting ready to fight. _'She looks ready.'_

"Sit next to me, pretty girl." The woman said, as she groped for her, finding her thigh and giving it a little squeeze. She glanced at Blake and Weiss and Ruby, before shrugging. People got odd weird twitches, and this was just another sign of how weird some Huntsmen could be. "We're going to be bestest of friends!"

"S-Sure." She said, uncomfortable whilst she was suddenly handed a Scroll. A finger pressed against the identification pad, the Scroll opening up. "What... What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Look at pictures, silly-milly! There's pictures of Jaune and us! You'll love the pictures in the third folder... ooh, story time now! Gotta be quiet! Shhh!" The woman's voice tapered off, as she looked at the Scroll, keeping her finger on the screen to keep it activated. She looked at Heather, who shook her head lightly when she tried to offer it to the woman, not sure whether she should intrude on the family memories.

"She's... she's set on things when she thinks of them. Right now, she's..." Heather's face was grave, as her expression darkened. "She's not good."

"Ah." Was all that Yang said, as she looked at the Scroll, opening the folder and finding that there was a dearth of pictures there. Picking one of them, she looked at the young Jaune that sat on the swing between his two oldest sisters, each looking to be Huntsman-aged, Heather's hair a little shorter and kept in a ponytail rather than a braid, and the oldest sister's hair being a luxurious mane. _'Someone neglected their hair care... It's now cut very short...'_

The next picture was one where the two were dressed in a long red cloak, Heather's face masked with a fierce beowolf mask, the oldest sister's face warm as she looked at the person holding the camera. The file name was titled 'Finally together again'.

She slid it to the side, looking over the happy family memories. His sisters, all seven of them, featured in it, with the occasional picture that had little to do with it. A single plain house, a mark on the wall of a rose, a brightly lit promenade somewhere near Mistral, if she recognized the architectural style.

A low humming of a tune reached her ears, and she started to hum the tune as well. Her fingers slid through the pictures, noticing how Jaune seemed to grow up. _'_ _Ice-cream'_ _'_ _Dance lessons with the girls'_ The titles of the pictures told about the subject, as she slid the picture to the side, looking at the faces that stared back at her.

A picture of the woman on the beach wearing a bikini that looked little more than two strips of cloth to contain herself, a scandalized-looking woman giving her a look of 'Did you really have to wear that?', the other woman's hair short as the sun had tanned her body with a deep tan colour, whilst the modest swimsuit covered most of the woman's body. In comparison of the two women's swimwear, the look of scandal on her face was enough. _'_ _Besties_ _'_ was the title of that picture.

The oldest Arc sister featured again, looking at her friend, undoubtedly someone close to her. A guy stood there, looking over a seashore, leaning against the balustrade with a complicated expression, his hair slicked back and a simple red shirt worn with something that looked like a uniform slung over the balustrade. _'I wonder what happened between them... Perhaps partners of her at Beacon?'_ They looked close enough, to her. There weren't many pictures of the woman at Beacon, so she had to guess as to the age of the woman in that picture. _'They all look so... Arc-like'_

A traditional Mistralian tea ceremony, as shown in the picture, Jaune's father's face looking unmoved as a big pot of what seemed to be curry was put in front of him, the one taking the picture obviously laughing as the man's face seemed to be unchanged. _'_ _Father's face while eating Grimm Pepper curry.'_was the title that the picture had been given, as Yang scrolled through.

Sage Arc was prominently featured, dressed in some formal clothing that stood out against the backdrop. _'Well... If the guys on the beach behind him are any indication, she had quite the eye candy to look back on.'_

Her friend and some other friends appeared in a picture again with a tag-line of 'Party', before the location shifted. The hair was cut shorter now, a forlorn look on her face. Holding a teenage Jaune, she seemed to cling to him with a happy smile, as if she was really happy to see him again. _'_ _Back home_ _'_

She slid her fingers through the latest pictures, as she reached another map, opening it up. Picking the first photograph, she could see that the woman was teaching a small blonde to cook, the kitchen broad and expansive, as a table covered in flour and other products for baking laid there. _'Aww, that's cute...'_ The next few pictures had the woman solo, standing at a sea shore, looking at the water with a wistful look. _'_ _Wish you were here_ _.'_

She saw those happy faces, the smile on the woman's face as she ruffled a blonde mane of hair and seemed to be in the process of saying something to the one taking the picture, as another child seemed to be leaning against her with a happy smile, the woman unbothered, blue eyes looking at the camera. The red cloak that was half-bunched up with a mask worn by another child.

' _Oh.'_

The next picture was a bloodbath. Blood everywhere, dripping, as something seemed to have been ripped apart. Something laid on the ground, the picture taken, as the blood-splattered hand held up the camera. _'Ruby should n- Ohmygods is that...'_

She froze. Blood drained from her face as she turned to the next picture in the row, a look of another picture taken, as someone seemed to be around as well. _'Oh, shit... shit, shit...'_

A look at the woman, who was still getting her briefing through that video feed, the queasy feeling in her stomach never stopping. _'I feel so sick...'_

She tapped the back button a few times, looking at the screensaver that was Jaune, looking decidedly Jaune-like. "Is... Is everything okay?" Ruby asked her, as she flashed a smile, grabbing the older woman's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Y-yeah. Just some... bad stuff." Yang didn't want to tell Ruby about what she'd seen, about the blood and the other parts...

' _Something horrible...'_ Looking at the titles of the folders, she pressed the Friends and Family folder and looked at the pictures that were messily ordered, several files already messed up in chronological order. A picture that could be of the team that she'd been on at Beacon stood between several scenes of blood and other gruesome things, clearly a bad past for the woman. _'No matter what... I won't let anything happen to Ruby...'_

The next picture took her breath away as the tears started to come again. _'Sisters'_

She squeezed the hand a little harder, the woman squeezing hers back, as the tears started to come. _'You don't even know what's going on in the world anymore...'_

* * *

 _A moment in time (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

"Will you be alright?" He asked Kali, who nodded, Sienna looking impatient as always, and Kali's smile was gentle and understanding in her manner of being.

"Of course, Jaune." She said, her voice accentuating exactly how she thought about it, the confidence that she felt about completing whatever mission they'd assigned themselves, Raven looking a little tense, as they shared a look. "You two enjoy each other... Go out on dates, have some great sex... We'll just be keeping an eye on our daughters."

The mission report had been discussed beforehand, Summer Rose volunteering the information, as her eyes had blazed with anger. Apparently, a mission had been set up to put team RWBY in Mountain Glenn, a place which they had only recently vacated thanks to the Grimm presence there, at the cost of both sides noticing his presence.

He recalled the absorption that he had done on the Vitae Tenebris in Mountain Glenn, the power still coursing through him. His eyes met with Whitney's, his smile soft, as he leaned against her. "Do make sure that you keep safe." He said whilst he looked at Raven and Summer, both dressed in white cloaks and with a nevermore mask on. It was easier for Summer to look non-threatening in comparison to Raven, who seemed to have more or less an imposing air about her. Noticing him looking, she turned her head away, a flare of embarrassment showing through his ability to sense emotions. _'She's really upset about that, isn't she?'_

It had been a surprise to see her doing something like that, even though her skill with her mouth was great. Her loyalty to her husband was something commendable, and he had not complained about it, even though the guilt seemed to eat at her. She had turned her hair back to the regular colour of dark once more, though the roots seemed to be a little blonde in colour still. His own hair was still a silvery colour, due to not having had the time for a shower just yet. The shampoo that'd erase the colour was still unused for his hair colour.

The woman's eyes seemed to find his own again and she sighed behind the mask. "We will be exploring Mountain Glenn, in order to detect the presence of the Order of Slayers. We will rendezvous when we have a layout, and we will back Kali and Sienna up."

The woman was accepting of the side-mission that'd come with Kali's desire to protect her daughter from danger. The need to protect Yang and Ruby was also within Raven and Summer. Whitney and himself... well, that'd be overkill, they had come to the conclusion after a debate.

Neither of them had the capacity to be stealthy, with Whitney's Semblance and his own skills not being 'sneaky'. Kali's shadows could hide someone. Raven and Summer would fit right in, if properly masked. It was much easier for them.

' _I guess it's a romantic start of the week for the two of us.'_ Whitney smiled and hugged Kali. "Have a great time... I'll be sure to keep him able to keep up with the two of us." The women smiled at each other, good friends and companions.

"We'll... We'll be in touch." Raven said, whilst her voice sounded weary and tired, as if she needed a good rest. _'She needs better sleeping habits...'_ She had gotten into the habit of snuggling up to him when Summer was around, obviously for some sort of comfort, but he could hardly see it.

As Kali and Sienna disappeared into the shadows, it only took moment where Summer took off her mask and looked at him with her silver eyes, the small burning sensation ignored in favour of giving her his full attention. _'She deserves nothing less.'_

"Your oldest sisters are members of the Order." The woman said, her voice barely excited about that. "There is a chance that they will hunt you down." The threat of that happening was there, always. Ozymandias Pinnacle would wish to squash all opposition before things got worse.

"They are my sisters... They'd never do something like that." He remembered his oldest sister's words very clearly. _"We will never_ _ **ever**_ _hurt you, Jaune..."_ They were the best Huntresses in the family, according to Cremea.

Summer looked at him with a look that could be pity or concern, yet it did not change her facial expression much. "Think of that what you will. We won't hurt you, right?" She nudged Raven, who looked at him with her mask still on, a deep sigh coming from the woman behind the mask.

"No, we won't." The woman said, as she pulled the mask off and looked at him, a sad Yang-like face looking at him. "Even if... things change, I won't raise a hand against you." The woman said, as she looked conflicted.

It was a grudging look that held much more within its depths than mere distaste, as the portal shimmered into being after a slice of her hand. "And... for what it's worth, I'm... I'm grateful." The woman's mysterious remark was enough, as she stepped through the portal first, Summer shaking her head lightly. "I'll leave you to think about that, whilst I show Rae the truth, Jaune... She's going to join your harem of bitches soon enough!"

"Hey, wait, I didn't thi-" The portal closed whilst Summer Rose had stepped through it, the cloak's flutter the last that he saw. _'Damn.'_

"Do I really have a harem?" He asked Whitney, who smiled softly at him with an endearing look in her eyes. He liked that about her, as her pale hair stood out against her skin.

"Well... I certainly don't mind being your bitch, Jaune." Her voice was sultry, her lips pressed against his own, as he felt his body be caressed by her hands. His eyes met hers, as she leaned closer. "How'd it feel to have her suck you off, hmm? Her daughter's got the same face as her, so I can just imagine..."

Whitney's fingers fiddled with his pants, as she pulled them off. "How you'd be imagining her daughter and her giving you some attention, right?" Whitney was in need, as she leaned up against him, the globes of breast-flesh that pressed against him, as she nuzzled her face against his neck. "Hmm... I missed you..." The woman had been with him the whole time, yet it was perhaps the intimacy that she missed.

"Let's head into the showers... I need to get dirty." The woman's purring tone of voice was needy and with barely restrained passion, as she tugged what remained of her clothing off, leaving her naked. She looked as wonderful as a woman of her years could, Weiss a pale shadow compared to the motherly figure that Whitney struck.

His eyes were almost hypnotized by hers, as she leaned close, pressing a kiss to his neck. "Ah, Jaune... Carry me to the shower." She asked, and he pulled her up, bridal-carry style. The woman's voice was eager, as he turned on the spray and hot water hit him, her lips pressing against his own in a passionate kiss, her eyes heavy-lidded, as she kissed him, her tongue diving into his mouth, as her hands pressed his to the wall.

"Whitney..." He growled at her, the moment where she did that making urges rise to the forefront of his mind, and she found herself be pressed against the wall, his eyes looking into her own.

Red met blue, as she smirked. "I don't see you hesitating, mister villain... Are you going to conquer this little innocent heroine?" A throaty laugh, one that was enough to draw him in, as he bit down on her neck, a hiss coming from her lips as her lower body twitched. "Jaune, ah... Oh, sensitive?"

She touched him on a particular spot on his neck, as she tried to seize the control, the sudden pleasurable sensation enough, as her finger wriggled in that spot. Confusion and need flashed in her eyes, as she wiggled that finger, his eyes rolling back at the pleasurable sensation. "It seems that... the tables have turned, villain." Her voice spoke softly, as her other hand reached, seizing a hold. "Get ready for your punishment..."

The finger that wiggled there was enough to blank his mind, a soft curse coming from his mind. It reminded him of the time when he was tickled by his sisters, the spot making him feel as weak as a kitten, and it had been a memorable incident.

As her hand worked him with easy strokes, her eyes looking at his face, she looked to the side. "Hmm..." Fingers caressed and seized a head, giving it a little roll with the fingertips. "That's a good boy..."

"Oh..." Her voice sounded confused, perhaps a little surprised, as the finger lifted up and he felt strength pushing back into his body, pressing her against the wall. Eyes looked at him, blue and curious and a little bit surprised, as he pressed his lips against her. _'Menthol... Hmmm...'_

She did not resist, as he tore her hand away and then entered her, a harsh 'Ah-yeee-ahhhh' sound coming from her. He could hear where Weiss got her singing skills from, as the scream was loud and pleasurable, as he drove himself into her. The dark emotions inside her blanked out into nothingness, as she held on to him.

"Jaune, ah... fuck... Cream...hahh..." Her voice uttered, as he bit down on her neck, his thrusts pressing her back against the wall, the hot shower water making it warm and pleasant, as her legs wrapped around him, the sensations enough, as he duelled with her tongue a moment later, a sensual moan coming from her mouth as she sagged in her excitement, eyes rolling back for an instant as an orgasm rolled through her body, the feeling of her clenching and twitching, as her hands brushed over him, a soft groan coming from her lips.

"I love you, Jaune..." She gasped and panted, as she pulled off him, making him realize that they'd sat down and she was pressed against him, bare breasts pressed against his chest, her eyes looking into his own. He caught sight of a Glyph in the bathroom, activated with a white glow, yet not doing anything. "Look at me, Jaune... Please..."

Her mouth kissed him once more, keeping him occupied, the feeling enough to make him twitch and twist a little, the pleasant burn inside him there, as she revelled in his presence. "You're... very important to people." The woman said, as she straightened out a little, smiling at him. "Don't you dare die on us..."

He smiled, knowing that that wouldn't happen so quickly. "I'll be there for you, whenever you need a hero."The look on Whitney's face was as warm as it could be, a soft smile on her lips, as she leaned in to kiss his nose.

"Now... Tell me about your wrestling tag team matches." There was an amusement in her voice, as he wondered what had inspired that comment. _'Did Ashley and Bianca mention those to them whilst they were at my home?'_

They must've, or Whitney wouldn't have mentioned them. _'Heh, fun times. Azure used to win a lot.'_

They were wrinkly and prune-like when they emerged from the shower, nearly an hour later, but it was worth it, in his mind. Whitney had enjoyed his little tale about the tag team wrestling championship of the Arc family, even if his mother and father had not been around to witness it.

' _I hope that they are alright...'_ You cared for your family, even if they were a little emotionally distant. They were still family... _'A family, just like how my Acolytes are… and Raven.'_

* * *

 _The first school trip (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She could see the buildings out of the window, turning her head to see Yang turning pale, something on the Scroll in her hands that was red and… more red. _'Ooh, a painting?'_

"Is… Is everything okay?" She asked her older sister, feeling worry spike in her when her sister looked up and seemed to deliberate on whether to tell the truth or not. _'You know that you can't lie to a Rose! We've got the magic puppy eyes!'_

"Y-yeah. Just some… bad stuff." It was an excuse and they both knew it. Ruby Rose wasn't a child anymore! She drank milk! Whatever Yang had seen there had rattled her, had been shocking enough to phase her a little… And Ruby didn't think that she'd like to know what that had been. She liked to keep her milk inside her body, of course.

' _It was perhaps some bloody picture of battle…'_ She could imagine that. The Arc family was a little weird, but they were professional Huntsmen. Jaune's sisters all had their different peculiarities, even with how they made their weapons. She'd seen the big weapon that Heather Arc lugged around, which looked like a flamethrower with an additional chain blade attachment, with a sword that looked like it had grooves for some sort of liquid to run along it, probably to keep the metal greased up and easily able to cut through Grimm hide.

Yang looked uneasy, as she looked at the older woman that she was sat beside. "She's got a very bad case of motion sickness, like Jaune did. They had it the worst in the family, heh." Azure commented from beside Ruby, looking a little queasy. "The next one after that is Ashley. She blew chunks when she had to be dispatched to a town, according to Bianca. Bianca can't ride a boat without getting sick though she's fine with airships and the like."

' _Ooh! They've all got some variation of it! That's interesting!'_ Yang took a deep breath, looking at the Scroll and then handing it to her. "So, you've been through some things together, haven't you?" She asked the older woman. It would be a lie to say that every member of team RWBY was not listening in, even Blake curious about the older Huntress' experiences.

Heather Arc's face tensed up a little, as she licked her lips. "Partners for nearly thirteen years. She's thirty. I'm twenty-nine." The woman's eyes were cool, as she looked at her big sister. "But only in death does our duty end."

It was a stern countenance, yet Ruby could understand it. Her mom had been willing to go out into the world to help random strangers with their Grimm problem, so she could know what it was like to be fighting for humanity's sake. _'I want to be just like my mom!'_

"The things you will be learning over the course of these few days will be about camping techniques in order to keep the Grimm from noticing your emotions as well as some other important things, aside from the mission objective." The woman smiled faintly.

"Hunting down the evil baddies that're terrorizing Vale!" The words were out, and the Arc sisters, sans the eldest, gazed at her with looks. "What? We're on a mission, right?"

"Allow her some enthusiasm, Heather." The oldest sister's voice was enough, sounding a little clearer than before, not as infantile as it had before. "She's a good girl, after all." The tone was back in the woman's voice, as she pulled off the device. "Mission parameters read and understood! Time to hurt the Grimm good!"

"We'll be at the mission site in a minute. Be ready to disembark." There was a pause that hung in the air, as Heather Arc pulled the bags out, unlocking a few of them.

"We've put some emergency caches out throughout Mountain Glenn. Each contains enough Dust to get you through a skirmish with the Grimm. I will upload the map to your Scroll." A hand on her own personal Scroll and a file was received on theirs. It was preparation that they'd done, Heather Arc's face discordant for an instant, as she checked the blipping icons on the map.

"Make sure that if you are separated from your team, you head towards one of the beacons." The woman's voice was lecturing, in the same fashion as Professor Goodwitch was. She could see Professor Goodwitch and Heather standing side-by-side, Heather fixing people with a glare whilst Goodwitch tore into them on bad posture.

"We'll try to make sure that we'll come to get you. Mountain Glenn is a dangerous place with the Grimm in its borders, but it is still survivable. With the four of us, you should not be in much danger." There was a pause, Heather's face turning darker.

"That does not mean that we will interfere in everything, girls. We will do what we must, and will not have you gallivanting around. This is not a picnic. This is a dangerous expedition, so be AWARE of what is happening." The woman's face showed anger and frustration, as she alternated her position a little.

"Yes, Miss Arc!" She chirped, Heather giving her a dirty look.

"Call me Heather." She grumbled, looking at her with that same look. "Miss Arc is my mother." The smile that tugged on Ruby's lips was there, as the oldest sister extended a hand."Here's your weapon, sweetheart. We'll get you dressed on-site, alright?" The childish attitude seemed back, as a bright and jolly smile came to the woman's face.

' _It must be nice to be able to be so happy all the time.'_ Yang looked a little disturbed, yet she always tended to be a little fussier about things! There were many more things to do than to be weirded out about people's preferences!

The sliding door opened and Jaune's youngest sister leapt out of the craft, her weapon at the ready, smashing it into one of the Beowolves that was milling around the drop site. She could see Heather give a look to Jaune's oldest sister, nodding. "Alright, I'll go first." The small nod that the oldest gave to her was permission, it seemed. The woman leapt out, looking ready to fight.

"Do carry the bags, girls." The smile on the woman's face never faltered, as the case in her hand, made from titanium and steel alloy, was quivering a little. "Let's play together!" Ruby looked at Weiss, who shrugged, the woman out of the airship in a flash with a loud 'Whee!' _._

"Alright, team RWBY! Go!" The call was made and Yang was out first, right after the Arc sister who went last, carrying with her the bag that belonged to her. Gathering Zwei in her arms, she leapt out right after her sister, landing on her feet and watching how the Arc sisters dealt with Grimm in the perimeter.

Heather Arc's weapon blazed with an arc of flames at one of the Grimm, its body carbonizing from the bluish flames that sprouted from her weapon, the pavement below scorched, yet the woman barely ruffled, as flame seemed to gulf outward like a wave.

Azure Arc's arms were in motion, swinging a singular mace that had Dust set within the slots on the side, a set of blunted edges that looked like they could crack open the earth if they hit it, a Beowolf batted away as she did, her body in motion. Comparing the rather stationary style of fighting of Heather to the strength-based style of Azure, Ruby let her gaze wander to the last Arc sister, who stood relatively calmly, as she looked at the Beowolves.

' _Oh no, they're going to pounce!'_

Crescent Rose was in motion, but the woman moved, her leg flashing up in a roundhouse kick, the Grimm shattering into smoky little fragments, whilst the woman's hands set the case down on the ground, a soft humming coming from her lips as she started to undo the locks on the case, locks that looked like they required some effort to be locked once more. Around her, the Grimm moved, yet the woman was not moving from the spot.

"She'll handle it." Yang said, her voice still slightly rattled, as her gaze kept on the woman, who had unlatched one of the locks. Her legs moved in a twist, kicking the Beowolves back, the motion being supported by her hands put down on the case, whilst she continued to unlatch the case, her feet moving when appropriate, Heather interfering as well by destroying several of the Grimm, a haze of heat blasting against her face.

As Ruby Rose saw the woman rise, the case clicked open and a weapon moved. "Got it!" The cheerful exclamation was met by a Nevermore coming from above, Heather's head raised for a moment before the woman moved.

A flash and the Nevermore separated into two different sides, as a weapon cut through it. A low whistle escaped her lips as she let her eyes feast on the weapon. Whereas simplicity seemed to be the case with Heather and Azure's weapons, the weapon that the oldest sister wielded was elegance and intricateness weaved together.

' _Amazing…'_

The long shaft of the weapon was made from extra-resilient tungsten alloy, with hardwood grip for the ease of holding it, the end having a small spike attached, to the top of the weapon, where the blade curved. At the point where the blade was attached to the weapon, there were several tanks of some sort of fluid attached, with a crystal that had been slotted into the tank, seemingly to provide more of the fluid for the weapon, the sleek weapon's head showed the clear barrel of a rifle. _'Ooh, that's a 9.1 Caliber Dust Rifle…'_

The scythe-blade that was used had grooves in the metalworking for the easier dispersal of the liquid, as the woman laid it against her shoulder, the massive curving blade dangerously close to her neck, yet held in such a casual grip that it was definitely intentional. _'That's why she keeps her hair short, probably…'_

A scythe with a rifle built into it, all up to spec and standard, probably costlier than Harbinger, or equivalent in the cost. She knew her weapons and she knew this type of weapon. A good weapon to use, according to uncle Qrow, but a deadly one.

' _Ohmigosh… IT LOOKS SO DAMN COOL!'_

"Ruby's going to be asking questions…" The commentary from her sister wasn't much to her liking, even with the woman smiling at them.

"They're gone, girls." There was more of a matured tone to the woman's voice, with a deep sigh coming from Heather as she put the weapon back on her back.

"Ohmygods, that is amazing! Did you make the scythe yourself? Is that a titanium-layered shaft with rifle attachment?" The questions came, as she spoke, holding up Crescent Rose. "This is Crescent Rose! She's my baby and she's capable of sniping a target up to a kilometre in range!"

The woman smiled, as the breeze brushed against her body, the dress fluttering softly as it was picked up by the breeze a little, showing dark underwear with some lace. "That's nice… My scythe's got a name too!"

A press of some sort of button and the blade was coated with water, flowing around it in a way that would give it more cutting power, a faint hum of internal servo's working to flow the water, yet the woman remained dry, as she swung the blade out.

"Faunus Mors. Guaranteed to kill every animal under the shattered moon."

* * *

 **Another chapter for A Grimm Tale. I've noticed that I've got some linguistic tics due to not being a native speaker of English, so I'll try to work on those. As long as you enjoy it, it'll be grand!**

 **Mountain Glenn arc a-go! This chapter dealt with the sisters of RWBY. The next chapter… Will feature the mothers in Mountain Glenn! Summer Rose and Raven Branwen! Kali Belladonna and her somewhat adopted sister Sienna Khan! The girls get a lesson in Huntsman stuff… and Qrow appears to join them! Jaune's family members return back home! Will they find out that he is alive, or not?!**

 **I hope you'll tune in for another chapter soon!**

 **Thank you for being supportive to me for this time!**

 **Leave a review if you'd like!**


	48. Motherhood

**Chapter 48: Motherhood**

 **Lots of motherly perspectives. Yeah… Team Mom is coming to Mountain Glenn. Forewarning… Cyanide Sins is not going to be kind and fluttery in this chapter. Some really graphic stuff is included. Consider this a warning, a signpost stamped with 'Beware Dragons' and such. Prepare yourself for some heavy themes.**

 **Abandon all hope ye who reads past here.**

* * *

 _Dirt and ashes(Summer Rose)_

* * *

Her feet touched the asphalt as she looked around, the dismal surroundings enough for most to grow gloomy. Dilapidated buildings loomed around her, the broken shards of glass scattered over the ground as she put her hands on her weapons, just in case Grimm decided to appear.

' _Good…'_ There was at least a modest chance of them getting to the proper spot. Her eyes checked the time, looking at the skies and mentally cataloguing the dangers that were going to be present. The intelligence on Grimm patterns and ecology in Mountain Glenn had been available for every Slayer publically, so it was not hard to let Raven pose as a member of the council, with her build and hair colour matching up well enough.

' _We're sisters through effort, so it would not be strange…_ ' The silence of Mountain Glenn was soothing to her, as she could hear the growls of the Grimm appear, pulled by her emotions. As Raven's feet shifted, Summer could feel the tension in her partner. "Masks on, Rae."She said.

They donned the masks. The cloaks were pulled loose and left to flow, as she took a deep breath, inhaling the air and feeling the rush grow inside her. A Beowolf leapt at them, her blade already in motion, carving through its hide with no difficulty at all, the body dissipating into mist soon enough, as Raven's blade lashed out, cutting through a charging Boarbatusk.

"Some excitement." She said. Raven remained silent, as she cut through another charging Beowolf, Summer's eyes catching sight of a Nevermore. "Beasties are a little agitated though…" There was some doubt showing in her voice, as she felt the burden of the Grimm coming. "We'd better take to the roofs."

She leapt up one of the lamp posts, using her legs to kick off, Raven's shape changing to the form of a raven, appearing on the roof next to her. It was a relief to be on the roofs, as she could see several of the Beowolves already gathering. "We've got to find them before the others find them."

Raven nodded. They had their desires and goals, yet the safety of their children was important to the two of them. Ruby and Yang needed to be protected, as much as they could be. _'The Mission…'_

"We should fan out in a search pattern. We don't know where they might have went or when they were dispatched, so it would stand to reason that we take the time to familiarize ourselves." She offered Raven nodding.

"I'll scout ahead. It is easier for a raven to recon everything than a Huntress." Raven disappeared into the air, her body moving with the grace of a woman whose form was now a corvid. Summer got herself comfortable on the roof, looking at the skies in search of Nevermores. Right now, those were the most pressing threats, and would need to be dealt with if they encroached on her position.

The emotional blankness that had been taught to her worked well to make her mind quieter and at ease, as she let her thoughts wander a little. The mask was worn always, as the protection that it offered to the face was more than enough for her.

The Beowolves below started to fade away, the stillness of her mind at odds with the mania on the other end of it, a low sound coming from behind her, her gaze directed towards that direction, watching as several cloaked members moved with determined strides. _'Skullies…'_

It was probably best to not interfere with them. Raven would be able to help with the fighting if she was present, yet she was currently scouting for them, so her gaze only lingered on the Calavera as they moved through the street, the long blades that they wielded enough to take care of the Grimm with.

' _This is going to suck…_ ' There were a lot of Calavera. The biggest Clan, for Vale, at least. Orphans and those who were recovered with the potential. _'The Spring Rose isn't here though…'_

That was one of the people who could make a mess of most of their operational procedures. With how the Rose worked, it would be hard for Raven to make an impact on her own, as her sponsor was listed as missing. _'I can handle the Calavera…'_

Summer knew well that she wouldn't engage now, with Raven not present. A light tapping of heels after an instant, Raven appearing once more. "There are Calavera and one team of the Rose in the direct vicinity, as far as I'm aware. No sight of the two others that came with us."

She nodded. "Let's go then, shall we?" She smiled, as she knew that it would be yet another time for them. An air transport that carried people into the depths of Mountain Glenn roared over, her eyes following it. "I guess that's our flight, Raven… Let's see whether we can get close." Her sister-from-another-mother nodded, her eyes looking almost urgent, as the craft disappeared in the distance. _'That's a bit further than expected… But we can't hurry.'_

You did never hurry when in dangerous environments. Haste wasted lives, after all… so it would be slow and steady.

She could do slow and steady.

* * *

 _The expedition (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

As she moulded herself into being once more after departing the shadows, she allowed herself a soft little sigh, knowing that the freshness of the air was a little different from the way that it'd been at the hotel. Sienna bristled a little at the attention, as her Faunus trait twitched, the ears turning a little to the sounds. "So, what now?" The woman asked, her dust whip in hand, her glinting eyes enough for him.

"We find our little pussycat, of course. We don't want to have poor Blake be all abandoned by her mother, right…" There was no urgent need in her voice yet, but the feeling of urgency did spike through her system. "And… Perhaps."

Sienna made a sound, her face looking weary. Her eyes glanced at the watch on her left arm, a recent purchase, even with her body shifting a little to accommodate her changing style, as Kali noticed as well as Sienna did that they had company.

The skull masks that they wore were uniform, the red of their cloaks fluttering in the breeze, their gaze resting solely on them. "Good… eh, morning? Hi."

Silence was the answer, as the two masked and cloaked individuals moved. "Eh, we're here on a mission, do you perhaps know where-" The raised gun from one of the cloaked individuals was enough of an indication, whilst Kali dodged to the side, the Dust bullet creating a frosty coating on the ground where it hit, behind the two of them.

"I guess it's going to be combat then…" She mumbled, as she looked at the one who hadn't used a gun, watching how a long blade appeared from a sheath that was carried below the cloak. _'Damn, don't they have something else to do?'_

It was the crunch at her left that warned her that there was danger, as a large blade cleaved through the space where she had been only a moment before, Sienna darting out of the way as she let her Dust Whip strike out, the chain wrapping around the arm of the person who'd decided to flank her. _'So it's four…'_

The silence with which they moved was like a well-oiled tool for murder, as Kali shifted herself into the shadows, travelling from one to the gun wielders back, her Katar already in her hand, stabbing from behind. The wet sound of someone getting a hard metal blade slammed into their spine was almost like the pay, off, as the blade-wielder hissed something at seeing their partner falter. "Filthy beast!"

"I do wash, darling." She said, as she pulled the blade out of the body of the woman, pushing her down, blocking the blade strike with a clinging sound of the Katar, her bodily strength inferior to the woman. Shadows wrapped around her, pulling her through the darkness again, right behind the one that was struggling with Sienna, whose body movements were agile and nimble in comparison to her own.

The woman's body twisted, a hand grabbing the front of her suit, tearing at it, the nails that had been manicured well gripping the leather, as the body shimmered faintly with some sort of Semblance. A weight seemed to rest on her back, pushing against her spine, a growl coming from her lips.

The fear spread out and the grip loosened, the weight disappearing. The kris was driven into the woman's side, the Dust on the edges igniting with an application of Aura, the stab enough to bring damage, as Sienna's whip disentangled around the arm, the woman's hand gripping her once more, the weight bringing her down.

The pain inside her was little, as the bullet flashed through her flesh, the pain allowing her to feel the sudden increase in energy inside her, a low growl coming from her lips at the sensations that she felt. As she drove the Kris in deeper, she looked at the body of the woman, whose movements stilled. _'That's it..'_

Her gaze drew to the wound on her side, the round having passed right through her in her half-ethereal state, yet had nicked some of the flesh. _'Not good…'_

Her body felt slower now that the wound was inflicted, the downed gun wielder having fired one shot at her before it was her time to perish. She felt the momentary weightlessness as the shadows wrapped around her once more and carried her along, the flesh materializing once more, the wound slowly closing up, both entry as well as exit wound starting to seal up after a moment of lingering in the shadows. _'So, I regenerate slowly in the shadows… This could be useful…'_ The darkness inside her twitched and throbbed, as her hands spread out and the shadows came alive. The feeling of power inside her swelled, as the darkness wrapped around her.

" **Time to bring a little bit of fear to you, ladies…"** Her voice was a low hiss as the shadows wrapped around the bodies of the mask-wearers, Sienna getting out of the strike range, one of the masks torn off, a woman's face that looked to be around the age of thirty-three or so, if she'd have to put a guess to the age, looking pained and contorted in a leer.

"Behemoth protocol." The woman hissed, as the other two women that still lived stiffened, the tendrils of shadow having wrapped around them, a sudden stilling of the bodies, before Kali noticed the grimace on the woman's face.

" **Sienna, get out of there!"** The Faunus woman did as she ordered, as Dust ignited and the world turned to thunder and lightning.

' _Well, this is a bad start…'_

* * *

 _A brief reprieve (Saffron d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The trip to Vytal was as graceful as it always should be, as her mind was disquiet with thoughts. With only her mother and herself to worry about things, it was enough for them to bring home the feeling of loss, as she saw Bianca standing there at the local dock. Her hair rustled in the breeze, as the massive weapon that she wielded sat at her side, her hip raised a little to support the weapon.

"Hey mom, Saff." The tone she took was sombre, as Saffron pushed her mother along, her mother's face looking weary and tired, as they started to make the trek. "Everything's been calm. No incidents, no fuss… Had a few guests."

She could spot a few of the townspeople looking at the three of them, yet her mother was more of her priority. The oldest sisters could look after her younger sister, and she kept quiet. "Fun guests?" She asked, Bianca shrugging a little.

"Resupply, Saff. They needed some new rounds, so I gave them some. Dad said that we had to provide what help we could…" The mention of their father made their mother sigh, as she shook her head. _'She's not feeling well… This is the first time that I've seen her collapse like this…_ '

"Can you… can you check with your sister whether the storage is still intact? Your father requested that…" The woman sounded tired and broken, Saffron understanding it perfectly well. She may not have the most information available about what was meant, yet she had graduated Beacon and made sure that she established herself well. It'd just be team SAB for a while… But she worked together well with her sisters.

"All things are functioning as per normal parameters." The answer came after Bianca thought for a moment. Compared to herself, Bianca had always been more apt at interpretations of her twin sister's working. The technological grid around the house had been fully integrated with the systems, even if things on occasion worked a little weird. The changing news channels had been a twitch that she'd noticed, though she didn't really mind too much.

Compared to what her mother was going through, it did not matter much to her what she thought. She just wanted to make sure that the world wouldn't be left as a mess. She loved her sisters and mother and father.

"Good. We should… We should prepare." The hollowness of her mother's voice hurt, as they walked along, the heavy pall of their dispirited mood enough to keep the silence. It hurt their mother the most to lose Cremea. _'Given that she's been there for all of us…'_

"I'll inform Ashley of the storage being needed." There was a pause, as Bianca looked at them for a moment. "How about we take the bike back?" It wasn't a bad choice. The people who had the worst motion sickness had always been her oldest sisters and Jaune, though she'd never really had much opportunity to drive anyways.

"Thanks." She mumbled, the vehicle that Ashley had crafted allowing for multiple passengers. It was a large motorcycle, able to seat four people at once, as well as having a special loading pallet for the gear that was required. It had been named HAL-300 after one of the weird algorithms that she had come up with for the defensive systems.

The engine rumbled to life as Bianca took a seat, the mechanical tone of **'User: Bianca A. Arc'** rumbling from a speaker in a mechanical tone, the bags stowed away within the compartment below. Saffron never allowed herself to go without her weapon. It was carefully hooked at her side, the expansion of the weapon allowed for with the internal gear work.

As they came to the gate that led out into the wilds, where the manor was located, she looked at the guard on the port. "Going back home, guys?" The sleazy fellow asked, her face frowning, as Bianca gave a one-fingered salute.

"Yeah, you know how it is… We're usually never home." The man laughed, as he shook his head.

"Give my regards to your firebrand of a sister. Your little brother might just have managed to ignite a flame in my heart for her." The look on the man's face was casual, as if he didn't even know how much it hurt them to hear about the death of another family member.

"I'll let her know how you feel. Well, open up, we don't have all day." Bianca's voice was snappy, as the subdued sound of her mother's emotional state started to come once more. As they rolled down the road towards the home, she could feel the tension in the air starting up.

"Not everyone's aware that Jaune passed, right?" She asked her older sister, Bianca's expression darkening, as she sighed, the news understood well enough for her. She could not know how other people felt about the world changing like this with the death of her younger brother as well as her older sister.

"It's… It's pretty tough. Some people think he just ran away, others think that they've seen him." There was a suspicion in her older sister's eyes, one that was as cynical and jaded as Heather got sometimes. "Mother… Did Father have instructions?"

"You're right, I should…" Her mother shook her head lightly, clearing the fuzz out of her mind. With how she'd been torn up by the death of Cremea, it was undoubtedly something.

"Call Ashley. Your father has asked for the second option to be prepared." The look on Bianca's face changed, as her mother couldn't see the expression she made, a bitter, angry look on her face.

"Of course, mother." The voice was as chipper, but her older sister's eyes were angry and cold, like there was something bothering her. _'She's always been like this.'_

She loved her sisters, but at times they could be so vexing to deal with.

* * *

 _What's in a name? (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

The scythe weapon slowly returned to its resting place on the woman's shoulder, Yang's eyes searching out Blake. She had stiffened, as the older woman had proudly proclaimed her weapon's name to be Faunus Mors… though she didn't really know what it meant. "You can relax, she's not going to hurt you… Are you going to hurt them, Rowe?"

Heather Arc's voice was inquiring, as the oldest woman in the vicinity smiled and shook her head. The short blonde hair moved, as the woman laughed. "Of course not, silly. It only kills bad monsters!"

' _Yeah… and we so happen to have a Faunus teammate.'_ She could feel trepidation go through her, as Heather shook her head at the answer. "Of course, Rowe… Shall we get you ready?" The oldest sister of the three nodded, Azure looking bored.

"Need a hand with getting her dressed?" The question was asked airily, as Rowan looked at Azure, the little smile turning even broader.

"I'm gonna be wearing pretty clothing! Much pretty, all the style!" The large scythe weapon moved with her excited little bounces, her eyes glinting, as the happiness of a child.

"You'd best run a perimeter, make sure that the kids aren't hurt by some wandering Grimm. We'll just be a minute." The look of the woman's face was not cheerful in the slightest, as her gaze wandered over their surroundings.

"Can't she change here?" Ruby asked, Yang looking at her little sister, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. She felt uncomfortable as well, yet the question was solid. Heather's face looked pained, as her head turned away.

"No. We need some privacy to get her… to get her into her gear." There was a silence, as Yang let her gaze go to the child-like woman, Ruby looking like she'd be about to say something.

"She always needs help to get into her outfit by Heather. It's been… a long time since we went swimming." Azure said, her voice soft. "It's just… It's just something the two of them do, don't take it personally. I don't… Well, I don't know why exactly, but…" There was a pause as Azure seemed to think about something.

"Do you really want to know the truth, girls?" Heather said, her expression grimmer than before. Yang had a bad feeling about what was going to happen, as someone cleared his throat.

"Hey kids… The party's already started, I see." The voice of her uncle came from the side, the man casually sauntering up to them, his scythe laid against his shoulder, the sword form visible.

"Uncle Qro-!"

Her own words were silenced, as someone already leapt at the man, a loud 'QROW!' coming from a voice that definitely wasn't owned by her sister, the look on her uncle's face as Rowan Arc leapt at him being one of surprise and… regret? _'What'd he have to regret?'_

The woman knocked the man to the ground, hugging him tightly. She could see the lacy underwear that the woman wore hike up slightly, as she nuzzled against the man. "What's she doing to Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, as Weiss and Blake merely watched, content to remain silent.

"Hey Ro…" The man's voice was softer than she'd heard him, laden with some sort of emotion that she hadn't heard in his voice before. She noticed something that had fallen to the ground, walking over and picking it up. A girl's doll, with bright blonde hair.

She picked it up, turning it over. _'A girl's doll… with a neat little tag sown into it…'_ The doll in her hands was made with love and care, with a mother's hand stitching it lovingly for her daughter. Her hand started to quiver as she read the initials stitched into the tag.

"What are… What are you doing here?" The surprise in the man's voice wasn't faked, as he allowed the woman to hug and hold him, still pinning him to the ground. Ruby gave her a confused look, as something pushed at her memory. _'Uncle Qrow hasn't really spoken much about his past, but his voice sounded a little uncertain back when he was speaking about mom and their bandit tribe…'_

"Guarding the little princesses! They're all here! Little Yang, Little Ruby and Blakey and Weissey!" Yang wondered whether Rowan had remembered the names of them, and was now confirming that the woman had indeed remembered them.

"I was supposed to meet with an Azure Ar- oh hell…" The man's voice sounded uncertain, as he shifted a little, uncomfortably on his back. Rowan Arc's head moved down in what seemed to be a kissing motion. Yang couldn't quite see it from the position that the woman had, straddling her uncle.

"Woah, Uncle Qrow's got the moves…" Ruby commented, Weiss merely coughing politely, as the two of them seemed to be intimate. Rowan's head was so close to Qrow's that it must be one hell of a kiss. His hand was patting her back, even as the woman didn't seem to move.

"She needs to get dressed…" Heather said, as she cleared her throat. "Ro, we've got to get you dressed…" The older sister looked up at her younger sibling, her hands pushing herself up, planted on her uncle's chest.

"Of couuurrsseee Heather!" The jovial tone was now starting to become natural for the woman, at least in Yang's mind. She felt the need inside her burst, the burning building up and making her feel like it was just another step upon the path.

"Go and find a nice place for her to change… Is she…" Her uncle looked concerned, Heather looking at him and then at her sister, who was humming softly to herself.

"She's not gotten better since my younger brother died." Her uncle's face paled, as he threw a quick look at Rowan. "She's denying that it happened, just as… Well, you know. You were there when she…" The man's face showed a rare level of anger as his head turned away.

"I… I know. I blame myself for that… Added another strap to Harbinger, just in case…" The man's voice was grimmer than before, as he sounded so tense, so worried.

"Uncle Qrow! You're here!" The man's face lost most of its tension as Ruby came up to him, yet to Yang, the little interaction between Heather Arc and her uncle held more meaning. _'Why did they talk about this as if they know each other… and why is it all so important?'_

"Hey kiddo… How's the scythe?" The man slipped into the uncle mode, as Ruby smiled brightly. Weiss and Blake took that moment to approach as well, as Heather started to lead her sister to one of the nearby houses.

"I'll join them..." She said, as her curiosity was peaked, Heather giving her a look, before Rowan did and encouragingly nodded her head.

"She can help. She's the brave princess, after all." She wasn't sure whether she should, but the words of the oldest Arc sister shut down all objections, Heather Arc nodding once.

"As you wish… Thank you for offering to help out." The genuine words of thanks seemed ill-placed, yet she knew not what the woman meant with that, as her older sister smiled, suddenly hugging her close. The smell of some leftover alcohol and some shampoo that was familiar in its scent, lingered in her nose.

' _They all use the same stuff, I reckon…'_

She held out the doll, Rowan taking it and pressing it to her chest. She could hear Uncle Qrow mumbling something to Ruby, something about a mission of sorts, but she tuned it out.

A ruined storefront was where they decided to change, Heather pulling out of her bag something that looked like folded clothes. "Could you get these untangled? We've never been great at folding the stuff…" The task was a simple one, yet she knew well that the woman seemed not to fully trust her. "Come on, sweetie… Get the dress off… Yes, up…"

She chanced a look up from the clothing, a mess of wires visible through the clothes, working into the sleeves. Tubes that seemed to be made for something, ran through the cloth, seemingly to use with a Semblance.

The massive war scythe known as Faunus Mors sat against a wall, the blade gleaming in the light that fell on it, her eyes catching sight of Heather and Rowan standing there. Heather's hands were holding the dress, as the bare back of the woman faced her.

"Ohmygosh…"

Bile rose within her throat, as she could see the marks on the woman's skin.

 _'_ _Oh… I'm going to be sick, I'm going to be sick…'_

Scar tissue formed words, carved into the flesh. **HUMAN SLAVE** , right on the scapula, carved into the flesh. **SUBHUMAN** carved on the side, a large red patch where someone had taken a burning piece of metal to the skin, and upon the woman's lower back, where some trashy women at the club had a tramp stamp, a singular wolf's head had been burnt into the skin, with three large slashes through it, seemingly carved with a knife of some sort... or claws. **White Fang** was carved into the flesh below it, scar tissue nearly fading into the pale skin.

She whimpered, as her eyes filled with tears for the woman. _'You poor, poor thing…'_ She could see words slashed into the skin on the woman's sides, crude words that dehumanized her. A shudder went through her, as the revulsion finally hit her and she threw up in a corner, too much for her sense of aesthetics.

"You've seen her…" Heather Arc's voice was solemn, silent. A hand patted her on the shoulder. "Can you… Can you not tell anyone? Azure doesn't know what those… What those monsters did to her. It was supposed to be a routine thing… I should've… I should've been there, but they broke my legs… I…" There was anger in the woman's voice, and Yang knew that she would feel such anger as well.

"They took my sister away from me... Those monsters..." A look of hate and anger came to the usually surly-faced woman's face, as she turned away. Yang thought that she could see tears in the woman's eyes, evaporating into mist as the temperature seemed to shoot up.

A sniffle came to her ears, as she turned her head to look at the one sniffling, Heather's head turned as well. Rowan had turned around, and Yang shuddered. A massive scar on her stomach, where the flesh seemed to have been cut open, scar tissue visible there around the huge scar that'd been stitched up again. A silver locket glistened around her neck, the type that was able to carry a picture, in her modest understanding of jewelry. _'Oh…'_

"I feel so sad, Heather… Why do I feel sad? Why is the little princess crying? Is… Is someone dead?" Tears were coming from the woman's face, as blue eyes looked at them with an expression of little comprehension of her fate.

"No… nobody is dead, my little water louse…" The frail tone in Heather Arc's voice, as she hugged her sister, who smiled softly, as the tears kept on coming. "Everything is going to be just fine… Remember, you were going to give Jaune a hug… and tell him about things… Right?"

' _She's lost her only brother and now… now this.'_ Yang felt for her. If something ever happened to Ruby…

She could already see Ruby looking at her with eyes that would never see the world as it was again, her body marred and scarred by hands that had been cruel, the hands that had… that would not…

"What happened to her…" She asked, Heather's face turning grim. "What could've… What could've done such a wound to the stomach? Was it a Boarbatusk?" She was deliberately avoiding the issue of the White Fang marks on the woman's back.

"I'm not going to tell you that, Yang." The woman's voice was soft, understanding. "But..." She sighed, as she let go of her sister. "Let's get you dressed, Rowe…"

The woman's clothing was easier to put on with two people there, as she pulled the pants up, a familiar mesh-woven cloth under her fingers, as the jacket was laid out, the shirt buttoned up and still giving the woman cleavage that made Yang feel somewhat envious. Standing there, she could see the inspiration behind the uniform. _'She's dressed like Uncle Qrow, but… black and red.'_

The outfit seemed to be a replica of what Qrow wore, except for the cloak attachment. A large red cloak that had embroidery on its hem was spread out, tied at the attachments and fastened, giving the woman a moment to look mature, as she grabbed the doll in and looked at the doll's face. "I'll make sure that you never hurt, pretty princess." The way that the woman spoke to the doll brought a stab to her heart, even with how the woman treated it…

' _Oh…'_ The tears came again, as she realized it.

"You've noticed it, haven't you?" The words from Heather Arc's mouth came softly. Yang nodded. It was all that she could. "You're the strongest out of your team… the most mature, ready to face the world. The Faunus has her issues, from how she's standing, the white-haired girl seems unable to measure herself…" Yang grabbed the hand of Rowan Arc, who looked at her, smiling brightly.

"And your little sister has been kept pure and innocent… We were innocent, once upon a time as well." The woman sounded mournful, as Rowan started to hum lightly. The tune, Yang recognized as one of the lullabies that she'd heard when she was younger. The red cloak's hood was raised, and blonde hair peered from under it, as blue eyes looked at her with a look that was so pure… that wouldn't comprehend the world as she did.

"And then…" The woman sighed. "You'll be making the choice, soon enough. Don't worry… Just… protect your partner." The look on Heather's face was gentle, as she hugged Rowan tightly, the woman giving a gentle smile, before something seemed to shift within those eyes, pushing Heather away.

Walking up to her, the woman seized her by the shoulders, her natural instinct to back away flaring up, as those eyes looked into hers, the woman's face close to her, those eyes staring, judging, waiting for something.

"H-hey…" She didn't know what the woman was going to do, those blue eyes locked with her own, as the woman's smell was awfully familiar for some reason.

"I-" She realized something at that moment, and that realization was noticed. _'The pictures… the blood, the…'_ She felt sick again, as her stomach warped and twisted. "Oh gods… Oh gods…"

The smile on the woman's face was almost like an afterthought, as her gaze went down and she rubbed over her stomach.

"They put a little monster in me…"

She felt sick. So felt so sick now…

She threw up again.

* * *

 _Breaking the habit (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

As he watched her go to get dressed, the pretty yellow sundress that she wore fitting her pretty good, his mood soured even further. _'So… It was like that.'_

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, her voice an octave lower than her usual high pitch. "Do you… Do you know Jaune's oldest sister?" Her voice was questioning, as the girl looked at him, a look on his face of pity, comfort and discomfort.

' _You don't know the half of it.'_ "I do." Ruby wouldn't understand. The moment when he'd seen her for the first time, just about twenty-one or something, when she'd come to him for instruction…

"She's… And I'm sorry to say this, Miss Arc, but she scares me. Her weapon's to kill… Faunus, right?" He grimaced, as he looked at the other girls that were with Ruby. Her team… and his little firecracker was off getting the really dangerous one dressed.

"Yeah…" He turned away, feeling a wave of regret hit him.

" _So, what do you wanna be when you grow up, just humour an old man." The soft tone of her laughter was like a balm to his weary soul, as she raised the scythe once more and held it to the light of the moon. A simple training scythe, weighted to get the proper balance out. Something for initiates to learn, something that the woman had been instructed to receive._

 _A smile blossomed onto her face, her golden hair flowing down her face. The dress-like uniform that she wore was somewhat of a change. He'd make sure to give her a replica of his own. She'd like that… A touch of the old Qrow himself._

" _A mom." Her voice was yearning, as her eyes looked to the horizon, in the direction of Vale. "To care for what is mine and to make sure that nothing bad will ever happen to them." She'd smiled, as he chuckled, the bottle of wine that he'd opened up for her and him to drink from still mostly filled with the liquid._

" _You're big on that, eh?" He said, as her blue eyes looked out over the sea. "Being all like my sister and Summer… You never told me what it was about." The look on her face, a mournful look, as she sighed deeply and slammed the glass back._

" _I can't, Qrow. I'm… It's so hard… it's so damn hard not to say anything… My Semblance, well…" A sad look on her face, and her eyes looked at him. "If… If I wanted to escape… Would you…"The eyes pleaded, as she looked at him. "Would you help me? Even if… Even if Ozpin asked you to hunt me down?"_

" _Now, sweetheart, the man's doing the best that he can… I'll protect you, if you need it." She'd wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head against his neck, a younger woman who wanted the comfort, yet the comfort that he could not provide._

" _The d'Arc-Night family…" Her voice was halting, as she seemed to struggle… "We're all so fucked up, Qrow. Father doesn't care about anything aside from our Mission… and…" She would have told more, yet a sleepy sound of Yang appearing behind them stopped her from continuing._

" _Hey there sweetheart… Did you have a bad dream?" To see her switch gears immediately to the mother figure that Yang needed was enough to stoke the flame in his heart, as Yang crawled onto her lap. The massive broadsword that was Aqua Mors had been set within one of the weapon racks at the side of the room. A good Huntsman never forgot where one's weapon was._

" _Yeah… 'm sleepy…" The woman's hands brushed through the girl's hair, humming a soft song._

" _She's going to be such a beauty… Such a beautiful young girl…" The lament in the woman's voice was real, as she combed his niece's hair. "Protect her, Qrow. Protect her and little Ruby…" A sleepy smile on Yang's face, as she mumbled something soft._

" _love ya, momma." The tears came from the woman's eyes, as the little girl rubbed against her. She was eight now, but that didn't mean that Yang didn't want to be pampered from time to time._

" _I love you too, little princess…" The sorrow in the woman's voice, with that tone being as gentle as any mother could give to her child. For a moment, he saw Summer sitting there with little Ruby on her lap, smiling softly as she looked at the child that she had made._

" _She's going to be a wonderful wife." A sad tone, as she stroked her hand over the girl's hair. "I've been telling her the stories of the olden days, as the Summer Rose would have… Singing to her the songs…" The words were soft, as the tears leaked from the younger woman's eyes. She scrunched her face up, shuddering for a moment._

" _Qrow… Promise me… Promise me that you'll make her enter a Combat School before she's thirteen." The urgency in her voice was there, as her eyes pleaded at him. "It's… It's okay, you're a teacher, right?" He nodded, knowing that he could pull some strings with the board, as he was a fully licensed teacher at Signal._

" _Make her and Ruby enter… I've… I've hidden the fact that she has the eyes from father. Taiyang cannot act as a father, so… It comes to you. Please, if you love your nieces… Don't let Ozpin know… Please… Not…" She started again, crying heavily, big tears dripping down her cheeks._

" _I promise, Rowe." The woman's cries were soft, as he rubbed her back. She was a fine young woman, fit and able… One of the best students that he'd ever had. Within a month, after she'd had her arms heal, she was swinging the scythe like she'd been born with it._

" _Good… And… Qrow…" She stalled, as her gaze drew down to Yang. "Make sure that she doesn't need to suffer more. She's such a sunny girl." The maternal look on the woman's face was one of those looks that he liked, yet she was clear on things at the least._

" _Of course… She won't ever be alone again. I'll be around more with Taiyang… if I can. Thanks for being there to pose as Mom Xiao-Long." The smile on her face was warm, as she gently rubbed Yang's head. The girl had nestled herself between the woman's breasts, enjoying the warmth._

" _Your friend is sick… The Rose always has thorns in people, even when they don't know it. It is in their nature to leave wounds wherever they tread." The cryptic words didn't make sense to him, yet he hummed anyways. "I wish I was here to introduce her to Jaune. My sisters won't let him be alone…"_

" _Yeah, my sister was like that too." He added, as the woman sighed deeply at that. "Not to say that she wasn't a bitch, but… I get where you're coming from." The look on her face as she lifted Yang up and carried her away was pensive, as if something was wrong in the world that she wanted to fix._

 _His gaze lingered a little on that fine ass of hers too. Truly, the woman was a treat to the eyes. Just the right amount of butt for him to enjoy, and the warmth of her personality to go with it… 'Yeah… I should ask her whether she'd like to take this a step further than just teacher and apprentice…'_

 _Thoughts that lingered, until she rejoined him and started to speak about the mission that she'd be leaving on in a month's time._

 _It was the last time that they'd had a heart-to-heart conversation._

He noticed that Ruby was tugging on his sleeve. "Huh, what?" He affected his voice with some drunkenness to make it appear as if she'd just caught him in a drunken daze, even though he hadn't drunk a single drop.

"She's scary… Can't you… make her go away? She's making Blake uncomfortable." The Faunus girl looked a little uncomfortable, as he knew that most would be uncomfortable with a weapon that translated from the old tongue to Faunus Death.

"Ruby, sometimes we've got to work together with people who aren't nice…" The look on Ruby's face turned into a straight-up copy of Summer's, as she gritted her teeth in that determined manner and that look would not shift.

"She's… she's so cheerful, so cheerful about killing people." The pain inside him stabbed again, as he looked at her. "I don't like her, even if she's Jaune's oldest sister… Heather is… tough, but I don't like…"

He felt like he should say something, the pale-haired teammate speaking up. "She does not seem… tolerant, of Faunus." Qrow wanted to laugh at the girl. To say that the woman was intolerant of Faunus was akin to saying that the water in the sea was a little salty. _'Kid, if you'd seen what I've seen...'_

"She's not that bad, really…" Azure Arc intruded on the conversation, making the girls realize that she was still there as well, the apologetic look on her face there. "She's… Heather puts it better than I can. When she…"

"You probably don't know what happened… You were like… fourteen?" It was easy to lie to kids. Tell them something else had happened, even when you were still trying to get the blood off your hands and to clean your weapon.

"Yeah…" The admission was enough, as Azure Arc sighed. "I mean, we'd had the letters of course. She sent a few, telling of you, but…" He could see that Ruby wasn't fully getting the conversation, and neither were the snow-haired Schnee and the Faunus girl.

"Yeah, that's Rowe. Always caring for you all… and she used to-" The connection flickered into place. "Oh… You go by Arc when not…" He made a motion with his hand, remembering the times when he'd talked with her about the family, when things weren't as tough.

"Yeah, I mean, Rowe's actually the heir to the name, but…" Azure sighed, as she looked up to the skies. "Sure as hell isn't going to be like that with her in this state." He could understand that.

"I'd bought her flowers for when she'd come back, y'know. Chrysanthemums, a nice bunch of red and yellows…" Azure sighed, as she shook her head. "Was waiting on the docks and…"

"Uncle Qrow… You're not answering the question… Is she bad or isn't she bad?" At this time, he felt like he should give Ruby a firm spanking for interrupting. _'It's been nearly six years…'_

"Ruby… All I can say is… She's got good reasons for being like she is." He turned his gaze away. He would not break in front of his nieces, even though the day haunted his dreams.

" _Rowe, what the fuck…" Her eyes were so empty, as she shuffled closer to him, the man that could only be her father standing a slight way's away with his hand on the Scroll, talking to someone. Her stomach bulged with a new life inside of it. A stab of betrayal, flashing inside him, as she looked up at him. Her hair was loose, left to hang there like a sheet, her face looking rather emaciated._

" _Qrow…" Her voice was soft, rasping a little, as she embraced him, the feeling of pain and hurt going through him, as her belly bumped against him. He swore that he could feel something kick, as he nearly dropped the flowers._

" _So… Are you… are you happy?" He asked, as her hand grabbed a hold of Harbinger. He noticed too late, as she brought her lips up to his ear._

" _They put a monster in me." Her voice was tiny, as she took a few steps back, placing the edge of the blade against her stomach. The pier took that moment to crack below his feet as he tried to move, his shoe stuck within the wood and then pulled free, stumbling a little as he did, his voice calling out as he saw her move._

" _ROWE, N-"_

 _The smile on her lips was terrifying, as he saw the blade's edge sink into the stomach, the blood starting to pour from the wound. A jerk to the side, and blood and fluids started to drip onto the pier. "Cut it out, Qrow… I don't want to have a Faunus baby in me…" A jerk, and something dropped onto the ground. A long…_

" _Fuck, fuck…"_

 _The curse came, as his bouquet dropped into the spreading puddle of blood, trying to pull the weapon from his former student's hands, and then…_

" _All the monsters have to die, Qrow…" A wail of a newborn child came, and then the thunk of Harbinger sliding into the wood, straight through infant flesh. A giggle came from the woman's mouth, as she'd just committed… fuck… fuck._

" _GET ME A MEDIC OVER HERE!" He called out, as he gently lowered the woman, who was losing entirely too much blood. Her father walked over, his face an emotionless mask. He just watched, as he dialled the number, unemotionally speaking about needing a medic at the pier, with a trauma surgeon kit._

" _I… It's better this way, Qrow." Her hand pulled a Scroll from her pocket, the dress gore-stained and the wound still leaking blood. A picture she snapped of the wound, and another of the small shape that she'd put into this world. "Say… goodbye to… Yang… Tell her that I couldn't bring her a prince."_

" _No! You can't die on me, silly girl! Come on, come on! WHERE IS THAT MEDIC?!" Her hands brushed over his face, staining it with red, as her head slowly lolled back. He was pulled away, as a medical team started to pull her up._

" _Huntsman-related incident?" A man asked him, as his eyes followed after her. It was her father who spoke up._

" _Self-damage, caused by battle fatigue." The medic didn't ask for more, as they carted her off towards the medical facilities on Patch to patch her up. It wasn't any sort of self-damage… It was…_

 _He looked at his weapon, still impaled within the wood. He grabbed the hilt, pulling it out and looking at the bloody chunks that'd gotten into the mechanism. "It's a type-seven Blade edge." He said to the medic, as the request for him to hand the weapon in came… and he shook his head. "She's… She's been under a lot of stress… And I've got to clean it up."_

 _You always cleaned your weapon after you'd done something bloody with it. "Sir, I-" He looked at the blade, still stained crimson on one side._

" _That's enough. My daughter is being carried away. Ensure that the clean-up is done." The emotionless tone of the father of his protégé was like a stab to the gut for him, as his daughter had done something to herself that he still couldn't quite understand. Everything felt numb, like the ground had been shattered below his feet._

" _She will live. Scarred, but that isn't an obstacle in the line of work that we work in." The emotionless delivery, the lack of any genuine caring in the man's voice, as Qrow rose from his seat at the Vale General Hospital, his eyes angry._

" _Don't you care? That is your_ _daughter_ _! She should… she should-" The look on the man's face was impassive, the man otherwise handsome, yet with the nature of the man, not a single twitch of a muscle, a stern look given._

" _Mister Branwen, relax. My daughter has done her duty. When she passes, we will remember her." The answer, seemingly to calm him down, did nothing of the sort. "I have seen anger in the eyes of others. This is not the fate that she would choose herself."_

" _By letting her get knocked up by some Faunus?" The man's face changed little, as the man's shoulders moved lightly._

" _If you wish to be technical, she was violated repeatedly and impregnated, scarred and burnt in order to send a message. It is unfortunate, yet her use has faded now." The casual dismissal was enough, as he watched the man deliver those words so casually as if it were just talking about the weather._

" _How can you SAY that? Don't you have a heart? Don't you-" He would hit the man if he could, yet the man's eyes were distant._

" _Everything I do is for Remnant. Personal feelings do not play a factor in her judgment. She should have resisted more. It is proof of her lack of skill that she would let such a thing happen to her." The man's words chilled him and when the door opened, a nurse looking at the two of them._

" _You are her family?" The nurse asked, the emotionless man nodding once._

" _I'm her… friend." Qrow added, the nurse looking at him and nodding._

" _You're allowed in… Just… don't overstress her too much. She's not dealing with things in a constructive way and I'd like you to keep an accepting nature, whilst she is recovering." The sterile room had a single bed, a bandaged woman half-laid there, her blonde hair spread over the pillows, a status chart hanging at the bed's feet. A smile was on her face as she looked at him. A smile that did not seem sad._

 _He wondered if she could remember him, through the painkillers and the haze of whatever they'd given her to stabilize her. "Hey daddy…" Her voice was child-like, the man's face not betraying a single hint of the feelings that he felt._

" _My name's Rowan now!" He felt his mind cool, as he watched the once-proud face, as the man sat down at her bedside._

" _That is not your name, daughter." The look on the face of the young woman did not change much, as she shook her head._

" _Nope! But it's better than that mouthful." The happy little smile on her lips was wonderful, as Qrow shuddered, his eyes watching, as she turned to him._

" _Daughter… To deny your name is to deny your inheritance." The shake of her head, as she started to giggle. The bandages on her body started to colour red again, as her eyes glinted. A burst of laughter, shrieking and pained, came from her lips._

" _I hate you, daddy." The words were so calmly spoken, as nurses came in, the bleeding having set off some alarm. "I really… really hate you so much…"_

" _You will come to see my point of view in due time, daughter." The man said, and the medical team rushed her out of the room, obviously to prepare her for surgery again or something._

Qrow snapped out of his daze at the sound of a gunshot, watching the Grimm come streaming to them.

 _'Fuck… That wasn't the happiest thought…'_

"Alright kids, look alive! Time to go and bring home those Huntsman credentials!" Harbinger's sword form was in reach, easily, as a Beowolf lunged, his blade hewing through the flesh without any sort of incident, the creature separating into two halves and then starting to go up in smoke, the sound of Crescent Rose like a steady rapport. _'Let's see how the kid has improved.'_

Ruby's blade cut through a Beowolf, as her spunky little white-haired Schnee partner drilled a hole through one of the Grimm. His own morose mood aside, he watched carefully as the girls cleaved through the Grimm like good kids, but not at the level where things were fully oiled and ready.

He glanced in the direction where Rowan and Yang and that sister of Rowan's were, knowing that there would be some time before Rowan would be functional. He'd kept abreast of the reports about her skills, and he knew well that the woman had recovered to be somewhat functional, the scythe that she had crafted being a masterpiece of engineering.

A glint of steel and he saw her in motion, graceful sweeps of the large scythe-blade through the Grimm that swarmed, the bold broad strikes bringing with it its own beauty, as the giggles turned manic and frenzied, her whole body added to the strikes, the ground below her moist from the scythe's condensation effect. A cloud of misty vapours hung around her, a cloud that could be tinted as red as blood with the proper targets…

"And now, the princesses are free!" The cheerful announcement hurt, as he saw nothing of the woman that he had once loved in her.

"Hey sis, mind if I give tall, scruffy and suited a go?" The question was unexpected, as he gave the armoured-up sister a look. Her face was still set in that delicate phase, the look of her eyes still innocent, like they had been during that time at the hospital.

"Survival lessons, right?" Her tone was light, as she spoke with the knowledge of what she was and held, her eyes flashing between knowledge and innocence. The spark that connected the mind of the woman had had once-upon-a-time loved to the childish nature that she shows.

"That's what he's here for…" Azure, he believed her name to be, seemed to hint at that, the connection made immediately. _'Isn't that a second-year thing?'_ He glanced at the girls, then at his nieces. Yang looked guilty, as if she'd had her hand in the cookie jar once too often… and he couldn't fault her.

The moment when he'd arrived home, he'd collapsed onto Ruby and Tai had caught him when the belt had snapped, thrashing him so badly out of some paternal instinct that'd been long-forgotten by the next morning, the feeling of abandonment, as he resolved to be there for the girls more. _'I kept my promise, Ro.'_

"Yeah, eh… I was just given the orders by Ozpin… So, second-year package?" He asked the armoured gal, who definitely was checking him out. It wasn't unusual, given that he taught teens in their formative years of puberty and the like, but to see her eyeballing him like he was a hot slice of beef on the griddle was a little… out there.

"Headmaster Ozpin has instructed that they receive the second-year survival training. It is apparently imperative that they learn how to handle such manners." He winced. _'Fuck, Raven hated that…'_

It had been awkward, odd for a few weeks when they'd gotten comfortable with each other and Taiyang FINALLY had 'fessed to Raven that he really liked her… And Summer was laughing her ass off because Raven had turned atomic red.

 _'Ah well… At least the kids'll have someone they know to bring em to the top.'_

"Giving them a show, or are we doing this one on one?" He asked, Heather's voice tired as she spoke, a laboured sigh erupting from her lips as she did.

"One on one… We'll explain some more after we're out of the open. We've stockpiled ammo and such throughout the place, with the coordinates loaded up on the Scroll." There was a blip as his Scroll beeped and he didn't pay it much mind, as his gaze looked at their surroundings, taking note of several of the Beowolves that were still coming their way. _'The girls can handle it…'_

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang's voice was less optimistic, as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Her doll was mine, right?" The question was asked, as he noticed the lack of attention given to the two of them, Harbinger's full scythe form extending, a Beowolf's paws clipped off, as he moved, the girl that hugged him untouched.

"Yes." It was one of the moments that he remembered well. A single trip with the girls to the docks, ready to send his apprentice off. It would've been so easy… He had the girls, he could've said something to her. She'd probably say yes, they'd get the ceremony done at a chapel, maybe Tai would've cheered up and…

"I didn't remember until I saw the pictures… She's…" The introspective look on his niece's face was enough, as she cleared her throat. "She's not in her right mind. I saw the marks on her body and…"

He knew the look, as he set her down. Their conversation was soft, yet the empathic look that she gave to his apprentice was real. _'You're a good girl, Yang…'_

"She's… mercurial. I…" He felt the weight of his years on his back, looking at the young women that fought, Heather Arc's weapon hosing a stream of super-heated liquid at the Grimm that came at them, Rowan's face showing a childish glee as she cut her way through the Grimm as easily as Summer would've, her red cloak fluttering in the breeze.

"She'd have been our aunt, if you'd asked." He grimaced and sighed.

"Probably. It… It doesn't get easier, knowing that she's…" He hadn't noticed her when he'd brought the kid's remains… _'Fuck… What the hell did I drink that day?'_ "Ever since she lost the kid… Gods, she must be living in hell right now."

Losing a kid was bad… But what he'd seen… Yeah, that took the cake. Something inside her had died that day at the pier, and she'd never be the woman that he'd dared to love again.

"Yeah… I feel bad for her. I can… I think I can understand why she'd hate the Faunus." He could, too.

"We've got to go." Heather Arc said, her eyes cautious, as Rowan took the lead, her cape fluttering in the breeze. He followed, Yang joining her team again, a conversation starting up, yet Yang remaining silent about the reasons.

He could see that Ruby didn't like his apprentice, that she had been spooked by how she saw the world…

' _The world's a messed up place, kid… It changes you more than you'd like.'_

* * *

 _The definition of insanity (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Her fingers ran over his cheek as she slowly pulled the shaving razor through the shaving cream covered cheek, her fingers touching where she'd been, her eyes looking lovingly at the man who she had given her all to. He was but a teenager the age of her own youngest daughter, yet she felt as if she'd known him for years.

"Thank you for doing this. Heather's always been the one to help with this, for some reason." They were already getting on in the day, as the feeling inside her welled up of peace and care, as her fingers twitched a little, the razor stroking over the skin. "Do you need to shave as well… eh… I heard that women like to do that for their men and eh... if you want me to?"

"I'm well taken care of, Jaune. For my man, I will do whatever is needed to appear my best." Her fingers stroked over his smooth skin. "Do you want me to groom your privates as well?" Her question was honest, as her fingers slid down to his chin, washing the skin with a small wet cloth to get the shaving cream off.

He blushed, which made him look even more adorable to her eyes. A smile on her lips, she leaned forward, giving him a smile. "Don't worry, I'm used to shaving."

He looked at her with an odd look. "Legs, not… that. I'd have castrated the asshole if he'd ordered me. He preferred to allow such things to be done by a professional barber... Usually a little fitter than me." She looked at him and smiled warmly. Being naked as the day that they were born certainly had some appeal, even with how he responded to her.

A woman's task, as was proper, was to support her man in whatever endeavour he would endure. A woman stood behind her man and was the guardian of the household. Kali had discussed things with her beforehand, and it had been a consensus.

Mistralian and Atlesian customs could come together to form something that resembled unity together, to make the world a better place for the people to live in. Kali would be the blade in the shadows, the guardian and assassin, whilst she would be the legal wife, the dutiful one who would guard hearth and home. "If you want…" He said, finally.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." He smiled at those words, as he straightened. Her fingers applied a dot of cream to the hair, starting to work the razor gently over the skin. "I don't mind the hair, but it does get within the teeth. Girl preference, you could call it."

His expression was amusingly startled, as he opened his mouth. "Silly, don't think too much about it. If we didn't like it, we would have said something. Now, spread the legs a little… theeeeeree…"

She finished after nearly a minute of additional scraping, making sure that he was nice and smooth. _'A man should not have too much hair below… A strong jawline, maybe some scruff…'_

It was a guilty pleasure of her as she nuzzled close, feeling the darkness inside her inch towards him with the touch. "No matter…" Her lips pressed against his own, a soft smile on his face, as she felt his arms wrap around her. "We should take a shower. We're icky and sticky." The look on his face understood perfectly the way that she was referring, as she rested her head against his body, taking in those protective hands.

She was a mother to her daughters and sole son, yet she was also a woman. The screams from the neighbouring room were loud, yet they hardly bothered with that as they entered the bathroom, the feeling of tension inside her slowly fading, as she turned the knob to let the hot water pour from the showerhead.

The tension that she barely knew she had gone through her body at the sensations that walked over her spine, her eyes looking back at him, the pale skin and the even paler fake arm that held the darkness within it. "Come and get me, 'Huntsman'. I'm the evil Grimm Queen who needs your manly spear to stab her repeatedly…"

"Amusing." He smacked her ass, a quiver going through her body at the sensation, as a low moan came from her lips, her head turning back, as his hand seized her hair. "An evil Grimm queen with a nefarious plot." A tender groan, as her head was jerked back. Her legs quivered some more, as he pulled her head back, an arm sliding around her. He was against her and she froze, his lips against her neck.

"Ach du…" Her voice slipped into the lower Atlesian tones, her earlobe seized by his lips. She was aroused, her nipples peaked. "Tu es schon, du feigling." He growled in her ear and bit down. A shudder, as her hips wiggled and felt him. "Fick mich." A plea, as his nostrils blew hot breath over her ear.

"I don't know what you just said, but I'm going to stab you with my spear." He sounded amused, as he pushed her into the shower. The heating water hit her and she shrieked at the sensation of coolness, as he joined her a moment later, pressing her against the wall, her eyes looking at him. His hair was as white as her own, those eyes burning with that red colour, one eye almost purple in colour as it looked into her own.

"Then stab me, 'hero'."Her voice tried to go for the villainous women in the cartoons that she'd witnessed, but failed as he looked down at her, her hands pinned above her head. Her gaze went down and her tongue licked over it. "I see no stabbing going on…"

A hand fell over her mouth, one hand holding her wrists pinned. She could've wrenched herself free, yet she allowed it. "Evil villains such as you don't need to have such pleasures, snow empress!" The heroic impression was adorable, as she smiled.

"Hmmhmmffff!" She play-mumbled against his hand, as her knee brushed over his thigh. "Mmmf Nnnn Gmmmfff Snnnhnnn!" Nonsense, for most, yet her knee brushed up and down, her tongue licking his palm, as her eyes locked with his own, his mouth pressing against her neck and biting down.

"A punishment." He tickled her with his tongue on a sensitive spot, as she started to involuntarily convulse in laughter, the bite done, as the hand removed itself. "Are you okay?" He inquired.

"Ticklish, mister Hero… This won't be forgotten!" A smile on her face and one on his own, with enough of that sensation burning between her legs that it was almost like a flame.

"I'll make sure that it won't be forgotten, Whitney." The way that he spoke her name set her thoughts aflame once more with desire, her fingers wrapping around his shoulders and pulling herself up on him, legs wrapping around his waist. She felt her back press against the slick wall, as her lips pressed to his neck.

"Fuck me like you want to break me, Meister." The word for master slipped out, the earlier Atlesian enough to spur on such a term. It felt… suitable. He was her superior, he was her lover… he was the man who made her feel like she was just Whitney Schnee, a woman with three children, a woman who loved a younger man who made her happy.

He slipped on a condom first, before he embraced her, letting her feel the pleasure spike inside her as he took his liberty with her womanhood.

This was _great._

* * *

 _Searching for shelter (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She looked at the wound that'd healed up swiftly, checking the hole in her suit for damage after the bodies had been tossed away off the streets. If more of those lunatics were here, there'd be less chance that they'd be able to trace the trail of blood... provided there was much left of that after that explosion.

Sienna was hardly someone who complained, yet even she stitched her wounded leg back up dutifully, as the damage had already been done. Their Aura could still break, even with Sienna's experience at the art of war, and the damage that they took was real. _'We're in really deep shit now...'_

The fact that four murder-happy morons with a grudge against the Faunus were here was a bad sign. This wouldn't just be a mission where they'd get to keep an eye on the kids... This would be something else altogether.

Her eyes glinted with malicious intent, as she recalled the moment when she'd plucked Sienna out of the danger zone, her own body pierced by some shards. The wounds took some time to heal up, even with the darkness soothing the pain inside the two of them. It fortified them and took their pain to make something even greater happen... Just like Jaune did, when he was around them. The pain inside her slowly burnt into a greater fear...

One of Sienna's Grimm looked at her, her gaze at it making its head avert itself, the grin on her face enough, as Sienna hissed as the stitching seemed to go wrong. "Let me try something..."

Her fingers, coating themselves in shadows, moved over to the woman's leg, touching it. "Cold, damn..." Sienna mumbled, as Kali pushed the leg into the darkness, manipulating it. Within the darkness, she felt the pain and radiating heat of the leg, as the connection between Sienna and the leg remained. _'Away with those little things...'_

The darkness inside her slowly drained, even with the pain starting to fade for Sienna. Stitch after stitch popped out, as the flesh mended itself. Around them, the shadows seemed to grow thinner, her inner mind speaking to her about waste, yet she was not going to stop with her friend... Her accomplice.

"How does it feel now?" She asked, as Sienna's leg was pulled out. Only a faint trace of the scar was left behind, slowly fading away into pristine skin once more. One of the tattoos that'd been hit had faded in a line around it, a symbol that looked a touch odd. "Want me to reshape the tattoo?" Her eyes met Sienna's, who shook her head.

"I can do that by myself." A finger drew over the flesh, a black strip coating the skin, following along the line, a newer mark visible on the skin, pulsating with the darkness. "They will pay for this..."

"They might..." Kali said, neutrally. Internally, she felt like tearing out some spines, to let them feel the fear that she'd felt before and still felt... But it was now a moment of peace. The Grimm would be enough to keep those lunatics at a distance.

"Do you think there's going to be a chance for us to get to scout the city?" Kali looked at Sienna, who seemed to look away into the distance.

"Probably. You should use your... shadow thingy." Sienna said, her face still looking away, her eyes trying to find the proper focus or something, as a shadowy spectre of herself popped out in front of Kali. **"Like this?"** The copy's warped voice was enough to send a shudder of fear through Sienna, the effect on her visible.

"Yes... Can you use it to scout?" The question was logical and Kali sent her consciousness into the shade, getting a dual perspective of Sienna from both sides, the shadow feeling like her own body as it slipped into the darkness.

A web of shadow appeared to her mind, the streets around her in a circle showing clearly, as the sunlight streamed down upon the ruined city, the shadows barely visible, the transfer of her mind and shadow-like clone towards a spot where the shadows were thicker, forming into being once more in the shadows.

Her gaze rested upon the two women who wore masks and long white cloaks, embroidered with the symbol of a rose, the crest of the Rose family, the masks allowing no sign of the identity of the women to be seen, yet their blades said enough about them. Their gazes were primed and their bodies were ready as they hewed their way through a small Beowolf pack, her gaze drawn to another spot, spotting a lone Beowolf pushing through the city, the wrecks of the cars left behind like mere cardboard boxes to the creature. _'Mindless... without guidance.'_

The feeling that there was something that she was missing was there, even with how the world seemed to have shifted on its axis. She returned to her body immediately, the feeling dissipating after an instant. "We're relatively free... So I think we can travel." The way outside was free of Grimm and the strange huntsmen who wore the masks and cloaks, so it would not impede their trip.

"Hide amongst the shadows before traversing the city... Yeah, I think I can wing that." Sienna definitely could, their own feelings towards the Grimm and the people who seemed to populate these abandoned ruins not interfering, the natural sense for emotions that they all shared being enough to discern a certain level of status.

"Let's make sure that we guard everyone and get away, alright?" She cautioned, as Sienna grinned, growing in confidence, one of the panther-like Grimm nuzzling its head against her face.

"I've got these sweethearts... There's not much that can take the Khan down." The Grimm gave an almost mocking purr, the vocal chords making an odd crooning sound as it did so, Kali spotting the gaze that it gave her, a gaze that was just begging to be let loose to vent its unbridled rage.

"Very nice... You've got pussies to throw at hunky boys..." Sienna's face darkened.

"Don't put it like that, you know I'm..." Kali knew what she was going to say. Sienna would rile you up and deny she'd ever done so in public, yet the younger woman was very traditional in her manners.

"Yes, yes... A lady of proper standing." The way that Sienna had introduced it herself to her official introduction had been amusing, as Ghira fought to suppress the smile as a beat-up and bloodied Sienna Khan introduced herself upon a pile of fellow bodyguards.

"We should get moving... There's Grimm out there too." There was some urgency, as Kali nodded.

"Let us stalk through the shadows then, Sienna."

And they were off, leaving only the bodies and fragments behind for others to find. The Grimm that Sienna created ambled around a little before spreading out, emerging from the ruined facade and loping after them... an escort that they would scarcely need yet was appreciated.

* * *

 _The tension builds (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Ember Cecilia chambered another round as she pulled her fist back, watching the remnants of the Ursa scatter, her little sister's scythe cutting through another charging Beowolf. She had seen the look on uncle Qrow's face when he'd spoken with the Arcs, a look of being lost, of being helpless... and she had put the keys together to unlock the puzzle box a little more.

The questions of the counsellors of Beacon had been enough to instil in her those faint memories of the past. A single picture of two happy girls standing there at a kitchen table, making chocolate chip cookies that nearly were as great as Summer's, a proud-looking Rowan Arc standing there behind them, someone else holding the Scroll as she smiled, and the happy sensations that came with the fond remembrance.

The doll was the final key in the lock. She remembered that day only faintly, being only eight at the time.

" _Do you have to go?" The hopeful tone in her voice hadn't been the big girl image that she'd wanted to show to her idol, the woman smiling gently as she knelt._

" _I've got to, pretty little princess... Duty calls..." The smile on her face was sad, and she'd said so to the woman. The woman looked away, her fingers brushing through her long blonde hair, the long red cloak around her shoulders rustling in the breeze of the sea._

" _I'll... I'll be back though. I'll..." The woman paused for a moment, looking forlornly out over the sea. "I'll bring you your prince, just as I promised... A prince who'll know how to dance, who knows etiquette... We can all live together, somewhere far, far away..." The sadness in those eyes, as the woman took a deep sigh._

" _Away from all of this misery..." A grimace of pain on the woman's face... that disappeared like melting snow in a heated furnace. "But you're going to grow up and be a beauty, Yang. And when you meet him, you're going to fall in love... He's such a sweet, sweet boy..." A smile that was warm and fond was on her face, as she pulled both Yang and Ruby into a hug. Yang hugged her just a little harder than Ruby did, the woman smiling softly._

" _Become a good Huntress, Yang... Protect your little sister." She smelled the shampoo and the faint odour of the woman's body wash, the smell familiar._

 _She stood up again, her uncle looking a little uncomfortable as he seemed to have no place where to put his hands, awkwardly straightening out a bit before coming to a loose stance. "You're so silly, Qrow." The smile on Rowan Arc's face was bright and warm, as she hugged her uncle just a little longer than she'd hugged them. She'd felt a pang of jealousy, yet the look on his face was more than enough. Her uncle didn't want to see her go._

" _I'll be back, Yang, Ruby... Just a few years in which I'm getting to become even stronger, even better..." The hope in those eyes was one of the things that she'd never quite lose, as she'd thrown herself into training._

Now, the woman was a mess. No sign of the warmth of their younger years was there, only a childish view of the world, good, bad and not dead yet... as far as she'd gleaned from Heather Arc's words.

" _And now, you're going to listen, little missy..."The look on Heather Arc's face was strict and she'd feel the heat increase around her. "Breathe a word of what happened to my sister to anyone and I'll make you wish that you'd been born in a barbecue..."_

 _The threat was not convincing, yet she felt the warmth shoot up. She could understand, she'd not want that to happen to herself. Rowan smiled at her, as she tilted her head to the side. "Don't be silly, Heather. She's going to be a part of the family soon enough..." The tone was childish, yet the words were more sophisticated than the tone she'd spoken them at._

" _But..." Heather stalled, as her gaze went to Rowan, not quite comprehending why she'd said that. Yang didn't either, the woman's eyes looking into her eyes._

" _She's family soon, Heather... She's the little princess who wants her prince." The childish tone spoke as if it were so simple to the world, and her mind wondered what it would be like to marry Jaune. She gave it some thought and chuckled. That'd be as likely as her mom suddenly deciding that she'd want to be a part of her life once again._

" _See? She laughs!" The way that Rowan said it made her laugh a little harder, as she looked at the woman, decked out in her outfit with the big scythe laid against her neck in a dangerous position._

" _It's about... seven hours until it's nine, Rowe..." Heather consulted her watch, Yang giving the woman a quizzical look. "Don't worry, you'll see..." The words were solemn, as the woman's face turned grim, her gaze directed to Rowan._

" _She's a good girl! Not like the evil monsters! Those animals are bad, bad!" A stab of the scythe was made, even with the woman changing her position slightly, looking at her. "She's family, Fire bug... She's going to be a princess!" The conviction with which the woman spoke seemed to calm Heather Arc down, as a frown replaced that serious look._

" _Don't breathe a word of it to Azure. She knows a little but not enough... Family matters are always kept close to the chest, in the case of... accidents." Yang could imagine that. Jaune dying, the oldest sister treated like that... It would be enough for people to spin a whole thread of yarn about insane Huntsman standards..._

" _I'll never hurt little Yang... No, no, no... Never. They're little angels!" Yang smiled, feeling a flash of confidence fill her. The woman might have lost her wits... but she was still thinking about them._

As she slammed one of the Grimm to the ground, she looked at the other members of her team whilst the bracers slid back to the default guarding position. Blake's movements were mechanical and with the grace and elegance imbued with her Faunus heritage, slicing through a Beowolf's neck with a single swipe of her weapon.

Weiss was poking an Ursa with her rapier, a flare-up of earth dust and the rock growth suddenly bursting from within the creature, leading to its demise, her lithe body in motion, as Ruby delivered a finishing blow to one of the charging Ursa, the Grimm attacking them in force.

"Ooh!" Ruby's gaze went to an elephantine Grimm, plodding along in the distance. "Let me see if I can kill that one!" Heather Arc stepped in front of her sister, her face serious.

"Those are Goliaths... Grimm old enough to know better that charging at a Kingdom is tantamount to suicide. They're massing around each kingdom, trying to probe our defences, searching for some way to enter and cause the most devastation that they can." Heather's eyes were cool, her gaze following the plodding steps of the creature. "Seeing one alone usually means that there are lesser Grimm waiting around for their chance to make the world more miserable for us. We'll avoid it."

She could see the reason for that. There was no reason for fighting when they didn't have to. "I can take it down, if you want?" Rowan Arc said, her voice soft, her gaze directed to the creature of Grimm as it continued onwards. "It is weak with its left foreleg. Unbalances easily, easy prey afterwards."

"Let it pass... it's not going to harm us, it knows better." Uncle Qrow said, looking at the distance as he put Harbinger back, the look of his eyes a little tenser, as he let his gaze linger on Rowan Arc for a moment. _'He still cares for her...'_

It was endearing, but she knew her uncle well enough to guess at his moods. The sadness that he'd showed had been a clear sign to her that he'd already given up. _'I feel bad for her...'_

She'd never tell Ruby about the scars on the woman's body if she could help it. Ruby deserved to be innocent for a little while longer, her eyes unclouded by the dark clouds that hung over the world. She would need to be protected so as not to grow into a jaded and horrible young woman, whose body was used to the feeling of pain and the lack of sanity. She could see in Rowan Arc an older Ruby Rose, if the world had been torn away from under her...

' _She didn't want to be that way... She never had a choice.'_

The door of a building was opened up with a simple twist of the doorknob, the interior still as it was, as the Grimm were dealt with. "Get in here. This is where one of the first caches was stored. We've decided to spread out enough to make sure that there would be a stockpile of ammunition in most of the districts of the city part." Heather Arc's voice was tense, as the woman strode into the building.

Pain was just weakness leaving the body, or so uncle Qrow had said once upon a time before scoffing.

* * *

 _The purpose (Heather Arc)_

* * *

As the girls filtered into the shelter that they'd made whilst they were last here, her eyes glanced at each of them. Her sister was on guard, her former acquaintance standing there with a look on his face that was enough to show that he was affected by her. "Go and be with your nieces, Mister Branwen." She said, as he looked at her with a troubled expression on his face. "They'll want you to be there for them... For as much as you can be."

The survival training was something that was mandatory for second years and above. It would be paramount to ensuring survival in the field, with how the world was at this moment. Being comfortable around your friends and partners, ensuring that the positive emotions outweighed the negatives, so as to not draw in the Grimm for an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Thanks for... caring for her." He said, his voice sounding forlorn, as his eyes looked at her big sister, the little smile on her lips speaking volumes to her. "It's... tough."

"Yeah... The kids don't know what it's like... Sometimes though..." She remembered the wonder in her sister's eyes when she'd first held the cloak of her station, as she'd held it out, smiling brightly.

"Yeah... I'd have married her if I could." He mumbled, Heather sighing to herself at the thought. She'd have to lose her partner to someone else then... someone who didn't know what they went through whenever they went on a mission. "Don't you ever want to..."

"Marriage? No. I've got other priorities." The night was coming...

"Does she... remember?" He asked her, as Rowan passed him by, humming a little nursery rhyme called 'The dangerous Huntress', one of the few that they'd all grown up with.

"Fragments, during the day." Discomfort went through her as she realized that the man had no idea... and she'd have to enlighten him. "During the night..."

"Freak-out?" She nodded. It wasn't exactly something that could be easily described in words, yet the man deserved to know what he was working with, professionally. They'd all learned how to deal with her older sister.

"She sings." Pain flashed through her at the memory. Every night, the same song. Every night and every morning, the song of loss and pain. It was not a song that filled anyone with cheer. _'When we tried...'_

"Her pills are enough to keep her contained and not... freak." To say that it'd be a bloodbath would be to state it lightly. "One every morning and the antidote every evening, so she can sleep a few hours." The look on his face, as he glanced at the insides of the shelter that they'd made in an abandoned store. Grimm still depended mostly on their sense of sight and hearing, aside from their emotional detection.

"That's... good." The man said, morosely. "Say... Was Jaune Arc..."

She nodded. "My little brother, yes." The face of her little brother flashed before her eyes, blue eyes so bright as he stood at her bedside, unknowing of the atrocity that had been done to his soul. Her broken legs had been wrapped and set properly by one of the medical specialists, yet they had not used anaesthetics. _"Heather, Heather! Is it true that you fell?"_ " _The stairs were a little tricky... Don't worry, I'll be up again soon."_

"Shit... She's in denial, isn't she?" The small nod, as her gaze hardened. She would not cry. Her eyes would remain dry and her mind would not dwell on such sadness.

"She thinks he's still alive and has been eager to see him again. You know how she gets when she cares..." The man nodded, sighing deeply.

It was a grave moment to him, as his eyes glinted with unshed tears. The man must be imagining what it'd be like. "Must be horrible... I wouldn't know what I'd do if I lost one of my nieces." The girl called Yang could look out for herself, yet her younger sister was the one who'd rush in without thinking of the consequences. Everything in the girl's actions showed the impetuousness of youth.

"If it came down to it..." Heather said, knowing that what she was to ask the man would be considered near-heresy in the circles that she ran, knowing that the man could easily tell the Grandmaster about things. "And I..." She swallowed, looking at the man. "Pass... Please, make sure that she'll be cared for. Even if Professor Ozpin asks... You don't know where she is."

Pleading an outsider for help was usually not done, but for her big sister... No sacrifice would be too great. "Is she..." The man asked, his face serious. There was an expression on his face that was serious, as one of the girls said – "Uncle Qrow! Come on!" – to which the man merely made a dismissive motion and shouted back a – "Just a minute, I'm talking about important stuff!" – before he looked at her. "Against Ozpin?"

Heather looked away. "I can't speak of it." The vow that they had made prevented them. It was binding, as she'd said before. Her older sister could get away with it, due to her status... But to others... "But she finds him ill pleasing."

"I'm sure that the man could-" Heather hissed. The flash of the man's face as he looked at her younger brother, whose face was twisted in pain. The feeling of her own fury, as she realized what had been done to her sister. She'd been... scattered. The missions were tough to accomplish on her own, even as she saw her sister only once a year.

"He won't. That man... He would use her as his weapon..." She said with heat in her voice, as her eyes looked into the home. "She's... She's one of the best Huntsmen alive. I don't joke about that... She could slaughter half of Beacon before she was stopped. Her... Well, you've spent time around her, so you probably know of her Semblance."

He nodded, which confirmed that he did. That made things easier. "We're... special. You know the cloaks... There's a reason for that, I can't go into that." The blood and the pure, the mask to serve Remnant...

' _The Rose pricks, the d'Arc-Night silences and the Calavera gathers the spirit...'_

"Like... Specialists?" He asked, to which she shook.

"Better. Just... Treat us like the Summer Rose is treated..." A grimace on his face. He had been on a team with the Summer Rose. One of the paragons, a merciless slayer. She had instructed her older sister at their father's behest and had aided her in the creation of Rowe's Aqua Mors, a greatsword with two ice Dust pumps, able to work in concert with her Semblance.

"Alright..." He said, his face growing more serious. "Ruby doesn't remember her, though Yang does. I'd like it if... If we could keep that link a secret." Heather shrugged, helplessly.

"When Sunny is out, she doesn't want to accept reality... She gets worse when the night falls. She freaks _._ And when the sun rises... She sings the dirge." He winced, as he looked away.

"Suicidal?" Heather thought about it for a moment before she sighed.

"Seeking an end to the pain inside her... She won't hurt you or your nieces... She's... she's sweet about those she thinks of as family and..." The first few days had been rough on her. She hadn't understood where her sister had went, as the bandages around the stomach had not been cleared away. The look in those eyes as comprehension had been fragile and unfeeling. _"You will be her partner, Heather. It is what the Grandmaster has ordered, given the circumstances. You will not fail in your task. Even as she is, she is still a lethal blade against those who threaten Remnant."_

"If you ever loved her... Please... Don't shatter Rowan too. Let her... Let her live an innocent life. She's just a girl now..." It hurt to say it. She knew it well enough, as did others.

Her sister was broken... and there wasn't some magical cure to fix that.

* * *

 _The statement due (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

The mission update registered on her Scroll a moment later, as she glanced at the details of the mission that team RWBY had been assigned to. The special notice on the status of two of the members immediately sprang out to her well-trained eyes.

' _Sectioned... and a criminal record...'_ The picture of the oldest woman was one which had been updated fairly recently, and her finger tapped onto the picture, linking her with the database. A mission record appeared before her eyes, as she looked at the completed missions...

' _That's a lot of...'_ The missions that these two Huntresses had gone on mostly involved cullings and purges of resistance around the city of Vale. Through her access as the deputy to Ozpin, she'd get the records, but there were signs...

' _Oh... no.'_ The blood drained from her face as she compared the picture to another, the manic look on the woman's face. _'That's going to be the end of Miss Belladonna if that woman discovers her Faunus heritage.'_

She got up, striding towards the door of her office and pushing it open, with a hurried tread to her step, her eyes glancing at several of the students that had not left just yet. Her gaze caught Mister Winchester and his girlfriend lounging on one of the seats, the Faunus girl resting against him in a manner that was provocative, the short shirt that she wore outlining her womanly curves more, as the young man gave her a look, a faint smile on his lips as his girlfriend said something amusing.

The button was pressed, as the elevator slowly came down, allowing her to ascend. Entering the Headmaster's office, the man himself sat behind the desk with a look of quiet contemplation on his face, as if something had been added to the list. A map of Mountain Glenn was up on the screen of the holographic display, her eyes picking out small dots that had been given a signal beacon.

"Headmaster, about the assignment of..." She started, as he held up a hand, motioning for her silence. His eyes looked at the map still, before putting his finger onto one spot.

"Yes, Glynda?" The man's voice was level, his eyes looking at the map still, making sure that the dots remained where they were.

"I have to question your reasoning for sending the oldest Arc sisters to the mission for team RWBY, Sir." She would not relent on this. That monstrous woman should have been institutionalized with that amount of confirmed kills to her name. Her own hands had not been left unstained, yet she had only a count in the double digits...

"For rooting out evil like the White Fang, a simple team is not sufficient for the mission." The answer came from the man's mouth so casually as if he were discussing the weather. "A specialist may be what is needed..."

"But sir! I fear for the health of team RWBY. They are-" The man held up his hand, his head turning to her.

"For some missions, you require the best. Qrow is there to offer a stabilizing force. She is the blade that cuts out the cancer in the night... No matter what. Arrests can fail. People can escape custody..." A look of what might be regret came to his face, as he looked at the map, sliding a small panel on the desktop to the side.

"Sometimes, a mission requires an angel of death... An executioner who has proven themselves to be fit for nothing but murder." The man's voice sounded so tired, as if the weight of years had come to lay upon his shoulders. "She is one of the best of the special Huntsmen that I keep in reserve... twisted and broken, she will still follow the commands of her father. Even the maddest dog cannot escape their leash."

"Mister Arc, right?" The face of a man whose smile seemed to be warm, yet whose eyes held shrouded shadows. "A new teacher, for the faculty... I recall something..."

"Indeed. The young woman has suffered tragedy in her life, yet she has risen. Young mister Arc, our first casualty this year, had similar qualities... But alas..." The face of the young man who has been a fool in her classes, whose clumsy strikes had never amounted to much. Hope and fading dreams, wrought together in a body that laid rotting somewhere, with only a shield retrieved...

' _It must be horrible for the woman.'_ "I would not use her if I had any other options. The White Fang is a threat to national security, even if the Council thinks little of it." The man's words could be trusted, she felt. She felt the desire to do as he wished, as she smiled.

"What..." The hand rose, and the fingers snapped once.

' _What was I doing...'_ She wondered, as she found herself half-bent over the desk of the Headmaster, his hand against the base of her neck. "And there, we can see the additional forces build up... You were right to come to me with your worries, Glynda." The man's voice filtered in her ears as she looked at the map of Mountain Glenn, several of the hotspots blinking in the surroundings.

"I've sent some of my associates to the area... Rest assured, nothing will happen to team RWBY. Everyone is perfectly safe... As safe as they can be." He let go of her, her skin feeling slick with sweat as he did, her clothes soaked in it as if she'd been vigorously exercising. "And remember... Nothing is wrong. Everything is under control... and if you spot anything out of the ordinary, you will tell me first... Right Glynda?"

The way that he spoke to her called to her the memories of the time in the orphanage, when she'd been scared and alone, his guidance enough to pull her from the mire. It was warm and comforting, as she smiled. "Of course, Headmaster." She straightened, adjusting her cloak a little. Her leggings clung to her legs, the feeling of tension in her lower back enough, as he nodded.

"Do not worry... Everything will be fine. How about you have a nice cup of tea... something good to drink might soothe your worries. You've been doing this for years, Glynda... Have some faith in me." She nodded in understanding. _'Yes... I should trust him... Everything will be fine, after all...'_

She noticed that it had been an hour since she'd left for the Headmaster's office, knowing that there'd be some work to file in a short while, her gaze drawn to the elevator, as she tightened her blouse just a bit. "Have a good day, Headmaster."

The man did not acknowledge her, as he continued to work with the map.

She'd have to see about getting some nice tea... Yes, that would be a great idea.

* * *

 _The reaper of red (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She didn't like this one bit. This was a mission! It was supposed to be exciting, not having her be saddled with someone who was currently playing with a doll. She wasn't prejudiced against those with odd tastes and hobbies, but this... this was not good!

"Do you think she's..." Weiss started, her eyes looking at Jaune's oldest sister, who was busy with her playing. The doll that she'd been caressing lovingly was one of those dolls that you'd get made for you by your mother. Her sister was quiet, contrary to her usual attitude. _'I wonder what's up with her... she'd have said something by now...'_

"Uncle Qrow trusts her..." Ruby said, though she wondered why. He was an old man and Rowan Arc was... not that old yet. She was a little creepy and a bit spooky with her evil scythe and her statements... but...

"Do you think he likes her?" She asked, Yang wincing. _'She knows more than she tells.'_ It was something borne from the contact that she had with her sister, as she looked away from the woman.

"She used to care for us for... I don't know, two months? Three?" A pause, as Yang looked conflicted. "She and Uncle Qrow used to play Mom and Dad whilst Dad was... not fit." The look in her sister's eyes was sad, and Ruby wondered how it'd felt back at that time.

"Has your father been... out of sorts? I understand if it is a rude question, but..." Weiss asked, Ruby smiling at her bestie. Her bestie knew best, after all!

"He shut down when Summer passed... It took him until we were... eleven-ish, twelve? Yeah, make it twelve..." The pitying looks that Blake and Weiss gave them was enough to make her feel riled up, as Ruby looked at the woman playing with the doll, the innocent smile on her lips still there, unknowing of the horrible icky things that she said.

"I don't like her..." Ruby said, Yang sighing deeply, as her gaze went to Ruby once more.

"She kept us from being taken away by the services..." Yang said, as she looked sad. "The laws are pretty strict... If you can't care for your children, you're deemed unfit... I've had to say that dad wasn't feeling too great many times. Uncle Qrow pretended to be Ruby's father, and well..." Ruby could see the hurt in Yang's eyes, feeling a stab of pity inside her. "And... For what it's worth, the cookbook was really good. She taught me to cook." The small smile on her face, as the woman looked up.

"You're a good princess, Yang. The sweetest little blonde girl under the sun." The doll in the woman's hand was stroked over with a finger, yet the stare that the woman gave to Yang was creepy...

 _'I don't like that...'_

"Alright, kids... After having a few words with Heather just now, it's time to give you the official details. The first day is just about getting the kinks out. We're here to investigate some parts of town, make a conclusion, and see whether we can get out of here again with no fuss." Uncle Qrow spoke, his voice sober. She had noticed that he hadn't drank once in her sight... perhaps out of some sort of preparation of sorts?

"We're here to teach you how to be good Huntresses. The second day will involve you getting survival training and maintaining morale during a mission outside of a settlement, in order not to get Grimm chomping at your bits." The woman's way of phrasing was a little off, yet there was a certain order to things, it seemed. "And on day three... yeah, we'll be seeing whether we can get extraction for day five. It's more of a toss-up about what we find. We're well-equipped for most cases and every single Huntsman here... well, save my little sister Azure, has completed emergency medical triage training... So we're good if you get a little boo-boo."

"I was going to get it anyways, sis." The woman mumbled, shaking her head. That she was nineteen, going on twenty, was not a deterrent for her full Huntsman-class status. Her motions were practised and honed, her skill with every step that she took real.

Ruby could imagine herself four years in the future! A kick-ass improvement on Crescent Rose, with a hyper-scope and perhaps a new form that'd work in the internal gears and the extra thrust that can be used to get a grip on the gravitational forces.

"Alright... So... Let's go, shall we? Everyone stocked up on new ammo?" Heather Arc asked, and Ruby checked the magazines that'd been neatly stacked in one of the corners below a lot of debris. It seemed that they'd done well to hide it, and the Fire Dust rounds that she'd put into Crescent Rose would be better now with these slightly higher-grade rounds... She couldn't afford the really pricy stuff, but this... this was great.

"Yes, Miss Arc!" She said, as the team leader, Heather Arc giving her a look.

"Alright... Let's be off." The woman didn't mince words.

As the sun started to sink in the distance, they stopped at a dilapidated building, Heather Arc looking up at it for a moment, as Weiss finished off one of the Grimm with her Myrtenaster, the blade piercing through its armour plating, even with the woman looking a little put out.

Ruby Rose would not admit it easily, yet Rowan Arc's skill in the art of Scythe wielding was something that caused an envious feeling to sprout up within her heart. The woman might just be a bit touched in the head, yet the way that she sliced through an Ursa as if it were merely a shadow was something of an art form. Uncle Qrow couldn't do it with that amount of fluidity, the water that surged around the blade easily letting it separate the Grimm's body into pieces, the woman's style focusing on agile movements with bursts of savage death...

"We stop here for the night. It's nearly six-thirty..." The woman checked her clock, Azure Arc looking a little irritated, as her eyes watched the surroundings for a while before nodding. "Come, Ro. Let's get dinner ready for the children, shall we?"

The woman smiled broadly at her younger sister, nodding. "I'm going to cook something really nice! They'll love it!" Heather patted the woman's shoulder, a look on her face that showed a tender feeling, compared to the usual frown that she wore.

"Yeah..." Rowan hummed a little tune as she entered the building first, her steps light and with little sound to them, Ruby glancing at Weiss, who shrugged. It was not important what they ate, as long as it was edible.

' _Can we really trust her cooking?'_ The treacherous thought was in her mind, as she knew that the woman had a scythe that was evil-sounding... and probably evil too. You didn't call a weapon like that... That went against the baby-making name schedule!

At the top floor of the building, a large spacious room had been cleared of most of the debris, Heather Arc setting up a small burner in the middle of the room and handed Rowan the pans. Ruby watched Rowan start to cook, the motions well-practised, even if the sealed packaging for the rations were disposed of in a swift fashion.

The smell of the curry that Rowan cooked was delicious, even with the ingredients used. The little sprinkling of spices that went into the sauce just made the smell grow more intense, Weiss starting to interrogate Azure Arc about her life as a Huntress.

"And so, I woke up with this blonde woman going down on that fellow I'd had my eye on, and she was like 'get away, we're busy.' Total buzz-kill." From how red Weiss was getting, it might've been a bit too naughty to go and immediately tell about one's adventures whilst drinking.

"And you'd think that there was some sort of conservative tone to that whole team, but nope... Woke up the next morning sandwiched between a pussycat and a tiger." Rowan Arc twitched a little, her head turning to her sister, who looked a little.

"And... And..." The colour leeched from the woman's face as she shuddered, her eyes going wide for an instant.

"And there's also eh... a story about one of my first missions?" Colour flooded those cheeks again, as Ruby wondered whether it was a bad story or not.

' _Uncle Qrow doesn't tell us much... But he's got some cool stories from time to time.'_ Seeing the man there with Heather Arc, the two of them discussing something whilst the meanie sister of Jaune was cooking was just rude.

"Blake? Are you... okay?" The Faunus girl looked a little pale, even with Yang gripping her hand. "Your... condition isn't getting worse, is it?"

"I'm... fine, Ruby. I just didn't expect to..." The look at Rowan Arc was cautious, she could tell. Someone who had a weapon named Faunus Mors definitely didn't mean good tidings to the Faunus that they encountered.

"It'll be fine..." She said, looking away.

"Dinner's done! Get your yum yums!" The cheerful sound of the oldest Arc in the building was a breath of fresh air, as the pot was pulled off the flame and some bowls were fetched from one of the packs that the Arcs had brought with them, each of them handed a bowl. "Three bowls each... yummies!"

The curry smelled good and looked good, and she felt her spirit lift a little at the taste of it. Heather Arc checked the clock, seemingly trying to make certain of the time. _'It's just... half to eight? No, wait, it's eight.'_

Uncle Qrow sat down, a single bowl in hand, yet he didn't quite eat it. The spoon that he had in his hand seemed to be stirring the curry, his eyes looking sad and without any sort of positive emotion in them.

"Out in the field, you don't get the luxury of eating food as good as this, kids." The man said, his bowl in hand, the spoon jabbing at them, the man's expression showing clearly that he was more or less in 'lecturing teacher' mode at this point. "Food's usually eaten cold when the heating isn't available, or you're in the neck of the woods and having to get down to the spine... Yeah, that isn't pleasant."

As he went into a little explanation, the curry in his hands moved a little with some of the upper gestures, she felt a little tired. Probably the fact that Uncle Qrow often told stories that were a bit dull. She caught Weiss yawning, Yang looking a little put out for some reason, as she tapped her bowl with the spoon. _'She's too serious... Everything will be fine... I just know it!"_

"Alright, kids... it's half to nine, time for you to get to bed." Heather Arc cut through the man's speech as he punctuated something with a poke of the spoon, a lengthy tale about proper food cultivation in the wilds cut short, as he looked at them and nodded.

"Do get your rest." Ruby felt indignant, frowning.

"But it's not even nine yet! We never had to go to bed this early..." Blake's head drooped against Yang, cuddling up to her. Yang looked tired, her eyes half-closed.

"Kiddo, this isn't..." She felt her body react, as Yang gave a yawn, her eyes looking at the women for a moment before closing them.

"It's not fair! We've not had a curfew at Beacon and-" Heather scoffed, the woman looking at her, as Rowan Arc stood up, her facial expression twitching. Qrow and Heather and Azure all seized their weapon at the same time. Weiss slumped over, asleep.

"That's why we put a strong sleeping drug into the food, Ruby." The soft voice of Heather Arc was growing distant, as she fought against the urge to fall asleep. "It's all for your own good."

She tried to get up, but the sleep was too strong, giving her blissful unconsciousness after a short while. She thought that she could hear a loud scream from someone... but that might just have been the pills working on her sleepy mind.

She slowly came to, her eyes opening slowly to the sight of a tired-looking Heather Arc standing there in the centre of the room, her face openly showing tears, uncle Qrow standing with his back against one of the walls and a look on his face as if he'd heard some really really bad news. She'd been moved during her sleep, as the sole figure at Heather's side continued to rock softly. She caught sight of Blake and Yang sleeping together in a sleeping bag, Blake rolled on top of Yang, with a pillow below Yang's head. Weiss was laid out in a little nest of sleeping bags.

Uncle Qrow noticed immediately, as a low humming started to come from the woman. "My sweet baby, cry all you want..." The woman's voice was beautiful as she sang, Heather Arc's face turning grimmer, as Qrow crossed the distance and sat down. "Mommy is here for you to defend you, just because you can't."

"Uncle Qrow, wha-"

The hand over her mouth was enough, as he looked at her with a look that was enough to silence her if the hand did not.

"Sshhh."

"When they come for you, with knives so sharp, mommy will be here, in night and in dark." The singing woman's voice spoke of love, of hopes... none of the tone hateful or cold, a contrast to the childish manner in which she'd acted.

' _That sounds so sad...'_

"And when you grow, my little prince so dear..." The woman's voice trembled, the tune a little different from the nursery rhymes that she'd heard. The woman slowly got up, walking with what seemed to be a doll in her hands, a different one. _'That looks like a boy doll...'_ "Mommy's going to be there to banish your fear."

"A princess will be your bride, whenever you need, bringing your smile to whoever you meet." The rhyme was not familiar to her, as her uncle kept his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"She needs this to calm down..." He said, his voice soft, as the woman turned to another couplet.

"A heart of gold, eyes sky-clear, d'Arc-Night banished without any fear. My sweet baby, my little prince, I will guard you without any wince." The tone that she used was warm and reminded her a little of the fading shreds of memory that she had about her mother.

' _What... what happened to her? Did she lose her baby?'_ The lack of understanding written on her face drew a sympathetic look from her uncle, who sighed.

"My little prince, my sweet little boy... I am your mother and you'll be coy. Don't worry, don't you ever care... My blade is ready, don't fall to despair." The words were soft and full of love, the doll in her hands there, cradled as if it were a baby.

"Did she... have a baby?" The wince of her uncle told her enough, as the man looked at the woman once again.

"Oh gosh... It must've been horrible, losing a baby and her little brother." She felt pity for the woman... some pity, but not too much. She'd be a better mom. She just knew it.

"My little Slayer, you are my world, without you in my life, the place is so cold. Whenever I think of you, my blood boils for you, to visit pain upon those that hurt you forever untold." A burst of nervous laughter, coming from her mouth, as the woman took a deep breath, to continue her lullaby.

"My little Jaune, my yellow sun, I will love you, as a mother loves her son. When you grow up to be strong and kind, my love will stay with you, for all of my time." Uncle Qrow's face was grim, as the sinking feeling hit her in the stomach like a metal death punch. The woman's lips quivered, snorting laughter coming from her lips, her whole body tensing up.

' _O_ _h...'_

"She didn't lose a brother... She lost her _son_." Uncle Qrow said, and the shrieking laughter that came from the woman punctuated it. The look on that face was enough, as she laughed, her face manic as it looked at the heavens as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

* * *

 **Writing this chapter was tough. See you all in two weeks, maybe a bit longer. Hospital stuff, whee...**

 **666+ favourites and 777+ follows! Thank you for enjoying the story up until now, ladies and gentlemen.**


	49. Friendship

**Chapter 49: Friendship**

 **Do I still need to do that whole warning thing? Yeah, last chapter was a tough one. Jaune's mom is... messed up. Qrow is messed up. Alas... In this chapter, some things happen. People die.**

* * *

 _There's a mouse on the loose (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

Crawling from shadow to shadow wasn't the best thing to do when you were trying to be sneaky. The darkness inside her twitched and twisted, the shadows wrapping around her as the sensations worked through her system, the burden that she felt on her system not even enough to drain her, as Sienna moved with her.

A single hand on the other woman's back, there to obscure her in the shadows and make certain of the fact that they would be nothing more than a mere shudder in the shadows, the obscuration that her technique allowed her giving them more movement. "What do you think Blake will look like?" Sienna asked, Kali's eyes closing for a moment as she let herself wonder about that.

Sienna had not seen Blake in years, or so she believed. It had been only a brief sighting of her, but her little girl had seemed happy and content in the presence of her team, happier than she'd been with Adam and the others of the White Fang. "Happier, I guess. She looked happy."

There was something wrong with her little kitten though, she could tell through the emotions that came from that team. One of them had a seriously messed up set of emotions, fear and need and craving… and she feared that it was her little girl.

The others had all looked so normal. A bright little sparkle of silver eyes and optimism. A girl who was just trying to be happy with her grandfather, shopping for bra's and underwear, and a blonde older sister who seemed to be concerned for her little kitten…

' _Where did we go wrong… What hurt you so badly that you'd feel this way, Blake?'_

It wasn't rational, her thoughts concluded. Her daughter was not…

' _But what if things went wrong… What if…'_

She shuddered, Sienna looking at her. With shadows obscuring most of her, at most it was a pair of shimmering amber-orange eyes that looked back at her. "Problem?"

"Just… thinking. What was Blake like when she entered the White Fang?" The question hung in the air, even as Sienna sighed. The younger woman seemed to be so weary that it was like a shroud that she donned, her eyes closing.

"Closed off to me. I tried to reach out a few times, in order to keep up the appearances of interest, but Adam always blocked me… He did that a lot, saying that it shouldn't matter, that it was…" A pause, as Sienna's eyes widened. The street through which they were stalking was abandoned, a Beowolf sniffing at one of the turned-over cars.

"Do you think something is wrong with Blake?" The question hung in the air for a moment, Sienna's eyes looking at her with that questioning look, debating quickly with herself as to whether to give her thoughts or to keep them to herself.

"I'm… I'm not sure, but…" It was hard to put into words, as her eyes glanced at Sienna, whose face was set in a tense expression. It mattered little to her, even as the Beowolf seemed to look up, gazing at their direction.

"I felt her emotions… fear, terror… a hint of attachment and need." It was sad to feel such things from such a wonderful girl, from the bright little Blake who had smiled and played in the sand with her. "It's not like I…"

"She was in Vale, I was in Mistral… Whatever happened…" Sienna tried to explain away, yet they both knew that it was futile to explain away. The only way that they would get their answers was to make sure that they got to talk to Blake… But finding the girl was harder than imagined. There were so many different sources of emotion, pain and agony here… like a haze that covered the ground, with flashes of terror and fear echoing around it.

' _A natural birthplace for the Grimm…'_ The bodies that they'd found laid out in the positions where they'd died had spoken volumes of what had happened to Mountain Glenn, even as Vale was one of the worst places to visit in her mind.

"She liked to play with her… It was one of the few times when Blake would stop being so shy and Adam would allow her." The fond smile on Sienna's face was enough, as her expression hardened. "We shouldn't have..."

"I know, Sienna. It was out of our hands. We could do nothing at that time." There was nothing to be done about the past. The past was the past and it was not the time for that to be dredged up from the depths.

"What do we do, when we meet with them? Will we tell them about us…" She glanced at the Beowolf once, before turning her attention to Sienna once again. "About Jaune?"

Sienna's expression was clouded with her own emotions, her eyes looking away, her expression shadow-cloaked, yet showing her thoughts on the subject. Kali knew that Sienna did not hold the same devotion to Jaune as she did, yet there was an affection between the Faunus and him, a way that they could coexist. "Not... necessarily."

"I'm... I'm unsure about Summer and Raven. They've got their own little... thing. Remember the time when they made Jaune face Raven, back at his home?" Kali nodded, Sienna's expression dubious, as her gaze slid away.

"They've got their own rules, their own creed... And it scares me. The White Fang had rules, we had a creed and..." The conflicted expression on Sienna's face showed the truth that lurked beneath the bravado and the courage that the woman had shown.

"They stood for something, when my husband was still the High Leader."Remembering the good times had been something that she'd clung to, during the first week of her husband's passing, the moments when depression had seemed closer than optimism. A shudder ran through her body at the thought of such a thing...

' _We tried our best to make ourselves coexist with the humans... it was just a step in the right direction, a little step that would let us be on the same level as them. It was supposed to be a movement for peace and understanding...'_

There had been radicals, Sienna one of them. After ascending to the seat of High Leader with her skills, Sienna had held a harsher stance. _'After that message... there wasn't little that could keep her in check. She felt so betrayed...'_

"I may have taken it too far in my pain." Sienna admitted, her gaze cast down to the cracked ground, the small sprigs of grass that pushed through the asphalt to add a dash of colour to the world, her eyes looking up once again.

"We all make mistakes, Sienna." It was wisdom that one gained from those mistakes. Knowledge and the strength to soldier on. Her eyes were now less clouded than they had been before, when the knowledge had only been sparse.

"Why do I keep making the big ones, then? Why does everything I try to do, turn out for the worse? Jaune should have never-" She placed a finger against her friend's lips, aware that the sound carried.

"What happened, happened. It is in the past. We need to work together for a future... Should you join us in the bedroom or not, little _Mengjiala hu_." She could see Sienna's face show her best frown, quickly turning away. The word for Bengal Tiger, the traditional word for it, at the least, had only been used a few times by her as a tease for Sienna, yet Sienna responded to it like she'd had someone kick her in the rump.

"It's not that..." Sienna said, her eyes looking at Kali with that expression that showed that she wished to say more. The feeling inside her told her that Sienna would be able to be convinced with just a few more pushes and prods.

"I'd..." The look on Sienna's face turned sad. "I'd promised that I'd..." Kali could understand that. Sienna was obstinate about her promises. She would keep them even if it disadvantaged her. "And I didn't do that yet... So..."

"That is your decision to make, Sienna. I cannot restrict you. You're not my daughter, even if sometimes I wish you were so I could scrub your back and call you my little kitten." The look that Sienna gave her was miffed, her ears flattening a little as she pursed her lips, eyes turning to slits.

"You would do that anyways... You're a menace to all good and upstanding Faunus." The smile on her lips was enough to show that Sienna wasn't upset about the sudden topic change, her eyes glinting with that momentary spark of amusement at the concept.

"Only to naughty kittens, Sienna..." She could feel the shadows shift, as she let her gaze wander. Two red-cloaked strangers made their way through the street, the Beowolf spotting them. The masks that they wore were of the same make as Raven and Summer's masks, their steps unhurried, even as they walked. High boots on one of them, a long rifle-sword at the woman's side, a low-cut décolleté visible from the armour, and three roses stitched into the leather that made up the armour, visible in the light.

The other woman, for it was indeed two women that walked there, wore a somewhat more conservative top, the breastplate that was stretched over it bearing the rose emblem etched into the surface, twice. _'Perhaps a ranking system?'_

The woman's hands held a long thin rapier that seemed to have different Dust crystals within the guard, the small box-like attachment to the weapon holding some sort of rope. _'Well, that looks like it'd stab and shoot...'_

The sword-rifle wielding woman's head made a motion to her partner, who stepped forward, aiming the Dust rapier at the Beowolf, a small 'fwump!' sound coming from the weapon as the blade shot out, impaling the Beowolf. An explosion of fire Dust later and the Beowolf crumbled to the ground, the darkness that oozed from its remnants in hazy smoke.

Not a word had been spoken, the weapon's blade retracted in a single 'fwoosh' sound, clicking back into the guard, the woman's mask nodding once. Fingers moved in a rough pattern over the blade, counting out five times.

The woman with three rose marks on her armour nodded, before the two continued, their steps as unhurried as before, their cloaks fluttering slightly. _'There's definitely something about the cloaks...'_

There had been cloaks at Jaune's home, masks as well. She'd seen the room that held most of them, the oldest twin having led them on a tour through the house as an apology. Jaune and Whitney had been busy with other matters, Raven and Summer having been away.

Thirty-odd cloaks, both white and red and a singular black one, had hung from the pegs in the large hall, the masks that showed the snarling features of a Beowolf hung above them, etched with the words ' _Only in death does duty end.'_

There had been two empty pegs, the masks having been already pulled from their stands, even as the names below each mask were unknown. _'All the names of the fallen...'_

It had been a tense moment for the sister, looking at the cloaks. It was a tense moment altogether for them all, as Ashley Arc had looked at the empty spots, the name etched within the golden plate enough of a warning. **Heather d'Arc-Night**

Next to that stood the oldest sister's name, the title – **Executor of the d'Arc-Night** – embossed before the name. _'A princess...'_

They had not lingered, the sense that they were trespassing on something that was meant to be sacred having given her the jitters. She could see Sienna give the golden plates a long look, an expression on her face that showed that she was thinking about something, as she often did.

They had been distracted by something else, but it was not going to be a bother to them at any rate, with how their life had changed. They had been still adjusting to the status quo. Whitney had been... vocal.

She smiled a little. Her friend was so loud when she got into things, so passionate, thanks to the lack of restraint of her urges. She could prevent her own lusts from erupting in an explosion, her Zhu would not mind the attention, yet conservatism might be the best option either way... too much of a good thing, after all... wasn't great.

' _Perhaps I should get Sienna a nice outfit as well... We can be priestesses bringing an offering to his altar... That'll be fun!'_ They weren't really religious per se, but it was a novel thought... Sienna would have a conniption if she came to know of those thoughts, but it was all in good fun.

The two huntresses with their mask and cloak turned a corner, even as she allowed herself to sigh lightly at the sudden emptiness of the street. _'Guess we're still in the clear... Dealing with those masked guys just isn't fun...'_

They were lethal killers, trying their very best to kill them... and it was only through Sienna's skill at summoning her Grimm that it had won out in their favour. Sienna's ability to make sure that they had reinforcements had saved their lives more than once... in the past day. It had been night-time before, yet they had made sure that they would keep to the shadows nonetheless. Scouring Mountain Glenn for her daughter and her team was hard since it was such a big place.

"Think we should get some time to rest up?" Sienna asked, Kali shrugging. It had been nearly nine hours since they'd started to move once more from their brief rest, enough time for them to get a good lay of the land. Faunus bodies tended to be a little more agile than human bodies, with many of the traits that came naturally to them never being found in human bodies. They still required rest, though.

"Might be a good idea. Blake's a big girl, it's not like she'd run into danger that quickly..." Kali trusted her daughter to have the sense about her not to walk head-first into danger. She was a smart kitten, after all.

* * *

 _Red like blood (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

The revelation stung her, even as the laughter tapered off and became mere hums, the doll in the woman's hands gently placed into the small bag that she carried, the doll that was bright and sunny and girlish in the woman's hands now, the docile smile on the face of Jaune's mother like a slap in the face.

Her uncle moved away, looking at the woman as she calmly stroked her fingers over the doll's face and hair, absorbed by the motion. _'She's...'_ She didn't know what to say or to think. In one way, she was a horrible person, but on the other way...

The way that the facial features angled and their expressions were was the same. Rowan Arc looked a lot like her son, or it might have been apter to say that Jaune resembled his mother in more ways than one. The same eyes, the hair slightly longer right now, yet still cared for well... and the look of being able to wield a war scythe like Crescent Rose was just a pro in her book as well... But the other parts?

Who named their little baby Faunus Mors? It's not a name for a scythe that's bringing happy people to safety! _'She's a sad woman, but I can't like her. We're here to protect humanity and the Faunus!'_

She drew the cloak a little tighter around her, her eyes meeting her uncle's, who looked away, his hand brushing over his stubble, tongue licking over his lips. _'Yeah... I think there was something between her and Uncle Qrow...'_

"Hey Ruby." The voice of her older sister was in her ear, Yang standing there, as she looked at her with what seemed to be one of those smiles that made her feel comforted and safe. "Slept well?"

"Do you think you can come with me? I really need to pee..." The look on her sister's face didn't change for a bit as she grinned, offering her a hand. She really didn't need to pee, but to talk to her sister without anyone noticing.

"Sure thing, lil' sis. We're going for the bathroom, Uncle Qrow." The man made a waving motion with his hand, Heather Arc already preparing the breakfast that they'd eat. Ruby hoped that there would be no narcotics in it this time, though she supposed that such a thing wouldn't be the case.

A long look at Rowan Arc who was currently brushing her fingers over the edge of her scythe, the blade's edge glimmering in the light as the morning sunlight caught it, and she walked with Yang towards the lower floors, her eyes catching sight of some of the furniture that had been half-decayed away.

Finding some bushes, she did her business, the relief that she found from the simple act more, as Yang gave her a look, having looked away whilst she did her business. "No number two, Ruby?" Her sister teased, as she pulled her underwear up. She'd gotten a few spares with her anyways... The washing machine could take care of them.

"I'm not like you, Yang." She said, before she remembered why she was here. "But... I woke up a little earlier and Jaune's oldest sister..."

The look on her sister's face turned grave and serious, even as they walked away a little bit from the place where she'd did her thing. "You've seen..." Her sister's look of pity was one that she didn't expect.

"She's his mom, Yang. She's Jaune's... mom." Yang's eyes changed in their depths, the look shifting to one of relief, as she turned her head lightly, a tension in her facial muscles.

"I know, Ruby." The admission was enough, as Ruby felt a flash of betrayal go through her, the knowledge that Yang had hidden something from her stinging. "She used to take care of us, Ruby. She's... She used to be the best mom that you could have."

"But why didn't she tell Jaune?" The look on Yang's face as it turned back to her was conflicted, as if she wanted to say something but was deliberating on how to phrase it.

"Sometimes, you don't tell people something because it would hurt their feelings. She was there when we needed her, when mom left and..." Ruby didn't remember that time, knowing only the times when her big sister had taken her with her to school and the other activities because dad was not able to do so.

"And she always told us stories about her little prince. I only remembered yesterday just who sang the songs to us when we were little... Because she didn't want to leave a mess behind. The life of a Huntsman is cruel, Ruby..." A bird cawed, Ruby's eyes catching sight of a black crow sitting upon one of the signposts nearby.

"But... But she's evil." The look in Yang's eyes changed. Ruby knew that she'd messed up with her big sister, even as her sister's gaze looked at her.

"Why?" Yang asked, her voice tense. "Because she's wielding a scythe that's got a bad name? Because she's happy about killing people?" The accusation in her sister's voice was enough to make her feel bad.

"Well... Because she's so... I don't like it. She's an adult, why doesn't she act like one?" Her sister's eyes changed to a deep red colour, anger showing on her face. Yang looked like she was going to shout, but stopped herself.

"Ruby... Just..." The sigh that escaped her older sister's lips was deep as she brushed her hand through her hair. "Just drop it, alright? You don't have to like her if you don't like her, but please... Don't upset her. She's a bit like Uncle Qrow, and..." Her older sister looked concerned, taking a deep sigh as she looked at her.

' _Why should I drop it? She's a baddy! She's not good!'_

The ruffle of her hair and the smile on her sister's face distracted her. "And you should just focus on the mission. We'll run into guys who aren't great people all the time when we graduate and..."

"She's mean." The look in Yang's eyes changed, eyes closing for a moment. The bird cawed once more, Yang's eyes opening and her older sister shaking her head.

"Just try to get along with her, alright..." It was Yang's opinion, after all. She didn't have to like the same people as Yang did. Nope.

"I'll ask Uncle Qrow." She was going to talk to Weiss. Weiss would know what to say, right?

"Yeah... Just let me take care of business as well." Yang entered the bushes and Ruby shook her head, keeping watch for any of the Grimm that might be attracted to the two of them. It wouldn't be so very super if you were caught with your pants down, after all.

"Done with your little bathroom break?" Azure Arc's voice came from behind her, even as she startled a little at the sudden appearance of the woman.

"Yep! Yang's still taking care of things but we'll be a-okay when she's done." Azure Arc smiled, the older girl, barely still a teen, giving a little shake of her head.

"Yeah, I remember when I had a second-year class... Fuck, we were amazing back then. I don't really have the qualifications that Ash and Bianca have, nor do I have much to say about that." The shrug, even as she gave a light little sound in the back of her throat.

"All I know is that I've missed my shot at getting some guy to love me for a night... Damn, that blonde must've got a mouth like a washing machine."

She could imagine what that would be like. Rose petals, soft music, maybe hand-holding under the comfort of a blanket... watching a nice movie,

 _'_ _Hmm... perfect.'_

"But hey, no crying about spilt milk." Ruby wondered whether the younger sister also knew.

"So... What's going to be on the program for today? We're here for a mission, aren't we?" The young woman looked a little amused, her expression changing slightly to look at her big sister before she smiled.

"Ah, yeah, I think your uncle is going to be talking about that... Ro is nominally in charge when she's... well, not like this, but Heather makes the day-to-day decisions. Don't mind her too much, she's... A bit difficult to get used to." The look in the blue eyes was calm and concentrated on the surroundings, the woman's gaze switching over the surroundings, searching for targets.

"She's..." She could say something rude about the woman, yet Yang's hand clapped her on the shoulder.

"She's just someone we'll have to work together with, right?" Ruby nodded, feeling a little put out that her sister wasn't taking her side at this. Creepy older women who were mommies of your late best friend... who'd want to fight with those?

As they ascended towards the place where they'd made their camp, they met with the others, Blake and Weiss rubbing the sleep from their eyes, Uncle Qrow looking like he'd not had a good night's sleep. She noticed that the bottle where he usually drank from was absent, the man's sobriety being a change.

"Alright, kids... Once Azure's back here with us, I'll be talking about what we'll be doing with the whole thing for today. It's time for your special survival training tonight... A way to get the evil Grimm to at least ignore you for a bit." Uncle Qrow looked serious, his red eyes looking at Rowan Arc for a moment, the soft humming enough, as Ruby sat down next to Weiss.

"Did you sleep well?" Her bestie asked, the white hair being brushed through with a hand, the result seemingly not to her liking, as she looked at her ponytail and then pulled a brush out, brushing her hair.

"Eh, it was alright." She wasn't going to mention the things that she'd heard to Weiss yet... at least within the hearing of the oldest Arc sisters or her uncle. Meanies didn't get the right for secrecy.

"Good, good... Perhaps there was some sort of reason for us to sleep... or it's something normal? I have heard about some people being put to sleep due to their semblances, so..." Ruby's expression didn't change, as Blake and Yang started their little communication, Blake's face lighting up when she saw Yang approach.

 _'_ _They work together so well... Blake's improving.'_

She didn't really believe the counsellors anyway... Blake functioned well, right? She was smiling, happy and following orders.

Azure Arc joined them a moment later, getting into position in the opening to the door, her expression relaxed, yet her hands remained near her weapon. "Alright, since we're all gathered here... let me get to the point of the matter. Survival training, as we're calling it, basically means a set of techniques that you can go and use when in the field with a partner, or solo, if they're no longer around." The man's voice was almost a little casual as he spoke, as he pulled a small booklet out of a pocket, paging through it for a moment.

"Intimacy. The Grimm generally do not notice people who are engaged within positive emotions, allowing for people to escape from dangerous circumstances through the acts of pleasure that they do to each other." The man's face looked a little embarrassed, as he looked at Rowan, who seemed to not be paying attention.

"That means sex. Pleasure. Stimulating your partner to the point where they'll be orgasming."The look on the man's face was more serious, even as Ruby flushed.

 _'Ohmigosh!'_

"When you're in a tent together and you've got a swarm of Beowolves in the area and need to spend the night without being noticed, you're probably going to want to know this kind of stuff. Positive emotions, including pleasure, are what keep us from the Grimm's eyes."The man scratched his chin, sighing deeply. "If it'd been just a regular mission, you'd probably get some brainy fella who could explain to you in-depth about the amount of pleasure needed to keep them off your back, but..."

The man's expression looked pained, as Ruby looked at Weiss, whose cheeks were dyed a deep red, looking at the man as if he'd just told her that he was going to show himself to her in the nude. _'Uh-oh...'_ Blake's cheeks were a little less red, more resigned in her expression, whilst Yang looked a little confused, but didn't seem to respond to the news badly.

 _'Maybe she's read ahead? Or maybe she's just more comfortable with that kind of thing?'_

"The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should feel safe and comfortable with your partner. I've had to..." The man looked a little flushed. "Well, let's just say that I've seen my teammates in the nude often during a mission. When things got hairy, it was usually Raven who'd tug on Tai's sleeve and go 'We should do the thing', though she definitely was a-" Heather Arc cleared her throat, Qrow drawn from his recollection, his head shaking a few times to clear it.

' _Embarrassment... Uncle Qrow and mom doing something like that...'_ It made a weird feeling tingle in her stomach. She could see the man already, embarrassment on his face as he'd do things like that. "So, did you and my mom ever do that, Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked, sounding somewhat disturbed.

Her uncle looked at Yang, sighing a few times. "Yes, Yang. We did 'that' a few times because there was nobody else to do it with. Trust me, it's not as comfortable when Raven's breathing down your neck with a 'Harder, little brother. You're barely reciprocating.' Uncomfortable, to say the least, but we'd both be dead if we didn't do it. I could say that it's something that I'd like to avoid, but..."

The man sighed, his eyes going to Heather Arc for a moment, a macabre smile appearing on his face. "But I'm here as your training partner, either way. I don't really want to, but you need to _learn_ this stuff if you're going to be a team. Of course, everyone's got their own preference, so I won't force you to sleep with me if you're uncomfortable, but..." The man's Scroll beeped, the man looking at it and a look of relief coming to his face.

"Yeah... That's a load of help." The man shook his head at the news that he'd gleaned from the Scroll.

"Does that mean that we are forced to have sex with you, Mister Branwen?" Weiss asked, her voice soft and yet with that tone of inquiry within it. The man looked at her and gave her a long look.

"If you like guys and think you're going to be getting on a team with them, yeah... There are a few tricks that I can teach you to better take a guy and hit that high. It's best done through experiencing it once." The man admitted, even though Ruby could tell that he was uncomfortable with it. "I'd..."

Rowan Arc made a soft sound, nearly gliding over the ground with smooth steps and hugging him, the man's arm wrapping around her. "He's a good man. Best man. He's the protector of little Ruby and Yang."

The look on her uncle's face was uncomfortable, even with how the woman snuggled up to him. "Generally, you'll want to be with someone you can at least stomach." Uncle Qrow's voice was halting, even as Rowan pushed herself into her uncle's lap, her large frame looking a little awkward.

 _'Tall genetics...'_

"You'd have to suffer through the night... So, eh... Who here is only into girls?" Ruby could see the look on her sister's face change, even as she looked at Blake for a moment and then she raised her hand. She seemed surprised that she'd done so, the woman in her uncle's lap shifting a little.

"Ah, Yang... I guess you're going to be pairing up with Heather or Azure then, well... That's not going to be tough... I just gotta get my pills..." A small case of pills he popped from one of his pockets, the man's eyes looking at them for an instant before tucking them back into the pocket.

"Don't think that I'm going to like it." Uncle Qrow said, even as she shifted a little in her seat. This was sex, this was the adult thing that people got exposed to. "I mean... There's going to be some part of me that likes it, but I want you all to be safe first and foremost."

"I understand, Uncle Qrow. You're doing this because you want us to know how it feels." Ruby felt a little tingly below her skirt, knowing that uncle Qrow would be doing things to her that'd be wrong and bad, but she needed to know them.

"It's second-year stuff, really, but... I guess Ozpin thought you girls were ready for that." The man looked a little upset about it, even with his gaze going to Heather. The woman nodded, stepping to the forefront.

"It's a tradition that's more or less done by those who are forged into a team... But since you're all-girls, it would be foolish to merely have you learn the techniques to pleasure a woman." The look on the stern-faced woman's face was not changing, the braided hair moving with the motions of her head. "That is why mister Branwen is here, in order to educate you on how to make a man feel pleasure. Now, some of you may be related to him, but-"

"I'm not related to him! I'm his niece! Yang's his sister's daughter!" Yang shot her a look which wasn't too hot, her face twitching in the half-grin that usually sat on it.

"... as I was saying, some of you may know him, but for the time being, just consider him as some guy who is here to assist each of you in learning about your body and how to feel pleasure." That made things a little bit more palatable. She wished that dad was here too. Dad always knew how to lighten a situation, even if they were being taught about the birds, the bees and the other things.

"I lost my virginity at age eighteen when we did these exercises in my second year. My partner was an older huntsman who had been sent on a mission to an out of the way town that we accompanied him to, with my teammates having alternated. It was a confusing and yet thrilling moment in my life." The look on Heather's face made it seem as if it'd just been another Monday at the job, her eyes stern and focused.

"It wasn't quick. It wasn't easy. Getting it in required patience, lubrication and a little bit of resisting your natural urge to fight. You girls are lucky that you've got someone you know to take care of that. I switched partners three times that night. It was pleasant, stimulating and mostly, safe. The proximity alarms did not trigger. We made it through the night." The look on Heather's face was stern.

"The villagers we were supposed to protect, didn't. And there s the danger, girls."

The woman's eyes were stern and calm as she spoke. "We got too absorbed in getting pleasure. The Huntsman was busy with one of my teammates and didn't pay too much attention to the other sensors that were set up. We failed that mission, but didn't get hit with the shit that came with it, because it was a training mission."

A click, and the woman's fingers pushed the latch on her weapon shut once more. "Now you've got four Huntsmen who're able to keep watch over the four of you, and with some luck, you'll be having screaming orgasms today."

"Heather... it's tonight." Rowan Arc said, Heather looking at her sister who currently was brushing her fingers over Uncle Qrow's arm.

"Ah, yes. My sister and I will be taking Yang out to get her acclimatized to the needs for eh... Reasons." Ruby thought it a little queer, but it wasn't like she had a cadre of reference.

 _'Maybe gay things require different tools?'_

She felt a little tingly at the thought of doing something like that with Uncle Qrow, but it was uncle Qrow... She trusted him.

"So, eh... Who's into men?"

Uncle Qrow asked, and Blake and Weiss and herself raised a hand, just like they'd have done in class. The man looked uncomfortable, as he seemed to calculate something in his mind.

"Right... I bet that others don't have this problem..."

The man sounded resigned to the thought, as he rolled his shoulders.

 _'Jaune probably would've gone great together with Pyrrha...'_

"Oh gosh, Jaune..." She mumbled to herself, the ears of the Arcs sharpened, a few looking at her.

 _'It would've been great if he'd been here with us...'_

She hoped that wherever he was in the afterlife, he'd be happy.

"Ah, yeah... They're going out on their mission tomorrow, aren't they?" Weiss said, her voice sounding somewhat tense.

"A shame that he'd never get to do something like this. It might've been... nice."

To hear Weiss admit to them that she might've held a slight fondness for the young man, at least in the way of wishing him to have such a good encounter, was already a large stride over her dislike of his attempts to woo her.

"Sometimes, the bravest people die without ever being loved..."

Blake said, the words sounding old-timey like they'd been from a storybook. "In Mistral, there are the tales of the virginal warriors who die without the love of a woman, dying without ever feeling a woman's caress for they have chosen their life to end in the service of their lord."

"Ah, like that." Heather Arc nodded, seemingly understanding. "It is... regrettable. My little brother did not really have the chance to meet with girls, so I think that..." The look on Heather's face changed a little, as she looked at her older sister who made a gesture with her fingers, like a little wave.

"What's the matter?" The look on Rowan's face was a little more serious. "Rowe, if it's something I can do, I-"

Rowan got up, Heather's voice trailing off as the woman walked over to the large war scythe that stood there against the wall, a soft humming from the woman. "As I was saying, there's little to regret about what could have been. My brother, for all his faults and flaws, was a young man who gladly would have stood side to side with you, because that is how he was."

"He didn't die a virgin, silly... He's still alive, Heather. Even if things had changed, he would've met a nice girl and introduced me to her. He'd know." Ruby didn't get what the woman was referring to, even though Heather seemed to have an indication, going by the look of surprise on her face. The disturbed look that flickered over her face a fraction of a second later was definitely something that the woman hid swiftly.

Heather Arc did not fully move, Ruby noticed, as she looked at her sister with a complicated expression. _'Well, I'm sure that it's going to be alright... If she can't handle the death of Jaune... That's her problem. She's still mean! Everyone is innocent until proven guilty!'_

Weiss looked a little queasy for some reason, her gaze fixed to the older woman in the space, her eyes cautious. "What's the matter?" She whispered at her bestie, who looked at the woman.

"It's nothing..." Weiss seemed to be conflicted, nibbling on her lower lip in a thoughtful pose.

"Alright kids, we've got a trek to make through Mountain Glenn... Time to make sure that there's a bit of space covered before we can all get that training down."Heather Arc's voice was coarse, Rowan tapping her scythe against the ground, a little humming tune to her name, a tune that she'd heard Yang hum before.

As they entered the streets, it was time for her and Weiss to lag behind just a little, so they'd have a chat. "What's the matter, Weiss?" She asked her bestie, who looked at the two Arc sisters that took the lead, Heather and Rowan Arc walking confidently towards the east. The sun was slowly cresting over the buildings.

"In the order of things, when introducing a potential partner, you go to your mother first, then to your father, before asking the patriarch for their blessing... or matriarch, I suppose. Mother would have to approve of the match first, before official inroads can be made." The look of suspicion on Weiss' face did not change.

"So, eh... That means that things aren't done in Vale as they are in Atlas, right?" Weiss shook her head.

"My family is eh... middle nobility. Not quite to the level of royalty, but we're in the upper echelons with Grandfather earning a title and having it be passed down the family line through his Dust mining exploits." The look Weiss had on her face, as she sighed lightly. "The nobility is pretty similar across the Kingdoms... Well, not for bastard children, those have a wholly different system... Generally based on whether they are acknowledged or not. Most aren't. They are generally tossed aside or given a small allowance, if they have enough merits. Those that are legitimized by the head of the household are often imported as the newborn child of the matriarch of the family, in the case of a male heir."

Weiss' explanation made perfect sense to her. "So... if I were to say that Rowan Arc is Jaune's mother..."Weiss' face changed to one that was pensive, as she seemed to line up the factors, as she always did. Weiss was smart like that at times.

"It would make sense, in that context, yes... If he was the bastard child of Rowan Arc, accepted into the family by her father, it would stand to reason that he would be..." Someone cleared their throat behind them, Azure Arc's ill-amused face showing clearly what she thought of that topic of discussion.

"We don't talk about that." The tension in Azure's voice was real, enough to freak her out. "What is dead is dead. Let the dead rest in peace." The strict message of 'quit it' was within those words, even as Azure looked at her two older sisters.

"Mention any thought of my brother being illegitimate again and I will personally bounce you through the streets like a ball." Ruby frowned. This sister wasn't nice either!

"But your sister is a meanie." Azure Arc looked at her, about to say something but Uncle Qrow interrupted.

"Whatever you think she is, Ruby... Just know that for the time being, she's here with us and we're here with her. Just don't mention it, and it'll all be over in a day or two. Can you hold out that long?" She pouted. Uncle Qrow wasn't being nice either, but he was Uncle Qrow.

"Sometimes, people have to do difficult things, Ruby... My sister, Winter, once told me that the hardest thing she had to do was to kill for the first time... We should be glad that it's with four experienced Huntsmen, rather than just one." Weiss tried to add her two Lien to the discussion, yet Ruby knew that she was right.

There were just two types of people in the world. The good guys and the bad guys... And she was a good guy, as well as her team!

* * *

 _Sisters embattled (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

The feeling of excitement did not come, as she looked at the two women in the lead, Blake close to her. The weight of caring for Blake and her little sister as well as the knowledge that her little sister was stubborn on some parts that really didn't matter much in the long run.

' _No matter whether she is Jaune's mother or not, it should not matter.'_ The songs that the woman had sung to her when she was little, the stories that she'd heard from the woman... It was all such a mess, Ruby not seeming to let go of that little thing, caught up in a first impression of the truth.

' _Jaune, your sis... no, your mother was a wonderful woman. No matter what happened... I hope you're able to meet her again.'_ There was much more that she could say, yet she had decided now.

She didn't know whether she was into girls or not, yet she had raised her hand anyways. The question that her uncle had posed, that had been aired... it wouldn't matter. Now she was stuck in her way. _'Why did I raise my hand?'_

She hadn't consciously intended to do so, having felt how her arm rose and then put attention on her, the man having understood it.

 _'It's icky, I guess...'_

She was confused. She didn't know whether she liked boys or whether she liked girls...

"Halt."

The voice of Rowan Arc came and they stopped, as two figures came strolling around the corner, Heather Arc's hand pulling a mask from the depth of her suit, fitting it into place, Rowan Arc's hand fastening a mask to her face as well, a fluid motion that seemed to barely have any sort of wasted movements in it.

The cloaks that the two women wore were a deep dark red, with only Rowan Arc having embroidery upon her cloak, some sort of symbolism that she didn't quite know how to decipher. The tension that the two women had was real, in the way that they shifted their stances as they watched the two other women, masked with masks that evoked the look of a Nevermore from the look of it.

"Look, it's two Huntresses!"

Ruby's excited little sound made the two women look at them, Heather's position shifting a little in her manner, even as the two women approached. Yang could see the rapier-like weapon that the woman wielded in her hand, the steps a little less easy, even as they stopped nearly thirty yards away from them.

"The dark night greets you with the blessings of a good hunt."

It was Heather Arc who spoke, Rowan Arc remaining where she stood, the two women remaining frozen in that position, yet Yang could sense the looming tension within her.

"The dark night is spotted and the rose shall bloom under the light of the moon."

The answer came, even as the one wielding the rapier took a step backwards, the one who had three roses embroidered on her armour stepping forth.

Rowan Arc was the first to move, even as the rapier-wielding Huntress' weapon raised, the blade of the weapon shooting at them, Rowan Arc's scythe interrupting it. The cable pulled it right back onto the weapon's grip.

"Do not interfere. The cloak must be reclaimed."

The woman with the rifle-sword spoke, her voice calm.

Rowan Arc's body language screamed rejection of that thought, the woman's hand raising off the grip of her scythe and then making a motion. "The cloak is claimed by the seed. It cannot be reclaimed." Heather Arc's words were tense, Yang realizing that the two women were having a conversation, even with the terms being thrown around.

"The Rose will flower, even if it must fertilize the patch."The words were cryptic, yet Yang saw that the rest of her team were already prepared to fight. If these two huntresses were to make it an issue, they would fight.

"Seven Roses all left to die..."

Someone was singing, a voice that seemed to be clear and precise with every little moment accommodated for.

Rowan Arc's hand moved outward, pulling something invisible towards her. The rapier-wielding woman's mask seemed to drip with a red liquid, clearly something that looked like blood, even as the body seemed to grow rigid and immobile.

"Seven Roses left to cry..."

The singing continued, the rapier-wielding masked woman collapsing where she stood, a red torrent of what seemed to be blood gushing from behind the mask. Rowan Arc's hand moved, and Yang could see that there must be a Semblance in play, even as her body felt sluggish and slow.

"Look to the moon and know to die..."

The voice sounded barely older than most of them, a young womanly voice that seemed to sing.

"The roses cry when they die, even if they know not why..."

A shimmer of the air, someone stepping forth from behind the collapsed woman, the sword-wielding Huntress standing there stock-still and frozen.

"The blood calls for blood tonight..."

A petite woman, wearing a long red cloak that was embroidered with seven roses, the cloak covering most of her body, dark skin visible below it.

"Just to show the world who is right..."

The woman who'd remained standing seemed frozen, slowly waking up.

"The Rose scatters with the light..."

The next sentence, or verse, or whatever it was, seemed to put the woman into action, kneeling. The head bent low as the woman approached.

"We should move on. This is an internal affair between them. She will ignore us." Heather Arc's voice sounded strict,

"She attacked us, you can't just..." Yang said, having witnessed the rapid shift in the situation. Heather Arc turned to look at her, the braid whipping around.

"This is not negotiable. If she doesn't attack us, it's all the better for us." The woman gave the sign to move along, even as the petite woman's singing continued.

"And thus kindly, I scatter..."

The final couplet, it seemed, as the woman tore the mask off the kneeling woman's face. Dark brown eyes and a heart-shaped face were the first things that she noticed about the woman, kneeling before a small-statured other woman who still wore the mask.

"What... Why..."

The question came from the woman, even as the mask was pulled away. Red hair fell to obscure the face, as the woman's hands seized the head.

"By the order of the Summer Rose, kindly scatter." The woman's eyes opened wide, as the dark-skinned woman who had pulled the mask away and yet still wore the cloak's hood up, moved her face close to the other woman.

"Hey, that's mom's name!" Ruby piped up, even as the woman's head did not move, Yang watching her little sister shift a little. Uncle Qrow's eyes were cautious, even as they passed by.

Ignoring the outburst, the unknown woman continued, seemingly staring deep into the eyes of the.

"Excommunicate traitoris, Raven Branwen?"

The name sprang out at her, freezing.

A slow, slugging sigh came from the woman, still locked within the woman's grip, a voice coming from the lips of the woman.

"Certe, Domina."

The word was strange, spoken in a weird dialect, yet it rang.

"Well... That isn't good."

The young woman mumbled to herself, the pitch of her tone similar to someone whose voice she'd heard before... though Yang couldn't quite put a name to the voice yet.

"Ruby!"

Her sister's call of her friend's name startled her, even as the woman who knelt did not turn around.

"Quo vadis, servus?"

They stopped, the soft voice speaking the words that made little sense. Heather Arc's face showed a wariness, even as Ruby stopped, looking at the woman who appeared to be her friend.

The answer was too soft to be audible from her distance, yet the woman's mouth moved in ways that did not make much sense, the language too different from what she knew to be proper and right.

 _'Someone needs to use Scroll Translate on that...'_

"Ruby, what are you doing here?" The redheaded young woman didn't turn her head, her own sister's question going unanswered.

"Respondeat superior, corpus vile!"

The unknown woman shouted at Ruby, the Ruby that was holding the woman's head giving a soft little sound of displeasure.

"Corruptio optima pessima, Fili."

The woman's head was twisted, a cracking sound as the neck broke and the body relaxed, the death that had been granted by the hands of the woman. A blade struck the neck, piercing right through it. Blood started to gush out. The blade turned twice, gouging into the flesh.

"Requiescat in pace, servus."

The look on the face of Ruby's friend was sad, at least from the side-way perspective, even as her head turned to them, a soft exhale making her lips flutter lightly.

"Rosa rubicundior, lilio candidior, omnibus formosior, semper in te glorior."

The words sounded sad, even as Ruby appeared before her.

"Hey, you've got silver eyes too!" The statement was enough to make Yang startle, as she looked at the woman.

"Ruby, get away from her. She's not your friend right now, she's on a mission!" Heather Arc's voice was sharp and to the point, even as Ruby's friend smiled at her.

"The summer rose must wilt, Ruby... It is how it's always been and how it always will be."

The soft laughter that came from the lips of that darker-skinned redhead was almost mocking, as she seemed to shimmer and fade out of existence, a set of bloody footprints left behind.

"Rubedo! Please! We can talk about this!"

Her sister called out, even as Yang caught Heather Arc giving Qrow a look that showed pity. Whatever it was, it seemed to be between the two of them. And then, suddenly, a set of silver eyes peered into her own as Rubedo appeared in front of her.

"Good eyes..." The words were soft, even as a hand reached out to touch her, the instinctual jump back enough to put some distance between herself and the strange friend of Ruby who'd just killed a woman and spoken in gibberish.

"Oh, there's no need to be afraid... I can see why your mother raised you well..."

The words were mysterious, even as the young woman continued, striding past them.

"Do have a pleasant afternoon, dark night... Ah, I will be taking care of the little wild growths in the rosebushes... It's been a while since they have needed a trimming, after all..."

A cackle of laughter that didn't sound very sane came from the young woman's throat as she turned around, the mask pushed back in place as the hood rose, a soft humming coming from the woman's throat. "Rubedo, wait! We can talk about this!"

Ruby appeared in a storm of roses, the masked girl looking at her and shaking her head. "I've got my orders, Ruby..." The words were soft, even as the shape blurred and disappeared. It reappeared after a few seconds, at the body of the woman who'd shot her rapier-whateveritwas at Ruby. A long thin sword stabbed through the chest and the neck, before Zwei barked.

Yang had nearly forgotten that Zwei had joined them, the little corgi yipping at the woman, whose masked face turned to the sound and frowned.

 _'Yeah, I don't think she likes dogs very much...'_

"It's about the bandit thing, isn't it? Rubedo, we can talk about this! We're friends, right? Whatever the Beornir are, it doesn't matter!" She could see her uncle turning pale, his gaze going to the cloaked Rubedo, now identified as a Beornir.

"It's a bandit thing, Ruby. Don't get involved."

The words were spoken with a gentle tone, the mask still obscuring the facial features of the woman.

"It's not... No, I don't think... Hmm.. maybe..." The doubt in that voice, the change in pitch and intonation shifting a few times, even as she nodded.

"You don't have to kill people, Rubedo... There's always a chance for talking things out." The hopeful tone of her little sister was a start, yet Yang didn't believe it. She'd seen it often enough at the clubs she went to. People who didn't adhere to the plan that'd been put out in front of them. Making a mess of the place, trying to hit on her...

"Whenever you run into people wearing this mask, watch out, Ruby. They're not going to be happy to see you. I can only do this much for you... And I should get going." The regret in the other girl's tone was there, even as Yang caught Blake shifting a little, her gaze searching for something. "I'm really sorry, but there's just no time..."

"Wait! You can join us! You look a bit like our Huntsmen!"

The mask came down and red eyes looked sadly at them. Yang noticed the difference immediately, as their depths seemed to be as rich as blood and not as silver as they had been for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but..." The sigh that came from the girl was deep and pained. "There's a lot I can't explain... Don't worry, if I make it, you'll... You'll have a chat with me." The sadness on the girl's face, before the mask went back on was real and intense, those eyes looking so sad for a moment that Yang almost felt sorry for her.

"Wait!" Ruby tried, yet Rubedo shimmered out of existence, the sound of footfalls onto the street echoing away.

"Why'd she do that? We can talk about anything... Even the weird horror movies that she's got on her Scroll." Yang noticed her uncle take a deep breath.

" _What_ weird horror movies, Ruby?" The man's voice sounded strained as if he was realizing something, as Ruby tilted her head.

"Eh, there was this one about a guy getting stabbed a lot of times... Why? They're not worse than the movies that dad told us to never watch..." The look on her uncle's face turned grim, a look of displeasure on his face.

"I've not been kept in the loop, but..." The man's voice was distasteful, his eyes pitying her. "The Beornir are a group of bandits from Anima, Ruby." The man sighed, his expression worn down.

"Just like the Branwen tribe, they're one of the big four of Anima, a bunch of killers, murderers and thieves..."The distinction between killers and murderers wasn't quite clear to Yang, even with her uncle's belaboured sigh.

"It's quite likely that she showed you one of her victims. That's how they work. They grab a few travellers, give one the option to run away and then shoot em in the back for sport... There's been rumours about things that they've done, that the whole lot of em is mostly related..."

Her uncle's eyes were cool, looking at the spot where Rubedo Beornir had been for a moment. "It ain't good to run into her here... You better be wary of her. If she's entangled with these guys..." Heather Arc's features seemed to soften, as she tore the mask from her face, her facial features showing some annoyance.

"Is the mask thing a cultural thing?" Weiss asked, Heather snorting lightly at the question.

"You might call it that. It guards the face from having blood hit it. Mine's laced with fire retardant materials because of my weapon... Doesn't really have many purposes, but most of our generation prefers to wear one." It sounded like the truth, yet Yang could see that the woman was probably lying. Weiss wouldn't know for certain, yet Yang had seen the face of Rowan Arc when she had lied about her mother, the same twitch of the facial muscles and the stilling of those muscles after an instant.

"Ah... Is it more common amongst a certain age, or are there other things to keep in mind?" It was her uncle Qrow who cut Weiss off with a clearing of his throat.

"If people wear a mask because it makes them able to work better, they wear a mask. I don't judge you for wearing a dress, do I?" Weiss huffed. "Dress, combat skirt, whatever... We should get to the next place. Don't worry about it... I'll take care of the bodies, unless you two would like to..." Her uncle indicated Rowan and Heather, the latter shaking her head, whilst Rowan pulled the mask off, the long cloak fluttering behind her in the light breeze.

"I'll be back, sweethearts! Don't worry! I'll be fine! I'll bring back souvenirs!"

Heather seemed to try and stop her, yet Rowan Arc's cheerful and upbeat voice sounded, as she giggled, nearly skipping as she darted off towards one of the side-streets, the big scythe bouncing lightly on her shoulder, a little skip and step that looked fairly inappropriate for a grown woman to do.

"I still don't like her..." Ruby mumbled to herself, Yang frowning at the thought.

 _'... I really should've taken her along to meet more people...'_

* * *

 _The mouse trap (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

The silence that fell over the street was the most pressing, even as she allowed herself an instant of rest, her eyes glancing at the watch that hung on her arm, her eyes checking the time. It was nearly noon, so that would make it something of a mid-day break. There had been sounds in the vicinity, Beowolves and Ursa moving through the streets without aim or purpose, yet there was more than enough to deal with.

Sienna's predators were able to push aside any barriers that would stand in their way, Sienna's eyes glowing whenever she used that power, the feeling of strength that radiated from her more than sufficient to imbue her friend with a similar strength of spirit.

It was a moment of peace, a moment of tranquillity, something that came only rarely to them with how the world seemed to throw vileness onto their path. A surge of pain, a surge of pleasure... all of it was the same in the long stretch.

"Do you think we'll find Blake soon?" She inquired with Sienna, who was in the process of recovering her stamina, one of her Grimm creations nuzzling against her side. It was terribly damning to see, yet she felt somewhat happy at the thought of Sienna being able to protect her. Not like Jaune would... But they were friends.

"Maybe... There's a scent on the air that's like hers." They had been tracking something like that for an hour now, the feeling of emotions, pain and anguish, heavy in the air. They could not rely upon their senses to detect emotions with this blanket of pain covering them.

She looked at the heavens, the sun blazing as it stood there in the sky, the desolation of these surroundings enough for her spirits to dampen slightly, the macabre graveyard feeling that surged from around her making her feel a little more sensitive and dull at the same time.

It was such a mess of fear and panic and pain that it was like breathing in pure air, without any pollutants, whilst also treading water that was like slime. A strange feeling, enough to unsettle her, yet also soothe her.

A creak of wood above them came, Sienna freezing up as it did, a Beowolf leaping down onto the streets. A pointed finger, and the Grimm shot at the Beowolf, tearing into it with its scything claws, the maw opening wide and breaking the neck, the Grimm dissipating slowly into the darkness that fed them.

" _ **A dark moment for us... But for others... Terror..."**_ The darkness inside her whispered even as her body changed, her heartbeat slowing a little, the feeling sharp enough to make her wonder why she felt so relaxed right now. _**"Always remember the burden of those who died... Their fear will inspire you to make others fear more..."**_ The bloodied moment in time when she'd awakened her powers... and the voices that came with it.

' _I'm not afraid. I am not going to fall prey to my own fears...'_

* * *

" _I don't like this... Ghira, come and help me out!" The struggle with trying to make a good batch of food was real, even as her husband smiled at her. He held up his hands, full of the paperwork that was required for their first home._

" _Not my job, Kali. But if you'd like to do my job..." She pouted, her eyes going back to the stew that she had been trying to make and which was currently in the process of burning, her fingers turning the knob a little to turn the heat down a bit. "But no matter what, I'm sure that it'll take amazing."_

" _Flatterer." She said, her eyes looking at the man who she had taken as a husband and mate, her fingers touching over the ring that they'd gotten the money together for after enough time spent. Her own skill at sewing had come in handy, even though the pay was not as great as people'd think. It had been after all, a skill that she'd used to mend her husband's clothing more often than not. A housewife's duty should be at the door, and no further. The feeling of owning a home, a little patch of ground for them alone..._

" _I'll taste it when you're done." She looked at the stew, the potatoes and the mashed carrots that she'd thrown in as well as the bone marrow that'd been half-off from the butcher's, just what every Faunus needed. "Maybe I'll get some meat too... You never can underestimate a helping hand, Kali... The White Fang... We've got to work a bit harder... Make it bigger."_

 _She smiled, nodding. It had been an initiative after the Faunus Revolution, or 'The Freeing' as they'd called it privately, to make humans and Faunus come closer together. It still failed more often than not, yet the hopes inside her heart were enough to stimulate her to make the world a better place. She was a woman who held to the values that she'd been taught, so she would make the world a better place_.

" _If we have a little boy... What do you think we could call him? Feng?" Her husband's face showed displeasure, even as she threw out the name of her most distant cousin. "Long? Long Belladonna?"_

 _He frowned at her. "That's a name you'd find in those adult movies, Kali..." She laughed, the clear laughter lightening the mood, as the wooden spoon stirred the stew in the pot._

" _Long Belladonna, adult film performer!" The look of her husband was grumpy and with that hint that she wasn't making him laugh. "Hey, I could always enter that line of business! I'm still fresh." The look on his face was sharper, as he looked at her._

" _No. How about Bright?" She sniffed. That was not a name for a good son! "Adam?" Another sniff of disdain. She didn't want to birth an Adam either. "Mowgli?" The laugh came from her lips._

" _Who would name their child Mowgli? You'd have to be dropped on your head to name the kid Mowgli!" Her husband frowned once more._

" _My cousin's name is Mowgli. He's the one with the monkey tail." She blinked._

" _But... Didn't he go by Cousin Mo?" Her husband gave another nod, more enthusiastically._

" _So, Mowgli Belladonna." She shook her head._

" _And what if it's a girl? Blake is a nice name..." The stew started to smell better, even as she continued to stir the mixture in the pot, her eyes taking in the look on her husband's face._

" _I think Anna might be a better name... Anna Belladonna." She snorted. Blake was much better in HER opinion. A name that was nice and easy to write. Who'd want to have a long name such as some of those weirdoes from Atlas had?_

" _Oh, I don't think... Ah, it looks about ready... Is my big and sexy man ready to get his evening meal... or does he rather want to have his hot and sexy wife tonight?" He sighed, exaggerated for effect, the reading glasses set on the table._

" _I must take both, Miss Belladonna. It is my creed as a man."_

* * *

The fond memory of their discussion on the birth of their first child had been one of the moments where the fear that she'd not be a good housewife had come only after dinner had come. The content after-dinner dip that they'd always had after they'd eaten their fill was something that often let her ruminate on the things that mattered little. She'd thrown herself into her housework without even caring for the other thoughts in her mind.

She stood up, stretching her arms a little and then giving a little 'ahh' sound. "Let's make sure th-" Spit and the taste of coppery iron filled her mouth, feeling her body jar lightly.

Her feet left the ground, even as she could feel something lifting her up, the smell of Jaune invading her nostrils, her head turning to look down at her chest. Through the leather, a sharp pointed tip stuck, the blade looking to be freshly coated in blood. _'That thing doesn't belong there...'_

Her fingers grabbed the blade, trying to push it out. It didn't belong there, and her feet definitely belonged on the ground.

 _'_ _Oh... I think I'm not going to survive this...'_

The faintness that cut through her senses was enough, as she could hear Sienna's loud "Kali!" to her ears, even as she caught sight of a Beowolf mask looking at her, the same smell as Jaune clinging to it, even as the massive blade of the scythe was pulled free from her body with a swift jerk, as easy as if pulling the seal off a jar by the lid, leaving her to drop to the ground.

' _Oh... Someone snuck up on us...'_ She looked at the wound on her chest, the skin not healing...

 _'Why is the wound not healing... why is it... the blood... where's the bloo-'_

Her heart stopped at that time, her body laid on the ground and the shadows wrapped around it. Empty eyes stared up at the sunny sky, slowly glazing over.

* * *

 _Eye of the Tiger (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

It had been a moment of inattentiveness that had made her unaware of the assailant that came from the shadows, the creak of the wood being just an after-sound from the collapsing Beowolf. A moment later and Kali was impaled on the massive metal blade of a scythe, the twin Dust-powered water pumps making the blade clean once it emerged from the back of the woman once more as the assailant pulled it out, the body of her friend hitting the ground. "Kali!"

She could feel the anger sizzle and burn through her body, even as the woman in the Beowolf mask moved back, the Dust whip's tip missing her by an inch. "I won't let you!"

Anger fuelled her movements as Kali's body moved, her blood feeling thick and almost jelly-like as she pushed herself through the motions, another predator created from the darkness inside her. She looked at the woman, who had taken the time between motions to create some distance between the two of them.

A hood covered the head, a snarling mask visible there, the same mask that she'd seen at the house of the young man who had entranced Kali and the Schnee, the man who was able to realize their vengeance, even if he knew only part of it.

The woman swayed lightly, the massive scythe moving in a flowing motion as the Dust Whip's tip was deflected, a blast of fire Dust erupting harmlessly. The cloak hid most of the form from her sight, yet the suit below looked like it was well-maintained and cared for, the woman below the mask built like a killer.

Muscles that had been tense and ready moved, even as the breathing grew ever so hard, the two stalkers moving in concert to her motions, leaping at the woman, whose scythe cut through them as easily as a hot knife would cut through butter, the woman's body twisting out of the way in an agile leap-dive-roll, up on her feet in a flash.

She looked at Kali for an instant, noticing that there were no signs of her being still amongst the living, pain and hate searing through her.

* * *

" _So... The big moment comes, right?" A hope within her heart, as she could see the High Leader stand there, her face now beholden to the man, even as he held out the mantle that had the elaborate stitching of the White Fang upon it._

" _A new White Fang, under your leadership. I wish that it would be under better circumstances, but..." The look he gave her was one of empathy and pity, enough to make her feel like it was yet another day on the job, guarding his family._

 _Even with the circumstances as they were, the position of the High Leader had grown untenable for Ghira, the diplomatic incident too great to ignore or to distance from. "Do a good job, Sienna..."_

 _Kali smiled, even as she patted her shoulder. "I trust in you, Sienna. You'll be the force for change that the White Fang needs... If we failed..."The hope in the woman's voice was one of the things that she'd not wish to change ever, even with the memories still in her mind of the days before._

" _I'll make sure to make humans respect us, even if they have to fear us." The promise had been made, and she knew how to do it. They would be the force for change in the world..."_

 _She stepped out onto the balcony, looking at the gathered masses of loyal Faunus supporters of the White Fang. This was to be her first public address, the first time that she would have to speak to the crowd of people as their leader, as the beacon of hope for them. A time when she could no longer be Sienna, but she had to be the High Leader._

" _Faunus of Menagerie, representatives of the White Fang. I am here before you as the newly elected High Leader, given the decree to invigorate our cause for the Faunus on Remnant. No longer will we be cordoned in Menagerie, like animals. No longer will I let us suffer the disgrace of being mere chattel to the people... I am Sienna Khan and I will make the White Fang a force to be respected and feared. Humans have tread over us all their lives, with little changing under my dear friend Ghira... Now it is time for us to have a say in what the world will see of our species."_ _She could see the cheers rise, the distant look to the far horizon, spotting those who would become part of her inner circle in a few years time._

 _Harmony Tallow, currently busy filing her nails, leaning against Adam Taurus' back, the young face of Blake next to her teacher and mentor, already filled with the fervour of zeal that had to be expected from them. The Albain twins, young members of the White Fang who spread the word of the message throughout their commune in eastern Vacuo. Jenny Sylver, her face shrouded in the cape that she wore, the weapon that she'd built after graduating from Haven leaned against, though she would lose her leg after a month's time due to a cruel encounter._

 _A moment in time, when she'd still been mostly innocent..._

* * *

She looked at the masked figure, standing there and felt only the anger inside her, even as the woman's hand rose and she felt a strange squeezing in her chest, the world turning dark around her as the woman approached. The darkness in her veins started to burn and writhe, yet there was no motion, no flow of power, even as the woman's hand relaxed, a fresh dose of oxygen reaching her brain, even with the pain that surged through her nerves afterwards, another squeeze, as the blade bore down and she felt nothing but the sweetness of oblivion.

* * *

 _The harvest (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

His eyes did not stray from Heather as she straightened out, the odd behaviour of Rowe already calculated into the way that they were running this group, undoubtedly something or the other having caught her attention.

' _Let's hope that there's not too much damage...'_

He could see that the girls were unsettled by seeing one of their friends... or well, at least Ruby's friend, appear to kill someone.

 _'Time for the talk about life and death...'_

A talk he'd had at age 8, when he'd been given a knife and told to kill an innocent woman who wouldn't hand her goods over to them. They'd gotten their hands on the goods anyways, but he'd had to kill. The look in her eyes as he stabbed her was something that occasionally woke him up during the nights where the alcohol wasn't strong enough to block the bad dreams out.

Seeing those psychos actually be friends with Ruby was worrisome... But it was the Beornir way, the Branwen way wholly different from theirs. The Branwen just looted and pillaged before moving on, leaving many of the people alive, whilst the Beornir just worked them to the bone in their Dust mining.

He let his gaze go to the other two kids that were with them, the uncertainty on Winter's little sister's face being normal for that sort of Schnee. Ruby and Yang grew up isolated, so they'd probably dismiss it easier than the ones who'd grown up amongst society.

 _'Damn it Tai, did you have to build a home on Patch?'_

The man was coming. The message that he'd gotten on his Scroll had said as much. A welcome relief for him, as working together with Taiyang was familiar. The man had saved his skin more than once in the heat of battle, even with the emotional issues that occasionally cropped up.

The Faunus girl seemed to be innocent enough, not questioning it, yet Qrow had seen the reports on the girl's sanity, briefly flicked through to get a good scope of the girl and her nature. A mess, that's what he'd call it... And a mess that didn't seem easily fixable. Compared to Ruby and Yang, Winter's little sister seemed to be an innocent angel, good enough for the examinations at the end of the year.

"Sometimes, kids... You've got to take a life." He dragged the bodies to the side of the road, the woman who'd used the rapier weapon's mask pulled off for a moment and then put back on.

 _'Horrible mess...'_

There were some Semblances that were just bad luck... Like his own. He could feel the hint of ominous dread gather, his gaze going to the other woman, whose neck had been broken and her body pierced by the sword that the girl had used. Proper Huntsman protocol was generally to put the bodies to the side of the street so that those who'd come to retrieve them would be able to pick them up. The dead had little use for possessions, so he looked through the ammunition bags that the women carried with them.

"Uncle Qrow! Don't rob the dead!"

Ruby's voice was just like Summer's, save the experience that Summer had usually infused in her voice. Summer didn't mind taking what was needed for the mission to be a success, especially with how the bodies would rot away.

"Just taking what we need, Ruby. It's better this way, they won't need it anyways."

He inventoried the contents of the ammunition bags, putting three clips of Dust ammunition to the side and six vials of Dust, reinforced against emergency breakage.

"It's the Huntsman's Law. If it'll help someone, you can loot the body. Unofficial law." He was half-assing it, yet there'd been no objections when he had been in the field.

"Alright... Now that these are taken care of..." The look of this one was a bit off, but he supposed that the Dust inside could still be used.

"We should be getting along. We've got a surprise guest coming, and I've let them know that we're on our way." The stern look on Rowe's sister's face, the mask already stowed away inside one of the suit pockets or something, her general manner of standing, all seemed to hint at her approval of the actions that he took. It was a simple sacrifice to make, yet something that he would make with the power that was invested in him by Ozpin.

' _I'm just here to make sure that you kids all make it out alive...'_

He didn't like the thought of instructing the girls in their 'special curriculum'. It was necessary, yes, but he didn't trust himself. Taiyang was a much better fit for something like that, he knew. The man was gentle, able to be calm and collected and didn't smell like booze.

 _'Sure, it'll be hella awkward to see their dad in the buff, but it's just...'_

He wished that he could drink something strong that'd take the memories away from him, yet the duties that a Huntsman had to perform were those that often treaded upon the morals.

 _'If I have to... Then I will.'_

It was some good luck that Yang had been gay. Sharing a bed with his niece had not been on his schedule when he'd signed up for the job, and knowing just who they had with them filled him with dread.

 _'I should've checked more... Not that I don't trust Rowe, but...'_

The girl had been through so much and was so fragile that it was hard not to feel those old feelings lurking below the surface. He could find himself so easily slipping into the routine that they'd had when he was teaching her the proper way to hold a scythe, the teasing tones and the little jibes that'd made it worth it. She'd been a joy to teach, their age difference only seven years or so...

"Uncle Qrow?" He could hear Ruby speak up, even as he sighed deeply, putting some of the ammunition into a pouch, making sure that it was secured properly before turning to her.

"Are we... bad people?"

' _You're still a kid, skilled with a weapon or not... You...'_

The debate whether they were good or bad people had been often held in the public debate section of Signal's forum, with arguments for and against. His own account as a teacher had not chipped in, not deigning it worth the bother, yet it had been enough for him to merely observe those who claimed that it was 'for the common good of humanity' or 'the detriment of our societal fabric'.

' _The bunch of special snowflakes that thinks that there can be coexistence between Grimm and humanity definitely had it coming...'_

A jaded thought, yet enough for him, as he came to the group once more.

"Anyone care for some ammunition? Got a few vials of Dust, high-quality stuff."

The Schnee raised a hand like a good little student should. "I would like some, Mister Branwen. My sister-" He cut her off by throwing her several of the vials, a throw that'd make sure that she'd catch them. They were sealed properly and reinforced for Huntsman-class activity.

"Your sister's usually good at talking and stabbing, so you get them. Anyone need some Fire Dust rounds?"

He saw the Faunus girl perk up a little.

"Right, that's for you, lil' trooper."

The girl nodded, her eyes turning away from him.

 _'Rowe's not coming back...'_

That worried him a little, somewhere deep in his mind. She'd been taught to be quick, get in and then get out with the most amount of damage done. She wasn't built for long-term engagements, at least not without ranged support. Heather Arc probably took care of that, if it came to such an encounter.

"Firecracker, you good on Dust shells?"

He asked Yang, his eyes looking at his niece's face, which showed the wear and tear that she was under. It was perhaps his own imagination, yet he could see Raven standing there in the same pose, half-torn between doing what was right and what was easy.

 _'Kid, every day you grow to be more like your mom... Still better in temperament though.'_

The kid looked so much like Raven that it was hard to see the difference sometime. Dye Raven's hair blonde and she'd look like a carbon copy of her daughter, except for the fact that Raven's cup size was perhaps a touch smaller than Yang's. That must've been the Xiao-Long genes...

' _Don't think about your sister OR your niece like that, Qrow Branwen... You're here to get the kids out safe, make em feel good for a night and hope that they learn something.'_

It'd been so much easier if it'd been the standard mission curriculum for a first-year mission. Quick Search and Destroy, maybe a night of camping with some stories told, then right back to Beacon and having them be safe again, enjoying their lives...

"Yeah, I'm good. Armed and ready, even."

The fist-pump that Yang did was a sure-fire sign that things were going to be alright with her.

 _'She's sort of the unofficial leader, when Ruby doesn't have the experience yet... Two whole years at a Combat Academy, taught by yours truly... Yeah, that toughens a kid up a bit._ '

He'd have to be critical when he assessed their personal styles and the cohesion between the team. He'd seen it a lot at Signal, kids deciding that it'd be cool to decide to go off half-cocked and come back with a few more chomps on their soul from a Grimm that'd just came too close.

Schnee definitely had the support angle covered. If she was half as good as Winter with her glyphs, she'd be a rocking fire-brand in a year or three time, ready to layer some bozo's with a barrage of Dust and some support from whatever kooky summons that she could conjure up like a little ice princess.

Ruby had issues. From the moment that he'd caught her grumbling about Rowe not being a good person, he'd decided that it wasn't a great trait to have to immediately judge someone on some arbitrary characteristics. Hypocritical of himself, somewhat, but he wasn't a man who made the best impression, and Ruby's closed-mindedness and recklessness showed itself once again when she'd went to talk to her 'friend'. A word about personal boundaries and combat doctrine was going to be had, and he'd have to sit Ruby down for that with duct tape and what-not to keep her fixed, because today's friends could become tomorrow's enemies.

 _'Wouldn't be the first time that happened.'_

The mask and the cloak that went hand-in-hand with Rowe and Heather Arc were just as similar to the cloak and the mask that went hand-in-hand with Raven and Summer. Those two had been going on missions from time to time since they'd graduated, keeping things secret about the contents and what-not, but the payout had been worth it. When Raven had finally split from the team and Summer had been left to pick up the pieces of Taiyang, he'd been able to see the mask and the cloak hung on the peg more often than they'd been worn together.

The Faunus girl, Blake or whatever her name was, was a mess of issues. She didn't show it, yet he could detect the looming threat within her mind, the little twitches that she gave and the looks that she fixed Yang with when she thought that she could get away with it.

 _'Dependency...'_

The Faunus girl was dependant on Yang for her opinions, her motivation and much more... and he could see how it'd crush the girl when she finally clued in to that fact.

Yang was the pillar that supported the team, the one who kept the spirits higher when Ruby was in a state where she'd gotten her heart set on a certain course of action and wouldn't be swayed, Yang always managing to be the bright little firecracker that would light a flame with a comment or something.

He could see past the brash facade that she put up, the jokes and the jibes and the combat-eagerness. He could see her face looking in the mirror in ten years' time, the bottle on the table next to her bed and another partner being pushed out of the door, just to forget the emptiness inside. Yang was burning out, quicker than she'd expect herself. He could see the cracks growing on her. The bright girl that he'd sent to Beacon with Taiyang five months ago, now a girl who had to shoulder a depressed Faunus and a younger sister who didn't have a clue about how the world worked yet...

' _Almost like the Branwen curse has gotten another generation...'_

It'd just be another moment when they'd get some peace and quiet, before the whole world vomited bad luck over them. Raven had been the smart one, compared to himself.

 _'They'd convinced me that it was a kilt... How stupid could you be?'_

"Hey, Yang? Got a moment for an old uncle?"

He had to at least address a little of it, his niece's eyes meeting his own for a brief flash, the way that she swayed, her gaze slipping from him to Ruby, before they returned.

"Sure." He wrapped an arm around her, his voice low as he pulled her out of the immediate hearing range of the other kids.

"I'm a bit worried for your team, firecracker."

The good uncle advice, an old and polished favourite across Remnant.

"Just...hear me out for a bit, will ya?"

She was a smart kid, a good kid. Branwen genes through and through, as they walked a little before turning around. He was smart enough to know where the best spots for getting your ass killed at were, so he motioned for the Arc woman to move their little band of misfits along. Heather Arc shot him a look, one that wasn't the most proper of looks, and a one-fingered salute. He'd take that one. Not the first time, after all.

"Ruby doesn't know... What she's been through. She thinks that she's evil but..."

The girl started, even though he'd told her to listen. A bad habit, most often found in kids that thought they were smart and then got a darn Beowolf pack chasing them through the woods.

"But I can't just... let them go. Weiss and Ruby are like two peas in a pod, the counsellor thinks..."

The girl needed to vent to a reasonable adult, one who'd listen. Not Heather Arc with her gruff demeanour and her constant strict look, or Azure Arc, who was just a few years older. Should've had a chat with her mom, but that one wasn't around for obvious reasons...

 _'Raven'd always had the right moment to beat a quick retreat.'_

They'd gotten the ability to turn into birds, so that was pretty logical. They'd be able to slip out of danger if they'd needed to. It aided in reconnaissance and spying and made for a pretty quick exit if you had to skip out on a bar tab... Not that he often did that, mind you.

"And well, Uncle Qrow... Do you think I'm the one who's at fault? Blake is so..."

The look of doubt on his niece's face was enough to draw a sound of sympathy from him, as he pulled her a little closer, like he'd done when she was younger.

"You're dealing with a lot of stuff, aren't you? Let me tell you... Having Rowe with you girls and Tai was one of the best times of the past decade for me. There's a load of things that've gone wrong in my life, and you two girls are the bright little sparks that keep me going." The hope in his heart wouldn't give up. He looked up to the sky, exhaling slowly.

"The cloaks and the masks... What do they mean? Mom had a mask too, didn't she?" The loud caw of a raven drew his attention, catching sight of several of them seated on one of the low branches of one of the trees that'd long-since overgrown its boundaries.

"Summer and Raven wore masks and cloaks..."He wasn't sure whether he should tell her... But he figured that he might as well. "They both did."

"Are they like the Arcs?" He shook his head. _'Do I tell her?'_ The deliberation didn't take long. "They're different. Raven and Summer... They're... Not the same. Rowe explained it to me, years before..."

It had been all that she could tell him. The words had been halting, her throat seizing up at times when she spoke as if something blocked it, the look on her face disappointed as she couldn't tell him. "There's three different... clans, I suppose you could call them. Different traditions. Wouldn't be able to tell you about it, really... But the Arcs are one, Rose is another and there's one which has a skull mask... But I don't know much about that. Think of them as black ops operators... Special teams, working around the world to make sure that it's safe."

The pain in Rowe's eyes had been real, even as she'd remained adamant that he should remain far from them, but Yang had questions and he would not deny them. "I guess... I guess there are seven Roses, if we can trust the Beornir girl. Eh... What that means, I don't know."

"They're... sneaky." Yang said, to which he nodded. His other job was sneaky too. Gathering information on Salem was enough to put him in the hot water with a lot of people who were allied with her.

"But they do a job for Remnant that not many people do. Summer said something about Ozpin's special works... But you didn't hear that from me." He didn't want to make Yang more suspicious than she already was.

"Like the work you do?" She was a bright girl, even if she had her moments of weakness. He merely nodded once, understanding that it was nearly a lost cause at this point anyways.

"Kind of. They deal with stuff that's important for the survival of humanity, or so I've heard." She looked a little impressed, though the far-off look in her eyes was enough.

"I think Rowan Arc wants to die." Yang said. He didn't blame the girl for thinking like that, with how Rowe acted when it was daytime. Seeing her freak out fully in the night-time had brought back that feeling of wanting a bottle to blank his mind out.

* * *

" _NO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO, HEATHER!" The shrieking and shouting grew heavier, as the woman struggled against her younger sister, who together with Azure pinned her to the ground. The tranquilizers that'd been slipped into the food had been neutralized thanks to a little pep shot that they'd handed him surreptitiously with the bowl that'd gone for him, enough of the juice put into the food to ensure a night of good sleep for the kids. Nice and calm and restful..._

" _Calm down, Ro..." Heather Arc tried to shush, but the woman struggled, the heat around the woman blisteringly warm. It was like a furnace exploding, even as steam hissed, Rowe's body pressed to the ground._

" _My... My... Jaune." The bitter, soul-tearing voice that she used was enough, as her gaze went in the direction of Vale. "I can feel him..." A giggle, a dark giggle that seemed to carry within it the shattered sanity that had come with the woman's own release, even as Heather slowly got up._

" _It's time for the mission, Rowe." The mask went on, and the posture changed. Rowan Arc, no longer bound by the daytime, now walked in the night, the massive scythe that she wielded in her hands once more._

" _Yes... Establish a perimeter. Make sure that there won't be anyone who comes within a hundred meters..." The casual way that she ordered was so like her that it was nearly a return to the old days. Seeing the bright blue eyes calculate and track the motions of the Grimm in the darkness was like an art of Huntsman perfection, the light fluttering of his heart at the sight of that calmness, that ability and the drive that had made him love her all the more back when it had been the training days._

" _Need any help?" He offered, her head turning to him. Eyes that were calm and focused, even with the mask pushed into place and the cloak straightened out, looking into his own. There was a tension in the muscles that had been honed through hours of repetition, days of Grimm slaying, moments of when life and death had been decided._

" _No, Qrow." The voice was calm and businesslike and his heart stopped with its faster beat, even as she turned away. "I've got the Mission..."_

 _She sighed, deeply. A sigh that deep was perhaps a signal, a sign of things that had been and which would come, yet there was plenty that seemed to be wrong with this picture. "No matter what..."_

 _She seemed to speak to herself as if in a trance, her gaze cast towards Vale. "I'll get you back, Jaune. Even if I have to..." The hope of a woman who had lost her child, a woman who loved that child so much. A sight that could not be seen by the children, for they would not understand._

 _The ebb and the flow of Rowe's Semblance was like a pulse, a wave that crested on the beach and that pulled at it. Her eyes were bright behind the mask even as she stretched a little. "Heather, you've got my six. I've got four in the sights." Her younger sister fell in line without another word, the two of them disappearing into the night with little sound, moving through the building without incident. Zwei was cuddling up to Ruby right now, looking sleepily at him, the dog well enough._

" _It was a little shocking, finding out some things." Azure Arc said, unprompted, the young woman... well, more of a nearly out-of-her-teens woman, giving him a look. "You taught her how to wield her scythe, right?"_

 _He gave a nod in affirmation. More words were really not needed. "Yeah... After we got the news of Jaune being... gone... Well, she tried to kill dad. It was only through the efforts of most of us that we managed to dose her with enough anti-psychotics and sedatives that she'd lasted through the... well, you know how it goes." Azure Arc sighed, even as she shifted a little in her armour._

" _It's... It's pretty tough. I know that she and Heather are a team and well... Ash and Bianca always get very hush-hush when it concerns Rowe." He could imagine. The things that'd happened to her... He hadn't seen what she'd become, but he'd had a glimpse of that madness inside her. The moment when she'd rammed Harbinger through her newborn's body, burying it within the wood was still one of the moments that he'd rather forget._

" _Yeah, Rowe is great... Used to care for my nieces when we got together to train her up to scratch." Azure Arc's face didn't show much change, even with her fingers brushing through her hair, a deep sound coming from her throat that was like a low hum._

" _She's a little different now. She'll go back to being Rowan for the daytime, singing her lullaby to her child." Azure's voice was sad, as she looked at the heavens, the stars stretching out above them. "It's not a happy thing..."_

" _Were you surprised that she was raising her son?" His curiosity implored him to ask, Azure shifting a little, even as she made a complicated face._

" _Yes. I mean, I've only known him as my little brother, but... He was such a cute little goof. Sometimes, I wonder whether there'd be some way to talk to him again, just to give her some peace of mind. She's..." The heavy mood and the melancholic look on her face. "She's not dealing with his death well at all..."_

" _Yeah... She's going down a dark path." The path that he'd seen Taiyang embark on, once Summer had never returned. A path where he'd just lie there, too tired to even get up and do anything aside from crying. An emotional wreck._

" _Don't ever think that you're able to worm your way into her heart again." Azure Arc's voice was soft and understanding, her eyes looking at him with an expression that showed her feelings closely. "It's... That time has been. She might've once upon a time but..."_

" _Yeah, I get that. Ain't no woman who's interested in an old bird like me." The laugh was soft, yet it was present._

" _You'd be surprised with how many girls enjoy the older man look, Mister Branwen." The look in her eyes was a little amused._

 _"Why, you'd only have to start drinking from a flask in order to get that whole gruff 'I'm some bad-ass huntsman, with a wounded soul and more stories to tell than your momma' look." He looked at her and then pulled the flask out of his pocket._

" _Oh my gods, you've got one! Alas, my poor womanly heart must be loaded with endorphins! Take me, kind sir!" The dramatic flourish and the giggles that came from her were enough to lighten the mood, even as he grinned._

" _Ain't much that a kid like you can do to an old man like me, Kiddo." The look on her face was challenging, as she grinned._

" _Don't count me out just yet... I'm an Arc. That means we're kick-ass and amazing." The young woman had been in decent spirits, quietening down a little after a brief chuckle._

 _The evening and night progressed with some light chatter between the two of them. The brashness of youth seemed to be a little bit dulled in Azure Arc's manner, as she was aware of topics that were not able to be discussed and able to answer some of them that were straight out of the blue._

" _So... I sense Rowe and Heather making their way up. What're you going to do for the slip and slide?" He blinked, her hands making a gesture. "The sex. Are you going to be doing it with your nieces?" He made a face, even as she nodded, seemingly happy about the answer that he'd given through his facial expression._

" _I'll have to, I mean... How old were you when you got your first class in that?" The grin on her face was there, as she turned her gaze to the door opening, where the soft footfalls of Heather became audible. "Just a year and a half ago-ish. I got advanced up because of merit, so yeah... The first time was with a guy named Claude... Not bad, got me off, but I had a hankering for more." It was as openly flirtatious as it could get, and a clearing of a throat was audible._

" _Shut the flirting off, Azure."Rowe's voice was calm and collected, even as she took a deep breath, the mask pulled off. "Surroundings are cleared and four of the animals are dead." The look on Heather Arc's face was modest as she pulled her mask off her face, the sweat on her skin standing out. "Shouldn't be in the way, we made sure to turn them into ashes."_

" _It's nearly seven, time for you to sleep a little..." Heather Arc's face looked sad as she pulled the boy doll out and the pained look on Rowe's face came once more. The mask of sanity was pulled off and the raw nerves that laid below the surface were pulled out, as the doll was gently pushed into the woman's hands, a soft humming coming from her throat as the tears started to come._

" _Sleep well, Rowe." The sentiment was not shared, as the woman started to rock a little, the hand on her shoulder by her younger sister gently stroking over it. "When you wake up again... It'll be another time to be the woman you were made to be..."_

 _A frightened laugh, coming from the woman's lips, a pained and choked sob that was so heartrending that he looked away. The soft moaning from her lips, even as the soft words started to come. "No, please... No, please... stop it..."_

 _He turned his gaze away, as her cries started to grow more frantic, the soft shuddering moans and whimpers, Azure Arc's face turning paler by the second as the moans and the whimpers started to take on panicked and pained forms. Little muttered sentences that'd been hissed at her, sentences that made him feel sick..._

" _n...not...more..." He turned to her, having heard the litany of pain and torment, the tracks of tears that came. Her eyes were shattered and broken, hopeless and without repose._

" _Why...Didn't... You... Come?" The question was a plea to someone, yet he felt it personally hit him, as a question to him directly. The tears came from his eyes as well, as he took a deep breath. He knew that she'd been harmed, but..._

 _Reliving her torment every night until the light of dawn... Every moment, or at least as much as he could make out from it, the pleading to be released, the whimpers and the sounds of betrayed enjoyment, as her body recollected every experience, making it fresh in her mind once more..._

 _He noticed Ruby stir a little, even as she started to sing. The mad laughter had been absent for a little while, when her mind had started to snap to that state that was Rowan Arc._

 _He'd better take care of Ruby, before she caused Rowe to snap..._

 _That woman could kill every single one of them with a simple flex of her Semblance if she focused hard enough._

* * *

"Yeah..." He said, knowing that he'd been silent for too long. Yang was starting to look at him with questioning eyes, even as he knew that he'd messed up a little with his recollection. "She's... She's reliving it every night." The wince that his niece gave was telling.

"I'm..." She tried to form the words, yet failed. "I'm sorry. I feel responsible." The sigh that he gave was enough, as he patted her on the shoulder.

"It's not your fault, kid..." The words came easy, even with the two of them hurrying their steps a little to catch up with them. They'd still need to get to the next shelter that the Arcs had set up, after all.

As they neared the spot, the smell of some good food came to his nose, his eyes looking ahead, where a tent had been pitched, a blonde man stirring into a pot. "Good afternoon, kids." The smile on Tai's face was as it always was, with those eyes holding the secrets of how to woo the women of team STRQ within them. Zwei gave a loud 'woof!' at the sight of the man.

"Dad!" Ruby's excited little squeal was enough as she propelled herself forward in a storm of petals, moving with deliberate effort into the man's arms, nearly bowling him over. "Ohmigosh, I didn't think you'd be here! Yang! Dad's here!"

Qrow could see Yang look a little worried, switching glances between him and her father.

 _'Yeah, I'd be a little nervous too if I told my uncle about my worries about one of the Huntresses with us...'_

"Hey there, little rosebud... How's things? Did you learn many fun things at Beacon?" Ruby started to tell a little tale about how they'd been fighting robots on a freeway, all with the hyperactivity of a young girl who wanted to tell her uncle all about her fun encounter.

"Hey guys, this is my dad, Taiyang Xiao-Long. If he gets too boring, just give him a good tap." The smile on the little firecracker's face didn't drop, even as her teammates watched Ruby go into a whole rendition of their earlier encounter with Roman Torchwick.

' _With Tai, he can at least take the burden off me... Perhaps it's for the best that he do something with the two girls... Unless Ruby's changing her mind...'_

"So, I've heard that you're doing second-year survival stuff... Now, there's nothing to be worried about." Heather Arc started to get the second tent set up, folding it out from the pack where she carried it in. It was a novel sight to see, even with the woman's body moving faster than before, her eyes glinting with the faint sparks of that burning will inside of it.

"So, are you going to help out?" The man smiled, as he was always fond of doing.

 _'Much better teacher than me...I only get the basket case students… Well, except Ruby.'_

"Yep. I know a few little things about that type of stuff. Your mom was… oof, she was kind of hot back in the day, if you'll believe me." The smile on the man's face could charm a Grimm, as he ruffled his hair, Ruby nuzzling against her father's chest. The dishevelled look on his face was good to keep, with how he appeared to be.

"So, I guess I'll be entertaining the two girls who're eh… Yeah, Qrow, what's the split?" Qrow, for a moment, paused.

 _'Yeah, that's what you said when you split Raven. She never forgave you for that little twist.'_

"Three girls, Yang excluded. She's going to be entertained by the two ladies who're above twenty." Taiyang didn't need to know that Rowe was the girl that he'd held a torch for in the past. That was private. Yang knew… But Taiyang had been barely functional. He'd barely remembered the name of Raven Branwen.

"Fun, so… Eh, my name is Taiyang Xiao-Long, and yes, I am a natural blonde… Yang gets it from me." The groan that Yang made was amusing, as a snicker came from Qrow's throat, Taiyang continuing. "Let's get you two girls settled in comfortably when we do this… It's all going to be okay. There is no bad way, no good way… There's just the way, or else it's Xiao-Long for the punch line." The groan from Yang was enough to make a grin come to the face of the Faunus girl and the Schnee.

"Daddy… Can you… y'know…?" The look on Taiyang's face was soft and gentle, even as he squeezed Ruby a little in a fake hug. "I want to… I want you to…"

"Of course, Ruby… Qrow?" Taiyang definitely was too nice for Ruby.

"Alright, alright… I get it. Schnee, you're with me and eh… Belladonna? You're fine with me too, right?" The Faunus girl nodded, whilst the Schnee merely gave a little nod.

 _'Great… Summer, wherever you are in heaven, your daughter's being well-taken care of.'_

"I love you, dad." It was endearing to see Ruby be the sweet little muffin that she was.

 _'Ahh… I'd like a kid like that myself someday too…'_

He missed the crimson eyes that stared at the pair from the nearby tree, the raven looking down at the gathering before flying away. If he had, he might've noticed the similarity to his sister's raven form.

* * *

 _The tempest (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He could feel Willow's body against his own, even as the sound of animalistic rutting came from the other room. The couple that was in the other room was definitely going for some sort of record of rutting, given the excited little squeaks and moans that the woman was giving. The impetus for the two of them to keep on fucking, seemed to have been them.

' _Well, you can't fault the two of them for wanting to get laid…'_

He could feel Whitney tense up a little, her lips claiming his own once again, the daytime still stretching on, the sudden snap-twist of the two threads of darkness to his nervous centre making him get up. Whitney pouted at the lack of attention, even as his gaze drew to the direction of the absence of the two Faunus members of his cabal of cronies. _'That isn't good…'_

He tried to search for them, trying to push the link to its maximum to find them, yet coming up with nothing. His eyes widened, as he pulled on that small thread of consciousness, trying to trace it back to either Sienna or to Kali, only to come up with nothing.

' _Oh no…'_

It could mean one thing…

They'd been killed.

A beat, and then a throb, the dark strands reconnecting once again, weaker and frailer than before, yet still connected to him, still tense with the strength that he had infused into them. They were still amongst the living... Or at the very least, were able to draw breath. Relief flooded him, even as he grew flaccid, the relief making his mind feel that high of endorphins, even as the sensation of Whitney tensing around his manhood became real.

"Is something wrong?" Her voice was gentle as it inquired, the burden on his body heavier, as the tension seemed to increase. _'They are definitely alive.'_

"I had a bad feeling… Kali and Sienna faded from my consciousness for a moment… I thought… I thought they were dead." Whitney pulled off him, her eyes warmer and understanding, leaning down to kiss him. She often enjoyed being on top when they were together, just as a mark between her and him.

"They're going to be fine, Jaune. Now… Do you want to continue and give me my milk, hmmm?" A teasing tone to her voice, as her lips pressed a kiss to his bare chest. They'd woken up late in the afternoon, enough of the strength returned to his body. The power of the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him swelled, his pale hair still as pale as it was, without the colour that should be in it…

' _I could lift her to the level of my acolytes… But…'_ He hadn't. An Elder Grimm was something that could boost the power of the _Vitae Tenebris_ to the level where his acolytes would be able to stand toe to toe with Ozymandias Pinnacle's acolytes.

"I think… I think I'll go and take a shower. I'm just a little worried." She understood, of course. It wasn't her. He'd given her more than seven orgasms in the last twenty four hours… And his own count had definitely been higher than seven. She was like a fiend when it came to getting what she craved.

"How about I scrub your back? I've got a knack for getting rid of the itches…" The promise was enough, even as he worriedly looked at the direction where Kali and Sienna were at.

' _I don't like this…'_

* * *

 _Being prey (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

The feeling of a weight on her wrists drew her to rouse from her dazed state, the fogginess of her brain allowing her to realize that she was suspended in the air, her arms tied together with what seemed to be some sort of rope.

Blinking the fogginess out of her mind, she allowed herself a moment to gather the darkness inside her, even as she tried to pull herself out of the tied loop, her shorter stature not garnering her any favours. Allowing her eyes to look around the place where she found herself, she could see that it was a ruined store, storing mattresses that looked like they'd had their longest shelf life years ago. A sticker with Montague's Mattress Monthly was pasted onto one of the bits of furniture, and through her night vision she could see the difference within the atmosphere of the place, even as the tang of blood hit her nostrils. Her head was still free, yet she didn't spot Kali… She couldn't… she couldn't feel Kali.

She sought with her gaze, coming to rest upon a human figure that sat crouched over something, the bare back of a woman facing towards her. _'Such horrible scars…'_ The light of the afternoon hit it, even as the smell of blood grew stronger. A mask and a cloak were hung on a peg, and the woman, for it definitely was a womanly figure, moved, a hand brushing through the woman's short blonde hair.

 _'Why… what is she doing?'_

She could make out the words… She could see the symbol that had been burnt into the part of the back that held the spine. _'Oh…'_ The fact that she still lived was undoubtedly going to be for some sort of torture. Perhaps even worse...

Straightening, the woman let her arms raise to the sky, popping her back slowly and then letting the feeling of the back popping hit her, a low sound coming from her throat, with the tone of a woman behind it.

 _'A woman in search of vengeance against the White Fang…'_

She could imagine what that'd mean. She'd seen… punished individuals. A brand across the face was a blessing. Adam had come up with the White Fang's symbol, five months post her ascendancy to the High Leader spot. A new mark for a new time… Three slashes. One for the Great War, one for the Revolution and the third for the equality that they'd get once they made Humanity see that they were worth more than just mere animals.

"Sienna Khan… What an honour."

The voice was oddly warm, even as the woman stepped away from whatever she'd been working on, almost seeming to glide towards a massive war scythe propped against the wall, fingers tracing over the wooden grip, caressing it lovingly.

"And… Kali Belladonna?"

The question hung in the air, as the uncombed blonde hair was tousled by fingers, the sound of someone licking their lips. It filled her with a dark dread, even as she tried to connect to Kali through that sixth sense that she'd had ever since Jaune had empowered her.

' _Come on, Kali...'_

Dread filled the pit of her stomach as time continued onward. There would be few people who would be able to accurately identify her and Kali, especially now that Kali looked like a copy of Blake, save for the ear piercings. Her own earrings had been suitably moulded to her ears, a statement that she was nobody's Faunus, yet…

"It has been a while, Sienna… I've been waiting for this day for a very… very long time."

The voice was near-frantic, manic almost with that edge within the tone that seemed to hold out some sort of faint perverse hope. Her stomach made a little jump inside of her, as she looked at the body of her friend and now fellow Acolyte, the woman who had cared for her when she had been but a simple bodyguard and now as an ex-High Leader of the White Fang. Kali laid on the place where the woman had crouched, her skin as pale as could be, something visible on her body, the smell of blood strong in the air.

 _'A cannibal?'_

Stitches were visible on the flesh, where the skin had been sewn back to something resembling a good body, the slight rise and fall of the chest showing that Kali still drew breath, yet the darkness inside her seemed to be dormant, the blood flowing... yet the darkness not.

 _'What... Why would she stitch her up again? That doesn't make sense. She should kill, rather than keep someone alive.'_

The woman turned to her and she could see the long scar on the stomach, the sign of someone physically removing what had been growing inside of her… She gasped, even as those blue eyes looked right at her, a strangled sound in her throat, even as everything around her and inside her seemed to freeze.

Cool, hateful blue eyes, eyes that had been happy upon a portrait that had hung in the d'Arc-Night manor, the slight sway of full breasts as the woman stepped to her, silent, only the inhale and the exhale of the woman really mattering, as she felt unable to move, unable to even inhale. A hand moved, and she felt the ability to breathe come once more, yet she did not inhale. Her breath was stolen by the look on those eyes, softening into a familiar look of pain and loss.

"You never came for me, Sienna." Tears welled up in those expressive sapphire eyes, and she felt them come from her own as well. Her voice nearly cracked, as emotions welled up, looking at the woman who had captured her.

"Hello… Nyxie."

* * *

 **The next chapter is going to be... graphic. Interesting and graphic.**

 **Because some people seem confused - The 2 and 3 Rose members of the Rose Clan are not on the level of Summer and Raven. More at the level of slightly below Acolyte, but not yet Full Acolyte. It's actually getting explained better in three to four chapters. If it was Raven... Trust me, Qrow KNOWS what his sister looks like. If she was there, he would've at least stopped Rowe from killing her. In their descriptions, you can see that they wield a rapier and a sword-rifle. Raven wields a Dust katana, Summer wields a set of twin swords. And as for the addressal that Sienna gives at the end... Pay close attention to the sections of Yang and Nora, as well as the dialogue between Kali and Sienna in several of the earlier chapters. That's the hint I'm giving...**

 **See you in two weeks, ladies and gentlemen!**


	50. Transgression

**Chapter 50: Transgression**

 **Some people thought… 'Oh, there was an infiltration mission'. Others did not fully get the significance of Sienna's reaction. It's been hinted at through several of the chapters that Sienna once had a best friend. Rowe is that best friend, as they met through their time in Menagerie together. More about that in this chapter.**

 **Ruby was admitted 2 years earlier than regular students through Ozpin's admission, so normally, people would be eighteen when they did such exercises together.**

 **Warnings: Sexual content/Sexual violation/Really bad stuff. Skip the 'The King' and 'The Queen' perspective chapters if you're not good with sexual violation.**

* * *

 _The dark days ahead (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

Seeing her friend like this, a dark pulse of revulsion came through her. She felt sick and twisted as her whole body boiled and burned with that twisted feeling of being unable to move and wait, the nausea pushing through her system as Nyxie stood nose-to-nose with her, those blue eyes looking right into hers with a question burning in them.

It had been a rough time, the scandal having been enough to make Ghira resign, the news of the emissary from Vale's daughter being raped by some of the members of the White Fang kept contained between several of the upper-level management, and the Valean response, which had been some strongly worded messages.

They had never taken into account the woman, nor had they seen to the man who was her father. There was only the relations that had soured between the two nations, even as Sienna had been forced to scramble to mend the relationships.

"I really… I tried, Nyxie. I really wanted to know that you were… alright." A hand touched her cheek, the soft and yet clammy touch making her shiver. Guilt riddled her body at the sensation, her shudder like a trance for her. Those eyes never stopped looking into her.

"We were going to have so much fun, Sienna… I was going to be sprung free from Menagerie because I'd been punished… We were going to do just as we promised." The promise, spoken under the hot sun, a proposition that'd sounded totally ludicrous at the time.

" _So… Why?"_

 _She had asked, her friend's eyes shining lightly._

 _"Why would you even… y'know, consider that?"_

 _Nyxie's hand brushed through her beautiful hair, the bikini that she'd opted to wear to the beach at odds with the official guard uniform. Kali and Ghira had been playing with their daughter, who was growing up to be a beauty._

" _You're my best friend, silly. The moment when I get out of here…"_

 _The look on her face was tense and pensive, as if she were deliberating about some sort of massive secret, where there would be none other to share._

 _"Let's have a threesome. Just me, Jaune and you… I want to make it special."_

 _The ill-masked look of faint disgust on her face was enough to make Nyxie wave her hands to ward off those negative feelings. "No, no, I don't want you to think that this is going to be wrong… I've got reasons for this…" A look at her father, who currently looked like the world's most emotionless Huntsman, dressed in a set of shorts and wearing his full weaponry, the massive greatsword that Nyxie wielded planted in the sand._

" _What reasons exactly are those, you weird little human?" The smile turned mysterious, as she saw the human lean forward and then put her lips close to her ear._

" _It's to break the cycle… The… There's a thing that I fear happening, and… I want you to make it memorable."The plea in her voice was enough, even as her friend pecked her on the cheek. A little touch of affection, even as she huffed a little, looking away. She wasn't going to deal with Nyxie's weird little plans, though she felt honoured a little that she was being selected to be a partner to that._

" _Remember, Sienna… You mustn't talk about it. Just between the two of us…" That Kali's ears had perked up and the look that she'd given the two of them with the wink, was just some natural disaster. As she prepared herself for the evening guard shift, the woman had actually approached her._

" _That idea of Onyxia, do you think…"_

 _The mortified look on her face clearly showed what she thought of that, as her mouth fell open, the woman looking understanding._

 _"No, I'm not upset… I know how much you care for her. She's one of the few people who took an ice pick to that little shell that you've built up around you, you little kitten."_

 _That technically might be true. That one drunken encounter that'd ended with the two of them having had some really wild lesbian sex was something that she'd rather like to forget, even if there'd been a moment when she'd found that the woman who'd come here from Vale was actually a pretty sociable person._

 _Her father did not approve of her fraternizing with his daughter, of course, but the man had softened his stance a little when the friendship seemed not to be detrimental. The man's official role as an emissary from Vale was due to end, just as well…_

 _She'd actually given it thought. She could apply for some leave, travel towards Vale, do the… thing. A threesome with her best friend and her… son. It was weird just thinking about it, Nyxie being only a year her senior. A kid… But he was cute at least for a kid. It'd just be… initiating him in the art of love, yeah._

 _She felt like a pervert for just thinking it. She was going to seriously consider fucking two humans… A mother and son. "Hey, Sienna? You've got that look on your face of being weird again… Thinking about some iiiinceeeessst?"_

 _She snapped to attention, looking at Kali who had a teasing grin on her face, her eyes blazing. "No! I was just… gathering myself." The woman was too canny about her expressions, even with her own family being as perfect as it was. "No, but-"_

 _The woman held up a hand. "You just said 'I guess I'm going to be considering fucking two humans, a mother and son'… If that isn't what you meant…' She flushed at the teasing whisper, turning beet red._

" _It's okay… We all have our fetishes. I like to be held and told that I've got no chance of escaping. It's hot, don't you think? Pinned to the bed by my husband…" The tongue that slid over the woman's lips was slow, yet Sienna had the image in her mind now. "Yeah, not for you. "_

" _I should not hope to be included in such a thing." She mumbled, even as she gave the thought some more consideration. A young man would need to know how to handle a woman… Even if she had been forced to call herself his oldest sister. "Nyxie… She's…"_

" _She's here with her father, and that's nothing of our business."_

 _Kali said, her expression turning more serious. "I've heard a little about it from Ghira. Sage is a… man who has some difficulties expressing himself, but it's not to make her… affect the world. She's pretty important."_

 _She knew. Nyxie had told her about her title. Her Royal Majesty was not some title of some low-born girl… and her father's official muster report had been signed with His Royal Majesty Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night. The formal name which was only used on official transcripts._

"I felt horrible after what happened." She admitted to the woman, who let her fingers slide over Sienna's body. "You must believe me, Nyxie. I'm…" The Huntress moved away, taking a few steps back. The massive scar on her abdomen was enough, as blue eyes locked with her own.

"I'm sure, Sienna… I've… I've killed a lot of Faunus. It would've been Kali and you as well, but…"The woman's gaze turned to Kali, who laid there, a moment that passed. "but I couldn't."The sanity in that voice was much more prevalent, the touch of her old friend there visible.

"I couldn't do it, not after the good times. I hate your kind, I really do… My day is like… watching through stained glass, knowing that it takes but one little turn for my mind to fade to the background and be…" The sanity that she showed was but a momentary thing, as her friend looked at her with a complicated expression. "Be unable to see the world. I'm… I can feel his heartbeat. Every time he breathes… I've always heard it. We… You never came for me, Sienna. Why?"

Sienna knew the answer. The mission that her friend had gone on had been misfiled. There'd been a mess, and it had only been through a renegade who'd reported the issue with the compound that they'd gotten a lead. Sage Arc had been emotionless at the thought of losing a daughter, something that'd been… bad.

The man had not accompanied them, citing non-interference with internal matters. He had barely flinched the moment when they'd put Nyxie in a bed, looking at the blood-stained and bruised woman that merely held empty eyes and stained and soiled limbs.

"We didn't know, Nyxie. I apologized to you so much, but… what happened to you made Ghira be forced to step down… Your mother was…" The woman had incensed her with her response. How could a mother say something like that about her own daughter.

' _Who would even say 'it's her own fault that she got raped by animals'?! What mother DOES that?'_

A hollow laugh from the woman, tapering into the neurotic, the look on her friend's face enough. "She's mean. She's so mean to me all the time, Sissy… " The voice turned almost child-like in tone, the eyes losing whatever rational strand they had "Always more pain, always being smacked around because… she hates me. Mama hates me."

The look on the woman's face was pained, as she stroked over the scythe's edge, water droplets glistening wherever her fingers had passed. "I hate it, Si. Bad mom." The sadness in her voice was enough, the eyes looking up at her with that despairing look. They looked so broken again, as the look in those eyes writhed with the pain.

"Jaune is… alive." Sienna said, even as Nyxie nodded. Six times, in total, rapidly bobbing her head up and down.

"Of course, silly-Sissy." The giggle, as the woman looked down at Kali's unconscious form, which currently was stretched out onto the mattress. "He's always alive… I didn't make him to be weak." Sienna wondered about that, yet kept her silence. She wriggled a little in her bonds, still uncomfortably kept in the air.

"Can you… let us down? Walk away?" The shake of the woman's head was a few times, her eyes looking right into hers.

"Silly Sienna… There's going to be an Initiation tonight! We're going to make the little princess into the perfect bride for Jaune. It's going to be amazing! So cool!" She watched the woman pause for a fraction of a second, a thoughtful expression on her face. "But not quite cool, since we still need to get the Grimm… Hmm… Beowolf? Nope… Maybe a Goliath! Ooh, that'll be fun! Have you ever fought a Goliath?"

She hadn't, nor did she enjoy much the thought of fighting one of the elephantine Grimm. "Jaune might be worried for us… We're with him, after all." Nyxie nodded. She held up a Scroll that Sienna identified as belonging to her.

"I know, silly. You've got one of Ashley's Scrolls! I got the notification once I tapped in the password!" How the woman knew her password was another mystery. Swordfish might be one of her favourite dishes but… was it really that obvious?

"So… Do you think you can wake Kali up?" Sienna tried, concerned for her friend. She was still laying there on the mattress, still asleep. Nyxie smiled, even as she nodded.

"Of course… and the princess shall awaken the panther! Foof!" Kali opened her eyes with a start, getting up in a flash. Panic flashed in those eyes, fear raced through her whole body, as her hand went to her stomach, where there was only the stitches.

"Sien- oh…" The startled expression on Kali's face changed as she saw Nyxie, the woman's eyes looking sad, as she exhaled. "It's you, my dear."

Nyxie's broad grin was magnificent, as she nodded a few times. Kneeling and then giving Kali a hug, the older Faunus awkwardly returned it, even as the woman was kissed on the cheeks thrice. "Eh… Yeah… What just happened? I thought I was dead, and…"

Nyxie answered, still holding Kali. "I fixeded you! Water is life! Water is strong! I'm magic!" The giggles that came from the woman were a softly increasing tune of madness and genuine happiness. Kali's expression was a 'what the fuck' expression, even as Sienna tried to do a little shrug.

"Now… Now… Are you able to call Jauney? I tried to call, but it says 'Cannot connect, Scroll user unauthorized…' Boo…" The look on Kali's face was softer, as she softly patted the woman's back. The wounds on her back made Kali's face look a little grimmer than before.

"How about I go and fetch him? I've got magic of my own too." The smile on the young woman's face was brilliant, as eyes went wide.

"You will? Oh gods, you will! I tried to take the magic and make Jauney not be the Inheritor! It hurt really bad, but I did it! Wooh, wooh!" Sienna didn't know what it was about, yet Kali smiled, gently brushing her hands over the woman's back, an offer of comfort.

"Give me a moment…" She mumbled, before she straightened out. The darkness around her intensified, the stitches slowly popping out of the wound, the flesh knitting together. "Darkness is my strength. It makes me strong." The soft 'Ooh!' that Nyxie gave was amazing to hear, as her best friend had seemingly lived in hell for such a while…

* * *

 _The forge of will (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

It was bad, in her opinion, that she'd been put to guard duty immediately whilst the rest of her team talked to dad. It was bad that Ruby was even entertaining doing such things with dad, because he made her feel comfortable.

It was bad that she felt such anger inside her at Ruby being so closed-minded… But it was bad altogether. This whole situation, the whole psycho Arc woman that'd been with them, and the whole conspiracy around Ruby's friend… It all reeked of stuff that she didn't want to be embroiled in.

It reeked of sickness and death, and the thought of sleeping with her uncle… or her _dad_ … Bah. That was _sick_. Heather Arc stood a few meters away, looking like a bored statue, her expression barely changing. "So… When do you think your big sister is going to return?"

Heather Arc's face barely shifted, even as the woman sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, the large flamethrower that she wielded hanging on a loop that'd been pulled over the shoulder. "I don't know. She usually breaks off if she sees a few Faunus, or when she hears em…"

"Hears? How good are her ears?" Heather Arc looked a little put out with the question, yet sighed. "If it's a secret, I don't want to pry, but…"

"We have a Semblance that is focused around the elements. It's not a bad idea to tell you, I guess you'll understand in a few… yeah. Mine focuses around manipulating flames and allows me to see in the infrared spectrum. It's something that I can switch on and off, great for hunting down people in darkness… Rowe… Hers is the ability to hear the blood flowing through a body. She's got great range and she never forgets a heartbeat…"

Something seemed to make Heather pause, even as she looked at the skies. A complicated expression on her face, as she pursed her lips in thought. "No… That's so unlikely that it's…"

"Did she… Did she do things with Jaune?" Yang asked, her voice soft. "Momly things. Not… sisterly things." Heather grimaced, even as she looked into the distance, taking a deep breath. They were far enough out of earshot that their conversation would be lost amongst the winds that howled through the abandoned streets.

"She's… I can't, and I mean that, I can't talk about it. Every time I try, my throat shuts and I…" The woman seemed to put trust in her, as a morose look was given to her. "I'm only telling you what I can, and that's a favour…" The woman's hand brushed to the base of her braid, seemingly to contemplate whether loosening it a little.

"She went to every appointment. Every little parent-teacher meeting that dad and mom couldn't." The love in Heather Arc's voice when she spoke about her sister's actions was real, as she looked fondly to the distance. "We were like a good mother and father team. Ro always made sure that he got what he wanted… She probably would've caught a girl to take his virginity if she'd not been sent away."

That sounded interesting to her, and Heather looked at her, her fingers brushing over her throat, massaging the flesh. "So… That isn't covered by the oath, is it…" She mumbled, her head shaking. "Not that it applies to her anymore…"

' _What's that about an oath?'_

She wondered briefly whether there would be an oath involved or something in her own future. "She was sent to Menagerie as a punishment, whilst I was given a list of tasks to complete throughout the world. Fuck… If I could've gone with her, I would've. We only saw each other once in Menagerie when my tasks pushed me there…" The Faunus continent, apparently where Blake was from. Blake never really talked much about herself in communication with them, preferring to offer her perspectives on the Faunus and other such topics privately.

"What's the punishment for? You eh… mentioned one."

Heather Arc's voice did not respond. Her head had turned, facing towards one of the directions.

"We did something bad. We got punished. What are you doing here?"

The woman asked, the air shimmering a little and the cloaked and masked form of Rubedo Beornir appeared once more, the mask visibly marked with a crimson mark.

"Did it involve the Awakening?"

The strict tone that the young woman used was prying, even as a hand was extended, Heather Arc taking a deep breath as she saw what ring glistened upon the finger. Yang idly noticed that the symbol was the same as the ring that Ruby's mother used to wear.

"Yes. It did."

The masked figure nodded, seemingly sterner than before.

"Well, that's a bitch…" The young woman mumbled, even as the cloak shrouded most of her body in the tones of red. "I couldn't attend, because I was a bit occupied."

' _What the hell is the Awakening?'_

"You were old enough to attend?"

The question held surprise within its depths, as Heather Arc turned to the petite woman, who frowned a little. The woman held up her ring again.

"You hold the ring, but… I'm not sure I believe you."

The mask came off and a frustrated expression on the woman's face showed. "You kind are always such a bother. I told Sage that he was a prick once, for letting her study under me… But well, I guess there's no crying over spilt milk." The shake of her head was light, even as Yang frowned.

' _I'm not getting the story…'_

Heather Arc's eyes went _wide_ at that revelation, surprised. "What did they… what did they do to you?"

A sick smile on the face of the dark-skinned girl, as the red eyes slowly bled into the silver colour that was so similar to Summer's that it was almost like looking into a mirror. "Tortured me. Experimented on me. Had a lucky break a few months ago, and now I'm sort of… Yeah…" The shrug, even as the girl's eyes met hers.

"Yang?" The question from the girl caught her by surprise. "You don't have to fear… I'll make sure that you and Ruby make it through this mission… And we're going to have a talk after that." A raven landed on the woman's shoulder, looking at Yang with red eyes.

"Trust me…"

"Your sister…" The pause, as the eyes blinked once and silver was replaced by red. "Does she often comment about people like the High Executor of the d'Arc-Night?"

Yang blinked. That was a question she didn't expect. "No… I think she's just… she's just in a mood. She's not used to people who do bad things." The look on Heather's face was like she wanted to comment on those 'bad things', but Rubedo cut her off.

"Should've pounded the ethics code in her head… Well, that doesn't matter. d'Arc-Night, keep your sister safe. I know you can do it." The awkward motion with the woman's hand, in a half-salute, was enough, even as Yang worried that there was something said. "I will… Well, you'll figure it out. I should track down your sister…"

"She's not going to be happy to see you, you know. She follows the Creed and the orders when given, but against the Grandmaster…" The expression on Rubedo Beornir's face was tense, even as eyes blinked and there was silver once more.

"It is time to break the cycle. I've… I've seen things you would scarcely believe, girl." The sigh that came from the woman's lips was enough. She felt older than she was. "And with Raven being consigned as a traitor…"

It was a strange way of phrasing. "What… what was that about my mother?" The woman looked at her with an expression, those silver eyes judging and cautioning internally. "What has she betrayed, aside from dad?"

"I'll see you again later, Yang." The sad tone of voice was almost like a charm, as the mask slid back into place. "Don't tell Ruby that you saw Rubedo here… I'm… It's not safe." The shimmer of whatever trick she used to hide was visible for an instant, before she faded out of sight, Heather releasing a deep sigh.

"I guess we're going to keep this a little secret between the two of us." The raven that bobbed onto empty air seemed to give them a backwards glance, even as it took flight, looking over the surroundings. Yang supposed that it might as well be the best to keep this a secret.

"And, Yang… for what it's worth… We're sorry." The look on Heather Arc's face was grave, as she looked genuinely sorry for something. It was not something that really immediately popped up, but an expression that pushed to the fore, as her eyes glinted with the briefness of sadness.

"No… problem?" She didn't know what exactly was wrong with that, but she didn't exactly want to find out.

Enough freaky shit had happened already… and she was getting sick of it. The secrets, the hidden truths, conversations that she wasn't partial to...

She just wanted to kick ass and take names!

* * *

 _A debt (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

She hugged the woman because she could, even whilst Sienna was still strung up like a prisoner, the feeling of the warmth of the young woman's body seeping into her making her smile, the darkness inside her slowly slithering to the core once more, the sluggishness with its movements being enough. "Are you doing a little better, little dark one?"

The nickname had come from her second name, which was the one that she preferred to go by in Menagerie. It was something of a novel name, meaning 'Black', similar to her own. She'd been amused by it at the time, yet… She knew that there was much to be said about it.

" _Meet the ambassador from Vale, Sage Aaron Arc." The man looked to be in his middle forties or something, a dusting of gray starting at the temples, his blue eyes holding a frosty colour within their depths, the elegantly dressed woman at his side looking like she would rather be elsewhere than here._

 _There were some bandages that covered the woman's arms, wrapped tightly around the wrists to stabilize them, her eyes looking at the pair of them whilst a hesitant smile appeared on her face and she waved. "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Arc." She bowed, as was the custom, the man bowing slightly to her, as was that customary greeting._

" _Thank you, High Leader Belladonna. It is our pleasure to be here with you." The man coughed, indicating the young woman at his side. "This is my daughter. She has accompanied me to learn diplomacy and tact, after a rather embarrassing engagement."_

 _The girl did not seem to be shaken by the thought, her expression carefully nervous, too nervous for her womanly senses to accept so easily. She watched the small little tics and wondered briefly how she could get the girl alone. Some good womanly talk was enough, even as the man smiled, as was normal._

" _My name is… Just call me Rowe. That seems to be the name that I'll respond to most, anyways." The shrug of the shoulders, as a glance went to her father, the man pressing his lips tighter together. "It's… It's better that way, my… My brother calls me Rowe because it's an R and an O in my name, and he… Heh." The smile of a woman came on the young woman's lips, a kind and innocent smile, one which radiated love._

" _He used to call me Rowan, because he couldn't quite manage the intonation."_

 _There was a story behind that, even as Kali smiled, looking at the young woman._

" _I'm sure we'll become good friends, Rowe. Please… If you need anything, I'd love to get it for you. Let's make your stay here the best." The man's face showed displeasure at her derailing the talks that were formal, yet her husband approved._

" _My wife is one of the people who is involved with the community here. The previous Chieftain of Menagerie is still working as auxiliary support, so most of the organization is still in need of work, but we really do try to make sure that Humanity and the Faunus can live together in peace." The man's eyes were distant, she noticed, as if he were not fully hearing her husband's words, yet the young woman's face bore a bright smile. She was reminded of the young girl that she'd ran into a few weeks before… Sienna, she supposed the girl's name was like that._

" _How about we go and take a tour, dear? I'll show you the house and some of the best spots around." The offer was taken, the girl's smile lighting up a little, so she led the way. It was more of a quick trip around the house, really, yet it would get the girl away from her father for a bit._

" _Go with her and make sure that no harm comes to her, daughter."_

 _The voice of the man was strict, even as his daughter nodded once, her facial muscles relaxing._

" _So, tell me a little about your brother. Is he the older one?" The young woman smiled, even as the door shut behind them, the young woman giving her an amused little sound whilst she brushed a hand through her long blonde hair._

" _He's my little brother. He turns nine next year."_

 _There was a softness to her features, a tender expression, one that wasn't right on a sister's face. It was the expression of a mother, proud of her child, one who loved it with her whole heart and more. She had seen it in the mirror more than once when she held Blake during the times when it had been only a few months. A deep love for the life that'd been born from her. She voiced her question anyways, regardless of protocol and etiquette._

" _How old were you when you had him?"_

 _The question hung in the air, the young woman's face showing acceptance, a bitter smile on her face as she resigned to the judgment that was due._

" _Fourteen. How did you know?"_

 _She asked, Kali's face never changing from the look of understanding._

" _A mother knows another mother. The pride in your eyes when you think of him, the words that you use… They all speak of a love that is deeper than mere relation." The young woman rubbed at her eyes, the soft exhale enough, her eyes stinging slightly for some reason. "It's okay… It's not uncommon here for us to give birth young either. Ghira and I are fairly unusual, in that we've only got one child."_

" _It's that noticeable, eh?" The young woman mumbled, shaking her head softly. "I've got..." The woman reached in her shirt, pulling a silver locket from between her cleavage, opening it up and showing a picture of herself and a little baby. "He was newly born there, that's my mother on the background and my younger sister Heather."_

 _The child was cute, even with the small hands and the loving look that the teenager on the picture gave the young baby. "He looks just like you." The smile on the girl's face was not slipping, even as the sad sigh came._

" _Here, here's a more recent picture." The Scroll was opened and a picture of a young child sitting in front of the woman was shown as the display picture. "I am so proud of him..."_

 _There was sadness in her voice, as if she knew that the child would never join her. Kali felt pity for her at that moment, knowing that the pain of a mother never was gentle. "He isn't sick, is he?"_

" _No... He's a strong healthy boy... I mean, I am not... I'm not trying to say that there's something wrong with him, because there isn't, but..." The young woman's throat seemed to seize up, a soft exhale following another lengthier one. "He's such a precious boy. I raised him so well..."_

" _Now dear, don't cry... You're going to see him again." The look in the brilliant blue eyes did not change, the fair glisten of those eyes remaining, as the woman inhaled slowly, exhaling after a moment of thought._

 _The tears did not stop with that exhale, trailing down her cheeks, her eyes sad. "Hopefully." The hope in her voice was real, yet there was also that defeated tone inside her. "As long as it takes..." There was a moment where there was a quiver that went through the young woman's body, the faint shudder continuing to race up and down the young woman's spine, her whole body twisting. "No offence intended, Lady Belladonna."_

 _She smiled. "Call me Kali. Nobody's really below me... Well, my husband is, if I deign to take him to bed." The polite laugh afterwards made the other woman smile, even with her eyes still a little red._

" _It's nice to know that I don't have to take the protocol book out again... Is it true that the Faunus have different traits that enhance their bodies?" It was not an unusual question, Kali surmised, as she put a finger to her lips in thought._

" _Well, we can see in the darkness, and I've got a really fine nose, but that's all, I guess. I think you might better ask my husband about some of the other traits, if you find the time. He's much more learned than this woman." The traditional way of referring to herself slipped out, even as she gave a light hum._

" _The hearth and the household are a man's refuge and his wife's domain." The saying was enough to quirk a little smile._

" _Oh, I think we're going to get along just fine... Say... Do you want to meet a friend of mine? She's recently joined the White Fang and..."_

They had been hesitant for a few weeks around each other. It had culminated in a drinking contest that had sent the two of them into a hung-over state, right into bed together. She was unsure whether the two had actually done anything in bed, but Sienna did have a rather violent reaction if she hinted about it.

"Kali..." The woman's head turned, and her whole body did as well. The marks on her back were gruesome, marks that she hadn't noticed before due to the bandages that'd been covering them whilst the body healed. It had been a moment where her understanding had stopped, and when her husband had met one of his trials by fire.

"He grew up to be a great man, little dark one." The understanding in those eyes was like a curse and a blessing, as knowledge yearned within those eyes, a soft clicking of the tongue following, the pleasure and the pain mingling together in a different shape, surging to the fore.

"He's... he's a good boy? He's a best boy?" The question was child-like, yet those eyes looked at her with a softness and empathy that showed that the woman was listening.

"The very best. Do you want me to get him?" The woman blinked once, as if parsing the request mentally. A nod, singular and sharp, was given.

"Please... Please bring me my Jaune. My little Jaune, my brilliant little boy." The need in that voice, the crushing feeling of the blood in her veins expanding through the use of the woman's Semblance, her eyes filled with tears.

"Bring me my Jaune... Bring me him and I will let you go... I don't want to... But I want him. Bring me my son. Please? Please..."

Tears came from those eyes, as she slowly got up. The wound in her body felt mostly healed, yet the darkness within her seemed to move at a sluggish pace.

"I need the darkness inside me to move a little faster, sweetheart."

The young woman blinked, before her hand slowly unclenched, and the flow quickened. Dark power wrapped around her, as she felt the freedom of the shadows come under her control. "Sorry... It feels a little like the Grandmaster's... But wrong. It's like a little black pool of filth..."

"Jaune is full of it... Don't be afraid of him, sweetheart." The little giggles and tears came from the woman.

"Never. He's my son. He's my darling little boy, my light... never... Never will I be afraid of him..." The words inspired confidence, even as she stepped into the shadows, traversing the distance between the store and the room where Jaune was, emerging from the shadows.

"Jaune..." She called, her voice light, the soft groan coming from the shower, as White popped her head out.

"He's taking just a shower... Is... Is everything alright? With you and Sienna?" The worry in her friend's eyes was enough, even as Jaune poked his head out next to White's, the Schnee woman's hands pulling a towel around her.

"Jaune... Your big sister wants... No, she needs to talk to you." She didn't mince words, her eyes looking at him. She had seen the look in the eyes of the young woman of a need, of a desperation... and she could know what it felt to lose a child... to lose a husband.

"Ro?" He asked, and she nodded. It was... complicated. "She's not hurt, is she? Did she hurt you and Sienna?"

She exhaled, rolling her neck lightly. "She's... captured Sienna. I'm... I'm sorry, but it's better that she sees you." She couldn't just be blunt, knowing that the truth was still hidden from him. Ashley and Bianca had been specific, saying that the truth was hidden from the younger members of the family because it would just cause hurt.

"Oh, shit... Ashley said that she wasn't well and didn't take my disappearance well..." The soft twist of sympathy to his features, even as he looked at Whitney. "I'll be back, trust me... Ro's always calmer when I'm around."

' _No wonder... She's your mother, no doubt you're going to put her at ease.'_

She could understand that. She wanted to help Blake too with her pain... That was a mother's need.

"I'll get my pants on and then we can hop over for a bit... Ro's always been great, y'know. Whitney, you're going to _love_ her." White's smile was warm as she heard him say that. "Not literally, I mean. She's one of the best sisters ever."

"I knew her when she was in Menagerie with your father." Admitting that to him took some difficulty, even as he moved to get some pants, pulling them on, foregoing the underwear, the pants growing damp with the leftover droplets.

"We've... We've had talks."

The smile on his face was enough to make her feel that dark guilty feeling inside her, the sensation of pain and regret filling her. She'd been so absorbed in her love for him that she had forgotten that she'd been remiss in explaining.

"I'm sure she loves you. Does she know Sienna as well?"

The question was enough to make her shiver. She could remember those happy moments, seeing the two young women strolling over the beach, the blonde wearing an utterly scandalous bikini whilst Sienna wore one of the most conservative swimsuits that she'd ever seen. Sienna had gotten the tattoos the year afterward, and there'd been a mention and a showing of a string bikini, nearly a week before things had gone wrong.

"They're best friends... well, they were."

The look on his face demanded explanation, yet she couldn't speak. It was not her story to tell. "You... you know how she came back, right?"

"Yeah... She'd had an accident. Dad said that she'd been gored by a boar or something... some evil Grimm thing. She took a month and a half to recover, and she's been... she's been a little more clingy ever since. The hugs and kisses were nice though. She's always been affectionate." She supposed that it was the coping mechanism for a mother who could not be a mother.

"Please... hold on." She grabbed his hand. It was time to go back.

"She really wants to see you."

And then, they pulled from the shadows in the mattress store, the smell of darkness in her nostrils, as well as Jaune's pheromones of darkness. A hot, warm gust of pleasure felt between her legs, she allowed herself a moment, only to feel something seize the darkness inside her, her body slowly sagging to her knees as her muscles grew weak.

"Jaune."

The voice of a mother spoke, even as she hit the ground. She could only watch now, as the woman strode forward to her son.

' _I just hope that she doesn't hurt him...'_

* * *

 _The penance due (Summer Rose)_

* * *

A slow gait was all that she needed as Raven returned from her sojourn, taking the shape of a woman once more. She had done her task in warning them, and there was nothing else that she could do. Yang would go through her Trial tonight... that much was certain. It wasn't the standard initiation, but it would be something that would be tailored for her... Undoubtedly enough.

' _We need to do something.'_

"Did you find her?" The question came, Raven giving a short nod of her head.

"Three streets ahead. Keeping watch over a flower shop. We're going to be toughing it out." The nod was the sign, as she started, cloaking her form in the Semblance of Rubedo. The girl's soft whispers in her mind were shoved aside.

" _Mommy has to work, Ruby."_

The sweet girl replied back with a cheerful 'Yes mommy!'. A smile came to her face as the mask was pushed back on.

"Let's hunt."

The Mission was no longer the prime directive. Raven had seen the truth.

"Summer, I... Are you sure?"

She sighed, knowing that Raven doubted once more. The feeling of seeing Taiyang after such a while once again... It hurt. She had loved the man once upon a while, yet now she could only feel a cool disdain. Raven had taken her vows much more serious than she had. Raven had always cared more than she'd admit... but even now, she hesitated.

"It is as I said." She was convinced. Raven did not know what she knew, yet Raven had always been fickle when it came to the matters of the heart. Raven knew what her mission was, yet she had also had the divided loyalties that came with being a bandit.

' _Like Qrow, but she cared less...'_

"I want to believe that..." Raven said, her voice barely stopping at the feeling that something was wrong, Raven's hesitation showing through her inaction and inability to finish the sentence, the pain inside Raven like a buzzing black cloud, clouding her mind.

"Would you do the same thing for Yang if you were Qrow?" Summer asked, Raven blanching a little.

"We... We had to, when we were younger. It was to save our skins. It never was 'for fun'. You... You're saying horrible things, Summer, I know I'd..."

She was doubting. It could be seen on the woman's face, her doubt showing through her words and her little facial twitches, like she was now. The mask was still off, as Raven had not donned hers. A nudge with the hand to Raven's side and it was on her face, as they walked. The Semblance uncloaked her, when they came to the point where the Rose had been spotted.

"Seven roses who sail forth in the night..."

The chant was one of greeting amongst the roses, the language the common one, as the interrogation used the formal speech of the Rose Clan. It had been an ancient language once, with every Clan holding their own distinct dialects.

"Seven roses will bring the light."

The voice of the other Rose spoke, a savage smile erupting behind Summer's mask.

' _Bingo...'_

"Seven roses to destroy the night..."

The words were the ritual of commencement, as she watched a woman emerge, the mask showing the crest of the Clan, with the four roses that had to be etched into it in a dark green colour.

"Seven roses to bring the day."

The woman stepped into the light, regarding the two of them. She indicated Raven to take her hands off her weapon, the look of the woman clear. An older woman, perhaps in her forties... A little older.

"Greetings, sister Spring." There was no need to further introduce herself to the other woman, as the mask and the white cloak were already perfectly arrayed.

"Sister Summer, it has been years." There was a pause, and Summer tensed up. It was not normal for this conversation to happen, yet she watched the woman, still without any sort of overt hostile signs. "You have been thought dead, sister. The Awakening has happened and you were not present."

"Circumstances with the Shadow prevented me from attending." The words were formal, as much as an apology as she could muster. Raven remained silent, as was her role in this proceeding.

"Deployment of the forces throughout Mountain Glenn has succeeded?" She inquired, her voice light, careful not to tip the Spring Rose off to any duplicity. It was intonation, the faint hint of something and the general attitude that would win this battle.

"The Grandmaster has given the order. Two of the Rose have perished. You were unaware?" She had been unaware, yet she showed it not.

"We came from the Grimmlands." An excuse, easily spoken and unverifiable. It was where the Summer Rose of the past had once been sent during her earlier years of wearing the mask, where the Mission had been detailed.

"Please, remain where you are." The Spring Rose spoke, Summer immediately getting the feeling that things weren't alright.

' _Yeah... That's what I thought.'_

The set of scissor-blades that came from below the woman's cloak were put together to form a scissors-like weapon, perfect for the dismemberment, a scope mounted on the connecting part. "It has been a shame that we were but six... It is time for a new Summer Rose to be selected."

' _That's indeed a thing... But without the eyes...'_

"So that's how it is..." The words were meaningless, as she could see three other pairs come out of the shadows. Their cloaks were red, their weapons were primed and ready... and it was seven against two.

' _Time to show the world how good a bird you are, Raven...'_

"It is nothing personal, Rose of Summer. Your successor will inherit the mantle, and the daughter shall be culled or repurposed. Her thirteenth has already been and there have been no buds on her bush... So there will be a reclamation." The look on her face was unseen by the others, yet she snarled audibly. "The Branwen child will be facing her Trial tonight. The d'Arc-Night will be in attendance, the weaklings will bring forth the girl... and she will be tested. A partner is being prepared. She will acclimatize to the conditioning."

' _Oh... I am going to make sure that that's not going to happen.'_

They were precisely hunting down the Spring Rose for this to be prevented. She would not let her daughters suffer from the curse of the Rose clan.

"Raven..."

The signal had been given. The Roses were in motion. She shot forward, clashing with the blade of one of them, the other already moving into striking range. A shot missed her by a fraction of an inch, as she drove one of her dual blades deep into the flesh of the woman, driving it deeply there and then turning, to block another strike, a bullet of fire Dust exploding onto the white cloak. The mesh held, with only a scuff-mark visible upon it.

' _There's a merit in actually reinforcing your cloak with an Anti-Dust mesh...'_

They hadn't clued in to that little trick, it seemed, as her blade wrenched itself free from the body of one of the roses, consigned to death, to slice through the defence of the next one, her body in motion. She had not the elegance of Jaune's eldest sister, her agility not being as great as that one's, yet she had the sheer killing power to make sure that she would achieve her goal.

Raven's Dust-blades flared, a blast of heat rolling over her cheek as she saw Raven strike without mercy, an explosion coming from the point where her blade had made contact, the body warped and twisted. Aura had little diffusion strength, and Raven had trained her whole life for the killing of Huntsmen and people.

' _The standards have slipped... Or we've become better.'_

There was little more challenge within the world for them, even with the mandate that had been given to them like the word of the Gods. The Grandmaster had been a leader in his time, to demand the attention of others to follow the lead.

' _The freeing of our shackles...'_

She jerked the mask off, her silver eyes flashing. A burst of light shot out, as the power had been willed to emerge, the bright sear of energies dazing her next opponent, who seemed to shudder.

' _Remember... The will...'_

"Desisto, Fili!"

The words slid from her lips, and one of the Rose clan members froze.

' _Good, they don't have the eyes.'_

"Don't look at her! She has the Eyes!"

The call of the Spring Rose was loud, yet it mattered not. There was hesitation now, as Summer's blade found the spot between the ribs on the frozen Rose clan member, the blade piercing through both lungs, pushing the body aside.

"I, the Rose of Summer, have authority. Submit to my authority and be heard, or be forever cast aside." The words were imperial and truth, the eyes glowing with the radiance that was within them. No longer did she restrain the darkness inside her with the silver glow, as it fed her with its vile filth, the eyes glowing, as the two remaining lesser Rose clan members hesitated.

"She is the Summer Rose. We cannot... We cannot fight against the Summer Rose, lady Spring! She is higher in the hierarchy." The words were truth, as the Spring Rose looked at her with gritted teeth.

"By the authority of the Spring Rose, I command you to fight. The Rose of Summer is lost to the darkness!" The words were to condemn and malign, Raven falling in line with her, the mask still there, hand on the sheath and the grip of her dust blade.

They did not move. They knew the position of the Rose of Summer, still higher than the Rose of Spring. An opportunity for her to take.

"Stand down, children of the Rose."

Her silver eyes were of the highest pedigree. They commanded obedience, and they commanded the children to move back. They might be women around her age, or perhaps somewhat younger behind those masks, yet the power of the silver eyes still compelled them.

' _An interesting hypnotic suggestion...'_

The eyes were a powerful tool against the Grimm, yet they also allowed one to control the fate of those who had the affinity with the old ways. A tool for controlling those below you, bestowed upon them by the brother Gods, according to the Grandmaster's words.

The two Rose clan members took a step back, the Spring Rose looking at her and growling audibly.

"This is insubordination!"

"You guess?" The sarcastic response sped from her lips, her gaze searching for any hint behind the mask, the woman pulling it off, as it would no longer guard from the gaze of others. In this situation, they held the power.

"The Grandmaster will not allow traitors back into the fold, Rose of Summer." The words were calmly spoken, yet ire flashed in her mind at the thought of being a traitor. She did not betray anyone... nor did she ever intend to. The knowledge that she had gained had made her shift the Mission... It was all according to the plan.

"Raven, deal with her. Keep her functional." They only required the mask and the cloak. The rest would be dealt with. Raven shot forth, her blade meeting with the scissor-blade of the Spring Rose's weapon, the jolt barely shocking Raven, as a blast of electricity arced from her blade into the weapon, making the woman drop it.

A savage grin on Raven's face would probably be the best intimidation tactic if she didn't wear the mask, as the woman swung her blade, the dull 'shwhump' of the igniting fire dust searing an arm off, the aura barely rebuffing the effort. It was one of the things that Raven had learned in order to kill Huntsmen... something that had made her the prime partner for her, when she had been the full Summer Rose.

Her name... had not been Summer Rose, once upon a while. It had been a legacy, at the time of the death of the last Rose of Summer, the spot freed upon the death of the last Rose of Summer.

' _The fight never really was a challenge...'_

She had triumphed. Acolyte versus Acolyte, mentor versus student. They had all fallen. It was the price to pay for the best of the best.

' _No matter what... the Mission was the Mission. We were the best.'_

Her eyes opened wide, looking into the silver depths of the Spring Rose, the woman's hardened face showing several scars that'd been carved into the flesh over the years. The woman could have been anyone, yet when the cloak and the mask were worn, she was the Rose of Spring, one of the Seven Roses of Clan Rose.

"Libera Me!"

The speech was hardly a problem without the command, as Summer stared into the other one's silver eyes, willing her own to blaze with the power of the conquerors.

It was a special type of hypnosis, burning through the target's own resistance with the glow of the silver eyes. A powerful weapon, used on those who had the affinity for them to control them...

' _The Argent Sacrament.'_

The resistance slowly faded from those silver eyes, as she won out in the end.

' _Nobody had better eyes than me...'_

"Domina?"

The word for Lady in the ancient tongue, spoken with more reverence.

' _The bloodline must be diluted if it's that easy...'_

She could see several of the signs that the hypnotism had worked, her fingers snapping twice, and the body jolting in accordance with the secret signal. Dominating the lesser Rose had been something of a snap, yet the Spring Rose had held some more resistance...

"You are going to tell me where the Trial is." She looked grimly at the woman, who sang like a bird after that question, speaking about the place and the time as well as the varying deployments of the forces in Mountain Glenn. It was a mercy stroke after nearly thirty minutes, cutting the woman's head off after the mask had been collected.

"What is the Trial, Summer?" Raven's question was strict, as she looked at the two young Rose clan members who had stood by and watched, still caught within the hypnotism of the silver eyes.

"Something like what you did together with me." Summer didn't want to devote too much attention to it, yet Raven's insistence was there.

"What did she mean with that? What will they do to Yang?" Summer's lips pressed tightly together, looking at her partner for twenty-one years. A low sigh escaped her lips as she tried to find the proper words.

' _Break her. Rebuild her. Instil the Creed.'_

She knew well the methods to break someone, as she had been witness to many. A disturbing amount of trainees never acclimatized to the Mission after their first foray into the darkness...

But they obeyed, which is what mattered. Their bodies were to serve against the shadows for eternity... "Summer! What will they do to Yang? Answer me!"

' _What will they do to our daughters, is the more prying question...'_

She had guesses. Thoughts. Hopes and perhaps some fears, though she'd never admit to feeling the latter. She could feel the burning inside her as she knew the ploys and games that the Grandmaster played upon his subjects, upon those who took up the cloak and mask for the safety of Remnant.

"Remember the Trial of the young man?" It had been only a few weeks before, so she reckoned that Raven would remember. She wasn't a dumb bird, after all.

"Are they going to throw Yang to the Grimm naked?" The question was more of an answer, even as Summer let her head nod once. "Do you think she's prepared?"

"That's why we're stepping in, Rae." She said simply, as she pulled the Mask up and grabbed the cloak.

' _Serviceable if we can get some of the bloodstains off the material...'_

"And..." Raven tried, as Summer gave a soft smile.

"I'll find the kitties and see whether they can offer some assistance with making sure that your daughter doesn't have the toughest of times... She'll be just like you... but free." She was sure that she could manage it.

She had the information from the Spring Rose about the deployment of the Rose, the Calavera would assume that she was there and- "Oh, do get a skin-tight outfit. Your description is being spread around... So it'd be wise to get something that fits like a glove." She knew that Raven would search for something a little better suiting her, yet she had that mono-style that she found best fitting.

"I do have something stored in my tent, yes..." Summer had seen it. Scandalous and not great in a fight, but it was tight mesh and guarded the important bits.

' _I wonder where she got that from...'_

As Raven disappeared into a portal, she smiled at the two little rose petals that stood there like little slaves. "Alright, ladies... Time to show me where you've gotten the stashes set up! Summer needs some new boots!"

It'd be a nice change to wear official Rose-sanctioned outfits again... No offence to Rubedo's style, but she really wanted to have something that actually offered some more protection.

' _And I probably need a needle and thread to make it look somewhat believable...'_

* * *

 _The King (Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

He stepped through the portal, his hand holding the staff that he'd forged with the aid of the Relic as a core. The smell of the place was full of fear and terror and blood, as he watched the people present. His older sister stood there, dressed in a long cloak, the fabric pooling around her, her body looking... different.

He saw the massive scar on her stomach, gasping as he saw it.

 **Magical Signature detected. Origination: Ozymandias Pinnacle.**

 **Magical source detected. Origination: Ozymandias Pinnacle.**

 **Corruption of Animus detected. Origination: Ozymandias Pinnacle.**

Messages were skittering through his mind, even as he saw his older sister stand there, Kali collapsing at his side, her body hitting the mattress that'd been spread over the ground.

"Jaune." With slow steps forward, his sister moved without acknowledging the others. He caught sight of Sienna being strung up, her face looking a little weary, even as his perception changed, searching for the source of Pinnacle's magic.

A gray surrounding, with a massive glow radiating from his sister, her eyes brilliant little specs of light, the light burning as the energy gathered within her. Like lines of light below the skin, a warbling mess below the body, the organs saturated. "Ro... I'm..."

A hand rose and he felt the world turn back to normal, the mass of magical energy inside her looking like it'd fizzled out, only allowing him to see the woman as she stood before him, his limbs feeling sluggish and heavy, her arms wrapping around him. Gently laying him down, she cared for him as a sister should. "I love you so much, my sweet and wonderful Jaune."

The voice was thick with emotion, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him trying to flow, stopped with some unseen blockage. It froze, even as his sister's fingers traced over his bare upper body. It was not an unpleasant touch, he supposed, yet the feeling was different. The _Vitae Tenebris_ below the skin moved alongside the finger, the sensation burning.

"Don't worry, Jaune. Everything is going to be alright, I swear."

' _What? Why?'_

Her fingers grabbed his pants and then started to work on the belt that he'd gotten on, fear rising through his body as her fingers tugged, the click-snap of the belt buckle being undone, as her fingers pulled the belt out of the buckle, the button pushed out of the loop and the zipper sliding down.

He was awarded a full view of his sister's full-front, even as he could feel the darkness inside him quiver, railing against whatever invisible force assailed him.

"Rowe, please, don't..."

He pleaded, his voice tender. Flashes of what Rubedo had done to him, came through his mind. He could feel helpless as his body didn't move, as his muscles would not respond, his sister's fingers touching over his lower body, pulling the pants down.

' _Shit...'_

"You've grown bigger, Jaune... Don't worry, it'll all be okay. I swear..."

Her fingers seized a hold, a little touch, as the blood was forcibly pulled from elsewhere, a feeling of faintness coming from his head as the sudden blood flow drew from his veins.

"Don't do it, Nyxie!"

Sienna shouted, though it seemed futile, the woman getting up. A painful erection stood there, as he swallowed, the feeling of things that were wrong happening. The cloak fluttered with the motion, and he could see the marks on his sister's back. The scars, the words, all etched into his mind in that brief show of them through motion alone.

' _Oh... gods...'_

Whoever had done such things to his oldest sister had been intentionally trying to harm her... had marked her, just as he'd been marked. Sympathy and a feeling of wrongness warred inside him, as the woman strode up to Sienna and shook her head.

"I will... I will set him free. You don't know what's inside of him, Sienna."

He knew pretty well what was inside of himself, as his sister stalked back. He admitted to himself that this was probably one of the most uncomfortable situations, as she knelt there between his legs, her eyes looking at him.

"It's going to be okay, Jaune... Let me take care of it..."

He could see her nude body, her lower lips dripping with fluid that seemed to be almost orange-coloured. There was blood in it, he could see that much.

' _That doesn't look good...'_

"Rowena, please... Please, don't do this!"

Her eyes met his, deep blue meeting a blue and crimson gaze. She pushed her hips down and he felt the tightness wrap around him, his manhood swallowed, as she leaned against him, bracing herself. A look of pain and discomfort was on her face as his gaze went down and her hips moved up. Bright red blood coated his manhood, even as the fear gripped him.

"Rowena, please..."

Her eyes met his and her hips slammed down. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him was being drawn out, the power slowly fading into him.

"I'm going to save you, Jaune... I'm going to save you and make you live longer. I love you so much..." Her voice was desperate, as she moved, his hands limp and unresponsive.

"Rowena, please..."

He could only plead with her as her hips moved, as the darkness inside him slowly gathered. She was drawing it out through some sort of trick, as the power slowly faded from veins, her body shuddering a little, blood coating his groin as she forced herself to.

It was killing her to take this in, as every little spark inside her seemed to further degrade her body. Sweat dripped from her skin, her breasts already coated with a sheen, the ragged wounds on her body not having lessened, as the intense look on her face never faded. Those eyes held so much love, so much care, enough that it was going to hurt her, that he was being hurt.

"I'm going to make sure that _he_ never takes your soul away, Jaune."

Her voice was weaker now, as her body continued to gather, the small dregs of _Vitae Tenebris_ inside her making the veins around her lower body blacken, her eyes locked with his own.

"This doesn't have to be this way, Rowe... Please..."

He tried again, even as he felt the pleasure rise and he came, his sister's soft keening sound enough, as he felt the _Vitae Tenebris_ rush back into his veins.

Her breathing was irregular, as she looked him in the eyes. Her own eyes, filled with love and hope and care, two pools that looked so deep that he'd drown in them if he gazed into them for longer than he did.

"I... Love... You."

Her heart stopped beating at that moment with those words spoken, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ destroyed most of its function as it warred with the light within her.

* * *

 _The Queen (Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

Seeing him step out of the shadows was like a dream come true. Every little waking moment, the thump-thump-thump of his heartbeat was within her, specifically attuned to her ears. It was like an ever-present moment in time, a conscious beat that told her that her son was alive, that her eyes were not to be blackened by the despair of her life having no more meaning...

"Jaune." Her voice spoke his name, a name that she'd spoken more than anyone. She knew him, he knew her. The truth of their lineage, of the task in front of her, of her sacrifice... He would have never known, if she had not stepped in.

" _Aww, isn't he cute? Heather, look!" The soft baby hand rose as the little blonde tufts of hair that sat upon the young child's head were tousled by the wind, her eyes looking at her younger sister, already in the forging process. It was a special thing, between the two of them. They were going to be partners, even though she had already done her contribution._

" _He's adorable, Ro." The words that her sister used were different, as she helped Jaune up a little, supporting his head as he pressed his lips to her breast._

" _Are you sure that..."_

 _Her sister was silly. Of course she was sure. She knew her duties. "Daddy is going to make sure that there will be no complications. He is, after all, the Inheritor." The name of the one who was to become the next Grandmaster. She'd heard about it from her father, after the Mission had been laid bare before her._

" _Are you okay? Mom has..." Rowena did not mind. She had her little Jaune. The baby tugged on her nipple, desiring more milk._

" _Mom is used to taking care of children... Just look at Azure, she's already starting to walk a little." It was her duty to care for her little son. He needed all the love that he could get, with how distant dad had been from people. A little like those automatons that featured in the storybooks._

" _We're going to make sure that he doesn't want for anything, Heather... My sweet little baby..."_

The flash of memory, gone. Her eyes looking at his beautiful form, feeling the surge of darkness inside him. It had been a moment that she would never forget, that would never be squashed in her mind. A wrongness, as the body of the child that she had birthed lovingly into this cold and cruel world was to be seized by a man who would wear her baby's face as a mask to hide his true soul.

 _Forced against the ground, watching how the transfer was initiated by senses that should have merely witnessed the traverse of powers, how her darling little boy's soul was drawn out and brought into the man's body, the Grandmaster's form levitating, as her hand stretched out._

 _A little change and the flow reversed, her power surging into the circle of Awakening, the flow reversing just a moment, yet the connection still was established. A moment where she had failed, even as she watched, hot tears in her eyes._

" _Help her up." The unconscious form of her brother was whisked away, the Grandmaster standing there in his youthful yet aged form, his eyes looking into her eyes. "That was an unwise thing you did, Rowena d'Arc-Night. Your son is destined for greatness, even though he knows it not yet."_

 _She could not allow it. He was her son! She wouldn't let anyone hurt him! "You were told that it was a means to an end by your father. You should have distanced yourself, yet you did not." Her father's arms kept her contained, as several of the Calavera crowded around. They were the ones who enforced through sheer numbers. They did not hold the sharpness of steel like the Rose._

" _Why shouldn't I? He is my son!"_

 _She cried out, as the Grandmaster fixed her with a look, one that seemed to hold a sadness within its depths, the man's sigh soft._

" _Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night, you are to send your daughter to one of my associates called Qrow Branwen. She is to learn under the man in order to facilitate having another scythe-wielding instructor for the Clans."The man's order was a command, as her father nodded. The look on her face was defiant, even as the man's hand rose, touching her cheek._

" _If you cannot obey, you make me have no choice, Rowena." The void inside her stilled, as she felt something inside her prickle, even as the man's hand pulled away. "The throat is sealed as the mind is shackled. It is regrettable, yet you will serve your purpose, Rowena. We all do what we must for the greater good. If it soothes your mind... He will be a great man." A smile on the monsters face, as if it were a fond thought, his pleasure twisting a dark sensation in her guts._

" _Mend her. Leave her sister unmended... She has to mend her own bones through time. The Awakening has completed." The man had dismissed them, even as she was carried by several of the Calavera._

 _She would never let her child be left with her family. She was going to escape... the moment that she could. No matter what would happen, she would defend her baby to the death from any who would dare to come after them._

Her nose inhaled the scent, as her eyes roved over his body. A tingle of pain and agony seared through her lower body as the dark veins stood out, the light of the Grandmaster mingling with something that was tar-thick and viscous. She wanted to help... but...

"Ro... I'm..." Her little baby wouldn't understand. Her hand rose, as the light within those eyes seemed to dim, the darkness inside him not stopping for an instant, her Semblance asserting itself over him. She was always in control, always waiting and watching. She had been trained to be the best.

She caught him easily, smelling the scent of shampoo, of perfume, of that little touch of another woman on him.

' _Never enough...'_

" _I'm going to be a Slayer!" The excited cheer of herself at six years old was at odds as her father looked at her, her mother already bearing the twins. She could feel the burden inside her as he went through the forms with her, patiently instructing her whilst her mother looked at her with a loving smile, enraptured by the sight of father teaching daughter._

" _You will be the one who will guide the family to a new height, daughter." Daddy could be so silly sometimes, with his speech all formal. She was a princess, or so daddy had told her, an important princess called Rowena, to be the next queen, if things worked out as the great master had told._

" _Three more drills before you are to learn about Dust, my daughter." The blades came easy to her. Long swords and short swords, each held their own limitless potential when she held it. Pain was not an objection, it was to be woven around, to make her blade flow._

 _She wanted to be like the sea that she'd seen from the settlement, free and wide... Heather was a scaredy-cat when she was clutching at her side, but there was no mean Grimm that'd try to attack them! They were strong!_

 _She was going to be the Exarch of the d'Arc-Night... just like in the songs that dad sings to her every night to let her know of the traditions._

"I love you so much, my sweet and wonderful Jaune."

It was a simple expression of love, as simple as she could make it. She could sing songs about her love for her child that nobody would hear, the melody a dirge of love and devotion to those wonderful shapes and differences that he held... but it was more than enough.

Her finger brushed over the skin, showing the signs of a man who had been trained. A manly body, yet for a young man who was not a man fully yet. The darkness below the skin was like a lure, a dark foul miasma that stood out and pulsed. Her whole body tensed up as she realized that things had gotten worse...

' _Even if...'_

"Don't worry, Jaune. Everything is going to be alright, I swear."

Her words were gentle, as her hands worked on the belt buckle. She could smell the scent of nice shampoo, of a pleasant touch of someone who'd been careful and diligent in washing her son's body, even as the belt was pulled open and her hands worked on his button, the zipper slid down.

She showed her body to him, she knew. It was a deep dark shame that welled up inside her. Shame for her appearance, that she had been taken advantage of... That... That she was only conscious during those moments when the moon was out, or her willpower managed to last below the mask of the Slayer.

"Rowena, please, don't!"

Her little baby called for her to stop, yet she knew that if she didn't do what she had to, he'd be dead soon... He'd be taken from her and a monster would be using his body like another pair of clothing, to be discarded.

Her hands jerked the pants down and she beheld her son's genitals, a greater size than they'd been when he was younger. Puberty had been kind to him. She knew that it would. He was her son after all. "You've grown bigger, Jaune... Don't worry, it'll all be okay. I swear..." Her Semblance was so easy, as she pulled the blood from his body into the phallus, seeing it grow. It was a good size. A healthy size. A size to be proud of.

"Don't do it, Nyxie!" Sienna's voice came and she mentally snarled. _'You don't know what's inside him! You don't know what it does to someone!'_ She got up, striding up to her friend and looking her in the eyes. She shook her head.

"I will... I will set him free. You don't know what's inside of him, Sienna." It was her duty to make sure that her son would be free to be what he wanted to be, rather than to be a slave to the whims of an ancient man.

Turning to him again, she saw him ready, just as her Semblance kept him. She knelt between his legs, looking at him. _'Better make sure that I'm able to...'_ The feeling of pain as she flushed her nethers with her Semblance, the feeling of the hot water sliding through her insides before being absorbed into her once more, was enough... She could still bear the pain.

"It's going to be okay, Jaune... Let me take care of it..." She knew what she had to do, even as she felt the liquid escape her ruined nethers. It had been an issue... But for him, she would bear any pain. She loved him.

"Rowena, please...Please don't do this." He pleaded with her in a way that would have had her give in immediately if it had not been so important. She would've pulled away, would have tucked him back into his pants and let him go... But this was something that she had to do.

' _It's all for your benefit, Jaune... You don't deserve to be a meat puppet...'_

The first sensation of him entering her was a stab of pain, her eyes locked with his own as he invaded her. Flashes of pain and torment came to her mind as she remembered what had been done to her, how they had treated her... but she soldiered on. She could be strong. She would be strong. She was indomitable.

Inch after inch slid in, the pain ravaging her senses, her eyes scrunched tight, even as he pleaded with her again, the feeling of bleeding starting to happen, the blood coating his manhood, even as she drew out the darkness from his body. She could feel the pain rummage inside her body, like a searing little brush of flame and metal basting her insides.

"I'm going to save you, Jaune... I'm going to save you and make you live longer."

Her voice was steadier, as she drove her hips down, the experiences of before trying to make themselves known. A clenching sensation, even as the head brushed against the space where her womb had been, where there was only a raw mass of scar tissue left, the pain like a new dimension of agony, as she raised her hips once more.

' _Come on...'_

The darkness seeped into her body, corroding and corrupting her veins. Drawing it in through the sensitive walls of her vagina, she felt the pain increase, her whole nerves around that area growing tenser, as the blood thickened and blackened, slowly reaching her core. She had gotten a grip, even as he pleaded with her once more.

The power was like liquidized ice running through her veins. It had been an infusion of strength before, when her Semblance's power had exploded, yet this was like being pushed into the reactor core of a Dust Power Plant and then being given endless energy.

Every little drop of blood in a kilometre seemed to respond to her call if she called it, the creatures of the land felt like little blobs of meat and water, as she let her mind search. Sweat dripped from her body onto his own as she looked down at him.

' _I love you so much... I love you so much.'_

Her mouth formed the words, yet she could barely utter them, prohibited from that word until the moment that she freed him from this curse. She felt nothing but the raw pain as the blood inside her turned to thunder and ice and flame, drawing more in.

"I'm going to make sure that he never takes your soul away, Jaune." Words that were heresy, that were to be unspoken by the acolytes, yet the ones who knew the truth, they would speak. She was here with her best friend and another friend, and her darling son.

She could faintly hear Kali in the background mumble something about being taken advantage of, Sienna trying to call for her to stop, yet she was not going to. Her hands kept his arms above his head as she rode him, the blood and pain inside her groin turning even greater as he pleaded with her.

" _I'll take care of it." She said, ever the dutiful daughter. The stitches ached still, yet she was determined. She'd cut the beast out of her belly, the baby that should never have been born. A child born of rape, a child that was not human..._

 _All because abortion was prohibited. The Creed did not allow them to waste a life... An irony that her father had not seemed to recognize. Where was the Creed when her child was sacrificed to become a vessel? Where was the Creed when she was punished for trying to interfere with her son?_

 _She slowly strode up the stairs, the kit in hand. She'd gotten six vials, and she'd requested that she do the honours... It was perhaps a mercy of her father, or just the fact that her mother didn't have the stomach to touch Jaune... But she was the dutiful one. She had bled for the Family, she had_ _persisted_ _and_ _survived_ _._

 _Heather would do as she was asked, without any question. Ashley and Bianca would bring something and assist, making it less than the special occasion that it was. Standing in front of the door, she took a deep breath. The slow breathing and the thumping of his heart told her that he was asleep. Better for her to do her job. She opened the door, turning the handle in such a manner so as to not disturb him._

 _He slept, as a child was needed to. Thirteen years of age now... She had missed five birthdays. He would have been trained, had he not been an Inheritor._

 _A_ _sacrifice_ _..._

 _Pulling the covers away, she looked at her darling child, at the flows of that energy that pulsed through every vein of his, moving without blockage. It had been changed a little, shifted so that her Semblance could scarcely affect it... Undoubtedly a ploy by the Grandmaster to ensure that there would be no interference from her._

 _Pulling the pyjama's off, she took a deep breath. The device she'd gotten to ensure that the samples were taken was enough to draw the seed, yet..._

 _She straddled him, her fingers moving, plucking, testing the waters. She felt the stitches in her body strain, as she mounted him, a stabbing sensation, as aching body protested._

 _She could see his eyes flutter open, even as she leaned over him, a finger against his lips. "Hush, Jaune... It's just a dream." Her body moved with deliberation, whilst her Semblance knocked him out. The power that flowed from his body was diverted, right down to the genitals. She was going to have one shot at this..._

 _And she did. As her mind slowly started to cloud, she could feel the state slowly slip into place. A more innocent time, of when she and Heather played with their dolls and practised their weaponry. More and more of that power seared into her insides, as the cloudy nebula covered her head, blanking the intelligence with the raw power that she drew out._

 _Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night slept, whilst Rowan Arc woke. As her body was filled with the power, she stopped. Lines no longer crisscrossed her child's body, the power collecting inside her, as her Semblance stretched._

" _Time... to get those samples." She would destroy them if she could, but it would be punished severely. She could not bear to raise her weapon against her own child... and so she worked with the tool that had been provided._

 _Cloudy seed sat within the six vials, milked from her son's loins. Her father inspected them before handing them to Ashley to be deposited within the medical freezer's safe compartment, chilled with special ice Dust._

 _She felt so tired... and the stitches ripped again. The pain was enough... She'd bear it._

 _She fainted after taking five steps, Ashley aware and catching her. The samples hadn't been spilt, given the sturdy case that they'd been collected in._

 _Rowan Arc awoke the next morning, the body of a twenty-six-year-old, yet the mind of a girl between six and thirteen._

She moved, even as the blood continued to flow, her Semblance slowly sputtering out. The darkness pumped through her heart, even as she had drawn in most of it.

' _Just a bit more...'_

Her heart gave out, and her Semblance lost. Her lips finally spoke, as she fought to keep going for a little while longer.

"I... Love... You."

Words that came from the heart, even as it stopped. There was a coolness in her body now, as she felt her eyes turn unsteady, darkness shrouding the corners of her vision. A silver flash of light, looking at his face, the sweat coating it, even as the last remnant of her Aura seemed to finally scatter.

' _I'm... dying?'_

A slow rattling breath, as silver flashed on the edges of her vision. A bright light, a light of life and hope, now fading, as she felt herself growing cold, the bodily confinement of her soul starting to slowly fade away from her senses.

' _You are my everything. I am so glad that you were in my life.'_

Brilliant deep blue changed to silver. Life blossomed, yet faded away.

A sad sensation, even as his hand moved, a large staff-like weapon moved and touching against her side. Something inside her pulsated, shocking through her system.

" **You're not going to die."**

The words were strong, even as her body ached, her lungs filled. Her heart started to beat once more, as she was suddenly jerked up into the air.

A circle covered the ground around the two of them, the Faunus' body slammed against one of the walls with a loud 'Oww!' coming from her, as she was borne aloft. Her body felt different, even as he looked at her.

' _You're so strong... I love you.'_

" **Time to fix what is broken..."**

* * *

 _The Noble (Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

He could feel her sink onto him, her life spent. Her whole body was a mass of _Vitae Tenebris_ and Ozymandias Pinnacle's light, her eyes holding that faint spark of life still, even as her body stilled.

 _'No matter what...'_

He grabbed the Relic. Power pulsed into it as he felt the control return over the _Vitae Tenebris_.

' **Engaging connection: Y/N?'**

A swift motion, as he pressed the Relic's head against her flesh. Focusing the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him into the focus, he worked.

" **You're not going to die."**

What she had done to him just now was wrong on multiple levels, it was sick and twisted, but she had tried to draw the _Vitae Tenebris_ out of him in order to save him. As he formed the investment ritual circle, he saw the blueprint of her whole body, fit and pure and restored, with the accentuations of power that was needed in order to fix her.

' _I may not have enough power to uplift Whitney to full Acolyte status... But I can make use of what Rowena has.'_

The power was already half of what Sienna had within her system, so him using the reserves that he had obtained from piercing the Nexus would be just enough.

" **Time to fix what is broken..."**

The words were spoken, as the power lashed around her body. To those sensitive, it was like a beacon being lit by the moonless sky, in at least a kilometre radius, the feeling of the woman's body as he mended that which was broken and busted up, the power fed into the woman. He could feel the surge of life within her, her whole body twitching, the cloak and mask having fallen to the ground during the investment.

He saw more of his sister than he had ever cared to, yet he could not stop. The stitch marks and scars that had been made on her stomach and upper body slowly started to melt away, leaving only bare skin there, flawless in its accord, even as the markings upon her back slowly dissipated as the flesh restored itself to prime form.

' _This is the easy part...'_

Fleshcrafting was something that was elementary for most healers, to heal the wounds which scarred at tore at the flesh. He could see the mass of energy in her mind, twitching and writhing as he forced the _Vitae Tenebris_ into his sister's body, the blood inside her body writhing, as he infused more of himself into her.

Her body dripped with sweat, her hair plastered to the skin. Her hair grew, turning longer and longer the more power was put into her. Something inside him twitched and writhed, the core of the _Draconis Rex_ pulsating. A push and it fed through the focus of the Relic, pushed into her body. It felt natural. It felt strong.

The tangled web of energies in her mind was like a yarn that'd been spun in different directions as if in a blender, the tangle slowly pulled apart, leaving him to streamline the memories and the patterns into what it should be for someone sane and rational, the sub current of fear and terror slowly smoothed out into understanding.

A tender process, yet she was his sister and he loved her... even if her desire for him to be freed of the curse of Ozymandias Pinnacle was done in a different manner.

Her eyes were closed, even as she gasped, her tongue sliding over her lips. She slowly turned around, her back unmarked by anything, the flesh and muscle as tense as it could be. A body that had been forged into a Huntsman, a woman who could kill and stand tall after a while of culling the weak.

She was finally renewed, and the feed shut off, leaving her to slowly drop to the ground. Sweat covered her body as she let her eyes gaze over him, her tongue sliding over her lips.

"That was... pretty intense."

She smiled, as she rolled her shoulders. Sweat dripped off her body as she looked at him with a gaze, taking a little step.

"Now... What did you do?"

" **Rejuvenated your body, streamlined the magic within you... You were slowly dying."** He wouldn't make excuses, as she refocused her gaze and closed her eyes. They opened and a bright silver flash focused right into his eyes.

He hissed in pain, his eyes closing shut as he rubbed at them. "Oh... Shit. I'm sorry, Jaune." Her voice was comforting as she took a hold of his hand, her fingers gently rubbing over his. "Take a seat... Just..."

She gently helped him down, still aware of his nakedness. He could smell the scent of her body, the sweat mingling with the rest of her body. Her hands gently pushed against his chest. "You've made me better, Jaune."

" **That's what a brother should do for his bestest old sister, right?"** She gave a soft little hum, as he became aware of her stepping over him, feeling her slick sweaty body against his own.

"Jaune..." He could feel her manipulate his bloodflow, feeling the pulsing of those veins as she manipulated it. He opened his eyes, to see her gazing back at him with a set of silver eyes. She brushed against him, as she licked her lips.

Then, weakness grabbed a hold of him, as she did. Her eyes looked into his own as she pushed herself down, biting her lower lip. "Knew that you'd given me my virginity back, Jaune..." It was a look of happiness, one of understanding, even as she looked at her reflection.

"The silver eyes..." She was... tight. As she pulled herself up, his manhood still stained with blood and slime, a sign of how horrible it had been, his emotions took a distant view of the happenings. She looked at him, before her body pulled off.

"A gift from me to you, Jaune..."

She'd given him her virginity after he had restored her body. He could not do so to his own body based on the limitations of the flow, or else he might've, though none of his womanly companions complained, save for Sienna. He looked at this woman who'd been his sister for so long and mentally sighed.

' _At least it's not like she's my mother.'_

That'd be a degree worse. What sort of sick person had sex with their own mother? He'd had sex with some _mothers_ though... but that was different. This was his loving sister, who's been through... well, it didn't look pleasant and gave him bad Rubedo vibes...

"That's eh... nice, but I'm not sure that we should do this."

The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him and inside her was slowly swirling around their core, even as blood leaked from her groin, the woman giving a little mumble as she strode over to where clothing laid dumped onto the ground in a heap, getting a set of pants back on. She looked at him with a smile, even as Kali got up, seemingly released from whatever spell she'd been under.

"Do you need any help getting dressed, dear?" His older sister shook her head, before putting a finger to her lip.

"Does he have a functional Scroll?" A Scroll was in her hand, held up. He wondered what that was all about.

"Yes... Do you want his number?" The swift nod was enough for him to smile.

' _Everything is going to be fine.'_

He'd just try to push away the thought that he'd just been sexually assaulted by his older sister.

' _This is going to be one of those moments where I can just...'_

She smiled at him.

"I need his seed. I've got an _idea!"_ Silver eyes looked at him, before a blink happened and they were blue once more.

' _That doesn't sound too great...'_

Incest was one of those things that was going to get him on a one-way trip to the shadowlands... or wherever bad people went. To hear her so enthusiastically say that she wanted it sent both shivers down his spine as well as that faint thrill of excitement, in a really twisted way.

"Well... As long as you remember that we're going to share, Nyxie. He's my lover too." The bright smile on his oldest sister's face just made him stare. That was the smile that she had on her face when something was going to happen that dad shouldn't know about.

"We're going to have a... threesome? Foursome? Sienna! You've not kept your promise!"

' _Oh fuck...'_

Sienna looked at him and her lips thinned. "Not now. Aren't you expected back?"

His sister's head tilted, before she seemed to remember. A grin spread her lips. It was one of those 'I am going to take you out for secret ice-cream' smiles.

"True... But we will keep in touch!" He wasn't sure about what she was talking, the feeling of awkwardness still heavy in the air as he watched carefully the motions of her hand. The familiar sensation of blood rushing to fill a certain appendage, and her hand suddenly was coated in a ball of water, as her fingers brushed it over his groin.

"Theeeerrre, nice and clean. Now, Jaune... Close your eyes." The command from an older sister was to be heeded, even though he knew that this was likely going to be another comment on his obituary – _'My sister has slept with me.'_ -, leaving to a moment of what was... pleasurable.

She stood tall once more, tying the cloak back around her neck, giving him a wink as he was supported by Kali, who squeezed him tightly. "Everything is going to be okay, Jaune... I'll tell him about things later, Onyxia."

' _Tell me WHAT?'_

Rowena smiled at him, her cheeks bulging slightly. He wondered briefly whether Raven wanted to try to compete with her, before that thought was attempted to be banished to the folder in his mindspace about hot ideas that probably would not come to pass.

 _'_ _Whitney is going to be upset.'_

The sign language gestures were swift, recognizing them by sight. _'Will come back, tonight trial. You come?'_ The words were easy for him, as he remembered the gestures.

"Eh... sure?"

' _You skilled?'_

The question mark and the raised eyebrow finished it, as her eyes, blue in colour, met his own. "I can create Grimm and my women are strong... I guess?"

' _Perfect. I type later.'_

It was a glisten of silver that he saw at her feet, picking up the locket that'd fallen onto the bedding. He walked up to her, putting it around her neck. A hand wrapped around his waist and she gently nosed his nose. Her massive scythe moved, the flicker of steel cutting through hair enough, as the long hair was cut off.

' _I love you.'_

The words were enough, as her eyes locked with his own, the smile broadly. _'I'll keep safe, girls.'_

He knew that she would, somehow. No matter what she would do, she was still his sister. She winked and then, she took a moment to look at Kali.

"Well... That was a thing. So..." Kali stretched a little as she spoke, most of her upper body bare, the skin-tight leather outfit that she wore having a large hole in it. "I think I need new clothes..." His older sister tilted her head, before signing – _'From small one?'_ – which took him a moment to realize that she was talking about Blake.

"Well... I'd rather not have to strut around in my daughter's clothes... We've got some at the hotel, but..." His sister's smile was amused, even as she pointed to the wall. A gesture for 'Stand' was given, as she held up a Scroll, pointing at Sienna and Kali herself. The look of Sienna and Kali wasn't far apart, with Sienna holding older features compared to Kali, whose appearance would be akin to Blake's twin, apart from the piercings in her ear. A gesture for 'Friends' was given and he watched Kali and Sienna stand there, as if it'd been something that'd happened before.

"You want to take another picture like we did at the harbour?" The nod from his sister made him draw a blank.

' _This is something that she never told me...'_

Not that she was very talkative when she was around... She usually sat in her room, looking a little sad and not responding very much. Heather usually was there to talk to her, little shared secrets between the two of them.

The click of the camera, followed by his sister hugging him, pressing her lips against his cheek, careful not to swallow. Why she had done what she had, he didn't know. The silver eyes were a surprise, even as they burned like miniature suns, Summer's gaze only more powerful in its intensity.

' _I call. Talk battle.'_ He smiled at her, as Kali pinched his bottom. He gave her a look. "We'll keep him safe, little dark one. Nobody's going to hurt him whilst we are around. A pair of our friends called Raven and Summer are out here too, wearing the mask and cloak..."

A tilt of the head, and he watched as Kali pulled out a Scroll from the shadows, showing a picture of Summer and Raven. His sister's eyes blinked once, before she nodded once with some enthusiasm. "They're friends. Summer is Blake's team leader's mother and Raven is Blake's partner's mother, and-"

Rowena held up a hand to silence the Faunus, nodding with a serious expression on her face. _'I understand. Bring home safely him.'_ Kali seemed to frown a little as she saw his sister.

"I'll bring him back safely, get a change of clothes from my friend... She carries spares of most of her stuff... You're going to like her?" His sister's eyebrow rose, as she made a crude gesture, clearly inquiring as to whether he was intimate.

' _Geez, I mean... That's private.'_

"Oh yes... I'll have to tell you the story when my little kitten is back at Beacon. It was quite endearing." His sister seemed to beam a little. "I've joined in, of course... My dear husband... perished." There was a spike of anger in her, of wrath and rage, before Kali's gaze turned back to him.

"I have found... a man who has stoked the fire within me... And we will get you that threesome, sweetheart." He looked at Kali for a moment, then at Sienna. The latter looked aghast at the thought, her eyes wide at the thought.

The thumbs-up from his sister made him blush with embarrassment. His hair had gone back to blonde, leaving him the feeling of moderate ease, as the strain on his body from the absorption of the Nexus had lessened.

' _My sister as an Acolyte...'_

"We'll make sure that he gets back safe... He'll message you, Nyxie." Sienna said, looking at him. A fire of determination, as she seemed to comprehend something. Kali's arm wrapped around him as she pulled closer to him, his sister's eyes crinkling into a smile.

She stepped out and then was gone, the sound of her footsteps only as mere echoes, away with the speed that was expected from a professional Huntress. He felt pride surge inside him, as he looked at Sienna and Kali.

"That was a little awkward... My oldest sister..."

He was still a little surprised, yet he had rationalized it. She had acted in the only way that she knew in order to save him. For whatever reason afterwards, she had done... pleasurable things, but...

"What if she was your mother?"

Kali asked, and he gave it some thought before shaking his head.

' _Naaahhh... Rowena is Rowena. Mom is like... 50? 51?'_

"Then I'll say that my mother is hotter than most mothers."

He didn't really want to think about how he'd feel if Rowena _was_ his mother.

' _I'd be the sickest motherfucker in the world, getting all excited at the thought of my own mother...'_

"I... see. Shall I tell White that she's got competition?" He shook his head, even as he straightened his pants out a little. He looked at the two of them before he sighed.

"My own sister... Kali, you're a little crazy." The smile that showed all of the woman's teeth did not do anything to lessen the feeling.

"I... I wonder what gave her those marks on her back and her body. I mean... Nobody should go through what I've went through and..." She'd been marked like an animal, a brand on her flesh that looked a lot like something he'd seen before.

"She was... attacked." Sienna spoke, her voice guilty. Her eyes never reached his.

"She was out on a mission and we didn't think that..." She shuddered, as her head turned away. "We thought she was just a little late. She never told us about how and what... or who. They all didn't speak, except..."

"If she wants to tell me, she will. I'll always support her." The smile on Kali's face said that she knew something that he didn't, as she pressed herself against him.

"I'll be back in a moment, Sienna. Jaune probably needs a shower." That would be for the best. He had sweated a lot and... well... He smelled like sex. Whatever had happened to his sister... She'd be there to tell him. He knew she would be. She was the strongest of the whole family, according to Heather.

' _No matter what, Rowe... I'll always be your little brother.'_

As he appeared with Kali from the shadows, Whitney's eyes sought him out, even as her eyebrows narrowed. "You smell like sex. Kali, did you?"

He felt Kali wince. "No...Let's not... let's not get ahead. Things are a little different from how they appear..." He thought that it'd be a bit hard to explain 'My sister just had sex with me, nearly died and I sort of restored her to her prime form and made her another Acolyte, after which she gave me her virginity and some of the best head that I've ever had' in concise terms.

"I need a shower..."

He mumbled, stepping out of the shadows as Kali rustled over to the bag that contained some of Summer's stuff. Fishing out a corset and getting it on, the woman frowned a little, as she struggled with the straps.

"Are you okay, Jaune?"

Whitney's voice was soft in his ear as she hugged him from behind. He looked at his face in the mirror, his blonde hair with the singular white streak hanging there, the streak having grown in size since he had absorbed the Nexus in Mountain Glenn.

"I will be. My sister... It was one hell of a reunion." He could feel her discontent, even with her teeth nibbling on his earlobe. He twitched, feeling the shudder race through his system.

"You smell like sex, Jaune..." She accused softly. There was hurt in her voice. "Remember, we'd said that we'd have the whole day together..." The words had been spoken, yet he knew that he'd had little choice in it.

"It wasn't..." He sighed, turning to her and pulling his pants off. He could still imagine the feeling of his sister as she fucked him, the whole messed up world not making any sense. "It wasn't consensual."

Her eyes widened, as her breath stalled. She seemed confused. "No... I..." He turned around, as he turned the knob for the spray, feeling the warm water hit him.

' _This isn't like with Rubedo... This isn't...'_

His sister's face flashed in front of hs eyes, pleading at him. Her teary eyes as she drew more of the _Vitae Tenebris_ out of him, the internal clash of the energies within her...

' _She's a good woman. She's the best woman.'_

She'd done this to make sure that he was alright, to make sure that he was... safe. She'd not... she'd not...

He felt revulsion and disgust go through him as he felt the war inside of him at the feelings that she'd evoked within him. She'd done something that a sister shouldn't, that never should have... but she'd tried to purge the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside of him. He had liked it, he had come, thanks to her skill, even as she'd almost died. Nearly... she'd nearly died for him.

The first moment when it came crashing down was a small sob, as he leaned against the shower. He felt dirty and yet clean, even as Whitney's soft hands stroked over his own scarred and mangled back. The tears came then as he curled up, feeling the hot water wash over him and try and clear away the feelings inside him.

"It's going to be okay, Jaune... You're the man that we love. The man that I love." He didn't know what love was, if it was like this.

He felt torn...

He felt twisted...

But...

It had felt _right._

* * *

 _Herald of flame (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She sat down on one of the overturned garbage cans that'd been left there, long-since emptied of most of the contents due to scavenging animals, her eyes picking out the different changes to the landscape.

She'd sent the girl back to her uncle and father, having opted for the quick and swift truth of stating that she'd handle things. The cloak and mask were worn, her weapon was ready to fire and she was looking through the heat-haze of her alternate vision to check for surprise visitors.

She'd been surprised to see the Summer Rose come to them, yet it had not been to harm, rather to warn. To see the investment in the girl that was to take the Trial tonight from one of her associates was something rare, highlighting once more just how important this would be for many of the different Clans of the Order.

She felt the presence behind her before she knew it, her sister's arms wrapping around her neck and the smell of sweat and blood invading her nostrils, as well as a headier scent.

' _Smells like...'_

The hands grabbed a hold of the mask, pulling it off her head. She let her weapon slide a little down, pulling the mask's strap off and then shaking her head. "What's the matter, Ro?" She asked softly, even as her sister sat herself down in her lap.

Her sister's hands let go of the mask and her older sister's lips pressed against her own, a tongue pressing against her lips, which parted for the invasion, a full-mouth kiss that seemed to take for a moment, as something slimy invaded her mouth, the lips parting as Rowe's Semblance pushed it down into her mouth.

They separated, her mouth full of that strange liquid. It was a little thick, almost like pudding but not quite, clumpy in parts and numbing her taste buds.

"Swallow, Heather."

The words were commanding and sharp, the tone that the Huntress known as Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night used during the night-time, the sharp blue eyes looking at her in a manner that brooked no interference from her.

She swallowed and her taste-buds flared with the taste suddenly, a salty taste that seemed to be strangely concentrated, something like a dark liquorice added to the flavour, even as she swallowed. Rowena's face was amused as she did, exhaling softly. The smell hit her, clicking into place. "Is that..."

A short nod from her sister and partner. "What... Who?" The finger against her lips quietened her, as Rowena looked at her. She felt confusion, uncertainty and then, Rowena got up. A large red smear was between her legs, the dishevelled appearance and the sweat that'd managed to brush over her body enough to show that she'd been sexually active at the very least, if the taste indeed had been cum.

' _What the fuck did she do?'_

"The Mission is altered." She sat up straight, as Rowena, her older sister, spoke to her. "Primary Target is changed, tertiary objectives are altered. The Trial will not proceed as planned." The look of intelligence on her sister's face even as the sun shone down on her face was something that was both a blessing as well as a curse, as the sharp eyes never seemed to leave her.

' _What could have changed this?'_

A hand pulled the Scroll out of the pocket, opening it up and showing a picture of two Faunus women, one of them a near-carbon copy of the Faunus girl, whilst the other was...

' _Hey, I know that face...'_

"Friendlies. They are not to be harmed." That was an order if she ever heard one. On their missions together, it was Rowena who held the chains of command, whilst she served as the follower. It had been that way and it would be that way, especially now that the woman had awakened. A hand went to the vest, starting to unbutton it, the flesh showing the marks of... nothing?

"We are going to make sure that this mission brings home every girl that is on the mission with us." The words were those of her superior, as her sister looked at her, the unmarred skin below the breasts visible. She reached out for a moment, touching the skin where ragged wounds had been only hours before.

"What... what happened to you?" The smile on her older sister's face was beautiful to behold, as she leaned against her.

"A blessing from the darkness, sister."

Heather felt her blood grow cold, as the darkness that she knew was an insidious one. A woman who stood at its helm, without even the barest shred of humanity. A bogeywoman who would not rest until the ashes of civilisation were but mere dust on the wind. A fearful figure who haunted their night-time stories.

"I told you that Jaune was alive, Heather..."

The words chilled her body as she looked at her sister, whose eyes bore a fire that was unquenched. It was that obsessive nature of hers that had brought to the fore one of the greatest Huntresses of the Order, her sister's face cast in shadows.

"And he's strong..."

The arms wrapped around her neck once more, pulling her sister close.

"So strong, Heather... He's got the power of the Grandmaster... But different."

The tongue slid over her cheek, like when they'd been young still. The smell of the sweat on Rowena's body was strong, even as water condensed on their skin, washing over them. She knew that her clothes would be able to work perfectly even when wet, as it had always done, even during missions when it was pouring buckets full of rain and Rowena's Semblance was magnified.

Her older sister's face was there, as blue turned to silver and the eyes of the saviour stared at her, just like the eyes in Ruby Rose's eyesockets, pure and without any taint.

' _The stories...'_

She felt a pulse of something go through her body, as the water wrapped around the two of them, their eyes locked, the water washing around them like a whirling storm. A way to cleanse the body of dirt and such, after they had been at a hunt or a purge.

Her sister's eyes looked at her with hope and trust and love, silver like the shining moon. The legendary silver eyes, set within her sister's eyes, the burden on her soul lightening a little, as the water settled down, dampening the area around them. She heated the air up around her immediately, the warmth basking around her form as she let the dampness fade away, Rowena's body heated up, the clothes drying a little. The blood had been scrubbed away, leaving her pure and intact...

"We're not going to get away with this, Ro..."

She cautioned, even as her sister's smile broadened. She could see the man who had taught Rowena the scythe come towards them.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Heather..."

The look in those silver eyes was fierce, the blazing light inside them like a warm protective hearth that wrapped around her. "You will not be the mother of the next generation." The silver was gone after a blink, Rowena's face sinking back into placidness, a broad smile that reminded Heather of Rowan.

"We'll be having so much fun, Heather! It's going to be joy, joy, joy!"

The child-like manner that her sister adopted was regular, yet she caught the look on the man's face that was tense.

' _An act, in order to fool everyone.'_

She smiled more genuinely than before, as she hugged her sister. "Yes... We'll have fun."

Whatever Rowena had planned... It would all be alright.

She felt the little squeeze that her sister did, telling her that it would all be better...

A burden seemed to fall from her shoulders, as she squared up a little, gently tucking Rowena's clothing back into the proper order. "Come on, sweetheart... Your old friend Qrow's here again..."

Rowena turned to the man and then leapt at him, knocking him to the ground in a hug. It was more calculated than the wild flail that she'd normally do, showing her control over herself.

' _Jaune...'_

She allowed herself a smile. His face, all honest and unknowing of the terrors that they faced frequently, came to her mind, even as Rowena hugged the older man and babbled a little.

' _Thank you for giving her hope and... whatever.'_

The silver eyes...

Now, the d'Arc-Night were members of the Slayer Order's top ranks once more.

She looked at her reflection for a moment in the water, spotting the silver core deep in her iris, where the blue started to turn lighter.

' _Amazing.'_

She could trust her sister's word. She had raised Jaune to be as honest as he could be.

* * *

 _The scared crow (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

Hearing Taiyang go through the official song and dance with Ruby brought a smile to his lips, the man instructing his daughter to keep her body at a happy state, as he'd heard from the guys who'd been walking them through the steps.

Raven's commentary when he'd been with Summer during their 'first night' had been scathing, even as Summer had given him an apologetic smile and made a little motion with her hips that'd ended that little song and dance, the rush of endorphins and a gentle hand touching over his cheek, the gentle smile on her lips and her voice telling him that it was okay, that she knew that it'd be better next time.

Raven's burning of his confidence during that time had been repaid, when he'd seen her draped over Taiyang, her body twitching a little, though it would be hard to say that the death glare was anything but a little softer. A smack on her bottom and a 'Who's laughing now, eh?' had gotten him a glare and Summer to swat _his_ bottom with a grin, her eyes laughing as Raven started into a rant about his performance issues, before Taiyang had ended things by silencing her with a kiss, leading to an embarrassed Raven. It'd taken them five months to finally spit out the words 'I like you', much to Summer and his own amusement.

"It looks like Rowe's returned."

He said, as he watched the two sisters, one hanging onto the other, talking quietly together. A stab of pain in his side, even as Azure Arc sighed, looking at the two of them.

"Leave the two of them... Rowan's usually a little tender when she's killed a few scores of Faunus... I can feel it in her footsteps. She's just coming down from the high."

The look on Winter's little sister's face and the Faunus girl was sickened, even as the Arc woman shrugged. Ruby and Taiyang didn't seem to be too bothered, the former probably too into the explanations.

"How can... How can..."

The pale-haired girl seemed to have problems expressing her disgust with the subject, even as he felt the need to step in.

"It's easy. Don't think. Draw back, cut, tear out, rinse and repeat."

It was a simple fact of life. He would not spare someone if they were determined to kill him. He didn't much like killing, yet there was the need for it sometimes... Sometimes, bastards just wouldn't stop with their plots to kill everyone...

"He's right. Most of us... Well, Rowe and Heather are an exception, their kill count is in the thousands..." Surprise on the girls' faces, as Azure Arc gave a cool look up to the heavens. "They're really good at killing people. They take the Purge type missions, the ones that're sanctioned in order to make the world a better place..."

"It's a necessary job. Sometimes, people want to see the world burn, so you send in a few Huntsmen to deal with the mess before the negativity attracts the Grimm..."

It was something he'd seen often. It was by the virtue of their strength that the Branwen tribe hadn't been wiped off the map, since a concerted effort to find them as well as the manpower that they could muster would not have been easily arranged.

The foray into the depths of Anima would be the death of many, as Grimm roamed the place... But it was what people would call 'home'. "Don't think that it's any less of a burden on the soul than working as a Huntsman."

"And that sort of talk is what girls like from a brave Huntsman."

Azure Arc said, the two younger teens looking at her as if she was a little addled in the brain. Qrow shrugged. "Don't think you're going to be getting with some reedy guy who's just good for talking and a wallet... You'll want to get a real man, like Mister Branwen over here."

The praise was enough for him to preen just a little more, as he looked at the blonde girl who could've been one of his nieces. She was half his age, he reckoned. "Strong look, a bit of beard-scruff, that look of 'I want you to mess my hair up whilst calling me daddy' and that set of hips that look like he's going to whack your pleasure centre straight into orbit." The praise might've been crude and such, but it wasn't too inaccurate.

He pulled out a mirror from a pocket and checked his looks.

' _Sobriety sucks.'_

He checked his features out a little, tuning into the conversation. "... what is needed. Listen up, if you get the choice for three to four guys at once, I say, 'TAKE IT'. I've always wanted to be the centre of attention at an orgy, and I don't mean that as one of seven sisters..."

He snorted. "Now, don't go on and harp on about your lesbian orgy, Az." The shortening of her name was enough to draw a wry smile.

"Sure thing, 'daddy'. How about you spank me and break my front door in, hm?" The flirty tease was not serious, he hoped. Both of Ruby's team members looked at him as if he'd said something really crude. "No, no lesbian orgies. Big sis strictly forbade it. Heather's got one thing going for her and that is that she's cool and calm."

"But if you could?" Azure Arc's snort, as she ran a finger over one of the plates of her armour, her foot brushing over the ground as the armour thickened a little.

"Dude, you're sweet on Rowe. If she told us to jump, we'd fucking jump. There's a level of respect involved, and none of us dare to go against her." That was pretty accurate. He would kill if it made Rowe happy... Because she had been special to him. The sweet summer nights that were spent talking. He couldn't quite recall what they were talking about... but it had been nice.

"She's not mentally sound, is she?" The question came, as Azure winced a little, the whole armour shifting a little. "Ruby had a theory that she's Jaune's mother, but..." A visible wince. Azure Arc's head turned away.

"That's crazy, isn't it? I mean... I know you're part of some ancient noble family, and..." The girl tried, yet Qrow could see the language below the armour shift. Azure Arc probably knew less than her older sisters, a benefit or a demerit to her age. She was only nineteen-ish...

"I don't know the full story..." The words from Azure Arc were evasive, her gaze still turned away. "but she is, apparently." Azure Arc might have said more, yet no words came out. "Can't change anything about it, since he's dead." She didn't turn to them with her face, a wry tone.

"And... The heir?" The question seemed to take Azure aback for a moment. A wince, a shudder and something else, as she sighed.

"Heather's going on maternity leave for a year after this mission." The statement was flat and without inflexion, as the youngest of the Arc sisters turned her gaze away.

"That's nice... Is she still together with the father? I mean, she looks like a stern and severe woman, no offence intended..." Qrow noticed the same little shift in the woman, and something clicked together in his mental puzzle.

' _No... I don't think she's together with the father, little snowcone...'_

Rowe had spoken about it for a moment once, as she'd been lucid.

"No... The father is..." The deeper sigh came from the woman's mouth, as he patted her on the back. "The father is dead."

"Oh no... That's so sad." The girls didn't know, most likely. They probably wouldn't know, unless specifically told.

' _Yeah...'_

He'd seen it before, when the Beornir'd come around. A few parents, and the whole family just being related together. You didn't throw the apple far from the tree... And Rowe had said that Jaune was a very special boy.

"Did he know?" He asked, Azure shaking her head.

"No, never. You don't tell... well, not as Ashley explained it. It's all sorts of medical mumbo-jumbo... I wouldn't know much about that." He shared a look of pity, even as the young woman smiled sadly at him.

' _Yeah... I feel bad for the girl, but...'_

"It'd have been Rowe otherwise, right?" The small nod, the hint of tears that seemed to come out.

' _Fuck...'_

"That's really messed up..." He couldn't stop himself from saying so, even though the other two girls looked at the pair of them with little comprehension.

"Well... She is the prime inheritor, so it would stand to reason... She would be expected to produce an heir... eventually?" Winter's little sister said with that child-like innocence, unaware of what exactly was being done. "So... Eh, just to get things... right. He's her child and thus, second in line of inheritance?"

Qrow saw the look on Azure Arc's face change, an expression of calm, as she closed her eyes. "Matrilineal?" The word was familiar. "He is the son of the household, after father formalized the process." The wording was critical there.

"So... He is equal in line to you?" The girl didn't seem to get the cues that she was supposed to shut up. Azure Arc's eyes flashed in anger, the blonde looking ready to breathe fire as the subject was an uncomfortable one. He could see the Faunus girl already pick up on the undercurrent.

"Watch her closely when it's about night-time..." The words were ominous and cruel, even as he realized what she was referring to. There was cruelty in the woman's nature as the pale-haired girl blinked. "If you're still going to be asking questions, I'm sure that my oldest sister will gladly indulge you."

' _You're going to have them scared stiff...'_

He couldn't fault her for getting snippy with them. Yang looked more than a little uncomfortable, clearly in the know about what was happening, whilst the Faunus seemed to sort of clue herself in, with only the Schnee remaining innocent. Ruby was paying more attention to Taiyang either way, which was just as well.

He got up and walked to the two sisters, giving a light wave to Taiyang, who was giving Ruby the down-low on how things were supposed to go...

Not quite the thing that he'd like to see, but it was better Tai than him... For some reason, he just didn't feel quite like... that.

"Keep that ass nice and tight for me, 'daddy'."The smack from Azure's hand was a wake-up from the dreary thoughts as he looked back at the girl, who seemed to have lightened her spirits a little.

"If you can keep your a-game on, Arc... Your sister's still miles ahead of you." The challenge was taken with a grin, even as the woman knew how he meant it.

"I'll take that challenge, dude... Even if you're small and helpless, like most other men." He sauntered up to the two women, keeping a respectful distance to give them time to adjust. Rowe just knew when someone got close to her.

"Jij zal nooit de moeder van de volgende generatie worden." The words were incomprehensible to his ears as he focused, trying to discern their meaning, as Rowe rubbed against her sister. Water had soaked the surrounding grass, creating puddles, obviously thanks to her Semblance.

"We zullen het zo leuk hebben, Heather. Het word leuk, leuk, leuk!" The exclamations of joy made him smile softly, knowing that Rowe was happy about something.

"Ja… Het zal leuk worden." The words were incomprehensible, a language that seemed to twist and turn around whenever it was spoken, a harsh-sounding language that seemed to be a little like old Atlesian.

"Kom op, lieverd… Je oude vriend Kraai is er." The words seemed to jolt Rowe back into place, her head turning and the woman leaping on him. Due to the greater force of the woman impacting with him, it was him who was knocked to the ground once again, the smell of fresh skin coming to his nose as he looked at her blue eyes, happily staring down at him.

"Hey there, pretty lady. Going my way?" She felt a little heavier than before, perhaps just his imagination, as she rubbed her cheek against his own, her short hair damp, undoubtedly from her Semblance.

"You're the bestest, Qrow." The words were soft and tender, almost spoken with the rationality that she showed during the day, a warmth going into his heart at the remembering of the time when they'd been together. "Are you… Are you interested in Azure?"

"Perhaps." She might've seen Azure's little swat on the bottom, or heard her comment about that, as her smile turned a little more radiant. Those sweet blue eyes looked sharper than they did before, and he felt her run her fingers over his chest.

"She's really ticklish right…" the fingers stopped and padded, in a place slightly at the left side of the pectoral muscle. "Here. Tickle her and make her scream." The smile on her face was bright, as she nosed his nose lightly.

It was hard not to go in for a kiss, yet he knew that it had been too late… That he had blown the chance to make her his girl.

' _If only I could re-do things…'_

That was one of his greatest laments, as he looked at her, her sad eyes glinting at him with something akin to friendship and amusement. "Good Qrow... We're going to make sure that Yang gets to be the best. She's going to marry Jaune!"

The smile on her lips was real, as he imagined his little firecracker with the child that Rowan had put into the world... He had little idea of what the young man had been like, yet if he had only a small fragment of Rowe's personality... He'd be a lovable, warm guy who cared for his partners and friends.

"Sure..." He sent a questioning look at Heather, who stood there in his peripheral vision, looking at the two of them. "So... What're you doing with Yang? What's with the masks and cloaks that've been popping up?"

The smile on Rowe's face was enough. "They're here to administer the test and kill the evil Grimm, of course. Yang's going to get her own cloak and mask... Just like her adoptive mommy has. Her mommy is nice, nice, nice... yes." He wasn't sure what to make of that. "She taught me how to wield my sword."

' _Oh, like that...'_

Summer hadn't mentioned it... but he reckoned that there'd been a lot that had gone unmentioned. Taiyang never mentioned his parents or his extended family except that they'd all died, Raven never mentioned them being bandit-born or where she went with Summer sometimes... No, there were plenty of secrets that'd been kept.

' _Everyone had their own little secrets... even me.'_

"So, what's it gonna be like? You can talk about that, can you?" It was a guess from him as Rowe looked at him, before shaking her head.

"Nope! Is a secret! Only Ozpin knows! But don't tell him I told you!" That was heartening, though he hadn't heard from the man that he'd be attending... But that'd be something that wouldn't be told to him. He was just the infiltrator, the spy and the crook... He was told what he needed to know, in order to safeguard Remnant.

He'd keep the world nice and peaceful... Just for Ruby and Yang.

They mattered, after all.

An hour later, Rowe was seated at the vantage point in the camp, peering out over the stretch of space in search of Grimm, her hands busy with typing on her Scroll... _'Probably some Scroll game...'_

"And now that I've filled you girls in... I guess it's time that you get instructed in the art of pleasure." Taiyang was the better speaker out of the two of them. He was the guy who got love letters in the mailbox at Signal, who got confessed to by the sixteen-something girls who started to blossom and wanted to get a good start in their adult relationships... The man hadn't acted on it, though. Taiyang had principles.

"Who wants to go first, huh? Don't rush... We've got the whole night, so it's never Xiao-Long or Xiao-Short."The joke fell flat, as Yang looked a little hesitantly at the joke, until Ruby's hand shot up.

"Eh, me! Dad! I'll go first! I'm the team leader."The man's face smiled, Qrow could see that much, a smile of a father who was proud of his daughter for seizing the initiative, his eyes looking at him. "So, Qrow? You going to take Miss Belladonna or Miss Schnee?"

"This guy's got a date with my pussy first, blondie!" Azure Arc placed her hands on his shoulders. "And I'm gonna get my itch scratched and rock his fucking world." The lingerie that the woman wore was very thin and very showing, even as the armour had been discarded and a whole box of condoms seemed to have appeared in her hands.

' _Well... I guess that answers that...'_

Some good luck occasionally came his way...

One of the tent poles collapsed at that time.

' _Yeah... I jinxed it.'_

* * *

 **Well... Certainly a controversial chapter. I will honestly admit that writing the scenes between Rowena and Jaune was really tough, due to personal reasons. I wanted to leave them out initially but I figured that it was best to put them in. It's not a pleasant experience, rape and/or sexual assault. If your partner/girlfriend/family member ever coerces you into sexual acts, go to the police.**

 **Don't try to convince yourself that you might've wanted it, that it was okay and that men can't get raped. That stuff is not okay in any shape or form. Nobody has the right to make you do anything that you don't want to. **

**She'll be a perspective character following this chapter too. Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night, ladies and gentlemen...**

 **See you all in two weeks, people. Yang's Trial comes! Information on the Order of Slayers too.**


	51. Desecration

**Chapter 51: Desecration**

 **Enjoy the chapter. This took me 2 weeks to write... And we're now at 1 million words, awesome! It's still got more plot than most people realize.**

 **Second Ghest did a good writeup of how to read this (and people will be going on about how it's hard to read) and well... Buckle up. I've got more in store for you. It's going to be dark. It's going to be thrilling. It's going to be AMAZING.**

 **There's more dark stuff coming. Bad dark stuff. People are going to die. Also, there will be great stuff. Heroic moments. Tears, laughter, love.**

 **All to give you all the best story you've read thus far. Thank you for sticking with A Grimm Tale for 50+ chapters. It's been a tough start to the story, but it's all going to be an experience. I've liked talking with some of the people who're really into the story about some of the themes of the story. Some people have told me to go and do bad things to myself.**

 **Thank you for your support. It's not the most popular thing that I've written (700+ Favourites and 800 Follows), but I will make it something you can all enjoy, through the good and happy times and the really bad and sad times.**

 **Thank you for believing in me and enjoying my grim fairytale.**

* * *

 _The challenges we face (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The feeling returned slowly once he pulled himself out of Whitney's arms, ready once more to face the world. He felt unused to the weight on his shoulders, the burden that had been forced on his mind. His sister had slept with him, she had fucked him in order to save him… and then had sacrificed her maidenhood once he had restored her to her best state.

' _Why would she do such a thing? It is a gift to someone you really truly love… Someone special.'_

He was sure that Rowena would have found herself a wonderful man to share herself with, who would love his sister like she deserved to be loved. Not… Not him.

He was a _monster_.

A monster who had enjoyed the feeling of his sister doing things with him, because it had felt like he had come home.

A warmth that was greater than anything else, a sick and twisted feeling of rightness as he was inside her. She had so much love for him that it hurt, even with the light inside her, the hallmark of Ozymandias Pinnacle's magic.

"Jaune… Please… Talk to me."

Whitney's voice pleaded, even as she trailed kisses over his cheek and neck. It was a tender gesture with her, as he felt his manhood harden. The feeling of Rowena's presence, added to the two presences of his Acolytes… Whitney's faint siren call in his mind, added to Summer's light touch…

He wanted to sleep with his own sister. He wanted to make her his, just as Whitney was his. She loved him, and he felt twisted for even contemplating it. He had seen her, bare and naked and vulnerable… Yet she had been willing. For him…

 _Everything_ for _him_.

"It's okay… it's going to be okay, Meister."

Her voice was soft, as she pressed her lips against his own.

"I want to fuck my oldest sister, Whitney. It's not… It's not okay."

He wanted to make her scream, moan and pant. To do things to her as a man did to a a woman as her husband, not some sick freak of a brother who got aroused by the thought of his oldest sister, who had been like a mother to him.

It was wrong. It was so damn wrong to him… But.. it was right. It felt so right, it felt like being wrapped in warm blankets and having his mother read him a story… Although it had been Rowena more than it had been his mother.

"It's okay, little blonde teddy..."

The voice was lighter, as Whitney nuzzled against him, her hand stroking over his chest, seizing a hold and pressing her palm against it.

"Just... Tell me what's wrong."

It was the pet name for him that he'd disliked, even as he felt her touch.

"Come on, tell me... Why is it wrong to love your sister?"

Whitney's voice was guiding, as her hand helped him. He felt the reasoning slip over his mind like a film. He shuddered, as her pace increased. "Because... because I shouldn't feel like this. She's my sister, and it's... It's not accepted. It shouldn't be like this, but..."

It was a sinful thought. Whitney's soft murmur in his ears, as her hand worked. "If she loves you like we love you, is there a problem?" A question, as she continued.

"Come on, Jaune... You're better than us. Who would dare challenge you if you took us as your brides?"

The woman's hand moved quicker, speeding up. He felt himself get ready. An image of Whitney in a wedding dress, together with Kali and Summer... Raven and Sienna wearing a bridesmaid dress, his sister already dressed up in virginal white...

"It's okay. Your sisters love you. All of your sisters love you so much that they want you to be happy. Didn't Cremea once say to you that you were her most beloved brother?" The words had been a little different, yet the video that had stated that was still in the hands of Ashley and Bianca.

"She did."

Whitney's hand continued to move.

"Then what's the problem? You're our Jaune... That doesn't change. I will admit to being a little hesitant... But it is your sister. She is going to be a part of the family either way..." The impish smile on her lips as she leaned up and kissed him.

"You can call me mommy if you want."

A teasing grin, as she winked. "I love you, Jaune..." And her lips pressed against his ear. "And the right of my husband is to be one of the most important people in my world."

He sighed, even though he felt slightly better. Rowena had reasons for what she did. She must have. She cared and loved for him... So it mattered.

"She said that she wanted to send us some plans..."

He got up, even as Whitney didn't. He felt her lips touch and slide, his hands tangling in her hair. A sound, a gag, a swallow... and he was off. He felt lighter now, even as she gave a low moan, pulling herself away.

"Ich liebe dich so sehr, Jaune."

The words had been said by his sister as well... and he supposed that it was true. She loved him enough to die for him, so...

Perhaps he shouldn't worry about it too much. Rowena was Rowena and Rowena was amazing. That he'd called her mom by accident once when he was four, had been enough to make her burst into happy tears.

' _She is amazing.'_

A wise philosopher-king had once said that one could learn to deal with traumatic things due to the love and acceptance of one's lovers and family... And he would take that advice.

' _It's not like we're actually harming someone...'_

She was his sister. That would never change. If dad or mom had a problem with it, they could fuck off. Dad had never supported his desire to go and be a Huntsman anyways...

' _I'll be the hero... I'll make sure that none of my sisters are harmed any further.'_

He walked to his bed from the bathroom, Whitney trailing after him. He could hear the couple in the other room getting it on again. He wasn't sure whether it was the same couple or a different one, things tended to blur a little with guests changing every once in a while.

' _They never seem to give it a rest... What are they, rabbits in heat?'_

It might just be a popular spot for people to go and fuck, he supposed, even though he wondered whether the place would be really that open to things... But the look that the guy at the front desk had given him had pretty much said as much. It wasn't a bad thing, Jaune figured. Just different.

 **Rowena d'Arc-Night: Game plan for tonight. Safeguarding Yang. Attendees of a test of martial strength: 5-7, depending on Calavera presence and Rose. Can I count on you?**

The question hung there, even as he checked the timestamp. Nearly ten minutes ago, and he quickly typed a response back.

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: Yes. What do you suggest?**

The lines started to wriggle, as Rowena started to type. He saw lines appear, paragraphs full of technical jargon, detailing how the theoretical battle would be. Suggestions, questions and other things ran through the paragraphs, easily formulated to his mind as the things they were.

A sound plan. Tactically feasible. It would all determine on the location, but... That was for him to worry about.

' _The Order wasn't built for infiltration... Blind loyalty to the ideals of Pinnacle is blinding...'_

Rowena had a mind that was like a steel trap lined with spikes, a maze and a labyrinth, and several of the weirdest twists and bends.

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: That looks very intricate... But it is doable.**

Her plan was simply. The execution would take some time, yet he knew that if he got there early, he would be able to get back to Whitney soon. Whitney, in the meantime, had made herself comfortable, rubbing his back.

 **Rowena d'Arc-Night: I love you so much, Jaune. I can't wait to see you again.**

Tender words, making confusing emotions rise up inside him. He stiffened, remembering the love that she had shown him. Whitney looked at the words, even as she smiled.

"Tell her that I'd like to meet her as well." Whitney suggested, which made him smile softly.

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: My... well, I guess we can be partners in the noble sense... She wants to meet you. She knows the rules for nobility.**

The response was immediate.

 **Rowena d'Arc-Night: What's her pedigree? Does she know the rights? How high in her noble house is she?**

The standard questions that a mother would ask of her child, yet something that was so Rowena that it made him laugh. His mother knew nothing of the rules of nobility, so it had fallen to Rowena to teach him the ins and outs. She was the eldest and the princess, after all. Rowena would inherit the title, whilst he would inherit the name and pass it along. It was a fine piece of sophistry at times... but it worked.

"Here, let me..." Whitney took the Scroll from his hands, looking at it for a moment and then taking a deep breath. He watched, as she typed it out.

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: Only child of Mantlean nobility. I am aware of inheritance rights and am prepared to be a second wife, if it must be so. A vow once made, shan't be broken.**

The response was immediately given, as he didn't quite get what she was made aware of. _'The inheritance rights are usually only done for the spouses... And those have to prepare a solid case to the family to allow their children entry into the family as a cadet house.'_

 **Rowena d'Arc-Night: We'll see whether you're worthy. I am not giving up on my Jaune so easily. Jaune, you have until nine. Seventh street Avenue, east-side stadium.**

The address came with a small map, highlighting the building. He wondered briefly how things would play out, yet he had a brief flash of insight.

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: I'll be there. I'll get the Grimm prepared.**

He could imagine his sister's smirk as she received that answer. Rowena had a cruel sense of humour at times, just like Heather. Never involving him, but the threats that she'd made against some of the settlement's inhabitants still had been enough to make her come across as uncouth.

 **Rowena d'Arc-Night: I love you, Jaune.**

The smile on his face, as he brushed his hand over Whitney's side, the woman smiling broadly at the touch, was enough to bring forth a dark humour.

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: I love you too, big sis.**

Rowena didn't type any more, even whilst Whitney appeared. "Jaune... Please..." Her soft plea was gentle as she did, her eyes flashing with interest.

"Put in a good word."

He smiled, before pressing the call button. It rang twice before it was picked up.

"Hello Kali... Do you think you could pick me up? I've got a plan for tonight."

He'd have to thank Rowena for the suggestion later. It was a brilliant suggestion... and only the question 'Can you do it?' had remained.

It was time for him to interfere with Ozymandias Pinnacle's trials... and save Yang. The process of what happened to acolytes who succeeded in the Trial...

' _I won't let you become another mindless husk, Yang... No matter what. The moment you break is the moment that Ruby shatters as well...'_

He would not let them break any of his friends. Yang deserved better. She deserved to be free from the shackles of an Order who made its members expendable for the grand goal.

' _Rowena must be a member as well...'_

The mask and the cloak were the badges of office, he knew. His sisters were broken... But he would fix them.

The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him bubbled, as he knew what had to be done. It was inevitable and inescapable for him to deny the opportunity.

He would have to bring the power inside him to bear in order to make sure that Yang would be as free as a bird.

Kali emerged from the shadows a moment later, the connection between their Scrolls shut off. He smiled at her, as she smiled back.

"My, I didn't think we'd get a threesome going..."

He noticed that he was still naked.

' _I should probably get some clothes on.'_

You didn't go into battle naked, after all.

A knock on the door and Kali slid into the shadows, Whitney deciding to amble out of his view. He opened the door at a crack after getting a towel wrapped around his waist to see a brunette woman with brown eyes looking at him, a smile on the woman's lips as she stood there, the green skirt and the tight white top with 'Got Speed?' on it working perfectly, the big headband that pulled her hair back letting her features really spring out. He opened the door just a little more, to better look at who was there. "Ah, I'd like to apologize for the noise... We get a little loud and we were hoping that we didn't disturb the two of you."

He smiled, even as the woman's gaze went into the room, looking at his large sword that'd been set against the wall between the bed. "Cool weapon, dude." He smiled, even as he glanced at the sword that was mostly a prop. Functional, but a little hard to wield when you were mostly relegated to the 'blast with magic' role. He did practice with it most days though, going through the motions. It was great for arm muscles.

"Yes, I've always admired the greatsword." The woman's partner called for her from their room and she gave an apologetic smile after taking a small step back. "It's alright, we don't mind the noise. We can get pretty into it as well."

"We're already getting warmed up. We're having a bit of a get-together later on." He smiled back, whilst she smiled sweetly. "Perhaps... join us? We might like to see your greatsword in action..."

"I'm afraid we're going to be a little busy for a few hours. It's nearly dinner time and my girlfriend wants to go out. It's not very often that I'm in Vale together with her." A good excuse. Whitney did not intend to share. The girl pouted, as she shook her head.

"Ah, just as well... Have fun, you guys."

Jaune saw the angry gaze meet him as the man pulled his girlfriend into the room again, the boyfriend obviously not liking her taking the initiative to talk to him.

' _Whatever... It's probably just the whole sound issue of the two of us...'_

Whitney was not silent when she got into the mood. Kali emerged from the shadows after he closed the door, and the sound got a little louder. Kali's expression was somewhat serious as she let her gaze rest on the door opening, biting her lower lip. "The neighbours?" She asked, even as he nodded.

"Pretty loud. At least they don't mind it when Whitney gets loud too."

The woman nodded, not looking as confident as she had. She had been disturbed ever since Rowena had done... sex.

"Are you... okay?" Kali's eyes fixated on him, her tongue sliding over her lips. "You look a little out of it."

The smile on the woman's lips was a little more powerful now, as she nodded her head. "Just adjusting, re-sorting some things... Sienna never really told me what happened to Nyxie... But... I feel bad."

She was a motherly woman, he knew. Her shape might be similar to Blake now, yet there was definitely the feeling of something more to her emotions. "I'm going to get the bastards who did that to her..." A dark, possessive desire flowed through him.

"I'm going to make them feel what she felt, what we felt..."

Rubedo's treatment, the pain and humiliation that he had suffered under her touch, the agony of being carved into with knives... It all worked against him. He would not see his sister suffer. "That's a good feeling, Jaune..." Kali's soft whisper was what drew him, as he felt the burning rage go through his nerves.

" **Embrace the anger... Show them who the real alpha predator is... Our king, our emperor... The man who will tear out the spine of this flaccid weak Kingdom and build his own dominion..."** The warped voice of Kali spoke, as night clad her in darkness. Eyes that were like a deep golden colour, a shadowy tendril wrapping around him.

" **For you to command, I will follow. The one who wields the knife shall defend her Zhu..."**

The words were traditional, as she spoke them like they were the foundation of her soul. Her eyes locked with his, the connection made... and power flowed. **"Let us stalk the night together and make them fear our presence, my Zhu."** The woman's voice was like a lure, as her arms wrapped around him and her eyes met with Whitney's.

" **We'll be back, White..."**

"Probably in... four hours or so? Rowena said that it wouldn't last more than an hour, so... Maybe five?" He confidently winked at her. Whitney's bemused expression was enough, as she held her Scroll up.

"I'll bother myself with getting into contact with Father. I've got a bad feeling... like something is going to happen and I don't want to be a part of it." He knew that it was her caring side at work, as she seemed to bring the thought to the table.

"I'll be back soon, team RWBY will be back in Vale in a day or two and we'll be able to plan our next move, yep." She smiled at him with confidence, as her eyes glinted with amusement.

"And I get to meet your sister. I'll prepare the makeup for that meeting."

He snorted. Rowena didn't need makeup to look good. Most of his sisters didn't require much in the way of makeup, except for Azure, who actually had really dry skin. She went through moisturizer like it was the nectar of life. Ashley called it the 'Bukakke of beauty', which had led to Azure throwing a bottle of the stuff at her.

Kali tapped his shoulder, as he leaned forward to give Whitney a kiss to the lips. "I love you, Whitney. I love all of you." It was what the woman needed, as she gently stroked his cheek.

"We love you too, Jaune."

The genuine words, the love in her eyes, it was all real. He had people who loved him. Rowena loved him too... even if she had done what she had done.

' _I'm going to be the hero...'_

Kali took him away, appearing from the shadows within a building that'd half-collapsed, Sienna's eyes sharp as they focused on the two of them. Sienna's expression was guilty, whilst her hand ran over the grip of her whip.

"Jaune... I'm so-"

He held up a hand, silencing her. "No matter what... Rowena did what she did. I'm..." He swallowed. The tough words came. "I'm going not going to ask what went on between the two of you, not yet. I'm here now to set things up and..." He looked at his staff, the Relic glistening with the power that he commanded. Some of the power had brought back strength.

"And make sure that we're all walking out of this alive and healthy."

Sienna smiled, nodding her head. "Now... Shall we go?" He asked, Kali already prepared. Sienna got up, licking her lips.

"We've got work to do."

* * *

 _The conclusions we reach (Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

Letting her fingers dance over the keyboard of her Scroll, she outlined the war plan for tonight. It would take just a simple adjustment to the arrangements that were being made... But her son was a good child.

' _Such a good, wonderful boy...'_

She read the way that he suggested, adding a small addition to the way that it'd all be put together, knowing the rules of the Order by heart. Heather, her partner, was not privy to the rules as she was, as she had not been born the oldest.

A moment in repose, as she closed her eyes, humming one of the nursery rhymes that she had sang for Jaune, the loving words spoken with the deepest of sympathy and care. It had been a tough life for her, post-birthing of her child. The pain in her stomach from the nine months had been atrocious, though nobody had remarked upon it.

' _No... I will not let the Order take Yang.'_

Yang was special. Such a kind girl, willing to help out. She had learned the hymns as well, the stories of the past. She had crammed every little scrap of knowledge that a child should learn about the world in Yang's head...

Yang joined her in the humming at times. It was subconscious, probably, yet the softer humming that Yang did was like the confirmation that her plans had not failed.

" _Mama, do you have cookies for us?" The girl had asked, once. She had dropped the jar of flour in her shock, the term surprising her as she heard it. It had been... it had been a long time since Jaune had called her mama. The mistaken identity, as her mother had called it, had been cleared up, but... But he had called her mama and it hurt suddenly. "Why are you sad, Rowe?"_

 _The blonde girl's delightful nature could never be hidden. "I'm not sad, little sun. Just had a little thing in my eye." She lied so easily to the girl, as she bent down to pick the jar again, screwing the plastic lid shut a little tighter._

" _Just... Just wait a little longer, and I'll show you the prince."_

 _The bright smile, the growing beauty of the girl... She would be so beautiful when she became of age. Long blonde locks of golden strands... Eyes that were a deep purple colour. She could feel the pain inside her grow again at the loss of her child, of her agency. Qrow only knew that she was here to be taught on the Grandmaster's behest..._

 _He would be an option for when she would have to flee. The Summer Rose's daughter had the eyes... But nobody had noticed that fact yet. The man of the house was often stumbling through the house, his mind a mess..._

" _Hey there, Yang... Are you bothering Rowena again?" The former bandit spoke up, his smile warm as he looked at his niece. She took a deep breath, mustering a smile._

" _She was just talking about wanting some cookies... How about we go and take the girls to the store, after we put this away?"_

 _The man smiled at her, and she saw the gleam of interest in his eyes. She leaned a little, showing just a hint of cleavage. She wore a less conservative dress most of the time that she was here, so he would have a good idea of what she was having on display..._

 _She was going to have to make sacrifices..._

 _Everything for her son._

 _The man smiled, as he took a slightly longer glance at her. She knew the looks of men well. She was beautiful, at least to her own understanding. She'd try something..._

 _One blade was good, but two? Two was better._

 _The poor man would be like putty in her hand. Anything for her son._

 _As long as he lived..._

 _She could live._

She drew from her memories, looking at the blonde as she sat next to the man in question, tinkering with one of her shotgun gauntlets. Not precisely the weapon that she'd have imagined for Yang, yet it made a sort of sense...

Her father had trained her after she had left, when he had been able to move once more. A child often took after its father. She herself had many traits of her father, though she was loath to admit it.

She caught the silver-eyed girl's glare, her eyes sliding over the girl for a moment. The cloak hung around the girl's shoulders, the Blood cloak, where there would be no bloodstains in the fabric... The simple white was to be unstained, to slay the Grimm who decomposed before they could taint the fabric.

' _You're just mad at me for not making sense...'_

Clarity always came with the darkness. Heather had filled her in on the conversations that had happened in the meanwhile, as Azure had joined them. Azure, her youngest sister, still did not know... nor would she.

' _In the game of life and death, you will need to keep sure that you will live and they will die... Information, no matter how small or insignificant, might spell the death of your partners... or your children.'_

A saying, from the old words. She gave the girl a broad, innocent smile. It was enough to act like this because it was what was expected of Rowan Arc...

' _Nobody looks at the fool or the simpleton... Yet the effect of their actions is felt as much as a blow to the temple when they poison their fellow man...'_

She was glad for Jaune. Sienna and Kali, two women that had proven themselves to be somewhat trustworthy, had come for him and joined him. The darkness inside her warred against the light, yet she worried not. It was all manageable. She was strong. She would be strong.

The response came through, a positive one. Her hand pulled the app to the side, the simple game on the Scroll continuing where it had been left off. A game about puzzles, with simple blocks falling down from the upper side.

"Are you okay, Rowe?" Her youngest sister asked, whilst she smiled at Azure.

"I'm fine... Look! Blocks!" She held the Scroll up, Azure looking fairly uncomfortable at the falling blocks. Her fingers dexterously pulled the falling blocks to the slots where they should fall, her hand-eye coordination superb still... As it had always been. She was the finely forged blade.

"That's... that's nice. Tonight..." There was hesitation, as there was fear in those eyes of her youngest sister. "I'll be doing things with Mister Branwen... do you... Do you want to stand outside? It might be... scary." A mercy, to a child-like mind within an adult's body. Her youngest sister loved her, as she should.

"I'll be good. I'll be sleeping at six. Heather said it is _important_!" The look of Azure's face turning pale, as Rowena let the true smile slip out.

' _A little show, a little dance...'_

The memories of those days and weeks, the feeling inside her...

She'd never quite been able to properly close her sphincter, not after the table leg that they'd shoved in there on a whim. It had hurt... but she had carried that burden. Every single face that had been present... She remembered them all. Their faces. Their Faunus traits. Every single last one of them. The scars on her back burned whenever she did remember during the switch between day and night, just as the scar on her stomach ached. That had faded when her son had revitalized her. She was pure now.

The taunts, the cheers and the jeers, the slurs...

She remembered them. She had noted down their appearance, even if she did not know their name. Some of the women had been fond of making her take in large objects, even as she laid gasping, gagged to silence her cries.

Weakness. She loathed it. She was _not_ weak.

She would _never_ be weak.

Jaune was her beacon. He was what quietened her down in the nights when the ache grew more. When she could feel the life grow inside her...

Azure flinched, clutching her chest. Her Semblance curled through the blood vessels, the heart contracting as her focus lapsed.

' _Oh, I better not crush her heart.'_

Sometimes, when she lost focus, she could do things better... but heedless of who she targeted. "Are you okay?" She asked, trying to affect innocence to the voice that she used.

"I'm... I'm fine. Are you okay?" Rowena smiled like a fool.

"I was just thinking... Am I broken?" Blue eyes looked at her, as Azure's face looked twisted. "Jaune loves me, so I don't think I'm broken but... but am I broken, Azzie?"

She saw her youngest sister struggle before she mustered a smile. "No, Ro... You're perfect, just the way you are... You're my big sister."

She felt the blood flow through the bodies around her. Like little symphonies, it was a rushing sensation in her ears, with Azure looking pensive as she did. "I am, yes. Jaune is going to be so happy when he meets the princess!"

Yang looked at her, their conversation anything but silent. The girl looked down once more afterwards. "I'm sure that she'll be happy... You've got to teach her important things, right?"

"Yep. She'll be the cutest bestest princess!" It was the Trial. Yang Xiao-Long would meet her fate tonight.

Jaune would do as she had suggested. She closed her eyes and exhaled, a languid sigh coming from her lips.

' _He will do as he is asked... He knows that he'll be rewarded...'_

Her eyes looked into Yang's. A gentle smile was on her lips.

' _She grew up to be a beauty... He'll be so happy with her...'_

She could see that the girl was like her baby boy... She was such a bright little sun, always trying to help her sister and her friends...

' _Yes... I'll be happy to call you my daughter-in-law.'_

Marriage was not necessary. The house was big enough to bring in twenty spouses and still have a few bedrooms to spare.

She heard the soft beep of the Scroll, the conversation long-since over, left to her musing. As she slid down to the ground level from her perch, she slowly stretched. It was nearly six... The sky was darkening already.

' _The Trial...'_

Rolling her head slowly, she stretched out her fingers. A ritual, borne through days of preparing for the morning every night. The fading of consciousness, as something simpler came to be with the light...

A state that was banished by the mask of duty. A reprieve from the pain, yet not suited to the light of day...

"What is she doing?"

She could hear the silver-eyed girl say, Heather looking tense, as she watched her. Her little sister was such a worrywart when she did, as the fingers stretched.

"Preparing... Rowe..."

Qrow spoke, the man having witnessed the last night's fading embers of Rowena... "She's going to be better now."

She strode out of the camp with a skip to her steps, even as the sunlight fell onto her features, the sun slowly fading away into the distance, as she whimpered.

Her sense noticed that the white girl had followed her, that Kali's daughter was trailing after her, seemingly biologized. The father of the two sisters was where he was, the silver-eyed girl still remaining with the man.

' _Your eyes are those of the saviour, yet they are blinded by the falsehoods of life.'_

Another choked sob came from her lips. "Please, don't hurt me, please..." The whimpered words, as the flash of memory came and she could smell the blood again, the flash of pain across her back as a mere ghost of a memory, her pure flesh now purified even further. The whimper never stopped, as she contorted.

It was all in the plan.

If the world was a stage and they were all but actors playing to some grand game...

She was going to be one of the best actors _ever._

* * *

 _The innocence spoiled (Weiss Schnee)_

* * *

She had followed the older woman out of the camp at Mister Branwen's commentary, watching how the woman curled in on herself, as if trying to protect herself from something. She caught sight of Yang looking horrified, the blonde watching as the woman contorted.

The sounds that the woman made, the horrible utterances of words that no lady of good standing should ever utter, the pleas for someone not to violate her, to stop the hurting, to please stop... It turned her stomach.

She had questioned whether the woman might have been the mother of Jaune Arc, yet she had not received a conclusive answer about that... But it did look that way. She theorized for a moment, what such a match might have been.

Imagining herself in a dress, seated next to Jaune Arc of all people, having to converse with him about topics of the nobility... Not the best of images, but...

' _Have I ever tried to get to know him?'_

She hadn't ever tried to hold a conversation with him. She knew his family at least by face now from the funeral, yet they had been closed off. If she'd tried to talk about noble stuff, as her mother had taught her during her formative years... Perhaps...

' _Perhaps we could've been... more.'_

She could imagine it. With Mama dead and with Father dead...

' _What do I have to live for, aside of my team?'_

She had heard of teams engaging in relationships, but... but she wasn't like that. She wanted to go on dates, to smile and hold a hand... to feel her man lean in and kiss her.

"Please, let me go... Please, please... Haven't you done enough?"

The voice of the woman turned into a keening sound, as she rocked. She felt bad for the woman, as the serenade of pain continued, the whimpers slowly tapering off. "Why didn't you come for me, Si... Why? Whyyyy?"

She looked at the woman with a look on her face, feeling sick. From the moans and the other words, she could determine that what had happened to the woman hadn't been gentle.

"She was... She was raped pretty badly."

Yang mumbled, Weiss stilling at the mention. That brought unpleasant thoughts to her mind. "She's got scars on her back of how they... treated her."

"Is that the reason why she's wielding a weapon named Faunus Mors?"

Weiss asked. The name was atrocious and it was a weapon that looked ready to kill at a moment's notice. Yang nodded, even whilst Blake looked at the woman curled up still, moaning and groaning.

"My sister was raped by Faunus."

Heather Arc's voice cut through the momentary hush, even as the curled up woman straightened out, brushing a hand over her cheeks, where tears had gathered. Weiss felt bad for the woman. Nobody should do that.

"Was the guy caught?"

She asked, even as Heather smiled, bitterly.

"I meant the plural form, Miss Schnee. She only regains her sense of self at night-time, or when she forces herself to... Adjust."

The words were calm, even as the older sister turned to her.

"Heather, get me warm."

The words commanded respect, and Heather Arc shrouded herself in a wave of heat, even as water wrapped around the scythe-wielding woman. She could feel the warmth, the oldest Arc sister stepping in her sister's personal space and drying up slowly.

"Good..."

Sharp blue eyes met hers and she froze in place, as the woman came to her and looked at her with a smile on her lips. She felt like a little rabbit in front of a predator, as those eyes bore down on her. They were the eyes of a Huntress, of someone who embodied power and fear... not a weak woman whose mind was of a child.

It was clear to her that the woman was still functional, as those eyes bored into her own. "Twenty-two days. Seventeen men, five women. Just in case you were curious." A pause, as the smile turned darker. A humourless chuckle came from the woman's lips.

"You could say that I've got some experience with men, by that line of reasoning. "

Weiss shuddered. From what she'd heard, it must've been horrible. She had gotten an image of a dark place, of being violated and tormented, simply for being a human. She wondered what they would've done to her, and ended that depressive thought. She was a Schnee... They'd have far more grievances with her than they would have with a pretty blonde with no real name in the bigger world.

"But I'm going to make sure that it doesn't happen to you girls. Never again will I let people suffer like that. Rowena d'Arc-Night keeps her word."

The statement was confident, as eyes were sharp, the look of determination on the woman's face clearly showing that there was a promise in those words.

Weiss felt bolstered by the feeling of the woman's affirmation, the strength in those words telling her perfectly how the woman would fight for them. It was endearing, and... and she might have felt safe just for a moment with those blue eyes looking at her.

' _Whether she was Jaune's mother or not... she is someone who keeps her word...'_

It had been perhaps just an instant moment of insight, yet she could see the two of them standing side-by-side, the goofy look on the son's face at odds with the serious look on his mother's, the two of them both standing with their conviction.

Both were tall. Both had a similar shape of the face. Both had short-ish hair... and both would fight for what they thought was right. She'd been on the receiving end of a lot of flirty lines, but he had always been... kind. Ruby didn't make friends with bad people...

"Daytime isn't a good time for me..." The woman said, as she passed them by, a light pat on Weiss' shoulder, the feeling of fortitude being infused through the simple touch. The woman was tough. She was able to fight well, at least according to what Weiss had seen.

"But the night..." A slow exhale, the woman's eyes going up to the fading light in the sky. "The night is where I feel most at home." A humourless snort.

"d'Arc-Night...Heh. Fitting." The name was spoken with the Vytalian dialect, the name of the Warrior King of Vale's family. The man who had dismissed the titles and the power inherent in the name and the blood.

' _So... He was a prince.'_

It was a bitter realisation. He could have understood her better than anything else. He would have been put through the tests of etiquette as well, had to make the decisions on what sort of colour to wear...

' _What a damn shame...'_

If she hadn't been so stubborn... If she'd just...

' _He didn't know who I was... It was just Weiss... Not...'_

The name spoke of power of the lineage, of political capital. That he'd seen her as just a girl who was pretty... just a girl who was... a _girl_. A girl he _liked_.

' _Oh gods...'_

"Are you okay?"

Yang asked, Weiss brushing her hand over her face. There was some liquid there. She couldn't be crying, could she? No, it must be raining.

"Just..."

She paused, sighing with a long exhale. "He was... He was probably more famous than me. The way she speaks her name, it is..." It was hard to explain to people who held no pedigree. The expectations were different.

"He was a prince."

Yang said, receiving a surprised sound from her. "I've... She took care of us for a few months when we were younger. She's told me stories about the prince, about how he was just a good boy..." She could see that the blonde looked lost, with a surprising moistness of her eyes.

"He was supposed to marry me. That's what she said."

Yang was definitely crying now, emotional girl that she was. She could feel her own cheeks be a little wet, looking up at the clear sky.

' _I don't like it when it rains...'_

"He was the only son of the family, so... It would stand to reason that a good spouse would be selected for him."

It was what the nobility did. The Mantlean nobility had one or two members left of its line, yet those had never really produced an heir. The Schnee family was not important in the eyes of those who valued pedigree.

"She's... She's probably not showing it but she mourns him."

Weiss caught Blake looking at the woman, the Faunus' expression a little torn. Yang's voice trembled a little, even as Blake sent a wondering look at her.

"If he was her son and he was adopted into the family..."

' _That'd be horrible...'_

The bloodline was paramount in most families. Impurities through illegitimate children were not allowed, at least publically. It was a shameful thing...

' _They seemed to be so normal when we first met them...'_

She remembered the sisters, their different responses as they stood in front of the flames which burnt the arm away into ashes. The words had been of pain and yet of hopes for their future.

' _They forgave Cardin... Not because they wanted to, but because it was the noble thing to do...'_

The Arc... no, the d'Arc-Night family was a family of an old pedigree, every single woman a Huntress of some skill. She could see the look in those blue eyes, similar to the look in her sister's eyes.

' _She would be here soon... She'd said that she'd be here...'_

It was a relief, she felt, as she knew that Winter would be able to offer some stability in this mad world...

* * *

 _The ancient Trial (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Yang felt heavy as she sat down at the side of the tent. She could hear her sister and her dad be busy. The gentle voice of the man who was her father reached her ears, even as she tried to block the sounds out.

' _This is so twisted...'_

"Just relax, it's going to be fine..."

The man's voice was encouraging. Just like the lessons that he gave at Signal, when he required attention, his voice was never higher than a certain range, as Ruby gave a soft squeak.

"Dad... Hmmmhmmm..."

Hearing her younger sister moan like that was a feeling that was uncomfortable and yet... She knew that she would have to be intimate with one of the other women now. It was not a big thing, supposedly, yet she felt torn.

An arm wrapped around her, the smell of an Arc invading her nostrils. Rowena d'Arc-Night sat down next to her, rubbing over her shoulder.

"It'll get better... My first time with my former team was uncomfortable too..."

The words came from the woman's mouth, yet there was a conflicted expression on the woman's face. She looked right at the tent, whilst she could hear her uncle Qrow start to talk about some of the things that he was going to be doing to her friends.

 _'I'm not sure...'_

"Dad... Can I touch it?"

She felt sicker now, as she closed her eyes. The woman pulled her into a hug, stroking over her back.

"It's just bad luck, Yang..."

That it certainly felt like. It was safer with men that they knew, but... but there was still that feeling of wrongness. She looked at the woman, whose eyes were sane and focused. They weren't the unfocused gaze of someone with the mind of a child, yet those that belonged to the woman who had cared for her.

"That's okay, don't pinch... It's good to explore it..."

Yang winced, as the woman sighed. "It's better to coax a new one through things... It's usually why you find some of the Huntsmen with experience teaching people going through this..." The comment sufficed to make her feel sick.

"It's so big, dad..."

Yang felt another wave of nauseous energy, as her father chuckled softly.

"That's what your mom said too, Ruby. Don't worry. Most boys are somewhat like this, but they come in all shapes and sizes... Just... relax, alright?"

The shuddering sigh and the soft squeak that came from the tent, as Yang could feel the nausea increase three times worse, Ruby's soft shuddering 'ah-ah-ahhhh!' sound making her protective instincts rise and be suppressed.

It reminded her of things...

" _Raven."_

 _The man's arm was around her waist and he was kissing her, his eyes vacant of much conscious thought. It was only a moment, as she forced him off. She'd been training with Uncle Qrow for some time, the man keeping a vigilant watch on them. She was twelve now, and her dad was starting to grow a little more conscious of his surroundings._

" _Dad, quit it... I'm not mom."_

 _The man's weight rested on her, his arm there like a leaden weight. He would pause now, and it'd all be easier to get him into bed again. The surprised look, the sadness in his eyes as he recognized her for an instant, before he dropped his hand._

" _Come on... Into bed."_

 _She tried to go for a smile, even as she felt awkward, knowing that the man wished that she could be her mom. It wasn't a good thing in any case but it was a thing. She had to grin and bear with it._

"That's it... How does it feel?"

The man's voice was concerned, caring. For an instant, Yang wondered whether she would have some difficulty with it as well. Her dad and her... Icky. She wasn't THAT much into family.

Ruby moaned, a deep sound that was like a hit to the chest, a sound of a young woman. Yang knew that she hadn't been intimate with a man, so she would have little cadre for a reference, the feeling of her own groin heating up at the sound that her little sister was making.

"Feels good, Dad... Is this how mom felt when you all were out on a mission?"

She plugged her ears, trying to keep the sounds from leaking through. She didn't want to listen to her sister having sex with her dad, even though it was one of the exercises to maintain emotional positivity out in the field.

' _We're way too young for this... Ruby is too young for this.'_

The hand on her back continued to stroke her back, the feeling of being around a mother increasing. "It's going to be okay, Yang..." The woman's voice spoke softly in her ear, as she patted her back.

"We should go. Heather?"

Her ears were unplugged. Hearing Ruby squeak and squeal at her father was enough to make her stomach turn itself. She felt like she was going to throw up, hearing her little sister squeak about wanting it harder because it felt so good. Bile rose in her throat and she threw up in the nearby bushes, the breathing heavier now as she emptied her stomach contents.

"That's a good girl... Easy, Ruby... We don't want to burn you out just yet... Hold on."

Her father's voice was directive and yet gentle. She caught sight of the shadows in the tent. A man atop her sister, her father. More nausea, and more slime.

' _This is so sick...'_

"Mint?"

Heather Arc's voice was light as she offered a tin of mints, Yang taking two. The explosion of menthol in her mouth made her feel better, even as she could hear her sister's keening sound as she seemed to reach that high.

"That's it, sweetheart... Now... do you feel that pleasure? Hit that spark and it'll be good. The Grimm don't notice it..."

The soft groan from her father was enough, as Ruby gave a little shriek.

"AH!... AH!... Ohyesss!... Dad!"

That probably was Ruby's first orgasm. Yang shuddered. She had no desire to see her dad like that... so now she probably was going to be awkward and embarrassed with Heather and Rowan. It did come across as that, as the two women gathered their gear. A small part of her mind wondered whether they had already prepared something, as she saw no blanket or anything to lie on.

"That's it, sweetheart... Feels good, doesn't it? Who's my best daughter?"

It was a simple talk between a father and a daughter, yet she felt a stab inside her at the words. Yang looked at the women that were prepared, as she shifted Ember Cecilia into battle mode. "You don't have to bring anything. We've prepared something." The answer came immediately when she went for her bag. She sent a look at Weiss and Blake, even as Ruby's soft shriek of 'Yes, Yes, yes!' came from the tent.

"I love you, dad... Oh... It's so warm and fluffy... Ah... It feels like I'm floating."

The shudder that raced down her spine was enough. Not her type of thing, nope. Not with dad, not with uncle Qrow... She glanced at Rowena d'Arc-Night, who seemed to have finished the checks and was looking at her.

"That's what it feels like when a man reaches that happy point, Ruby. Focus on that feeling. It'll keep you safe."

She followed after the two women as they departed the camp. Weiss gave a little wave goodbye at them, even as Azure Arc dropped her armour to the ground, standing there naked. Her gaze was directed at her uncle, who looked mildly uncomfortable with that flat stare from the blonde.

' _I guess Uncle Qrow gets to have a warm-up...'_

She wasn't sure whether Rowena would be able to keep herself contained, with the sounds starting. The woman looked angry, frustrated and pained, a hand pushing the mask onto her face, a snarling Beowolf looking back at her. Red markings were on it.

' _Like blood...'_

The white cloaks that the two of them wore were embossed with golden thread, forming the symbol that'd also been on the shield that Jaune had used in his combat lessons. She could see the care that'd gone into the weaving of the fabric, as it flowed down the shoulders of the woman.

' _With a moment spared...'_

"We're off."

The woman said, as she looked at her.

"Yang... No matter what... Keep quiet and don't speak."

She supposed that it would be like that. As they walked along the empty streets away from the camp, she could see several Grimm in the dimness of the light, milling about aimlessly. Heather did nothing whilst Rowena was in motion, easily carving a path through them until nothing moved. The eldest Arc sister was like a dancer who danced the deathly dance of scythes, the Grimm easily destroyed, as if it were merely a walk in the park for her.

"Sisters of the Order... It has been a while."

The voice of the woman was perhaps the same age as Rowena, a woman wearing a blue-marked skull mask and a long white cloak stepping out of one of the side-streets. A soft hiss from Rowena, Heather Arc remaining motionless.

"It has been a while, indeed. The Awakening was the last time we saw each other, was it not?"

There was an undercurrent of anger within the voice of the woman, with her attentions pushed towards the woman. The voice was carefully neutral, as she spoke the words. Yang didn't know what to make of the words.

' _What is an Awakening? What is this Order?'_

It must have shown on her face, as the skull-masked woman approached. "She is yet blind to the truth of the matter? What have you _hijas de bastardos_ been teaching her..."The large blade that the woman wore at her side had two edges, almost like a glaive at both sides, a similar one at the other hip with a faint glisten of Dust socketed within it.

"Enough. She will take the cloak and mask, as her mother has. We are not people who will break _our_ oaths, Calavera." The name was apparently the woman's, the woman nodding once.

"Si, the grandmaster has informed _Mio_ _Grande_ of the task at hand. The Calavera know their goal, to bring forth the dawn... But do the _debiluchas_ of the d'Arc-Night know it?" Yang only had body language to go on, yet Rowena d'Arc-Night stiffened up.

"Luister naar jezelf, kreng."

The words were spoken with a harsh language, the words not in the slightest friendly-sounding, feeling the frustration in the woman's voice bleed through.

"Wie denk je wel dat je bent, met je hooghartige toon?"

"She does look a lot like Raven the traitor… Tell me, girl… Are you willing to _sacrifice_?"

The question from the woman was odd as she heard it, the masked woman coming closer. She could see the sharp silver eyes behind the mask's eye slits, the burning feeling inside her chest never fading.

"Sacrifice what?" She responded, even as Rowena stood in front of her, as if to shield her from the woman's question.

"The Rose has a claim to this one, sister of the Order. We are but the guides towards her destiny…. You hold no right to speak to her upon the matters of sacrifice." The skull-masked woman who apparently went by Calavera seemed to take that as an answer.

"Will you speak of the past and the present, Sister d'Arc-Night?" The words held little meaning to Yang's ears, even as Rowena sighed.

"Of course…" The masked woman responded, as they continued their trek through the city.

"Upon a day of memory unknown, a single man chose to stand against the darkness."

The older woman's voice was soft as she spoke, the tale familiar to her ears. She had heard it before.

"Upon one day, he spoke with a woman whose life was unending. Upon that day, the Grimm came. They beguiled the woman with false promises of power… and she became the Shadow."

The words were like the story that she had heard when Rowena had been there to care for them.

"The Shadow and the man once worked together, yet they split when the Shadow desired more power. The world is assailed at all points by the Grimm, under the Shadow's command. That is why we fight... That is why we sacrifice all of us to combat the Shadow."

It sounded like hocus-pocus to her, the story not really making much sense. "But... If we have to make the Sacrifice, what..."

Rowena held up a hand. The woman's fingers slid over the scythe that she wielded.

"The first Order was one who consisted only of one. The silver eyes of the saviour, the mark of the herald of the light of the day, were still spread wide then."

The words were almost like a hymn, as the woman laid a hand on her shoulder.

"The Shadow came and the Eyes of the Saviour were rent asunder. The Grandmaster reformed the Order once more, finding the Saviour stranded upon the mire, gasping and hoping for benediction. The family grew, as acolytes were found and the masks were donned." The words held an air of mystery.

"The cloak signifies our prey. The red for the blood we shed, to hunt our fellow man for the peace of this world of Remnant... The white for the Grimm, so that we may remain untarnished by the Shadow." The words were spoken reverently, as the white cloaks fluttered in the breeze. She remembered her mother... no, Summer, and her cloak.

* * *

" _It's a special cloak... But you can't touch it, alright?"_

 _The black cloth hung on a peg, the fierce mask of some bird hung above. Roses were stitched into it with silver thread, the smell of something sickly sweet hanging around the garment._

" _Sure thing, mommy."_

 _Summer smiled, as she patted her head, little baby Ruby on her arm. It had been curiosity that had made her ask, because daddy didn't know. Daddy didn't know a lot of things... but mommy was smart._

* * *

"What does a black cloak signify?" The question was uttered, as Rowena and the Calavera woman halted.

"Death. It is donned when the order comes to end a Family. It is to forever mourn those who fell to the Shadow, as they are given the blessing of death." The words came from the lips of Rowena, as she sighed deeply.

"It is a cloak which is only allowed to be worn by the greatest warrior of each of the families. The ones who have proven that they can wield the blades and the bludgeons, to determine who is truly devoted..." The words held no sting, as the woman's head looked up.

"You don't have the eyes, d'Arc-Night." The Calavera woman said, Rowena remaining silent as she heard the words, not responding. "You'll never become the Executioner's blade.. and neither will the rest of you _Brujas_."

"The white, the red and the black." The woman continued, as if the words had not been uttered. Yang felt a chill race over her spine, as she felt that hand on her shoulder grip her. It was unlikely that they were going elsewhere with this story, as it must have a reason.

"The cloak is our burden, the mask is the badge of our office... We are the Slayers. I am of the d'Arc-Night family, the Executor Calavera is from the Calavera and the ones who are still absent are from the Rose clan. Calavera, d'Arc-Night and Rose... The three clans of Vale, after the fall of the Argent family to the Shadow." The words were soft, yet perfectly audible. Yang felt a tremor go through her system as she saw the posture shift of Heather Arc.

They passed by a square, a sign put into the ground and carved. Rowena halted, as she looked at what was carved there. "They buried Cremea..." The soft voice was emotional, as the woman showed outwardly little sign of the emotions that she felt, kneeling in front of the memorial, her fingers running over the signboard. Yang could see the words carved into it, the emotion in Rowena's eyes visible.

"Rowe..." Heather started, the freshly dug grave looking undisturbed as of this moment. Rowena nodded, sighing deeply.

"We've got four Roses gathered on the square ahead of us."

The woman said, as Rowena nodded, the shake of the head afterwards seemingly to clear the fuss.

"Your mother, Raven Branwen, was the latest outsider to be raised to the status of full Adherent, the partner of the Summer Rose."

The words weren't calm, as the Beowolf-masked woman spoke. "There have been no inductions of outsiders since."

"Has she borne the fruit?"

The Calavera woman asked, the hand brushing over dusky skin, leaving Yang with the impression of an itch. The long cloak covered most of the body, so the leather which covered the body below it stood out.

"No. Her Thirteenth has passed and there were none to produce the fruit."

That sounded like something... bad. Yang didn't know about what was being spoken of, even as the Calavera woman sighed.

"You were to bear the Inheritor... Why have you not assumed control over Initiate Xiao-Long's fruit?"

The subject seemed to have shifted to personal matters, as they approached the square. Four women were lounging there, seemingly at ease, two of them wearing simple white cloaks whilst two of them wore more elegant embroideries on their cloaks. The masks were all the same, a Nevermore visible in the contours.

"I was sent to Menagerie. The duty went to the Rose. I am not responsible for their faltering."

The answer was dismissive, and Yang wondered about what that meant.

"Salutem, Calavera, d'Arc-Night."

The woman who spoke was decently tall, standing a slight touch shorter than her partner, whose hair was done up in a single ponytail, a skin-tight outfit that looked like it had been somewhat tight ever since.

Yang watched the woman try to adjust her suit so that her breasts comfortably, a fact obviously made more difficult by the tight material. The voice sounded somewhat familiar too, though the mask was in the way so she couldn't quite get a hint.

"Greetings, Rose. We have brought the initiate... Do you have the eyes?"

The woman's two swords at her side looked dangerous, the woman nodding her head in silent acknowledgement. The woman came closer and she could see through the eye-slits a set of silver eyes.

' _Just like mom used to have...'_

"I am the Rose clan's representative. My partner, Rae."

The woman indicated to the woman, who straightened and bowed, formally. "We are here to make you a part of us…" There was warmth in the voice of the woman, her tone soft and with that hint of gentleness that seemed to make her feel at ease.

"And we take care of those who follow the Creed. The Shadow will not seize us. We will not still the hearts who beat for justice. We are the guardians, the protectors. The watchers in the shadows of the world, until our grim fate is done. Our blades tell a grim tale, and we are the bards of battle. We guard life itself, and we are Clan Rose." The woman took a deep breath, as if to gather her strength to speak the words that held meaning.

" _Semel pro Semper, Semper Fidelis, Semper Vigilans, Sempiternus."_

The words were flowery and incomprehensible, yet she watched as every woman in the place held a moment of silence. The four women who were affiliated with clan Rose folded their hands, their heads bent low. They were alert and yet, they were with the proper respect.

"I am the representative of the Calavera. Upon the meeting of the three, I shall identify that which is me. I am the arbiter of death, the hoarder of skulls. All who stray from the light of the morrow will come forth and be beholden to the Calavera." The words seemed to speak of the roles of the Clans, or the families or whatever.

"I am the bastion against the Shadow's might. To raise those who hold the skill, under Calavera's waiting embrace. Before me, I am nothing, I am the blade in the dark, left forever to score my eternal mark. I am Calavera, the skull is my fate, as the shadow's creatures of Grimm will taste my hate."

The woman spoke, as she raised her head to the fading sunlight.

"El final de la vida, traído por mis armas. Pararse en la tumba y levantar la sangre de nuestro Pacto. Todos los enemigos de la Orden deben ser destruidos."

The woman took a deep breath, before she silenced herself. It seemed that it was the time for the Arc family to speak. Rowena stepped forth, taking a few paces and then turning. The blonde hair peered from behind the cloak, the hood not worn at this moment.

"Those who keep the peace throughout the land, infused by the Grandmaster with the divine charge, shall stand here and be vigilant. Without the words of woe, only the darkness will stand. As beholden to our forebear, we serve as the blades that guard the light from extinguishing. We are the ones who guard those lights that enter the darkness and guide them home towards safety. In our fight, we ensure that those who follow the Creed make it through the night." The woman spoke, a tone full of affection, a tone full of dedication.

"We make the choices that others cannot. We are the arbiters, the judges... The ones who follow the Mission to the root. The Inheritor was of our flesh and blood, as the Grandmaster bestowed His blessing." The words seemed to be out of the ordinary, as the Rose women shifted lightly, looking nervously in the case of some, about the way that the woman spoke.

"Wij zijn het einde. Wij zijn het begin. Ons bloed heeft de kracht, ons bloed heeft de koninklijke lijn, vol liefde en vol pijn. Door mijn opoffering, een nieuw begin, als de nacht valt en het duister heerst." The woman exhaled, as she pulled the mask off her face.

"De Schaduw zal ons niet krijgen, noch zal de Eed worden afgelegd zonder ons welgenoegen. Het zij zoals het is, zonder einde in bed, noch in de doodskist. Wij zijn het zwaard van de duistere nacht, en in ons bloed heerst de kracht. We doen het omdat het moet, we doen slecht, voor het goed." The words were a jumbled mess, yet she got the sensation that the words had been traditional, spoken in a language that she knew not.

"Three families. Three paths. The path of Life, within the Rose, the path of Death, within the Calavera, the path of the Balance between Life and Death within the d'Arc-Night... You, child, have been reared by the Rose of Summer. It is the path of Life which you will tread." The wording was a little fishy, but she stepped forward nevertheless. She wondered why she had done that.

"And... What's in it for me?"

She spoke the question, as her body seemed to lose its ability to freely move as someone seemed to control her body.

"A purpose. A life amongst family."

The Calavera woman spoke with an unhesitating tone of understanding, of knowledge of things yet to come.

"You have felt loneliness, fear and hopelessness. Your life feels like a burden, and we are here to release you from that burden."

The words were simple, before something hit her in the back of her head. She blacked out then, the sudden assault enough to rattle her brain.

* * *

 _The testament of the fallen (Summer Rose)_

* * *

She watched carefully as the girl dropped like a stone, Raven already wanting to go over to check whether she was alright. Summer halted her with a quick gesture. "She has not been instructed... Good. We have prepared the draught of Life." The bottle with the liquid within was enough to rouse most comatose people, the feeling of wrongness no longer within her.

Summer Rose knew the importance of the ceremony. Raven twitched a little, trying to stuff her breasts into place.

' _It is amusing to see that she's gotten a little fatter since she wore that, now that her regular garb is out of the question.'_

"I have brought the gift of Death."

The Calavera Clan member said, holding the ritual cloak, the only garment that was admitted to the Trial, out to be inspected.

"The steel has been brought. The judgment will tell whether Yang Xiao-Long will enter the ranks or perish."

The Trial was one of the defining moments of a young woman's life. Once the fruit had been collected, the Rose would be sent into danger...

"All seems to be in accord... My acolyte is now currently on her way towards the Stadium... We shall face little opposition."

Summer pulled Yang onto her shoulder, the mask in place.

The dress that wore the official Rose clan heraldry fit her nicely, her daughter's style somewhat less formal, she'd have to admit. The guarding of the upper body was reinforced with a set of metal plates that had been woven into the corset, the boots that had been given plentiful treatment to toughen them against at the very least a slavering Beowolf's jaws a bit, fitting like they'd been made for her.

"The seed is strong within this one. She will blossom into a beautiful Rose."

Summer commented, as the Calavera looked at Yang's limp body, held up by Summer. It was a look that she'd seen before on the face of the other Exarchs, the exemplars who had been the one.

"She is not the Saviour, Rose."

The words were spoken with a hint of distaste, as the words hung there, a grimace coming from behind her mask.

"We all have the hymn, as prophesied... She may not have the eyes, yet the seed within her is strong... A will that is unbroken and unbent..."

Yang was strong, she could feel it... She could see it within her eyes. Her adoptive daughter had been just like Raven, unbent by the days of despair and despondence...

"We've got to move." The words of the d'Arc-Night woman sounded serious and strict, as she looked around. "The Trial waits for no one."

Summer knew well that the Trial would wait for no-one, as she had witnessed it time and time again. Summer's own Trial had been with Raven, to challenge the Grimm... Yang would face her Trial alone.

' _My sweet child... You will do well.'_

Jaune would not allow the completion of the Trial. She would not see her little Yang be despoiled by the Order...

She was not the biological mother of Yang, yet she felt like a mother. No matter how much the chattering in her mind continued, she still held those feelings of love for the girl that was on her shoulder.

As they walked towards the destination, the Calavera leading the way, it was the younger d'Arc-Night who spoke up. "Did you have many troubles with arriving here?"

"A few. We encountered the Summer Rose."

The words made the Calavera stiffen up. That was the intended purpose. "A new one... Shorter. Dark of skin. She was dealt with, appropriately." The Calavera relaxed... Not that it would help her much. Already, Summer could feel the presence of the Grimm ahead. Her blades thirsted for the death that they could bring to the enemies, as her silvery gaze slid over their surroundings.

A fading sign on the wall showed that they were heading down Regent Street, several of the overturned vehicles having been overgrown with some weeds. She could feel the hum in the air, as the darkness inside her burned like a living flame, searching for a release.

The power felt like an irresistible lure of something more than mortal, as she moved along. Raven was at her side, the enthralled members of the Rose clan offering them legitimacy... She could feel the weight of her adoptive daughter on her shoulder.

As the building loomed before them, the stadium looking like it had been barely used, the plaques still looking somewhat new, due to the coating, undoubtedly, she let her gaze slide to the other actors on the board.

The Calavera had spoken about an Acolyte, an unknown variable that would have to be brought into the stadium... But during the Trial, it would be sealed. No person would be admitted in. The Trial was sacred.

The mass of Grimm inside the stadium filled her with an amusement that was hard to squash. Whenever Jaune created Grimm, they left an echo of his soul and spirit within the air around them. As she was sensitive to such things, she knew well that such a thing could only spell disaster...

But it would be a show. A grand show. The gate was opened half-way and there was a small mark on the wall with the sign that it was the site of the Trial. She supposed that it would be just as was requested.

Space for the initiate to fight. A place where the Grimm could be corralled... A place for the audience to watch.

The stadium was larger than she had guessed, showing clearly half of a football field's worth of space. Several of the parts of the stadium had already collapsed, yet there was enough space to hold the Trial in. Several of the darkened parts of the stadium had improvised lighting set up, clearly prepared the few days before by members of the Order. Rubble laid around the edges of the arena-like floor, spread around. Dark patches of shadow laid within.

' _A lot of work is being done to make Yang's Trial successful...'_

She could see Yang already wearing the mask, her mind as blank as a still pool, ready to kill at the behest of the Grandmaster. The Mission would be paramount to everything. A willing executor, given the purpose of life by a man who cared for little.

' _Not when I have a say in it...'_

She looked at Raven, whose tight outfit looked awkward. No doubt her breasts had grown during the time in-between wearing it. The small bag with her regular clothing was kept by one of the enthralled Roses, enough time spent. "So, do we wake her up before we throw her in?" She asked aloud, as the question was pertinent.

She could see the d'Arc-Night look in her direction, the sisters of the young man who she felt such kinship and craving for, the faintest of flashes of memory telling her that it might be alright.

"She will listen to the Legend of the Saviour."

' _As is usual...'_

She knew the legend well, as did most members of the Order. It had been spoken at her first Trial, when she had been grown fully and with a partner, speaking of the legendary one. The first Slayer, a glorious warrior of a kingdom long-since dead.

She laid Yang down on a seat, feeling the disinterest in the proceedings rise. She licked her lips, watching how the women prepared. Lights were flicked on, the illumination providing enough. The Trial would be observed...

She stroked through Yang's hair, finding the spot at the base of the skull where the nerves were thickest, noticing that the glow was present.

' _Now...'_

Her silver eyes flashed, as her visible spectrum changed. Light lit up below the skin, a pattern slowly unveiling itself through the flesh.

' _There's no disturbance or blockage...'_

That was good. It was a trick that only those who held the eyes could know. The blood within her body pulsed as the darkness shot through her veins, racing towards the silver eyes. Her fingers traced over the cluster of nerves, before she pulled away, the light blasting the darkness away before the power receded.

' _Good... She's ready for the advanced lessons...'_

She pulled the mask off her face, looking at Yang's features. Unconsciousness did not suit her sunny little dragon, but she knew that it would be time. With how her head was angled, it was harder to make her features out. "Lady Rose?" One of the enthralled Roses spoke, Summer giving a low hum.

"Get the cloaks and the mask."

The business-like tone was enough. Yang would earn her mask tonight, even if it were different from the usual manner. Her own mask slid back into place as she covered her face, her hands starting to work on getting Yang out of her clothing. The nakedness of the mortal woman before the test of the darkness was important.

"As you wish, Lady Rose."

The girls had been trained well, undoubtedly due to the initiation methods. Summer wondered whether they had been given the full endowment as well... Or whether they had been blessed with the ignorance of some of life's greatest mysteries.

Laying her adoptive daughter out onto the cloak, she let her gaze slide over the full breasts, her fingers applying the paint to the flesh on the abdomen. Chiselled muscles flexed as she did so, the body still recognizing the touch of someone who was working on it.

She wasn't the greatest artist, yet the crest of the Rose was drawn onto the stomach.

' _The Pact...'_

The mark was drawn in a dark colour. When the ritual cleansing after the Trial had been completed would occur, the solution would wash the mark right off the flesh, to never have been.

The Wilting Rose wore her mark, as was her bond to the world. Summer did not enjoy the thought of running into that woman again, though it would be perfectly reasonable for the Wilting Rose to be pushed to such a trial... But Yang would not be important enough for that.

' _No... if I had to deploy the Wilting Rose, I would have to send her to watch over Ruby's Trial...'_

The silver eyes were a gift, one that had to remain. It was what brought her joy and pain.

She disrobed, unveiling her body, fit and pure, Raven sliding her garb off with a sigh of relief. The d'Arc-Night had already fully disrobed, the bodies bare of any ornament save the mask and the cloak. It was their moment of witnessing the Trial.

The Calavera's body was fit, her age around thirty or something, the marks of a life of combat against the horrors of the world there in the scars on her flesh.

"Your understudy, will she be here on time?"

The Calavera looked at her with questioning eyes, shaking her head. "Unlikely. She is a good blade for the Grandmaster, yet she has not the eyes of the Saviour nor will she ever. We are those who gather the displaced and the desperate... Not those who cut through the darkness or those who merely languish as arbiters of fading glory." The pride of the woman in her own Clan was enough.

"Wake her."

The voice of the Calavera spoke, as Summer looked at Yang's sleeping form, motioning for one of the thrall-bound Roses.

They were good for a few days or so, before she'd have to break them again. It was just a temporary measure, after all... The Rose never stayed still under the force of the wind.

The draught of life, a small tonic that was able to instantly pull someone out of their sleep, was made through adding seventeen different herbal blends together, lacing it with the saliva of an Apathy in order to ensure that it gave the system a proper shock.

Pouring the bottle down Yang's throat, she ensured that the girl swallowed, watching as lilac eyes opened up, the purplish hint of those eyes focusing on her. "You're awake... Good." Summer's hands already were fastening the gift of Death around Yang's shoulders as she helped the girl up.

"What happened, you guys were talking about..." The girl was obviously a little rattled, yet it was normal.

"Destiny. _Fate_. **Hope**."

The words were spoken by each of them, Calavera taking the first, d'Arc-Night the second and herself the third.

"A woman bore forth a prophecy once upon a time. It was spoken in fear of the Shadow. Words were gleaned by the Grandmaster about the Saviour." The myth easily was spoken. The hymn was not needed, as they had heard the stories ever since they had been young.

"A word spoken in trust, the Grandmaster's plan pushed before the world's need. A Saviour, brought forth from darkness and from light. Where the dark life lives, there can be no light eternal. Within the Saviour, both forces are in balance. Silver eyes show the path towards that fate... That destiny unimpeded by mere mortal contrivance." The words were spoken, as recited from the past. The legend of the Saviour with the silver eyes.

A woman borne from man, to wield the graces of a God. The Grimm Slayer, the reaper of death and lives. An ideal for those who were of the Order, who brought forth their lives in order to save this world from devastation. To unite the kingdoms and bring forth a peaceful nation.

"You are a girl standing before an abyss at this moment. Fastened to you is the cloak of death, of a past life without purpose."

The words were as old as time itself, as they had been spoken to initiate after initiate, the time passing as blood gathered.

"Will you step forth into the darkness and become a woman?"

Calavera spoke, as the bargain was to be made. Yang's eyes were full of fear, as the next speaker spoke.

"Will you care for your team as they have cared for you? A burden on your back, rather than the freedom of one single purpose?"

The words of Jaune Arc's eldest sister were reverent, spoken before.

She remembered the girl. The bright eyes full of hope, full of life. She had been seventeen... the girl had been bright. The first process was always the hardest, but the girl had persevered. There had been none who could bring the experience to bear, none who would do so. Calavera and d'Arc-Night had never gotten along, according to the archivists.

"What if I just want to be with my team, without any of this?"

Summer could see the pause of the Calavera, the weapon already in her hands aiming, to ensure that death would come swiftly.

To seize the opportunity or to be left dead... That was the task. To fight for the living or to remain with the dead...

"You must choose. The Order, or death."

The words were spoken by the Calavera representative, as the d'Arc-Night representative took a deep breath.

"Yang Xiao-Long, daughter of Raven Branwen. The cloak of death hangs upon your shoulders. The steel has been brought in accordance with the ancient laws... Will you fight or will you perish?" The final question, the third one.

"I'm not giving up on my team, on my friends."

The Calavera started to take aim, right at the spot where Yang's gaze did not reach. The Calavera had remained silent, had prepared for this.

"You will not forsake your friends or your team, girl... The mask is the duty that you have. The cloak is the burden that you carry. Within the Mission, there is peace. Within the Mission, there is purpose..." The words were the truth and not the truth. Yang doubted, and then sighed.

' _You still care so much...'_

"If I can, then..."

Summer smiled behind the mask as Yang nodded. The girl saw the sense. The weapon of the Calavera woman was lowered.

"Then I'll take the option. If mom was a part of it... And Summer..." Her little girl was just as beautiful as she always was. Sacrificing herself for the peace of her team, without even thinking about the consequences...

"The Order welcomes you, upon overcoming this Trial." The Calavera spoke up, pointing at the side.

"The floor is yours. You will fight a Grimm with the weapon provided, and you will kill it. Complete that and you will be as a sister to us. Many promises have been made about your skill, girl. The Grandmaster speaks highly of you."

At that moment, the d'Arc-Night moved. The Calavera woman froze suddenly, her mask showing her face not, as the eldest of the two moved. "That's enough, Calavera." The woman's hand rose, pushing against the woman's chest, pushing her back.

"Release the Grimm!"

The woman shouted, and the sudden rattling of chains grew louder, even with the woman struggling against whatever control the woman had over her.

"This is not the plan! You are breaking the rules of the sacred Trial, d'Arc-Night!" The d'Arc-Night sister pushed, as the woman went sailing down towards the floor.

The weapon that the woman had wielded had been in the d'Arc-Night's hand suddenly, jerked from the woman's grip at the last possible moment. The woman could leap up again if she tried, yet the Grimm beast pushed itself through the gate that'd been raised, a Beowolf that looked a little more well-armoured than the regular Alpha.

"Do get comfortable, Yang."

She said, as she wandered back to Raven.

"The show is just beginning."

She pulled the mask off, shaking her head lightly to shake the locks of hair loose.

* * *

 _Yang's Test(Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Seeing the woman be sent off down onto the arena-like floor and having a Beowolf that looked like it'd been taking its steroids of Grimm evilness every morning pull out, she could feel the hint of fear inside her.

"The steel, for the woman on trial." The words of Jaune's mother were soft, as a simple steel sword was tossed onto the floor with the woman. The skull-masked woman picked it up and dealt with the Grimm.

"You filthy _hijas de un eunuco_!" That definitely was an insult, Yang noticed, as she looked at the two sisters, their masks pulled off as they got comfortable on some of the seats of the stadium. Three Beowolves pushed themselves out of the shadows, the woman shouting something in the strange language that she infrequently used to punctuate things.

"Do fight well... This Trial was ordained." The words made little sense, as she watched the woman.

The woman who had spoken her name was walking away, towards a woman who looked eerily familiar, pulling the cloak a little tighter around her, her hair loose now.

"Mom?!"

The woman, who glanced at her direction with red eyes, didn't even blink. A stare that was as passive as the gaze of a stone gargoyle met hers, before it slid back to the floor. There was a faint apathy inside her system, as her anger didn't seem to want to come. "Mom... What are..." She looked at the woman as she motioned for her to come.

The other woman turned around, silver eyes looking at her. Yang froze, as Summer Rose stared back at her, a smile on her lips.

"Join us, Yang. It's okay."

Warmth flooded her system as she moved, perhaps faster than she should have, the loud 'Mom!' coming from her and echoing through the stadium. The sound of someone carving a path through the Grimm that came for the floor was loud, even with the emotions running high.

As she hugged Summer Rose, she could feel the warmth of the woman, the soft brush of a hand over her back. "Now... Sweetheart. I'd like you to meet my partner... your mother." The woman gently let go of her, as Yang looked at the woman who birthed her.

Appearance-wise, Raven looked like an older her, the hair still holding a slight blonde colour at the roots.

' _Maybe I got the blonde from her?'_

It was an idle thought, though she knew that her father was a blonde by nature. She'd washed his body more than enough to know every little bit of it when the man had shut down. Raven's eyes were a little moist as she sighed softly.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Yang."

The apology was more than she had expected, as she looked at the woman. The suspicion of the woman being in a state where her mood was gone to the darker reaches seemed to be banished, as the woman merely looked at her sadly.

"I should have been there for you, I should have... done more." The woman apologized, as the truth shone in the woman's eyes.

It was a truth that was hard to swallow for many people, a truth that only seemed to brush against the deepest darkest realisations in her mind. The woman wished that she could have done more. The woman didn't reject her... But that didn't mean that she forgave the woman so easily.

"Why?"

She asked the question that had been burning in her mind for a long while. "Why did you leave dad?" The woman winced visibly, even with Summer gently rubbing over her shoulder. The Calavera woman was shouting once more, some sort of challenge, Yang tuning it out.

"Because I had to."

The words hit her hard, as the woman turned her gaze towards the floor, where the woman stood there. "Summer..." The woman gave a sound, as her birth mother looked sad.

"Summer was only retrieved months ago... I had to find her."

A wry smile on her mother's face, as Summer Rose hugged her best friend and co-mom.

' _It's going to be okay...'_

The realisation that things were going to be okay was one that she felt. Her gaze turned to the floor, following the gaze of the women. Beowolves seemed to have been replaced with Ursa, the blade half-way turned into scrap. The tip had shattered into shards, half of the blade left. The woman continued to fight though, Grimm turning to stone all of a sudden with a bright flash.

"I will remember this! _Violare a tu madre_!"

The woman's blade cut through one of the Grimm, only for the woman to halt. Yang could see that a man was standing there in the space where the Grimm had come from. A tall man, she judged, his hair as pale as snow. Veins seemed to be distended around his temples, drawing a pattern over his face.

" _Gran Maestro!"_

The man looked to be about the age of her dad, perhaps a little older, the clothing that he wore familiar, even as a Grimm brushed past him.

" _Han traicionado el juramento, Gran Maestro_!"

The man's hand held a long staff-like weapon, as he strode forward. The woman cut through the Beowolf that rushed at her, even as she started to sag. A loud shriek came from everywhere around, filling the stadium.

Grimm appeared from the walls, humanoid in shape and skulls forming mockeries of human faces, as long tendril-like arms tipped with claws moved slowly, their gait slow, halting and with a deliberation.

" _Apatía_!" The woman called out, as she staggered and stumbled. " _Gran Maestro_!" The man didn't stop his stride, as the woman slumped to the ground, laid there.

" **Clan Calavera...** "

The man's voice was familiar, as Yang caught sight of a set of red eyes looking down at the woman, the man's hand grabbing the mask and tearing it away.

" **Thank** **you for delivering her, Summer Rose.** "

The fallen woman stammered something, something that was too soft to hear from Yang's position, as the man looked at her, his head shaking lightly.

" **You were right, Rowena**."

The words of the man were familiar, as Jaune's mother straightened out. There seemed to be something in her body language, even as the mask was still on.

" **It is time for the Ritual... But first..."**

The man's eyes looked up at her, Yang catching sight of what seemed to be two smouldering red eyes set within a face that was awfully familiar for some really weird and strange reason.

" **Descend, Yang Xiao-Long. In accordance with the rituals of the Slayer Order, you must receive your Trial."**

The man's words were an encouragement, as she looked at the two women that both were her mother. One by blood, one by spirit.

"Go on... Do as he says."

Summer Rose held up Ember Cecilia. The woman had kept them with her it seemed, even as Yang watched the gooseflesh on the woman's body.

"A full member of the Order does not flinch when the call is heard."

The words gave her a sliver of hope, as she put them on before leaping down. The spooky scary skeleton Grimm did not hurt her for some reason, as she got up in the middle of the arena that'd been crafted for the Trial.

"Alright... I don't know what's going on here, or why mom would want me to do this but... bring it, buster." The man's smile was enough, and she thought that she could recognize him.

' _Is that Professor Ozpin?'_

Three Ursa formed around the man, the staff giving a momentary shimmer, as the body of the unmasked woman was flung aside. The woman landed in the arms of one of the Grimm creatures, the hands wrapping around her in a manner, the ghastly skeletal faces yawning at the woman.

"Just three... Hardly a challenge!"

The words were easier said than done, as the Ursa charged at her, unified in their attack. She punched through one of them easily enough, feeling the hit on her Aura as the claws of the beast bounced off her, the next one sending her to the ground, her Semblance activating.

"Yeah, that's a good rebuttal..."

She got up, punching through another Ursa's head, before finally delivering the killing strike to the last.

"Got more for me, Professor, or am I going to be doing a naughty schoolgirl version in a classroom with you and two colleagues?"

The laugh from the man was much younger-sounding than she'd imagined, as the man snapped a finger, a fine woman standing there in his place. Pale skin and hair done up in an elegant bun, the woman stepped forward with unhesitating steps. A smooth voice, like a soft purr and seductive elegance, came from her lips.

" **You succeeded."**

The woman's voice was soft, and she could feel herself heaving a sigh of relief. If it was over for her, she could get her clothes back on and... well, get out of this place. Not wearing clothing was a bad thing, because she was freezing her tits off with this cool place.

"I knew you could do it, Yang!"

Summer's voice came from the stands, the woman looking down at her with a broad smile on her lips.

"I'm proud of you for being so strong, Yang."

The words of praise from her mother, the words that she had desperately been wanting to hear ever since she had tried to find her mother all those years ago.

"You are now a Slayer."

Rowena d'Arc-Night's voice spoke, with finality.

"A blade beholden to the word of your Master, to make Remnant a better place. As it has been, it shall be."

The words made little sense, as she could feel the struggle inside her.

She had gone along with this little expedition, trying to make sense of it all. Why would they want her for this job? Why would she even be selected, if it was some exclusive gathering? Her moms were proud of her, but...

She found herself suddenly located on top of the raised stands, watching how the lone figure stood there still. The other woman was being delivered to him by one of the Grimm, as the other Grimm dissipated.

" _Gran_ _Maestro_..." The woman said, her voice hoarse, speaking with a depth of despair. " _Por que_?" The question was there, as the man smiled.

" **A lesson has to be learned... Calavera no longer speaks for the Order of Ozymandias Pinnacle."** The fear that shot over the woman's face was enough, as Yang felt someone touch her side.

"We should get dressed after washing you. It is time for us to leave." Rowena d'Arc-Night spoke up, as she watched the proceedings. "The most important man in your life will speak to us soon."

"Yang... No matter what..."

Raven spoke up, shooting a glance towards the floor, where a circle seemed to be glowing below the woman's body, currently still restrained by the strange Grimm.

"I love you."

The words were like the balm that she needed, as the tears came from her eyes. She could feel herself shuddering, as the tears came, she hugged her mother. The awkward hug back was just like she'd imagined it, as she held on to the woman who had put her onto this earth, a soft groan coming from the woman's mouth.

"I love you too, mom."

She responded, feeling the need to say it because it was the truth. She was nothing but the daughter who welcomed her mother back home.

"Let's get you cleaned up..."

The woman pointed towards a small space that'd been set up with some sheets that'd looked pretty water-proof. Bottles stood there, clearly for the use of washing of some sort.

She followed her mother, as the woman motioned for her to stand there, the smell of something chemical in the air, as the woman poured one of the bottles into a rag, the smell somewhat reminiscent of rubbing alcohol.

The rag rubbed over her body, the mark on her stomach fading with the application. "With the rinsing of the flesh, the mortal is shaved away. Dedication to the Creed has been found and this sister joins us in the night." The words were an encouragement, enough to make her feel comfortable with the woman washing her. She caught sight of Rowena d'Arc-Night and Summer standing there, a smile on each woman's face.

' _They're the three women that were like a mother to me...'_

It was nice, even as Raven washed her body, taking care to brush over every inch of her skin, the nakedness of the woman bothering her not one whit. It felt... it felt better than to shower with Blake, never having to worry about whether Blake was going to feel sad.

Her mother hugged her after she was done, feeling the rushing of water and then having it wrap around them, brushing the detritus and sweat off her body. Rowena d'Arc-Night's eyes were sharp, as she motioned for them to step back, flames heating up around them, drying them off in a flash. Heather Arc looked at them and nodded, before turning her gaze back to the stadium floor.

"We should leave, now." Rowena d'Arc-Night's voice cut through the emotional embrace, Yang watching as Summer already had gotten herself mostly dressed. "Welcome, Sister Yang." The woman's warm voice was just like the time when she'd been young. It was... awkward, she supposed, still being naked and her mother hugging her whilst also being naked, but...

She didn't think that she'd mind staying in her mother's embrace a little longer. "No matter what... I'm doing this for you. Everything that we do... it's for you and Ruby."

The words gave her comfort and safety, and she smelled the scent of her mother. The tears just wouldn't stop. She had now joined an Order of people that had her moms as members... and now... Now she was hearing words that meant so much to her.

"It's okay... It's all going to be okay." The look on her mother's face was gentle, as her eyes leaked tears as well, the words coming from someone's lips... but Yang was unsure whether it had been her or her mother who had said them.

"We should get dressed. He'll be done soon... I guess." Yang threw a look at the woman being raised into the air by some unseen force.

"Who is he? You said..." Hesitation filled her, as she asked her mother about the man who looked like professor Ozpin. "You said he was the most important man in my life, so..."

Raven looked at her with a bittersweet expression on her face, even as an oppressive feeling hit the air.

"He is the man who rescued Summer from her captivity in the Shadow's grip, Yang. I owe him the life of my partner... And..." The woman looked away. "And..." Raven didn't seem able to finish the sentence.

"He's the best chance Remnant has at finding peace once more." Summer Rose finished, as she looked at Yang and Raven. "Your father would never understand."

That reminded her of the events of the night. Her team... Ruby.

"Dad is teaching Ruby about the eh... thing." Both women looked at her with brows that furrowed with some confusion. "Y'know... Sex?"

She saw her mother's eyes flash. Pain. So much pain in those eyes, as a low moan came from her mouth as she turned away, the woman's body quivering a little. Summer's eyes were cold, as she looked like she'd heard something unfortunate.

"Yang, sweetheart..." The look on Summer's face was tight. There was anger in those eyes, even as her mother released a choked sob. Her mom was starting to cry. "Are you telling me that Taiyang is putting his cock in my Ruby?"

She nodded. "Fuck." Summer's simple four-letter summary was enough, as her mother leaned against one of the chairs, starting to really break down. It was the weeping of a woman who had just found out that her husband that she loved was now teaching his daughter about the joys of sex.

"It's okay, Rae..."

Summer's voice was soft as the woman patted her friend and co-mom's shoulder.

"Don't worry... Don't worry, Ruby can't be as bad as that... I swear..."

"Ruby was... She was leery about doing it with Uncle Qrow."

The truth, her mother starting to get even louder, Summer's hand stroking over the woman's back.

"Why..."

Raven's crying only got louder, something between the bawling spoken that was too fast for her ears to catch. Summer's soft sigh, as she rubbed over the other woman's back.

"It's going to be okay... Ruby will have to accept it..."

"What are you not telling me? Mom?"

Her mother's head turned, eyes that were angry and sad at the same time looking into her own.

"You don't know how it feels to have your own husband fuck your best friend's daughter, Yang... He'd made a promise to me... He said he'd keep his word!"

Yang wasn't sure what that meant, but she supposed that she'd understand if her mom was talking about the quick moment that her dad had taken to get with Summer.

"I gave my word once too."

There was some sort of by-play that Yang was missing here, her eyes catching sight of her mother's face, Raven Branwen's eyes a little puffy as she wiped at them, anger on her face.

"And now he's fucking another Rose, Summer." The angry words were enough. "Now he's fucking your daughter." The bitterness in the woman's voice lasted as she turned away.

"I'm just... I'm just so tired... I felt guilty at first, but then... Then..."

There was pain in her mother's voice as she spoke, taking a deep breath. "I won't let anything happen to my daughter." A determined statement, as the woman straightened herself, her gaze directed at her.

"Yang... Can we trust you?"

She floundered for a moment, wondering why the woman was asking. Summer's expression turned solemn, as she got herself back into her clothing, still looking at her with that look of direct engagement. She firmed herself up.

' _You can do this... This is mom and Summer... No matter what...'_

She would have shouted at the woman if she'd caught her alone... but with Summer together with her. There was an explanation for this, wasn't there? Mom and Summer... Together.

"Yes." Summer smiled at that, as Raven wiped the tears away.

"Sweetheart..." Summer was busy lacing her boots up again, as she stood up.

"Open your eyes wide and don't look anywhere except into my eyes. I'm going to teach you all that you need to know."

She did, and Summer got up and walked up, her hands on her shoulders. The smell of sweat and of womanly scents was strong around the body of her adoptive mother, as she peered into the silver eyes.

" _This is your destiny, Rose of Summer..."_

 _The words were spoken by a man whose face was young, invested with the power that she had respect for. The man who was the life and the death of the Order, as her big sister had talked about. Her big sister was now buried, a sacrifice to the Trial. She hadn't wanted to kill her, but it was what was decreed. She would be the best._

Another flash, as she remembered the forms of fighting. Specific tactics to deal with Grimm, manners of protocol amongst the Order. She could feel the refinement techniques of the blades, the conduct.

" _Harder! Come on! Push a little more! You can do it!"_

 _The girl's sweaty body laid onto the ground, the massive blade that she held in a hand like a heavy weight, as she got up, a slash. The long hair had not been braided, yet blue eyes showed a definite determination._

" _That's a good girl..."_

" _I'm going to be the one who makes everyone happy! I'm going to be a hero!" The cheer in the girl's voice was an encouragement, as she giggled at the sight, before her blade parried the large blade._

" _You're nearly twelve... Soon, the seed will sprout, little Rowena..." She had no questions, as the girl would be swollen with a child soon enough. It was the duty. The price to pay. The tithe._

" _I'm going to be the best mom ever!" The cheer in the girl's voice was amazing, as she brushed a hand through the girl's hair. She would birth the Inheritor... the next Grandmaster._

 _As High Executor of the Rose, the Summer Rose knew more than the average member of the clan. She was the best of the best._

" _Let's go through another set, 'best mom'."_

 _She could see the excitement in the girl's eyes. This little star would be the one who would be even better than her, with enough training..._

 _She knew prodigy when she saw one._

Yang felt the shock, knowing that face. The owner of that face was located somewhere behind her, yet she could not stop the flashes of light.

" _Raven, we should get out of here..."_

 _Her partner mumbled something, her hand on her blade. Bodies were strewn around the place, hacked apart, cut and mutilated, her mother's face masked still. Blood had coated the white mask red, splatters mixing together into a painting of terror._

" _But why, Summer? Why?"_

 _The question was there, and Summer knew that she would have to reinforce it. The partner could not fall to doubt._

" _Why do we engage in this pointless thing? Is there not enough death already? I-"_

 _Her hands jerked Raven's mask down and the silver flashed. Her will dominated and she let Raven know what she had to know. There could be no dissent in the ranks. There would be nobody who would accuse the Summer Rose and her partner of doubting the Mission!_

She couldn't look away now, knowing that Summer had made her mother obey, that Summer had forced her mom to do things that she'd held doubts about.

" _I don't regret it, Raven."_

 _The words came so easily after so many years. She could feel the presence of the young man whose body she shared nearby, his companions already enjoying the feeling of freedom._

" _You took from me, Summer. Give me one reason why..."_

 _Raven would not betray her. She had trained the woman too well for any thought to surface about that. Summer Rose did not wish to lose... she didn't wish to lose her one true friend. It had been something that they had shared._

" _Because I love you, Raven. You're my best friend, I..." She squashed the guilt, the dark inside her quivering. She was starting to grow emotional again. "I just want you to be with me again. We're a team... partners..."_

" _You've got a funny way of showing that, Summer Rose."_

 _The words were cold, yet Raven's face showed sadness, as Summer went in for a hug. Her bestie once more accepted her, and she squeezed her friend._

 _The Mission, the Order... What did that matter if she could not be with her best friend? They had the same tastes in their lovers... So why should they not do things?_

" _But... alright."_

 _The woman sighed, as she realized the difference in things as they stood now. Summer knew it as well... No matter what, the young man would be the one who would deliver an alternative._

 _And if he failed? The Summer Rose would extinguish his flame. It was what had always been._

She tried to wrench her head away from those silver eyes, feeling the anomalous thoughts slide through her mind, trying to convince her that to kill was the best thing, that it would all be over with a cut of the blades in her hands.

" _It's all for Remnant... I want to make sure that he won't be around to use another child as his body."_

 _The back of the man was unprotected, yet the golden eyes of the Faunus woman observed her with a deadly glint in them._

" _That's how I want to do this... Now that I know..."_

 _A hand raised and seemed to grab at something, as Summer stared at the back of the man._

" _I want no child to grow up with being selected as a vessel... Nor do I want them to take my family. Dad... Dad wasn't nice, but..."_

 _The young man's voice broke up, Summer watching as the Faunus woman's hand laid on him._

" _He was my dad. He wasn't around, and neither was mom, but... But Rowe and Heather had to be our moms... I..."_

 _The young man sighed again, Summer's head bending low. A family... She wanted to have a family again. Her little Ruby and Yang, together with her and Raven._

 _The young man was perfect as a spouse for her little Ruby... The pedigree was perfect, his nature was kind... But she knew that the girl would be taken away from Taiyang, the moment that it came out about her silver eyes._

 _Her daughter was at Beacon now... Under the Grandmaster's watch._

 _She closed her eyes. No matter what... If Raven could make it her goal to free her daughter, so would she. The young man..._

 _She licked her lips. Her heart beat a little quicker as she looked at him. It was the first sign. The last sign. She might just have to take him for herself... All daughters needed a father, after all... She'd have to talk with Raven about things first, though... Raven always was the more moralistic one._

Yang watched as the flow of images and memories faded, as Summer closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "It always takes out much..." Yang felt tired. She felt drowsy. The memories were heavy at her mind, knowing that there was enough in them to dissect, the forms of wielding blades, the language that the Rose clan used...

"You're... You're a monster... How could you do that to my mom?"

The statement was gasped, even as she realized that Summer Rose controlled her mother like a puppet would be controlled, using a hint of the power of her silver eyes to make Raven do as she wished.

"She would be purged, otherwise."

The words sounded, and she got an image of blades and blood. A body laid to rest, as the masks shielded the faces from the splatter of blood. "I had to..." It was a feeble excuse, yet she felt that the excuse was valid.

' _Better a mom that loves me than one that is dead.'_

It was a pragmatic thought, yet one that she could not shake. The feeling of being alone in the world lessened a little, as she looked at the mother who had taught her how to make cookies, a rueful look on her face.

"I can understand why she did it, Yang."

Raven said, her eyes still puffy and red, as she pulled the mask in place once more, wearing the same getup as she'd had in school. "She wanted to protect me... She's..." The woman sighed, as she looked away. "She's the thing that matters most to me, next to your father and you..."

"Raven, if you need a moment... I've got these two Roses left to instruct."

Summer stepped away, as Yang looked at her mother. Raven looked a mess. Yang wished she'd have a tissue. She felt so drained that she couldn't even get mad anymore.

"So... Let's chat." Yang said, as her mother looked at her, a tense look on her face.

* * *

 _The wisdom of years (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

Raven's eyes watched her daughter as she spoke, her clothing worn once more. The comfort of the outfit that she'd worn since her school days (and had plenty copies of) was something that could hardly be replaced with the tight suit that she'd been crammed into for a few hours.

"Let's walk..." Raven sent a glance at the stadium floor, where the magical currents were increasing. It was a hard task for the young man, undoubtedly, yet she had faith in him.

"Why would you allow her to... do that to you?"

The flash of silver light, the shackles that bound her... They were there to protect her from the retribution. Summer Rose, as she was, was not someone whose emotional state was stable at this moment in time. The good memories, about the times when things had been fabulous, and the need from her daughter for guidance...

"I didn't understand at first. Summer is..."

The true name of the Summer Rose was to be never spoken. She knew it, the name locked within her heart... and one that never was to be uttered aloud.

"Summer is who she is because the Order made her as she was when we were younger."

The voice she was soft as she spoke, turning her gaze away from the stadium, slowly feeling the hum of whatever magic was inside the air. The darkness inside her quivered, the link with the young man intensifying.

' _Forever doesn't mean forever, Taiyang...'_

"But..." Her daughter didn't understand. She wouldn't understand, because Summer had not cast that spell on her with those eyes. The implicit trust, the hope that she felt whenever Summer was at her side...

"It was a purpose beyond being a bandit, to be something better..."

The image of being a hero, of being someone who could come home to the tribe and show them how to take down huntresses and huntsmen... All faded away at that night when the mask was earned in blood and pain.

"I was too old."

The words were soft, spoken regretfully. "You are... not." The pain inside her flickered and flashed, as the years of service had come... the words and the rhymes that had been forced into her mind.

"They would never accept me for who I was... Excommunicate Traitoris..."

She could see that her daughter knew what that meant. To be purged from the official rankings of the Slayer Order and to be destroyed. "We're both outcasts now..."

"I don't want to have to kill you, mom."

The smile tugged on her lips, her eyes closing for a moment. A mask saved you from the expressions on your face.

' _As if you ever could...'_

Her daughter had gaps in her movements that could be exploited. Every gap was like a beacon to her well-practised senses, where she could destroy her little girl. A single leap, a swift strike and her little girl would be trying to scoop her guts back in.

"You won't... We're... We're not freelance, but we're part of something bigger."

She thought about telling her about the young man who had drawn their attention. A selfless young man, maligned by the times and the days of Ozpin and his grand game.

"The man who spoke of wanting to end the grand game?"

She realized that there must have been more to go with the instructions of the forms than mere knowledge and memory. That was intriguing...

"He is quite the specimen."

She could say that much, as her head turned to the floor, where the woman of the Calavera clan finally had ceased to float. To her sensitive eyes, the lights lit up below the skin and were darkened.

"He's the man on the floor, isn't he?" Her daughter asked, to which she nodded. "He's... your age?"

She smiled, nearly barking out a laugh at the suggestion that he was her age.

' _He's your age and...'_

She felt a tingle go through her. It was familiar, the feeling of her mouth drying up as her tongue scraped against her teeth. Desire. She had that urge...

And she'd sucked his cock. She'd been drunk, but she'd sucked like she'd been just at home with Taiyang and Summer. Her husband, who still _WAS_ her husband, as they had never annulled the marriage, had...

' _Taiyang...'_

He had promised to never touch another woman when they had married. She was still alive and he knew that. Qrow knew that too... but he had...

Pain shot through her as the thought of that little silver-eyed girl being fucked by the man that she had loved whole-heartedly once upon a time. She felt nothing but the pain go through her, the sensation of tears welling up at the edges of her vision enough. It had been standard practice for most missions of the second year, but did it have to be her husband?

' _It would make sense that you'd want a familiar person to do something like that...'_

Qrow would have ensured that Taiyang was around. Qrow had always been weak, even when Summer and him had been out on a mission whilst she was pregnant with Yang. Qrow cared entirely too much for the life within her...

' _No...'_

If he was allowed to break the oath of marriage, then so was she. Summer would not mind...

"So... What's he like?" The question came and she noticed that she'd zoned out for a moment. "That dude. Hot? Nice?" It was girl talk, the mask coming off to let her look at her daughter's eyes. Yang just rolled with it... and she could detect no lies.

"A man who cares much for the people of this world. For you and your team."

The words were simple to say, yet Yang's face showed a look of concern.

' _I won't let your smile be taken, Yang.'_

The worming doubt within her heart didn't cease, as she worried no longer about the husband who had left her but rather about the girl who was her life's crowning achievement.

"You're going to get your cloak and mask..."

The words were so formal, so strict to the Order's adherence...

"And you're going to lie."

The girl didn't understand. "The Grandmaster of the Order, Ozpin..." Understanding didn't seem to dawn.

"He is the man who is diametrically opposed to the man I follow now."

"He has power, Yang. The way that he wields it is insidious... He claims to be for the good of the world, but..." She sighed, as she felt the burning inside her body, as the work of the man below was done.

"But he's not. Blake was hurt, but she's... she's a bit better now. It was too fast, too sudden..." There was suspicion in her daughter's voice. "The counsellors... They just keep on telling me that I should be there for my team, as if _I_ am the one who has to shoulder the burden." The words of doubt, the words of hesitation.

"I don't want to. I want to..." Her girl sniffed, as tears came from her eyes. "I _want_ to have _someone_ hold me and tell me that they love me. I don't _want_ to have to look for my partner every morning to check whether she's decided to _kill_ herself... It's so _hard_ , mommy." The shudders from her daughter were a sign for her to wrap her hand around her daughter's shoulder. "I just want to have fun, I don't want to see Ruby just..."

"What about Ruby?"

She questioned, trying to keep her daughter grounded. Yang's nose was dripping, as she hugged her closer.

"She's so... so stubborn. She thinks that because someone has an evil-looking weapon and acts... different, that she's no good. I remember Rowena being like a mom for us..."

The woman who had cared for the daughters of her and her partner, who had been there to be a spark of light in Qrow's life during those dark days.

"And... and it hurts. I've seen her go through all of it again..."

"I'm... I'm not sure." She knew that it was never hard. "But... remember... You must keep this secret. The Order is not to be spoken of. You must not speak of us, of having seen us... It's very important."

The warning, yet Yang understood. It was a small nod, yet the hug firmed up. Her daughter knew. She understood the moment when you had to make that fiery choice that turned you into a monster.

"Of course, mom."

Her daughter pulled away, a smile on her face as the tears slowly dripped from her eyes. "I won't... I won't tell anyone. This is..." A sigh, as her daughter's breath escaped from her lips. "This is more important than... Than anything. You're... You're going to be there for me, right?"

She nodded. "Of course." The words were easy, true and there. "No matter what, whenever I can and whenever you need me. I never stopped watching you whilst you grew up." The look of surprise on her daughter's face, as she shifted to her raven form. She gave a caw, shifting back in an instant.

"I love you."

The words were simple and they were three, yet they meant the world to her. Here Yang stood, the product of her love.

"I love you too, mom..." She noticed that the Calavera had been placed up on the observation deck, ready to mingle...

' _It should be working...'_

The darkness was wrapped up tightly inside her. She could feel the rush of power, as she caught a glimpse of the young man who meant much to the world... to the way that the balance was going to be torn apart.

"So... Are you and dad..." Yang asked, and she sighed.

"We'll have _words_. I _demand_ an explanation." If he could cheat on her... With Summer, it was to be expected. Summer never had much of a doubt... But Taiyang had sworn to keep his vows. She was not a loose bird!

"We've got to go."

The oldest sister of the man to whom she owed her fealty to right now spoke up. "Calavera here has been accepted into the fold." The smile on the woman's lips was dangerous, as sharp blue eyes met her own red ones.

"Yang... Take a few steps forward. I'll award you the cloak and the mask." She knew well that the simple initiate's cloak and mask would be unadorned, yet the ritual was still to be maintained. With the mask and the cloak, she would be one of the Order, one of those who could make the information flow towards them.

"I, Raven Branwen, Mother of this Sister of the Order, bestow upon my daughter the cloak of the covenant, the mantle of those who strive to fight against the Shadow in all her forms and shapes. The mask that you wear is to guard your face from those who would wish to harm you, from those who would wish to trace you and those who would identify you... We are the blades in the shadow. We are Clan Rose."

She held out the cloak to her daughter, who took it, fastening it around her neck. The white of an initiate looked like a perfect accompaniment to Yang's clothing, as pride filled her features.

The mask was pulled on, a similar shape to her own. The mask of a fully invested acolyte of the Order would have more shapes and markings... But for the first month, the acolyte's mask would work well enough. It was easily tucked in a bag. Nobody looked for the mask.

As Yang's face disappeared behind the mask, Raven mused for a moment about how they were going to introduce Yang to the rest of the gang.

' _Well...'_

"Let's go and have ourselves a little get-together once you're back from the mission, alright? Just us moms..." For a moment, the sentence lingered, before the snickering from Summer started. "Damn it Summer, I am already aware of it!"

The full-blown laughter of her partner and friend and somewhat sister from another mister started, even as Yang's masked face looked with an apparent surprise on her face. "I should've known..." That the young man was having relations with the mothers of the whole team seemed to be more a fragment of heavy irony than anything else.

What was next? Was he going to have some sort of incestual encounter with his own mother?

The irony of such a thought might be discussed later, even as her daughter started to give her that questioning look, the body language telling her enough.

The sound of someone calling out for the Calavera was another interruption, as they turned towards the entrance. It might be time for combat now.

* * *

 _The precipice of damnation (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

He felt the power swell as he looked at the woman that was suspended. The plan had come together perfectly. The Apathy Grimm, hidden within the surrounding rubbish of the Stadium, kept silent through a force of will and direct control, continued to sap the will of the woman.

It had been an ingenious plan of Rowena to use Apathy Grimm to sap the will of the woman of the skull clan, the Calavera, the ones who plucked the unfortunate girls off the streets and educated them to serve the Order. He wondered briefly how this one would look, as he created the Ursa to make up Yang's trial.

Between Yang and Raven, the only difference was hair colour and age. They were so similar in manner of standing, in Yang's boundless confidence and her spirit, Raven's determination and hope...

As Yang finished off the final Ursa, he slid an illusion over him, as she spoke to him with a flirtatious tease. It was an instant of awareness, as he felt himself sliding into the mindset of the woman whose shape he conjured to cover his own. **"You succeeded."** He wanted to say more to her, yet he found himself ready to keep to the plan.

First Ozpin, then Her... and the master plan would go as planned. If it could be done...

He teleported her towards the plateau where the others stood, ready and waiting for her. It was a blessing, as he called the Apathy forward with a pull of his mind, the burning of his powers already starting. Dismissing the other Apathy, he let the _Vitae Tenebris_ flow through him.

The question on the woman's face and the audible question was enough, as the image of the woman was banished.

" **A lesson has to be learned... Calavera no longer speaks for the Order of Ozymandias Pinnacle."**

His words were enough, as the magical circle snapped into place. He could feel the resistance, as the silver eyes burned with the power that had been infused in them.

' _Just as I have planned with Rowena...'_

He worked the magical circle into the proper alignment, to lay bare which had been infused with strength. The terror on the woman's face did not change, as he felt the darkness within him quiver at the look in those silver eyes. The woman was young, he could see that much, her age perhaps around his oldest sister's.

" **Now..."**

He spoke, as the power raced. Darkness shot out through the circle, wrapping around her in unseen tendrils, weaving through her system. He felt the connection, as he took a hold of what made her whole.

' _You will never be an Acolyte...'_

 _She stood there amongst the bodies of the other girls that had fallen, the dagger in her hands coated with the viscera. The old woman who sat in the chair looked like she had been particularly pleased, the twin scythes that sat in the sheath at the base of the chair looking like it was the time to be. "Very well, Maria..."_

" _My name isn't Maria! It's Estella!"_

 _The woman gave a sad sigh, as she motioned for the big sister to come closer. Silver eyes that were almost like a charm looked at her, as she looked down at her._

" _Your name will be Maria... Maria Calavera."_

 _The name was of the family that she'd been adopted by... She couldn't remember much more aside from the fact that mommy and daddy had been torn apart by Grimm, a clicking sound... and then silver eyes. The image faded. A mask of a skull and a hood, her father hacked apart and her mother... not?_

 _The woman lifted her up before those silver eyes burned into her mind the name that was to be hers._ _ **Maria Calavera**_ _._

 _She would be a good Calavera... Just like the previous Maria Calavera. The Grandmaster knew the way towards peace, where nobody had to be hurt, ever again..._

The flash of the woman's memories was like a brief glimpse into her. He knew the truth. The practice of letting the daughters be reared by hopeful prospective parents and then tearing them away from them before they had reached eleven...

It created a brutal breed of killers. A creed to unify them. Strays to be brought to support them. A bloodline that was based around death and the bringing of it.

" _You have to understand, child!"_

 _Her hand smacking against her partner's cheek, the woman older than her, yet made to be her servant._

" _Your brother cannot find you. You will be in service of the Calavera, because of your skill! Look at the blessing that you have received!"_

 _The girl was foolish, thinking about a brother that she had left behind. Why would it matter, when the Calavera would be there. The Grand Matriarch still held the reins, and she was soon to rise... Twenty-four, the day upon which she would slay the woman she had called sister._

" _But... But he would miss me! You've got to understand, Mary..." The scowl on her face was enough for her, as the girl continued to whine. "My brother won't rest until he knows I'm safe. I know him and..." She would have to educate the girl again on the propriety. No matter the physical age, she was still the leader of their little group. The other two would understand... They never had been uppity._

" _That stops now, Gretel." The look on her partner's face was enough, as she frowned._

" _That is not my name, it is-" The silver flashed, as those eyes dulled. Every time that she used it, the power made her eyes ache... But she was Calavera. She would do whatever she must._

The woman sagged after he had applied the mark. Upon her flesh now, there rested the mark that he had crafted. With that mark, the binding was complete. He looked at the woman, this 'Maria Calavera' who had inherited the mantle from her predecessor... and sighed.

' _It was so easy... Just a little push, a little poke...'_

He looked at his hands for a moment, knowing that he had just corrupted a soul with his own brand... That he had taken the allegiances that had been bestowed to Ozymandias Pinnacle and had forced them upon himself...

Maria Calavera the Seventeenth would call him Master...

" _Gran_ _Maestro_... What is thy bidding?" Her words were soft, delicate and yet, devoted. The words that were like a touch of the familiar, a moment that was left there... as he pushed. "The d'Arc-Night have forced me to... No... This was a test, was it not?"

" **You are mine."**

The words were damning, as he spoke them. He felt stronger. The death that the woman had visited upon countless innocents had replenished the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him, the negative emotions that had been squashed by the brutal training of the Calavera clan enough to stimulate the growth.

" _Absolutamente_." The words were strange, their meaning not.

" **You will work with the d'Arc-Night and the Rose clan members. Rowena d'Arc-Night and Summer Rose will be as equals, beholden to none but my judgment."**

The words had been spoken once before, a shred of darkness, as he remembered a half-forgotten memory.

" _Como quieras, Maestro."_ The flick of the switch, the perversion of that Mission inside her...

The woman was his. A blade of the Calavera, was now his. He should feel bad about doing something like this to a woman, to someone who had once fought for a noble ideal, yet gruesome in execution... But he just felt justice.

' _If Ozymandias wants to control the world with the Slayer Order... I will have to subvert it.'_

He justified it. He justified taking a woman's reasoning and perverting it to fit his needs. Maria Calavera was one of the higher-placed members of Clan Calavera. A true-blood daughter of one of the former matriarchs, currently one of the youngest sisters of the current Grand Matriarch.

" **Then go... Introduce me to your partner."**

The nod of obedience, as he felt himself shiver and shudder. It was time for him to go, soon enough. He sent a glance at Raven and Summer, the two of them a little apart, Raven and Yang talking.

' _I wouldn't want to interfere...'_

He appeared in their midst, Maria Calavera XVII next to him, her bare body still showing the brand where he had applied it, right on the heart. It was a simple arc, yet it held with it the meaning of life. _'No matter what...'_

"Helloooooo? Mary? Sorry that I'm late! There were some guys who wanted to take my head off!"

A loud voice came from the entrance, as he pulled the illusion over his face once more, the Grandmaster of the Order standing there. He sent a glance at his sisters, Heather looking like she had a hard time.

' _She must be upset or something... I better spend some time with her too...'_

"Don't call me Mary!"

The woman mumbled, starting to get her clothes back on. The woman's motions were slower than before, yet there was a deliberation there, as the orders asserted themselves.

He caught sight of the woman as she entered, a tall and broad-shouldered woman. A perfect target, one might say, as the mask fit her face well and the cloak hung across her shoulders like a perfect white flag.

"Ah, she's... She's dead?"

There was more emotion in that voice of hers, as the woman let her gaze wander. He could see it rest on the members of the Rose Clan, those that Summer had suborned for some reason, before falling to him.

"Oh, your Grandmaster-liness! I didn't know you would be here too."

He smiled a little, as he felt his body twist a little, taking a few steps. "Unmask yourself, Gretel." The command from his new servant came, and the skull mask was pulled off. A face that seemed to be tanned, a set of hazel eyes looking at him. The woman was tall...

"Alright... Eh, do I kneel? Do we kneel, Mary?" The woman's chatty nature seemed to be something of a change, even as he sighed.

"Yes, we kneel. This is why I never take you to meet with the Grandmaster... You've been messing up so much... I wonder if it was worth training you..." The woman's voice held little ire within it, as the woman knelt, the mask sitting in hair that had been braided back to fall under the cloak's purview. She was still tall, even as she knelt.

' _She must have really great genetics...'_

"So... Eh, what happened to the newbie? She's dead?"

He frowned, Ozymandias Pinnacle's face doing the same. The woman shivered, as she lowered her head.

"She is quite alive. She passed her Trial and is now a member of the Order." The voice of Summer spoke, as the woman looked at the kneeling woman, blades at the ready.

The woman's weapon was a large axe, the blade looking like it would be able to cut through a Beowolf with no issue at all... A weapon that'd do the job and continue doing the job, forged with a skilled hand.

"That's good, eh, your grandmaster-liness... Don't you have a job to do? Can you be away from Beacon for this?" The question made him smile, as his hand, the one crafted from the Vitae Tenebris, reached out, laying itself against the woman's chest. "Eh, Mary? Why is he... touching me?"

It was a quick process. There was no resistance from the silver eyes to impede his magic, as he found the core of the woman and his hand slipped in. Due to the lack of magic and reinforcement of the core, he slid in. The woman's eyes watched with horror in them as his hand sank into her flesh, before the understanding came.

" **Rise, Slayer of Calavera. Your purpose has been granted anew."**

He spoke the words, as he had. He indicated Maria Calavera XVII, who stood there, giving a deep bow.

" **You will be partners, once more."**

She smiled brightly, getting up. The excitement of a young woman in search of purpose had not faded, as she hugged her partner and superior, Maria Calavera bearing with it with a groan. He had made sure that the woman would not suffer...

" **I will leave now..."**

He felt tired. Everything suddenly seemed to hurt, and he felt the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him boil, as a headache formed. Ever since he had infused Rowena with enough of the _Vitae Tenebris_ to counteract the _Lux Aeterna_ inside her, he had been restless. A good night of sleep might just be what he needed.

"Thanks boss! I won't let you down! Hey, eh... Can I ask you to... like, please find my brother? Mary has been unwilling to do so, but I've got to listen to her and we've got so much to do that my search is fruitless... I mean..." He smiled, as he felt the burn of his body increase. The magical matrix of subversion had taken out of him a large chunk of his own _Vitae Tenebris_ , but... it would replenish. The darkness within people and within the night would replenish that which was lost.

" **If I can, I will..."**

The smile on her face was wonderful, as she stood to her full height. Jaune briefly wondered whether it was possible for a woman to grow that tall, but decided not to comment on it. It was awkward enough as it was.

"Good, good! That's wonderful. Whenever I press the issue with Mary, she just gives me a frown and a look like 'Gretel, you're asking the wrong thing again! The past is the past and you are a Slayer now' and then goes on a huff about it. She's a really nice friend though... Though I really wanted to become a Huntsman. I wonder if brother is still looking for me..."

The woman certainly was chatty, even as he could see the darkness spread out inside her. He looked at the women gathered there. One who was an Acolyte, her eyes filled with that pride, two who had been infused with the darkness that was wrapped around him... and the others, unmarked, save for the two Calavera.

"Raven will make a portal back to your lodgings."

Summer said, glancing at his sisters. He wondered if he should say something, if he should just unveil himself, the illusion of Ozpin still woven over his body. It was the mask that he wore, the hidden shroud that kept him safe. Smoke and mirrors, a game that he could not fully enter yet.

He felt awkward, as he could see Heather struggle to contain her emotions. There was a wetness in her eyes, as his oldest sister kept her there, her eyes warmly gazing at him.

"Raven! Portal! The man needs his rest!"

The look on Raven's face as she was called was grim, slicing her blade through the air and creating the portal. He trusted her enough to follow the portal to its destination, knowing that she had been one of those who had somewhat sworn allegiance to him.

Yang looked nice with the mask on her face. **"Thank you, Raven."** The thanks to the woman were a formality that he didn't skip, the woman's head nodding. He stepped through the portal and was within the room he shared with his team again. It was decidedly quiet, as he realized that there was no sound of the next-door neighbours.

"Welcome back."

Whitney spoke, seated at the window and looking out over the street. "How was it?"

He should feel conflicted about having suborned two women's souls to force them to cooperate with him, yet he did not feel like it. It was a necessary sacrifice.

"We've gained two members of the same group that Summer and Raven are a part of as allies. Do you think..." He had to voice his doubts.

"Do you think it makes me a bad person? To steal someone's will and make it my own?"

Whitney's arms were wrapped around him in a moment's time. He could feel the darkness revitalize, as she pushed herself against him. Her emotions were enough to soothe him, to make his body feel better.

"You've already stolen my heart and thrown away the key after you locked it in a prison of love, Jaune."

Her words made him feel somewhat better, as she kissed his cheeks.

"You've done nothing wrong... Imagine that the man would do something like that to your sisters... or my daughter?"

Ozymandias Pinnacle was a blight on this world, as She knew well. He...

A flash of Weiss, wearing that same getup as his sisters and being as cold as snow, came to his mind.

He wouldn't let them be taken by Pinnacle's will. He would make sure that they lived their life as happily as they could, never to have those defiling talons rake over their soul...

' _It's the right thing... I did the right thing.'_

* * *

 _The accord struck (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She saw the man stand there, the Grandmaster's shape assumed, as the illusion stood there. A trick of the eyes, she told herself, yet the man did not falter, as he wormed his arm into the body of the woman. It was a slow process, she noticed. Her mind supplied alternative means to get that hand off her, yet she watched, transfixed.

The tall woman was excitable and chatty, as she watched the portal close shut. Rowena stiffened suddenly, her head turning towards the side.

"Faunus." The word made her tense up, as the brutal rage on her sister's face showed. "Fucking Faunus, moving to attack the camp." There was a gritting of teeth, as they looked at each other. "Alright, I'm assuming operational command."

The words were what was logical, as Rowena took the lead. "Roses, you get to be the vanguard. Calavera, can I trust you to flank? We've got a whole ton of those bastards coming around to the place we're camped at, so we've got to be prepared."

The nods of acknowledgement were enough. The newest member of the Slayer Order looked a little surprised, the mother giving her daughter a squeeze on the side, seemingly to bring her a warmer feeling. If this man had been Jaune...

She looked at Rowena, still giving the orders. Technically, the status of each member of the Clans was equal, yet there was command in Rowena's tone, as the eyes of the saviour burned within those sockets.

"So, we move out. We get the bastards in the back and wipe them out. The Master commands us, and we obey." The ancient saying, twisted. It was not the Grandmaster that they served. The tradition was broken... yet it did not feel wrong.

Rowena had always spoken about escaping the Order and taking her son with her... If the man had been Jaune... Then this was the best bet for her sister. For her sister... and for her.

Heather was not a woman who declined to comment, even with grim looks on the Calavera's faces. They knew the stakes.

"Semper Invictus." One of the sayings of the Rose, meaning 'Forever Unconquered', a battle cry if it ever existed...

"Tot de dood ons scheidt, Zuster." The words were 'Until death do us part', her sister's lips twitching into a small smile.

"Mas vale mana que fuerza!" The words meant little to her, as the Calavera gave what seemed to be a minor bow to each other, but that was just because those types were weird. She had ran into them a few times and the Skullies always seemed to have more than a few screws loose...

The Birds still had their whole pack dynamics, after all. Rowena and her were normal, or at least, she'd never heard _complaints_ that couldn't be solved with a good old-fashioned punch to the face. She didn't _like_ to punch people, but it served a need at times. Like annoying ex-boyfriends who spoke entirely too much shit.

"Nervous?" She asked the new initiate, the blonde pulling the mask of. Eyes that were tender and fiery at the same time looked up at her.

"A bit. That guy... Who is he?"

Heather looked at Rowena. The light little frown told her enough.

"Someone who matters. Better than the Grandmaster."

Here she paused, as Rowena started to bark deployment orders for how they were going to get those bastards in the back. Rowena was better during the night, where her true talent could shine. It was a sweetness that found itself within her heart, as she watched carefully the small nuanced little twitches that ran through her dearest sister.

"How is he better?"

Heather sighed. The hard truths were the harshest to sell to the young ones. She had once asked why and had been rewarded. Mom had not been pleased at all at the question.

"He would not force you to obey. The kindness that he shows..."

A softness of her features, as she denied the truth of what was yet to come. "It is far kinder to merely serve below a man who knows your face, rather than merely your identifying mark."

"So... It's more of a personal thing. Alright, I can dig it..."

The acceptance of the girl was a boon. "If Rowe's like that, then... well, I guess he must be a good person. She cared for me and my little sister, you know?" She had heard something of the sort. The doll that had personified the daytime personality had been owned by a person whose initials were YXL, so it would stand to reason that the girl must be that girl that had brightened Rowena's days during the banishment.

"He's the best shot we've got at getting free of the Order."

She was saying too much, but the girl had to know. "Your mother and the Summer Rose already bear his banner... Rowena said as much. She knows things... feels things." The girl's surprised sound was there.

It was surprising how easy it was sometimes to just let her older sister deal with things. Rowena did not mind. Heather knew that her surly personality often made people not want to talk to her. Since Rowan had come around, it had been mostly dependent on her to keep conversations going, as her sister was all over the place whenever she had little mind...

"So... We go to fight against baddies and look cool doing it? Right... I guess killing's part of the deal."

There was a hint of something in the girl's voice, as the Summer Rose and her mother seemed to have a brief conversation, a moment later starting to speak in tones that were softer, the girl's body language changing a little.

"I guess... But... I'll just have to keep silent, yeah?" There was a singular nod from both women at the same time, Heather noticed, watching carefully how the girl interpreted that. "I can... I can do that. I usually don't... y'know, hold secrets, but... But Ruby hadn't been telling me about Rubedo's little torture porn fest."

"She's a decent girl... But she just needs a mother." The stature of the woman changed, her skin darkening and her height slipping down just a little more. The voice changed to the voice of the Summer Rose that they'd encountered before. "And we're sort of cohabitating the body... It's all very complicated."

"Well... I guess..." The snort from the shorter chocolate-skinned woman seemed to have some sort of hidden meaning behind it, as they refocused on the matter at hand. The two Calavera women seemed to be discussing something, the weapon having been handed back to the skull-masked woman, whose outfit had been restored to her body.

"Don't worry, we'll go for ice-cream, just like we did... But... Just the three of us, alright? Ruby... She's too dangerous." It was a valid argument. The girl was the nominal leader of team RWBY, yet the true heart of the team was the blonde girl. She could see from the body language that the girl didn't like it.

"Because she would talk about it?" The question hung in the air, long enough to get an affirmative answer in the form of a nod. "Is that... dangerous for you?"

A child's question, yet there was undoubtedly a child standing there before its mother. The mask was pulled away and she could see the Summer Rose's face be warm and gentle, so much like her daughter that it was like looking at an older copy. "We're hunted, Yang. Raven is marked as a traitor, I am dead. I want to see her too... But the Grandmaster, the man you know as Ozpin... He has his eyes on her."

"For what? What could he want with Ruby?" The two women weren't going to elaborate, but Rowena did.

"Didn't you think it a little strange that you've got the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the daughter of the previous High Leader of the White Fang and your little prodigy of a sister together?" Rowena's tone was lighter, kinder, just the effect that she wanted. With that tone of voice, Heather would be willing to change a Goliath bare-handed, if Rowena asked.

"Well... Eh... maybe?" The snicker from her older sister was light, even as the look at the others, measuring the time that they had left before they'd have to go out. "But what does that have to do with anything, I mean... The selection process is r-"

"But the teams are announced by Grandmaster Ozpin. He has discretion about how teams are formed. Now... Remember that redheaded girl called Pyrrha? She was a champion, right?" Heather supposed that the girl might have been, her sister's mind sharper than her own at remembering some stuff.

"Yes... But..." The sharp expression in Rowena's eyes. The deathblow.

"What do you think would be done about girls who are in their fertile years?" The expression on Summer's face changed to sadness. "Pregnancies happen to Huntresses, Yang."

The mask prevented her from seeing Yang's expression, but it must not have been pretty, as the girl started to quiver. "He'd... with us? Professor Ozpin?"

"It comes down to that, yes." That was perhaps a half-truth, yet it was more akin to the truth. The Grandmaster would steal the body of her little brother, the young boy who had the hopes of a heroic fate.

"That is... That is _sick._ Mom... Is she lying?" The desperation in the girl's voice was there, as Raven remained silent and Summer spoke up.

"No." The words were the truth. The Summer Rose had a hand in manipulating people as well. "No, it isn't a lie. It's how things have been for centuries." The look on the girl's face was shattered, undoubtedly. The mask went up and bile and vomit splattered over the concrete, the young woman's food emptying itself out over the stones.

"That's... That's disgusting! He's like... Fifty!" That it was. Summer sighed, as she rolled her shoulders.

"Normally, you'd not mind. I omitted that part of the illumination process... I don't want you to lose what makes you special, Yang." The look in betrayed lilac eyes was terrifying to behold as those eyes pleaded for something not to be true.

"Would you have... Would you have made me like Raven?"

The question must've hurt, as the woman who was mentioned recoiled, the Summer Rose's head shaking. There was emotion inside her silver eyes, enough of it to warrant a true response, rather than the half-truths and sayings that many of the Rose clan used to justify their war.

"No, my sweet little Yang... You would be taught to be a good member of the Order... And you know the forms. Semper Fidelis..." The girl paused then, as she spoke up. "Semper Paratis." The answer came from Yang's throat, even though she wanted it not.

"You don't wear the cloak and the mask for the Grandmaster's design... You wear the cloak for the Warlock's design. He is a man who is an option for freedom, Yang."

Heather noticed that the Summer Rose had come to a conclusion, as the Calavera seemed to be ready. The trappings of the Trial had been taken away and the place was empty once more.

"Well... I guess I can go for some ice-cream. I want to meet this guy who you keep on raving about..." Rowena stepped into the personal space then and hugged the girl.

"He'll be the best chance of you living a happy life, my little princess."

The words of comfort seemed to relax the girl, as the Summer Rose and her partner looked between each other. "And don't worry... I'll make sure that the Grandmaster won't lay his claws on you yet..."

The look in Rowena's eyes was fierce and inviolate, the assurance of those words. "He won't meet with me because he knows I will end him..." The laugh, slightly manic, as Heather recalled that last meeting, when Rowena had been able to get within half a meter of the man with her weapon, the man dismissing her with a mere comment, the bindings still somewhat functional.

"Thanks, Rowe... I wish..." The blonde sighed, as Rowena let go of her. "I wish I could've gotten to know your son a little better..." Rowena smiled her mysterious smile, knowing exactly what was to be done. "I mean... I thought he was a bit dorky, but... He wasn't a bad guy. I'd... I don't know? I'd have given him a shot? Might've been fun."

"My sweet little Yang... You'll always be the daughter-in-law that I've wanted." The flush of the girl's cheeks, as Rowena smiled, her eyes firming up suddenly. "But later. They've gotten into position... So it's time for us to get fast and hit them from the back."

"We'll scatter and keep out of sight. Qrow and our ex-husband know us on sight... They were our partners for years, after all."

The Summer Rose spoke, as she pulled the mask back on, the woman who was her partner remaining silent as she did. It was now the orders of Rowena, as the two women made way out of the stadium.

"Alright... We're going to hit those assholes from the back and rip their horns off!" Heather smiled at the enthusiasm that her sister showed. Things were going to be better... Yes. She knew that it would be better with Rowena in control of the orders.

Whatever she ordered, Heather would follow.

* * *

 _Feelings of abandonment (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

The first warning that he got was Azure Arc stiffening up, her body half-way in motion as she rolled her hips. "Fuck... There's a good twenty guys coming our way." She got off him, leaving him to lay there on the moderately uncomfortable sleeping bag, as Azure started to get herself ready.

"Alright guys and girls! Incoming enemies! Twenty to twenty-five of them, all looking like they'd want to have a piece of flesh from us."

He pulled the condom off, noticing that it'd remained intact, one of the few times that it had actually remained intact. That was a surprise, but he got himself clothed in fifty seconds, the jacket feeling somewhat sticky against his skin, Azure Arc pulling her clothing back on.

"Incoming in... about thirty seconds."

Harbinger was in his hands. He could see Ruby emerge from the tent, her body clad in her shirt and her skirt, the corset still absent. Taiyang emerged, wearing his weapons, a set of bladed gauntlets that felt pretty darn nasty when they were cutting into your skin, from personal experience.

And then, combat was joined. The men and women that wore Grimm masks sprung into sight, their animal traits visible in some parts, as were the weapons, the battle cry something like 'for da white faaaannnggg!' but it was not really something that he paid attention to, as his blade was ready.

The scythe form was unveiled, as he cut through one of the blighters, the body bifurcated thanks to the blow. He caught sight of Azure in motion, her weapon slamming into one of the Faunus and pulverizing most of its upper body, the earth moving below her feet into a massive wave, turning into a bed of spikes in front of her. The Faunus that didn't dodge in time were given a rather messy impalement, wriggling still on the spikes that she'd made emerge.

' _Powerful...'_

It was not time to think, as he caught sight of Taiyang slamming his fists together, his eyes sparkling with that bright fury. His Semblance wasn't something that was directly obvious, but Qrow knew that the man was feeling better than when he had been left by his sister.

Ruby was in motion, swinging her scythe without the force required to kill.

' _Should've told her to go for the kill... Oh well, knocked out means we can still interrogate them.'_

Numbers still played against them, though. He could see the Faunus girl flicker through the ranks, her blade cutting into the flesh of the Faunus, most of whom did not have Aura to protect them. He thought he could see Winter's little sister in the background there, but he was paying attention to things that were happening.

As he carved his path through the Faunus, seven of them dead by his internal tally, he took note that the enemies were declining, hit in the back by some force. Sweeping in like some sort of dark flock of birds, the white cloaks and the masks hit perfectly that moment, as the blood started to rise and people started to collapse.

A massive axe cut through one of the Faunus in front of him, the chainsaw that it wielded with a rifle attachment clearly showing that it'd been one of the people who'd had Huntsman training, because that type of weapon was there.

"Is everyone alright?"

A voice spoke, lighter and friendlier than he'd expect from the masked ones. The woman was a giant, the cloak hanging loosely from her shoulders.

' _Fuck me... She must be seven feet or something... She's been eating her cereal...And some damn tree fertilizer too.'_

"Yeah, fine here..." He glanced around, looking for his niece. Yang wore no cloak, her eyes worried-looking.

' _Good... She didn't join that secret society...'_

He'd feared, but it seemed that Heather and Rowe had managed to keep her out of that section of Summer's life... he hoped. Rowe was a good woman, and... Her youngest sister was nice too. She seemed to be interested, if what he'd just felt was right.

"Weiss?" His youngest niece called, her voice a little shrill?

"Weisssssss?!"

The silver eyes looked at him, as panic rose in them.

"I can't find Weiss..."

He saw no sight of the girl either.

' _Well... Fuck.'_

The White Fang would definitely want to get their hands on a Schnee...

The mask came off from Rowena's face, as the look of utter dead seriousness came to her face. "Then we'll find her. Those animals will not do to her what they've done to me."

' _Fuck...'_

That'd be a thing that they'd do... probably before the live execution...

* * *

 **Well... Weiss was abducted! That's... probably not very good. In the next chapter... We see what the other people have been doing. Yang's now a member of the Order of Slayers! (Technically, she met the requirements. Rowena, as the head of their little gathering, had executive power. We get to see Yang with a cloak! Yay!)**

 **I've probably mangled Spanish. Alas, I don't speak it. It is the Calavera official language though. Latin for Rose, Dutch for the d'Arc-Night. German for Atlesian, well... You get the gist of it. Spanish has been murdered.**

 **In two weeks! More perspectives! Find out what's happening at Beacon!**

 **Leave a review if you'd like!**


	52. Disillusionment

**Chapter 52: Disillusionment**

 **For the other perspectives! The people who are not part of the immediate happenings in Mountain Glenn!**

* * *

 _The gathering storm (Lie Ren)_

* * *

He watched the weather outside through his peripheral vision, aware of the thread of consciousness at the back of his mind, the window standing between him and freedom. The feeling of emptiness inside him granted by his Semblance had been heightened, as he flexed his Semblance. A null zone, a space where there would be no feelings, no cravings, no desires… and he had that.

He could see Nora in all her splendour sitting on her bed, slowly raising the weight before repeating the motion with the other arm, training herself to be the best she could be. He had a different fighting style, one that served mostly to make sure that the enemy was distracted, before Nora would go in for the kill.

Nora was stronger than him in many respects. He loved her all the same. Her gaze went to his direction and she smiled, like the sun peering through a thick cloud cover, the feelings inside him suddenly surging up, the null zone slowly evaporating.

Viridian wasn't present tonight. He and Neptune had decided to go and make sure that they would have a fun time. Ren didn't fault the young man for wanting to make good memories. They had so precious few of those that it was like a ritual for them to get together and make more. Nora understood. Pyrrha could guess at their past.

The knowledge that Jaune was out there and waiting for his moment was both frightening as well as wonderful. The power that he had... The power that his women had...

The urge inside him to kiss the man who had been his leader for such a brief moment was squashed. Kali Belladonna was many things, but she had a passionate love that she would not bottle up and be quiet about. The memories of things that were sensible and those that had been insensible rummaged through his body.

Pyrrha's eyes looked into his own, glittering green, an expression on her face that showed clearly that she was deliberating. As the leader of team PRWN, she had been stressed by some of the expectations that came with making the decisions. Pyrrha was many things, as far as Ren could see, but someone who could be a leader was not one of those things. The ability to follow orders was something that Pyrrha had down to the minutest detail but the ability to give orders was where she was lacking, at least in Ren's perspective.

Pyrrha was too individualistic to consider the full breadth of the team. Jaune had attempted during the start to get them into the formations, to capitalize on their strengths. Ren's own agility had been pointed out, and the 'hunter-slammer' move had been coined by him. Ren knew that the tactical mind of the young man to whom he had sworn his allegiance upon the day that they had become a team had been the real deal.

As they recalled the events of yesterday, he wondered briefly whether Pyrrha would have spoken differently to the Arc woman. Ren supposed that it would have been a different conversation altogether, if Nora had shared her secret with them before the woman had departed...

Rowan Arc was their leader's mother. In hindsight, it should have been obvious. Their hair was cut similarly short, their facial features were, in some respects, similar and there had been an air about the woman that was easier to get along with, in his own thoughts.

The urge to call her Onyxia was there though, he didn't really know where that had popped up from but it was an urge that he had resisted. Pyrrha had been embarrassed after hearing that, he had seen the look on her face as she'd listened to Nora's words. Within Mistral, mental illness hadn't been as accepted as it was here in Vale.

It was likely that Jaune had been a mistake during the woman's early teens, a fling that got too intense. Jaune had never really explained about the difference in his growing up, mostly because he had been relatively private, save for the fact that he had seven sisters, but...

He apparently had one mother and six aunts. That put a different spin on things. Traditional Mistrali poetry about far-flung love and ancient tradition wasn't his main interest, though Kali had definitely been one for them, a small haiku coming to his mind, before he sobered up his thoughts.

It was important to keep the balance within himself, to better serve the man who was his overlord. The traditional word for that was ' _Zhu'_ , but it was only used in the traditional families. His family had been only commoners, without the appreciation for the ancient stories that had come later, when he'd gone for a formal education together with Nora.

Nora made the world worth living in, he thought. Nora was wonderful in her own beautiful way.

With Jaune, they would stay together. The young man was powerful and strong, standing tall whenever there was adversity. It had been one of his defining features. A will that was unbent, even as the body was broken.

A _man._

* * *

 _Not letting go (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

Nora's eyes returned to the front as she set down the weight and started on the push-ups that she did every night, knowing that it would be tomorrow to be away on their mission. It would not be the most pleasant of engagements, but there was that knowledge that Jaune waited on them.

Ren's own views on the matter aside, the memories of Sienna Khan were much clearer. The advantage that perspective brought to her should not be understated. The knowledge that Rowan Arc was Jaune's mother had been her secret for a while, which she'd kept. It was not her business to go talk about the affairs of the dead, she knew how to keep secrets.

The woman had raged. She had thundered and shouted, wrathful until calmed down. To see such anger be directed at anyone was intimidation enough, yet Nora had not been afraid. The woman's anger was not focused on her, and there had been an opportunity for games afterward... The medication was to calm down, or so the man had said.

That didn't make it alright, though. There had been disturbed faces on the sisters of the Arc family. Faces that should have known the connection between mother and son. Three of the daughters had been impacted. The one known as Cremea had merely looked resigned, as if it was a truth that had finally been confirmed, whilst Saffron had merely looked at her oldest sister as if she was seeing her in an entirely new light, the one known as Azure looking away, clearly not comfortable with the thought of her brother not being her brother anymore.

Nora wanted things to make sense. She didn't want to see people sad, hurt or angry. Pyrrha was angry all the time, according to the moods that she gleaned from the connection between the three of them. There was a simmering rage below the surface of the redhead's outward appearance, a craving for pain and destruction.

' _She's not going to give up easily.'_

Pyrrha's only flaws were that she just wasn't able to control herself emotionally well, as well as having little to no real leadership skills. Nora knew that they would be able to crush whatever opposition they faced completely and utterly or else there would be trouble. Pyrrha was the type to be in the thick of combat, which let one lose their bearings quickly.

' _We should do something...'_

They would be out on a mission soon. She could feel the darkness inside her swimming through her veins, the burning inside her to be active, to hurt and to torment squashed to the side. It had only been a touch of the spirit of Sienna Khan that had remained, but that burning wrath inside her continued to increase.

" _How can you even say that? She is your daughter?!"_

 _Indignation in her veins, as the blonde merely gazed back with a look that conveyed a complete and utter lack of any feeling on the subject of the daughter that was being discussed. The connection had been established, and she'd dialled the number herself, rather than to let others take over. She couldn't understand._

" _A Faunus like you would never understand. She is nothing. She will never amount to anything ever again."_

 _Pain and anger, revulsion at the words that had been spoken. Her friend, never amounting to anything? The thought was anathema to her, but..._

" _I wished to at the least convey my apologies for-"_

 _The conversation shut off, as the connection on that end failed. She remembered the angered eyes, the look on that cool face. There had been no emotion save for loathing and disgust. Understandable, given the circumstances, but..._

" _Are you finished with your call, High Leader Khan?"_

 _Adam's voice cleared her thoughts from the anger, as she saw him stand there, Harmony currently looking through a large map, her ears standing up straight._

" _Yes... We should meet later."_

 _There would be time for talk later. She needed to be the High Leader._

" _The human isn't worth to mourn. It was an unfortunate circumstance, High Leader Khan."_

 _Adam spoke, as Harmony lowered the map, folding it swiftly. Sienna idly wondered how the woman was going to bring it along._

" _Maybe..."_

 _She mumbled, as she remembered those moments. She'd just wanted to speak to her friend..._

Nora snapped back into reality, coming to her senses after she realized that she had been working on her push-ups for what seemed to be too long. Pyrrha had moved to her bed, already prepared for her night. A look of concern was on her face, and an echo of that concern raced through the connection.

' _I'm missing something here...'_

She wondered what it could be. It must not be important. Probably? She'd hit the shower first, getting clean before bed. That was the more important choice this evening, especially with how things would be tomorrow with their mission.

As she stood under the shower and rubbed the shampoo into her hair, another shard of memory came, unbidden.

" _So... have you ever been with another girl, Si?"_

 _Nyxie spoke with a casual air, the bikini that she wore shaded lightly, as her blue eyes met hers. The thought was disgusting. Sienna Khan was most definitely straight, and not to be swayed by the words of a simple human._

" _No, and I don't intend to take you up on the offer either."_

 _The words were dismissive, as if the thought was anathema to her. It wasn't... really. She just had a very strong preference towards men. Men with beards. Maybe a good bit of hair on their head too. There was this one bald Faunus with a horse's tail that'd been making eyes at her, and she didn't like it one bit._

" _Aww, but we could make a great team together! Humanity and Faunus working together, loving together!"_

 _The teasing smile, as Sienna shifted a little in her arguably hot and heavy armour. Nyxie moved in closer, as she leaned on her._

" _What do you say? Does the big bad kitty want to have a bit of a drinking contest tonight?"_

 _She had taken the challenge for what it was, as a challenge. She would not allow herself to lose to a mere human, who hadn't got the constitution to deal with the alcohol._

 _Three whole bottles of heavy rice wine later and she was thinking differently. It was a hot and muggy night, or at least, that's what it felt to her, her vision slowly crawling through the room, her eyes blearily looking around, her breathing so heavy that it was like panting. Her partner was still mostly tipsy, for some reason, as she looked chipper and fresh. "Another cup, Sienna?"_

" _Bring it on, human!" There had been the challenge, yes...It was too damn hot in here, so she'd better get the upper part off..._

 _A hand wrapped around hers, as the other woman gently took a hold of her hand and then assisted. The thin cloth she wore below stood out against her skin, the flesh tattooed already with the pride of her traits. She was the tiger... And more tattoos would be added._

" _Come on, you little kitty... Up..."_

 _The upper part landed somewhere outside, as she downed the cup._

 _She had half a thought to complain, but the woman just grabbed the third bottle and chugged down the remains. Sienna let out an amused little giggle, as she saw the victorious look on her... what exactly was this woman to her? Enemy? Guest?_

 _Her head hurt, the next morning. She felt like there was a lead weight laid upon her, branches wrapped around her. She cracked open an eye to look at the ceiling of her bedroom. She'd made it back there, but she wasn't alone._

 _An amused set of blue eyes looked at her, and she felt a shock go through her. Her body felt clammy and sweaty, her tongue slipping over her lips, tasting the strong wine. Her pussy felt sore, and she'd... fuck._

 _She'd slept with a human._

" _Wakey wakey, kitty... How'd that feel, huh?"_

 _Images of last night came back. Images that had been... pleasant. Better than expected. A tongue sliding in and her hands grabbing a head of blonde hair, before she had been forced to return the favour. She'd..._

" _This was a mistake..." She moaned aloud, as she saw the shit-eating grin on the human's face. "No, no... We did nothing... We just went to sleep and... and we did nothing. No, nothing." She repeated it three times, as the custom went. The grin turned broader._

" _We're going to be friends, Sienna." There was a tone of understanding in that voice, as Sienna nodded. The best way was to conform to expectations. She wasn't going to..._

 _She was going to gargle mouthwash for an hour or so. She wasn't THAT much of a cat, but she'd... Ick. Ick. ICK._

Nora stifled a giggle at the memory. It had been one of the memories that Sienna undoubtedly regretted, though why they surfaced now was but a mystery. Things had been clustered, from the heavy impact of having someone force the writhing darkness inside her, but she knew things.

She wasn't a dumb girl, but she was not thinking most of the time. She kept good notes on what had happened, but some of the larger movements evaded her here and there. Of course, that meant that there were things that she did that Pyrrha didn't approve of, but Pyrrha wasn't her glorious leader.

Jaune was, and he was alive. That was a good start. They'd all be together again, when it was safe.

What was a little bit of murder between friends, right?

" _You killed them, Adam! You... Do you know how this makes us look? It was supposed to be quick, clean and... not...This!"_

 _Astonishment warred with anger in her voice, watching the naked blade dripping with blood, the bodies scattered into bits. Adam's eyes hidden by the mask that he wore, as Harmony looked at her with eyes that were cold and dispassionate._

" _They were just humans, Sienna. They would oppose us, if we let them live."_

 _The words from the woman spoke the truth, as the large figure lumbered forward, setting the blade down._

" _I'll take responsibility, High Leader Khan. If you want me to be-"_

 _She held up a hand, as she rubbed the bridge of her nose lightly, trying to get the feelings to subside. It had been a tough year, but... The humans had been at their gates, they had kept trying to encroach on Faunus land... It wasn't enough that the people discriminated against them. "No, keep your weapon down, March... No more people should have to die today..." There was that flash of assurance in those hazel eyes, the Rabbit Faunus standing like a stern sentinel, Adam looking calmly at her._

" _We live to bring your vision to reality, Sienna." The man took liberty to use her personal name. With the circumstances, it was allowed... But that didn't mean that she liked it. She had wanted more for the Faunus, her father..._

 _She sighed. Onyxia hadn't... she hadn't made it back home. That's all that she could guess from the response, which had been cold._

" _Humans are just sheep, blindly oppressing what they cannot feel to be human."_

 _They were grim words, but they suited the mood. Sienna looked away, rolling her shoulders. The staff that she'd used for years as a bodyguard felt a little heavier, as Harmony wiped her blade off on the body of the human._

" _A great revolution will spark the flame."_

 _Adam's words held promise, yet Sienna knew that the promise would not bring them the peace that they desired, nor the respect that they were due. She knew the ins and outs of politicking not, but there always would be a moment for that stuff later on._

" _And we'll be slaughtering the animals. Ambassador Arc dared to invade our Kingdom."_

 _The emissary had been dismissed near-on nine months before, but it was still a sore point. She'd lost her friend. Anger wrapped around her at the feeling of that brutal hurting inside her chest. She'd lost her friend, the human who'd managed to worm her heart open over these five years. It had been more than a thousand days, but it felt like a pleasant afternoon._

 _Idly, she wondered whether her friend had received a proper burial. Her son must be... fourteen now? Thirteen? Menagerie still wasn't one of the Kingdoms... But the White Fang fought for those ideals._

 _The Faunus would not be discriminated against. She was the woman who had assumed the mantle of High Leader... She would stand against the human oppression._

" _What are your orders, High Leader Khan?" Harmony asked, rolling her fingers over her blade. Her Semblance was a useful one, allowing her greater dexterity with the weapons that she wielded, no matter the state of the weapon._

" _We fight..." Humans that stood in their way... They might get a chance to run. Sienna Khan did not spill needless blood, even if the call for action was in her own blood like a siren's song._

Nora remembered the faces. Grim determination came to her face as she realized that there would be a reckoning with those people. Sienna Khan had nearly been assassinated, and it could only have come from one of the heads of the White Fang's branches...

' _I'll have to talk to Jaune about it... He'll know the right thing to do.'_

* * *

 _The arbiter of obsession (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

The guilt ate away at her. She knew that she should apologize, knowing that the woman who they had met was something special to Jaune, someone who should be judged not for their appearance, but for the status that they had. She didn't know, but that did not excuse her actions.

She hadn't known that the woman was his mother, nor had she been told by Nora before the meeting had happened. Frustration warred with anxiety, knowing that she had messed up. It was not proper, it was not nice, but she had been taught that those who were mentally ill should be kept elsewhere, out of sight.

It was the traditional attitude of most of Mistral, seeing as the family's honour was to be upheld. They were not to be touched without unwrapped hands and their actions reflected upon the family. She looked out over the silent grounds, her eyes watching the shadows lengthen.

The blackness within her soul continued to bubble and boil, as she knew that she would be strong... she would be exemplary, all for Jaune.

' _When I can be of use...'_

The young man was such a perfect man... She knew that much from the touch of his very soul, that blackened sphere of darkness and power. It sang to her like a song of the sirens that had lured Odysseus to his demise, the harp of the fallen Grimm hunter in the depths of Hades.

' _I will make sure that nobody walks...'_

She could feel the buzz in the back of her head, the direction in which Jaune currently was located buzzing like a fly, the internal sense of where the man was who had drawn her from her pedestal, letting her fall in love with him. She was like the moth towards his light, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

The others didn't understand. The girl that had been Jaune's 'best friend' had given up on her hope... No... Jaune would need better friends, rather than to cling to the past like he was too good for them... because he was too good for them. Those girls did not deserve his love and friendship. The Schnee had scorned the young man for being too eager, whilst it should be her who should be eager for the Master's touches.

The bimbo and the cat continued their merry little dance of being ignorant... She had seen them, flirting with glances and their own little world made, whilst the bimbo fed her little cat like it was some sort of pet... Horrible, too sweet... They had the happiness that was denied to _her!_ It should have been her feeding her man, to make him smile at her and to touch _her_ , not some mockery of what she was missing.

They were so happy, so caring for each other, and they had to deal with a false man, one who preferred the buggery of some fancy fop who didn't even try to pretend that he was a filthy degenerate. She had many admirers, many of whom desired her. The ladies who wore the lilies always had their gazes on her with the heat of lust within them, their filthy foul perversions allowing not the slightest hint of anything aside from their craving...

She did not care for the touch of a woman she did not know well. She did not care for someone who preferred to stick his penis within the tight hole of a man. Her Jaune was better than that. If he decided to bless a man with his manhood's penetration, he would be fabulous... She would do whatever he wanted, even if it meant taking a personal hand in seizing those who did not believe in the wonder that he was.

He had returned for _her._ He had returned for _them._ He was there for _them._ They couldn't take him from her, ever again. She would kill them all if they did... They all would. They had loyalty. They were Mistralian, which meant loyalty to their lord and overlord, no matter the decisions.

It was honour, it was a code of life, and it had not wrought her bad luck. She was a woman. She would fight for her man, through good or bad times. She would stick to her man, she would guide him through his trials and support him in those that he would allow her.

She was Pyrrha Nikos and she was devoted. Jaune Arc owned her heart and her soul. There was no alternative, no recourse for those who went against the desires of the man who had brought her back to life. She was dedicated. She would not falter, she would not fall.

As her head turned to observe Ren and Nora, she watched carefully for any signs of them looking oddly at her, knowing that her thoughts had gone to a dark place, and not caring. Their bond was like a siren's call in the night, as they lit up, specs of darkness burning within the mind of the users of this power that had been bestowed upon them.

It was their destiny. It was their sign of fealty towards their leader, the one who had been selected and who had held their trust.

' _Even if there must be a reckoning...'_

She had her weapons polished and prepared to be used at any time. She was ready to fight and kill. She was Pyrrha Nikos and she was _Invincible_.

' _There will be no time for regrets.'_

She gazed at Ren after she had gotten herself ready for bed, whilst Nora went for the bathroom, a shower needed, seemingly. "Do you think we'll do alright, Ren?" It was not a question she asked lightly, as she let her gaze go through the room.

A single pulse of her Semblance and every single electronic within this room would be dead to the world, to let the world know not of the existence of the man who owed team JNPR's loyalty.

"In what way?"

She heard him throw back the words, her gaze slipping towards the Mistralian young man's facial features, set within a serene manner. A lack of desire surrounded him, an apathetic nature that was so much like some of the Grimm that she'd heard the old training videos speak about that it was like he had been wrought from the flesh of the creatures.

She could imagine him as a sloth, as Nora had occasionally called it, just lazily coming through the trees. The Mistralian culture was divided by parts, but loyalty to the one who owned their bodies was one of the tenets that they all shared. "Just... with the mission." She knew of what she spoke, his gaze rising to meet hers. Sharp green met with pink.

"We can do this. He would have wanted us to help out." The tacit understanding between the pair that Nora and Ren were, as well as the tacit agreement to help, making sure that the world would be one step closer towards Jaune being back with them...

"Indeed... Jaune was a great leader."

He was a great leader, but now he was better. She could feel the darkness inside her stimulating her Semblance, her Aura flaring every once in a while. Her vision saw the magnetic objects, feeling the pull of the polarity around them and the push of the natural forces.

"But we'll have to move on..."

It was outwardly, a conversation about the loss that they had, but Ren could sense her true intentions. They were going to move on... They were but first-years in Beacon, but they would graduate in three more years. Jaune would have the patience... and she would be able to make the world a better place under his direction. Her name still had accolades, the fame that hung around her like a shroud was definitely the inching point for her to propel the name of her Jaune onto the world's stage...

' _All that I need is enough time for myself, extra promotion...'_

Jaune would get what he _deserved_ , be it through coercion or through money...

She owed him that, as his partner.

* * *

 _Sultan of Councils (Maroon Syfres)_

* * *

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that, it would look bad for the people's eyes..."

There were always the speeches that had been prepared in advance, her eyes searching through the documents. The court case would be tonight... She wasn't going to lose her shot at cleaning up that little remnant of the old ways.

That Cinder Fall had her claws in her was of little objection... There would be a reckoning now and with time. Her eyes glanced at the document that was in front of her, as she regarded the man depicted there.

With enough time, this man would fall. Her dealings with some of the influential underworld figures would be able to continue and the name of Maroon Syfres would be lauded in history as one of the few great chancellors of Vale.

She was sure that the Winchester family would shove the young Huntsman-in-training forward as the heir to the Winchester councillor, the young man having looked to be a decent sort, even if his proclivities ran into the same lines as her own heir.

Far from the standard, Maroon actually indulged the girl in her whims. She had no biological children, so it would not be awkward for her to lavish attention on her brother's daughter, knowing that the girl would be sensible enough not to embarrass her publically.

"It would be a shame, Miss Syfres, if we were to continue this line of thinking. The trial is soon to start... Mister Arc would have to be represented by a solicitor who would be able to read the case against him..." The Headmaster of Beacon Academy and probably one of the few councillors of Vale who probably would be able to herald in a new level of governmental dominance sat there, the man's insistence on maintaining his status as a Huntsman and his position as a headmaster clearly something that rankled her.

"Politically, it is unwise to dismiss a trial before it has started, Headmaster Ozpin."

The man's eyes narrowed, yet there was something in them that made her focus on the gestures of his hand. "It would be a shame if the course of justice was perverted by the whims of one of the councillors, right?"

She didn't believe in the grand creed of the Valean Kingdom charter, upon which the council had been given the executive power over the affairs of the Kingdom, which included maintaining the security of the Kingdom.

Vale was strong. It had survived for eighty years after the Great War's conclusion, it had weathered the Faunus assault without a dent in their forces... If it had the King still there, it would have been a resounding defeat for the Faunus forces. She had written her own thesis on the man's tactical acumen... A rare thing to see within the people these days.

"It would indeed send an ill-timed message, Miss Syfres."

There was a faint curling of the man's lips, as if he were amused by something. "Yet the heir to one of the noble families would hardly have to suffer such public humiliation, right? A teacher at Beacon..."

"Not formally hired yet, Headmaster Ozpin..."

The man continued to weave his web of political intrigue like a spider, admirable from a distance, yet she knew well the bounds that she would be within as one of the councillors.

"A formality, Miss Syfres. It has been agreed upon and the man is able to start next semester, if it turns out to his favour. Councillor Winchester has already agreed with the offer of a reduced sentence, after all."

It took her serious effort to keep her facial features as neutral as she could, as that bit of information had been a clear indicator of how the man's web stretched.

To have convinced that old fossil to be the one who would grant a reduced sentence meant that the man in front of her had more political capital than she did... which was worrisome. It meant that she had miscalculated about the man, enough in order to make her plans for ascension a moot thing...

' _And with Fall having a grip on me... Should I hint at her existence?'_

Betraying Fall might be worth it, given the political tension right now about a man who was imprisoned still. Sage Aaron Arc was someone who had connections with the right people, who was unknown to the woman known as Cinder Fall yet...

' _No... There's no telling what this man can do with his position as Beacon Academy's Headmaster... His talents are wasted there.'_

"I see... It would be rash of me to sell the wine before it has been bottled, so... Do allow me time to think about things, if you would?"

The man nodded politely, a smile on his face, his eyes directly gazing into her own. Her eyes watched the elaborate ring on the man's finger for an instant as he pushed the glasses up a little further on his nose.

"Of course, Miss Syfres. I will send my deputy in order to oversee the trial this evening... it would be a disservice of me if I were to not allow the proper course of justice to proceed."

The man's words were a threat that hid below the surface. There was much that she could protest, the man's words not mattering in the slightest in the grander scheme of things that she had under her sway, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to create... provisions.

"I will formalize the investment of the third Amendment clause."

She knew that the man wouldn't resist such a lure, knowing the political games of the people and those who held such interest. There was a smile, as he tapped on the desk three times.

"I knew you would."

Those four words were telling, as she felt the cold chill grasp her heart. It wasn't just the foreknowledge that showed there, but also the knowledge that she had been trying to formalize the Third Amendment to the Charter of Vale, in her case, the immediate investment of her heir to the seat of councillor without elections preceding it.

"Oh?"

Her voice wasn't as steady as she wished it to be, seeing the look that he wore on his face. The man's eyes seemed to almost glimmer, as his lips curled in a smile that was like the tremors of fate. It was not the kind smile of a headmaster, but the smile of a man who worked at the highest level of power.

"It is logical to do so in order to maintain your power, is it not?"

She felt even less at ease, knowing that there was something that the man knew and she did not. Why he had discovered that the Third Amendment was in effect and when it was formalized, it would...

' _At least, despite the flaws that she has, she's able to work with the system...'_

It had been a project that had been twenty years in the making, ever since her niece had come to her with a question at age five. The third amendment allowed the councillors to name an heir in the case of the sudden dismissal from the service, in order to ensure that the Council would maintain the numbers that would allow optimal functioning.

"Indeed, I am sure that Melinda will be more than happy in her post, should something have to necessitate my sudden departure."

The third Amendment kept the Winchester family in power, with the seat becoming nearly hereditary with the age of the councillor taken into account. She could see the man's power plays coming, but was unable to do much about it due to her own political capital and the favours that were owed to her being insufficient.

"It is indeed a good thing to have an heir prepared in the case of some unforeseen mishap."

The man's words were carefully chosen to give her an image of something, a hint of a threat that seemed to be there.

' _Does he know?'_

She had a guess that the man might know about what Fall was up to, even with his eyes looking at hers with an amused glint in them. "A pity that Mister Arc has suffered the death of his only male heir." There would be regulations for that.

The next-born male child of one of the primary line's female heirs would be the next inheritor of the name, if she remembered the royal protocol well enough.

"I have been assured that it is to be taken care of."

The man's words hinted at more knowledge of the family and its past... not an unworthy thought, since the descendants of the King of Vale would need monitoring.

' _Seven daughters, one Section 25 and the other... What are you hiding, Ozpin? What do you know that I don't?'_

The classification was not for show. It meant that the eldest was a psychotic killer, one who was a blade against the forces that would harm their world. The council made hard decisions every day, in order to safeguard the world from the threat of dissolution. The Grimm were the real threat, according to most popular opinions...

"Very well... Then I will see your deputy at court."

She supposed that it would be right to place a visit with the woman in attendance. Glynda Goodwitch had a sterling reputation as a capable adjutant to the Headmaster, able to properly attend to any matters of the discourse and with the ability to maintain professional standards in the face of difficult topics.

"Indeed. Do have a good evening, Miss Syfres. May we see to it that Vale remains standing..."

The words were a throwback to the old saying of the Warrior King, the man's eyes glinting with amusement behind his glasses as he got up, the cane in his hands tapping against the ground as he moved, the door closing behind him as he departed.

She called for her aide, handing several papers to the woman.

"Make sure that this is notarized. I want the procedure to be finished before the hour is done."

The records would show, retroactively activated, that she had done everything to safeguard Vale. She knew for sure that something was going to happen at the trial of Sage Arc that she would not like... But she was a politician.

She had weathered far worse than this.

* * *

 _The blood on our hands (Ashley Arc)_

* * *

She felt the flux in the system, her mind already categorizing the requirements for repair, her eyes focusing once more in the present day, looking at the woman who had put her onto this world through her labour.

"The samples are still viable, yes."

She spoke with deliberation, knowing that the freezer had been intact and undisturbed. Within the freezer laid the samples that would create life, a record of the last person to have inherited the bloodline of the d'Arc-Night family. It was a necessity, as she had found it.

"Make sure that you get them prepared for when Heather comes. She will be the one who will create an heir for your father."

The words of the woman were calm and rational, just like their father's tone, the eyes of the woman bearing a distant mind, adrift on the tides of memory.

"Father intimated that, didn't he?"

Her mother was the law in the household when her father was not there. There were protocols for most families, yet Emerald Arc-Sepia had only married into the family. The woman nodded.

"It will be tough to get that wilful girl to settle down. A child will settle her down. Sage always knows what is best."

Ashley did not comment. Rowe had been the favourite of her mother, before the shame of her pregnancy had settled in. That Heather, taciturn and stern, would be the next one to bring forth a male heir...

Ashley's hands tapped onto the keyboard, letting her gaze slip over the information that was displayed there, already working the information into the grand system, checking and re-checking the data. The information that she had been granted by the Relic had made her smarter and more able... But it had also been something of a curse.

The magical potential of the family was high. A test of the blood of each member found heightened levels of that indicator in the blood, with the greatest concentration to be found within Rowe, whose blood was practically alight with the energy. Her own blood was noticeably lesser on the power scale, given that she only had an aptitude for the basic spellcraft, but...

' _If we were taught...'_

She knew the formal way of teaching. The Relic had instructed her in the methods to teach, even with the incentives that she already had. "She will obey, will she not?" Ashley said, even with her eyes already scanning the screen.

"There will be a sample ready for her to be seeded with."

The woman's head nodded once, a bitter expression on the face. Ashley did not blame the woman. Such things were hard to speak of, especially with the situation as it was. The Family had to continue, one way or the other. That Jaune still breathed was to never be uttered around one of the Family...

Except for Rowe when she was there. Telling Rowe would make her easier to handle, make it easier for them to find a solution to the issues that plagued them. A faint ping to her ears reached and she glanced at the small notification on the screen.

' _Think of the Shadow and she'll appear...'_

The small icon with Rowe's personal ID had been added to the queue, although her mother didn't seem to notice. One of the benefits of being the resident technological genius was most definitely that she had control over what people were able to see and not. Her Semblance made such a thing extremely easy for her to immediately clue in to the files that were for certain people's eyes only. With the terminal at her fingertips, she was able to slide the message to the personal feed, her Semblance making her able to check in with the system, as she directed her attention to the world.

"It's all for the benefit of the world, your father said..."

The words of her mother were definitely to soothe her, to tell her that the world was not as dark as it really was. The woman who had sat at their bedside, pregnant with the next member of the family, telling a story from one of Father's own books, chronicling the descendants of the Order, because they had been the third and fourth daughter.

The younger ones were not aware of their history save the barest of details. Ashley thanked her luck that father hadn't really clued in to the fact that she could use the technology around the house to keep a stern vigilance on the people within it.

She smiled, her mother's hand running through her hair. She knew well that there would be little evidence to speak of other things, but the last few weeks' worth of data from the cameras had been corrupted. If the man ever wished to see the data, she could claim that she'd erased it after a small systems crash, submitting a request for a retooling of the system. The man did not know exactly how technology functioned save for a Scroll and the official communication devices.

"I love you, daughter. Your father will be free again soon..."

Her mother's smile was warm, understanding and kind. Ashley knew that it was like that whenever she looked at the daughters that she had put on this world.

' _Dad is the final piece to your puzzle. With him, you have a happy life...'_

A detailed report of an encounter flickered through her mind, reading it with the speed of someone able to parse data in a swift amount of time, her face showing not the surprise, as she read the detailed description of encountering Jaune.

' _Good... Rowe's happy and somewhat better...'_

It had been tough, pinning her eldest sister down in the dorm that they'd been given for the night at Beacon. She had been there when Jaune had been born, when her oldest sister had given birth to the heir of the family who would be the boy that they all adored.

It wasn't rational, it wasn't logical, yet it was the truth. A little bit of a male influence had supposedly stabilized what they had with the seven of them, their mother not able to make the time to be at home to care for them.

It had been preciousness in his own way, when she had first laid eyes on him. The small form cradled within the hands of her big sister, whose fingers gently toyed with the babe's nose. The look of pride on her sister's face as she knew that she had put a new life onto this world, even though Ashley hadn't known who the father was.

She had theorized that it had been one of the boys from the Vytal settlement, but it had been a time when she hadn't thought much about it, save for the adoption papers that she'd glanced at for an instant.

The name of _Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night_ had stood out to him. She barely recalled who had given him the nickname of Joan for the initials, but it was his right, as dictated by the nobility, to use the full name, rather than just the 'Arc' shortening of it.

A princess, birthing a prince. A prince who had created the princess with his wife, three generations living in the same home. Rowena had enjoyed the full breadth of etiquette classes, the skills at making the rules work for her and her family had been ground into her.

Father had taken good care of Rowena, before she had come to be with child. Father had said something about a boy and had disappeared for a time. There had been a boy around Rowena's age that had been killed by Grimm outside of the walls, she recalled... faintly.

Rowena had never spoken about who the father was aloud. Heather _probably_ knew, but it had been kept silent. Heather hadn't ever answered the question, but the answer from Heather's face had been enough to show that Heather did not fully approve.

"Are you nervous?" The question caught her off-guard, as her mother's hand ran through her locks, Ashley realizing that she'd zoned out once more. "It's going to be okay... Headmaster Ozpin will take care of things... Your father is going to be free once again." The words were to comfort a daughter, but they seemed to be more of a confirmation for the woman herself.

"I'm... I'll be okay. Father would be..."

He would be unruffled by the events. Father did not feel emotions bogging him down. He was calm and logical throughout the whole time that she had known him, the terse smile enough when he was medicated. He would be able to act normal, but only whilst medicated.

"He would be happy to see his daughters be devoted to him."

Ashley Arc felt the weight on her shoulders increase, as she knew that the woman was not to be informed of Jaune's survival. To them... No, to the whole family, it was important that Jaune stayed 'dead'.

She knew, Bianca knew, Rowena and Heather, by the virtue of Rowena and Heather being partners, knew... and that would be enough. Father would offer Jaune to the man who was the Headmaster of Beacon in a heartbeat, as the plan had been before she altered the deal. Security had been light and it had been a quick job, in and out of the system in ten minutes, whilst Bianca dealt with some of the technical hubbub for a visit. A ghost of Azure's registration and some printing out and then poof... Jaune Arc, Huntsman trainee.

It would stand up to the scrutiny of the casual observer, let alone someone who would do some extra digging. She knew that it would be up to him to do whatever it took... But she'd never dared to deny her little brother anything.

Rowena would have had her head if she did. Rowena was the eldest and one of the most caring and devoted sisters. To deny Jaune something was to go against her oldest sister, and to hint at doing something that Rowena might find displeasure in was... dangerous for one's health.

" _So, what do we do? Fuck him and suck him at the same time?"_

 _The pain as her heart was torn at by the blood inside it, as eyes looked at her with the merciless look of a stone-cold killer, the blood in her veins starting to reverse. Bianca was in a similar state, as Heather looked at the two of them, gently rubbing over Rowena's side._

" _If you value your life, you shall not."_

 _The words were some of the coolest that their oldest sister had spoken, the words detailing perfectly the dangers within, the words from a woman that had been able to endure the torments that she had been party to._

 _She had seen the medical file, had seen the pictures of her sister half-cut open, her body having been operated upon by the surgeons in order to save her life. The child had been cut out of the body with a sharp bladed weapon, half of the womb and the ovaries destroyed, the massive scar on her flesh having been a permanent reminder._

" _Yes. We won't..."_

 _The fear inside her of her sister, of what her sister might do to her, was real. There would be no absolution or absolving this thing, if she and her sister did something_

" _If you must tease, tease. Know that Jaune still is beholden to the rights as your brother."_

 _The words that went unspoken 'as my son', were telling. Rowena d'Arc-Night would pretend to be the sister, rather than the mother to a child who would be raised as the best of the best, at least in standing._

" _That was... bad. Did you feel that?"_

 _Bianca mumbled as their two older sisters walked from the room, the statement made. She could feel the terror mount within her at the thought of Rowena pushing even further with her Semblance._

" _We're going to make his time happier... Say, do we still have that subscription running?"_

 _Bianca asked her, as Ashley thought about the subscription to the adult magazine that they indeed, still had running. A girl needed some entertainment..._

" _Let's get him something with nice knockers. The men-oriented brand should be good... And well..."_

 _They had discussed about this before. A young man needed to sate his urges somehow, and Rowena had been in a terrible state upon returning to the household._

The rest could never know that Jaune was with them once more, they could never know the feeling of their collusion with the young man who meant the world to their oldest sister. Rowena would kill them all if they meant to harm her son. That much was a guarantee...

' _And we all have blood on our hands when we deliver him to the Headmaster...'_

The depth of the rabbit hole that they had found themselves in seemed to be growing, as she realized that she essentially was going against one of the most powerful men of Vale and the world, who had his hands in many different industries, making their life more difficult if he so wished it.

She knew that the tough test would come, when Jaune would step into the limelight once more. It was hard not to think about what the after-effects and waves would be when he did, assuming that it was a gradual introduction.

"Everything will be okay, Ashley... Your father will be home soon and we can all be a family again."

Her mother sounded like she clung to that reasoning, her mother's love for her father defining her relationship to her daughters. It must have been different before she was born, but Rowena nor Heather liked to speak of it.

"That'll be great, mom."

The answer was as it should be, the woman nodding, satisfied with that answer.

* * *

 _A hard choice (Roman Torchwick)_

* * *

It had been such a beautiful day today, before things had gone wrong for me. The sight of the abandoned streets of Mountain Glenn, the faint scuffles that the mutts and beasts put up against the Grimm as they escorted him to the site where they'd had their camp, but this... This blew it out of the water entirely. My evening, already feeling like it'd been started with one hell of a bang, as the uniformed White Fang grunt stood there.

"You're telling me that we've got a captive?"

Neo was already at his side, invisible due to the illusionary image that she put up, the shattering of the image easily done, a soft 'ahh' coming from her mouth. It was still hard for her to talk, but he did not mind waiting. It was important that she talked...

' _You've done enough, Neo...'_

"Yeah, the scouts saw the camp and we raided it. Got ourselves the rest of the people incoming in five minutes or so. Bunch of Huntsmen. The brothers who died for the cause will be rewarded in the afterlife."

The words were those of a zealot, I noticed. Spotting the woman with her massive blade already looking like she was about to go and take a bite out of some juicy human thigh or something, I measured my response.

"As long as it doesn't stop the plan..."

The words had been easy to say, knowing that Cinder wanted me to push the train towards the gates of Vale, with the machinery on it to enhance the strike that would come... If her word could be trusted.

My eyes watched as the struggling girl was dragged along. My eyes marginally widened as the white attire and hair and crest were noticed. "Schnee." The word from the woman was enough, as the girl was dragged in front of the whole leader of the rabid pack of mutts. There was fear in those eyes, a mortal fear to be exactly. Understandable, given the animals that surrounded us.

' _If it's not you, it'll be me... No, it'll be us.'_

"Break her arms and legs. It seems we'll be having a bit of a surprise guest for a party..."

I shuddered. That's one way of keeping a prisoner from getting away. Not something that a dashing gentleman rogue like me would do to some girl with a decent manicure, really, but...

"Make sure that she knows how good a Faunus feels by the end of it. She'll be a toy for the men to quench their rage. I want to put a brand on her myself... Show her what happens in the mines..." There was a shudder that went through the girl, as someone grabbed a leg and she looked straight at me. Terrified blue eyes, knowing that she was going to suffer.

"Help me!"

Neo gripped my jacket, watching as the plea came, the girl's eyes frantic and panicky as her gaze met mine. The large hammer rose, and the pleading increased in pitch.

"Please?! Please!"

A cracking sound and the leg was bent at an angle that wasn't exactly conductive to walking. The girl's pained scream faded off into the distance, as another plea for him to come to her aid was heard. The animals were all looking at me, daring me to try anything. Not a good situation with all eyes on me...

"The arms now... We can't have the Schnee scratch our eyes out... Oh, it's been a while since I've had a human toy..."

"Roman..."

Neo's voice was soft, pleading, as I turned my gaze away, the sharp screams of pain from the pale-haired girl coming clearly, as the animals looked ready to get right onto things of a more carnal nature. The wince wasn't hidden, as I turned around. No witty quip came to mind, as I looked at the woman, Hare Monique March-Tallow...

' _Aren't you a fucking disgrace, rabbit?'_

"Ah-ah... uuuh... Help.. me, please, please... I don't want to, I don't want to."

The girl was pleading, as I exhaled. There wasn't anything that I could do for the girl, I told myself in order to keep my wits about me. There were more of the rabid animals around than there was Roman Torchwicks...

"I'm... I'm going to go and take a rest."

If the girl had been here, Red would be here too. As I made my way towards the small spot that'd been set up as my office in order to communicate with the boss in the train, I heard the screams and the jeers.

"Roman?"

Neo's voice reached my ears, as I threw myself down in the chair, trying to keep a firm hold of my senses. This was too much. I'd signed up for the loot, and when things got too hot, the woman had already put me in a position that I'd not be able to crawl out of...

"What if..."

She was straining her voice, and there was a solid illusion around the two of us that blocked the sound from exiting. She was straining her Semblance with this effort, trying to keep the conversation hidden.

"What if it was me?"

My eyes closed. For a moment, I tried to imagine it. The thought was making my thoughts go to a dark place, where there would be blood and people broken.

' _No.'_

The word rose to my mind. If it had been Neo, it would have been okay to strike and kill. For her, I would gladly walk through the coals of hell, no matter the cost. She will not suffer whilst I can still breathe. The struggling sounds outside still came in, one of the issues with this illusionary barrier that she'd woven, as the door to the cell next to me opened up.

Turning my Scroll volume up to the loudest level, I tried to block the sounds out, hearing the pleading and shrieking still from the other room, as Neo kept close to me. She was asking, not in many words, whether she could go to help the girl.

' _I will do what I must to keep you safe, Neo... I'm... I'm not going to let you die. We were to make it out together, and now...'_

I hoped for a moment that Red would come to spring the girl free before something was irreparably broken within the girl's mind. I am a piece of garbage, a thief, but that did not mean that I don't have professional standards.

No dead, just in and out with the loot and always watching your partner's back. Rules to live by, without even a damn care to what else happened. This was just... This was just going to be another tragic case in the cold cruel world.

The door opened and then slammed shut, a sign that Neo had gone out. The music continued to play, as the loud sound of a gunshot came from the other room, the sound thunderous in the small space.

' _The mongrels must've been getting on with the girl and decided to shoot each other for the pleasure of the girl's body...'_

Gods, this was all going to be a messy end, I just knew it...

I should've never gotten out of bed this morning. My Scroll came up, looking at the picture of the family that I'd long-since abandoned, Neo looking cute as a kid. Momo was already looking like a fine woman in this, even with her sister having been mute since birth.

At times like this, I missed her a little. She had always been able to be the stern bitch that dragged you out of bed, her whole issue with me and Neo being gone still in the back of my mind.

* * *

 _The logical progression of things (Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

He waited patiently in his cell for the time to come when they would fetch him. His eyes were directed to the spot on the wall that he had picked to focus on when his eyes were open, trying to analyze how many strokes of the brush would have been needed to make such an even coating on the cell wall.

' _There will be no death for me, nor any punishment. Logically, the trial is a farce, something to curtail the power of those who were born with the Mission as their pedigree.'_

Everything would go according to plan, the Grandmaster of the Order of Slayers having assured him that he would be freed. He trusted the man, as his plans had never led him astray. From the first moment when his father had introduced him to the Grandmaster's previous shape to the point where he had been asked to groom the next vessel.

" _It is a sacrifice to make, but-"_

 _The old man spoke, as his body was weathering down, the knowledge that there was more to be done yet in the world to last for the time, the aged features watching him. It had been an emotional day, stopped only when his Semblance acted up and blanked them all out. He had been the chosen one, the eldest out of three. There was no respite, no care within the world. He was the only one who could ensure that there was a bloodline which could propagate and last through the ages._

" _I will do it."_

 _He had to, in order for world peace to be achieved. If he would need to sacrifice his flesh and blood, he would. Emerald was a sweet girl, even as she accepted the burden that he had been granted. She was the love of his life and the decree had come too late for it to be still viable._

" _You don't know how much that heartens me, Sage. For Remnant to be safe..."_

 _The knowledge had been enough for him. He would convince Emerald to try for a baby. If it was a girl, she would get the best of training... She would be the best._

" _We must do whatever we can."_

 _The creed was hard and firm. It brooked no different set of rules from the ones that he had always lived by. He knew the regulations and the ways of bureaucracy._

" _I forgive you for breaking the pact."_

 _The words from the Grandmaster were a relief, as he closed his eyes. It had been alright, following the impulse to ask her. Emerald had accepted. He knew that he loved her, whilst he still felt the urge within him._

 _The Order would have their heir from the d'Arc-Night family. Verdigris had been weak. There was no place for weakness in the d'Arc-Night family, and the weak brother had been expunged. The plaque was to be fastened to the wall this evening, a remembrance of the child that he had once called brother. The urn would be all that would note the life of his younger brother._

 _There was no room for anything but the Order and the Mission. The grand plan would succeed. With the final sacrifice, there would be world peace, and Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night would be known as the man who gave his all for the peace of the world, as destiny intended._

 _It was the best option, given all the information. There would be a reckoning, the burden shifted from the world. Peace._

 _Emerald would understand, given time. She loved him as much as he loved her, after all._

 _Every sacrifice would be for the Order and the Mission. A set of daughters, a single son. If luck would have it, multiple sons._

 _There would be happiness and love in the world that was created once the Grandmaster took the reins._

The unfortunate circumstance of the child going away had been something unexpected. There had been nothing barring the vessel from travelling, though Sage supposed that it should have been something to do, in the case of the Grandmaster requiring another vessel in the future. It would need to be annotated in the books, in order to prepare the successor for the task at hand once the d'Arc-Night had been reinstated as one of the core families.

His daughters were strong. Rowena had been the strongest and most adaptable fighter of the seven daughters that his wife had borne into this world. Throughout the formative years, he had kept a strict leash upon the girl, as was dictated by the traditions. He had not intended to fail, nor had he intended for it to be such a success.

Heather, in comparison, was weaker. Her emotions ran higher, her finesse was lacking. A blunt instrument, compared to the scalpel of his eldest. That his eldest could not see the truth of the Mission and the success that it would bring could be attributed to her feelings for her offspring, a flaw that he had tried to break her of.

All boys that had shown an interest in her formative years had been dissuaded through words or a carefully measured force of arms. It was not the accepted form for a child to know the fleshy pleasures before she was to reach her age of majority upon which she could sit upon her seat at the table officially as the heir.

There had been no complications with the conception, as the flesh was strong and the womb fertile. His wife, emotional as always, had raged about the injustice of things with her eldest, yet Sage had been more modest in his response. It was his daughter's choice. She had been thirteen and she had consented to the act. It was out of his hands, at this point. His daughter was with child and that would be alright. The vessel had been created.

That she had liaisons with a man named Qrow should not have been a surprise. As his daughter, she had been mature enough to ensure that a suitable husband would be selected, though her choice in menfolk had been dubious. She cared too much for the vessel that she had birthed, though her mission record showed no flaws, there had been... feelings involved.

His wife's occasional worries about the vessel had been squashed with assurances. She knew as well as he did that this was for a purpose. A grandchild that she would be forced to call her child, as he looked upon the child that was his in name, knowing that it would scarcely matter. All would go according to the grand plan. Its objections would fade when the Grandmaster's spirit would enter its body, and all would be as it should be.

"Get up, you've got a date at court."

There was acquiescence and acknowledgement from him as he rose to his feet, holding out his arms for the cuffs to be fastened around them. It was how the process worked, in order to bring peace to the world. If the sacrifice had to be made, he would. It was the logical thing.

He was led towards a waiting car, the facility that had held him for nearly three weeks left behind, the air of the city quiet and calm. It was evening, he knew, the air thick with the after-effects of summer's heat. He allowed himself to smile, to give them something human to look at, though he felt it not.

' _Would we bring peace to these people, or merely yet another worry?'_

There was only the Mission. That the child known as Jaune Arc had perished was regrettable, but as long as Sage Aaron Arc still drew breath, he would keep doing what he did for the sake of this beautiful world.

He got into the car, flanked by two burly escorts, each having Huntsman training. He could spot seven different ways to disable them and/or kill them, their training weak. Their flesh was unhardened by the claws of Grimm, their attentiveness unsuited for the field. He could escape, yet it was not the plan.

As the car door opened and two of his escorts allowed him to get out, the large building that they were in front of looking like it had required years to build, the massive facade that had the workings of Vale's greatest artisans upon it, the woman bearing the scales of justice like a fairy that had risen from the depths of darkness, a statue of his ancestor standing in front of it.

' _For the sake of Remnant...'_

He caught sight of several people standing there, seemingly idle. Three bore the sign of Rose, the marking on their outfit arranged in the standard pattern. The women were dressed in typical wear for young people going out.

Four Calavera were currently having a lively discussion about something that he couldn't quite hear due to the distance, the logical conclusion being that they were in hiding. The tag on one of their bags already hinted at their presence. The two arcs that made up the d'Arc-Night Family's sign could easily be hidden amongst the clothing as a pin of sorts, to aid the purpose of identification.

' _Seven members of the Order... Eight, if you count me.'_

He was an apt Huntsman, yet he had not truly received the training that had been imparted to the heirs of the families. It was the right of those who could bear the stresses of combat, not the one who had been selected in order to ensure that the Mission would reach its end.

He caught the eyes of one of the Rose clan members, silver gaze meeting his own, hand moving in a light tap to the cheek and then to one of the other Rose clan members' cheeks, the signal already given by the one who led, to which he moved his head lightly, showing a cursory look around.

"Keep moving, Arc."

The words of the escort were inconsequential. He had informed them that there would be no need for assistance. Requiring one of the Seven Roses to assist him at this juncture in time would be hardly a plan well-executed.

"I was just admiring the sights. Been a while since I last had the freedom of movement."

Mimicking the emotions that he supposed he should feel was tough when he was in this state, but there had been no emotion enhancers that he had been able to take, as he saw the Rose nod her head, smiling at some joke that one of her clan members made.

' _They are here and they are present.'_

The strength of the Order laid within its members and the ability of most of those members to be able to fight against the Shadow. It was all according to the grand plan by the Grandmaster.

He could see the woman standing on the steps, dressed as elegantly as she could, the clothing a touch more formal than the regular outfit that she wore as a professor and deputy Headmistress to the Grandmaster.

Blonde hair was done up in a bun, green eyes looking down at him, a prim look that seemed unruffled by the events.

' _The Grandmaster has sent his primary aide... It is unlikely that he would be able to spare the time to visit himself. It is logical. I am but one cog in the machine.'_

The realisation that his life was insignificant, yet crucial to the functioning of this world was something that he could accept when in this state. Emotions were so different when you felt them and realized that the choices you made would bring forth something that would last for a hundred years or more.

"Mister Arc, a pleasure to meet with you. Headmaster Ozpin has sent me in order to represent Beacon as your employer."

The woman was polite, the prim and proper manner that she adopted being as regal as any queen should. A good woman, though there was doubt in his mind whether she fully knew the stakes of this world.

"Thank you, Lady Goodwitch."

The woman's lips pressed tightly together. It was clear that she had little desire to be here, save for the request of her superior.

' _Gratitude should be given for such an order.'_

As they entered the courthouse, the woman took the lead whilst his escorts maintained a respectful distance, clearly there only for the task of escorting him to the court.

"I have full faith in the ability of our legal defence to ensure that you will not be adversely impacted, Mister Arc."

The woman spoke words that he already knew to be true. "Allow me to once more state my condolences for your loss. Losing a child is never easy, as we all know."

"I have lost many. Jaune was my only son."

The records showed that much. Emerald had borne the sacrifice, as she should have. It had taken time to convince her, yet his wife was accepting of his requests. She always did as he asked. Emerald loved him, as he loved her on some level that he could only feel when the medication dulled his Semblance.

"My condolences, nevertheless. He was not the most skilled, yet he had a genial charm about him."

The woman's voice obviously was trying to assuage his fears, the faint tremors in his biological hand remaining still. The after-effects of the medication were still felt, even with nearly a week of being without. Emerald had come through, as he knew she had. There was just so little that he could feel right now.

"He was kind. He died. That is the fate of all men."

The words were cool, as he looked around, a moment of calm acceptance. Today would be a simple logical conclusion and he would receive a sentence that would be light enough to dismiss.

"The Headmaster has requested that I bring you a few medications..."

The woman's hand reached into a pocket and pulled out the package of pills, his eyes catching sight of the familiar make.

' _Good.'_

He accepted them and swallowed one, mustering the saliva possible for a swallow, feeling the chemicals release inside his stomach and sweep through him. A greyscale world suddenly blossoming with the colour of emotions.

"One moment."

He turned away, feeling the rush of endorphins, of the calm logic slipping away into a torrent of emotions. It was a moment where he was connected once again to the large sphere of human consciousness, the empathy that was required of him for this trial to be put into place.

"Are you... alright?"

Lady Goodwitch inquired, as Sage Arc firmed his features once more, the patrician of the d'Arc-Night family once more rather than a man who had let the mask slip for a moment. His Semblance allowed him control and logic, but it did not let others feel that he was human.

"A side-effect of the medication. My Semblance allows me to calculate things."

Honesty was the best policy, as he knew that the woman would see it his way. She was the Grandmaster's aide in the public function, he knew. She was the woman who managed day-to-day operation at Beacon Academy.

"It dulls all other sensations."

The woman understood, somehow. There was a look in her eyes that spoke of understanding, of a knowledge that had been there for a while, a knowledge which could only be gained through the time spent within the ranks of those who had pledged to defend humanity from the Shadow.

"A colleague of mine has a Semblance which causes bad luck. It is quite the nuisance, I agree."

He nodded. Such Semblances happened from time to time, a natural occurrence that had to be policed properly. Children such as that man should have been culled, in order to not upset the natural balance. He would have drowned the child himself if it had been born to him. A granted mercy for a life of pain to be spared.

As the door opened for them, he glanced at the wall clock. Nearly eleven. A late-night court session, undoubtedly due to the lack of import of a civilian trespassing on the grounds of Beacon Academy.

' _The work will continue.'_

He had no logical grounds on which to deny such a thing from happening. The courtroom was set up in the typical Valean style, the portrait of the late King of Vale hung up above the judge's seat. Similar features to the man he shared, as they were related. The jury of his peers was consistent with those of the Huntsman population, selected randomly.

"Sage Aaron Arc, this court has summoned you in order to cast judgment on you for allowing your son, Jaune Ozymandias Arc, to attend Beacon Academy with false transcripts. It is in the interest of this court to determine the guilt in this state of affairs, as well as to level a fine upon you for allowing a breach of the Huntsman Academy Charter." The words were formal, yet he accepted his seat upon the space for the defence. More words and terms came from the mouth of the judge, clearly making a few claims that were erronerous, or otherwise interpreted than the fact.

He schooled his face in a look of stern nervousness, feeling the dampening of those emotions slowly fade, as his gaze directed itself towards the accuser, who continued to rattle off the different charges.

' _Somewhat more than expected. Dereliction of duty is a false charge, I have evidence in order to corroborate my whereabouts.'_

"And how do you plead, Sage Aaron Arc?" The name was wrong, he knew. It was the public name, not the true name.

"Not guilty, based on the virtue of being not the individual known as Sage Aaron Arc." There was a pause there, as the judge looked at him with an expression on her face, the gown of tribunal that she wore embroidered with the official sigil of Vale.

"If you are not Sage Aaron Arc, accused of the things mentioned beforehand, then who are you?" The look that the deputy sent him was carefully measured, as she rose and then straightened.

"I am Glynda Goodwitch, deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy. I have relevant information which pertains to the case of this man, as provided by the register of births and census." The woman's attitude and attire were flawless, as she stepped forth with the folder in her hand, delivering it to the judge, who raised an eyebrow.

"This court does not allow sudden entries, Miss Goodwitch. It is out of the respect for your own office as one of the most respected Huntresses of this day and age that I will allow the inclusion of this... whatever it... is?"

The judge looked up from the papers, making a motion with her hand for the prosecution to come forward. The woman who had been selected as the prosecutor looked sour-faced and tense, as she stepped up to the plate. The file was handed over to the woman, who grit her teeth as she read it.

"How accurate is this?" The question was phrased in such a manner that it sounded aggressive, as Lady Goodwitch straightened.

"It was requested from the census office this morning by myself, stamped and marked with the date-stamp, as it pertained to the case of the one accused of such efforts." The persecutor looked sour, as she sighed.

"This wasn't in the notes..." The woman mumbled audibly, but conceded. "I'll... Yes. This looks factual." The judge looked at the two women in front of her before giving a short nod.

"Then, allow me to amend my statement earlier. Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night, you stand accused of..."

The fallout of that statement was enough to make the jury give him looks, as the pedigree had been pulled out for them to see. It was risky, to allow the name to be used, yet the Grandmaster would have his due.

He straightened his back, looking like the prince that he was in title, even as the jury looked distinctly uncomfortable with the sudden upgrade in status. It was logical, he supposed. The nobility had still been relegated to the backs of people's minds, yet within the blood laid the respect that had been allotted to the King of Vale.

Several of the jury looked at the portrait of the King and then at him, a hushed conversation springing up about the similarity of the features of the man compared to the portrait. The Huntsmen decidedly did not have the political leanings, their gossiping more of an annoyance than worthwhile.

Glynda Goodwitch returned to her seat, as the prosecutor did as well. The judge looked decidedly less at ease with having to adhere to the formal set of trial required for a member of the higher nobility.

' _Some status is to be expected. The Grandmaster would not have played this card if he did not know.'_

The vessel would have the title, upon the full Acceptance of the Grandmaster's spirit. That was what had been decreed. His daughters would have to accept it.

Jaune had never been more than a sacrifice.

It was his purpose, and it was how it should have been.

* * *

 _Terrific times of titillation (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

The nightlife was great, he knew. The faint buzz in the summer air, the hopes that he felt for the future with Velvet. It was almost sinful with how nice it was to be with her. Her every smile was like the dawn breaking on a dark time of his life.

Her hand was in his as they made their way through the crowd in order to meet with her friend and his girlfriend. Excitement, as she had made it known that she wanted to try out something adventurous.

"It'll be okay, Cardin."

Her voice was like the gentle ringing of a bell, her eyes smiling, the small bag that she carried with her having some of the stuff in it that she'd said would be useful for later. With how enthusiastic she had been in the bedroom with him, he could only fear for the mild ache in his hips. Dove had been not amused when he'd seen Velvet stumbling out of their dorm, as Cardin knew that there was tension still within the team. Russel had just given a thumbs-up with a wink, knowing that there had been some good old-fashioned sex for his teammate.

It was an alliance of fate and such, that made team DLCR something that functioned. Having been put out of the leadership role as a punishment for his actions in causing the death of a civilian, he knew that it was his fate to languish as a mere team member, rather than the leader that he had been.

The Arc family did not blame him in the slightest, but he did. The blonde had been weak and ineffective in the combat ring, but... still passable, he supposed, for a civilian who had a shield and sword. There had been no honing of the body, nor had there been a specialized weapon crafted, but...

' _But I've still done it. I entered the coordinates and slammed the door shut on him.'_

He'd still killed someone. It'd been five months since he had entered Beacon Academy as a young man, and now it felt like it'd been time wasted. He'd killed another Huntsman by fucking around with technology...

"Why the gloomy face, Cardin?"

Velvet asked, her voice concerned, and he smiled. She was blameless of the mood that he was in. If he ever had a son, he would probably name it Jaune, after the young teenager whose life he had claimed. With Velvet...

Interspecies marriage was still ill-accepted among the higher classes of Vale, the Winchester name having been known for their long history amongst the bastions of those who preferred to keep their name free from the Faunus taint... and with Velvet being a darling like she always was, it was just so hard to keep to those views.

"Just thinking a little about how the mission we've got will keep you from me." She smiled softly, her hand squeezing his own.

"It's going to be the best night ever, Cardin... Trust me."

He smiled, knowing that she was willing to do whatever it took to make him happy. She was a good girlfriend, who cared for him a lot.

"Ethan!"

She called out, a tall young man of maybe around 25ish standing there, the beanie that he wore on his head hiding russet-red hair, the smile on his lips broadening a little. There was a faint smile on his face as he looked at Velvet, before the man's eyes fell onto him. A look that was cautious, judging... perhaps a touch concerned as well.

' _Well, I guess he's one of her friends from Combat school...'_

"Hello there, Velvet." The smile on the man's lips was genuine, as someone gasped.

"Why, if it isn't Cardy Wee!" The groan that came from his mouth at the nickname that had haunted him for a few years, the sight of Melinda Syfres there with an excited look on her face.

"How're you doing, big boy? Grown some beard hair yet, or are you going to be stodgy like your granddad?"

The woman was a few years older than him, forced to engage with him at the social gatherings that his grandfather had taken him and his father to. With his father currently engaged with some of the politicking for better requisitions for the manufacturing process, it was up to him to bother with the woman. "Sooo... this is my boyfriend, Ethan." The man nodded, a warm smile on his lips as he grabbed a hold of the nuisance's hip, the sweet smile on her lips.

"And he suggested we do a little bit of a get-together... I mean, I didn't know that your girlfriend would be so darn cute, Cardy... Ooh, ain't she a pretty one?"

Velvet's smile was a little wooden, and he wrapped a hand around her waist. She was a little hot, as she nuzzled against him.

"So, we've got a room already, Ethan decided to splurge a bit on the funds... He's such a darn sweetheart, Cardy. Always ready to go out with me and so cute."

Melinda could talk a whole lot about things that hardly mattered, as they walked along to a restaurant, he took notice of how people looked at the four of them. Disgust and some revilement, watching them as if seeing some sort of circus show.

He felt protective of Velvet, who seemed to notice the stares and the people condemning them, enough time spent with her to notice those small subtle clues, as well as the hesitation that she felt. It was endearing at times, but he knew that she took things close to the chest as well.

"Drinks first, then dicks."

Melinda's crude nature seemed to be a calmness for the Faunus partners that they had, as the man cracked a grin, the beanie pulled off once they had been seated at one of the bars, the tips of the man's hair having been dyed black to give him that cool look.

Three drinks in, he felt decidedly more at ease than he'd been before, watching a passionate make-out session between Melinda and the guy named Ethan, the man's head angled down to the shorter girl, his hand wrapped around her waist. "Let's make out too..." Velvet's tone had a little heat in it, as she leaned up to kiss his lips, the passion she spoke with outlined, as another drink was set in front of them, the final round. Four drinks for four people, who would all be getting comfortable together.

It was, he supposed, similar to that training exercise that had been scheduled for second years and above, in order to dull the senses of emotion through sexual release. Velvet had told him about the way that Yatsuhashi, that giant of a teammate of hers, had stammered and blushed so hard when the first time had been when he'd had to perform. It was amusing, as Fox had been enthusiastic when he slept with his tall teammate.

They separated, the cocktail that Velvet had ordered almost a little fruity in taste on her lips, watching Melinda's hands go below the belt of her boyfriend. It wasn't something that he'd done before, a foursome, but it was something that he'd do for his girlfriend.

"We're going to have a lot of fun together, Cardin..."

Her words were happy and joyful, as he watched Melinda untangle her lips from her partner, the woman giving him a wink. "Yeah... You should see my man in action. Real wild beast, he is." The noticed the brief glare in the eyes of the man at those words, and felt Velvet pinch his side.

"It is only because I love you, my darling."

The words made Melinda light up, as she turned and kissed him once more.

"I love you too, Eddie." The nickname wasn't well-approved by the man if the twitch in his cheeks seemed to be an indication.

"So... Cardy? How about we finish these drinks and we get to the part where we are exploring the wonders of sexuality together, aye?"

He wondered briefly whether this was the new sexual revolution post-Faunus Rights Revolution that was spoken of, as he grabbed the drink, looking at his girlfriend, who smiled. "Let's have a good time together."

She smiled at him, a warm smile that held a smidgen of care within it. "I'll make it an unforgettable night together, Cardin... I swear..." She blushed as she looked at the direction of the other couple.

As they walked down the street, Melinda started to talk about some of the things that she'd always wanted to try out without any shame. He was sure that there was something in the drink, the feeling of that half-horny arousal inside him enough, as Velvet rubbed against him. A gentle smile on her lips, as Melinda made a comment about getting it all, Velvet's fingers sliding over his groin surreptitiously.

The bag that had been slung over her shoulders was holding her toys, he knew. As Ethan took care of getting the room, he looked around the establishment. A not-too-fancy Huntsman hotel, able to care for those with the constitution whilst remaining discrete.

' _Not bad. The fancy hotels would have the eyes of the press on them for a scandal... this is still relatively anonymous.'_

As they got into the elevator, Melinda decided that it was time to explore the benefits of lesbianism, Velvet pressed up against the wall, Melinda's tongue down her throat.

"Uh... I'm not into doing that with a guy, dude."

The man looked fairly disgusted as well, as Velvet kissed the woman back enthusiastically, the sight of his girlfriend making out with another girl as the elevator carried them up to their floor hot. It was good to see Velvet exploring that part of her, even as he could see the thrill of what was going to happen.

As the door opened and an empty hallway laid before them, Velvet was released, Melinda hugging his side. "Cardy, your girlfriend tastes like cinnamon and copper... My, my... What a cute little bun bun she is." Melinda's teasing tone was definitely usual for her, as she tugged him along. Ethan and Velvet merely shrugged their shoulders before the man stepped forward. The long dark coat that he wore looked like it'd look really cool with some sort of gun weapon, but the man just didn't seem the type to be some sort of Huntsman.

"I'm not a cute little bun bun..." Velvet muttered, shaking her head, pouting at the nickname that Melinda had given her.

"You're my cute little bun bun." He added, to which her smile lit up the space around her again. It was a smile that belonged to the cutest girl that he knew, the one who was his girlfriend.

As they walked past a door, a loud groaning sound came from within, a high-pitched woman's voice screaming for more, the sound of enthusiastic lovemaking therein. Cardin thought that there might be an orgy going on that room. A good place for a quick bit of relief, apparently. "Someone's having the night of her life, it seems." Melinda smiled, nudging Ethan. "How about we make it a night to remember too, right?"

"I'm sure that we'll be happier after we've had this little encounter, right?" Ethan directed at Velvet, who smiled in return. The man put the key into the door, one of the other next-door neighbours starting a rhythmic bonking on the wall, clearly not using the bed for their engagement. Two guys, it seemed, if the enthusiastic screams of 'Harder!' came through properly, even with the insulation that'd been undoubtedly installed to muffle the sounds.

"We'll all be satisfied when this is over, Eddy... Because I'm going to milk you like a stud at the farm."

The grimace on the man's face had been there for an instant, as the look was gone after a while. Some Faunus were pretty touchy about their heritage, he knew. Velvet didn't much like her aunt Hare, because she'd judge him for what he was.

The bed sat against the wall, the sound of one of their neighbours starting up again, the man turning the knob for the lights to switch to a slightly dimmer state, lending a mood to the room. The man took the bag from Velvet, setting it down at the side of the table.

"Let's get naked!"

The feeling that there was going to be a thrilling time ahead of him didn't stop him from watching Melinda shed her clothing, standing there in much less than the finest stuff that she'd worn during the last Autumnal gathering of the Council and their extended family, the sight of a set of perky breasts unveiling themselves stirring his loins.

"Get on the bed, darling."

Ethan said, Melinda giving him a wink. The coat was off already, hung over one of the chairs. This was going to be great. He shed his clothing as well, noticing that Velvet already had managed to get rid of the dress that she'd worn, her fit body standing there.

"Cardin... Here..."

Her voice was light and beckoning, as her fingers helped him out of his clothing, her hands tugging the clothing off and then gently stroking over his abdomen.

The nervousness inside him was there, as he stood erect. "Darling, let's switch for the first time..." It was an embarrassing suggestion, he knew, as Velvet looked at Melinda's boyfriend, who smiled encouragingly.

"It's going to be alright."

He smiled, as Melinda grinned broadly at him. "C'mere, Cardy... Time to give me something to moan about." She wasn't his girlfriend, but this was still good. He could see Velvet already working on Ethan's body, slipping a finger into his pants, about to get the man ready for what was to be a lot more intimacy than before.

' _Life is great...'_

* * *

 _The verdict reached (Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The conclusion was swifter than he had imagined. With the evidence that had been presented, the jury only needed a short time to congregate together in order to determine the sentencing. As he was allowed a momentary break in the bathroom, he mentally arranged himself in the perfect form, knowing that there was going to be an absolution coming.

The door opened up and a cleaning lady entered, around twenty-nine to thirty years of age, her hand pushing one of the trolleys into the place. "d'Arc-Night..."

The symbol was visible on the necklace that she wore, a singular rose crest that looked like it had been stylized in a deep icy white. The Rose of Winter, a woman who had been selected as one of the executors of the Order's Rose Clan.

He did his business, heedless of the woman's words. "There will be a not guilty verdict." The words rang truthful, as the woman started to clean one of the floors with the mop, working perfectly to ensure that the task at hand was done. Every Huntsman who was away on a mission would know how to blend in. The Order took subterfuge as a mandatory skill to know and it would be easy for any trained member to slip in, destroy and then leave through the same way as they had come in.

"Understood. Are the others there as standby?"

The short nod was enough. This trial had attracted the Grandmaster's attention, which meant that there would be an option for him to be at the man's service. It often did not mix well with the memories, dulling at times as the Grandmaster determined them to be useless, but it was the request of the Order that things continued to work.

"As usually is the case, yes. You may have produced two daughters who follow the Creed, but that does not abolish your need for representation."

The woman's words were calm, spoken without the chill that often preceded her words. The Rose of Summer had been a woman whose kindness showed, even as her determination never flagged, only a brief meeting upon the decision to have Rowena trained.

" _I will take a look."_

 _The words from the woman were calm and rational, the blades at her side sharp enough to carve his spleen out of his body. There had been no other choice available but to ensure that the Rose of Summer would train his daughter in the forms. d'Arc-Night had not had a representative for a few generations, as the laws stipulated, the accord between Order and Family having been made firmer than any bond._

 _Seeing his daughter be slammed into the ground a few times was only natural. His wife's emotional response was shushed with Rowena's determination, as she rose once more. The drive to be a hero in her own story had been something that had been uniquely Rowena's, a failing of the teachings of his wife. Emerald had liked the stories of heroism and warmth, and Rowena and Heather had taken to them like fishes did to water._

" _She holds a spark of genius... Impressive."_

 _The words of praise from the Summer Rose were highly valued, as the woman's silver eyes looked at him. "She will take the Plucking well, then?" The term wasn't something that they used for the family, as the terms varied across the Order's families. The Shattering was the term that they used for the moment when the mantle was earned._

" _Within the bounds of time, there will be a match made. My wife is pregnant with another daughter, and we are trying for a boy."_

 _There was some faint pride in his mind still. He felt those irritant emotions sometimes still, as the Summer Rose barked a laugh._

" _My, I cannot wait to be at Beacon Academy... This girl will be great. Perhaps I'll mentor her as my acolyte for a few months... It would be such a bother if I had to make another Rose blossom... She's got a sharp mind."_

 _He did feel that pride well up again. Rowena was everything that he could have wished for in a child of his line. There was strength, a natural stubbornness and a keen tactical assessment of the forces at her command, sportsmanship in her actions..._

 _She was the princess of the d'Arc-Night family, his heir. No matter what happened to him, she would carry the book of names along towards the heir she would birth. A legacy, all for the grand Mission._

As he emerged from the bathroom after having done his necessary relieving of his bladder, he let his gaze wander back to the clock, noticing that it nearly was twelve at night. Time had passed so swiftly that it was like the world continued moving along without him.

Entering the courtroom once more, he noticed that the judge looked weary and tired, as the faces of the jury looked tired and worn.

"I will make this brief. Due to circumstances come to light after the start of this trial, this court leaves it to the jury to give their verdict."

There was an uncomfortable look on the judge's face, as her gaze went to the jury, whose faces looked at ease and calm.

A tall man with a broad chest and one of the worst moustaches that Sage had seen thus in his life, stood there. "After convening and discussing the case, we have reached a verdict, which we hope that this court can accept as suitable."

The light voice was at odds with the moustache, the man's eyes drawn to the judge, or more specifically, the portrait that hung above the judge. "In the case of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night being accused of allowing a civilian access to restricted Huntsmen terrain and feigning to be a member of said Huntsmen students, we find the defendant, Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night to be not guilty, on account of the actions of his child, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, as documented in the evidence that the jury has bore witness to." There was a pause, as the faint sound of an explosion was heard in the distance. A nervous shudder went through the judge, as someone glanced at the windows of the courthouse.

"We assume thus, that the young man was at fault for entering a Huntsman academy, and thus guilty of entering where he had no right to be. The folly of youth, as he was a minor, and in the case of his survival, to be met with a three-thousand Lien fine."

A deep breath was taken, the man trying to continue where he'd left off. Sage had given better oration himself before, as speechwriting had been a subject that he had been trained in. One did not become a noble merely to flaunt one's title. One led by example.

"A paltry sum, yet suitable for the offense. If he had been found alive, proper proceedings could have seen the young man fit for trial as a misdemeanour. With the reports of his demise due to the actions of young mister Winchester in a case of schoolyard bullying, such a thing is to be dismissed, as punishment for actions taken beforehand cannot be enacted."

The man finished that lengthy sentence off, Sage feeling justified in the way that the conclusion had been reached. The vessel had been blameless, indeed. The child who caused his demise had merely been an instrument of natural selection. The body should never have been at Beacon, yet it was as the Grandmaster had suspected.

Another explosion, closer to home. "The Kingdom of Vale takes the advice of the Jury. The case is judged and arbitrated by those in the line of d-" The door at the end opened with a bang, six men and women wearing masks and having prominent Faunus traits entering, the weapons that they carried looking to be Vale Military issue, their eyes bloodthirsty, as Sage recognized the emotion. The Huntsmen in the jury bench rose as one, readied by the sudden intrusion, Sage throwing himself behind the stand. He noticed that the deputy Headmistress had already taken cover, as a burst of gunfire shot out.

"For the White Fang! For freedom! Tallow demands your death, humans!"

' _This is not exactly what I would suggest as a way to spring myself free...'_

A weapon would be needed, as the bullets continued to fly. He heard the screams of one of the Huntsmen that had stood as a jury member, knowing that it must've been a serious hit. Weapons were not allowed by members of the trial, so it was just their physical strength against an armed opponent.

' _But for the grand plan to succeed, even a bishop such as I must serve the King.'_

His Aura brushed over his body, the medication fading, as the calm came over him once more, wiping away all hesitation and making the world calm and quiet once more. He would do as he needed to, in order to ensure that the world was orderly.

It was the order of things, after all.

* * *

 _A man's love and lust (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

He felt the burn in his hips, feeling the pleasant rush inside him as Velvet licked his ear, her fingers stroking over his side. A low groan came from his lips as he watched Melinda half-giggle as her body bounced, Velvet guiding her down.

"Now, kiss..." She suggested, as she licked her lips. Ethan had bowed out earlier, having decided that he should merely watch, an expression on his face that made Cardin suggest that he was one of those people who enjoyed the sight of getting their woman claimed by a strong man.

He laid on top of Melinda, the woman's breasts pressing against his own. "Now... Give me a kiss, Cardy." The voice was there, as Velvet brushed her hand through his hair.

Melinda was a sloppy kisser, but the passion in her body didn't fade. As he moved, her body below him slowly inching forward to that third release of the night, he could feel the tension explode inside him, as Velvet's hands moved away.

It had been hot. Velvet had been eager to kiss Melinda and do things with her, even with Ethan merely watching. There'd been a moment when Melinda had been between him and Velvet, the legs wrapping around Melinda's head in a Sapphic moment of enjoyment.

"Damn... We should fuck more often, Cardy... You're pretty darn great, but not as great as my Ethan. Thanks to that little pill, I feel so damn relaxed..."

The words made him feel like putting on some more pleasure, as he thrust into her, Velvet pressing her fingers against his back, pressing him there, her fingertips trailing down to his spine. The release was soon to be done, Melinda groaning, as their next-door neighbours seemed to have a moment of pause.

"Close your eyes, my darling..."

The voice of Ethan came from the side, the man having dressed himself once more, a hand stroking through his hair. The man's Faunus trait was proudly displayed, as his blue eyes looked into his for a moment.

"Yes, please... Close your eyes. Here..."

Velvet's reassuring voice told him, and he closed his eyes, aware that Melinda had done the same. Something was pushed into his mouth, a gag of sorts, as he realized that this was going to be one of the games that they were going to play. He bit down on the gag, as she tied it carefully, stroking through his hair.

' _Perhaps some sort of kinky bondage thing?'_

"Now... it's time to make you get what you deserve, Cardin Winchester."

A bright flash, before wild and raw pain shot through him, his body pinned to the bed by a long hot stave of searing agony that had been shoved through his flesh. His head turned, as the pain seared through him, his back hurting so much that he couldn't move, watching the reflection of Velvet having slammed a Dust-made illusionary blade through his back.

"For what it's worth, Winchester... Without you here, we would have never been able to assassinate two of the Council heirs at the same time." Velvet's voice was cold, as the blade pinned him to Melinda, Velvet stepping into their view.

"We should get going, Harmony."

The man said, his voice calm, a single mask plucked from Velvet's bag, fitting right over the man's eyes. Horn-like elements of the mask gave him a look, as he felt betrayal stab through him.

"Enjoy the last moments of your life, human."

Dispassionate words, cold and without empathy for him or the love that he'd felt for her. He didn't understand, as the mask slipped into place, the outfit zipped up once more

"Going through the motions of being 'sweet and innocent Velvet Scarlatina' is such a bore... Adam, we're leaving. The human bitch will bleed out before he does... She doesn't have Aura. The last pet you took lasted for twenty-two days before Sienna decided to spoil the fun. Let the brutish human on my _'team'_ take the blame, I snapped a picture of Fulcrum just for the use here..."

He could see Melinda's terrified eyes, as she was stunned to silence, as he tried to work through the gag, trying to scream or something to alert others to this murderous couple. The blazing hard-light Dust sword that she had created had cut through his flesh, right at the spinal cord.

Some part of oblique memory told him that he was suffering from internal bleeding, that he was going to be dead in five minutes from the puncturing of his body from this position. Melinda was whimpering, though his weight on top of her made her unable to fully get the air to scream.

Darkness flooded his vision, as a door closed. It was getting harder to keep his body going, but the eyes of Melinda didn't fade with their pained expression. Regret and sorrow were in those eyes, even as he felt death coming closer.

' _That fortune-teller might've been right... I guess I deserve this for being foolish enough to love a Faunus.'_

It was an odd thought, as he realized that his life was fading. Clarity, as the darkness came inside him. Anger and frustration and deep despair welled up. This was just... this wasn't _fair!_ Blood leaked from his nose as the damage built up, the pain slowly starting to fade. Her voice was a soft whisper, as he kept her pinned to the bed.

"S-Sorry... C-Cardy..."

He couldn't respond, yet he felt the darkness slowly fill his vision. The apology wasn't something that he could take comfort in, as he felt his limbs grow cold. There was only darkness that he saw, as he felt his consciousness fading into the deep dark chasm that seemed to draw him ever closer. A light, slowly growing brighter, as he felt the darkness come closer, the light beckoning him.

' _I guess I'll be seeing you at the afterlife, Jauney boy...'_

He felt so betrayed...

* * *

 **Well, we can certainly say that this chapter has some grim stuff. Harmony Tallow is introduced. The White Fang is launching an attack on Vale, armed. People are dying.**

' **Feel free to skip his scenes' eh, Second Ghest?**

 **This is one of those moments where I can safely say...**

 **Just as planned.**

 **The Breach Arc starts here, to close Volume III. Get a seatbelt, strap in tight. It's going to be grim.**

 **Leave a review! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	53. Violation

**Chapter 53: Violation**

 **This is a warning: This chapter will feature disturbing content and situations. Reader discretion is advised.**

 **Well, that's about as general as I can be. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _The war within (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

The softness of her touch against his skin was like the siren's lure to a sailor's demise, luring her further into that hole of lust and love, feeling the touch of that hand against her. She tried, making him feel more comfortable. She only had her body to share, so she knew that it would be the best lovemaking that she could give.

She knew that he might leave her for a better woman if she failed. She didn't want to be lonely... Even with Kali's company, there still was that remaining sense of belonging, as she knew that the young man would eventually desire more partners. It was the fate of one who was so desirable.

' _At the end of things, we only have you...'_

It was the cold hard truth for her. She was alone in this world except for her children and her father, and her father's life was nearing its end. It would be a cold day in the world when her father died, but it would be the end of _her_ world when Jaune died.

It was not just the love that he had for her but the expectations that he had for her as well. She was an old woman, in comparison to some of the girls that he had known, a woman who was past her obvious prime years, but he loved her. That was obvious from every look that he sent her way, every little touch that he gave her. She was a woman who had put three children into this cold and dark world of terror and trials, a woman who had fallen in love with a man who was the same age as her daughter...

She was a woman who cared for a friend who wasn't even of the human race, she was a woman who had status in this world, a reputation as a lush, yet...

She wouldn't change it for the world. Summer and Raven might be those distant friends who were off in a world of their own, Huntresses and what-not, Kali and Sienna were involved in the Faunus issues, and her own romance with a young man who made her feel like a woman again was plodding along...

She felt at home. It was not the most luxurious living, nor was it the most comfortable, but as a woman who had nothing but the man who made her feel comfortable, it was still something that brought a smile to her face. They didn't need to live in a mansion, there didn't always need to be warm food on the table...

As long as she had her friends and was able to get her daughter back, it would all be fine. It would be enough to just have a small house, her daughters and son at her side, and a strong manly back to take shelter behind whenever things got tough.

"I love you."

Her voice was soft as her fingers stroked over his cheek. There had been enough time spent in the world with him as she let her body warm his. The look in his eyes was a little emptier than before, the mismatched blue and red looking like a warm embrace and the chill of the night, as she pushed her body against him, her soft whispered murmur of another 'I love you' met with a soft exhale.

"I feel... empty."

The feeling that he radiated was drained, the darkness inside his body slowly seeping through his body, the veins on his body distending, as the darkness filled them. A soft curse, uttered from his lips, a conflicted look on his face.

"I'm..."

She felt a thrill of fear from him, as he looked at her. "I'm scared."That he said that to her meant much. Kali was the one who held fear in a lover's embrace, as his gaze looked down. "I... It was so easy. I... I had her, I felt her soul crying out. She resisted and I just..." It was the realisation after the fact, she knew.

"I love you still, Jaune. No matter what... No matter how you choose to live your life, we are here for you." He looked at her with his gaze tender. His lips were soft, as he breathed out slowly.

"She was like this at first too, you know? When her lover betrayed her, she tried... I'm so afraid..."

The words were spoken lightly, and he must be referring to the nebulous woman who was known as the Grand Witch, the woman who created the Grimm with magic.

"I'm so afraid that I am going to be like her... I can feel it gnawing at me, the feeling of corrupting someone like that being so... so great. She never had the skill that the Grand Wizard has, but she was a deft hand at corruption..." The words were simple and fear-laden, but she understood.

"You're Jaune, first and foremost... What she does is her doing, you are not guilty..."

There was no need for him to feel like he was turning evil... He was Jaune. He was the man who she would marry, the man who would be Weiss' stepfather when she rejoined her daughter...

' _Weiss, you're going to love him, just as much as I love him.'_

It would be nice to see her daughter smile, combing her soft hair and hearing her laugh once more. It had been such a while since she had done something like that with her girls that it was almost like an age ago. Weiss would like him, she knew. She loved him and she knew that he would do right by her daughters and son.

' _My girls need to know that there is goodness in the world.'_

"No, I... I'm slowly losing it. The _Vitae Tenebris_ inside me... I'm... I'm out of balance."

She kissed his lips in a brief kiss. She knew that he was insecure about that, but it mattered not. He would be fine, no matter what.

"You're fine. I don't feel anything different..."

She didn't. He was still the warmth in the room, the momentary reprieve of her burning lust and desire. He was perfect in every other way than imperfect.

"I don't want... I don't want to hurt you all. Kali and Sienna... They've been made into Acolytes, and... And I'm afraid of what might become of me when I fully use the powers inside me. I don't _want_ to become like Ozymandias Pinnacle..."

The words were of a frightened young man, one who doubted and who quailed at the thought of losing himself. She smiled, brushing a strand of her hair out of the way. It was not something that she minded in him, a hint of insecurity.

It showed that he hadn't succumbed to the lure of power yet... That he was still as human as she was, his Grimm-summoning powers aside.

' _You may see yourself as a monster, but to us, you are a beacon.'_

"Jaune, listen to me... Listen, alright?"

Her voice was light, as his attention was on her. Shivers rolled over her shoulders, the warmth seeping into her flesh. His eyes met with hers. A spark of electricity seemed to push over her nerve system's ability to function, as she held him.

"You're _not_ going to be like him, or hurt us. We're older than you and we're _tough_ women."

She paused, as she realized that she'd just called herself older to him, not the best impression that she should give.

' _Damn it, you're saying the wrong things...'_

"You're also the moms of my friends."

He said, laconically, as the doubt in his eyes intensified. It was not pleasant to be reminded that they were having sex with a boy who was their children's age, but it was as it was.

"We don't _mind_ , Jaune. You are not going to hurt us. We're all women who are strong, and it's all thanks to you. Kali loves you, _I_ love you... Take it from me, as someone who loves you, that there is _nothing_ to be scared of. You will not hurt us. You will never change."

The hope inside her that there would be a better future for them, that she would be able to be open about her love for this man, this wonderful man who was as strong as a mountain and as great as her father, possibly even greater.

"But what if..."

She kissed him, looking into his eyes for the longest of moment before she felt him calm down, her arms wrapped around him in order to give him comfort. There was a look in those eyes that was fragile, as the doubt raced through him.

"Don't think about what ifs... If it comes to you abusing your powers... We will _never_ hurt you. You will _never_ hurt us. We're yours, Jaune... You dredged us from the muck of life and polished us into a beautiful jewel." The words were strong and without even the barest hesitation as she promised that she would make sure that he would never lose that bright spirit.

He barely seemed to believe her, so she would have to get creative... For the man that she loved, she would do whatever she needed to. "Do your sisters think of you as evil?" The question made his face show a thoughtful look, as he judged that thought with the faculties he had available in this malaise.

"Well... no. Rowe always told me that I was the best and greatest boy she knew. Heather was a little colder, but she cared in her own way... Ashley and Bianca didn't mind me, and well, you've _met_ them. " She had, the twins having been a touch odd, but that wasn't surprising with this wonderful young man there with them. It would be hard to restrain yourself in the face of overwhelming sexiness, after all.

"Your sisters love you, Jaune... No, I don't think you will be evil or weird or like Professor Ozpin... You'll be Jaune Arc, the man that we love."

The words were easier now, her eyes glinting as he looked at her and hugged her. "The man that I love should not mope..."

She craved his touch, yet she knew that he was fragile. Whatever he had done, he had done so in order to make this world a better place. When she was ready to emerge from the shadows with him, there would be a reckoning for those who would be present to challenge him, no matter what she would have to do.

"I'm... I'm not sure. Rowe and Heather are great, I mean..." The hesitation was enough for her to kiss him once more, her lips pressed to his own. "But Whitney, I... I..."

"If you turn bad, we'll turn bad with you. We _love_ you. No matter what, we will be with you all the way, and so will your sisters."

Ashley and Bianca had been on their side, throughout the brief encounter that they'd gone through. Whitney knew that they weren't the most important members of the d'Arc-Night family, but their approval had been something that she had enjoyed, with the conspiratorial grins on the face of the twins already standing out.

"They would, yes."

He admitted to her. She smiled and kissed his nose.

"Then why worry? They _love_ you. That is more important than anything, and that's the family that you can trust."

There was no reason for her not to bolster his spirits. She was a woman after all, who would support her man until the day that he died. It was not the decision of the wife to do whatever the husband should, but the decision of the husband to lead the wife.

"Thanks, Whitney." She smiled, nuzzling against him. "I just... I want to be a good man."

"You already are. You're going to be a wonderful stepfather to my little Weiss."

She knew he would be. Weiss was much like her in some respects. Anything could and would be smoothed over. Her baby girl would be so happy to make her new stepfather's acquaintance.

"Do you think I will be?" He asked, and she smiled at him. "I'm... I'm her age and..."

"And she will do as I tell her to. Don't discount a mother's ability to make her children do whatever she wants, _Meister_."

The word was easy to roll off the tongue, knowing that the man was the master of her being, the man who would take the vanguard and make sure that they were all kept safe.

"Mom did indeed look like she was going to take her sword to my oldest sisters a few times when she'd found them talking together about me. Rowe always managed to defuse her, she was good at that."

The anecdote that he gave was not something that she'd think was normally the case, since mothers shouldn't look ready to kick the ass of their children... But it was probably a Huntsman thing. Tough love and the like... She'd taken her licks when she'd got them, a miner's daughter was no different, after all.

"She'll love you."

Whitney knew that her dear little girl would love the man that she had selected as a spouse. It was a marriage up in terms of the royal ranking... It would make her daughter a princess by virtue of adoption, if Jaune chose to go through with it.

She wondered whether she would have to meet with Jaune's mother first or whether his father would be amenable to parlay for the betrothal... It would be terribly difficult to assure that things went according to the noble protocol.

' _A good impression on his oldest sister might be for the best...'_

"I hope... She didn't like my constant requests for dates..." The defeated look on his face did not suit him, so she held him a touch tighter. "And... Whitney... I'm..."

"You're perfect, just the way that you are. She will _love_ you, even if you are her age. She will see what a beautiful, strong man you are, what strength lies within you... I swear, if she had seen that, you would have been her man. Every woman needs a man to support, after all."

Her little Weiss would be so happy to hug her mother again, she knew. Losing her own mother in childbirth had prevented her from knowing her, but she could imagine that the poor dear must be bereaved either way...

' _When I come back... You're going to smile, my sweet child.'_

As she laid within her man's arms, she let her mind drift to the children that she had. Weiss would love the man she loved, Whitley would most likely be indifferent and Winter would loathe him...

' _But that doesn't matter. I love him...'_

Her children could take it up with her if they had any complaints. She didn't mind getting her knuckles bloody if they wouldn't follow her lead. It was time for a Schnee to take the reins of the family.

* * *

 _The broken cup (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She made good pace, the cloak fluttering in the air behind her, knowing that the traces had to remain in her sight, her Semblance already stretching out into the infrared spectrum. Azure was at her side, her face grimly set in her serious face. "Do you think we'll catch up to them quickly?" Her younger sister inquired, as Heather let her gaze meet with several of the other veteran Huntsmen.

Qrow Branwen looked serious and grave, whilst Taiyang Xiao-Long looked like he wanted to hurt something, the man's Semblance making his body glow slightly with a golden sheen. Rowena was looking like she was about to hurt someone severely... which was fairly logical, given the circumstances.

' _This must be bringing back all sorts of memories... I hope we can get to the girl before they brutalize her... She didn't look like she had much in the way of willpower...'_

Heather knew the reasons behind Rowena's situation, having been the first to hear the news. She felt embarrassed at her reaction, knowing that she had made Jaune fear for his life for a moment. Rowena had not been kind to hear that she had threatened Jaune. That she had lost control over her Semblance and nearly made an inferno happen was an unfortunate side-effect, but... She'd at least told him that he shouldn't force himself onto a girl. That had been something that Rowena had appreciated, though undoubtedly her older sister would want to do the whole bit herself.

He was her son, after all. Mothers should care for their children, even when the days grew dark and you knew that there would be blood and pain in the future. She was a Slayer, knowing well of the duties that came with the occupation. She would not falter when the darkness would come for her, nor would she bend the knee towards someone who would stand before her unless Rowena ordered her to.

' _We're always and forever bound together.'_

A childish promise, spoken at age ten, taken seriously by her at that moment in time when Rowena had been given the training. It had never faded from her mind and neither had it faded from her older sister's mind. The moment that Rowena had started to show, had been a moment when there was relief and realisation.

" _Do you feel him kick? He's going to be such a strong, good boy... Father told me that he'll be very important, but..."_

 _Her sister's face lit up, as her fingers traced over the pregnant belly. Heather hadn't understood why her sister would do such a thing, but it was alright... It would all be alright, as long as Rowena told her that it would be alright._

" _I like him already."_

 _She said, trying to make her big sister Rowena smile. The smile on her lips was bright, as her hand brushed over the stomach._

" _Have you heard of the boy who disappeared?"_

 _Rowena's frown was enough, as she looked away. A sign that not everything was as great as it was right now, her sister's beautiful long hair covering her features. "He wasn't the boyfriend you were hiding, was it?" Rowena's face didn't change, as a distant look came to her face. Heather could see the look change, as anger came to her older sister's face._

" _Rowena, what's wr-"_

 _The hand that grabbed hers was cold and strong, as her sister's eyes met hers. There was steel lurking behind that gaze, a gaze of a girl who knew what her task in this world was._

" _Don't speak of it." That was clear enough, as Rowena sighed softly. "I'm going to be a mom... Remember when we were still young and father had us prepare for the Order by making us work on blade maintenance?"_

 _Heather nodded, laying a hand on Rowena's stomach. The baby was inside, a light little kick against her hand. "I'm... Mama tells me that it's important, Heather. Father... Father told me that it was important."_

" _You are an important person, Ro... You're my older sister."_

 _The smile on her older sister's lips, as she laid her hand on top of Heather's own and squeezed softly._

" _We're always together, Heather... And... And you're going to be the best auntie to my little baby, right?" Heather smiled. She would try._

" _Of course."_

 _There was an understanding, as Rowena leaned forward and kissed her cheek. The light kiss was there for her comfort, as Rowena leaned against her, her older sister's arms around her in a hug._

" _I don't want to give him up, Heather."_

 _Her older sister's voice was soft, barely above the softest of whispers as Rowena laid her head against her sister's cheeks._

" _I want him to be more than just the flesh... I want him to smile and to laugh, to kick ass, just like the two of us. Why do we have to be the ones chosen?"_

 _Heather had no answers to give to her older sister, even though she knew well the task that was to be expected of her._

" _You are so lucky that you weren't born before me, my little kindling..."_

 _The words were soft, as her older sister's fingers stroked through her hair. "You'll be fine." The sigh, coming from her lips, the weary expression on her face._

" _You're not the heir. If it's up to me and my little boy..."_

 _Hands brushed over her stomach, the look on her older sister's face. "He will grow up happy. He won't have to kill, like me."_

" _Ro, please..." There was a plea in her voice. "Don't..."_

" _Remember about the Mission. We'll be the blade in the dark night, Heather..."Heather looked at her sister, as tears slid down the older girl's cheeks._

" _And when he's fully the Inheritor..." There was a bitter expression on Ro's face as she looked down at her stomach. "I'm... I'm going to... We're going to..."_

" _If I don't make it... Please... Please... Love him, love him more than you'd ever loved me. Love him, like you'd love a lover." The words were soft. There were tears rolling down Rowena's cheeks. "If something goes wrong, promise me, Heather... Don't..."_

" _Of course, Ro. I'm always here for you."_

 _The smile didn't fade. She knew that her older sister would be fine. Rowena was always fine, she was always ready to raise her blade and fight. Even during desensitisation training, Rowena was the one to be done the quickest. Ashley and Bianca still occasionally cried whenever they saw a dog, but they would get used to it eventually._

 _They were strong girls, even if Ashley cried a lot. Bianca was sterner in her nature. A good seed._

 _She snapped out of her brief remembrance, feeling her sister's squeeze. "I'll take care of your baby if you're gone, Ro... But you're not going to be gone. He's going to become the next Grandmaster... He'll..."_

" _He'll be the best future for Remnant."_

 _The words sounded full of conviction, but Heather saw the fear in her sister's eyes. There was no fear for her own life, but for her child's life. The tears came from her older sister's life, as she looked down at her stomach, her eyes leaking._

 _"He'll... He'll be a part of something bigger, like father said... He'll..."_

 _Her strong, beautiful and smart older sister was crying. She was crying for the child that she was to put on the world. "He'll be a hero. I know he will. He carries with him my blood." The smile on her sister's face was sad, as she looked down at her. "And... The Awakening will make him less suited for... what we do."_

" _You know that we have to... It must be done." The words of their father. Mama had never joined in. She knew better than to argue with the man._

" _I don't want to. I want him to grow up, go on dates... Be the good boy of the household, even if Father doesn't claim him under our name." The words were heavy, as she sighed, her eyes looking up. "I don't want him to be a puppet, even though it is his destiny. It just isn't fair..."_

 _Heather knew that it wasn't fair. There was no other choice for the child but to be the Inheritor, the one who would be the next Grandmaster, just as there was no choice but the Order for them._

As she snapped out of her memories, she realized that she'd frozen up, the others already ahead. She masked it by glancing in the direction, trying to find the track once more, the spectrum of light shifting, as her body adapted to a swifter jog, the suit that she wore of asbestos-lined fibre enough to stop the claws of a Beowolf in its tracks for a few swipes before her Semblance would wipe it away.

Her gaze met with Qrow Branwen's for a moment, before she motioned for them to stop. The pathway that led into the depths told her enough.

' _Looks like it's close-quarters combat time...'_

"We're going to be heading into the depths. Remember... Guard each other's back. Heather, you're with me when we get in there."

The words of her sister came to her, as she remembered the standard entry procedure. Her eyes closed and the warmth of the area around her pulsed, as she let her senses explore through the trail that was left behind.

"Why aren't we chasing after them?"

The Rose girl asked, Heather mentally scoffing.

' _And run into traps? Only morons rush in after the prey...'_

"Because we don't know whether they've set up traps, sweetheart."

The girl's father spoke up, the gauntlets that the man wore already stained with the ichor of life. The man hadn't been gentle or kind to those enemies that stood before him, his method of dispatching their enemies as swift and lethal as any professional should be. Even Qrow was as efficient as he could be with his weapon.

"Oh. Is that common? I mean, do they usually do that?"

Heather looked at Rowena, watching her sister taste the air, her tongue sliding over her lips, the face mask visible. Two of the Roses stood there, still imbued with the Summer Rose's command, like assistants that would be disposed of.

' _We can get in there, but a scout would be fine...'_

"Qrow... Do the thing. You've got six minutes to track them down..."

Taiyang spoke up, the man's face stern, as the scythe-wielding man frowned.

"Alright... For you, I guess it's a scouting gig..."

The man's voice spoke, as he disappeared into the darkness, a crow's caw loud in the air as the man had disappeared.

"Form a perimeter... We're moving in six."

The silver-eyed girl looked like she wanted to object to the order, but Rowena's orders were absolute. She checked the fuel gauge on the base of her weapon, knowing that the accelerant would only need an extra spike of flame to ignite.

' _Let's see how well we can make a barbecue with some Faunus parts...'_

Things were going to be alright... They were professionals.

* * *

 _The misery (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

Flying in bird form always made for an interesting spectacle, as he had to adjust to the different sense of gravity and the power of bird wings. The wings beat as he flew through the darkening corridors, the space that he was allowed to move in broad, as he emerged into the tunnel that'd been part of the train parts, watching how they moved. Eyes that were nearly virtually blind in the darkness looked through the shade, the low lighting allowing him to spot the outlines, his motion forward spotted by one of the guards, the man glancing at him before shrugging.

' _People don't really know much about birds... A failing that has serves me well.'_

He could spot the large crowd of Faunus in the distance, a few lights set up for ease of motion, a guy in a white jacket saying something to a woman who looked like she meant business.

' _Good, Winter's little sister is still alive.'_

That was a good thing. The White Fang goons would've wanted to keep her as a trophy, or something... else. Settling down on the train, he watched the proceedings. The sound of pleading hurt his heart, as the girl tried to struggle. His gaze drew to the guards, spotting the calibre of their rifles, making a quick count.

' _That's military-grade weaponry... Shit...'_

They were good, but they weren't _that_ good. Having to deal with things in the way that Ruby wanted would get them all pumped full of lead and lead to an early dismissal due to a terminal lead infection. Not optimal for a good plan. Rowe could probably carve through the people without even blinking, if she'd been allowed to cut loose.

' _If I was Rowe and Heather, how would I tackle this...'_

It was a good exercise for thought. He knew Heather's skill set pretty decently, according to Rowe's own words, more of a longer-range fighter than a close-range fighter. With the benefit of Rowe at the front, he could see the two of them tackle a ten-twenty encampment with the benefit of surprise... None of these goons were Huntsman-trained.

They'd be relatively easy to mop up with the liberal use of a Semblance with an area of effect, but since they had the girl... It'd be ninja-style.

' _Ruby's not suited for it... Neither is Yang. Those two women with their cloaks wouldn't be too far out of the reach... But then there's skull masks... Those two look like they're good with this type of thing.'_

It might just be a hunch, but if they were like Summer had been, there would definitely be something that they could do. He watched the guards on rotation, several of the people already getting themselves riled up for something reprehensible. There was a cruel type of energy, as the girl was dragged away screaming...

' _Better hold out, girl... Don't let them break you...'_

Rowe's face flashed in front of him. He would kill every single one of them if they had laid a hand on the woman, remembering the weak little child that'd been speared to the dock at Patch, Rowe sagging due to the blood loss. A woman who was driven to desperation, to such a hopeless fate as to kill her own child...

The image would have made him nauseous, as he knew that Ice Queen would've had a burning rage inside her if that happened to her younger sister. He would've had a rage inside him too, if it'd happened to Yang or to Ruby.

His eyes spotted some of the military hardware that had been displayed on the train, the tracks looking like they'd recently been repaired, which could prove to be a hassle... If that train got to moving... Things would be bringing bad things to Vale...

He lifted off, the minutes continuing onward, landing at the corner and slowly making his way, tapping in the code of Huntsmen a short 'it's me' on the wall.

He joined them then, Heather Arc's face looking sour, as Azure's face was worried. "Bad news, people." They had given him their attention, his eyes meeting with Rowe's for a moment. "They've got a train on the tracks and it looks like they're going to be driving it to Vale through the subway system..."

"Military hardware's on the train, so I guess that we'd best do a quick strike... Anyone got any suggestions?" He asked, the skull-masked tall woman hefting her axe.

"Beat them in a swift strike. Mary and me will be at the front, mashing them into meaty little chunks... We're good at that."

The woman seemed confident, her motions held with an assurance of lethality that was like a siren's call to him. It was something that was normal, he presumed, as he felt the surge of something slip through his system, the burning in his body like a fire that had been lit, the soft sigh that came from his mouth like a warmth.

"We can take the vanguard, if we must."

The woman said, her tone clipped and short. "They can handle things, if it must be so." There was a decisiveness in her voice, as a hand brushed through the hair below the hood of her cloak, the blade in her hand looking like it'd look much better with blood of their enemies dripping off it.

"We'll back you up, if we need to. The Faunus infection must be carved out."

Rowe's angry and hateful voice spoke the words that were determining the fate of the Faunus. "Post-haste... Because if that train starts to move, we're screwed with catching up. Traps visible?" Rowe's tone was formal and decisive, as he realized that she had been waiting for something like this. There was a bloodthirsty glint in the woman's eyes, understandable, as even Taiyang looked like he'd want a piece of the action.

' _Guess we'd just need Raven and Summer and we're all on a bloodthirsty hunt for Faunus... Just like the good ol' days..._ '

It hadn't been a fond memory, doing the purge-type missions. Taiyang had been sick for days afterwards, emotionally distraught with the people that they had been forced to kill because the order had come down from upon high. He was not a murderer by nature but if there was an order from official sources...

' _Let's hope that we can shield Ruby and Yang and the Faunus girl from the worst of it...'_

He wasn't looking forward to the sight of that, even with how things were progressing right now. Ruby was a good girl, with a great heart... Seeing it be tarnished like this was painful to watch.

"Then we're going to get ourselves ready..." The click-click-clack sound of something starting to move in the lower level was enough to warn him. That definitely was a train starting up...

"We're going in. That train can't leave without us."

It was important that they recover the girl, stop the plan and make sure that they all got out of this more or less intact.

He wasn't going to let Ruby suffer the same way that her mother had suffered when Raven had left...

* * *

 _The calm inside (Rowena d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

It was simplicity in the extreme. Her senses were wide, the throbbing on her back already telling her of the ghosts of memories that had been suppressed with rigorous self-control, the body that she had once thought to be infallible now restored to the prime shape... But the pain hurt still. Even with the wounds having been eradicated by her beloved son's work, they still burned with that rancid hatred for their kind, the faint spectres of those who had harmed her like a call of a siren, repeated evermore.

She knew that she would fight. She knew that she would kill. She would do her job, so that others would not. She remembered those days when things had still been innocent and without the burden that killing made you feel.

" _Kill him."_

 _The child was someone she knew. Her father had ensured that it would be someone that she would at least have some feeling to, the boy looking like he had been unaware, the man standing at the door._

" _You maniac! I'll tell my ma and pa about what you are doing!"_

 _The words weren't as important as this was, she knew. A single knife was thrown into the room, skittering over the ground, landing there._

" _One of you leaves this room alive."_

 _The words weren't a lie or a joke. The boy looked at her. It was important, she knew. It was the Mission or Death. She went for the knife. She was going to be the best. She was going to make sure that the others wouldn't need to bear this burden._

" _Rowena, no... Please..."_

 _The boy's pleas were almost like a balm, as she realized that he would not be like the others. "You don't have to do this, we can... We can..."_

 _She stabbed. His eye was pulped by the blade, as her hands grabbed a hold, throwing him to the ground, the blood and whitish jelly-like fluid of the busted eyeball visible, as she raised the blade again. It was for the mission. Heather would have to make a different sacrifice, but this was hers._

 _ **Stab.** _

_Punch with the other hand to make it stop struggling._

 _Raise the blade._

 _ **Stab.** _

_See the red flow from the neck, muscles tensing._

 _Raise the blade._

 ** _Stab._**

 _Twist._

 _Jerk to the left, plunge._

 _Rise._

 _She moved away and her father nodded. "Well done." The blade had been buried into the boy's throat. The struggles had faded, as the red gore covered her. She felt a stab of pride go through her heart._

" _Your true test lies beyond the other door. He is fully armed, and you will have to kill him to inherit your mantle. Heather would make a fine leader, should you perish."_

 _She firmed her shoulders, knowing that she would have to do what was needed. There would be glory in her future, all because Father had said that it would be so. Heather would never be subjected to this._

 _She stood over the body of the man, one of the men that had been decided as 'sub-par' by her father, the man's eyes looking at the body as it laid there. Even whilst drugged with a minor sedative, the man had still managed to inflict wounds on her, her side bleeding. She was a good student of her father, she knew. The body had yielded to her unrelenting assault after a moment of destruction, and she knew that she was perfect._

" _Well done."_

 _The praise from her father was warm, as he patted her shoulder. "You will be thirteen in six months, Rowena. Are you ready?" She smiled. She knew that she would be the best of the best._

" _I will make the d'Arc-Night great again, father!"_

 _She believed that. Her thirteenth would come and then she would be giving the world a baby in nine months. She had already bled, just a week before. She was ready to complete her destiny._

Snapping back to her mind, she saw the man emerge from the shadows after tapping the wall. A screeching noise as something was set into motion, the sound of gears moving and something buzzing to life, as well as the faint echoes of heartbeats that throbbed in the air.

The red-cloaked Rose did not regard her as much more than a curiosity, the two women who had survived the Summer Rose's judgment being as meek as lambs in her presence... Whilst the Calavera had no compunctions about stopping.

' _No matter what...'_

A grim determination came to her, as she let her thoughts spiral towards the dark place where she locked most of her bad memories away, knowing that she had been soiled and defiled.

' _I will make sure that you won't suffer too much, girl...'_

A shot to the head would deal with the Schnee girl if she was too damaged to function. Mercy killing wasn't something foreign to her, as she knew the stakes of the battle that she was to fight.

To kill or to face extinction.

"Rowe?"

Azure asked, her voice a little tense. "Are you able to..." The youngest sister of her line spoke with caution, as she looked at the darkness, even as they dashed into the darkness, the cloak fluttering in the breeze.

"I'll do what I must."

The words were calm and without mercy in them, as steel formed its way into her heart. She knew that she would fight to the death for the creed that she had been instilled with from the days that she could walk, the training that she had underwent.

" _Please, Heather... Think about it for a moment."_

 _The plea was not often given to her younger sister, who currently looked adorable with the twin braids, the sour expression on her face clearly stating what she thought of it._

 _Jaune was currently languishing in the crib that she'd been given, as Heather looked at the baby. "It'll be wonderful. You can make sure that we-" The door opened and Mother entered. The woman's face was a little paler than before, as she looked at her._

" _We need to train, Rowena."_

 _The woman's voice was calm as she looked at her. The sword at the woman's side had the familiar blunted edge that made it so effective for training, the look in her mother's eyes more determined than anything that Rowena had seen in the woman._

" _You've had your days of rest..."_

 _Her greatsword had been fitted with the special edge that'd make it unable to cut through flesh, and the sparring that she did with her mother always had been rough. Mother always made sure that she was the best. Father watched sometimes, but he did not use a greatsword, whilst Mother did. It was something that she could teach her._

 _She was bruised when she limped out of the room, Mother's hand on her shoulder, pushing her along. "We should get you a bath, daughter. Your father will want to know of your progress." The words that her mother spoke were delicate, even as she sighed._

" _I'll check up on Jaune for a bit. He might need to be fed." The warmth inside her chest did not stop at the thought of the beautiful little boy. He would be a great man, sometime... She..._

 _She didn't want to give him up, even though it was something that had been ordered by the Grandmaster. Father talked about what an honour it was, whilst Mother remained silent, as a woman of her lowborn standing was supposed to do._

" _You get five minutes, young lady."_

 _Her mother's words held a defeated tone, as Rowena smiled. She entered the nursery, looking at the small form in Heather's arms, currently looking up at his aunt. Mother did not enter. It was likely that she was drawing a bath for her now._

" _He's so big... Come on, little Jaune... Mommy's got..." She closed her eyes and sighed._

" _Big sister's got some nice milk for you."_

 _She knew that she couldn't ever call him that. Father had been precise in his instructions. The child... No, her beautiful little man, could never know that she was his mother._

 _Baring her chest and ignoring the bruises on her skin from the sword strikes that had managed to land on her, she let him feed on her nipple, the suckle making her feel a spark of joy. She was with her cute little baby, and she was making sure that it was safe. Heather looked at her, carefully watching the small boy drink the milk from her breast, the nipple tugged at with small lips._

' _I should get a bigger bra...'_

" _My sweet boy, my sweet child..."_

 _The lullaby she hummed softly, as her child nursed at her breast, the feeling of the little life's warmth making her feel the shudder of fear. She didn't want to give him up. She wanted to be his mom, just like mom had been for all her sisters._

" _He means more to me than anything else on this world."_

 _She whispered softly, loud enough so that her sister could hear her but not for the sound to carry further than the room. Heather looked at the little boy on her arm, still continuing to drink from her breast. It must be raining indoors, because he was getting drops on his little head. She should ask whether the roof could be fixed... maybe. The room upstairs must be flooded. Or the attic. She glanced outside to the sunny day. It definitely was raining somewhere above her._

" _More than Father and Mother..."_

 _It was the truth. She had carried the baby after the first signs of her pregnancy had started to show. She remembered every moment after the birth, that pain and then the relief. The Trial would be in three years and a few months..._

" _I'll love him, if you pass away."_

 _Heather was serious, she knew. She would love the little life from her womb just as much as she did. The little boy that she had held for the first time only a few days ago, would be a strong man who would be..._

 _Who would be taken from her and made into a puppet. Was this the fate that she had wanted for her child? Would he look at her with cold eyes and demand that she lay down her life on a mission, never to really look upon the world with those innocent eyes that she had met for the first time a few days ago?_

 _She was going to love him. She was going to love him as much as she could, be the best big sister that she could be. Nothing else mattered to her but the happiness of her little light._

 _It was raining really heavily. Her eyes were wet. Her eyelashes stuck together for a moment as she blinked. She should ask Heather to check whether the room upstairs had a leak. Her little baby could get sick with this water dripping down on him._

 _Her little boy was happy. That was all that mattered._

"Secure the sides, before advancing."

She barked the order at the others of the Order, aware that she had operational command as the highest-ranking one, after Calavera. With the Summer Rose out of the way, they would have to make some changes.

She would spring the girl free, no matter what. And if the beasts had laid a hand on her...

Faunus Mors would drink blood.

* * *

 _Quoth, said Raven (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

She was aware of the circumstances, as Summer stood beside her, the cloak covering the two of them in the shadows. It was not some sort of trick, as she could see the guards standing there as sentinels, the girl that had been dragged off looking like she was resisting.

It was one of the things that she felt some stab of empathy for, as Summer made a gesture for attention. A twist of the woman's finger, before the blood would start to flow, the Faunus guards that had been set up like a cordoning around the train. The military hardware that laid there was enough to start a small war, with the armaments that the Faunus wielded more high-tech than those more commonly found on the market.

She was well-aware that the ambush tactics for most settlements would hardly work. They worked best in the shadows, after all...

She made a tap against the mask, signalling her partner that she would like to speak, the gesture barely audible in the quiet of their surroundings. Summer nodded. A gesture involving two fingers and an intricate pattern, inquiring whether they were going to free the girl.

A shake of the head. A hand rose and made a wiggle with the fingers. Implying danger and a lack of ability to take on such a large crowd. It made sense, yet Raven felt conflicted internally. She knew that Summer knew best, but this was one of the friends of their daughters. It wasn't fair to the girl to be used by men as some toy... as she assumed that would be what was going to happen.

Another movement of the hand and they moved. Her blade cut through one of the Faunus' necks, as Summer's own blades flashed, carving a smooth line through the guts and the neck, silencing any outcry. The blood leaked onto the ground, the two of them setting the corpses down. They would be discovered, undoubtedly, but they were advancing.

Leaping atop the car of the train, she heard Summer touch down a moment later. The faint hiss of the engine as it was powering up, starting to fuse the Dust through the system to power it after a few years of inactivity at the least, was a sign that the train was going to take off. It was an older model than the current transportation that was available, the train that ran between Argus and Mistral more state-of-the-art than this... But its deadly cargo would be brought to Vale.

She looked out over the guards that stood there, watching and waiting, crouching low. There was a low hiss-snap-clack sound that followed the engine, and she could hear the faint echoes through the tunnel. The screaming of the girl was loud, the laughs of the men equally so.

Summer told her to wait. There was a pack of the Faunus that moved quicker, the scent-neutralizing soap that they'd lathered themselves up with giving them enough time for this infiltration.

" _Are you happy?"_

 _Her voice asked, Summer's eyes looking at her with an expression that didn't matter much anymore. There was so much that they still had to do, even after they had witnessed her daughter's Trial. Yang was a member of the Order now..._

" _I am. Your daughter is a bright blazing sun."_

 _She smiled secretively behind her mask. It was pride that welled up inside her, the pride of being the wonderful woman who had given birth to such a beauty._

" _She's like her father."_

 _Summer's expression turned dark, as she looked away. "Summer, you've got to s-"_

" _I don't, Raven. What is done is_ _ **done!**_ _" The anger in her partner's voice was real. "Don't you know what Taiyang did?" Raven tried not to think about it. She tried really hard._

" _And now..." The anger bled out of the other woman as she turned around. "You know what must be done. I've broken the vow more than once, and I hope that he's happy with his life, but..." There was a wistful tone, as Summer Rose looked up at the sky, the shattered moon raising to the heavens._

" _Ozpin won't be taking my daughters if I have something to say about it."_

 _The words were calm and understood. Raven knew what the woman meant. Their daughters, grown up together, had been together for as long as they had both existed. To rip them apart was to invite something else..._

" _And what... What do we do about..." She tried to ask, knowing that it would make Summer irate. "Him?"_

" _We're making do." Summer fastened the mask once more to her face. It was time to move, she knew. "If he makes a move... We'll back him up. He's got one of the Calavera under a spell, so we will be alright until the Matriarch is informed."_

 _Raven knew only tangentially the order's organisational structure. The Seven Roses of the Rose Clan, the Calavera with their great Matriarch... and the d'Arc-Night, who were mostly shrouded in mystery. She would not be able to dismiss so easily the d'Arc-Night family now with the woman who had been their representative, Jaune's sister._

" _And what if he wants to bed us?"_

 _She asked, Summer pulling the mask up once more, a smile on her lips. That smile often bode ill in any form that it took. Summer had ideas when that smile came up._

" _Well, didn't you suck his cock earlier?"_

 _Raven nodded. That had been inescapable. It had been... nice. He had responded well, and she knew that she'd drank too much._

" _It's just another step... And guess what! He's a natural blonde too!"_

 _Raven couldn't deny that logic, even though it was skewed. She felt the slice of fear go through her at the judging eyes that Yang would give her if it came out what she'd done with the young man who had been instrumental in returning Summer to them once more._

" _He could be our kid, Summer..."_

 _Her partner and friend's face changed, as they moved along._

" _I wasn't the one getting intimate with his cock, Raven... Just admit it... You want some of that too." It had been years since she'd last had a man in bed with her. Nearly seventeen and a half, as sex had been a thing that she'd not put thought in._

 _A tingle shot up from her nethers, as she imagined it for a moment. The pale-haired woman who was the Schnee girl's mother certainly had much enthusiasm for the sex that she had, and they were loud... But that meant that there would be a space for her as well._

 _It was not as scary a thought as she imagined it to be. Summer was... more or less open to the thought. For Summer..._

 _For her daughter too..._

 _It was all worth it for her daughter. Her little Yang, a strong girl whose shoulders had to bear a burden..._

" _Let's get going."_

 _She said, as they dropped down to the street level. They were more agile than most, she knew. Her raven form allowed for swifter and better travel, Summer requiring her to scope out the targets._

 _Her daughter would be fine. She wouldn't let anything happen to her little Yang._

She watched patiently how the Faunus continued, Summer's hands already working on the little surprise. A loud sound of a gunshot was audible in the air, as men cussed.

' _I guess that's someone who got shot...'_

* * *

 _A legal defence (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

She crouched behind the stand, aware that the armed men were there to kill them. Huntsmen weapons were disallowed in the court, so it would be a massacre either way... But she was not Glynda Goodwitch if she merely let herself be slaughtered like some weak creature.

"How are you with mounting an offensive, Mister d'Arc-Night?"

The question hung in the air for a moment as the man's cold gaze met hers with deadly efficiency shining in those eyes. The man was in Huntsman mode without a doubt, she knew the state well, from her own knowledge of such a happening with veteran Huntsmen.

"Functional and willing."

The screams of someone who had gotten hit and probably was injured now were loud, as the footsteps of the White Fang members came ever closer, the burden laid upon their kind something that she could not have even thought about, their revolt having no doiubt been years in the making.

"I will support you."

The words were calm and efficient. Heated emotions were wasted, as she knew that the man would undoubtedly know the plan of attack that they would follow.

He emerged first, acting as the shield that he would be. She recalled the Aura capacity that he had been given in his official file, an A+ ranking... which was enough to take a burst of machinegun fire if one measured the Aura safely. It would be easy to rise and then disable some of the Faunus.

He rose and she rose behind him, a shout of something, as her Aura called her Semblance forth. The purple glow flowed around her, as she spotted several of the Faunus, her riding crop in hand, moving to the spot where they were. With the focus that she had to maintain for her Semblance, she knew that there would be one shot.

A body rose in the air and slammed against one of the fellows, sending both Faunus tumbling into the pews. The man in front of her weathered the assault without a complaint, standing there like a solid wall of muscle and aged flesh, like someone who had been forced to hold the line for a while. She knew that there would be no regard for their safety, as her Semblance gripped the seats and then slammed them against the Faunus.

Bones broke, wood broke and her Semblance was unleashed, as she raised the shattered wood and then lifted it up, the strain on her nervous system of managing that many individual pieces enough to make her taste blood in her mouth. Bodies laid there, and her hand manipulated the fragments through a flick of the crop. The sharpened ends turned inward, and she brought them down.

"Targets neutralized."

The bodies wouldn't be breathing anymore. It was to kill or to be killed.

"Well done, Miss Goodwitch."

The words of gratitude from the man were heavy, as he looked at the Huntsmen that were crawling up. One of them was doing their best to stop the bleeding of one of their fellows, the blood that had started to cover his hands showing that this one wouldn't be walking out of the courthouse anytime soon.

"The best course of action is to search for the defensible position from which to ensure that we are able to mount an offensive against the attackers who come for us. It is the best and most fitting tribute to the ones who have come before us to fight as best as we can."

The man's words were logical, as befitted a man who had an exemplary record and a long life.

Most Huntsmen never made it past forty, but to see this old soldier ready to fight for the safety of the people put a warmth in her heart that was hard to really deny. There was a certain charm to the man, she could admit personally, even with how her eyes scanned the room, ready to defend those who were here.

"Our weapons should be stored in the armoury, pre-court session. Mine will be located there as well." That was normal operating procedure amongst the court, but it was unusual that the man's weapons would be put there as well.

"That means we'll have to fight our way through a few hallways... If they've come here in droves."

Several of the Huntsmen were already making their way towards them, getting out of the bench, Glynda's gaze going to the Judge who had adjudicated the trial of Sage Arc, the woman nowhere to be seen. She supposed that the woman might be hiding, or something of the sort.

"The judge is dead, Professor Goodwitch."

One of the Huntsmen said, a graduate of Beacon, if her memory served. "Hit by a round and never quite managed to make it... I guess we're all on a mission now, right?"

The sense of humour of the young man was wry, she remembered, especially with his performance being as sub-par as she knew it to be. Right now, more hands to wield weapons were what they needed.

"Very well... I suppose we will have to advance."

The door was still in splinters, the massive barricade of blood and broken seats there held still by her Semblance. It was not the desire of her to be a cruel and unjust woman, but it was something that brought a faint grimace to her lips, the knowledge that there would be more slaughter in her future.

She was well-aware of what troubles might be brought to the world if they did not fight...

' _At least the students sent out on their first-year and second-year missions won't be having to face wholesale slaughter.'_

She would do what she must in order to safeguard the world that had been so dear to her. If the world demanded her to kill, she would kill without mercy. For the children that she taught, she would be the lioness guarding her cubs.

With a jerk of the hand, she made the barricade slide to the side, her steps unhurried, even with the suit that she wore fitting her badly. She wished that she had the comfort of her dress and her skirt to move in, rather than this restrictive garment

Formalwear always was a bother to fight in.

As Sage Arc moved, she could see the purpose in his eyes, the deliberation of every action and the logical conclusion being reached by him, without fault or fail to contemplate. A set of boards was put together in front of him as a makeshift shield, as he stood there like a silent sentinel.

" _Move along, Mister Arc."_

 _The young man looked at her with skittish eyes, eyes that had not the confidence as demanded of a Huntsman, the look on his partner's face one of indulgence. She allowed herself the brief thought of perhaps there being a reckoning for the young man which would make his manner a little more palatable to her own eyes, at the same time as she calculated how long it would take for the redheaded partner to finally speak of her thoughts and feelings._

 _It was silly to see at times, the love triangles that happened within a team. For as much as Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie would deny it, there was an undeniable undercurrent of sexual tension between the two of them, as she had noticed more than once that the Valkyrie girl's nipples protruded through her shirt whenever her not-lover was close. It was the raw and naked lust within her eyes, the desire for greater intimacy than the mere 'friends' that they had been._

" _Professor Ozpin wants to see you in his office."_

 _The thought of team JNPR and their dynamic was banished from her mind as she wondered briefly on the reason why she was called into the office of her superior. As she stood in the elevator that would carry her up to the man's domain, she let her mind wonder about the possibilities, as she knew that the man would be asking questions that she knew the answer to, or not._

" _You called for me, Oz?"_

 _The friendly tone that she took was normal to her, as she realized that the man was currently hunched over the large display, moving something. The images of team JNPR had been magnified on the screen before him, the picture of a man whose face resembled the young man's, albeit older and much more mature than the student who barely achieved the minimum standard of combat in her class. The smooth-shaven look suited the older man well, she surmised._

" _How did the students do?"_

 _A small folder that had been on the side was where the man moved the cursor to, her eyes catching sight of a large amount of additional images, a schedule of sorts, as his eyes met hers._

" _Suitably. The Arc boy is... troublesome. He's going to get himself eaten by a Beowolf out in the field."_

 _It was not an inaccurate assessment. It would be something that would happen to the weakest out of the flock of children that she had to mould into warriors that fought for the survival of the Kingdoms._

" _I did not expect Jaune Arc here at Beacon, indeed."_

 _The man's eyes held some significance, as the picture of the young man magnified, showing the indecisiveness in those eyes at the time the picture had been taken. The information that had been listed there was all correct. She had verified it herself a few times... All looked as it should be. A similar facial structure to one of her old students, Azure Arc, she remembered, one who had been able to wield a gigantic rock mace with ease._

" _How are the other students? Is Mister Winchester progressing as well as he can?"_

 _She turned professional, as she evaluated the young man's nature, his skill and his ability. Sub-par in nature, skill being median and ability... unimpressive. It had been the leadership that he had displayed in the fight that had landed him the spot of team leader, but to say that he would be one of the people she kept an eye on would be a lie._

" _Proficiency levels are as expected from a newly accepted student. Out of the entire class of that year's A segment, he is one amongst the middle level of skill, with mister Arc, seemingly a favourite target of the young man's frustrations, at the very bottom."_

 _The headmaster's face had been less amused, as he had turned away._

" _See whether you can improvise something for Mister Arc..."_

 _The man's steps towards the window were soft, as he placed a hand against it, looking down at the academy that he loved so dearly._

" _It's not going according to plan... Why are you here..."_

 _The words had been soft, but it was a similar sentiment that she shared. The young man shouldn't be here with his level of skill. She would advocate for his dismissal, yet the papers had painted a decent image for him... If it was merely the new circumstances or some sort of different spirit of Beacon compared to his own home-grown training..._

" _Would you like me to draw up the forms for expelling him?"_

 _The man shook his head, slowly. The contemplative look on the man's face was hardly something that she had to take note of, but the sharp gaze of his to the picture of the man on the display meant more than mere thoughts on such a subject._

" _No, Mister Arc and I will simply have a chat... It is important that he realizes the stakes that are with the life of a Huntsman... I have that choice, after all... He has no choice, as I am the man who holds his future in his hands."_

 _The man's eyes looked old in his reflection, no doubt a side-effect of the ancient task that he had been bestowed with. The man cared for Remnant, or so she believed, knowing that he would be the best thing for this world. James, Leonardo and the other members of their gathering would all understand._

 _She departed, knowing that the next lesson the day after tomorrow would be about the use of rocket lockers and their varying applications in the field. Mister Arc would shape up in the ring, undoubtedly. She would have to call upon him more, the next class session._

 _She never would get that chance._

She zoned back in, drawn from the memory that she'd suddenly had whilst seeing the man's profile. The man and his son could have been clones, but it was likely that there was just a strong family resemblance that had cropped up. She had seen the daughters and their father and mother lined up during the funeral, the similarity of their features all generally the case. Some resembled their mother more than their father, but Emerald Arc and Jaune Arc shared little similarity in their appearance.

It was something that she had idly noticed whilst the family had been there, but she hadn't commented on it. The eldest two looked most like the young man who had passed in such an unfortunate happening, which would be fairly logical.

The man advanced, heedless of the danger. A machine-like manner of assessing threats and working around them, she would say if she had to put a name to it, as he got into the corridor. She moved after him, the only one with a Semblance that was focused on range. People had a hard time shooting when they were being jostled in the air, after all.

Gunfire sounded, and she was on the case. She would make sure that they would all get out of this alive and breathing, with no more deaths...

* * *

 _The blood-riddled road we travel (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Nervous energy ran through her body as she noticed the manner in which the situation had changed. Ruby was looking antsy, the softness of her eyes betraying her emotions. She wanted to go over to her sister and give her a hug, just like when they had both been young.

"Weiss will be okay, right?"

The hopeful tone in the girl's voice was enough to make her know that Ruby wasn't dealing with this as a leader. She looked at her little sister, before watching Blake. Blake looked like she wanted to say something, but waited for her to give permission. Undoubtedly, what Blake was going to say would crush her little sister even more. Even she knew well that there were things that the White Fang had done to Blake which would be a hundred times worse for a Schnee...

"She'll be fine."

She said, trying to offer a smidgen of comfort. "We're going to rescue her." Her father looked pensive and tense, even as Ruby adjusted her skirt a little. She saw that Ruby was looking at their father, the man's expression tired and yet energetic at the same time.

"Yes... She'll be a bit banged up, but shouting at us to keep some hot water ready for her..."

The hopeful tone of her sister's voice was like a siren's call, yet Yang knew that there would be little of such hope for Weiss. The White Fang had broken Blake, a proud Faunus, into a creature that needed an owner. For all the animal parts that they had, they had made Blake into something a little less than an animal...

"Don't worry, princess. We'll make sure that she's alright."

The voice of her father, usually a sound of comfort, was now like a siren of danger, the man's eyes looking at his daughter with that hope shining in them. She had once thought that when he was no longer sad, that she'd get encouragements like that as well, so she had trained hard. She'd wanted to make him proud of her too.

"Of course, Daddy."

The term made her feel sick. Her mother had come back into her life afterwards, and that was good, but the thought of Ruby and her dad... Not a good one. She looked down at the ground, her eyes clouded with the doubt inside her.

"We're going to make sure that your partner is safe. We've got Qrow and me here, and we'll be okay to handle them all together with the others."

Yang could see that the hulking woman and the shorter woman in the skull mask looked like they could indeed handle themselves well enough in the art of fighting.

"Will you make love to her too? She was next, wasn't she? Is she going to feel good too?"

The question, spoken at a tone of voice as if she was asking for another cookie, made Yang feel sick on the inside. To see that sight would be something that she'd rather go without.

"Maybe... But it is important to make sure that she's healthy and safe... I don't want to hurt your partner." Ruby smiled brightly, her silver eyes glinting with that happiness.

Yang felt sick to her stomach, as she turned to Blake. "Let's... let's stand a bit away, give my dad some time to talk with Ruby, comfort her a bit." She wanted to get away. It was sick. It was twisted...

She loved her uncle and her dad, but not in _that_ way. Her uncle was still exploring the place, searching for traps and the like, so there was still time.

"Don't worry."

The voice of Azure Arc spoke, the sternness of the older girl sounding awkward from her previously fun and somewhat enthusiastic manner.

"We're used to war rape."

A meaningful glance at Rowena, who had been a wonderful woman when she had been younger. The woman spoke up, softly. The mask was not in place yet, as the woman had raised it, the short blonde hair covered mostly, as cold blue eyes fixed her with a look that was unkind.

"They'll likely want to savour her. One of the three Schnee's... Vengeance is stronger than hate... So they'll make sure that she's probably get beaten into a pulp."

There was a look in the oldest Arc woman's eyes that spoke of death and hate, a burning vengeance that sent shivers down her spine. There was a purplish tinge that seemed to well up within those eyes, as the woman exhaled slowly.

"They won't stop until the company is dead and gone and Faunus are given their dominance..."

A gritting of teeth, as the woman's gaze turned away, down to Blake.

"You would do well to remember that, Belladonna."

Blake trembled, as Yang saw those eyes fixate on Blake with a stare that meant death.

"Darling."

The flinch, as the woman pronounced the word in a different vocalisation, the voice lowering slightly to add a masculine tone to it, Blake recoiling as if struck. There was a grimness to the woman's features, as she exhaled softly.

"So Adam had a hand on your re-education as well..."

The words of the woman were ominous, as her eyes darkened, an expression on her face of anger and wrath, something that Yang could understand. Blake had told her once about her former partner.

' _So the guy who- Shit. He did that to Rowe...'_

She looked at her partner, who looked a little lost, the feline ears twitching intermittently, Rowe's face turning away, towards Heather.

"Make sure that we're prepped for a quick evac if need be. Faunus have better senses than most of the people here and they don't have the sense that we do."

Yang wondered about that, as she let her thoughts bounce around in her mind. Doing what was expected of her was expected, but... she couldn't let go of the feelings inside her. The look on Rowe's face was so distant from what happened that she marvelled at how she felt so little right now.

"It's going to be a hard night..."

Heather muttered, her eyes raised to the sky.

"Do you know how they treat their prisoners?"

Yang asked Blake. Yang wished at that moment that she hadn't, as Blake's eyes turned down to the ground, trying not to look at her. There was a gloom that fell over her.

"Depending on whether they're human or not... Only four times was I with some of the humans... The guys usually are killed after being made an example of. The women are... Well, it's not really something that I cared about much. They were just humans. They were shared. Communal, before a shot to the head to finish them off. Nobody likes to make babies with humans, after all. Better them than me."

There was a silence, as Rowe's soft chuckle, a dark rasp of sorts mixed with dark humour, came from her lips.

"Oh... I'd imagine that there'd be a few people..."

A savage smile was on the woman's face as her fingers traced over her stomach, the wound that'd been there coming to Yang's mind. It was the sign of a woman who had suffered one of the worst things a woman could suffer, and Yang hoped that nothing would be happening to Weiss that would be on that level... But that hope was slowly fading as the realisation settled in.

' _She's... She's probably scared and afraid...'_

She felt bad for the girl, even with the disagreements that she had with her. It was not easy at times to live with different personalities in the same dorm, even with Blake being less functional in that sense... it still was something that would be a saving grace... She cared for her team. Her little sister might just be a bit... unaccustomed to social stuff and too idealistic but... It was still her little sister.

"We're going to get Weiss out of there..."

She promised, though whether it was to herself or to the others around her, she didn't know. She was going to get her team out of this situation, she was going to meet up with her mother again and make sure that they had that chat, and she was going to be the best Huntress that she could be...

She owed it to her team at the least. She wasn't going to become like mom and dad were...

"We're going to make sure that things go right."

She knew that it was a pipe dream perhaps, but she was an older sister and she felt responsible. Her mother might not fully be up to facing her dad again, but that meant that things would be alright in the future. Summer... was someone who knew the best out of everyone to manage things, she had been the team leader, after all...

' _Of course... We'll get you free, Weiss. You're going to be okay.'_

She remembered the first few weeks before the accident with Jaune. It had been a tough time, learning to adjust to the fact that there were more girls around than just her sister. Blake had been a silent and withdrawn partner, and it had done her head in at first, to make sure that Blake had what she needed. Ruby hadn't been much help...

" _What restrains you?"_

 _The question was strange from the counsellor, the man's eyes looking somewhat distant, as the question was suddenly posed._

" _Why not interfere? Every team has a secondary leader, in the case of incapacitation of the leader. An adjutant, able to take control when the leader falters."_

 _That made sense to her, she knew. It wasn't unusual for dad to comment on how Raven had been Bitch number Two of the team, as Summer kept them in top fighting shape. It would have been reasonable, she supposed, that they would have to select a secondary leader eventually._

" _But... She's my little sister."_

 _You just didn't crush the girl's dreams. She'd always tried to make sure Ruby had everything that she needed, even if she had to mend another of her dresses and make sure that it fit Ruby. They weren't rich, but they lived._

" _So? Does that stop you from your own goals? Miss Schnee, though we have not officially met her, has been described as wilful and overly confident in her skill, and your partner is... testy." The man's words were truer than she'd want to hear, as she knew that Blake wasn't in a right mood._

" _She is showing some promise though... But it will be an arduous journey for the two of you in the future, as there would not be any restraining factor left if you were to be incapacitated." The warning was there, the man looking at her, Professor Peach remaining silent._

" _She needs guidance. She needs the control of someone who knows when to give the orders... And she needs you."_

 _The man's eyes were on her. He never looked anywhere else than her face, the professionalism that she'd expect from anyone there._

" _I'm not sure that I can..."_

 _She started, the counsellor nodding at her in some sort of acceptance of those words._

" _Of course you can't. Not yet. Professor Ozpin has given us the task to ensure that you are more grounded in the reality of what it is like to lead a team. Should your sister be disabled for a length of time, as injuries do happen in the field, you will need to be able to step up."_

 _That didn't really give her much hope for Ruby, really. It was bad enough to see her little sister try to make sure that everyone got along._

" _And... And you're saying that I might be a good secondary leader?" The man nodded once._

" _I was once one myself. It was not so pleasant to be introduced to the courses, but my team leader had a bad constitution and occasionally had to be hospitalized due to their lungs. I was glad that I got the lessons." The look on the man's face, as he looked away from her, a touch of softness to his gaze, as his eyes seemed to remember the times that had been once._

" _My..." The man's voice quivered, as he closed his eyes. "My wife enjoyed the sight of me bossing my team around whenever they were a little uppity. She's... She was more the driving force at home. It's not easy to be in the constant state of alertness, nor is it healthy."The man's voice was light as his gaze turned away._

" _If you really love your sister... You'll want to be the one to take charge when she can't. Make the calls, make the decisions and let yourself do what is right, rather than..."_

 _Emotion on the man's face showed, as he turned away, getting up. "I need a moment, Peach, take over for me."_

 _There was no insult, no cruel jibe, as the man vacated the office with a quicker pace than he might've regularly used, the other counsellor giving a sigh. "What's important..."the woman slid into the seat that'd been vacated by the Wolf Faunus, the man's coffee mug still set upon the desk, the woman's fingers pushing it to the side, the ring of coffee that'd been made on the surface of the desk there._

" _Is that you do what you must. If you're going to be the sub leader of your team, you'll have to take the chance whenever it occurs... Because otherwise, you'll be shunted aside, merely relegated to some sort of background event as your sister hangs with someone who you know will bring them to ruin." The woman's face was gloomy, as her eyes looked far-off._

" _I've had something like that happen. The guy took my little sister... And when I meet with him again, we're going to have a long talk about taking her... Preferably with his kidneys getting carved out." The dark glance at the weapon that'd been stood against the wall, a smirk that clung to the woman's lips one of vengeance and wrath._

"We're going."

The words from Heather came to her ears and she snapped to attention. People were broken all-around in this dark world... But she would try to be the bright light that would keep her team together...

' _Or I'll shatter, just like them...'_

Ruby was too idealistic for the world, too naive to see what the world had to see. She seemed to live in a fantasy world, where there were princesses and knights, nothing bad ever happening. It was a sign that Ruby might not be suited to leadership.

Weiss was lost and desiring guidance. Yang had caught Weiss looking at her Scroll a few times, at a picture of her family, which looked like a family portrait. The father had a head full of dark hair, whilst her mother seemed to have a heavy expression on her face. Yang knew that Weiss wasn't coping with things well.

Blake was needy for someone to take command over her. Yang had tried, but... she knew that she was going to sleep at one moment and Blake would be gone forever. The lack of stability that she had with Blake made her feel nervous. She didn't want to see her partner gone, but...

But Blake was going to have to learn to stand on her own feet. Yang knew that there would be a few words had with the girl... But Weiss had to be saved first.

' _I feel like mom... Trying to make sure that Summer came back...'_

That's what she had gleaned from Summer's presence. Raven had come back for her. Summer had come back for her and Ruby...

She was the big sister. She would be a big sister to her whole team, if need be.

* * *

 _Revolution (Maroon Syfres)_

* * *

She realized that things were going wrong the moment that she heard the first gunshots in the streets. The alarm started to ring, as the calls started to come in. "What in the name of Vale is happening?" She barked into the receiver.

"Armed Faunus, attacking. Please evacuate, Councillor Syfres."

The trusted adjutant spoke up, and Maroon knew that something had been arranged for by the woman known as Cinder. This was just too convenient, and an armed uprising from the Faunus was something that would be going to harm her chances for advancement...

' _For the love of the Gods...'_

She pressed the button on the side of the desk, taking the Scroll out of the special socket, the device updated with the current information, Councillor-access only, the readout already showing that there were multiple attacks taking place all over the Kingdom.

"Heading to evacuation point Beta, rendezvous at that place with security detail."

There would need to be a defence mustered to the invading insurgents... so she would be the one who would lead the charge, through legislation. It would be her duty... and her strength.

' _We're going to weather through this, we're going to keep Vale safe...'_

Her finger pressed on the button that would connect to the Atlesian forces that still hung above the city of Vale. "General Ironwood, we have a Class E situation on our hands in Vale. I am Councillor Syfres, one of the Councilmembers of Vale and formally request assistance with this domestic issue, as detailed in the Vytal Charter, subsection Seventeen."

As she moved through the escape route, her fingers already were busy with tapping the codes into the system, activating one of the bunkers that had been made specifically for the Councilmembers of Vale in order to keep the functions of the Kingdom working in the case of a coup.

' _Vale will endure. The Faunus did not manage their revolution, so this attempt will be known as another strike against the people of Vale... and the world.'_

* * *

 _Loneliness (Weiss Schnee)_

* * *

She struggled. The grip that they had on her was sturdy, giving no room for her to move. Having miscalculated the personal space between her and the nearest White Fang grunt, she'd tripped and been dog piled, shuffled amongst some of the attackers before they'd made off with her, a hand put onto her mouth to silence her cries. She never had been someone who had been great at close quarters combat, even with the special attention that her big sister had given it.

As they dragged her into the subway system, she could feel their grips intensify, as she struggled harder. Her mouth tried to scream but the hand on top of it kept the screams muted, only a muffled sound coming from the mouth as she tried to kick and move, though greater size and strength seemed to be present in her captors.

As she was dragged in front of a tall and imposing woman, whose Faunus trait was impressive, she felt fear. This went beyond something that she could brush off. This was the White Fang, the terrorists who had killed members of her family, who had killed members of the board that her father had used in order to manage the business.

"Schnee."

The word was spoken with so much hatred that it took her aback, as merciless eyes looked at her, a deep fear taking root inside her as the woman's weapon shifted lightly, as if she was going to carve her up with it.

"Break her arms and legs. It seems we'll be having a bit of a surprise guest for a party..."

She could see the white-dressed human man stand there, a look of disgust hidden as quickly as it'd emerged. She was pretty sure that this was going to hurt...

The next words made her blood turn to ice.

"Make sure that she knows how good a Faunus feels by the end of it. She'll be a toy for the men to quench their rage. I want to put a brand on her myself... Show her what happens in the mines..."

She was going to be raped. They were going to do horrible things to her and... and she didn't deserve any of it. She wasn't her father, nor was she...

Someone grabbed her leg and her gaze met the white-dressed thief's. "Help me!" A desperate plea, as she could see something move out of the corner of her eye, desperation in her voice, her heart hammering in her chest like a scared rabbit's.

"Please!? PLEASE!"

She was shrill. Pain exploded over her leg as she felt the bone break as something hard slammed into it, the flesh twisting, as pain welled up, tears filling her eyes. Her scream echoed, as she sobbed and whimpered.

' _No, please... no, no, no... mommy, I... mommy...'_

She was crying now, trying to entreat the thief to come to her aid, as the man's gaze turned away. She could see that the jacket distorted lightly, as she felt the pain throb in her leg.

"The arms now... We can't have a Schnee scratch our eyes out... Oh, it's been a while since I've had a human toy..."

Another swing and her arm broke at the upper arm. It hurt. It hurt so much that she whimpered and cried out, the raucous laughter of the people who were around her, as her other arm was held out, and broken. She felt nothing but pain, knowing that she was going to lose her virginity as well as bodily integrity to a Faunus...

' _No... Mama...Winter... This isn't happening... this isn't happening. I don't wanna...'_

"Ah-ah... uuuh..."

She felt the pain race through her system, knowing that she was all alone here, without her team there to back her up. She felt so afraid and so lonely.

"Help... Me...please, please!"

She tried to plead with the thief once more, her voice shrill as the pain of her broken arms and leg continued to radiate through her body. She knew that there was blood coming from her leg, as the pain still continued.

"I don't want to, I don't want to!"

The mocking laughter from the men and women around her was like another cold shower of humiliation as they raised me up. Strong hands that had calluses on them picked me up, as the thief turned away, making an excuse.

"Let's show you what we do to the Schnee when we've got them, pretty princess!"

Someone said, as the sudden kiss took her by surprise, a tongue forcing its way into her mouth. She bit down on the offending appendage, the man pulling back.

The fist to her stomach knocked the wind out of her, as she felt herself being dragged.

"It's time that you know what a hole like you is good for, Schnee!"

She was carried, even as she tried to struggle, her legs unable to move, the pain making it too painful to move, as the crowd started to chant horrible things that she wouldn't have ever wanted to hear. Her father would have had those people hurt if they'd ever shouted such things in his presence, but here... they were going to do them to her. The jeers and the suggestions that she'd never be able to want anything but a Faunus' thingy inside her made her feel scared and weak, even as she was thrown into one of the train cars, hitting the ground with a rough smack.

"Time to let you get what you deserve, Schnee."

A man's voice sounded, as she tried to get away, her broken arms barely able to support her as she tried to get away. A hand grabbed the skirt and tugged, the shriek that came from her mouth met with mocking laughter.

"I'll pin her down, don't worry... Who gets first dibs, eh?"

A woman's voice, light and perhaps friendly if the hate that showed in the subtle intonation was not a good showing, came, and she came to see a deer-antlered woman's hand reaching out. She tried to kick with her good leg, but her tormentor merely evaded it. "Not so mouthy now, are ya? Don't worry... I heard that you'll be birthing a good soldier after a good nine months, if the gestational time's good... You're going to be the symbol of the human's place in the world when Sister Harmony brings the fire and the flame to your whole sickening system of oppression!"

"Why me?" She cried out, as she was forced against the ground. A knife flashed, as someone started to cut the clothing off her body. The cool edge rubbed against her skin as her outfit was torn to shred, exposing herself to the eyes of people she didn't know.

' _I wanna leave, I wanna leave...'_

"Because you're the enemy."

Someone said, and Weiss looked at the men who were already getting themselves ready for... the... bad things. She'd never really seen a man's thingy before, but she wasn't going to like it... not like this.

You were supposed to kiss the man who was your husband, make love to him and love your children... things that her mother had failed at, but she'd been nice and warm when she was younger... Mama had been wonderful, she knew. A great mama, before daddy had been cold and business-minded.

She managed to tug herself free, as the metal door to the train car was shut with a thunderous banging sound, cutting off that avenue of escape, her body crawling to the hateful laughter of the men and women who had come to watch her get... done.

"Aww, trying to run away from your fate, Schnee?"

A boot appeared in her view and her teeth slammed together as the kick to her jaw shattered the lower jaw, a whingeing cry coming from her mouth as she felt the pain, another kick hitting her right into the side. She felt afraid. She was so afraid, and now she was mostly naked and they were going to do bad stuff to her and she wanted her mama to hug her and hold her because she was so alone and...

Spittle and slime came from her lips as she laid there against one of the walls, her body half-forced up, slammed against the wall. Her legs were useless, the broken one flopped half-way, a shard of bone sticking out of the flesh.

"See this, Schnee?"

A gun, made for civilian use, was put in her face. She whimpered, noticing that the man toyed with the trigger, her body showing the fear that she felt as it pushed against her cheek. Living with someone who was a gun-enthusiast, her mind idly noticed that there was no trigger discipline within the man.

"One wrong move and we'll make sure that you're not going to be breathing... March wants you intact, but you've wronged too many people..."

She wanted to protest, but the weapon whacked her in the face, her cheek hurting. She knew only fear now, fear for her life, her chastity and whatever else could be called fear, looking at the men who obviously were getting ready for the... thing.

' _Mommy...'_

She hoped that she could be with her mommy again. They'd... they'd meet in the afterlife. Hopefully. She didn't want to, but... but...

She felt something invade her mouth, the metallic taste of it identified as something tube-like, and she became aware that she had the gun in her mouth, the look on the man's face, the bone growths on his cheeks standing out, with the scruff of a badly groomed set of sideburns there, the smell of sweat and other stuff that wasn't really pleasant invading her nostrils, as they shouted something at her. She just didn't hear a thing, too shaken and shocked from the pain and the fear.

She looked down, beyond the gun and could see her body there, as she laid against the wall. There was a man's thingy there at her legs, and she was...

' _Mommy, I guess I'll see you soon enough. Time to be happy with you again... I'm sorry for shouting at you. I should've paid more attention to you when you were alive and now I'm going to be...'_

She was so afraid, she was so afraid and she hurt so much... The gun pushed further into her mouth, as she saw the thingy come ever closer to her little flower, the leering look in that face showing clearly just the hate that he felt for her.

She'd done nothing wrong but to exist, and this was her fate? She wanted a hug by her mommy, she wanted to be told that everything was alright and that she didn't feel such a great fear... But she was all alone.

She was alone again, and she saw the finger caress the trigger, as the smile became larger on the man's face. Fear had made her wet herself, and she looked into the man's eyes as she felt...

 ***Crack***

A gunshot rang out and brains covered the back of the wall, snow-white hair stained with crimson ichors and bits of brain and skull. The body shuddered, as it slumped, death having given it release from its mortal coil.

The angry shouts started then, as the train slowly started to move towards the Kingdom of Vale.

* * *

 **Oof... Yeah... A Grimm Tale is... not always super to write. To the people who support me and give frequent reviews... Thank you. The story isn't over yet... But writing some of these parts was tough. I much prefer to write... less emotionally laden stuff. Dance is nice. My other stuff is... dark.**

 **Do remember... Not everything is as it seems. Did Weiss perish? Find out in the next chapter.**

 **This part of the third Volume is dark. The fourth Volume is going to be lighter in tone!**

 **Leave a review... and I'll see everyone in two weeks with the next update!**


	54. Tarnished

**Chapter 54: Tarnished**

 **Well… That certainly upset quite a few people. Note that I only wrote 'white hair being stained by red and bone', so it's not conclusive that Weiss died...**

 **I can definitely admit that it was a gutsy move. Killing off Weiss? No chance. It's not her time. _Yet._ She's a heroine, don't you know? She's got her team!**

* * *

 _Terror (Kali Belladonna)_

* * *

The struggle of the girl was terrible to behold, her senses as a mother calling out to her, the sight of the girl screaming in terror, as her power leaked out. Sienna moved slightly, the stirring enough, as Kali watched and observed. She saw the finger move.

She _moved._

A gunshot rang out, and darkness coalesced, the loaned weapon discharged, shooting straight through the head of the man who was about to hurt Whitney's daughter. The door slammed shut with a tendril of shadow gripping it, as she manifested. A grin on her face, as the darkness embraced her.

The little creatures were shouting roughly at the girl. Oh... That just wouldn't _do._

They were all going to die screaming, after all...

 _Nobody_ touched what was _theirs_...

" **Is this a private party..."**

A dark whisper, as the shadows clung to her form, her eyes a hollow yellow, as she looked at the girl's face, insensate and horrified. She let the fear cling to the girl, as it wrapped around her. There was a low rumble in the air, a tension that seemed to snap, as her body whipped. Dark strands of shadow clung to her, as the burning gaze of amber golden fear looked at those creatures who had dared to do something like it, Sienna emerging from the shadows with her.

Sienna's form was proud and strong, the brute strength of something feral, as her orange-red eyes burned with a deep darkness that sang to her. The black ichors within their flesh sizzled, pale skin wrenched with the veins, Sienna's skin lightening, the black marks on her skin giving her a grizzled appearance. It made her look like she meant business.

" **Or are we making this into an orgy?"**

She was a one-man woman... sadly. It'd have to be an orgy of blood.

"MONSTER!"

Someone shouted. It wasn't a bad title, Kali _supposed._ Her Katar carved through the flesh of that horrid little creature who'd shouted such a horrible term in a singular slice, as her body warped through the shadows. She felt the darkness power through her system, making the feeling slither and shake, the darkness giving her power.

' _No... You're the true monsters...'_

Sienna was in motion, as the train below them started to move, the flesh cut through, as the bodies started to mingle. Her fingers moved, a shadowy gown clutching the pale shadow of the girl, her whole body whisked away into the shadows. The fear came out, as she let her amusement show. She was hunting...

 _Fun._

A ravishing desire to terrify these people was within her, as Sienna no longer wielded the whip, tearing through the bodies. A good twenty men and women, several of them already escaping towards the outside, the darkened brush of wrath wreathing Sienna in its anger, as the blood covered the bodies. Terrified blue eyes looked as the blood started to flow, Kali's eyes a shadow of amber gold.

Half of a torso came flying past her as Sienna carved her path through the Faunus, looking at the lithe little creatures that came leaping at her. A bullet shattered against the shadows, as her body slowly sank into the shadows. The body of the poor girl was ejected out of the shadows as she re-entered her domain, the darkness blurring away into perfect vision, as her tendrils stretched out, her fingers meshed with the shadows.

A body of a rat Faunus, with a tail that seemed to have been augmented with a blade, seized in her grip. Her eyes glinted as she brought herself from the shadows, staring into the eyes of the man, her claws sticking through the shadows between the organs, piercing. A blast of something hit her in the side, the darkness slowly receding and pulsating, as she tore the body to shreds. Bloodied rain covered the sides, as she let the body drop, her gaze turning to the one who had drawn her attention.

 ** _"My..._ A toy _gun..."_**

Her claws dripped with blood and gore as she turned, another shotgun blast hitting her... yet not doing any damage. Ethereal claws ghosted, as the shadows warped around the man, her yellow eyes staring into his own as she emerged from his own shadow.

" **This won't do, darling..."**

She whispered, as the shotgun's muzzle turned towards the head of the man.

 **"Good night..."**

The flesh parted as the blast shot through the ceiling, her fingers letting another slip, wrapping around the ankle and dragging a woman wearing the mask of the White Fang, her gaze directed down...

 **"Aww... I think I _know_ you..." **

A girl starting out on the path towards unity between Faunus and Humanity when she'd first met her, she recalled. Kali let herself emerge from the shadows fully, her pale features almost sterling in the lighting, the crimson gore never having touched her. The glow in her amber-golden eyes never faded, the woman having wet herself due to the fear... A reasonable alternative, as her fingers slid up the pale cheek.

 **"I think you wished to have the poor dear _raped_ with a gun... Now, that's _quite_ the mess, _darling..."_**

Her hand reached towards the mouth, which was speaking nonsense words, pleading for mercy. After all, what would mercy feature now with her being here. A grabbing of the tense muscle and her claws sinking in, the shadows thickening in the darkness of the cavity, as her fingers grabbed a hold and she _tugged_.

" **I guess that raping tongue of yours isn't _much_ different..." **

Her _Zhu_ had commanded that she make sure that the members of team RWBY would be safe, her bond to her sister of the darkness was like such that her daughter would be safe.

The woman gargle-gagged, trying to speak and failing at it, Kali's foot kicking the body down, flickering into the shadows once more. She caught sight of Sienna carving a bloody path through the gathered members of the organisation that had once been so dear to them, the darkness in the room like daylight to their sensitive eyes. Sienna's body was moving with lithe, agile motions, bullets glancing off her body, an arm that wielded a machete-like weapon seized, twisted and shattered, as Sienna's body whipped around and twisted.

Like a veritable machine of death, the Bengal Tiger Faunus wove through the weapons that came at her, blocking one with her arm, the audible crack of bone cracking and twisting, as her body moved into the zone. The wrathful effect seemed to make those poor little morsels even more angry with her... Such a shame.

Sienna was in her element, she could feel as much. The moment when the darkness had welled up and she had stopped poor little White's daughter from getting slain by some poor unworthy scum that wouldn't even be allowed to grace the foyer at Menagerie...

 _"_ ** _Oh my..."_**

Someone was crawling towards the girl, disembowelled and still trying to damage to the poor dear. Slowly stalking over the ground towards the unfortunate soul, she caught sight of the eyes following her, the fear and terror in those eyes like a dark lure for her, a bright lighthouse within the darkness.

Kali's eyes had adjusted to the darkness easily, as it was her domain... But the girl would only see the faint outlines, a set of burning golden eyes and the sounds of combat. Flashes of bullets being fired, illuminating a ghastly figure, as the White Fang tried to fight back. The unfortunate little morsel had nearly reached the girl, grabbing a hold of her. She screamed, and her body moved.

Her hand reached out, claws like daggers wrapping around the hand. The darkness slithered back, unveiling her form to the girl as the lighting of the room shone onto her pallid skin, the dark veins looking beautiful in the reflection, as her eyes met the terrified ones of the Faunus. Her hand jerked the body back, and the darkness ruled once more.

A shadowy doppelganger rose from the depths of the shadow, the chattering no longer a hint... but guidance, a whisper in her ear that sang of the glory that she could get, all for the man who owned her life and her soul.

 **"Such a _pitiful_ little Faunus... The _darkness_ calls for your _blood,_ you know..." **

A loop, made from the intestines. Her arms fastening it to one of the metal railings above... Yes, that would do...

Now to _tie..._

The gagging sound was loud, as the morsel struggled. Aww, it didn't like being hung from its intestines. Such a pity.

 **"Hmm... That's the fear I like... Do you fear me, little morsel..."**

The dying dregs, the shadows slowly receding, swirling around her. Like her Zhu, there was none other. None who would be able to emerge from the darkness with her in his arms, no other who would hold her so close, as her eyes watched the Faunus, her posture relaxed. Her ears perked up, hearing the whimpers of the poor girl, as the morsel expired...

Her gaze turned, and the shadows crept back. Terror... Fear beyond fear, despair and hopelessness in those little pale features. The girl had wet herself... Such a messy sight, but understandable with this horrid situation. She might've been afraid for herself if she hadn't been blessed by her _Zhu_ with the strength to fight.

 **"My... You really should look after yourself..."**

A finger caressed the girl's cheek, a long red streak of blood left behind, her fingers caressing over the chin lightly. The girl was covered in blood, looking horribly unsightly. Her arms were bent at weird angles. **"Don't worry..."** She saw the girl cry, pulling the shadows away from her. The poor dear went stiff...

 **"Everything is going to be fine."**

The girl was whimpering, her fingers tracing lovingly over the girl's cheek. This was Blake's friend. She would be safe with her, as she peered into the darkness. **"I'll be watching..."** Her eyes were spotting more morsels...

The girl was set down comfortably on one of the bodies that looked reasonably cushion-like... Not much to say about the way that it'd been scattered by Sienna's claws, but serviceable. There had been a good thirty Faunus... Now there were perhaps only ten... Clawing at the door, their resistance still there. The train was picking up speed...

" **Dear... We should make sure that these little creatures are properly taken care of."**

She felt the darkness shudder, as she materialized in the shadows once more, the flesh carved through with the Katar that'd gotten embedded into the shadowy fabric of her arm, a steel blade sticking from living shadow, a gurgling rattle as she raised the body up. The door was forced open, the prey escaping, Kali's chuckle as she looked at the fleeing Faunus there, getting ready to escape... That just wouldn't do...

She wanted to kill. Nobody would despoil her fun... It was going to be a massacre, no matter what...

" **I'll take care of the little one... Hunt, Sister of the Pact."**

She turned her attention towards the daughter of one of her best human friends, who laid there, a soft humming coming from Kali's throat, as the ancient song started up, her voice light.

The girl whimpered, as she looked down at the girl, the shadows wrapped around her, her awareness following after Sienna. Weiss would be safe with her... She knew that her best friend would be happy to know that her daughter was safe...

Kali had promised to keep the daughters safe...

* * *

 _Wrath (Sienna Khan)_

* * *

The power that raged through her system was like a drug, pulsing and slithering, the darkness inside her quivering as the anger flowed, her body in motion, cutting through the flesh and the bone and the hot blood splattering over her body. She was in motion, an agile predator carving a path through the darkness, her fingers starting to taste the resistance of flesh and bone under the pressure that she exerted.

They were weak. They were nothing like the flesh that had been promised, nothing like the will that governed her. They did not feel her anger, they did not feel her pain and her terror and her love and her joys... they were weak. They had been led astray by a false prophet, a leader who had not the vision to lead the people into strength.

Her leg lashed out, crushing one of the men that had been trying to stab her, her body feeling the ping-ding-ping of Dust rounds exploding, the simple slugs that were commercially available there, even as several members seemed to struggle, already trying to escape.

The chain was wrapped in flames, as she felt her Aura burst and burn, the darkness suffusing it. Spikes emerged, thorn-like and glistening with the dark ichors, as she felt the anger inside her grow, the essence of life thick in the air. Her eyes glowed with that dark desire, as the prey forced open the door, trying to escape, the door half-left open. A savage grin on her lips, as a bullet shattered against her forehead, her Aura bouncing it off, her eyes looking at the unfortunate creature who had dared to harm the wonderful creature that was she.

" _I don't know what is wrong with me..."_

 _A question, spoken with a light tone to her voice, as she burned with that intrigue, her face turning from the look of confused interest that had appeared on the face of the other woman._

 _It had been three days in the cabin, feeling the aftereffects of the gift that she had been given. Her body was like a warm furnace, struggling to contain the heat. Dark urges to hurt, to smash, to kill... all worked through her system. She could feel him in the back of her mind, telling her that it was okay to indulge, to caress those weaklings with her claws and make them bleed..._

 _It was not in her nature to be quiet, nor was it in her nature to be restrained in her behaviour. She could feel the living anger slip through her system like a live flame, her whole body burning with that intense need to work, to kill, to slay..._

" _It's going to be okay... You're just feeling the power."_

 _Those words were spoken by Kali, her eyes glistening like golden gems in the darkness. Shadows were Kali's power, it seemed, the darkness burning with its own intensity. Kali knew the shadows better than she did, as the woman pulled herself free, the mature form that she had worn for years looking at ease, as her tongue traced over her lips._

" _He's a darling, isn't he? Don't you feel him?"_

 _Her mind did. The feeling of power and strength, the twitch of her lower body to mate, to take, to be owned by a man who was a human and yet more, to have been blessed with the strength that he had endowed with her..._

 _Her promise to Nyxie was still there... She knew that she would have to honour her friend's memory, had to find the young man who had been her son..._

" _It's wrong. I shouldn't..."_

 _Her body ached for his touch, for his approval. The darkness and the wrath inside her burned like a living flame, telling her to speak out, to tear through the hides of the humans and those around her until there was only her and the master left standing._

 _It was a wrong sensation, a sense of loss and a sense of retrieval of the self... But it felt right. Kali's younger form slowly replaced it, the face of Blake looking at her, with those eyes marked by the piercings, the sensuality of that form given flesh, as the skin was parted, revealing the breadth of excitement within._

 _"You should... He feels like strength, he feels like care..."_

 _She knew that it wasn't right..._

 _But she would keep her promises..._

Her mind snapped to the fore, her hand jerking a machete from someone's hand, the flesh of her arm having been gouged out, a spray of dark ichors slowly creeping back into the flesh, as she felt the comfortable rush go through her system, the fear in their eyes slowly replaced with mindless wrath. The strength of her power was different than Kali's, even as the darkness continued to linger, the shreds of Kali's power spreading through the room like some sort of fine mist, clinging to her flesh.

Her skin was dusky by nature, a deep colour that showed her nature and her Trait, the tattoos on her skin marking her as Sienna Khan, leaving nothing to chance and nothing to the hopes of fate, as she left her gaze there on the people, whose wrath turned them onto each other. The melee that ensued was like a lure, as she felt the tendrils of Kali's power go through her.

None of these dared to claim the womanhood of the little Schnee, the daughter of a woman that she had once despised with her whole heart, none would be getting their hands on the girl's flesh...

" _No rape, Adam. We are not animals. No RAPE."_

 _Her voice had sounded with the strength, remembering the look in her friend's eyes, Taurus having suggested that they make use of their superior strength in order to cow the human women into submission. She was not someone who would allow something like that to happen._

 _If it happened to human women who were captured, it would happen to innocent Faunus women all across the world. Once one side started to use that as a tactic, the other would use it as well. Nyxie had been raped and she'd died. Sienna felt that she owed it to her to make sure that no other women were raped._

 _"Very well... It was just a suggestion."_

 _Harmony leaned forward, whispering something in her boyfriend's ear, the man looking quiet, as March stepped forward, the aunt of Harmony looking as bitter as she could._

 _"We will need orders, High Leader. Too long have we languished in the dens, our fangs have grown dull."_

 _A simple mission. Liberate some Dust from the Schnee Dust Company, to train the troops with. That would have been the best solution for everything, she knew... She was aware of the expenditures and the people who needed to have their faith reinforced... She was nothing if not a capable leader, after all._

She watched, as the body fell to the ground, her hand having torn through the groin and then right upward, the claws having found nothing but the gore, as her whip had lashed around the neck of another of the infidels who had dared to pervert the meaning of the White Fang. Action had to be taken, but not genocide. They were not beasts.

Her body was in motion again, as she watched several reinforcements come. Within their hands there were weapons, automatic rifles that would slow her down... Her wrath blazed, as the darkness inside her twisted into the shapes. Her predators would stalk the train...

An umbrella's finely sharpened tip tore through the jugular of one of the closest members that wielded a rifle, the new squad of reinforcements already taking aim, a small girl, almost looking to be twenty-five or some-such, moving in an elegant manner, the flare of darkness that flashed through her body enough, as she whirled. The Grimm moved according to her command, a hail of bullets hitting their agile bodies, claws tapping onto the carnage-soaked floor.

It was a command, but it had been heeded.

' _An ally... I would not dare to harm an ally.'_

The girl had been with the thief-man that she had been aware of, the darkness that had been put into him having given enough of the signature of her master that it would be easy to discern him... He was close, yes.

"I... help... you. Yes?"

The younger woman's question hung in the air, as mismatched eyes looked at her. Sienna grinned, though the image of a bestial Faunus woman whose mouth resembled a garden of swords was undoubtedly scary, as the Grimm tore into the pack of Faunus militants, her eyes catching sight of the blood twisting, as the link with one of the creatures snapped, the darkness inside her rising once more.

" **Gladly..."**

Her voice was like the hoarse crackle of a flame as she strode forward, her body feeling not the pain that it must be suffering, her eyes roaming for more targets, another Grimm whisked into life by her will, the darkness inside her drinking in the suffering and the wrath inside her.

" **A hand for those who serve my Zhu..."**

Kali's voice was like a dark whisper, as she emerged from the shadows, her body as elegant as it could be, her eyes like the flints of gold, fear radiating around her. The poor girl seemed to quiver a little as the warring emotions, rage and fear, mixed together.

 **"Do not fear, girl... The little Schnee is safe. This one has taken care of all the creatures who wished to lay hands on her..."**

It was going to be a fight now... Three against many...

This was going to be _fun._

* * *

 _A terrible night (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She just knew that this was going to be an annoyance in the end, as she caught a hold of the last rung of the train, the others having already leapt on top of it, Rowena having leapt on first whilst she maintained her battle-pose, ready to tear through the Faunus like a hot knife through butter.

She was ready for the carnage, she supposed, as the sound of Dust rounds hitting the walls became known, machinery crunching and twisting under the blows of whatever Huntress or Huntsman had taken to the field. There were a good hundred or so Faunus around them, she knew. There had been guards, and the train looked like it could at least transport a good thousand people...

Mountain Glenn and Vale had boasted a larger population once upon a time, and she knew well that the transit system had been made for the capacity of hundreds, perhaps a thousand. People needed to get to work, after all...

She raised Ignis Mors, her eyes looking for the nearest target, spotting the Faunus girl already preparing herself. "Follow my lead." Her hand grabbed a hold of her weapon, slamming it against the first door, bashing it open. She could see several of the animals looking a little off their guard, their eyes looking at the two of them as they stood there, Ignis Mors whirring already, as the Dust injectors pushed the gel out, the spray igniting with a flick of the button, the torrential blast of flame washing over them. Screams rang out, as she cranked the Dust gauge up to the maximum, flame licking along the interior of the train car as the heat washed over her from the open flame, her eyes alight with the flame that sizzled in her soul.

This was what she had been trained for, the smell of cooked barbecue meat already in her nostrils. It was hard not to like the smell, as she saw the animals roll around, flames and liquid accelerant infused with Dust coating their bodies.

Her Semblance activated and the flames carbonized the bodies, her body draining the Aura slowly, as the burning starved the lungs of oxygen and the life faded. She could feel satisfaction, as her gaze turned to the other girl. There was a placid look of understanding, as Heather knew that the true burden of power was something that only the strongest of minds could bear.

She advanced, the flames slowly dimming as her Semblance affected them, the burnt patches of ashes evaded, as her boots crunched onto the metal. "Are you afraid?" Her voice was light, as she knew that the girl no doubt felt fear at the sight of her destroying her kind.

"A little. Adam said that fear was useless when fighting with the enemy. It made people weak."

The girl spoke with an emotionless tone, void of the deeper inflexions that emotion could give it, her eyes looking at the bodies, the melted slag that had been weapons once.

"He was the man who did things to my older sister, wasn't he?"

She asked, the name having been unfamiliar. Rowena had never really spoken about who had done it, but some of the times that she had been able to see a certain target, it had taken longer than usual for her to finish off the animal... There had been a spitefulness in Rowena's manner that had not been remarked upon.

"He spoke of one of his darlings. She had been the first. He wanted to make sure that she wouldn't spread her taint. Humanity does not need a king or queen when we would rule them, if it survived."

It was a moment of peace, as Heather closed her eyes. She felt the emotions go through her, as she knew that the man had attempted. It wasn't often spoken about, and she knew that her older sister would never really speak about personal matters, but it was the truth that she was known as 'Her Royal Majesty, Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night', just as her father was known as 'His Royal Majesty, Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night' to the formal level. It was always a title that they bore...

"Do you believe it?"

She asked, as the girl looked at her. Eyes that were a deep amber colour looked at her, as she saw the lack of energy within them, like a dead puppet who needed someone to control her. Eyes that had been like many of the women that they had encountered, broken into something that depended on someone... A chain around the neck and a noose to hold the body straight.

"That humanity needs no king to rule them? No. I left because... Because he wanted to kill them... innocents."

The admission was soft, but the girl's eyes looked a touch more humane, as if she had been roused from her sullenness. "When the Headmaster told me that I had a choice to do well, I didn't trust him..."

A soft nudge would send the girl back to her state, but Heather knew that to make the girl talk was to see what laid behind the neuroses and the dependency. It would be a favour to Rowena's little acolyte, who was the Faunus' partner.

"I'm going to try and take the White Fang back. We'll have our peace, even if we have to hurt... I'm all that's left. Mama is dead, papa is dead..." There were tears coming from the girl's eyes, though she seemed not to notice.

"I just want her to stop hurting... She hurts so much, whenever she looks at us. She tries to be the one who bears the weight of the world..."

There was a pause, as the girl looked doubtfully at her. "And she doesn't have to, I can help, I can..."

Heather saw the indecision in the girl's eyes, as she closed hers. "Move along, girl." Her voice barked, the girl's body moving, her body heat slowly fading from the perimeter around her that she naturally sensed.

"If this 'Adam' demands that you bring him the Xiao-Long girl... Would you do it?"

The question was spoken aloud, the sound enough, as the Faunus froze. Heather's hand moved towards the trigger, as the girl exhaled slowly.

"Yes."

' _Liability. Unable to break away from the one who has ensnared her. A threat if he appears.'_

Her mind immediately categorized, as she saw the marks of the man on the Faunus girl. With a push of the finger, the girl would be a casualty of the broad assault, a Fire Dust explosion having taken her by surprise.

"We're... We're partners, but he is... he was..."

The finger tugged, as the Semblance flared up around her, the girl's head shaking. Denial, a vulnerable moment for the girl, as she continued to speak, tears appearing in her eyes.

"He was the leader. You follow the leader and you follow their command! I wanted to keep the baby but he-"

The finger pulled away from the trigger, as Heather Arc moved slowly. The girl was breaking down, her eyes could see the state slip up. Rowena looked like that when she was at her lowest point, and Heather couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger and make sure that the girl would be another heap of flesh, charred to the bone.

"How many times?"

Her voice was soft, gentler than her usual rasp. It was not something that she would regularly discuss, but the girl was vulnerable, in a state where she would speak easily...

"Seven? No, eight. We had to perform, it was our duty. He was gentle, though he never really let me meet with Leader Tallow. He said that we had something special and that if I was good..."

The girl started to giggle. "Bad girls got punished. It was what we deserved. He said that it was for the best, that we couldn't keep the baby because I would drag us down. It hurt. It always hurt, but it was better. I had to be a good girl, I had to be a good girl and I had to be a good girl because we were fighting for freedom." The giggles turned into what might be hysterics, as the girl's eyes teared up. "I wanted to keep the baby... I'd wanted to keep it but he said that it had to be removed, because it would be bad. It hurt so much, it hurt so much when they just... it hurt so much. I wanted to keep my babies.

' _Classical break-down sign... Probably influenced by the situation with the Schnee girl.'_

"And now, it's happening to your teammate." A small nod, the girl's voice not speaking up anymore. Tears dripped from the eyes of the girl, leaking over cheeks that'd been flushed red.

"Are you happy?"

A whimper, as the girl started to cry again. She wasn't the most people-oriented. Rowena had always been the one who could hold the speeches. She preferred to be told what to do and when to do it. Killing was easy.

"I don't know. She's my friend, but... but they don't... They hate the Schnees. She's such a nice girl and she'll be treated like... like..." The word wouldn't emerge from the girl's throat.

"You. Weiss is like you." A small nod, as Heather rubbed her neck, her footfalls onto the train car's floor louder, as she passed by the girl.

"Better make sure that it doesn't happen to your partner, sweetheart..."

She knew that the Schnee girl probably would need therapy afterwards... Rowena had just been thrown into the fray again, her attitude still as finely tuned as it had always been. Faunus targets had been a priority for the two of them, as they carved a bloody swath through their bodies. Rowena's vengeance was terrible to behold when she was lucid.

"No... But if Adam is here, I..."

The girl doubted still, Heather's hand grabbing a hold of the girl's shoulder and pushing her forward. There would be no time for hysterics.

"If that asshole is here, he's getting a load of napalm inside him when he's meeting with Ignis Mors... Rowena's got a bone to pick with him..." There was a low rumble in the back of her throat, as she could already see that jackass looking like he'd been in a barbecue...

' _I like parties where there's flame and grilled meat...'_

Her tongue slid over her lips. "He'll kill her too. Just like... Bad girls." The girl's soft voice was there. "Bad girls don't have a use, so they make sure to kill themselves. They always kill themselves. I don't want to be a bad girl, that's what the girls who aren't of use are... bad girls. I'll be a good girl and I want to keep my baby this time."

Heather mentally counted to ten, as she drew a mental map of how damaged the girl was. Direct orders would suffice in this case. The girl was a traitorous time bomb, ready to blow up. She mentally cussed out whoever gave this girl the psych evaluation, because they'd bombed it.

"Get yourself moving, Belladonna. We've got to catch up, and I don't sense any people in the next car... So we should get ourselves ready."

It was a war, after all. People died in the war and she was not going to stop fighting.

' _For once, I'm not feeling guilty about putting an animal down...'_

Rowena knew the ways, Rowena knew the manners... But Heather Arc knew them too. She was the back-up, the spare. She was the one who would carry on, regardless of how much she hated the formal protocol, regardless of what her desires were.

She kicked open the door, watching as the welcoming committee was already gathered there. Her aura bore the hits without flinching, as she turned the gauge open and the flames ruled the world. Bright and blazing, the screams like a symphony of her own creation. Her Aura was strong, she knew, with the power that was inherent to her Semblance giving her even greater ability to manipulate the world, her whole body feeling that tender rush, as her eyes lit up and the flame became her.

The treacherous creature named Blake Belladonna would not be allowed to reap the souls of her teammates or her sisters...

Heather Arc would do her duty before the thought even surfaced in the girl's mind, and she would be ashes. Heather Arc was the flame and not the blood.

' _As the world burns, we will stand upon it and watch the embers sizzle in the tsunami of blood.'_

If she had to kill every member of the mission in order to keep the peace and safeguard her sister Rowena, she would.

" _Are you sure that this is the right thing?"_

 _The crumbling building stood there, alight with the flames of her weapon, Rowena's face emotionless as she watched the burning building, the mask having been placed elsewhere. There was no real emotion in her sister at this point, the flapping banner slowly turning to cinders._

" _Yes. They have to pay for their sins."_

 _They had been designated a purge target. The White Fang's base of operation, thoroughly purged of the life within it, had been found out and given the order to be purged. Her older sister knew the ways, Rowena knew. It was the duty to fulfil the contract that had been assigned to them, to burn the root out._

" _If you say so..."_

 _Her sister's expression turned to a smile, even as her eyes hardened. She would be child-like again when the first rays of sunlight would touch her, but it would have been a completed mission either way. She was a good sister. She knew her duties to the world._

It was her duty. It was her creed. The flames would have their due.

* * *

 _The rush (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

Her gauntlet blazed as she hit her target, the mask crumbling into a mess of ceramic and shards, the body going down, the blood coating her fist being an awkward situation, even though the body only seemed to bounce once before going still.

She calmed herself, knowing that it was the natural effect of death. She'd punched someone and they had died. They were evil, abducting a teammate and probably doing very bad stuff to her, if she didn't kill. Her dad had killed, his gauntlets coated in a bright red sheen of blood, Uncle Qrow's scythe coated in red gore as well.

Neither of the men looked terribly happy about killing, her father's eyes lit up with a deep sadness, as he brushed a hand over the gauntlets, changing one of the magazines of Dust out for something with a little more kick.

"We need to get going."

The voice of one of the members of the Order of the Rose was flat, as the woman stood there, her blade coated in red and her cloak marred by several bullet holes.

She got up to fighting form, knowing that some others had gotten on quicker on the train, the burning inside her muscles not being from fatigue, but rather the thirst for battle. She had earned the cloak, she had earned the mask and her mother was present... and even Summer was present. She could take faith in that.

It was the whirr of metal that alarmed her as they walked to the next car, before the Dust rounds tore into the metal, herself flattening against the ground as the hailstorm of bullets went over her.

"Mech!"

Her dad's voice shouted, Uncle Qrow in motion. A movement that turned less solid, as he turned into a bird, emerging from the darkness and cutting off one of the Paladin's arms, her eyes catching sight of the Faunus who wielded the fearsome mecha's power, the look of pure hatred on his face clearly a sign that they would have to face fierce opposition.

' _I hope Rowe is better off...'_

The woman was further up the train too... It had been a deployment that'd been made because of the number of cars that had been spotted. If they'd all gotten on at the same point, a single loosened connector between cars could send their mission spiralling into a failure.

' _Weiss, hold out... Things are going to be fine.'_

Probably not, but she was still a teammate to the girl. No matter how Weiss was... things would be okay. She caught sight of her dad and the Rose woman looking at the distance, the latter giving a soft gargle as red blossomed on her throat.

"Sniper!"

She ducked behind a half-demolished crate, just to make her profile smaller, hearing the report of the rifle.

 _'Alright... We'd need to have a fast mover...'_

It was just like drills with Ruby...

* * *

 _The blood rings true (Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The mask guarded her face from the bloody spray as she pulled her weapon free from the newly made corpse, her eyes glinting in the darkness, the final gargles of life ebbing from the filthy creature's body, her eyes darkly amused by the final struggles, as her gore-soaked weapon cleaned itself.

The bifurcated and chopped apart bodies were a sign of her excellence, as the Rose girl held a vigil behind her, more modest in her own disabling. She stopped the hearts of the vile creatures herself when the girl went for the non-lethal takedown, their bodies shuddering once before falling silent. "We move."

It was a soft utterance, yet the steady shocks of the train car as it moved was enough, her hand brushing over her mask and coming away wet. A brush of her Semblance later and the blood had disappeared, leaving only a bone-white mask of the d'Arc-Night family.

"How can you just... _kill_ these people?! They've got lives! They've got families!"

The Rose girl shouted at her, as she adjusted her outfit a little. The red cloak fell over her shoulders, her eyes glinting with that dark embrace of hate, as the girl didn't know or see the truth.

"Because they would do things to you and me, girl."

There was a blindness in the girl, one that refused the reality of the world. She could feel the girl's body, brimming with blood that bore the essence of light and power, the silver eyes that had been born naturally there to gaze at her.

"That doesn't make it right to kill them! We can... I don't know, tie them up?"

Her eyes blazed behind the mask, the shadows allowing only a set of darkly glinting sapphires to show there, as Rowena's hand brushed over Faunus Mors' blade again. The scythe still had the edge that she'd honed earlier.

"And they would free themselves. Take us from behind. Brutalize us."

It was a simple tactic. An effective tactic. She wasn't going to be bound ever again, nor was she going to suffer indignation by an animal's hands.

"Death is a blessing that we grant, child."

The Calavera said calmly, her voice lighter in tone, with understanding, Rowena's smirk behind the mask enough. The woman had been tamed by the young man that she had put on the world, the bright light in her world that made the darkness bearable.

"You're mean! Killing is never the solution! Daddy said that I shouldn't have to kill, because he was there!"

The girl's naive nature was something that Rowena would rather see gone. There was no need for naivety in this world, if the bloodthirsty animals wielded weapons that could shatter Aura in half a minute, or in a single shot.

"There are times and places when you will need to kill."

She was aware of the surrounding lives around her, the heartbeats pumping the water through the body. Her own body lit up with power, as she felt nine of the Faunus in the next car.

"We need to move."

The girl was further ahead. Alive and terrified, if the rapid heartbeat was any indication. The blood that pumped through the girl's body was rich and fluid, although terror was the primary motivator for such a heartbeat.

' _If the animals have done to her what they have done to me...'_

"Daddy would keep me safe! You're a mean woman!"

The half-punch that she got from the Rose girl was barely enough to sway her, as her attention slid down to the girl, her taller stature looking like a giant in comparison to the smaller girl. She had the greater size, the greater strength of arms and weaponry.

"I'm someone who gets results, Ruby Rose."

Her voice was clipped as her gaze turned to the next door. Nine heartbeats still pulsed, the blood in their veins slowly cloying with a touch of her Semblance. It was enough to dull their reflexes, making them less able to take out her fellow Slayers and the girl that they'd been getting.

"Get through the door. Nine present. Make it snappy."

She would keep the girl safe, as she knew that the Grandmaster had an interest in her as the daughter of the Summer Rose. It was a shame that the girl could not be convinced to the path that she was walking, but it was of little difference to her.

She knew the burdens of her path well, the strict obedience to the orders of one man something that had been taught. Father had been an apt teacher.

" _Pull, then push."_

 _A slow pattern, her body moving. Her father smiled at her, even though at times he looked like nothing seemed to matter to him, his eyes dull and emotionless, and the best instruction given during that time. She could see her mother standing there, pregnant with the newest member of the family._

" _Good, now twist."_

 _Her eyes caught sight of her mother's hand straying to her weapon, the urge to teach something that she'd never suppressed. Mother knew very well how to wield a sharp blade, with a deftness in her motions that made her wonder at times why it was father who taught her, but her mother had merely said that it was his due as the man of the family._

" _Good. Repeat fifteen times before moving to the rotary slash."_

 _She moved, her body going through the pattern. It was like a dance, the training sword that she wielded like a baton, her eyes watching carefully for her mother's nod, as her father gave the signal for her to stop._

" _Can we visit the settlement?"_

 _Her mother smiled, brushing through her hair. She loved it when mommy played with her hair. She hoped that the next baby was a boy. She'd have a little brother!_

" _Of course, Rowena. You want to meet with your boyfriend again, right?"_

 _She smiled at her mother's teasing voice. He was a nice boy, even though he didn't know about the Mission. She hadn't told anyone, because father said that it was a secret._

 _Mother didn't mind taking her to the settlement. She knew that there would be fun games, games that father never really liked. Heather was a bit boring from time to time, preferring to study and be serious. Isaac was a nice boy, but he wasn't her boyfriend!_

" _Mom, he's not my boyfriend!"_

 _That was icky! She was going to be the best girl ever! Father had said that she would be a princess and a queen if the world wished it! Mother just enjoyed the sight of her smiling and laughing._

" _Ro-Ro!"_

 _The voice of her friend was light as he came running at her, having spotted her mother and herself there. Her mother's pregnancy meant that she couldn't move very quickly, though the blade made sure that the Grimm were taken care of adequately in the space between the settlement and the house._

" _Hey there, you silly Izzy!"_

 _She grinned, watching the pale yellow hair and the deep green eyes that her friend possessed. The scuffmarks on his clothing undoubtedly were the result of the playing that he'd done, as she gave him the secret hand-clap. Of course, it wasn't much of a secret handclap, but it was their hand-clap!_

" _Want to see what dad brought? I'm sure it's okay! It's this huge weapon!"_

 _The excited tone of voice was enticing, as she followed after him, her mother's small nod enough, as she started to talk to one of her friends about the incoming baby. She hoped that it'd be a boy. She had enough sisters as it was._

 _Looking at the weapon that'd been laid out over the workbench, she could imagine that whoever wielded it must be some sort of impossible titan of Huntsmanship, the blades of the axe and the blunderbuss making itself look like a true Huntsman's weapon._

" _O-ho-ho! An interest in my weapon, I see!"_

 _The bombastic voice of a man behind her made her startle, having not noticed the man arrive and turning around to see a broad chest, a burgundy sweater worn over muscles that looked like they could bend a Beowolf in half._

" _Ah, yes, sir... Mister Huntsman, sir."_

 _The words of her best friend were shy, the man looking over the weapon, running a finger over the blunderbuss' side, as he looked at the weapon with a look like her father and her mother did._

" _Think not that you offend me, young children. It is not time for the great Peter Port to be stymied in his fame's growth by a young lad to be bashful!"_

 _The man puffed his chest out, Isaac looking at the man with wide eyes. She hadn't told Isaac about the training that she had done. It wasn't her place to, nor was it the way to tell._

" _And you darling children... Perhaps boyfriend and girlfriend? Do not fear, for I will be there to keep the Grimm off your small and tender hides!"_

 _The thought of having Isaac as her boyfriend was silly, but she knew that she'd be getting to be big just like mother. It would be nice, perhaps. Mother loved her little sisters so much._

 _She looked at him and he looked at her, a blush staining his cheeks and hers. It wasn't a bad thought. He wasn't... a bad boy. His father was the Settlement gunsmith, so it was... nice._ _"Thank you for defending us, Mister Port."_

" _Bwa ha ha! If I had half the spirit of you when I was young, I would perchance have found myself a wife already! I am preparing to teach in a few years, impart young sprigs like you with the knowledge to be a true Huntsman!"_

 _She could see the light in Isaac's eyes gleam, the burning flame that burned in her father's eyes whenever he spoke of the ancestral duty, knowing that it would be time for her to accept the fate._

" _I want to be a Huntsman, just like you!"_

 _Isaac's words were nice. The world needed more Huntsmen. She felt happy that he'd decided on that career, knowing that it was often a bloody one. She watched him as he turned to her._

 _"And I'll marry you, Ro!"_

 _She blushed deeper, as she turned her gaze away. She was seven and she didn't think about that thing just yet, but... It would be nice to be like mother. To be safe and happy with father. The Huntsman laughed, joy to be seen in his eyes._

" _A dedicated man for his princess!"_

 _Isaac came closer and he kissed her on the cheek. That was nice. Her heartbeat beat just a little faster at the feeling. Perhaps there was something to this boyfriend thing..._

" _I like you."_

 _She smiled, but didn't return the words. Those words were not to be said yet but she'd think about it, as she flushed red. The laughter of the Huntsman was like a bombastic chorus to the feelings that welled up inside her. Isaac was a nice boy. He was her friend. Heather was her best sister though. She was a better friend though. Isaac was just a boy._

 _She didn't like boys, but Isaac had been nice and not boy-like to her._

Memories faded whenever the jolt of blood and bone brought her back. A memory of the past, of one of the first times when she'd found the warmth of love inside her, a childish love. Father had never approved of Isaac. The childish love had never germinated further than just a sensation of like. Not like the love that she felt for the baby that grew inside her, the love that she felt for her sister. She might've called it love once upon a time, when she had been barely shy of thirteen, when he'd...

Mother had been silent when she'd asked whether Isaac was allowed to come to the house. Father had forbidden it. The armoury was strictly off-limits to most people, she knew. She wanted to show him some of the weapons of the other members of the family, just to impress him. It had been silly. It had been more than like, once upon a time. She'd been young and naive. Jaune was the only one that she truly loved, from the moment that he had emerged from her.

As she whirled the scythe around, cleaning the viscera from the edge, she glanced at the casualties. The Calavera was nursing a wound on her side, where a bullet had ripped through her flesh at a weak moment, her Aura already recovering the damage done.

She was still intact, the Rose girl was still intact. She knew that there would be no need for additional issues, as she wrenched the bullets out of the Calavera's side, the woman giving a low hiss of pain as she applied the bandaging to the side, lifting the fabric up to deal with the damage that had been done.

"No, don't kill them... They're still able to build their life up again after they go to prison!"

The Rose girl was just... a nuisance. Not worthy of the blood that flowed through her veins, as wishful fancy and hope seemed to mingle together into the rot of madness.

" _Don't worry, he's okay. You might've been a little worried but it's fine."_

 _She knew he was, even as the psychologist looked at the little man that currently was busy glaring at the Scroll game, the young boy being the most perfect boy on the world. She'd taken him to the first appointment herself, even with the proper forms having been filled out later. Heather was seated at the edge of the sofa, regarding the woman. Heather knew her place._

" _He's a perfectly ordinary five-year-old, Miss Arc."_

 _She smiled, knowing that he was still registered under her father's name. The paperwork had been filed and the adoption had proceeded smoothly. Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night was her father and mother's._

" _He loves you a lot and said that he wants to be just like his big sisters."_

 _She teared up a little, turning her gaze away from her lovely little brother. Nobody would harm him, as long as she lived. She didn't want him to lose that little light inside him. The psychologist looked at her with a side-way look._

" _You're Huntsmen in training at Beacon, right?"_

 _The psychologist pried perhaps a bit too much, as the woman looked between the two of them. "He's perfectly average, amongst all developmental processes that I have tested."_

" _No, he's better than average."_

 _She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips, as she looked at him, the frustrated expression on his face giving way to the delight of solving the puzzle._

" _My little brother is the best little brother in the world."_

 _The psychologist's eyes widened marginally. The woman was older than her mother, in her late sixties. The woman had inquired why her mother had not come with him, why it had been left to the oldest sister. She had started the session though, the Lien having been all that she could scrounge from her hidden account._

 _She had to know. She needed to know if her baby was alright. It was not official, it was all off the books..._

" _I shouldn't pry, but..."_

 _She looked at her child, known as her little brother. If he was safe, she would be happy._

" _If he's the product of incest, I have to inform the authorities. You three share a lot of features and... Technically, the stamp of the legal guardian is required on all official visits."_

 _Her eyes looked at the woman, her face darkening. She had been there to stamp the forms, even if her stamp was not valid as merely the oldest sister._

 _Her child was not defect! Her child was wonderful and he would be great. He would be the best and she was his sister. The woman did not understand the task, nor did she understand the sacrifice that was needed. She'd laid with the man that she loved, even if that love had been spurned!_

" _He was made with love. I loved his father, and I love him."_

 _The psychologist didn't move, as she looked at him. "Miss Arc, he is registered as the child of Sage and Emerald Arc, and I understand that it might be tough for you to admit it, but... It's not okay for a thirteen-year-old to have a baby. If he was abusing you..."_

 _The woman seemed to look like a kind older woman. Kindness was a weakness. The enemy did not wait for you to be done crying._

" _Heather, take Jaune. Make sure that he's in the side-seat."_

 _Her eyes looked into the woman's eyes. Anger raged and boiled inside her. The woman had taken liberties with what was proper. She knew that she should have gotten a Huntsman psychologist rather than a mere mundane one... They always assumed, they always doubted the work that was to be done._

 _As her child was carried out, she looked at the woman, whose face looked a touch worried. "I'm his mother." It was easy to say the word, now that the woman was alone with her. There was no need for secrets._

" _I bore him for nine months with love. I was too young."_

 _The Mission demanded nothing else but obedience. It was for the future of Remnant. She loved her baby even though she should not. Father had said that it was just the eight years before the Awakenings that she would be there... But she loved him._

" _If he's the product of rape..."_

 _She bared her teeth at the very insinuation of such an act. "Miss Arc, understand that I mean you no harm, I'm simply concerned for your wellbeing. A man has needs and you have six sisters... If your father has..." The hollow laugh came from her lips._

" _Father and mother love each other so much they don't love us, woman! You don't see... No, going here was a mistake. You don't understand the tasks that we have to do..."_

 _Her hand was in the air, as she felt the Semblance strike at the blood. It was a weak connection, but there was water in it. It would be just a simple little visit to the brain. The woman was old, after all. Strokes weren't uncommon at that age._

" _I don't feel so good..."_

 _The psychologist tried to get up, but her hand was quicker. The coagulating blood in the brain was like a thick clogging mess, the face growing pale. The eyes closed slowly, as Rowena got up. Her gloves were on again, just as insurance. Walking to the filing cabinet, she looked over the case files and then picked out the folder of Arc._

 _Looking through the files on her little baby, a smile came to her lips. He was such a good boy. She walked over to the tape recorder and pulled the tape from it after inspecting the mechanism. A fresh tape was put in, just to make it more believable. A missing tape would draw questions... A missing file, hardly. People misplaced their files all the time and it was a big filing cabinet._

 _She glanced at the older woman who laid half-slumped onto the desk. She pulled the gloves off and tucked them back into her pocket, the casual outfit that she'd worn having pockets, thankfully. Full Huntsman gear wasn't a requirement, after all..._

 _Her fingertip pressed against the neck of the woman, feeling for a pulse. A pen had half-rolled off the desk, balancing on the precipice, the woman's face turning blue, the body starting to grow still. She waited patiently, moving the blood around in the brain, expanding and contracting it slowly. The squishy little organ had a lot of fluids in it, and her touch was not gentle. Blood started to drip from the woman's nose._

 _Her eyes glanced at the clock, before she walked out of the office. She had more important things to do. They were going to get some ice-cream._

 _Heather kept her silence. Nobody would know. Nobody needed to know. Father and mother were happily married and mother loved father and father loved mother. Her baby was made with love._

 _Jaune only needed a mother that loved him._

Pushing the door open and spotting several of the animals trying to brace the door at the other end, she smiled. She could feel a familiar heartbeat on the other end, the beat that she knew by heart, even with her beloved son's heartbeat as her morning guide.

"Watch. Wait."

She spread her arm, blocking the passage of others. She watched as the White Fang members tried to brace the door, a claw tearing through the metal, something dark and wicked behind the door, trying to move. There was resistance, she could see it... and she felt Sienna's heartbeat pump and pulse. The power in Sienna's body was alive and fierce, the burning brush inside her body like a dark temper, shivering and shuddering with the power.

Her eyes slowly turned to silver as she watched the door open up, a bestial Grimm pushing through the door opening, watching as one of the White Fang members went flying, hitting the ground as its comrades fired their weaponry at the Grimm.

She was not going to mourn them, as she saw Sienna's form behind the Grimm, another of the strange new Grimm pushing its way through the door, the hinges having been bashed aside. Glowing orange-red eyes met hers, and the woman turned around, as the Grimm started to carve a path through the resistance that had been posed, her body adjusted to the stresses.

"Deal with them."

She said, as the Grimm moved. She had seen Sienna, had seen the glowing eyes, had felt the presence of the woman. It was alright.

Sienna had made sure that the girl was safe, she just knew it.

* * *

 _Innocence (Ruby Rose)_

* * *

She was going to make sure that Weiss was alright, yes! She would be freeing Weiss and making sure that her bestie was alright! The meanie sister of Jaune wasn't a good woman! She killed people and that was wrong! Dad had always said that you should only kill if the other party was truly evil and you had to choose between your life and theirs. She wasn't a bad girl, so she always made sure to put them down gently.

She watched as they pushed through the carnage, body parts already half-strewn through the broken and twisted interior. She thought that she could see a head that'd been impaled on a lamp, but that was just the bad lighting... right? This was all just going to be a little bad memory and Weiss would be fine.

Weiss was going to be fine and she was going to make sure that her bestie had fun! They were going to be Huntresses and they were going to shine like diamonds! She knew that Weiss would be happy too when she'd get back at Beacon and they'd all be a team again.

The door was half-ajar, and she could see the white hair on her bestie, her clothing all gone.

' _That isn't good... Nope, that isn't good. They must've beaten her and taken her clothes...'_

Weiss was looking at the ceiling, her eyes wide. The smell of blood and other bad smells mingled together, as she avoided some of the baddies! That was a bad smell, yes! One of them was hung up, looking all evil and spooky by some rope, but she didn't pay that much attention.

"Weiss? Weiss? Are you alright?"

Eyes looked at her, seemingly not seeing her. She reached out and Weiss whimpered, starting to cry. "It's going to be okay, Weiss! I'm here." She pulled her cloak off her shoulders, wrapping Weiss into it. It was important that she was clothed again. Naked girls weren't popular, Uncle Qrow said to her. She remembered that lesson.

"The darkness has fangs and claws... The eyes, the eyes are watching. They're always watching and I'm not... Help me, mama... Mama..."

Ruby smiled, hugging her bestie. She felt a hand on her shoulder, the meanie looking down at her, the Beowolf mask snarling at her.

The eyes that watched her behind that mask were a deep blue colour, as the woman shook her head, pulling the mask off. The mean woman looked concerned, as she knelt. "Schnee?" The voice was almost human, even if the meanie was just some murderer! She'd killed the baddies, but they could've been redeemed!

"Don't hurt me... I'll be good, I'll be good! Please don't hurt me!"

The defeated sigh wasn't Weiss', it must be something bad that'd been done to her. The scared eyes were blue and frosty, but they looked fragile. Weiss had been pleading, her tone frantic and scared. She felt bad for Weiss, but this wasn't good. "I'm sorry." She heard Weiss murmur, as she seemed to gather herself.

"It's okay, Weiss. You're safe."

The woman's tone was soft. Ruby didn't know that evil could sound so nice. She still wasn't a nice lady! She had a horrible death scythe! Mean!

"Did they rape you?"

Weiss looked up with her eyes brimming with tears. A smile that wasn't really a smile but looked really bad was on her lips, as she shook her head lightly. The messy red streak on her cheek was streaked by tears, leading to bright red lines.

"The darkness came and they all died. They all died and the shadows have eyes. They're watching, they're waiting to come at me... It's so cold, I want my mama..."

The soft whimpers, as the woman leaned down and picked the girl up.

"You'll get your mama, sweetheart..."

The words were gentler than the murderous woman no doubt could muster, lies. Weiss' mother was dead, so there would be no chance of them meeting again. Just like her mom.

"You'll bring me to Mama?"

The question was soft, desiring. Ruby didn't know if that was possible, but she hoped that Weiss would be happy again soon. She didn't like to see her bestie sad.

A door on the end opened up and a weary-looking Roman Torchwick peered in, his face paler than she'd seen him. He seemed to look at them, about to say something before the whole world seemed to twist. She was thrown forward, hitting the wall. Unconsciousness claimed her before she realized what had happened to Weiss.

' _I think the train hit something...'_

* * *

 _Assault and Battery (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

It was the burst of gunfire that roused her from her concentration as her Aura shimmered, the burst glancing off the shield of her soul's light, as Sage Arc advanced, the armoury only three doors away. The resistance of the White Fang was fierce, she knew, but the man continued without stopping, her eyes glancing at the walls. A jerk of her Semblance and the wall came apart, launching itself at the Faunus grunt that was firing at their direction.

As the door to the armoury was pulled loose after the opposition had been defeated, her Semblance working to make it a reality, she let out a sigh. The suit that she wore was now somewhat messier, the bloodstains that'd gotten into it during the brief melee in the second corridor having been a horrid little affair. Sage Arc had defended her, a gesture that she appreciated, somewhere in the back of her mind. Half of her sleeve had been pierced by bullets, though her skin was intact.

It was a novel use of her Semblance to keep the skin intact with a repellent barrier to make sure that there would be no damages to her body in order to keep using her Semblance to its maximum potential. There was a need for logical order and correcting those errors in the world around her had been a task she had long-since excelled at.

"Get your weapons. I'll hold the door."

She would take the part of the sentry with no objections. Her Semblance levitated several wooden planks that'd been broken into sharp spikes in front of her. It was not as efficient as a gun, yet it worked out for her.

A stake was as good as a spear. Many people didn't like a spear to the chest. She waited patiently, her riding crop in her hand. It was more a focus of sorts for her Semblance, an imaginary aiming reticule that appeared, her eyes focusing on the corridor, aware that there might be a squad of bloodthirsty Faunus coming around the corner every second. She was aware that some casualties had to be suffered for the greater whole to remain whole.

"Ready. We're armed and awaiting your command, Professor."

The armoury was now somewhat emptier, and she nodded, aware of the situation. She knew that with the weapons that the White Fang had at their disposal, there was a good chance that someone in one of the local armouries had turned traitor to Humanity and sold them out.

"As the primary Huntsman coordinator, I will now dictate your mission."

She had seniority amongst many of these people, Sage Arc having given her the right of command, though he was formally the one who could call the shots. The noble right of command was still in function.

"The White Fang appears to have mounted an offensive against the people of Vale. Innocent lives are at risk, given their ability to use guns of military standard with reasonable efficiency. Your duty is to protect the people of Vale against the onslaught until your duty is done and the all-clear signal is given."

They had trained for this situation, undoubtedly. Every Huntsman worth their salt knew the procedures, even if they hadn't picked up a weapon in a decade. Stern faces, a few nods and acceptances.

"Three of you will ensure that the area is cleared around the square in order to fully receive reinforcements from Beacon. The Headmaster of Beacon will be appraised of the situation once contact can be established."

She had given orders such as this never, but she knew the procedures. She wasn't old enough to have known the aftermath of the Faunus Rights Revolution on the people of Vale, but she knew the protocol, having even contributed a few of the evacuation procedures. For the children that studied to become Huntsmen under her tutelage, everything counted.

"Permission to use combat doctrine Zero Alpha?"

The question came from Sage Arc, her eyes closing for a moment, before she nodded. It was a reasonable application of the combat doctrine, given the circumstances.

"Permission granted. Zero tolerance. Cut the head off from the beast and quell all insurgents."

It was cold, formal and determined that all visible leaders of the White Fang must be culled. It was the standard of all engagements with the enemy forces belonging to enemy kingdoms. The last time it had been used had been during the Faunus Revolution.

The man nodded, as did the other Huntsmen. Weapons were raised and they awaited her orders to be dismissed. "Good luck, Huntsmen. Remember what we fight for. Remember what makes us human." The traditional words, spoken during the Revolution. Fitting, since the rout at Fort Castle.

"Remember that in the greatest darkness, there still burns that spark. Be it fame or fortune that you seek, remember that the Vale is our home and our hearth, be it transient or permanent. Fight well. Die well."

A salute, given with the straightened shoulders. Hands rose, meeting her with that salute. Sage Arc did not, as it was not allowed for a man of his status to salute those of lesser stature. It was the right of the noble line. A King bowed to nothing...

"I will ensure that we get reinforcements."

The man's voice was stoic and his face was grim. She smiled, grimly, knowing that the man must have contacts.

"There are more forces on the board than most people assume."

The Scroll that she had retrieved was fitted with a direct uplink to the school. It would work to bring the forces of the School to bear. Students, be they first or fourth year, would fight for Vale. The Huntsmen filtered out, the sound of their grumbles light, yet their weapons already prepared. Sage Arc remained.

"Headmaster Ozpin, we have a White Fang assault on our hands, possibly on the level of-"

The man's face was grave, as he nodded.

"I will deploy the students." A grim look on his face, as his eyes turned to a place out of sight. "Are you with Mister Arc?" She nodded, the man standing at her side.

"Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night, Midnight Protocol."

The man nodded once, in understanding. "Rendezvous with forces in the southern part of Vale. Permission granted to reconnect with your family, if encountered. Do not lose the south to enemy insurgents. Goodwitch? Take the residential district, ensure that none will pass." The orders were undeniable, without a misunderstanding to be found.

The orders had to be enacted. She had received her orders and she would do as was asked.

It was the orders from her superior and she was the one who would obey those orders.

She emerged from the courthouse, watching several of the Huntsmen already making sure that the civilians were properly directed towards the shelters, the White Fang bodies that had been put down already showing that the Huntsmen had been professional.

"GRIMM!"

Someone shouted, and she caught sight of a veritable tide of Grimm that was heading towards them from the direction of the gates that led towards the fields around the city.

' _For the love of the Gods...'_

She could feel the annoyance and anger build up inside her. It couldn't just have been a revolution or something... They'd had to open the gates and lure the Grimm inside...

"Defensive line! Focus on the Grimm! Defend the civilians!"

Sage Arc took control, the Huntsmen following his lead. She nodded to the man before she moved towards the residential district. Her heels clicked on the streets as she made a good pace, though she kept her footing stable. Her Semblance would not work as well when she was unbalanced, as was the drawback of many Semblances.

As she strode into the residential area, she caught sight of a muzzle flash, the impact of Dust flaring up into a miniature cloud. A woman with a long rifle that looked somewhat sophisticated from a distance was firing at several of the White Fang that came at her, the style of clothing rather peculiar.

' _I quite enjoyed Atlas Jean when I was a young woman, but this may be taking it a touch too far...'_

The shock of pale hair with black roots that was visible as the woman's rifle flared once more, a Dust explosion freezing the charging White Fang in place, the woman going into the melee without a care for her personal safety. The riding crop moved, a car slamming into the White Fang grunt taking aim with an automatic rifle from behind. The White Fang grunt did not get up.

Orders had been given. She would create order once more.

"We are evacuating civilians. Orders have been given with the power of the Headmaster of Beacon to ensure that civilian casualties are kept to a minimum."

She got a look from a set of pissed off eyes, a hiss from the woman's face as a set of curses that definitely were Mantlean in nature debating on the merit of a piss-soaked whore on a trolley heading down into a Flame dust shaft, the woman giving a low sound.

"My father is in need of assistance, so I will just do whatever I can to help after I get to him."

Glynda looked at the woman, who looked to be similar in age to her. The Atlas Jean outfit made her look somewhat more distinguished, even as the frozen blue eyes looked at her with a look that clearly didn't want to hear more things of actually helping out. She could understand that, having once been in love, desiring a family of her own, as she'd been an orphan.

"Very well, I wish you luck with retrieving your father. Fight well."

The woman couldn't be older than forty. Something nagged in the back of her mind about where she had seen the woman before, even as the woman raised her weapon again and then shot two times in rapid succession. Two Faunus went down, their masks bouncing across the street, cracking and splintering.

"Fucking Faunus and their rebellions... I swear, the moment I've got my father, I'm just going to marry my man, get myself a better room and a whole bucketload of condoms and I'm going to fuck until his balls just-" The woman's spirit seemed to be in better spirits than her own, a bitter smile on her lips. The thought of being young once more, to have a room, a bucketfull of condoms and a partner...

"Do... enjoy yourself."

Whatever someone did in the privacy of their own bedchambers was not really her issue. Love did not feature into the task of safeguarding the world. James had known it, she had known it. It had been the decision that had been reached at the end. Duty came before love.

She wondered whether she would ever settle down, yet she knew that her duty was to her students. They deserved her help. They needed her to be the educator that would make them survive through this harsh world of Grimm and horror.

"I'll be doing that when I get my father... If they thought my ex-husband was bad... Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

The woman stalked off, her hips swaying slightly. Glynda dismissed it, the two half-exploded White Fang grunts that had been hit by the last two slots. The next magazine clicked into the rifle behind her, as Miss Atlas Jean continued down the road.

For a moment, Glynda Goodwitch felt a surge of sympathy as she watched more White Fang grunts come, chased by three Beowolves. The sympathy was squashed, as her riding crop moved and the cars started to fly.

All insurgents must be destroyed.

* * *

 _The call to battle (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

The moment that the alarm had sounded was the moment that she was awake and aware, her eyes opened wide as she saw Pyrrha sit up, her hands flying to the light. Bright light illuminated them, their eyes glowing faintly in the sombre moment as the announcement came to their Scroll. The sound of other people waking up was heard through the senses that she had available to her, as she glanced at the others.

"Get ready. Call Viridian and have him join us at the landing zone."

They had the grounding in the formal alarms that sounded. As Nora slipped her shirt over her bra, she mentally inventoried the number of Dust grenades that she had at her disposal currently, making a calculation as to how many she would have to use in the upcoming fight and to budget the amount for the use against whatever threat had assailed Vale.

She grabbed her Scroll and hit the dial button for Viridian, waiting for a moment for it to ring. "Yeah? I hear the sirens." There was none of the bluster within that voice, fear tinting it, though she wasn't certain of it. She was getting excited already, knowing that she'd get to be beating up whatever came for them.

"We're getting to the landing zone with the other students. Have you called your rocket locker?"

They always made sure that they had their rocket locker fully prepped, as Professor Goodwitch had said it was necessary.

Pyrrha always packed hers with six to twenty extra Dust magazines, just in case they ran out and needed an emergency refill. With Milo and Akuou, it was hardly a problem as she wielded them with her elegant manner, but the other members of the team might run out.

She was in the Bullhead after five minutes, watching several of the other students, team DLCR nearly fully assembled sans their leader, their faces looking grave. Pyrrha gave them no attention, the emotions that were dark and freaky skittering across the bond. Nora felt her body slip into that connection, the images of the city below them already starting to come in. It was raw fear, raw terror and hatred mingling together.

She felt Ren join the connection, feeling Jaune below them as they moved over, the pilot giving the signal as they dropped down. Their location was sent to Viridian, as Pyrrha took the lead, her shield moving to block a barrage of fire from the well-armed White Fang.

She spotted several of the Haven students already making their way, the monkey man who had tried to go for the cat Faunus on team RWBY already in motion, his staff slamming into a White Fang grunt without a moment.

"Suppress the enemy! Capture if possible!"

Someone shouted the order and Pyrrha was into the fray. Ren fell in line with her, as she started to charge. There was time to fight, Pyrrha's shield up to guard them, as they rushed into the battle.

' _This is fun! Let's break their legs!'_

It was not a good situation, but the darkness inside her sang to her, the anger inside her veins turning into pure adrenaline, lightning sparking through her body, her strength enhancing. A body went flying as Magnhild slammed into it, the first charge that they made enough to bounce the White Fang back, Pyrrha's javelin stabbing through the throat of one of the White Fang, her body moving like the well-oiled machine that she seemed to be, the back-stroke tearing out the throat.

She knocked them around, her fingers shifting on the grip, bringing it down on the legs of one of the White Fang guys, the man screaming loudly, Pyrrha's shield knocking him out, as she whirled around and kicked the next person in the face. Ren's body moved like lightning, the aura-enhanced blows slamming into the chests of the Faunus White Fang fighters, most of them going down in one hit, still breathing and yet out of the fight.

' _This is going to be one hell of a fight...'_

* * *

 _Forgiveness or Damnation? (Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

Whitney got up, watching him for a moment as the rush of dark emotions grew stronger and stronger from the other side of the wall. There was a dark rush of emotions that was like a wave, a torrent of rage and anger and despair, betrayal and something else, offsetting the lust that had been coming from that room.

"Fuck..."

Whitney's hands were already getting herself dressed once again, the tide of emotions rushing around the room. Someone was in pain, someone was dying... It all felt like that time whenever he pushed open his senses, but this was close by.

"You feel it too, right?"

She asked and he nodded. He could feel the darkness, he felt the rush of emotions. To claim them was to swell the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him. Simple Grimm would do, but the darkness of emotions was something that would be wonderful.

He opened the door a little, watching how the boyfriend and girlfriend walked away, the long coat that the boyfriend wore with the katana definitely something that he wouldn't wear himself, his head pulling back into the door, making sure that he got dressed. He wasn't going to risk something if there was some sort of murder plot there...

The door slammed down and he looked at the couple that had been impaled on the bed. He recognized the young woman as the one who he had met at the ship between Mistral and Vytal, having ran into her again and the man atop her, the two joined at the groin, a blazing blade of Dust impaling the man from the back. Loose red hair was there, and he caught sight of terrified, pleading eyes from the woman who laid below the man.

"Help... Us."

The woman's plea, he thought her name was Melinda, was soft, as he turned the light up, shining it on the man on top of her. He could feel the darkness in that body, that heavy emotion of guilt, regret and anger and betrayal, the sensation like a lure to him. Power was within those feelings, power that he needed. The draining had been enough to make him almost desperate. He turned the face to him with the fake arm that he had to support him, watching that face that he had not seen in months.

' _Cardin.'_

He felt the urge to pull away from the scene, to leave the young man to rot and to die, to save the woman by infusing her with the _Vitae Tenebris_ and making sure that she lived. From how Cardin was impaled, he would hardly live longer than seventy breaths, as the brain would start to shut down... The betrayed emotions would fade and flicker and be gone.

' _Do I have the right to decide? He was the one that sent me off to die. I lost my arm thanks to him...'_

He would not have met with Whitney or Kali or Sienna if that wasn't the case. They would be dead and gone then. He would not have met Summer there in that dark laboratory, where the darkness had been thick and She had still languished within her pool of _Vitae Tenebris_. He would have grown up to be eighteen, his body hijacked by the man who he should have trusted...

' _No...'_

The darkness leeched itself into his arm, his blonde hair turning ashen white, as dark veins crisscrossed his face, the power bleeding out into his very flesh.

" **Cardin Winchester... Though my grudge with you might not be fulfilled in this lifetime..."**

The rage and anger inside the body responded, as the darkness cloyed around a finger, pressing the other hand to the Dust blade and disturbing the connection. It was solid, yet brittle now due to having been already used. They were not meant to be used continuously, but it was a suitable murder weapon.

" **I will grant you the blessing of my power. For the rage inside you, for that feeling of betrayal, I, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, command you to rise, reborn in my power."**

The darkness connected to the blood, the visible spectrum lighting up as he felt the hunger inside him turn into an all-consuming maw of ravenous energy, absorbing the negativity around him. Vale was like a buffet, people in pain all the time. The darkness inside him was like a maelstrom, gulping the negativity up. Grimm inside Vale contributed to that darkness, the connection to the negativity inside the people.

People were dying, people were hurt and there was anger and hatred, enough of it to drown out everything else. As the blood dripped onto the flesh and soaked into it, he felt the connection form. Betrayal and anger warred within the mind of the man who had condemned him to this state, who had forced him into this war.

The hate and anger he felt for the young man currently laid atop one of the people he had made the acquaintance of was but a fragment, as he felt no forgiveness, as the last dregs of humanity leeched from him and the _Vitae Tenebris_ ruled. There was so little left, as his bone-white skin looked almost ghostly in the lighting of the room. His gaze was directed to the body, as the soul of the young man was enmeshed with the darkness of the _Vitae Tenebris_.

A knight of betrayal, a betrayed man who rose to his will. The connection formed without a whimper, as Cardin Winchester took another breath, the woman below him stilling, a thread of life within her. She was dying too, her fear and her terror only assuaged slightly by the life of the man atop her.

His hand pushed Cardin off, the woman's stomach looking moist with the blood, Cardin's gasping breath enough for him now, as he looked down at the woman, whose eyes were wide and her breathing was shallow.

" **Do you take the gift of life in return for your servitude?"**

A king should not have merely those who served him personally, but have those who did their bidding. As he looked into the woman's eyes, he felt the desperation in the body, as she took her first breath.

"Y-Yes!"

He was acting like the Grand Witch. He was acting like _Her_ and could not feel anything but a cool smooth vindication, as the darkness brushed through his blood vessels and a droplet of the _Vitae Tenebris_ was unleashed, leaking from the tip of his finger onto the body. A glow wrapped around her body as he felt the connection snap into place within the web, as he tied it to the little presence that was Cardin.

He was low, the _Vitae Tenebris_ inside him depleted. Rowena had taken much of it, with her ascension to one of his Acolytes. His sister was now perfectly balanced, the amount of _Lux Aeterna_ within her balanced out by the equal amount of _Vitae Tenebris_.

" **Get up. I have empowered you."**

His voice was weary as he nearly stumbled from the sudden emptiness, as Whitney came and supported him. He felt frail and tender, as the darkness slowly replenished itself within his body, the agony and anger within the mind of Cardin Winchester something to behold. It was a bolstering, a wave of incessant anger that seemed to burn from the depths of his very being.

The two got up, Melinda looking at him, her bare body not even noticed by him, as Whitney helped him to a chair, setting him down in it, as he tried to recover his strength. His eyes closed as he could hear the voices of his team, somewhere in the vicinity. The darkness drew closer, as the pain and the death grew.

Darkness billowed, as he surrendered to the urge, to the magic inside him. He could hear the faint exhale of someone as they released their final breath, the terror in the vicinity as someone screamed, flashes of people with weapons and death and pain. Grimm were coming. Darkness was there, waiting and watching, ready to be seized.

' _Darkness... Or perhaps, strength.'_

He wanted to be a hero. He could use the dark power for the benefit of others. His eyes opened, blood red and black, as the darkness throbbed inside him, slowly replenishing from the pain around him. It was a benefit. It was a strength. It was not something that had been intended, but it worked.

" **I forgive you."**

The words were simple to say, even as the emotions danced along the feed of emotions that he felt from Cardin, the taller teenager looking at him, regret washing through the bond. It was a slow and steady decline, as he felt the burning inside him, the craving.

"I killed you. I was the one who pressed the button, the one who did this to you. I should be killed, I should be dead but... Why? Why would you forgive someone who sent you off to die as a prank? A bully who killed you because of his stupid thought that you wouldn't ever amount to anything!"

There was a broken tone to the young man's voice, as Jaune felt the whispers in his ears, the mental conversation between Ren, Nora and Pyrrha, a flash of them fighting, engaging with the enemy. Gunfire was in his ears and in the distance around them. He felt the power fill him, as the veins on his face showed the darkness shooting through the blood vessels.

" **I would never have met the women who mean the most to me in this world if not for you. The past is the past."**

He had made the bond. He had ensured obedience. One single thought of him and Cardin Winchester would perish, together with the woman whose spirit he had dragged back from the brink of oblivion.

' _A hero does not threaten...'_

" **Cardin Winchester, I have saved you from death. I have saved your lover from death as well. How do you repay your debt?"**

The words were traditional, as he straightened his shoulders. He was aware of Whitney taking a position behind him, her shoulders straightened. Cardin was the first to move, as he got up. Nakedness was of no importance to him. They would serve.

" **I am Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, by the grace of the Gods."**

The name was formal and heavy, even though it was his own. The name that had only to be written down on the formal documents, the name that could be shortened to Jaune Arc, if one had to be public. The name of a man who could be the King of Vale, if the fates willed it, by blood and heritage. There were still seven claimants to the throne before him, he knew, his sisters, but he would still have a link to the name.

" **You have felt betrayal. You have felt anger and wrath..."**

The emotions flared up, as Cardin's face hardened and he took to a knee. It was the typical pose for one who was lower on the rung of society, and he caught sight of Melinda looking at Cardin.

"He's royalty. Take a knee, now. Next to me. It's the protocol when being addressed by one of royal blood."

Cardin hissed at her, the tone as loud as it could be formally done, and Melinda moved. He took a brief moment to admire her, even as his gaze remained on Cardin then.

It was important, he knew. As the pain and the anger around him in Vale stretched, he was like a siphon. His alabaster pale skin and his red eyes marked him for what he was. A warlock, a dark existence that lived human suffering and drew strength from it. He was not the Grand Wizard, wielding the _Lux Aeterna_ or the Grand Witch, wielding the _Vitae Tenebris_. He was Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, a sacrifice to the Grand Wizard now torn free from the whims of fate.

" **What do you have to offer me, Cardin Winchester, in return for the pact that I have forged for you?"**

The words were official for the bonding of a knight to a lord, but they fit. With the betrayal that surged through the young man in front of him, a fine replenishment for his strength was made, as he leaned forward. A kingly demeanour, as his sister had instructed him to, never allowed for weakness to show. Whitney behind him was an attendant, as he kept his back straight as he looked at him, Cardin's head lowered a touch in supplication.

"My life, my King."

Words that had been spoken years before, ever since the order of Paladins had been disbanded after the Great War and the dissolution of the nobility, were spoken once more.

"My life and the word that I will do whatever it takes to guard your life. I, the sole child of Winchester, swear fealty to my King, a debt on my soul for grievances against Him, to be repaid through service and atonement."

He felt the darkness inside him pulse, as he drank in the agony around him, the betrayal in the young man's body like a fine wine. Someone had torn out his heart and stepped all over it, the feelings of betrayal manifesting, and he watched for a moment, just as long as it would take for that feeling of doubt to settle in.

" **I accept your word and life, Cardin Winchester. The slight performed against this royal person shall be as water below a bridge, flowing into the currents and be washed away. Rise and be my shield and my sword."**

The traditional words, as his gaze fixed itself upon the young woman who had joined, the mess of blood on her skin still visible. Cardin looked gruesome, but the woman's eyes were calm.

" **And you? What do you have to offer your Lord?"**

Her gaze laid to the ground, not meeting his own. She was a familiar face, perhaps a friend of sorts. She had made allusions to sharing his bed, but he was not going to do so. There was a tie between the two that he had found, a bond that was now present.

"My life, your Majesty."

The soft voice, as she bent her head.

"I, Melinda Syfres, offer my life. It is all that I have, and it is the thing I can give."

It was acceptance of her fate, to have her life be taken from her at his whim, yet he felt that odd disconnect. They would be of use. The board was still stacked in the Grand Wizard's favour. If the Grand Witch were to mount an assault herself, it would be enough to destroy this Kingdom.

It was a beginning. He could feel the presence of the two Acolytes that had been infused with the strength of ancient Grimm, the pure _Vitae Tenebris_ that flowed through them like a sickening corruption, hearing Kali's excited whispers in the shadows and Sienna's boundless rage.

He felt the darkness glisten, as he exhaled. Whitney's Scroll started to ring, the woman accepting the call. Her father's voice came over the speakers, Jaune realizing that there were more people in need of help. A dark benediction he had just given to the two before him, who still were as nude as the day that they had been born.

" **I accept you. Aid citizens of Vale and you may request one thing of this noble one."**

He had to remain proper in his form, to give a boon for services that were rendered by accepting those in his service. He had been taught that for each act there would be one opposite of it, to be given as a reward or a punishment.

"I want Harmony Tallow's head."

The voice of Cardin was a growl as he got up, punching in the code to his Scroll. "That Faunus will die for her betrayal." The faint glow in his eyes was like the blessing springing to life. The _Vitae Tenebris_ within the young man's body was merely a droplet, yet the feedback was enough for him to grow in strength. The anger fed into him.

"Her boyfriend... Well, my former boyfriend, wasn't much good... So I'd like to ehm, have him be punished? Cardy? Do you think you can do the right thing and defend me? I'm not good with fighting."

Melinda's voice was soft, as Whitney spoke with her father. Her tone was worried, as there were gunshots in the background of the conversation on the man's end.

"Father needs me. He's under assault from the White Fang and... Will you be alright?"

Her eyes showed concern, as he smiled at her.

"Go, go. If my father was in need of trouble, I would go to help him as well."

The man needed no help, least of all from him, but if his oldest sister was in trouble...

Rowena had been like a mother to him, because his mother was always gone. She had taken him to the doctor, she'd made him visit all the important people that mattered and had taught him etiquette.

' _She's the best sister in the world.'_

She'd make a great mother, probably better than his own. A dismissive 'go and find that out on your own' had been given, his mother giving her attention to his other sisters mostly, probably because they had the whole being a woman thing in common. Girls did a lot of things that didn't really make much sense to him.

' _Ro and Heather are always together, yes.'_

The little rhyme that his sister had sang a few times around her younger sister and Heather's tender expression had been nice. Heather could be really pretty when she smiled, when her face relaxed and she was able to be happy.

He was the Grand Warlock now in this game of Wizards and Witches...

The darkness inside him was power, and he would be a fool to shun it. If the world needed direction, if the world needed a hero to guide it to its proper path...

He would be it. He, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, eldest son of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night, would stand against the current of fate and make sure that he would have the power that he needed to make the world a better place. The darkness inside him was a right, and it was his to use.

' _What are the lives of the many against the lives of the few? Why would they live when my people die? Rather ten of them, than one of mine.'_

Jaune was unaware of the malignant smile that his face had, as his hands pushed himself up to a standing position, the pale flesh of his bare chest standing out still. It was time to get dressed, for the newly initiated and his own benefit.

" **We've got a city to save, Cardin, Melinda."**

He had a Rose, a Calavera and his sister, as far as Ozymandias Pinnacle's special order went... and now, a young Huntsman in training, obviously trained in the traditions of the nobility...aware now of the status of d'Arc-Night as the royal family.

He was still not the inheritor of the title, but he had been raised with the knowledge of the societal rules. Whitney had confessed to him her love, and she would be a princess at the very least, in the places that mattered.

The blackness flowed through his veins as his Aura flickered once, the door opened once more to his hotel room and going for his outfit.

A noble dressed as a noble did. One could not give one's subjects the image of being akin to lesser people, after all.

The Relic glowed as his hand seized it, the staff turning more rigid in his grip. The blue glow turned to a deep red colour as he felt the information leak into him. It was time to fight.

If _She_ had sent her minions here, he would meet them and bring down the fury of his power upon them.

That's what a hero did, fighting against the darkness.

Even if he used the darkness of the Grimm against the minions who heeded _her_ words.

He would not let _his_ Kingdom fall to _Her._

* * *

 **The Knight of Betrayal, Mordred! No blonde with a father issue, sadly. Big mace though... That fortune-teller might've had a bit of truth to her!**

 **Inspirations: Melinda Syfres – Princess Jasmine/Guinevere. Cardin Winchester – Mordred. Maroon Syfres – Iznogud/Jafar. (You may all chuckle at that.)**

 **The pawns are on the board! The game is coming to a conclusion for the first match of Witch, Wizard and Warlock!**

 **Volume III will end in a few chapters! After the darkness, there will always be a light shining through the clouds...**

 **Leave a review to let me know what you thought of the chapter!**


	55. Derailment

**Chapter 55: Derailment**

 **The Third Volume ends in 2 chapters. Things are going to spiral out of control for our brave _heroes_ and _villains_. Variables are added to the board, conditions change.**

* * *

 _The armistice (Raven Branwen)_

* * *

She crawled up from the wreckage without a bruise, having made a portal at the moment when the train had come to a halt straight through the barricade, her body having half-shifted through that space between the physical world and the other world, Summer having been pulled through.

She could smell the Dust-fuel that'd leaked from the crash, half of the train's locomotive having crumpled by the stress that had been put upon it from the crash, the sight of Vale's southern district already in chaos making her feel uneasy. This had been too big, too swiftly. The train would have made for a perfect finishing blow, opening up Mountain Glenn's reserve of Grimm towards the Kingdom to make it fall into ruin.

If the young man had not absorbed the darkness within Mountain Glenn, it would have been a slaughter, something that her deepest darkest nightmares would not ever suffer. The thought of something like this happening to a place that she cared for was outlandish, yet she knew that whoever orchestrated this was yet another cog in the wheel of the Shadow, the one who tugged on the strings that dangled the world on its edge.

"Get ready."

She could already hear Summer speak, her body alert, Summer's mask replaced after a moment, the sight of someone crawling out of the wreckage, a white suit that had large red streaks on it, the hair an orange mess.

' _The thief.'_

It was a low curse that the man gave as Summer looked at him. "Listen, can't you just let me off? Red over there is going to kill me once she gets out…" The man was talking and Summer was not speaking yet.

The darkness inside Summer and herself quivered, before she jerked a thumb towards the interior of Vale. She would grant the man this boon of freedom, rather than stopping him.

"Get past us. You're on-"

The shadows warped and the fear hit her, the mad fear increasing as the wrath followed along, a young woman between the two people who had been tainted by the young man. Her heart started to beat a little faster at the thought of the young man who had corrupted the two Faunus, who had turned them into these inhuman creatures that obeyed his will.

' _Like Summer…'_

It was not honourable to comment on it, but Summer was her leader and her commander and the sister that she had never had. Summer knew the truth of the world and would not stray from the path. She could trust her partner and her best friend, as much as she could.

"Neo, thank the gods… We should bail, this place looks like it'll be swarming with people… Not so super for our business exploits, no…"

Raven watched the two of them depart, the walking cane-like weapon in hand. The two Faunus smiled and then melted into the shadows, the presence of intense fear and wrath disappearing in an instant. She knew that they had gone to rejoin their Master, a young man who had been marked as potential by her best friend.

A red hood popped out of the wreckage and silver eyes looked at her, the girl looking much like her mother did, her hand on her weapon still.

"Hey! You're spooky!"

Raven pressed her lips tightly together. Technically, the girl should be calling her _'Aunt Raven',_ but that hardly mattered at this moment. She noticed that Summer seemed to have disappeared.

"Your associates already managed to get out, girl."

Her voice was calm and steady, showing the calmness that she did not feel. Summer was not here and she wondered whether Summer would go for her daughter, watching as another cloaked individual came from the wreckage, a pale-haired girl in her arms.

' _The Schnee girl…'_

"Was she raped?"

It was a question that would probably set the girl's mother off like a volcano. Restraint was not a thing that the woman had, if the enthusiastic lovemaking that she did with the blonde man was any indication, nor the tingling that shot through her own groin at the thought of getting to be with the blonde. It was a treacherous thought, as she licked her lips, remembering the taste, how long it had been since she'd had a good hard...

Her mind focused on other things. She couldn't get distracted by flights of fancy, even if her body had the physical need of intimacy. It was a distraction and Summer would have a field day if she ever found out that Raven had been distracted by... something a bit more relevant.

' _Oh yes... Perhaps whilst he is sleeping. It would be... a kindness. Just a favour for someone who has been... active. Young men need to quench their lust frequently... Yes, it's just a favour. He would enjoy it, young men like it when they are pleasured... Just a favour, just to make the stress a little less... It's a kindness for a man, not because I want it...'_

She would ease the burden, yes. Just a taste, it'd be kindness. A kindness and maybe just a quick hop, a little riding and... Yes, she wasn't some sort of sex-deprived woman, no, she had _restraint._ It'd been so long, after all. Maybe three or four orgasms. Young men were able to bounce back quickly, she knew.

"No. Inform the others that we've got a situation on our hands."

The codes that the other woman was flashing with the hand that wasn't holding the white-haired girl told her orders that were counter to standard operating procedures. Her own fingers twitched once into the proper forms, signalling her acceptance.

"Understood."

She was gone before the daughter of Summer could ask what had been understood, her shape blurring into a bird's in a flash. She had to get to higher ground, leaving Summer behind as it was, which undoubtedly was to Summer's understanding. The thread that kept them together, the darkness inside Summer's body, diffused slowly, as she watched the red cloak shimmer into being, the skin dark once more.

Summer was going to act.

It would be for the best, she supposed… If there was no game to play yet, it would be rude for her to be on the stage. She knew her place and trusted the commands from someone who seemed to be on their side. Yang seemed to trust the woman, and so would she extend that trust as well.

* * *

 _The plight of those sworn to the dark night (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

He felt the darkness inside his veins, wriggling and corrosive, like an acid droplet that'd found its way into something tender, the itch making him feel the anger once more, as the armour was put on, the rocket locker having made swift time towards the hotel, crashing through the wall. It was a lucky break for him that the pair of Adam and Harmony hadn't taken his Scroll, or it'd have made the entire process a lot more troublesome.

He watched the young man who sat in the chair, the tremors running through the young man's arms, clearly unwell from the blessing that he had granted upon them. He had not expected Melinda to be saved as well, her presence in the back of his mind. She felt the guilt for doing something like this to him, something that had been the cause of the two of them having been nearly assassinated by a hopped-up rabbit Faunus with a grudge.

' _I've been stupid, thinking that it'd all be fine because I loved her…I forgot all about my status and what they'd hammered into me about protection..._ '

"Cardin?"

Melinda's voice was light as she tightened some of the straps. It was nice to have some assistance with getting into gear, her eyes looking at him.

"What do you want to do next?"

He knew what he would do. Ask for directions from the man he had sworn fealty to. Jaune Arc had been weak, unable to look like the stereotypical Huntsman in training should and he had not restrained himself in the slightest.

He had seen a weak and an easy target to bully, something that he took some joy in, but as soon as the message had spread that the young man had died, he had felt regret and guilt. He had grown over the past months, starting to love a treacherous woman who cared not for him in the slightest, having treated him like a fool, declaring her love whilst planning this ambush ahead of time.

The man who sat in the chair now was still Jaune Arc, or rather, Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, the young man whose pedigree most definitely must be linked to the King of Vale, who had freed the world from the grimness of the Great War and Mistralian oppression.

The red eyes looked at him, the pale skin a little clammy-looking, the outfit that he wore looking somewhat like the formal outfit that Professor Ozpin wore at times, the fabric looking upscale. The red-glowing staff that sat against the seat that the young man had chosen was strange in design, but Cardin could not fault it, as his mace was more of a classical design. Outside, people were screaming, the hoarse calls for mercy and someone to rescue them.

"Follow the commands of our Lord."

It was simpler to do than to deny the urge inside to help and assist the young man with whatever he desired them to do. The woman that had been behind his seat had bore the looks of someone who knew the proper protocol, taking the space of an aide, an advisor and most definitely someone who was aware of the status of the man in the chair.

" **You can go ahead and help the civilians. I require some time to rest. Keep Melinda safe."**

The words that he spoke were calmer and with measured deliberation, as Jaune looked at him and Melinda. Cardin vowed at that moment that he would do whatever it took to get the young man in contact with his grandfather.

He owed it to the young man at the least. If the royal line still existed and the young man was an inheritor…

He would offer the suggestion to Grandfather that a meeting would be prudent with the young man. Whatever political capital could be gained from such a name being attached to the house of Winchester would surely serve the good of the Kingdom.

" **Mention not that you have seen me. There are some people out there who would not enjoy the sight of me."**

The advice was sound, Cardin knew. To hear it from the other man's mouth was another hint to the importance of the political undercurrents. Even though Cardin had chosen to become a Huntsman, he knew that the power of the people rested within the few who made decisions. An heir to the throne suddenly appearing? That would invite assassinations and quick reprisals.

Many lauded the nobility and those of the royal bloodline, but others were done with it, preferring the power of the people over the born rights of nobility. Cardin knew that his Grandfather was definitely one of the few Royalists in a high function, whilst Maroon Syfres, the aunt to Melinda, was more the type to endure whilst courting both factions.

With all three councillors of the council of Vale, a law could be passed to reinstate the nobility and abolish a part of the Vytal Pact. He looked at the other teenager again, the tired look on the young man's face showing clearly that the impact of what he had done to the two of them was taking its toll.

" As you wish, your Majesty."

Melinda was formal, a smirk teasing along Jaune's lips, as he regarded her.

" **I am no king yet, nor am I going to be king anytime soon."**

The words were spoken with a faint hint of wryness, the look on Jaune's face turning pensive. **"I still am the youngest child of my father, who is first in line to ascend the throne if the need arises. The people of Vale would enjoy his rule better than that of myself."**

Cardin could make no judgement, as he gripped his mace, his hands already firming up on the heavy weapon's handgrip, as he looked at the seated member of the royal family.

"Permission to depart, my Lord?"

A slight wave, as the pale-faced young man looked grave. He motioned for Melinda, who had gotten herself dressed in a swift and decisive manner. She looked nice. He smiled at her and felt a thrill of something that could be happiness through the bond, something that affirmed to him once more that she was there for him, that her eyes only bore him warmth and kindness rather than poking fun at him.

" **Stay safe…"** A brief pause occurred then as the young man looked forlorn and slightly lost. **"I've already lost too many people…"**

The words were a mystery, as his liege brushed a hand over the staff that he had at his side, the pale fingers looking like spider legs crawling up the shaft. The blue colour returned to the staff, as the young man closed his eyes.

Cardin firmed his resolve, knowing that he would have to enter the wide world of being a Huntsman, to save the people who needed saving. He was going to be just like Jaune had been, hoping for a better future.

The darkness in his body twisted and writhed, a strange sensation of loss after he had stepped out of the hotel, Melinda at his back, the mace ready. People were running, bodies were strewn over the ground, half-torn apart by claws of Grimm, bodies having slammed together. Beowolves prowled the streets.

A vision of hell, a vision of an invasion by the Grimm. He grabbed his mace and raised it, as a Beowolf leapt at him. The darkness pulsed, as the Grimm was pulverized by the blow, his eyes aglow with that dark desire within it for vengeance. Harmony had harmed him. It would be fair that he would harm her back.

He had been with her and he knew some of the spots that were her weak points. Being naked around someone and seeing their whole body had given him ideas. A dark grin on his face, as he wondered how far her arms could bend back. A terrible thing to do to a poor rabbit Faunus…

' _I'd like to see you stab me without arms, Harmony…'_

It would be such a joyful reunion. He'd make sure that Melinda was kept safe, and if that little bunny bitch came close… Well, I guess that rabbit was going to get stuffed with a Dust-mace. She sure as hell deserved it for what she did to him.

His mace cleaved through the midsection of another Beowolf nearly five minutes later after they'd marched through the streets, an Ursa coming toward them with its body hulking and brutish. Cardin felt the strength go through him, even as a streetlight pierced straight through the Ursa's middle, the creature disintegrating slowly.

"Quite a tense situation to find yourself in, Mister Winchester."

The voice of Professor Goodwitch was relieving him of some of his worries, as he noticed that the woman wore a simple suit, clearly not wearing the outfit of a Huntress. It had been unexpected, it seemed, to have an invasion of Vale.

"We're alright, Professor. We just need a-"

The woman's riding crop flicked, a car shooting overhead, a crunching sound coming from behind. He heard Melinda give a small shriek, his eyes glancing behind him, where an Ursa had been flattened.

"Do pay attention to the direction that you came from, Mister Winchester. Proper escorting will be taught in year two… But you seem to be doing a decent job of it."

The praise did not make him feel praised, as the woman's face was severe, her green eyes behind her glasses turning colder.

"Get behind me and guard my back. I must not become distracted. Something very dangerous is coming our way."

He obeyed, hurrying with Melinda past the woman, looking at the Grimm carcasses that slowly were starting to disintegrate behind Professor Goodwitch. The woman's back was straight even as he heard her mumble something about the luck she had.

He glanced at the direction that she was looking at, the one where they'd come from. Pale features and dark veins filled with corruption, a set of eyes the colour of blood, ringed by pitch blackness and a faint hint of something wicked within their depths, hair the colour of ashes, staff glowing a blue colour.

' _The young King.'_

Jaune stood there, his expression calm and the staff in his hand, a Grimm forming from the shadows around him. Professor Goodwitch looked ready to fight and he wanted to say something to stop her, but there was a hush that fell.

" **Allow me to pass, Good Witch."**

The voice was like the crack of a whip, cool and without any sort of empathy for the woman. Cardin's mind provided the question, as Jaune should know Professor Goodwitch, wondering why the woman would not allow him to pass. He didn't look that different, aside from his features.

He looked at the woman's face, the glasses that the woman wore cracking slowly. Some sort of invisible force was working around her, a sensation around him, as the woman took a step forward.

"I will not let you harm anyone here."

A scoffing sound, as another Grimm wrenched itself into existence. **"You are too corrupted with the Lux Aeterna to see the truth between the lies fed to you by that man's design."** The glasses shattered, as the woman's riding crop whipped forward, a wave of force tearing up the ground, the asphalt twisting and breaking as a hail of pellets shot at the man he had sworn fealty to, the Grimm leaping in front of the staff-wielding man, turning into mere motes of smoke curling around, the rubble hitting the ground.

"Never will you harm anyone else, scum! I know you're behind this, you wield the blackness!"

The mocking laughter from the former blonde, as red eyes looked full of contempt.

" **And so it is, the Good Witch versus the Grand Warlock…"**

A pause, as the man's hands raised the staff, the glow intensifying around the head, the blue slowly shifting to a purple colour.

" **I pity you, Glynda… Blessed with all that power and too blind to see the darkness for what it is…"**

The battle erupted then, as Grimm surged with the power, his own heart clenching at the power that danced through the world, the aching acid-flames that slipped through his veins giving him no quarter. He focused on the defence of Professor Goodwitch, following his King's commands. He trusted that he would not be harmed by a stray shot from the man.

' _If all things fail, faith must at least be had…'_

One cannot forget one's fealty to their overlord.

* * *

 _The stillness of the heart (Lie Ren)_

* * *

There was tranquillity in his body as he moved. An apathy that was felt for the lives that he reaped and the Grimm that he culled.

He felt the blades of Stormflower cut through the hide of a Grimm, his leg impacting with the body and watching it disintegrate under the aura-enhanced blow. The silence and peace that he felt was due to the Aura that he had, the feeling of being bound to those around him like a natural ritual of nature. It was a sense, as he looked at his girlfriend, currently leaping at a Beowolf that had come for them.

Nora's hammer slammed down and he felt a tingle of appreciation inside the void within him, a warmth inside those dark empty feelings that buzzed through his system. He wasn't a bad person, he thought, but it was something that he noticed about the world.

They'd held the defensive line, Pyrrha's eyes glowing with the power that they could witness. She had been the purest of them all, the one who had received the blessing of the man who they considered to be the owner of their body, the one who would lead them to victory.

Mistralian culture owed such allegiance to one's Zhu, the man who was their overlord and ruler, the one who gave the orders. It had been a thing that he had noticed, upon those first days of meeting with Jaune Arc, the casual way that he regarded them as friends and companions, the manner in which he changed the subject, tried to appeal to a shared commonality.

Viridian did not have that. Pyrrha did not have that. The ability to bind them together and make them obey, that inherent acting of being the one to make sure that they get back home safe and sound. Fighting skills had never been the greatest for Jaune Arc, but if a commander was needed, Ren would say that he would follow wherever the man needed him.

Pyrrha was not a leader. Pyrrha was someone who followed the orders, despite appearing to be a capable commander. Pyrrha always let her emotions take a hold of her, despite appearing to the contrary.

Ren had felt her rage through the connection, the frustration and the fear. The reverence for the man who haunted his dreams in whispers and insidious murmurs.

"Nora? Incoming, to your right."

His girlfriend and hopefully wife in the future, moved without any problem, Pyrrha's javelin-rifle firing once before shifting to the javelin form once more, stabbing into the Grimm with a deadly precision. Not many White Fang had been seen since the Grimm had come, luckily.

Ren knew that the Grimm were a greater danger than the White Fang. They would fight for their own survival as well, he knew and had seen. Some surrendered, even. Their weapons were broken and they were sent to be under guard. Pyrrha had bristled with her angry energy, behind the mask of servility that she put on.

He moved, dashing forward, a King Tajitu slithering at him, massive and bold, like a danger that he could not evade. His palm slammed into the Grimm's white head, before Stormflower cut into its hide, legs bracing on the disintegrating scales of the King Tajitu's other body part, the striking snakehead missing him by a hair.

He felt the wind brush through his hair, the blades of Stormflower cutting right into the creature's head, tearing down through the scales and carving a swath of Grimm flesh to bits, his body alit with the glow of his Aura.

He pushed off, as the King Tajitu disintegrated with wisps of the darkness, bathing him in a brief flash of power that faded as swiftly as it did. He wasn't capable of absorbing the darkness, contrary to the man he owed his allegiance to.

" _What about Jaune?"_

 _Nora asked, nearly two days after they had gotten to Beacon. Currently they were in the dormitory bathroom, brushing their teeth._

" _Is he one of those people who we can trust?"_

 _He didn't know yet. He was still somewhat uncertain, but as he watched his leader from a distance nearly thirty minutes later, the goofy smile on the young man's face somewhat falling as the white-haired girl denied his request for a date, though it perked right up again. Turning to them, a bright smile, blue eyes giving them a look of care and concern._

 _It was a sense of ownership, he could tell. He did not want to show them his pain at being rejected, nor did he want them to feel bad. Ren could see Pyrrha look a little concerned, her smile on her face still but never as genuine as the smile that Jaune showed them. Pyrrha Nikos knew her place in the world better than many, given that she'd had posters of her hung up in Mistral._

 _The rules for one's leader were fairly strict, Ren knew. A sense of honour, a need to be able to control those below him and a desire to forge something. It was the rule that they lived by and the rule that they died from._

 _Blue eyes looked into his own as the leader of his team sat down, a smile on his lips. "Guess that didn't work out, eh?" A casual sentence, but with that manner of making light of it, as if it were only a trifling matter to him that the girl had said no._

" _I'll have to try again... Hmm, maybe something with music or anything like that?"_

 _It was at that moment that he gained more insight into the young man known as Jaune Arc, as Pyrrha offered him an encouraging smile, seeing the will that lurked below those blue eyes. Someone who would not stop until the other party was conquered, someone who did not shirk his duties to his team and who cared._

 _Jaune Arc had none of the combat strength that they had, but it was something of his character that pulled him to them, something that was built from late-night study sessions, going to bed and remembering the light still being on, coming to see a diagram drawn onto the pad of paper, the letters and the small dots that represented them with a question mark of 'Will this work? Have to ask P and N about Pomegrenade'._

 _He woke up early most mornings, the routine that he'd built over the years unflinching. Coming to the sight of their leader's works, having finished it before he had gone to bed at some sort of late hour, had firmed within him the care that he had for them. A leader should work hard for his subjects, for the people below him. The honour of the man was unstained and to be guarded, and no attempt at losing face must be allowed._

" _He is to be trusted."_

 _A week after they had gotten through Initiation, Ren said those words to Nora, the girl that he might be having strong feelings for, his gaze direct and without anything to distract him. She nodded once, smiling brightly like the sun._

" _Of course, Rennie. I knew that already."_

 _The words weren't a full truth, but Nora had been more canny about people than he was. He just judged people by the standard that they showed, the manners that they held. Jaune Arc was clumsy and socially a bit inept, but he held himself as a leader should._

 _One of the critiques that Lie Ren would ever level at Ruby Rose was that she was too childish in her nature, too innocent compared to the man who had led them. It was not the experience that Jaune had lacked, or the sub-par skills at fighting, it was the unflinching nature to stand before them and to guard them, to be the one first to fight and to take the reins of power and command._

 _A man stood before those he wished to protect, until death, with no hesitation. He felt a spark of fear at times when Nora was in danger, yet Jaune trusted them with his life, and that was a thing that he would repay. It was the sign of a man who was ready to die for his people, someone whose honour was one that could not be tarnished through any mortal act._

 _Seeing Cardin Winchester 'bully' Jaune was another stain on the other teenager's record, if the treatment of the Faunus didn't sully it mostly. His leader merely waved it off, his face showing that manner of dismissal that was seen in those that led, regarding it as mere foolish pranks that were below the notice of him._

 _At the moment when his Leader had been considered deceased, Ren watched the mourning of those who had cared. Those who cared and who knew him, those who had been there during the good times even if they had been brief, and the complete and utter destruction of the girl known as Pyrrha Nikos._

 _Honour and duty kept them from acting out. The leader would not have wished them to assassinate his killer, the words of Sage Arc loud in the air. Forgiveness, as it had been death in the cards for the young son of the man, a fate that was to be met with the grim realisation that death happened to people in this world._

 _It was a sad tale, yet when the blessing had been given, he had not flinched away. Kali Belladonna was a woman who knew the world for what it was, the duty of the woman to her Zhu and Husband already known. It was a tingling in the spine, a brush of ink to the scroll of his life. Obedience, reverence, joy in servitude. An emperor who led, whose experiences had been rough and yet he had persevered._

 _A husband, lost in an ambush by people who she had once thought peaceful. The despair and depression, the reigniting of her hopes and dreams through the contact of the blessing of darkness. The flash of light in her darkness, the warmth within him that she felt heat her bones and soul with the need to help, to aid, to guard and to protect._

 _Kali Belladonna knew her place in the world, a Faunus and a woman. To the end, she would do what she could, no matter how much lives she would reap. A man whose back she could see, whose enemies she would reap. The whispers of the shadows continuing to torment her with thoughts of maiming and murder, like a desperate call for assistance and fading glories._

 _Lie Ren knew his place as well. If the man to whom he owed his allegiance called, he would fight to the death with whoever came before him. It was not something that was within reason, but it was within the desire that he felt to serve the man that had bound them together and who had remained upright throughout his trials._

 _An emperor, wreathed in yellow and with the power of the darkness around him. A man who would be the beacon in the future of this world to fight. The Great War had scarred Mistral, yet they had never forgotten their allegiance to the Emperor. Eighty years had it been before, and he knew well that the people still believed in the rule of an Emperor, even with the abolishment of the system that had long-since governed them._

"I love you."

The words were easier to say now, Nora smiling brightly. Viridian had joined them, his weapon flashing with an explosion, the dust that'd been inserted into the weapon erupting in a cascade of sparks and showers, the Grimm witnessing it having been left to become ashes and dust, the blood within the air not even a startling change, as he watched clearly the light in those eyes.

"Ren, do you want to? What we talked about?"

He nodded. She had asked him to marry him, a breach of the traditions, but it was as it had been. With their leader once more united with them, it would not be silly to ask for marriage, as they had all been together. He would have to ask for permission from the man to whom he owed loyalty.

"We should ask for permission to wed first."

His weapon cut through the flesh of an Ursa, his foot enhanced with the Aura that he had, blowing through the legs and letting the creature drop to the ground, smoky residue rising to the air, the blood inside his body curling and the darkness ruling through his body once more, as he accepted the power within him.

A zone of zero emotion washed around him, everyone affected, as the pink of his irises shone, his body moving with hurried treads, the Grimm feeling the effect, the apathy within him like a dear fellow, his Semblance having evolved post-ingestion of the darkness.

Nora's light dimmed and Pyrrha's hate grew within her, as they moved with him, striking out. His eyes caught sight of a child, half-torn apart by rounds from the White Fang, half blown apart with Huntsman-type Dust rounds, another casualty to this bloody conflict.

' _No more will be harmed. We are team JNPR.'_

They still called themselves that, even with the world having turned on its end. Viridian was not someone that would ever enter that team, nor would they allow him. Homosexuality was not something tolerated in Mistral, so it was logical that Viridian would wish to hide it, yet Ren could not get over the disgusting feeling inside him.

Pyrrha's face was splattered with blood, her mane of red hair almost like a streak as she dealt with the enemy in an efficient manner, her shield shooting out and cleaving a Grimm in two, as her weapon flashed, striking hard into the soft flesh of the Grimm, a savage smile on her lips. She was the Champion, one of them who had received the purest essence, the beast whose mind was the constant whisper in their own, speaking of the promises of their lord.

Pyrrha was in a dark place, focusing on the loss and the regaining of their overlord, her eyes now holding the light that showed the truth to the world. She was like the champion to the emperor, the one who would strike down all opponents until none remained alive.

' _We're proud. We're here.'_

Responses came from the others, Pyrrha's body in motion as her shield returned to her, blocking the claws of an Ursa whilst she did, her eyes awash with that dark desire. Ren could see it, Nora could see it, yet they did not interfere. Pyrrha had her own loyalty, her own obsession and craving. She was a blade in the open, unleashed towards whatever their master wished.

It was an honourable existence, he knew. Pyrrha Nikos lived for the victory, for the moment when she could return to the man she loved and kneel before him. It was a general that she was, a fighter that would champion the man's name until her dying breath.

She was the nominal leader, yet her will was supplicant to the man who had their loyalty. She was the paragon that had shown the sense to obey the one who was their master.

He turned, looking towards the far street. White Fang members were coming towards them, his hand extended. "White Fang, coming from up ahead." Nora grinned and Pyrrha motioned with a hand.

The order had been given by their sub-leader and they moved. Engaging the enemy was something that had been allowed by the higher-ups. Capture if possible, kill if needed.

A thought rose in his mind, as he reined in his darkness, that flow between his heart and the rest of his body stilling...

' _No matter what, I love you, Nora.'_

He sent that thought through the connection between the three of them, Nora's face lighting up, as she sent a similar thought back.

' _I love you too, Rennie. So much that it hurts at times to love you because I'm so full of it.'_

Pyrrha's face hardened, and she nevertheless kept her silence. It galled her that there was no such thing between her and the Zhu, but it would be so. The young man had earned their loyalty and there was pleasure in servitude to one who would be the man to forge the future.

Pyrrha would understand in due time that the man loved them all like family, like the brothers and sisters and lovers that they were. He wasn't homosexual, but the stirrings of desire for the man had been real. It was Nora who teased him about it, to her delight, yet it was still the Zhu he cared for.

' _Let's make sure that our glorious leader is safe, Rennie!'_

Nora always knew what the best course of action was.

She was the woman he loved after all.

He would protect her until his dying breath.

She made his life worth _living._

She was a woman worth _dying_ for.

* * *

 _The plight of the many (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She strode calmly down the street, her eyes spotting the people and the Grimm that had come to die here at this place. She felt little save for the burning inside her, the anger and the frustration of seeing her love like that. He should not have saved the young man, it had hurt him and she felt the angry feelings inside her rise as she detected the faint brush of something that came with that decision in the spectres of her mind.

They had been added to the collective of those who had been initiated, the brush of power that had dyed them in blackness had applied to them as well, yet Whitney was still as strong as she was. She had not been fully blessed with the strength of the power, yet she minded it not.

She was Jaune's woman, one who shared his bed and who made him feel wonderful. Whenever they made love, she felt like a young woman once again, burning through that desire with the hopes and dreams of the family they would make.

He had said that he would speak to his parents about marriage, that he would bring her into the family, no matter what. She would be a princess, if not a queen. The order of succession was something that she knew about, yet with his sisters being older than him, it would require male inheritance.

' _His father is fifty, or thereabouts...Accidents can be arranged.'_

No man was safe at all times, especially if he had dared to harm _her_ Jaune. The father of the man who set her heart ablaze would undoubtedly have known that he would be a sacrifice to some ancient wizard who had controlled the world behind the scenes. She would _not_ let her man be taken from her.

As her rifle shot another round, an explosion following shortly afterwards, she checked the magazines that she had at her disposal. Carrying them like this might not have been optimal, but she knew that if she did not carry enough, she would have to resort to melee... Which wasn't her strongest suit.

Another shot, taken aim with an adjustment. The beasts were coming at her, as she stepped closer towards her future goal, her eyes glowing with that desire. The hotel was there, and she knew that her father was within its walls. The gift had been shared, the blood called to blood. Faunus were scattered, people having died, blood coating the streets.

She had seen so much death, so much pain and suffering that it was numbness that most would feel. As her steps carried her past the half-overturned car, she took aim, feeling the emotions from those animals who had dared to come to her.

They were simply obstacles that needed to be scaled and destroyed. Her rifle kicked back after each shot, the weapon feeling natural in her grip, Glyphs to boost the speed of her rounds fired, slamming into the flesh and destroying the opposition that she faced. It was not their fate to live whilst she died, it was their fate to die like the creatures they were.

She thought about her daughter for a moment. If Weiss were to be around the White Fang, there would be blood. Her daughter was not the person her sister was, nor was she her mother. A tender girl, one who was raised by her father, performing the role of the heiress to the family.

She felt the Glyphs in the hotel, a sign that her father was still amongst the living. Her oldest daughter would not stay at such a hotel, after all. Plus, the address had been put into her Scroll. That also gave a good clue as to where the man was.

She entered the lobby, past the doors that'd been forced open with a car ramming through it, White Fang symbol sprayed on the side. It was really something that she disliked, the way that the Faunus seemed to take the worst measures imaginable. They were not really the type that she would enjoy around, especially given the anti-Schnee sentiments nowadays.

 _'Things used to be much simpler...'_

She caught sight of some of the people that'd been executed or simply mowed down where they'd stood, bullet holes still riddling some walls. It had been regular weaponry, rather than the Dust rounds that some of the White Fang had been using. A relief, but she knew that it would hurt either way to be shot.

Her rifle took aim, shooting the first round of Flame Dust at one of the White Fang soldiers that stood there in the lobby, still unaware of her presence. She had been fairly quiet, sticking to the carpet where the sound of her footwear would not attract much notice. Another shot, as the flames still exploded, another burst of flame. They were responding, and she was ready to make sure of their demise.

' _They are spread out, so I should-_ _ **taking out the one on the right is the most efficient option, in order to maintain structural integrity of the room.**_ _'_

She did as her thoughts led her, her bullets tearing through the White Fang, a fresh clip inserted into the rifle, already half-way through her ammunition, her eyes catching sight of the White Fang's armaments and comparing the calibre of the bullets to the clips that she used and finding them to be no match.

' _They should standardize the clips for better use... But I guess that Huntsman-type rounds are different from Military type._ '

She ascended the stairs, not going for the elevator. Elevators were dangerous, in her opinion, if there was an active insurgency happening. They could cut the cables and have you turn into a pancake if need be. Her father better hold out, because his daughter was coming.

' _ **Three enemies, one armed with an automatic rifle, category C-Alpha, Vale Military use. Take the rifleman out and dispatch the one with the machete first, before dealing with the axe wielder.'**_

Her eyes caught sight of three Faunus, maskless but with the White Fang emblem on a patch on the shoulder, one of them holding an automatic rifle whilst the other two definitely were Huntsmen... or perhaps flunked huntsmen, who seemed to be in it for the ideology. She hated that.

They turned to her and she fired a round immediately at the rifleman, taking the man by surprise, the blast of ice Dust freezing the man solid, before her aim went to the one with the machete, who was starting to come to her, the animalistic nature of the Faunus already going to rise up against the threat that had presented itself, her rifle jolting with the shot slightly, before the Ice Dust froze the legs, the other man ducking behind his companion, before she could take the next shot.

' _ **Ceiling, above. Collapse it on top of them with the plates to distract them, then switch cartridges to Gravity Dust to allow for greater lethality upon the enemy, before the rifleman comes free from the ice.'**_

The suggestion was valid and she followed it. A frozen block of ceiling plates hit the two Faunus from above, before she switched to Gravity Dust, firing a shot at the rifleman and hearing the satisfying crunch of the body succumbing to a Gravity Dust round that hit straight in the centre of mass. Six shots were loosened into the collapsed mass, the gravity pull of the Dust rounds making her feel a quiver of the air rushing to fill that void, as the blood leaked out from under the plates.

' _ **Proceed down the hallway and then access the staircase, taking three floors before reaching the suites that have been assigned to VIPs.'**_

The guidance was handy, even though she wondered why she was thinking like this, her steps a little more hurried. A more collected mind would have made no rush, save for the ascension of the staircases, but she was not in a collected state of mind, following the thoughts of how she should proceed.

She had been here once before in the hotel, but it had not been something that she had really remembered well. The floor plan of the hotel was standard for most of the upper scale construction in Vale, she surmised.

She was not going to give up on her father. As she reached the top of the stairs, having passed by sixteen bodies, she could feel the fearful emotions in some of the rooms, the people remaining quiet. She had passed by the bodies of those people who had tried to resist, but had met with a fate that had been somewhat worse than death. Executions were gruesome enough, but torture was something that she did not enjoy. A woman's head had been half-detached with a machete-like weapon, and WF had been carved into someone's forehead, before the man had bled out.

' _Animals, the whole lot of them._ _ **Father disliked what they did too, though he did not show it.**_ _'_

She wondered where that thought had come from, as she focused on the accessing of the upper scale of the apartments, her eyes catching sight of one of the bodies half-exploded, a White Fang grunt from the looks of it, half of the woman's torso having been shattered thanks to whatever bodyguard had managed to pull their higher-calibre weapon in time.

The sound of distasteful things came from around another corner, to where a lobby laid, from the brief glance at the evacuation plan that'd been listed on the lobby wall.

Pain and despair came from around her, as she rounded the corner. White Fang, already busy with taking liberties with some of the guests, simply for the fact that they were human and probably Atlesian, met her eyes.

' _ **A distasteful fate for any woman.**_ '

She breathed in and out, before her weapon fired, aiming her shots with efficiency, the Glyphs burning in her retinas as the bullets accelerated in velocity thanks to the Time Dilation glyph that she had sped up, feeding the dark blood within her veins into the glyphs, their dark shimmer like an accompaniment to her nature now.

A head exploded and a body went stiff as it dropped, her rifle taking further aim. To the next, as her mind selected the options on what to do to ensure the safety of the people. She was not kind, but she knew that people needed someone to follow behind.

' _ **Horns. Tail. Wait for the scaled one to rise fully before shooting. Fire dust on rifleman to distract and then finish with a shot to the torso.'**_

They were dealt with, their bodies no longer allowed to harm anyone, as several of the women got away, scrambling from the sudden bursts of gunfire. She grimaced, as she felt the Glyphs in the upper floor continue. A tug to her side, as someone spoke up as she walked past one of the bodies.

"Thank you so much, thank you!"

Someone spoke to her whilst she was being clutched at and she smiled with a little bit of effort, not a very pleasant smile, looking at the weapons that'd been dropped on the ground from now-dead owners.

"You're not able to fight, are you?"

The one who had spoken was a girl around the age of her eldest daughter, her hair a tawny colour that clung to her side. She definitely needed a touching up of her makeup, an idle part of her mind supplied, even as she looked up, scared and skittish, just as she had been once upon a time.

"N-no, but... Thank you."

Others offered their voices of support, as Whitney drew herself up. She recognized some of them from some of the social gatherings. Members of Atlesian upper-class families, undoubtedly here for the Vytal Festival. She didn't really have to think about what would have happened to the men. Most Faunus had a serious dislike of Atlas for the labour laws. It was likely that they had been killed, and the bodies that laid around looked like they'd been slain where they stood...

Her hand brushed through her hair, pulling the hat off and letting her hair flow loosely. A smile on her face, as kind as she could make it.

"Gather the weapons, those of you who know how to fire a rifle, take the rifles and keep watch. Allow enough space for people not to get hit."

She felt someone tug on her jacket again, a blood-stained woman perhaps ten years her junior looking at her. She mentally shuffled through her catalogue of people, recognizing her as one of the wives that she had mingled with once.

"Can't you stay with us until this is all over?"

She shook her head, pulling herself free. "My father is upstairs still, fighting." There was a bitter tone to her voice, as she focused her will, a bright Glyph forming in the freed up space, the form taking shape. A massive tortoise-like shape, as the _Testudo Vehementi_ took shape in a smaller form, several of the women shrinking back.

"But _this_ might keep you somewhat safe until I return with him."

The sound of gunfire from above was a thought that comforted her, as the Glyph below the _Testudo_ _Vehementi_ flickered out of existence.

" _Schnee."_

The word was her family name, a light nod given to the woman. A hush fell, as several of the women looked at the creature that she had created, the link between it and her like a flare in the midnight darkness. Her own darkness was of no import, as she felt the night around her, the desire for her father to be safe overwhelming all other desires.

"I am Lady Whitney Schnee, daughter of Nicholas Schnee. Our word is our bond and our pride is in our country."

She spoke the words that had been once considered to be archaic, but the looks that she received made her feel like the dawn was breaking on her.

"We'll stay here, Lady Schnee."

The tawny-haired girl said, her voice subdued. Whitney wondered whether they would be moving as a group or not, but dismissed that thought. First, her father had to be rescued, then they could plan the next stage. These women would be tarnished, but they would not be broken.

' _Every base of power starts with the few...'_

"Atlas will endure, ladies."

The old saying, Great-War inspired and made, was something of a nationalistic slogan, as she caught sight of several of them already tugging their clothing back into some semblance of natural wear and tear.

' _We'll have to go by their room as well. A change of clothing will make them more comfortable and... well, it would look not very good to have them be reminded.'_

"Atlas will endure, Lady Schnee."

She smiled, nodding her head and then bowing, as per the protocol. Several of these women were of equal or a smidgen higher in status, but she bowed nonetheless. She knew the formalities and the ways.

As she ascended to the next level, she became aware of the bodies strewn on the staircase, White Fang mostly. The assault group must've consisted of a good fifty people or so, if they'd had time for the raping of the uppity and snooty. Vengeance for their oppression... _disgusting._

She was a Schnee and she knew how to be the one taking the reins of power. She belonged to only one man and that was the man who she would wed and be the wife of. All other men who dared to come to her with false promises of courtship could go rot in hell.

A Dust bullet hit the wall next to her, crumbling the wall in a singular explosion, as she caught sight of the remaining combatants. Her father was nowhere to be seen, but the six White Fang that were taking shots at him certainly were.

' _ **Flame Dust magazine, thrown to the middle after heating the middle round. The explosion will deafen and rattle them long enough to make them easy to take down. Faunus have sensitive hearing and scent.'**_

She knew Dust safety procedures, which meant that the Dust would need to be infused with some Aura to get the reaction started up properly, a trick that you learned when you had to improvise a little... But not something that an uninitiated Dust user could easily pull off. Without Aura, you had to rub them together, she remembered.

A brief image of herself doing it and then throwing it appeared, and there was a faint sense of amusement in her mind as she followed the instructions to the letter, infusing the Dust with her Aura to start it up properly, throwing it with her might.

The explosion was loud, as she took shelter behind one of the doors to the stairs, the Faunus rattling from the sudden attack from behind. Her rifle fired once more, the blooming of flames hitting her retinas with the bright light of explosions, as she moved with determinate grace, her eyes glowing faintly in the light as she watched the Faunus stumble, her rifle executing those who had fallen and those who could muster a defence.

It was a calmness of her spirit that was the most even-handed, more gunfire up ahead. She could feel the Glyphs being used in the distance, where her Father was mounting his defence, the damage done to the place no doubt requiring much fixing.

' _At least the White Fang are plentiful.'_

She was not a battle-crazed maniac like some of her fellows. The different voice in the murmur of those who had shared the greatest bounty was like a whisper, speaking of blood and death and revenge, only when the presence had been freshly added, in the background now with that mere murmur.

The White Fang mounted an assault, a shimmering white glow of a Glyph, as she watched her father take his sabre to the closest White Fang goon that he could find, the man's beard dyed a deep red as he did.

A woman, wielding a long rifle, supported him from a distance, rounds shattering against the walls as her aim was unsteady.

"Whitney! Hit them from the back!"

The order from her father was already her course of action, as she delivered a withering fire, the switch flipped and a greater burst delivered. The rifle had shifted to the automatic configuration, growing slighter in stature and greater in firepower delivered in a short while. The barrel was shorter, for better close-range combat.

People fell, as her father's Aura shimmered. The woman that supported him looked a classical beauty, as she took aim and delivered the death to the Faunus, the rifle looking more solid than the woman did, her eyes catching the shimmering blue eyes that the woman held and her father finally stopped, the tide stemmed. Bodies laid scattered, several of them bearing the marks of the Schnee Dust Company protection detail, but her father was still alive.

"Whitney, it's so good to see you."

The man said, yet her eyes looked at the woman, starting to tear up. The woman walked closer, showing the relatively plain dress, the near-ageless features that she saw so often in her daughters. The woman looked to be similar in age to her oldest, nearing twenty-four.

" _Mother_?"

She had only seen the pictures of the woman before. The woman who had died in childbirth, who had been the one to deliver her into this world and who had been there to name her Whitney Esmeralda, according to her father, stood there, shimmering and white, her hands holding a rifle that was the SDC standard.

Her mother's smile was warm, as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I love you, my little beautiful island of solitude. You have grown into a beautiful woman."

Her father's sigh was soft, as he let his hand run over the edge of the sabre, Whitney's senses detecting no life in the immediate vicinity save for her father and her, and the women who she had left under guard by her creation.

"Father, how... How is this _possible_?"

She had to know, her father's eyes looking at her, as a Glyph appeared in his hand, holding it up to her. The typical summoning glyph, enough to summon up a miniature copy of a Beowolf. His eyes looked at her with a burdened look, as he exhaled slowly.

"Summoning, the Glyphs that we use to revive the creatures that we have bested, the Grimm that we have conquered..." A macabre smile came to his face, making him look far more nefarious than before, as he held his hand out to her mother. The woman took it, smiling gently at her husband.

"Others might call it Necromancy, to call forth the souls of those we have touched and who have passed on to the afterlife. To call forth those who have passed..." A look of tender love given, his eyes only on her mother, who smiled at him. "And to wield them as we wield our Glyphs, an inheritance passed over from generation to generation."

"I love you, dearest husband. Dying to ensure that our daughter lived and to be with you is my greatest joy."

A sad feeling welled up inside of her, as she felt the hurt inside her rise, knowing that she would not get to know the woman.

"We need to keep moving."

She said, her voice urging the man on. Her mother's ghost, for what else could she be at this moment, smiled.

"She has your drive, Nicky." The smile on her father's face was warm, as he nodded.

"Push the Glyph into the body and make it rise."

A glyph materialized near one of the members of the protection detail, the body rising once more. It was a jerky motion, one that made the body move, but halting and shocking with every movement.

"It will remain functional for as long as you have Aura. Remember... small measured doses to make them work for you. Play it as the Gravity Glyph to the public, so they don't ask questions."

She had heard about her father manipulating the dead bodies of those who had fallen during an attack during the Faunus Rights Revolution, but that it had been something that she had only dismissed as rumours. The Semblance of the Schnee family had only been able to call back the Grimm that they had slain, formally. The body dropped like a sack of bricks when the Glyph dispelled.

"I understand." Her mother smiled at her and nudged her father with an elbow.

"See? She's got my brains, you crazy Dust bastard."

Her father's loving grin was roguish, the man looking younger, if one had to guess. The shadows warped into the shape of Kali and Sienna, who stepped from the shadows, the fear and wrath hitting her from the side. Her mother was immediately ready to fight, as her father took a ready stance.

" **White, I've got some bad news..."**

Kali's voice was laden with an emotion that Whitney Schnee liked not. She grit her teeth.

" **Weiss was captured by the White Fang. We kept her purity intact but she demands her mama."**

She inhaled once, before exhaling, looking at the two Faunus for a moment and nodding. Anger flowed through her, the darkness sliding through the whites of her eyeballs, turning them into a murky darkness through which the paleness seemed to be a mere hidden glint, her eyes looking at her father.

"I will have to make sure that my daughter is alright, Father, Mother."

She was the heir to the name of Schnee. Until her last breath was taken, none of her daughters would be the one to bear that burden. Anger rose inside her.

"Back to the shadows, kittens..."

Her blood boiled and twisted, as a rictus grin split her features. None of her children would wish to see their mother like this, as she pushed another magazine into the rifle, loading it.

"I'm hunting animals who dared to lay a hand on _my_ daughter. Father, we will talk later. I have a daughter to save. Secrecy is no longer an option. If my daughter needs her mother, she will _get_ her mother. _"_

Her mother dissipated into shards of white, slowly evaporating in the air, and Kali and Sienna dissipated into the shadows.

Whitney and Nicholas Schnee strode down from the ruined upper floor of the hotel, determination in their step. She dismissed the _Testudo Vehementi_ from the Glyph, before she looked at the women that had gathered. Some of them looked better, others looked worse.

"Father, I leave these in your care. I will hunt some animals, show them the rights that they have. _Nobody_ touches my children!"

She was a horrible woman for thinking that, she figured, but right now, she cared not for the rules and regulations. Her daughter was hurt, her daughter had been nearly defiled by some trashy Faunus and she wanted her mother.

' _Your mother is coming, Weiss. Every bloody Faunus that stands in my path is going to die.'_

Whitney Schnee was _angry._

* * *

 _The misled (Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

He could see the glow of the Lux Aeterna around the woman's form as she stood there, readying herself for the fight that she would have. He had spoken his truth, even as the Relic in the staff pulsated with a hint of power, flickering and fading into the darkness. His reserves were low, yet he siphoned the power of despair, of hopelessness and of utter depression.

Vale fed him strength and power, the dark ichors of the _Vitae Tenebris_ regained with every moment that he stalled. The woman in front of him did not know the regeneration rate of the darkness within him, as he felt the power rush through him once more, the sacrifice that he had made for Cardin already refilled.

With thirty minutes of regenerating, he would be powerful enough to summon forth a battalion-strength worth of Grimm, but with the negativity around him, he would barely be able to fend off the Lux Aeterna-infused Good Witch.

' _A truly sickening display of manipulation, Ozymandias Pinnacle.'_

The glow of the magic around the woman was like a beacon, one that lit up with the light that was anathema to his own. The ground had torn up, as the Grimm he created were being dismantled through the telekinetic force that the woman focused through her channelling device, the glow in those eyes like a flare of demise in the night-time.

A car was levitated towards him, slamming into the Beowolf that he had just forged from the shadows, the _Vitae Tenebris_ starting to grow thinner, as he felt the humanity inside him slip.

' _Why would you fight, woman?'_

His mental processes changed, as he felt his grip on the world fade, as his staff rose up and a blazing wave of flame shot at the woman, the ground rising up to form a shield, before it was propelled towards him, a physical wave of force stopping it.

The Relic was giving him feedback about his levels of energy, his body feeling like it'd been through a rough breaking of every bone, the weakness inside his body only exacerbated by the pain that forcing the _Vitae Tenebris_ through the Relic's purifying node made. It was unpleasant and painful, yet he knew that to fight against the Good Witch would require the last dregs of strength that he had.

Comparing the amount of Lux Aeterna that she had at her disposal to his own _Vitae Tenebris_ was like trying to measure a bucket to an ocean, but with his current level, he was only able to eke out a stalemate, a moment where he would be able to keep the fight going, burning brightly with that infinite strength that the _Vitae Tenebris_ provided.

She would be watching, if she could. She would observe, if she had to witness the conflagration, but the damage to the street was something that he tried to keep to a minimum. With the purification properties of the Relic's focus, he was able to keep the signals to a minimum, in order to make sure that he would not have an irate Ozymandias Pinnacle coming towards him.

' _You need to be collared and muzzled...'_

The urge to dominate and destroy grew heavier, as he could already see the woman broken before him, her body snapped into pieces and consumed. The power of the Lux Aeterna was like a flare of flame in the icy coolness that he felt, the frozen feeling of ice-blood running through his veins and blood like the hate that he felt towards the man for daring to even think about seizing his body.

The glow around the woman's riding crop intensified and he conjured up an Ursa to catch the lamppost that came flying at him, the Ursa bursting into motes of darkness that were immediately re-absorbed. The Grimm around this part of the city were slowly being pulled into his network, calling them towards himself.

The Grand Wizard had made a good choice in the woman, with her body still able to channel the power without any degenerative effect. It was like a light glow that seemed to suffuse everything that made her Glynda Goodwitch, the mark of the Grand Wizard imprinted upon her skin. The mark would be burnt in the back, healed and then hidden...

' _You are nothing but a misled woman, given promise and purpose...'_

He had been one of the students that had failed in her class more often than not, without any intention to do so. His experience outside of the safety of the world had taught him that there was no trust between those not in your group and those you held in your group.

"Salem will never hold sway over this world!"

The fake name of Her, something of a memory of the past, the woman speaking it as if it could banish the danger she was in. He spotted Cardin there, holding off the Grimm, doing as the professor had taught him.

' _All things must die...'_

Immortality was a curse and a blessing, but he was not cursed or blessed with it. Ozymandias Pinnacle had shattered the natural balance, the sacrifice of his offspring and the Relics giving nothing but the hopelessness of death to this world...

' _Disgusting.'_

He dodged another object that'd been hurled at him, the beam missing him by a hair's breadth, rather than conjuring something to find its path and disturb it. It was not his business to make the world a better place, but one would hardly think so with the world as it is. Her offensive strength mainly laid with the amount of objects that she would be able to throw at him, and there were many.

A body was thrown at him, someone who had been cut up, the Grimm taking the hit, as a pack of Beowolves padded past him, called here with his dominance, the woman's grim features looking even tenser, as individual pieces of the pavement started to float and take aim.

The creatures did not receive his guidance, but he knew that this would be another distraction. His mind reached out to one of the Nevermores in the sky, domineering it with his will, the scratching and aching inside him as he felt the dangerously low levels of the _Vitae Tenebris_ slowly fill up with the death of the Beowolves. He should not have saved Cardin and Melinda, if he had needed to stand a chance against the Good Witch, but he had to, either way...

" **Surrender and I will let you live!"**

He offered her that way out, as the Nevermore plunged down. The patch of ground around which the Good Witch stood was still unscarred, the woman having barely moved from the spot, which led him to theorize that her Semblance and the magic that she infused it with, was based around a single steady manner of attack. Stationary and yet with the ability to swiftly keep a barrage up.

"I fight for the people of this world! For the children who are yet to be born!"

The trouble was that the woman and himself were both long-range combatants. He was confident that he could make someone fall if they went into the melee range, with a dash back and letting the Grimm close in, but at longer ranges... he was quite at a disadvantage.

' _Most of us are at a disadvantage, except for the Grand Wizard.'_

The man had more tricks up his sleeve than he knew, if the Order of Slayers was any indication. The Grand Witch had not known about them... and it had been something that had been kept under wraps it seemed, if there had been no traitors to the creed.

' _Forging four Kingdoms out of the embers of a Great War and making sure that the development skyrockets using the Relics...'_

A magnificent plan, he would have to allow that as praise. It was not perfect, nor was it something that he could understand with his own experiences, yet it was something that he could not deny as impressive. Four distinct cultures, all mingling together, to be the sacrificial lambs towards the master plan...

' _Nobody knows the plans in this day and age... But She does. It would be so easy if the Grand Witch were to disappear, wouldn't it?'_

The misguided would flock to the banner of 'equality' and the misled would be flocking towards 'strength'. It was a delicate game that was played, one that he felt no affinity for. He knew how etiquette worked and how the world functioned for one of sufficiently high status, but to be political was beyond him. He was seventeen, the women that he held a deep love for all were significantly older than him.

They all had children his age, save for Sienna. For a moment, he wondered whether the proud Faunus would join him in the bedroom as well, the thought dismissed swiftly. Sienna was not into him like that, or so he thought. Kali might wish her to join, but Sienna had a friendship with his big sister.

" **What use is those whose life is not their own? Surrender to your fate and be ground below the ambition of that man, or surrender to me and be left alive."**

It was the final escape that he would give the woman. She had undoubtedly been indoctrinated within the philosophy of the Grand Wizard, enough to be granted the title of Good Witch. A mockery of the Grand Witch, one blessed with the _Lux Aeterna_ that flowed through the Grand Wizard's spirit.

There was no reprieve for him, as another car came at him, dodging out of the way. The Grimm obeyed his commands, the Nevermore plummeting down like a hawk, the Good Witch raising her riding crop and the Nevermore atomized under an enhanced Semblance strike, as Jaune got up again.

' _The low levels of Vitae Tenebris...'_

He could take from her what he needed, but it would require a moment of concentration...

 **Parameters exceeded: Essence drain at 85%. Executing Conservation Routine... Y/N?**

He heard the prompt in his mind, and he dismissed it. He fed more power, feeling the darkness inside him quiver. He looked at Cardin, before he watched the Good Witch wave the riding crop, a thick beam flying through the air at him. A wall of force appeared in front of him, pure _Vitae Tenebris_ fed through the focus and into the air around him.

 **Physical body destabilizing. Essence remaining 4%. Vessel empty in 3 emanations. J.I.N.N. Protocol exception? Y/N?**

He accepted, the flow of _Vitae Tenebris_ pushed. He could feel his sanity dwindling, as he felt the urge to destroy, to kill, to wreathe the world in a torrent of blood and flesh and bone and torment.

" _Why must we do this, Oz?"_

 _Her fingers caressed her lover's scalp, the man's smile a careful simile of something that was approachable. Their status could not be more different, even as her fingernail tapped to his cheek._

" _Because we are the ones guarding Arcadia, my sweet. With you and me... our child."_

 _He patted her belly with a content smile. "Just understand... We will all be free. Nobody will be harmed, the Slayer captain can retire... All that we need, is the life within your belly and the Relics."_

 _It had been a chore to get them all together. She loved him, but their love was forbidden. It would not be tolerated by the court, and they both knew it. The light within them was like the burning sun, to face against the darkness that they would find. The shadow lurked beyond the walls, the creatures of the Grimm lurking always._

 _An ending to this, a hope for the world. She hoped that her child could bring it... even if it would be sacrificed. She had done the calculations as well and it would work, unless the flow was reversed. Who would wish for immortality? Death was a reprieve from this world of bloody death._

He became aware of himself again, a car having hit him in the face. The asphalt below him was uncomfortable, yet he was still alive and in combat.

 **Physical body injured. Seek replenishment of essence before engaging combat.**

The notification was like a lure as he threw the car off him, seeing the Good Witch stand there.

It was time to end this. He was at his last dregs of power and the risk of becoming like the Grand Witch was real, but if the darkness needed to shroud him against this foe, then he would. If the woman had not listened to his plea for surrender, then he would _end_ her.

He would be a hero, even if he had to ensure that Ozymandias Pinnacle would not have a Good Witch.

* * *

 _The Hunt is on (Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

She could feel the ache in her bones as she climbed out of the wreckage, already seeing the place where they'd arrived. A square, with plenty of cover that'd been gained from the worrying amount of debris that had been kicked up by a crashing train. She held on to the girl, having made sure to pick her up properly so that she wouldn't hurt so much.

She genuinely felt bad for the pale-haired girl, knowing that it would be another victim to the animals. The Faunus had treated the girl badly and she had shut down, somewhat. A grim reckoning would come for them. Her weapon thirsted for more blood.

The throbbing heartbeat to her side made her recognize the pattern, the woman standing there. The other heartbeat was moving, circling around. The question was answered swiftly, as the woman disappeared after the little Rose got her huff on. The heartbeat changed. A familiar beat, a familiar pace.

She _knew_ that heartbeat.

Looking at several of the others that came from the crash site, she mentally tracked the beating heart, the pace faster than regular, undoubtedly because the one who owned that heart was running, moving faster and getting into combat.

"Guard the princess."

Her voice was soft, as she began to feel her Semblance slipping again, her face loosening, as the scars on her back flared up in pain, even with the unscarred skin there. She felt the burn, the need, the bracing of flesh and bone and pain.

She caught sight of her sister after nearly a minute, having handed the princess over to the woman with the axe, an outsider of the Rose, one who had been valiant. Her body had already started to loosen up, as her gaze met her sister's, Azure standing there like a lost little puppy. "Guard the Schnee."

There was no denial, as the heartbeat came closer, Azure's face showing fear, as her breathing picked up, remembering the pain, the torment, the hopelessness that was only quenched by the thoughts of her little man, the one who mattered most. There was a waiting time, as the older Huntsmen just waited, their eyes looking at the hole that'd been punched in the wall of Vale. Grimm would be coming, she knew, but that was not important.

Finally, Heather emerged together with Kali's daughter, her eyes already plucking out the weapon that Heather had.

"Azure, you have operational control together with Qrow Branwen. Make sure that nothing comes out of that hole if you can stop it. Heather, you're with me, and..." She paused for a moment, deliberating.

"Belladonna, Calavera. You're with me too. I need back-up, in the case the animals go and deliberately come to make a fuss."

The Faunus' heart picked up speed, as she seemed to feel a spike of nervousness, as Rowena pushed herself into combat mode, her attention going to that heartbeat. It was coming closer and she was going to make sure that it was going to get the best fucking reception that she could give it, the mask pushed up onto her face. A blood-guard would be good, so as to make sure that the animals didn't really get to mark her perfect flawless skin... She was a vain woman, after all...

The White Fang that she encountered would just be a good warming up for her. At the end of the street, she could already see a squad coming, but Faunus Mors moved in the pattern, deflecting the bullets with a handy twist-flick of the blade, making sure to keep her speed as it was. Speed was essential, because you could outrun things, but be overwhelmed by enough firepower.

Her Semblance snapped, curling around the hearts of the beasts, making them feel a sharp pain, and she was within their ranks, the blade of the scythe reaping in a singular slash from below, the blood flying, as her red cloak absorbed the blood with no issue, her whole motion fluid like water. A laugh came from her lips, shrieking and giddy, as the bodies hit the floor, their legs cleaved through. Their screams were like a symphony, and her blade reaped their flesh, the blood gushing from their wounds freezing in an instant, as her blade was brought down, the thunk-chop and stab-slice as she tore the blade free from the flesh after the life had faded, almost a wonderful little symphony.

The heartbeat came closer. The prey was in reach.

Her body was in motion, the cloak fluttering in the breeze as her rush continued, Grimm dismembered with the flowing strikes of her weapon, the handling of her scythe like an easy smooth flow, burning with the brush of that power through the painting of blood and gore. She lived for this moment, for the blade to part flesh, to kill all that would harm her and that which she loved.

The marks on her flesh continued to sear with the pain and agony, the feeling of her snatch dripping and leaking, as she felt that rush go through her, the pounding throb of adrenaline, as she looked to the distance, the heartbeat coming ever closer, the pulsating throb-bump-throb that the heart made definitely making the chase even better.

' _Surprise surprise, motherfucker... Let's see how you fucking like me when I'm able to move, Adam.'_

Adam Taurus appeared, in his usual sly manner of looking like he was in control, his long coat that had looked tacky back in menagerie looking like it was something worse to see... And she smiled. A grin on her face, as she looked at the man and the twenty-something Faunus that he had brought with him.

' _This is going to be fun, Adam... You've brought toys...'_

Blackness filled her veins as the light shone within her, mingling. Her body shot forwards, to let the man meet his destiny. It was about time...

' _Vengeance will be mine!'_

* * *

 _The Good Witch (Glynda Goodwitch)_

* * *

She stood her ground, knowing that the man opposite of her was one of the Shadow's people. She hadn't expected it, nor had she dared to think that she would face off against one of them so soon, but it was her duty.

She had been an instructor at Beacon for a decade, having graduated and made her career in the guiding of young souls in search of answers, the instruction of those who dared to dream of the career that she had chosen. As her Semblance gripped the beams, she could hear the wailing of the voice, a hopeless tone that spoke to her.

' _I'm so tired...'_

The power inside her had come as a surprise when she'd laid eyes on him. Her Semblance was to bring order in this world, using the forces of telekinesis to bring damage to the world by disturbing and restoring the order of things. Beams flew, at the Shadow, a memory hitting her suddenly as she saw the tired-looking face of the Shadow.

" _It is important that you know this, my dear."_

 _The old voice had spoken, the woman in her twilight years, age lines crisscrossing her face. Green eyes looked down at her, as the fingers twisted through the threads of the small craft that she'd been working on. It hadn't been fair that she'd had to be the one that had to do this! Her older brothers could do this._

" _But can't I play outside? Big brother said that he'd be playing catch with me!"_

 _The woman's voice was strict, as the threads were put in her hand again and the woman started once more. It had been said by father that she would be the one chosen for the noblest of jobs, to help someone very important._

" _Because you must learn. Ozymandias does not have long in this world, the transfer must be completed... You must become the Good Witch, or you will be cast aside. Now, try again, Glynda."_

 _That was not her name! She was a proud daughter of the house, but she would not answer to that name, working on the threads that were important for a moment. She tried really hard too, but it just wouldn't work. The woman started to cough, a handkerchief with red bloody splotches on it coming away._

" _You will have to be Invested soon, child. Do not worry... It is a noble profession. It is as it had always been, since the First Good Witch..."_

She snapped back to attention, batting away a Beowolf that had come too close. She was remembering... _things_. The light inside her was aiding her at her fighting and she should not question her memories. They were unimportant, the fight would go on.

' _I have to bring the body to the Headmaster... He'll know what to do, the standard procedure for bringing in bodies with the Shadow's taint is described in the L- Wait, how do I know that? Have I ever encountered someone like that before?'_

She debated with herself for a moment, the Beowolf split into two halves and flicked back at the Shadow's emissary, the blood inside her veins chilling as a blast of raw power whizzed past her head, a car levitated in her view and then angled for maximum impact.

"You won't take me or force me to surrender."

She would protect the children. She had owed Ozpin an oath, she'd owed him everything, ever since the orphanage where he'd been with her. A memory of the world as it had been, as she'd had her parents die and-

' _Did my parents die by the Grimm?'_

She didn't know anymore. All that she knew was that the light had been powerful and she'd tasted blood, and there was this nagging sensation in the back of her mind that she'd forgotten something important. She'd had no choice, because it was important? Why was it so important?

" _Tell me again, father! Tell me the story!"_

 _The man's eyes were tired, as he laid his hand on his knee, the family portrait that hung on the wall showing all four of them. A smile on the man's face made the scars wrinkle a little._

" _Once upon a time, there was a witch..."_

 _The man's voice was resonant, the coughing coming ever more as he spoke. The large tome that rested upon the lectern in the study was something that she'd not been allowed to touch but she'd read the stories as well. She knew how to read, and it'd been a special gift!_

" _And so, the Maidens fought, together with your grandfather, to defeat the Witch. That was the reason why Vacuo is so deserted nowadays..."_

 _There were always stories to tell, as Father softly ran a finger over her forehead. She liked his eyes. They were so wonderful and clear, as he smiled._

" _You will meet a wonderful woman soon, my daughter. Her name is Glynda Goodwitch."_

 _She couldn't wait. This was important!_

She felt confused. Why was she remembering something like this? She had been raised in an orphanage, her parents had died in a Grimm attack and Ozpin had been there with her, right? She couldn't get distracted, not now.

 **LUX AETERNA, EX GLORIA OZYMANDIAS!**

The Grimm nearly reached her, and her riding crop moved, a wall of force thrown up, the creatures thrown back through the concussive force. She didn't know where it had come from, that sound, those words. She was uncertain, but the power flowing into her arms and her legs was something greater than she'd ever felt.

 **ELECTIO GLORIA IN LUX AETERNA! ELECTIO! ELECTIO! GLORIA IN OZYMANDIAS!**

She could see the young man blessed by the Shadow come closer. She'd lost her focus, and the power inside her was welling up. The light was so strong that it burned through her hesitation, as she sent a barrage of shards at the Grimm coming closer, the man's eyes looking into her with those soulless wicked eyes.

A memory hit her, as she shook her head, the power flaring up, as the darkness came ever closer.

" _Accept it! The blessing is yours!"_

 _Her teacher stood there, the connection forged. The blood was filling the basin and she felt afraid, watching as the woman was slowly bleeding out, her father's body already rendered down to the blood that filled another basin through the ritual power. There were four women around, all looking to be around thirty, the mass of glowing lights around them enough, as the old man stood there at the base, a faint smile on his lips as he watched, the green glow in his eyes hypnotizing and calm._

" _ **Lux Aeterna, ex Deo est Lux, Infigo ut id corpus mortale! Bonum pythonissam!"**_

 _The body of her teacher dropped to the ground, shrivelling up into a mummy-like state and making her feel like there was something pushing into her deepest sense of self suddenly, as the blood crawled through the air in a thick glob of pulsating essence. The man's hand was guiding it to her mouth, she knew. It was the bond of blood and the Lux Aeterna._

 _She opened her jaw without intending to, the blood sliding down her throat. It was disgusting, but the patterns...She could see the patterns now! This was magic, this was power!_

 _She knew it now!_

 _Her body started to float, as knowledge flowed into her mind. There was now only the Good Witch, the woman who was to serve as the adjutant to the Grand Wizard. She didn't want to, but she had. She wanted to play, she wanted to give her niece some more toys, she wanted to learn how to paint and be an artist._

 _She was Gl-_

 _A shudder, as she remembered being the first chosen, the one who was to be invested with the blood of the ancient one, who had borne the first inheritor. The pain of laying upon the altar as her body was branded with the light and her soul crying out, before the next child would be invested, and her mouth formed the name that she had chosen._

 _ **Glynda**_ _ **Good**_ _ **Witch**_ _._

 _The rules were pushed into her, and the bindings of light fastened. She would do as she would, when the Shadow threatened. The man looked at her and smiled, the white locks like a fading ash dream. They had killed father for this. The sacrifice of flesh of the father and the spirit of the Good Witch had been made to make her the next Good Witch._

" _Good... Glynda... Let's go to the Orphanage."_

 _He was her friend, she knew. They'd been at the orphanage together. She'd make sure that he was happy, because he had made the choice for her._

 _The young girl was locked away as the spirit of the former Glynda Goodwitch pushed itself into the vessel in which it would work, teaching and forming that which would become the new Good Witch. At age 21, the young girl and the Good Witch finally merged together, into that which was the Good Witch, Glynda._

 _She would never see her family again, nor would she remember the dreams and hopes of her future. The stories would fade together, as she would fulfil the duties that were asked of her, never to know her true destiny, until the Shadow would come._

She railed, as she shouted at the Shadow defiance, as fear and confusion filled her mind. The light of that staff, it gave her the knowledge of things that she would not have thought about, fear occluding the light inside her.

 **GLORIA IN OZYMANDIAS!**

The call for the glory, the call for the belief in the mission, in the power within her... She could feel it burning and she wanted to do something else, she wanted to go and-

" **Knock her down."**

The man, for it was indeed a man wreathed in shadow, spoke and she became aware of the young student behind her, his mace whistling through the air. Panic went through her as she knew that the low blow would disable her ability to use her Semblance, would make her magic the only ability that she could use through the simple-direction Focus that she had crafted herself. It was her only holdfast, but-

Her legs were knocked out from under her then and she fell.

She slammed down onto the ground that'd been unharmed by the barrage that she'd used it for, looking up at the man who had ordered her to be put down like an animal. Hissing at him, she watched his features as he came closer, the veins distended with pure blackness, eyes that burned like the blood of her father and the Good Witch before her.

' _No... No, no, no!'_

She knew those features. The first death of the season, the first Huntsman in training under her charge who had died, was looking down at her. His eyes held death for her, for what she had inside her. The power that burned and bristled inside her, the blood that held the power.

She had never wanted this, she'd never wanted to be the Huntress or the Good Witch. She'd just wanted to live her life and play with her brother! Father didn't have to die! Big brother could have made her live at the home and she could've cared for them too, because she'd never wanted to-

"Never, I'll never bow before you, you sick cr-"

The hand was pale and showed the dark veins bulging, his eyes looking down at her with a merciless look in their ruby depths. It made the weakness inside her feel, as the light inside her seemed to dim for a moment. The staff with the focus upon it glowed, and she knew things, things that she'd long-since forgotten.

" _Play with me!"_

 _She called out to him as he stood there, his smile warm, the ball in the air above him, as he moved to bat it towards her. It was a childish game, her older brother of a few years her senior indulging her, even with the pain that came with the markings that'd been placed on her._

 _Miss Glynda had said that she bore the markings as well, that it was a beacon for something. The Grand Wizard, a powerful man, had come up with this, to make the world a better place. She didn't really care much about it, she just wanted to have fun, maybe go to the settlement for some play. There had been a boy born to the gunsmith, she heard. She'd have liked to see the boy, because babies were cute and cuddly._

" _You're such a brat, but I guess..."_

 _Her older brother smiled, hugging her. Her oldest brother merely watched, his eyes calm and steady, Father having retired to bed now. His wife was looking a little amused, her eyes as delicate as they could be, the swollen stomach carrying her niece or nephew. It was going to be amazing... They'd finally have someone in the family! Before she'd been born, it'd only been her brothers, and she thought there was a sister as well, but she'd died._

 _Father hadn't wanted to talk about it, so it was okay. She was going to play with the little baby soon, she hoped that it'd be cute!_

The hand that pushed through her chest froze those thoughts of her youth that she'd forgotten. Her eyes lost focus for an instant, as she felt the hand grip her heart. There was pain. She felt it barely and there was much of it. She wanted to live, but she had received a mortal blow.

' _No, not like this, not like this! I wanted to see the world, I wanted to have sex with someone I loved, not like this! I'm too young to die!'_

She felt the pain twist inside her, as the light faded, and the life faded from her eyes. Her soul was fading, the light growing dimmer and dimmer as something seemed to spread through her body, her mouth pleading with him.

"No, ah! Please, no!"

A helpless woman's cry, not the Good Witch anymore, only the woman whose heart was being grasped by a young man whose name was known to her. The look that she saw on his face was so much like his father's, the grim visage of a man who would do what he could to those who opposed him without pity or remorse.

"Stop, please! Please!"

Her hands were trying to pull him out of her chest, trying to make the wound not as big, but the glow of the staff and the orb that it held upon it, something that she recognized as one of the Relics, mentioned by Ozpin...

She remembered, for a moment, as a voice inside her mind that belonged to her former mentor spoke.

 **LUX AETERNA, IN VITAE TENEBRIS!**

The voice shattered then, as her soul broke and tore by the darkness that was being forced into her. She idly noticed that her head was hurting, that her whole body felt like it was going to explode. It was the mechanism that would guarantee that the body of the Good Witch would not fall into enemy hands, the final safeguard of her duty...

" _I hope that Atlas Jean woman gets through that bucketful of condoms and her young stud... Damn, I should've just gotten laid when I could, rather than wait for James or someone else..."_

The darkness ripped through the cage of light and she felt something be drawn out, her body growing still as her soul split into shards. The power built up and something was cut off from her soul, before the darkness smothered the light.

The light flickered and there was only darkness then, as the seals broke and she collapsed, mouth opened half-way, her hands on his arm, fingers clawing at it to try and force it off before the power left her.

' _No... I still... Haven't...Why?'_

Glynda Goodwitch exhaled, a rattling sound from her lips as the air left her lungs, her green eyes turning dull as the hand pulled out of her chest, the body laid on its back as the wound slowly sealed up, the look on the young man's face grim, as her fate had been decided in that instant.

Glynda Goodwitch would never draw breath again.

That which had been forged in the crucible of magic and reinforced over the years had been destroyed by a single young man's will and strength, forever ending the Good Witch.

The match between the Grand Warlock and the Good Witch had been won by the Grand Warlock.

* * *

 _Queen of the Castle (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

She felt the burning rush through her veins at the sense of strength that bumped her mood to the highest it'd ever been, her body flickering in that intense high, as she grabbed a power line and felt the zap go through her. A transformer box she'd smashed open, to get a good juicing of the power lines so that her fighting power would increase.

It had the handy side-effect of increasing her Aura's regeneration as well, enough to make her feel like she was on top of the world. Her Ren had finally accepted that they were going to marry! He was happy with her, they'd all be with Jaune and make sure that there wouldn't be baddies going to disturb their happiness.

"I love you, Ren."

Her voice spoke aloud as she joined her partner in life, her eyes watching him, as he smiled at her with that small smile, his weapons being reloaded with a swift click of a new magazine. She could see Viridian at the sideline, Pyrrha driving her weapon into the gut of one of the White Fang grunts, her body in constant motion. It was something that she felt was right, because they'd all been the ones that had disturbed their sleep.

' _I love you, I love you, I love you...'_

She sent the thoughts to Ren, whose light smile was something that brought happiness to her life and colour to her world. She caught one of the White Fang's weapons with Magnhild's haft, before she advanced with a confident stride, batting the weapon away, her enhanced strength growing ever stronger thanks to the juicing up of her Semblance.

"I love you too, Nora."

He spoke from her side, smiling at her. He was such a sweetheart, always saying the right things to her. A burst of gunfire and she ducked, aware that she posed a large target with her weapon, even though she was a small girl. Ren was right at her side, ducking in the same direction as she had. Something seemed to snap at her, but she wasn't aware of it. Something felt like it was flowing into her as her body received the rush of adrenaline, and she felt a strange queasiness, as her body shot forward like a spring.

The hammer came down, watching Viridian and Pyrrha deal with some of the opposition. "Yes, YES! Who's the queen, who's the queen?!" She felt the happy combat adrenaline shoot through her veins as she shouted her challenge, her eyes watching the White Fang grunt slam against the ground after she'd disabled him, Pyrrha's kill strikes always causing maximum harm, but she'd make them savour it. They dared to harm their queen of the castle, so they would be punished!

' _I love you, Ren.'_

She heard no response back, but that must be because he was busy with dealing with the others. He was such a hard worker, she should give him an extra big reward when they'd get home.

She turned away from the combat after dealing with her enemy, the rifle that'd been spewing higher-grade Dust bullets busted, as the man's body had been smashed into blood and meat with extra prejudice in that swing, going towards the defensive line that they'd decided on earlier, utilizing the cars as makeshift cover, she caught sight of him laying there. He was just lying there on his back, one of Stormflower's pistols having scattered across the ground.

' _That's odd...'_

He wasn't moving. He wasn't moving and she felt fear go through her. He must've been taking a little break, right?

' _Rennie?'_

She was running, not caring for her own safety, as she skidded to a halt next to him. He looked alright, he looked alright but why wasn't she hearing him in her mind. Why wasn't he comforting her, telling her in his own way that he was fine?

' _Come on, Rennie... Now is not the time to sleep, now's not the time to be lazy, come on.'_

A frantic panic came from her depths as she tried to find him, tried to find the connection, that link. She called out in her mind, trying to find that connection, hearing nothing. Her hands touched over his scalp, coming away wet with blood. Her fingers turned the head around gently, seeing the impact wounds. Half of his jaw had been blasted away at his other side, the other bullets having hit the skull.

Her gaze went down and saw another round that'd perforated his chest, punching a hole inside his chest, the hole still oozing blood. Her eyes returned to his face, his beautiful, gentle face.

The face of the man that she loved.

The world lost its colour, as she looked at the face that was half-intact and half destroyed by Dust-infused rounds. Rounds from a weapon that had been restricted to military use, some part of her mind supplied, having researched it for an additional option for Rennie, because his Stormflowers didn't do too much damage to the Grimm with their small calibre.

Everything felt numb, as the tears came. She'd always relied on him to make sure that she didn't cry too much, because she didn't want to be weak for him, but now it... it was something that she couldn't stop.

"Rennie... Wake up, come on... _Wake_ _up!_ "

She felt the warmth of his body slowly fading as the blood leaked over her fingers, the blood from the wounds on his head staining her fingers. She didn't care for the mess.

"We were going to get _married_ , Rennie... We were going to get _married_ and I'd be a bride and we'd all be happy together..."

Her voice was shuddering and quaking, as she started to hyperventilate, the darkness inside his body quivering and shivering as the world never seemed to be alright. She felt so empty inside, her whole world had just died. Gunfire came closer, but she heard it not, rocking slowly with her love's head in her hands.

' _No, no, no... Noooo~!"_

Tears dripped onto his face, messily making the blood mingle with the salty tears as she continued to break down, her whole world shattering and shaking, the foundations ripped away from her and she felt alone. Pyrrha's presence in the distance was like a little hurdle, as someone shouted that more White Fang were coming.

She didn't care for that anymore. Her man was dead and she was not going to leave him here. She'd said that they'd always would be together, they'd sworn that oath in Kuroyuri...

She was going to be his girlfriend and wife and they'd have ten kids and they'd make a nice little home and have their family live there too and... and...

' _Ren...'_

Her hands cradled his head, as she softly started to hum the tune that he'd hummed for his parents. The world just hurt so much and she felt so sad. It hurt so much to lose him, it hurt so much inside her that it was like a burning sensation.

She hiccupped, looking down at that sweet and lovely face, having to face the reality of this bleak world...

 _Alone_.

Lie Ren was _dead_.

* * *

 **Well... That's some death and destruction wrought. The Good Witch and Ren killed in action in the Breach. For Ren, we have a character song.**

* * *

 **Lotus in the Castle**

 **You were my sunshine during the darkest days of my life,  
A girl to be a princess, a girl I want to be my wife,  
you're the sunshine that brought me happiness and care,  
The queen of my castle, the girl I'd have my world with to share.**

 **Chorus**

 **The blood inside my veins sings for you,  
the gift of your smile making it feel ever so true,  
a night in that town, forever left alone,  
for our family never to be shown.  
I love you and you're my queen,  
living in the castle with the lotus sheen.**

 **When we were alone, we had nowhere to go,  
nowhere to call our home,  
strays and orphans of our own time,  
fought for a spot and a place to shine.  
Beacon's where we'll go to find our power,  
to take back what is yours and mine. **

**CHORUS**

 **A light of gold and blue, a champion of red and gold,  
leaders made out of warmth, rather than ice and cold,  
a noble goal, a noble desire to be a hero,  
determining our place to be on number one, rather than at zero.  
Nora, we'll make you a queen, even with our lotus castle never seen.  
This is how it will have been, with my love for you like a dream.**

 **CHORUS**

 **The depths of despair touch us, as you cry and fuss,  
our golden and red champion lost to her depression,  
I care for you and her as the one to keep things together,  
because I swore to myself that we would die together.**

 **A blessing from the darkness,  
a gift of thoughts and love for a master,  
a promise of power that we'll harness,  
for you, my darkness will gladly shroud you from them all,  
if Apathy is my fate, then so I shall fall.  
for you, I give my all, my Valkyrie, guardian of my soul,  
because when you are with me, my emotions feel whole.**

 **CHORUS**

 **When I pass, I want to be next to you,  
in your arms, because the love was true.  
You were the spark of hope,  
that cut through my apathy,  
and if I die before you, I hope you will be free.  
I love you, more than you'd ever know,  
My Nora, without you, the world isn't worth it for me.**

* * *

 **Ren really loved Nora. It's sad in a way that he is the first of team JNPR to die, but he died doing what he loved: Protecting Nora. If he hadn't blocked it, she would've been downed and possibly killed. He couldn't have allowed that. He died for the girl that he loved, so that she'd live her life. A sacrifice for her, because he would follow her in death if she died.**

 **Not everyone survives their fairytale. The tragedy is in those who are left behind. Jaune spared Cardin's life and changed him because he wants to be the hero that could save the people who deserve it. Fighting versus Goodwitch probably was a bad idea, but it was inevitable. The Good Witch had to perish, or his heroic tale would end.**

 **Rowena versus Adam in the next chapter. We also get to see Sage Arc again... And our lovely duo of pumpkin ice! Roman's gotta get the hell out of dodge and it's not going to be easy.**

 **Leave a review if you'd like!**


	56. Escalation

**Chapter 56: Escalation**

 **Ren died because he leapt in front of Nora whilst already low on Aura. He'd be the guy who would do something like that for the woman he loved. Personally, he considered the sacrifice more than worth it. He was hit in the chest and on the side of the face. It was the chest wound that killed him.**

* * *

 _The Sympathy (Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

Her weapon cut through the flesh of the Faunus who had dared to take aim at her team, the sudden snapping of the connection to Ren like a stab in the back. Her head turned around, as her body mechanically moved, the Faunus dying from the stab between the ribs, her shield brought up to guard her upper body.

She saw the body fall and felt the anger muted within her, watching how Nora continued on her trajectory, dealing with the Faunus that had shot Ren, her attention returning to her own opposition. Her Semblance acted in a direct fashion, the weapons jerked from their hands, as her speartip flashed, the thunk-thud-slunk that accompanied the symphony of screams that she was creating enough as a percussion for her, falling back once more. She could see Nora becoming aware, could hear her calling out to her lover.

' _You know what I feel now…'_

It was terrible. It was dark. She had felt like the lowest of the low for letting him out of her sight, for having the others merely remark upon it and not see what a wonderful boy he had been.

The thought of him with her set her blood alight, as she looked at Viridian, whose explosions buffeted the Faunus he was fighting away from him. She moved with some delicateness to her steps, the greaves and the other bits of armour that she wore perfectly moving in tandem with the pulse of her Semblance.

She let them be repelled from the ground, another interesting quirk of her Semblance, allowing her greater feats of athleticism than she had seen in others, as she aided her teammate. He might be a degenerate homosexual, but he was at the very least someone that had been assigned to them. If he died whilst she could be held accountable, well…

That would be a _shame._

' _Much better to let the Grimm do it. Plausible deniability…'_

"We should get back and… Oh Gods, Ren's injured."

There was fear in the young man's voice, concern and something more. Disgusting to hear something that might pass for a crush enter Jaune's replacement's voice, but it was so.

"He's dead."

She said with finality. The link had been snapped and she could not detect a single shred of his consciousness, the negativity in the area increasing, as she saw Nora break down. The darkness around her coiled and writhed, as the blackness inside herself swelled. The power that Nora held was like hers… She knew the taste of that dark drug of His love…

' _And when I see you again… Let's see whether you want the bimbo or the Schnee… Oh, it would be so rude of me not to bring you a suitable present indeed… The Faunus would not be an idle thought either… But you would want the best, would you? The bimbo would be better… We can even play together, if you want… I know some muscle relaxants that can make her as pliant as a meek little kitten…'_

It would be glorious. The blonde would see what a _real_ man was. Jaune would take her and she would watch, whispering sweet nothings into his ear to encourage him to break the little tart, before joining in. The blonde didn't know what true horror was yet… But she would _learn._ She would learn so damn well that Pyrrha Nikos loved _one_ man.

' _Hmmm… A blonde and a redhead…'_

She was probably slightly weaker in upper body strength than Yang was… But that was where you had restraints made out of metal for. The cow would be submitting to the Master, if she had her way. Nothing but the best of the best for the Master, and a full apology to his mother…

She had made mistakes, she had made errors in judgment, without knowing the facts. Repentance could only be given in blood… perhaps a corded whip? He might enjoy the sight of her blood flowing as she whipped herself, til the blood rained down…

A thrill of dark pleasure shot through her, as she saw the warmth rush through Nora, that darkness wrapping around her and through her like a cloud of ink in the sea, when she had visited it once and an octopus had appeared.

' _She's finally accepting the gift…'_

The look on Nora's face was arousing her, as those eyes looked so broken. Just like she herself had looked, when she had heard that her Jaune had died. It was a pity that one of Jaune's chosen had died indeed… But to see the short-haired ginger girl with such an expression on her face was something that she could only take the dark joy in, watching as Viridian came closer, her own gaze drawn to the White Fang that came at them.

She could feel it, that burdening sense of strength as Nora absorbed the darkness within Ren's shell of a body, the feeling of Nora's power surging under the newly absorbed dark blood of her Master, the wrath tingling through the connection.

Here, she felt free. Here, she felt the connection. At this moment in time, they were the same. The red rage that burned in her chest was felt by Nora as well, no… Even greater than her own rage.

She glanced at Nora, spotting the bone-pale skin and the bloody redness around her lips. The body that had belonged to Ren laid away, as Viridian tried to talk to her, tried to shake Nora out of the good state that she was in.

' _More, MORE! Become an instrument of death for Jaune, more!'_

She laughed, watching as the rage and fury sparked, glowing and growing into what was a bonfire, an inferno that seemed to rage. Already, the tingling of her loins and that shudder that came to the aroused slit between her legs was starting to send her own body into a frenzy.

The Master had called, the Master would call and she would be with her Jaune.

"Leave her. Give her time to grieve."

Her voice was steady, as she still was the nominal leader, still held that role of command over the two other members of her team…

She wanted more bloodshed. More revenge for the man who dominated her waking thoughts, who made her feel aflame with that desire. She thirsted for the moment when she would be with him again, to shed her armour and to unveil herself against his judging gaze, to be told that she was _perfect_.

' _He will love me, yes… He has to love me, he has to love me… I'm his partner, I will be loved.'_

More targets came. She could see them, ill-trained and ill aware that death was looming there. It was time to unshackle herself from those feeble restraints and to unleash the death that she had been guarding, the craving within her to make the day last of blood and death.

' _Jaune…'_

Already, she could feel him in the distance, she could feel the thirst within him, that dark craving. He was becoming even more perfect, as he called out to her, asking where Ren had went. He was such a good man, such a perfect man… Yes, she was selfish by saying that she thought him the best man in the world, but it was simple perfection.

" _He perished."_

The response was met with surprise and a sense of deep sadness from him, as anger and sadness warred within him. A low growl came from her lips as she charged the way, the repelling field around her deflecting the bullets away as they came for her body, her eyes aglow with the shimmer of viridescent green, the blackness infusing her pupils, her hair a wash of red, as her shield guarded her body with the repelling wall around it.

" _ **He will be avenged… I won't let these creatures get away with killing what is mine. "**_

He was such a good man, such a wonderful leader and love…

She wished to share that love with him, she wished to let him feel the tightness of her sex, to feel how he claimed her as she had been claimed at that moment when she had beheld his soul.

 _A tingle of that hair and a clarion sound as she beheld the sun beaming down on her, only in a flash of something, as she pushed her Aura into him. He was like the sun, warming her. The light was like a guiding beacon to her, as she kept on pouring her Aura into him._

 _He had seen her for what she was… just a simple huntress in training, someone who could only have the moment of her study for those trivial pursuits such as making friends and becoming known as just another Huntress._

 _The light was brighter now, as she saw the sun, something pushing against her. Her Semblance activated, pushing through the sunlight and then widening that gap a little, using the force of the world against the barrier preventing his Aura from awakening._

 _She had never awakened another's Aura, but she had spoken the chant and would keep to those words. With just a little push, she felt the light fading, a deep rift starting to crackle through the sphere of the sun, as the warmth pushed out at him._

 _A flash of something, a memory perhaps, showing him looking at the sword and shield that were in the arms of a statue, the place looking much like a crypt, belonging to the family he was a member of. A woman sang to him, words that she could not understand, the language so dissimilar to what she knew, but the love that she worked into that song was a message understood to her, the beautiful singing voice hitting the high notes with perfection, an aria for the child that heard it._

 _She felt the light wrap around her, as she felt the whispers of someone saying that they would be a Huntsman in order to protect his sisters and the rest of humanity, the words that meant a lot to him, repeated evermore. He was the light in this world, and the rest of the feelings that surged through her confirmed it._

 _He did not know her. He did not see Pyrrha Nikos as the champion, but as the girl that had been lucky to end up on a cereal box…_

 _It was hard not to love such genuineness. To feel such a gentle, bright soul wrap around her and to make her feel like she was just a simple person and he was there for her._

 _She had found her partner._

The memory was like the light that had been replaced by the darkness. The others did not see, they did not see the beauty of him. His eyes had been like the skies of a wonderful day, as his hair was like the glow of the morning sun…

And after he had returned to her, his hair had become the colour of the moon, the eyes a mix of that blue of the skies during daytime and the blood that was so alike to her hair. A king that stood there for her to worship, the blood within her veins singing with every thought of him.

She touched herself to the thought of being with him, the faint utterances of his lust and his pleasure shivering down her tenuous link to him. Flashes of driving himself into a willing body, of pale hair scattered over a pillow and a guttural twist to his moans, as the woman, one of those blessed with the power, took him.

' _He will want me… I know he will, I just have to make sure that he is happy.'_

Nobody would stay in her way. She was _invincible_. All would fall before her as she served the man who was her sun and her moon, the man who was her world and much more.

Nora saw it now, undoubtedly…

There was only _one_ leader that they could follow.

' _And when we have killed every single animal that comes to us…'_

Nora flew past her, hammer in her hands, the crack of bones splintering and shattering loud in the air, a beastly roar from her lips that was not even human anymore.

' _It would be a good time to get rid of Viridian… Such a casualty…'_

He might get _ideas_ about her man.

Her Jaune would _not_ lay with a man if she could help it. He would not be a filthy homosexual who would be taking it in the wrong hole. If that man-lover even thought about it…

' _Well, I suppose that we can make it into an accident… Combat stress, the death of a lover…'_

Such an _awful_ pity…

But he would _not_ look at her Jaune with filthy eyes, dreaming of desecrating the sanctity of Jaune's tight hindquarters. She would offers her up without a thought, even though she might need to prepare a little beforehand.

* * *

 _The Valkyrie (Nora Valkyrie)_

* * *

This wasn't happening.

This wasn't happening and she knew that it was happening.

This was happening and he was _dead_!

Already, the tension inside her was rising, looking at the body that laid there, still warm. There was someone in the distance, wailing, but she thought it sounded a lot like her, calling his name out repeatedly.

He was gone from her mind, he was gone from the web of senses that told her that he was there. He could hear no longer her voice and she would never hear his voice again. What did she have left in this world?

He laid there like a puppet, his head in her body. The darkness inside it was like a living thing still, slowly growing. "We've got to go, Nora!" There was someone jerking on her, but she kept holding on to her love's body. He was so fragile. He wasn't like her, who could take a few hits. Why had he died?

"Leave her. Give her time to grieve."

Pyrrha's strict voice came, and Nora felt a sense of kinship with her. Had Pyrrha felt like this as well? Had Pyrrha felt this gaping hole inside her, that agony that seared through her bones and her flesh, that emptiness…

The _rage_.

She raised his head up, kissing his lips gently. His blood clung to her body, as she kissed him fully on the lips, a last kiss of memory for her and him. This was the last time, she knew. The darkness inside was still there, but it would fade soon, seep into the distance.

' _Anything to remember him…'_

She sucked. The darkness responded, a thick and clinging substance that pushed through her throat like a thick toffee, the black ichors sliding into her stomach, as she continued. She felt someone jerk on her and the anger rose, as she felt the darkness fade from his body.

It had been Ren's gift from Kali. It had been the essence of an Acolyte to the young man that she had already considered an honorary brother, a young man who would lead them. Wrath blossomed, as the tears had stopped to come. She got up, grabbing Magnhild.

"Nora, I-"

Her head turned to look at Viridian, her breathing heavy as a laugh rippled from her lips, her eyes meeting with her teammate. The gay one, the filthy man who had fooled them. Mistralians were different with that stuff, but she herself found it disgusting.

How many times had he jacked off to her darling Rennie?

The blackness pushed into her sclera, as the anger rose and rose, the pain and torment washed away by that vile and thick rage that came inside her, the red haze settling in over her eyes. Her gaze fell onto the body of her darling Ren, laid there like he was sleeping. He shouldn't lie there, but… "Make sure that his body is kept safe." Her voice was like a hiss, as the red haze blinded her, the sight of more of the animals who had done this to her man coming for her.

Her steps were almost feather-light as the darkness pulsed through her veins, her body leaping, as Magnhild rose and was brought down. Her aura shimmered as rounds pinged off it, exploding around her, as the hammer fell and the bodies did. A horned Faunus with her eyes full of fear, seized by the horns and swung aside, as her other hand swung Magnhild with suspicious ease.

Her blue eyes cracking, as the red bled into it, the rage growing ever more.

' _YOU HAVE TAKEN FROM ME EVERYTHING THAT MATTERED!'_

She was roaring like an animal, a sobbing, wounded cry of a woman in despair. Her eyes looked at the beasts as she tore the horn off, driving it down into the anima's throat and then tearing the head off, the blood only a decoration to her body, her eyes crazed and the bloodthirst flowing through her as Rennie's dark blood did.

"Monster!"

Someone screamed, but she screamed right back at the offending voice. The Dust grenade that exploded and made the screamer turn into blood and giblets was barely enough to rock her, as she locked eyes with Pyrrha, her body in motion.

Pyrrha's eyes shone like emeralds in the blackness that covered them as she was in motion, the bodies of the animals starting to scatter, the bloody rain coming down on her.

' _Die, die, DIE!'_

Her hammer swung and a Faunus crumpled, half of its head gone. Not a combatant, but that didn't matter in the slightest.

' _They took my Ren!'_

More of the animals came and she howled with that frenzied rush, as she sprinted to them, her body jostled by the bullets, as she advanced, Pyrrha's shield-throw bowling them over, her hammer slamming down. Asphalt shattered as Faunus lives ended, the blood pumping in her veins.

"More of them are coming, on our left."

Her gaze went to the direction, spotting several of the masked animals coming at her. She saw several civilians in the background, Faunus… and some humans, but who cared about _that?_ They had killed her Ren! They had killed her Ren and he wasn't coming back to her!

The explosions were gratifying, as she laughed and laughed, her laughter almost panicky and high as she did. She could hear someone shouting at her, that it had been civilians…

' _Who CARES about civilians? THEY KILLED REN!'_

She spotted more of them, her grin broadening, as the blood that'd soaked her hair made it cling to her face.

"Ooh… More of them… Hah…"

Her voice was quivering with that rage. She cared for nothing anymore except to make them all hurt, to make them all die for the sin of taking her Ren from her! They had taken from her one of the few things that mattered! She only had Jaune now and Pyrrha!

Pyrrha reached them, her spear-tip cutting through the chest of one of them, as she slammed her hammer to the side, bodies going sprawling, as she witnessed the auraless amongst them perish. It was such a nice sound, the cracking of bones and the animals bleating like scared little animals that had **KILLED** her _REN!_

"Aww… Does that **HURT?!"**

Her hammer shattered the knee of one of the Faunus, her foot on the chest, as she broke the other one. It tried to struggle, screaming about the pain… They did not feel the _pain_ that _she_ felt. They cared _nothing_ for humans. Another knee was shattered, as her foot kicked the chin.

"Little animal, do you know what your crime is, hmmm?"

Her voice was almost cheerful, the rage inside her growing. It had the audacity to shout at her. Well, that wouldn't do.

"I had this friend… He was my best friend, and even more…"

Magnhild came down on the arm that tried to grab her, the snapping sound loud in the air, as it screamed some more. The little meat was tenderized, as fear and other things roved through the little creature's body.

"We became boyfriend and girlfriend, and… well…" Another snapping sound, as the bones in the other arm were shattered.

"Now he's _dead."_

Magnhild raised after the head had been pulped into what was a hamburger of blood… She wouldn't call it a pancake. She'd liked pancakes… But they weren't needed now. Rennie had always made them with syrup…

' _Aww, there are screams… Who cares?!'_

She raised the hammer and looked at the other little creatures. A Dust round hit her Aura and she felt the heat of an explosion, yet it did not stop her. She felt _powerful_ , she felt _strong_.

"RAAAAGH!"

The howl of anger pushed through her lips, as she swung her hammer. A car went flying, slamming into the rifle-wielding White Fang member and crushing him. It was darkly amusing, as she could see the legs sticking out from under it, blood starting to flow.

' _You're just trying to kill us, little animals… Well, Nora Valkyrie is going to kill YOU!'_

Her body moved lighter than a feather, as her hammer swung at another White Fang supporting Faunus, the head turning into mush, splattering over the ground.

' _Oops… I guess I'm NOT sorry. You weren't sorry when you killed MY Rennie!'_

They just didn't know what it was like to love, like a human did. After all, they weren't human and wanted their whole 'Faunus equality'…

' _Well, you're all equal in the **GRAVE,** aren't you?'_

She was laughing again, as she waited, her body twitching. Her outfit was perhaps ruined, stained with the blood of entirely too many of these little creatures that had met her, but she didn't care. She didn't care that the blood dyed her shirt red or that her hair was thick with the redness of blood.

Ren had _died_. Ren had left her. She only had Pyrrha and Jaune now…

' _No, I'm not going to give you up, Ren… You're not going to be forgotten, because you don't deserve to be forgotten…'_

She could feel the sympathy from Jaune in her ears, the soft murmurs that he was so sorry for her loss, that he felt bad… But that was all the murmurs of other things. Ren had died. She'd wanted to marry him but he'd died. She couldn't marry a corpse… or maybe she could, but it wasn't a living and breathing man who could make her happy.

Spotting the tan Huntress outfit with the hat and the loose white hair, the presence of one of Jaune's women coming to her like a soft seductive whisper in her ears, she could only feel the burden increase. What did she have left? Why did she have to go and have to suffer this much because of some _stupid_ Faunus?

"You're a Huntress, right?"

Viridian was talking to the woman, as Nora spotted more of the White Fang coming.

' _Oh goodie… More animals for the butcher!'_

She was in motion, even as the woman who made Jaune happy came closer.

She had some monsters to kill with her Magnhild…

' _All for you, Rennie…'_

* * *

 _The White Woman's Burden (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She walked, following the feelings of despair and defeat, the Grimm in the area executed with a shot in their weak spot. She could feel that delicate touch of her Master, panic entering his voice as he called out to one of his teammates, the ones who had been there before her, the moment when the tension finally snapped and there was a rush being something that she noticed.

She spotted them first, taking a moment to hide behind a car. A good target she would not be. She was not going to be a meek little lamb led to the slaughter, nor was she going to be the maiden who would barely bring herself to kill.

Spotting them, feeling the rampant emotions from them and witnessing the redhaired waif look in her direction, she stepped out into the open, aware of everything around her, feeling the cloak of shadows wrap around her.

" **We'll be checking on Blake and Weiss…"**

The whisper of Kali's voice in her ear was like the brush of a cicada's wing, a crackle of static as the woman dissipated. Already she could feel the burning inside her, that craving and absence of her man. It was such a little thing that she barely noticed more of it.

"You're a Huntress, right? Oh, you're Esmeralda. We met before, right?"

The _boy_ in front of her looked uncertain and weak, as she looked at the two who had received the young man's blessing.

"She's killed civilians, I'm not sure whether I should report or-"

Her rifle took aim and she fired a shot past him. There had been someone in the shadows, who dropped like a bag of bricks, laying there with a shattered cranium. Dust rounds were good for that. Most force of a bullet was lethal, if hit in the proper place.

"This is _war_ , boy. I've lost many like this, unaware of the daggers that lurk within the dark."

Her voice curled with that edge of something more, as she could see the look in the ginger girl's eyes, that look of loss. The desires were fluctuating within the girl's head, as she looked around, spotting the body of the young man.

She was aware of how it might look, but she felt a splash of pity for the girl. If it had been her Jaune, she would probably have blown up even worse. "Fight. Kill all of the opposing side. Win."

The uncertainty in his eyes wasn't something that she cared for, as she saw the hesitation there, her gaze going to the other two women, making sure that she had the proper timing.

' _ **Current combative strength is three melee and one ranged.'**_

It was a start at least, knowing that these kids would be able to do something to hold the line. If she had been formally assigned, there would be no doubt that they'd be able to hold this place, as long as her ammunition held out.

"Do you have Type Seven Three Nine Dust rounds?"

She was a little low, so she supposed that she should at least ask. Since the rifle rounds were different from Huntsman rounds, it made sense that the Huntsmen would carry some.

"Eh, no, I don't really have those. I'm using Five Three Zero One for my weapon."

The boy responded, and she had to remind herself that technically, Jaune was of an age with the boy, but to her eyes he was much older. He was much kinder, much more present... Sexier too, but she was perhaps a touch biased at that point.

' _You're a dirty old woman.'_

She didn't mind being his dirty old woman though. The thought of doing something that a younger woman would do was thrilling and exciting, even though Kali and herself were close in age. It was probably just a theme… or a thing.

' _I wonder when the bird woman submits…'_

It had been amusing to see the desire within the woman's body burning, as the touches had grown more intense. She was Summer's partner, of course, but that didn't mean that Whitney was _blind_. The red-eyed gaze had been on her when she had made love to her man, when he came…

' _Ooh… I can just imagine her break.'_

It wouldn't be a bad idea to try to _stoke_ those flames a little more. She wondered whether the woman would break with enough incentive. The ones who held close to a personal creed were always so easy to rile up.

"No matter, I'm sure that I can find someone who does use that calibre." She wasn't going to run out of ammunition if she used her Semblance to revive some of the dead bodies, she guessed… It would be a good trial run of the ability to revive the bodies.

' _ **Make sure that the bodies are in constant motion whilst commanding them. It will increase efficiency by 30%.'**_

That thought was alright, she supposed. It would make sense that they'd be able to move a little better, though the terminology wasn't something that she would use.

Walking over to the body of the young man who had fallen, she could detect the absence of the dark ichors that had animated him with that special gift of Jaune, the gift that brought power and strength, the feelings inside her magnified, as she reached down to touch, hearing the sounds of fighting from behind her.

' _Too soon…'_

It was too soon for a young man to be ripped out of his life and into the cold embrace of death. A soft little slither of something that might be sympathy rose within her, as she firmed herself to do what she must. She felt a mild tranquility settle in her as she realized what she had to do.

"Make sure that you've got a perimeter set up and keep at it… There'll be more people coming. More Faunus there to kill all of us."

She had a daughter to save. She could not be held up by such trivialities, by such errant thoughts. Guilt shot through her, as the anger emboldened her once again. She left then, continuing along with dedicated strides.

She heard the motion from the side, as someone moved from between cover, catching a flash of the White Fang's symbol and then slamming her weapon down, the edge that'd been put into the rifle cutting faster than she'd expected, the body jolting from the sudden arrest, as her weapon cut into the flesh, hacking into it. It wasn't like she preferred melee, but it was satisfying.

No training as a Huntsman, no aura to protect the Faunus, the body going down and laying there as it bled. She hacked again, the sharpened edge that'd been fastened below the barrel cutting into the body.

She was getting messy… But this was the perfect chance to try and make sure that there would be something worthwhile experimented with.

The glyph forced itself into the body, just as her father had demonstrated, that feeling of snapping into place a binding and a different set of commands. The body, still in the stages of dying, snapped up, rising once more.

The Faunus had been a man in his mid-twenties, she'd guess, mousy brown hair with a set of fur patches on his face. Whether he'd been a rat Faunus or not, she guessed that it didn't really matter right now, as the body moved with a mental command. "Time to get going…"

She had a daughter to meet and some bastards to kill.

Her daughter was worth more to her than the lives of all others, save for her man.

* * *

 _Beholding the majesty (Blake Belladonna)_

* * *

Seeing him there, dressed as he always had when they had been partners in the White Fang, shattered her. The whimpers of the memories coming back once more to her mind, remembering the times when he'd told her that it was for the best. She looked down, trying not to make herself look like a target, watching carefully for signs that things were going to be alright.

She felt the burning inside her, the pain and the scraping. She knew that she had to make sure that she was ready to receive his orders, he had been Adam, he'd been her superior and her mentor and he knew better than she did but…

"ADAM!"

The blonde Arc woman shouted the name, an angry fierce growl that was like an animal calling for the blood of its foes, Blake's body shuddering a little as she could see the look on the woman's sister's face. There was a look of coldness on those features.

She'd never wanted to _hurt_ anyone. She just couldn't stop herself. She'd wanted to keep the babies, make sure that they had a nice home. The scraping hurt so much every time. It hurt so much and she had to bite into something. Anaesthetics weren't around, nor was it gentle.

She'd given them little names, during the times when she had a few hours to rest and relax a bit, if she didn't need to be of use. She wanted to remember them, the thin lines on her arm already five. She knew that cutting made the world feel a little more alive, that it was enough…

" _It's for the best, Blake."_

 _He was there, standing whilst she felt the scraping, her body twitching, as she bit down. "We wouldn't be able to keep on going if you didn't do this." She looked at him, knowing that he cared, that he loved her. What else could it be but love? She was a good girl, she'd been told that she was a good girl and she'd just need to heal up a little._

" _I'll be good, Adam."_

 _Her voice was a soft whisper, as another tremor went through her legs. She felt the pain, before there was a sudden relief, as the medical specialist looked up._

" _Done, she's cleared."_

 _His hand patted her head, right between the ears. She loved that. It was when they were warm and comfortable, rather than having her to someone's tent in order to boost their morale._

" _Good girl… Take a rest, you've earned it."_

 _She had. The little life that'd grown inside her had received the name Satsuki. She'd known that it was a girl, somehow. She hoped that it'd be a boy next time. She was a good girl too, but she knew that she couldn't keep it._

 _Adam knew best. Adam was the best, he cared._

" _Of course, Adam."_

 _Her hesitant smile was met with his confident one, knowing that everything would be alright. He was her idol, he was the man who had made the world hers and his. He knew what was the best course of action for them, always._

" _I love you, Blake."_

 _He was so sweet. Whenever he was with her, he always told her that he was so proud of her, even if she had to make other men happy. She didn't really like that, but he'd asked her to… She would. He knew what was the best for her, and she didn't want to make him angry again._

She watched the bodies fall, the younger sister of the woman taking up a position, the flamethrower/whatever it was already taking aim. She wondered if she would be able to resist him if she was asked to help. The woman at her side was looking distracted, if he asked her to she could…

' _I don't want to hurt them… but he needs me!'_

She knew that it was wrong, but… But he was _Adam_!

She loved him, they were going to have…

The conversation in the train with the older woman, speaking softly of what he could make her do, came to her. Would she really bring him Yang? She'd said yes, but she didn't know. She didn't know what to do, but Yang had helped her. She'd tried to be Yang's good girl, or Ruby's good girl, but she just didn't _know._

She felt so lost. She wanted to _help_ , not _hurt_. She needed _something_ to focus on.

" _You obey your leader, Blake."_

 _The wounds hurt. He'd hit her, full in the face. She stared at him, her face hit again._

" _Why didn't you do it? They were down. I had to help."_

 _He'd been disarmed! There had been no reason to kill that man, even if he worked for the oppressors. She'd granted him mercy, and she hoped that they'd not attract too much attention. Adam had killed him, just out of sight. A hidden gun, he'd said… but she hadn't seen it._

" _But…"_

 _Another hit, as she gritted her teeth. She hung her head, feeling his hand through her hair. A light touch, rather than the hits that'd come before._

" _Good girls obey. I don't like to hit you."_

 _He sounded so sincere. She gave him a smile, even though her cheek was already starting to swell up._

" _Yes, Adam."_

 _He loved her. She spread her legs willingly, knowing that it would be love. He wasn't gentle, her body bruised and hurt, but at least it was a reprieve from the pain, a reprieve from being worthless. As she laid in their bed, the bed that he'd made for them, he brushed his hand through her hair._

" _I love you."_

 _His voice was like a light crackle, as he spoke. She trusted him. It'd just been her who'd been bad. She'd kill them next time. Humans were the ones who pushed them down every time they wished for freedom._

" _I love you too. I'm sorry for being a bad girl."_

 _His eyes looked into her own with that look that made her feel tender. A gunshot came from outside, and she realized that some of the other captives were being dealt with. The wilds would have them soon enough. Nobody really cared for the wilds. Some really good ones just looked broken._

 _She was of use to him, of course. He talked about the future with her… about the baby that he'd put inside her, and he was going to ask her to marry him…_

 _She wanted to get married, but she had to be a good girl._

 _She wanted a big family._

She watched how the scythe-wielding woman mowed through the White Fang like a murdering machine. No wasted movements, no moment where hesitation would stop her strikes… It was a symphony, a dance of murder and death and the woman's body flowed like water, her steps light as the blade of the scythe reaped.

The skull-masked woman stood nearby, looking at the dance of death that was being enacted. The weapon was ready to be used and in her hands, but Blake watched how the woman merely observed rather than entered the battlefield. The White Fang clearly were losing, the woman's Aura strong enough to block several of the strikes.

"Afraid, Adam? Afraid that you've not got this woman tied up, you raping animal?!"

Adam didn't rape. He only did it with her roughly, he only cared for her. He'd said so. Whenever she was below him, he whispered in her ear that she was the only one for him, that all the other darlings didn't matter. There had never been love involved, just a bestial need to be released inside of them.

" _Disgusting. One of my darlings got away…"_

 _The picture of Menagerie was already faded, as he looked at the woman, the happy smile on her face at odds with the look on his. It'd been taken a few years ago, and she faintly remembered the woman from the past. She'd been… twelve or something? She couldn't really remember the woman, but she'd seen her hang around the house a few times, talking with her mother. She was more focused on her studies back then._

" _She was pretty."_

 _Adam's face turned darker. The hit was anticipated and she braced herself. She went down, hitting the bedding, thankfully softer than the forest ground. She knew that she'd been bad by commenting on it, as he threw the picture back in the box that he kept it in._

" _She's a taint on this world. Humanity does not need some sort of overlord to rule them, so I had her educated in what a woman like her should be."_

 _She didn't like those moments. The men weren't really gentle like Adam was. She hurt afterwards, and the smell of semen never really faded until after she'd had a good shower. She knew that it was okay to serve, Adam wanted her to, though he never watched her._

 _She was his good girl, after all. She wanted to make him happy. She hoped that she'd start showing soon. She hadn't had her period in a while, and she hoped that they'd have some time to settle. She wanted to keep this one. Perhaps he'd want to?_

 _Mama and Papa would love to have a grandbaby. She wanted to make her mother laugh._

" _Blake, do you think you can do your duty again?"_

 _She nodded, quickly. She slipped out of her combat outfit, slipping into the loose yukata that she'd used for that kind of thing. It was comfortable and had been bought by her mother, with some space to grow._

" _Make them happy, darling."_

 _She smiled at him, feeling the touch of his hand over her. He loved her. No matter what she did, he would love her and she wouldn't be alone and lost. She slipped out of his tent and then went for the one that he'd said, smelling the men inside with her sensitive nose. Entering with barely a sound, she saw them look at her._

 _Her yukata dropped to the tent sail, her bare breasts standing there as she smiled. This was all for Adam, because he needed her, because she loved him._

" _I'm here to make you feel better… Don't hesitate."_

 _They did not. Faunus held higher physical strength than humans did, and her body was more agile than a human's, but even she held her breaking point. She limped out of the tent hours later, her thighs clammy and slickened with their release, her body feeling bruised and battered, as marks had shown on her skin, limping towards the stream next to which they'd set up camp._

 _Her eyes caught sight of the shimmer before her friend materialized, Ilia looking at her. She wondered briefly if Ilia had been of service to the men as well as she stripped her clothing off._

 _"Do you want me to help you wash?"_

 _She accepted it, tossing the Yukata onto one of the rocks and then stepping into the icy cool water, Ilia producing a sponge, a luxury of a sort here, getting into the water with her, their weapons always within reach. Ilia's fingers were light and feathery over her skin, brushing the sponge and tickling the skin._

 _She was such a good friend. Rubbing at her sex, poking a few fingers into the depths and then trying to get the seed out, a cloying consistency. Blake knew that it wouldn't really help much. Ilia was part of the assassination division, the people who got in and out of a building after they'd done their business with whoever they'd been assigned to eliminate._

" _Here, let me try… I'll use my tongue."_

 _Ilia had always had a longer tongue than most. She'd joked about it being her second Faunus trait, but that hardly mattered as she got to work. She didn't think it'd feel that good, but it did. The shame of getting an orgasm whilst her friend was cleaning her up kept her from getting the feeling of burning inside her, her eyes closed, even as her friend's breath tickled over her bare skin._

" _Clean."_

 _Ilia said, rubbing with the sponge again. Blake smiled. She had such a good friend in Ilia. She wondered how Ilia got clean._

" _Do you need help when they use you?"_

 _She asked, Ilia's face questioning for a moment, before she smiled and shook her head softly._

" _No, it's going to be okay. I'm not allowed, because I do what I do."_

 _Blake could imagine that. Ilia was by far the most petite woman that she knew. Bruises lasted a long while and drew more attention._

" _Next time, call for me. I'll get it all out."_

 _There was a smile on her friend's lips and that same look that Adam was giving her._

 _It was nice to be wanted. Ilia was such a good friend. She hoped that Ilia would find a man just as wonderful as Adam to settle down with._

She saw the fight start, and the woman stood there, waiting for him to finally grab his weapon. Bodies laid scattered around her, the look on her face domineering and strong, the mask pulled off, the hood down. Blood dripped from the scythe's edge, the water jets cleaning the blood off in a flash, circling around and then disturbing the flow once it'd pulled away, not a single drop spilt over the ground.

Would Adam call for her? Would she be needed?

' _I don't know…'_

* * *

 _Revenge (Rowena d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The last body fell and she looked at that asshole as he stood there, nonchalantly looking at her as if she was just a passing fancy. The blackness within her body warred with the light, the blessing that her beautiful young man had given her with his wonderful desire to help the world making her feel stronger and faster.

"No words, Adam? A _human_ killed your little _menagerie…"_

She taunted, aware that he had a temper. It had been what she remembered, that feeling of hate and anger inside her as he touched her, as he violated her and then let the other men have at her.

"I suppose you're _scared._ Scared of a _human!"_

She watched him, as his hand pulled the blade out, his body covering the distance faster than she'd anticipated, her scythe swishing through the air, her Semblance already at that point where she'd be able to freeze the blood in his muscles to make sure that he'd stop.

"You should have _died!_ We were going to make sure that you would not procreate! Humanity needs no queen _or_ king!"

The words weren't worth a single bit, as she knew that her Jaune was still around. If Humanity needed a king or a queen, they would get one. She knew the protocols and had hammered them into her baby boy's head without stopping. Jaune knew how to politely greet people in every cultural instance, and the dining part had been _fun_!

Her scythe clashed against his sword again, the glow of the blade warning her. She had studied him, had kept every little detail about him in mind. Sienna had told her more than she'd thought, Sienna knew more than what she'd said…

A kinetic charge-type Semblance was something that was easier to deal with. Her Semblance curled around him already, but there was going to be a drawing out of the pain. A death that held no meaning was not in her plan for the man…

A gash opened up on his cheek, the water shifting into ice as she pushed the heat from it, the edge turning jagged as she swiped it through the air, twisting it. He dodged it, his body moving back.

' _Ahh, it smells just like it used to… Cow dung and a dash of raping bastard…'_

Her body was destined for only one man. One man who she had put on the world herself, one man who had restored her, who had made her breathe once more. She knew that Jaune would love to do justice to this little animal himself… But she wanted to take her vengeance on her own.

His questions across the mental connection were like a siren's lure, the frantic sound of those calls enough, with his body already starting to grow accustomed to the power that he held… He was a ray of light in her darkness, as she slashed, another gash on Adam Taurus' body appearing, half of the sleeve cut away, the flesh rawer.

"No words, _Faunus?"_

Her voice held a challenge, as she whirled around, her scythe-blade nicking him once more. She was avoiding the majority of the heavy impacts by angling her blade so that it would be mostly glancing blows, the blood already calling to her.

' _Yes, YES! BLEED!'_

"I guess you're not intelligent to speak… What a pity that your little plan failed, you might've actually achieved something-"

A slash of light, blocked with her blade, the metal creaking under the force. He was moving faster now, with greater speed and agility behind his moves.

"Humans are a blight on this world. No king would ever need to rule them, because they'd all be _dead!"_

The first response in her movements was to attack, her scythe-blade cleaving down through the air towards him, a whistling sound, as he parried the blow, going for some space, the blade put back into its sheath. She knew his style, she knew how he fought. He was going for a slash, and she was ready.

Her scythe blocked it, the clash of blades making sparks rise. She could have finished it easily with her Semblance but she wished to draw it out, to make him feel the hopelessness of his cause, the hopelessness of facing her. She was _stronger_ now.

' _My son is alive and he is powerful…'_

A brush of warmth through her, as she remembered those days in the past, when there had only been pain and torment, treated like mere meat for the pleasure of _Faunus_. Disgust went through her like a living flame, searching and glinting, the burning sensation shooting through her limbs.

Her scythe clashed against his katana once again with a shower of sparks as the sharpened blades met, his style still known to her. She'd kept a good memory of people and how they fought, because a royal should always be aware of everyone around her. She was raised to be the best.

"You're a disgrace to your race. Not that there is any good _Faunus_ who lives, mind you… You're just a fading glory of the past, little animals who rose from whatever muck that created you, never to be allowed to be fully human… Just an _animal_."

The bellow that he gave was bull-like as his blade flickered, her scythe blocking every strike, the Huntsman-grade steel reinforced by extra layers of Dust-weave mesh letting off that set of sparks. She was in her element, feeling the stress, her lips curled back into a snarl. His face was still hidden behind that mask, but she had him angry now.

"Little Faunus, come here to _die…"_

It was improvisation, even as her voice kept modest, her tone at a nursery rhyme's level. A blade came from the right and she dodged, her scythe swiping at him.

"I'm going to _show_ you why…"

Rolling with the motion and picking herself back up, she let a savage grin slip onto her face, her eyes watching him. No other Faunus were left, as the bodies had been drained of their vital statistics already.

"Humanity is strong and you can always try…"

Three more slashes, broad and with that emotional load. Rowena knew that she was going to be facing the madness within… just as planned.

"Because animals are needed to be _caged,_ that is no lie."

He was steaming, his blade flickering in the air, her own scythe blade intercepting the strikes with ease, as he grew sloppier. He was panting, raging, almost apoplectic with anger. She knew where to hit, she knew where to strike for the maximum impact.

"How'd you like your girlfriend to be fucked by some human dicks before she's _ended,_ huh? I bet she'd really take to being a human's little animal!"

The rabbit bitch should never have shoved that table leg inside her. That had _hurt!_ Taurus was just frothing at the mouth, her red cloak fluttering in the breeze. He charged, flashing into motion, his blade in action.

He met only with the cloak, as she brought the scythe around, blocking the strike before he could land it. A savage smirk on her lips as he dodged after being blocked, her eyes looking at him, his body looking dishevelled and worn, simply from this little bit of combat.

' _His stamina is lesser than mine… Against a Huntsman of some calibre, he wouldn't be able to last.'_

Another strike of the blade, hitting the edge and glancing off. She mentally thanked herself for getting those upgrades, since she didn't often lock blades with Huntsmen for long. Drawing this out was one of the flaws of her mood, but she felt the power inside her, the burning light and the smothering darkness working together to strengthen her.

" _Nyxie?"_

 _Sienna's voice calling her through the haze, the thump-thump-thump of the heartbeat that mattered to her in her ears. She could barely hear anything else, her mind feeling weary. Was it time for more pain? She wanted to see her son, she wanted to tell him it was going to be okay._

" _She's unresponsive. Unsurprisingly, given what she's been through."_

 _Her father's tone sounded human, which meant that he was taking his medication again, which made him more sociable. She heard the thumping of the heartbeat still, the other heartbeats that she had remembered still there. They would pay for what they had done to her, but first, she had to go home. She had to make sure that her baby was safe. He was coming closer to thirteen now…_

" _Want to…" Her voice was hoarser than she remembered, her body not feeling as strong as it was. She felt the burden, as she made herself appear weaker, to get home. "Go home…"The heartbeat monitor started to beep, someone coming in. Everything hurt. Her lower body was in agony, from the time that they'd started to do their thing._

 _She would kill them all. She would kill them all and make sure that they would pay. She had to make Jaune be safe though… He was a good boy, a growing boy. He deserved a girlfriend and a lover, free from the Grandmaster's web._

" _We're losing her, there's internal bleeding. It'll be touch and go for a while before she'll be stabilized."_

 _T_ _he blood inside her was hers to control through the usage of her Semblance. If she could be medically discharged…_

 _Anything for him. Anything for her son, no matter what. These animals would pay. They would all feel death's cold hand grip them._

 _She just had to get stronger…_

Her eyes caught sight of an afterimage as the man sped up, flickering into motion without any sort of hesitation or stopping their fight. A good combat doctrine, but something that was utterly useless. Already she was starting to unwind the connection between the red blood cells and the plasma in his blood.

He wouldn't be walking out of this alive…

"What's the matter, Adam? Afraid of a _woman?_ You weren't so brave when you were raping me, you sick fuck!"

The blade came from her right and her legs pushed off the ground, leaping straight into the air and then raising her scythe, the blade blocking her downward stab, the blood inside him throbbing with that agitation.

' _Good, little bull…'_

There was a moment where he frothed and raged against her insulting tone, his eyes looking at her behind that inhuman mask before she got the perfect stroke ready, her Semblance already amping up. Her body was a blur as she slashed, more blood flying into the air as cuts appeared on his body, too fast for his Aura to block.

She danced, as a skilled blade-dancer would, her scythe a perfect arc of justice, carving and cutting, his blade blocking the blade often, yet nicks still coming, as the blood flowed. It was perfect, it was wonderful for her and she was going to kill this beast…

The katana shattered as she sheared through the blade's middle with a twist, leaving him to dash back again. He looked at her, his weapon a little shorter now.

"BLAKE! _Help_ me!"

She was aware of the Faunus' heartbeat racing now, addressed by the animal in front of her. She stalked forward, her short hair rustling in the wind. The smell of blood hung around her, blood coating her body. She wanted him to see her approach. He couldn't escape from her.

"Blake! _Help_ me! You stupid girl, help me out!"

* * *

 _I am (Blake Belladonna)_

* * *

She watched the woman with wide eyes, her gaze drawn to how easy the woman blocked Wilt and Blush's strikes, Adam's form shifting and changing to meet the charges and thrusts, the blocking taking him more effort than anything he'd ever shown before.

The woman's red cloak was in motion, as her body dodged and rolled around, always in motion. She could only wish that she had such physical capability, as Rowena d'Arc-Night evaded blows that would have seen her disembowelled. It was marvellous to see.

She felt alone, watching him. He needed her help. He needed her help to fight against this woman. She was toying with him, like a cat toyed with a mouse. She watched as the scythe blocked the next strike lazily, the woman cutting into his skin and leaving it at a wound.

Adam was too into it to notice, but the woman avoided a lethal blow many times by holding back, her eyes focused, as they circled around each other. Blake could see Adam's body language, could smell the fear and frustration.

"BLAKE! _Help_ me!"

He called out for her. He looked at her.

' _He needs me!'_

The urge to help was there, but there was something keeping her back, something that restrained her. It wasn't physical, but it was something that she had thought about. Yang had cared for her. She had kept her from sliding into the abyss, to end the world that was so empty and lifeless. Would she give that up? Would she give up her friends for Adam?

"Blake! _Help_ me! You stupid girl, help me out!"

He called for her again and her weapon rose automatically. He'd ordered her to, he didn't want to die, she had to save-

The weapon lowered again. A tremor went through her, as she looked at him. He needed her, but the woman far outclassed him and her. Was it right to go back to Adam and be needed?

Would it be right?

' _I want to keep the baby…'_

She really did. She needed the guidance, she craved the approval. She just wanted to make people happy, even if they weren't happy with her. The woman's scythe knocked the blade out of his hand and the woman's sound of amused entertainment reached her ears. She felt frozen, watching how Adam stood there. He had just frozen up, he'd just made sure that she couldn't move.

' _I have to save him!"_

A single round came from Gambol shroud, hitting the ground next to the blonde woman, before a hand lowered her weapon, Heather Arc's grim visage in her peripheral vision, including the flamethrower that was aimed right at her middle. She couldn't dodge a blast at such a close range.

"Heather! Get your Scroll out…"

The woman's voice was strong. A leader's voice, as Adam just stood there, trembling in impotent rage. He'd just frozen up, as the woman's fingers brushed over his cheek, lifting the mask from his face.

"You ugly misbranded animal…"

The hiss of distaste in the woman's voice was there, as Adam was straightened out. The woman motioned for the skull-masked one to come closer.

"Hold his arms behind his back."

He was going to be imprisoned, probably… A good sentence for him. She felt uncertain. The leader had to be protected, she had to protect Adam! He loved her, she could just fire at the women and get him free!

" _I love you, Blake."_

 _He pulled himself out of her, the reddish raw marks on her back starting to feel less, from his fingers that'd raked over her flesh. She smiled at him, knowing that he liked her being a good girl. She was loved, and he loved her._

 _He had to love her. She was his Blake and he was her leader._

" _When we rule the world…"_

 _A dream he had, one where there would be humanity and Faunus living together in equality._

 _No more war, no more pain…_

" _I want you to be there with me."_

She watched as the woman pulled his arms behind his back, his face indignant. Heather Arc adjusted her weapon a little, pulling a Scroll out of her suit in some intricate way, as she held up the Scroll.

"Running, Ro."

The woman smiled, as she grabbed Adam by the horns with one of her hand, looking back at the camera.

"Adam Taurus, you have no idea how long I have waited for this."

The woman's other hand held her scythe, as he seemed to struggle in the grip of the skull-masked woman.

"For the crime of raping Princess Rowena Onyxia d'Arc-Night, heir to the throne of Vale, daughter of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night, as well as committing lèse-majesté you are henceforth sentenced in accordance with the laws as dictated in the Charter of Vale."

The woman stepped aside, a smile on her face that was almost sickening, as she turned to him and whispered something. Blake's sharp hearing picked it up perfectly.

"How does it _feel_ to be the one restrained, Adam? Not so fun _now,_ is it?"

Adam looked at her, a wet sound coming from his mouth, as he seemed to try to speak and just couldn't muster the ability to.

"I should have slit your throat the moment that you came in my claws! You had a good Faunus within you, human! You should just have allowed me to end your bloodline! Faunus are _better_ than _humans!"_

She felt numb now. Had the woman been allowed to _keep_ the baby? But… but?

' _Why not me? Wasn't I a good girl? Didn't you love me enough that we would make a baby together when we were safe?'_

"Oh, I aborted it. Cut it _right_ out of my stomach, Adam. Who would want to birth a filthy animal in this world when their blood is royalty?!"

The woman's scythe leaned against her chest, as her hand grabbed his pants and tore them down. The smile on the woman's face, that near-maniacal smile that seemed to make her look even more unhinged than she already appeared to Blake, stretched wider than before.

' _He's… hard?'_

There it stood, his manhood. A low chuckle inside the woman's voice, as Adam struggled to get free. The skull-masked woman's grip was tight, as Blake watched how his member bobbed, the tall blonde looking down at him, her expression terrifying in some primal part of her mind. She felt frozen in place, waiting for the woman to speak again.

"Aww, the animal gets _aroused_ at its _betters…_ Not feeling so mighty now, eh Adam? How did it _feel_ to cum inside me, eh? Did that make your little animal brain feel _good?_ "

He cursed, as Blake just watched, seeing his manhood bob back and forth as he tried to get free. The woman's weapon came up, the sharp scythe-blade against the knees, before it raised up.

"Animals need to be given their _treatment_ , Adam…"

The sharp edge laid against his masculinity, the edge not cutting into the flesh, but close.

"I'm _ending_ your ability to _rape."_

The scythe was raised above her head in a single motion, the blade shimmering in the moonlight. Blake watched with fascination as the blade of Faunus Mors shimmered with an unstained edge, as something went flying.

A raw wound, as his genitalia had been hacked through by the sharpened scythe's blade, the blood just bubbling up but not gushing out. The balls and the male member laid there, starting to leak blood.

" **NOT SO MUCH FOR MAKING BABIES, RIGHT?!"**

The scythe glistened, as the blood gushed from his groin still, forming a sphere of red, the amputation and castration having been done in a single swipe.

" **How does it feel, Faunus? YOU CANNOT BREED ANY MORE OF YOU!"**

He was struggling, trying to get free, trying to stop the pain but there was no blood coming out, as the woman's eyes held within them a deep rage. Blake felt terror go through her as she could see those eyes look at Adam like she was there for him as a spectre of doom and death before the woman's stance shifted.

" **An end to you, as ordained by Rowena d'Arc-Night, heir to the throne of Vale!"**

The scythe-blade came down on the man that Blake Belladonna had once loved and the head of Adam Taurus flew off. She looked at the woman standing there, her back towards her for that final judgement, a strange sensation going through her.

' _I feel… free.'_

He was dead. Adam Taurus was dead and he wasn't coming back. His head rolled slowly, like a misshapen cantaloupe. Blue eyes would never look at anyone else again with desire or craving, he was… dead.

She spotted his genitals a small ways off, the scythe having hacked through it efficiently and without any problem. There was blood pooling around it on the stones.

She looked at the woman again and felt _hope_.

This was a woman she could follow. This was someone who had freed her from the shadows.

"It's… over?"

Her voice was loud in the sudden silence, as she looked at the head. He was dead. He was dead and it was over.

"Recorded, Ro. What do you want to do with it?"

The woman's younger sister spoke, whilst the woman still stood there. A strange look on the woman's face, as she smiled for a moment and the body slowly stood straight.

" **Send it to our sisters**."

There was a pause, as the body of Adam stood stock-still, kept standing by some unseen force.

"The **blood** is the **life** …"

Her finger caressed the chest of the body and something seemed to flow from within, the blood that'd formed a bubble at the groin floating up, wrapping around the woman in a slow sinuous dance, wrapping around her. For a moment, it was against her skin, then it was absorbed into the skin, the woman's eyes closing.

Her hair started to grow, as Adam's body slowly started to turn weathered, his hands shrivelling up slowly as the woman did what she did, the skull-masked woman looking on impassively as the body was held up.

 **"And…** _gone."_

Dust fell onto the clothing, as bones and flesh turned to dust, the woman turning her head, Blake struck with the beauty of the woman. She swallowed for a moment as she looked at those stark blue eyes, which looked at her with a look. Hair that reached to Rowena d'Arc-Night's butt was loose now, the red cloak having allowed it to slide past.

"You'd best behave, daughter of Ghira and Kali…"

There was a hiss in the woman's voice as she stood before her all of a sudden, her knees feeling weak as the woman eyes bore down into hers. It was like looking at Sienna Khan, the former leader of the White Fang, sadly deceased before her time was there by nature, staring right into her eyes with the next words of power and fire…

"Adam is dead… And if you follow his path, you will be _next._ "

She felt a tremor shoot through her, as she was regarded by a predator in the wild, those eyes looking at her with an ultimatum.

She shrank back, afraid, yet bowed her head. Those eyes stuck with her.

' _She's amazing… She's so strong, she's…'_

Her eyes went to Adam's head. The woman had killed Adam. She'd been freed from him, because he was _dead_. She dared to look up again to see the woman struggling with her cloak, pulling it off and then pushing her hair below it, fitting the hood up once more.

"We should rejoin the others. Vale needs us." The clothing was thrown to the side, the remnants of Adam left behind, as the woman leaned down and plucked the head up by one of the horns.

"Heather, grill this little sausage. It's not going to make other people feel bad."

Blake saw strength. Blake saw power. Blake saw unflinching dedication to a cause.

Blake Belladonna felt _right_ for the first time in years.

 _This_ was a woman that she could idolize. This was a beacon to which she could turn when she was lost.

This was someone who commanded her _respect_ , through sheer _talent_.

Slowly but surely, Blake Belladonna came from her cage in the shadows, stepping into the light once more before heading out into the dark night to follow behind a red cloak and a Grimm mask.

' _I want to follow you.'_

If history had gone otherwise, Blake Belladonna would have found herself immolated, a casualty of the times of crisis for the Kingdom of Vale. Blake Belladonna met with the demon on her consciousness and she _fought_.

It was _her_ victory, as she would nevermore _languish_ under the shadow of Adam.

* * *

 _The prince that had promised(Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The body was warm still as he pulled his hand out, on the verge of committing that final act of murder. The woman had been an innocent, infused with the spirit of the Good Witch. A woman who had been like himself, sacrificed for the cause. He was the first sacrifice of the d'Arc-Night for the Grand Master's body, yet he knew that this woman was not the first sacrifice for the line of Good Witches.

She was alive but fading as he had torn through the _Lux Aeterna_ without even a hesitation in his heart, knowing that the soul within was twisted and corrupted. Flashes of the Maidens, the women that Ozymandias Pinnacle had enslaved to his twisted design, came to his mind, the prerequisites of the ritual flashing to his mind.

Blood and bone of the father, spirit of the Good Witch, the acolytes to guide the flesh and spirit together… A sickening twist on healing, as it forced the souls together and meshed them. There was only one Good Witch, and the position was not easily transferable…

' _Such a pity…'_

She was having seizures now, gasping and groaning, her body jerking, as the corruption flooded through the _Lux Aeterna_. It was the sad fate of her, as the power had left her. A lot of the power that was within her was tuned to the _Lux Aeterna_ …

"What do we do now, sir?"

He heard Cardin ask, as he looked at the blonde woman, the devastation that still littered the street around them present.

Her eyes snapped open and his eyes met broken green, looking into his own. A flash of his memory, of being laid on a bed with a sadistic redheaded, red-eyed girl carving her name into his flesh. The scars still ached, with his body twisting and turning still with a flash of that memory.

' _A hero saves…'_

He looked at her and then felt the _Vitae Tenebris_ , converted from the _Lux Aeterna_ , quiver. The Relic registered the amount that he had left. Seventy percent of his power had been refuelled from the absorption of the power from the Good Witch and the spells that bound the soul to the body. It had been easier than he'd expected too…

' _I can't let you die here…'_

A droplet of the Vitae Tenebris, more than he'd ever used for Cardin and Melinda, formed on his fingertip on his index finger, the raw power enough to spawn a Goliath horde of ninety at the least, or a thousand Beowolves, pressing it against the woman's lips and then pushing it into her mouth. Her eyes looked into his own for a moment, as he pushed it down, willing the droplet to slither into her body.

She suckled on the finger, the woman's dishevelled appearance not even flustering him, his eyes looking at those features slowly coming to rest, as he felt the darkness curl around her innards. It was less than what he had given to his Acolytes, Kali and Sienna, less than what Rowena had taken into herself and he had stabilized…

' _She did it out of love for me… She wanted me to be safe.'_

But it was enough for a woman whose internal magical engine had been drained of fuel, whose light had faded and who was dying. Glynda Goodwitch, whoever she was, was not someone who left others to rot whilst she got away safely.

Her eyes closed slowly, as he felt her tongue curl around his fingertip, his _Vitae-_ crafted arm resting against her stomach. The battle damage to her suit had made her stomach be bared, yet there were no marks on her flesh left.

' _Whoever you are… Your fate is your own.'_

The Good Witch had died, as her soul had shattered, but the woman who had been the owner of this body was now free to make her own path.

" **Make sure that she is safe. She's been freed from the spell of a very bad man…"**

He was sure that things would be-

 _PAIN. DEATH. **REN!**_

He could feel the coiled spring loosen and the link snap between himself and Ren, the grand sphere of his consciousness in the web of people connected to him losing one bright spot of hope. He could hear Nora's agonized cries whilst he just stood there, holding his head.

' _No… I've lost Ren.'_

The realization was stark, as anger wrapped around him, and he felt the woman's tongue lick over his fingertips, seemingly absent of thought. He felt her reach for Ren, he couldn't feel Ren anymore. Whitney was closer to them, but she couldn't help either as the dark ichors were just a formless mass left behind.

He could feel anger settle inside him, as Nora called out for him, called out with a primal cry of rage and grief. He knew what to say, as he knew that feeling of loss. Something that belonged to _him_ had been _taken_ from him. A cold fury inside him sparked, as images came to mind. Ren lying still in Nora's arms, bodies of Faunus laid around them.

" _ **He will be avenged… I won't let these creatures get away with killing what is mine. "**_

Kali and Sienna were his Acolytes, but the other scum? They could rot. Anger wrapped around him and he found that his finger had pushed into the woman's throat, the gagging noises already coming, as he looked at her.

" **Make sure that she lives through this. Cardin, you guard the two of them whilst Melinda makes sure that she is supported, if you move out of this place. It's still dangerous."**

He would make sure that nobody of the people he loved would die ever again. No matter what, they would all live their lives, even if he had to drown the world in blood.

He was Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, son of Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night and Emerald Arc-Sepia, a young man who was a prince of the house of d'Arc-Night. The Grand Wizard would not be able to-

A familiar sensation, as he felt the burning pulse of the magic that the Grand Witch bequeathed upon those that share her goal.

' _A little witch… I guess it is time to see whether the witch will burn…'_

The Good Witch was erased, with whatever the woman did afterwards up to him. The gift that he had given her had bound her in his servitude. She would serve, after all… And if Ozymandias Pinnacle used the _Lux Aeterna_ on her…

' _Well, more power to her. She will-'_

A brief touch to the nascent consciousness that he had given the freedom of body, the soft whimper that came from a young woman's mind, as the glow of the _Lux Aeterna_ appeared on her body once more.

Below the shimmer of the light laid the deep dark shadow of blackness…

' _If I was Ozymandias Pinnacle, I would not mess with the bindings once made.'_

It was volatile if manipulated too much. Once bound, they were not easily unwound unless you had the _knowledge_ of where to strike.

' _This is war…'_

He would make sure that Vale would be safe, and he would be a _hero_.

No little witchling was going to make a mess of _his_ Kingdom.

* * *

 _A really bad day (Roman Torchwick)_

* * *

As I let my fingers dance over the Scroll, checking in with several of my associates, I let Neo handle the Grimm, as she was fond of doing. As the associates checked in, some of which were holding out in their own little fortresses whilst others had been caught unaware, I let my eyes slide over the people, the civilians looking like they needed a bit of a hand with their issue.

"Neo, take point."

Melodic Cudgel in my hands never had been a mere weapon. It was a tool, a handy little gadget, an extension of myself and the grasp of my crime empire. Forged from steelwood and a light-metal Dust-enhanced alloy, it was able to block blows from the heaviest of weapons. You paid a king's ransom, so you got what you wanted to be the king… Or so I thought when I had it commissioned.

"Roman?"

Neo's voice, still scratchy and barely used, came from ahead. I saw them before they noticed us. The tell-tale ripple of Neo's Semblance wrapping around the two of us was interrupted, as my eyes met with Amaretto's.

' _You've gotten uglier than you were, Momo.'_

" _Roman!"_

A shiver went down my spine as the rifle was aimed at me. That meant bad things, as Neo looked a little lost on what to do. This was her older sister, after all. She wouldn't want to fight against her older sister.

I blocked the first two dart-syringes with Melodic Cudgel, dancing out of the firing line as Neo made sure to get to some form of cover, the guy who was with Amaretto looking like he'd be straight out of puppy dog heaven.

' _Fucking Faunus… Can't they just stay away?'_

"Hey there, Retty. Hanging with the dogs now?"

There were more syringes fired at me, as I felt another hit me. The pain of the syringe emptying itself inside me was only exacerbated by the pain from whatever it had been that she'd injected into me, even as I flared my aura a little.

"You fucking asshole! Let go of her and face justice!"

That was a thing that I couldn't quite do, as I faced Sir Woofles the Wolf Faunus, the massive sword that he wielded looking like it wouldn't work very well at cutting sausages. A shame that I'm not looking forward to being a sausage to be cut up. A few Dust bullets to send Sir Woofles back was a good course of action.

"Y-you w-will not take him, Momo."

Neo spoke up, her voice tender, vocalizing the words. She was such a sweet girl, really. That's why I love her so much. I can see Amaretto already getting her face conflicted. Hearing her little sister speak was undoubtedly a surprise.

"Stop fooling me, Roman. You're trying to make it look like she can talk! I'll never forgive you!"

Sir Woofles the Wolf Faunus, I really should give him a nickname or something, came at me, swiping that big sword of his at me. Really gauche, I'd say. Big wolf Faunus with a big blade… You'd almost guess he was compensating for something, Melodic Cudgel blocking it as I took a few steps back.

The little puppy looked angry at my block, but it really was something that had to be done. I don't think I'd like to be hit by such a thing… Not my style, blood would get the suit messed up.

"Hey, I just had this dry-cleaned! Watch it, you fuzzy animal!"

I could see the worry in Amaretto's eyes increase and my eyebrows rose.

' _Oho!'_

"But I guess you'd know all about lowering yourself to the level of an animal, right Momo? How's the mutt at treating your pussy, eh? Got plenty of peanut butter for him, or is he more of a jam kind of p-"

The blade nearly took my head off if I hadn't made a quick correction in my stance, my hat nearly swiped by the tip. That thing had cost a lot of money to be fashioned. Not _my_ money, of course, but it still had cost quite a bit.

"Easy there, Fido. I don't judge her for being a freak in the sack. Momo liked me before, y'know?"

The man's blade tried to go for my throat, trying to stab at me, so I got my body out of the way with a swift step to the side, the man's sweep to me blocked, the motion more rounded than that. An experienced Huntsman he was, but he was not someone who seemed used to fight against humans.

"Stop."

Neo said, trying to interfere. Amaretto looked conflicted, as Fido McPuppy tried to harm me some more. I could see him taking another swing at thin air, watching Neo move a little, her weapon unfolding, stepping up next to me.

"Mo-mo?"

She looked really steamed and scary with those scars, in my opinion. The butch cut didn't really make her look much prettier, but I suppose dear old Amaretto wouldn't have made much of a change to her style over the years.

' _She always was a bit of a trooper…'_

Not that it had stopped her from trying to get my attention. They all wanted to get the attention of the coolest kid of the farm. I was just too handsome.

"Kill 'Torchwick'. My sister and I will reconcile, once she's captured. She's just being strung along… I _trusted_ you, Roman!"

' _Fuck.'_

Fido McPuppers continued to swing at me with more strength and speed behind his blows, a bullet shooting right at him, the blade blocking it and the flame Dust explosion that occurred making me feel the heat. This was _not_ good for my suit.

Neo was in action, the tip of her weapon piercing into the wolf Faunus' side, at my side. "Go."

Her Semblance was active, as she kicked the man away, her eyes glowing faintly with the activation of her Semblance, the illusion shattering as I moved out of the strike zone. The man was down, the tip of the umbrella-weapon that Neo used, strong enough to withstand category five Dust rounds when fully unfurled, having pierced through his chest. Amaretto's shriek of "Jeremiah!" was loud, as Neo stepped away.

"Sorry, Ammy."

Neo was just too kind towards her older sister, as the umbrella was lowered, walking towards me. We left, taking a bit of a sprint. It had been a brief pleasure, but it was definitely time to get going now…

The white-haired woman passed us by a moment later, her face looking grim and dark, not even giving a comment about it. It clicked at that moment, as the facial features seemed to be set in that mockery of human emotions, about whose mother she was.

' _I feel bad for her.'_

I didn't say anything, just hurrying along. Amaretto and the Faunus guy she was undoubtedly close partners with would be on the woman's path, hopefully with her daughter. Neo and I had to get out of here, before the freaks started to come out of the woodwork. This was one _hell_ of a bad day for me…

But it was a day that I lived.

* * *

 _Watership drown (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

He felt the weight of his mace in his hands as he moved slowly through the city. Melinda was half-carrying the woman that she'd been assigned to. He could smell the darkness in the air, the despair and the fear. It was like a beacon, brushing and burning.

He checked his Scroll, the map featuring an update on the situation, hotspots located of Grimm incursion. There was someone at least functioning perfectly, giving the locations of the insurgents and the Grimm to the Huntsmen in the field.

"Cardy?"

Melinda spoke up, her voice oddly subdued. She had been touched by the assassination attempt, touched by the wickedness of it all.

"We're going to be safe, right?"

The woman that leaned against her groaned, trying to keep standing. She looked messy, not unfocused. Her hair had mussed up, blood having been smeared in it. A head wound could explain her unfocused state.

"I'll keep you safe."

He would do his best, knowing that there was nothing else he could do. His Lord had assigned him the duty to keep Melinda and the woman who had been his opponent, Miss Goodwitch, safe. He would do what he could.

His Scroll beeped, a call coming in. "Cardin, where the hell are you?" Dove spoke through the speaker. He looked at Melinda for a moment and then checked the street sign.

"Third Avenue, escorting Professor Goodwitch and a Civilian." He tried to be formal, as he looked at Professor Goodwitch. The woman's eyes were unfocused and seemed to be bloodshot. "Goodwitch took a good hit to the head from a big Grimm, but it died whilst taking her down. Do you think you can make it here? I could use the help."

"Understood. We'll be there as soon as we can muster. There's a few Huntresses out here who are just wiping the floor with the White Fang. " There was that tone of deference still, as he glanced at Melinda.

"We got sent to the east, so we're just six blocks away from you."

They were coming. He paused for a moment, before he decided to trust them.

"If you see Velvet, don't inform her about coming to meet with me."

His voice was weary, as the anger burnt up inside him and the hate swelled. The betrayal that he had suffered had made him almost paranoid, afraid that they would be getting hurt too.

"Relationship trouble?"

There was a pause, as he looked at the Scroll for a moment, Sky having spoken up. There must be a lull in combat to let them speak, but that mattered not to him.

"We broke up. She was seeing someone else, some _jackass…"_ It was simple. If they dared to inform Velvet, she'd start to go underground… that's what he would do. Rabbits burrowed, and that woman would burrow hard…

' _You're mine, Tallow… No matter what, I'll hunt you down. You should've made sure that I was dead… But you're just an arrogant animal that doesn't know how good she had it. I would've married you."_

Melinda looked at him, as he caught sight of an Ursa coming towards him. His mace was in motion, smashing through it, the creature slowly disintegrating under the blow. Melinda, to his surprise, kept quiet.

He could hear the sounds of combat continue, Grimm still coming. Several Huntsmen he spotted moving by, as they staked a spot out for a defensive line, a grim nod of acknowledgement given. A curious look at Professor Goodwitch by some, yet nothing more than a look. It was obvious that several of them would have helped if he had asked, but he knew that waiting for his team was the better option than trusting strangers.

You could only get betrayed so much before your faith started to fade. He caught sight of his team, straightening himself a little as he watched them approach. Dove looked like he'd been in the thick of battle, the armor on his shoulder halfway torn off, Russel's face looking like it'd been slammed against the ground and then pulled through a cheese grater. Sky looked the best, but it was still a weary look that he sported.

"You've been keeping all the pretty girls from us, Cardin."

Cardin gave Russell a look which was more serious, as Melinda gave a little smile. Professor Goodwitch was still dazed, and he could see the looks from his teammates, including his team leader go to her. She was still their professor, after all.

"Hit to the head, probably concussed. You should've seen it, it was huge."

Melinda nodded, adding her own little embellishment to the tale.

"Can we go somewhere safe?"

She asked, looking around nervously. Through the bond, he could feel the tension she was under, her expression barely changing from that nervous look as she let her eyes roam around.

"My name is Melinda Syfres, and I'm related to Councillor Syfres, I'm eh… probably counted as a VIP, but that isn't really important right now. We need to get this woman to safety."

His team glanced at each other and then got into the formations that they'd drilled in. Cardin had seen the swift discussion that'd taken place between his team with just a look, and it had been swift. They'd make sure that Melinda and Professor Goodwitch were safe.

"Is team CVFY also deployed?"

He asked, as he watched the street turn alive with Grimm again, a pack of young Beowolves coming their way.

"They're at the east. Want to avoid your ex for a bit, Cardin?"

He smiled, though he knew that it wasn't a pleasant smile. He looked down at his mace and imagined it smashing that rabbit's face into mush.

"She left me a little tied up… It is only fair that I properly break up with her."

Harmony Tallow was going to get his mace shoved into her, filled with enough Dust to convey his utter _regret_ at ever having loved her. He should never have been stupid enough to even _think_ about a _Faunus_ as a partner.

Melinda's hand laid on his back and he felt a surge of warm feelings come from her. She knew his feelings. It would be vengeance for the betrayal that they'd suffered.

Harmony Tallow was going to be in jail or in hell, before the day was over.

' _Let's see how_ _ **you**_ _like being stabbed in the back, Harmony…'_

* * *

 **Nora and Pyrrha are in sync now. Ren will be missed by his team and Whitney is coming to the scene! Rowena versus Adam... and Blake.**

 **Next episode in two weeks! The Volume Finale!**

 **Leave a review!**


	57. Degeneration

**Chapter 57: Degeneration**

 **Volume III Finale! The really dark stuff is over!**

* * *

 _The trophy (Blake Belladonna)_

* * *

She looked at the mask as it laid on the ground, the bright blaze of flame skittering over the edges of her vision as the woman set the genitals alight, grabbing a hold of the mask and holding it up. It had belonged to Adam, she knew its edges and curves. It had been a sign of him hiding the marks on his face, the cruelty that the world had done to him. His coat, the sign of him being the wilting rose, someone who had led the troops and who did not bow for the Human oppression...

Lifting the heavy coat up, she shook it out. Adam's remains fell out like dust, as she looked at the material. The fabric had been Huntsman-grade, something that he had pooled the money for and bought once he had been assigned to the White Fang's Vale division. She had been the one who had kept it in perfect state... but now he would need that no longer.

She was _free_.

She was free from his spectre, the shadow that hung over her. She put the mask in one of her pouches, feeling its weight against her side. It was what she had earned, what she could do.

Gazing at the woman as she stood there, checking her weapon's blade over for nicks and cuts on the metal, she could feel that feeling inside her well up. A woman that she could _follow_.

Sienna Khan had the same presence, that same command.

The _mask_ , the _cloak_ …

They were signs of someone who could wield _power_.

She watched the younger sister's brief glance in her direction, the facial features sharp and pointed. An intimidating gaze, yet Blake did not fear it. She looked at the woman again, a light smile playing on her lips.

There was so much strength in her. A goal, a purpose, with singular dedication.

' _You freed me.'_

Adam was _gone_. Adam was _dead_.

She felt like the world had opened to her, to make her world even brighter and more vibrant. Yang would need to see the beauty of this woman. Yang was her partner and her best friend, someone who had been there when she had been broken, who had been the one to guide her like a beacon..

She needed this, this direction…

'Perhaps it is time to hang the curtain on the White Fang…'

She would follow the woman.

Strength demanded _servitude_.

Adam's coat she pulled on over her own, as the mask rested within her pocket.

' _Freedom...'_

* * *

 _The ordering (Sage Aaron Arc)_

* * *

There was a rush of flame dust from a military-grade flame cannon coming his way, the shield put up in the proper form as he blocked against it, motioning for some of the other Huntsmen to move in, as the White Fang Faunus insurgents came at them, their military hardware no match for professional Huntsmen.

Compared to several of the Huntsmen, these untrained animals were merely children with guns, the weapons blazing through their flesh, the professionals easily dealing with the targets under his command. The order had been given and he, Sage Arc, would obey.

He knew his duty and he knew it well. No matter what would be given, it would be given with the blood of the enemy knee-deep and a snarl on the face of those who perished.

The tactical overview of the situation was already starting to make a point of reinforcement.

"Left flank, advance three meters, using the cover provided to keep them under suppression fire. Right flank, advance!"

The orders were shouted, as the logical progression of the world continued. Like the soldiers that they were not, they obeyed the orders. He had tactical command and he knew that his noble status allowed him to issue the orders. Three of the Huntsmen had fallen, yet there were four hundred Faunus who had perished, to his count. Bullets pinged off the shield he wielded, as he changed his grip.

A blade cut into the belly of the Faunus as it came at him, a dispassionate look at the falling body before the blade pierced the heart, the other body pushed away, as he shifted his stance a little. An explosion occurred nearby, as ammunition exploded and someone was screaming was filtered away, not even leaving an impression on him. The lives of civilians mattered little, compared to the lives of those who served the grand scheme of the world.

Everything made sense, life, death and birth and murder. If he had to kill his children by the Grandmaster's design, he would. It was all what was ordered and what would make this world a better place.

Rowena had been the success that he had hoped for. His first daughter and strongest daughter, unflinching in her resolve and in her dedication. That she had fallen in with the wrong kind of friends had been… _regrettable_ , in some part of his mind at the time.

It had been a task that she had been corrected on, of course. Others did not need to know of the work that they did for Remnant, nor did others need to see the grim task that they held for their own sake. Isaac had met with his wife's approval, stating that Rowena had needed a friend outside of the family.

Weakness had been caused by her having friends. He had ensured that there was no weakness in his life. Rowena had seen the truth about her _friend_ , as the Vessel grew within her belly. His daughters would obey or they would be forced to obey. Azure, as willful as she was, would obey his wishes. She was one of the few daughters that could be called 'sensitive', but he knew that a correction might be needed.

Cremea had been the one who he had enjoyed the presence of the most. She had seen sense, her semblance being so much akin to his own that it had been a good sensation that might have been pride upon later reflection to teach her some of the tricks of manipulating the logic-based Semblance, though he felt nothing of those emotions anymore without the medication.

It was a shame, but Heather would bear the family an inheritor of the name. If Heather would not, then it would be the duty of the twins, or of his other daughters. It was a true pity that Rowena was unfit for breeding purposes after she had mangled herself in such a fashion. He should have drugged her before landing on Patch island but it had not surfaced in his mind that she could rebel. A fate that would not happen with his other children.

Rowena was _worthless_ now for the grand scheme, yet still a pawn to be used.

Her rage against the Grandmaster was only tolerated due to her skill at eradicating threats from this world. Her madness was a shame on the family, yet his hand was stayed by her sheer skill at weaponry. Pride in her skill as an exterminator was one thing that he could feel on those rare occasions when the medication was strong enough to balance out that issue, the disgust with her for allowing herself to be abducted and despoiled coming as well with that pride.

The Grandmaster tolerated her presence, relaying his orders through Heather, his second daughter that held more reverence for the Order than his oldest did. Rowena and Heather were one of the best, a prideful feeling accompanying that thought, though he felt it not within his emotional blankness.

The heat of a Dust round passing by his cheek as his head moved to the side was felt, barking another order at the Huntsmen. Another rifle flash and he felt a round fly right past him. He was in control, he was logical and he worked for the benefit of Remnant.

The world needed order, the world needed guidance. At that moment when he had destroyed the weakness inside him and he had become strong, he had become what the d'Arc-Night family needed. He was the lord of the household, until It had come along.

A small surge of pride at the sacrifice's attempt to be just like his father was suppressed, when his daughter went with the vessel to every appointment she had scheduled. His own presence had been marginal in the vessel's life. It had wanted to learn how to fight. It was prevented from learning to fight.

There could be no interference with the duties it had to the world.

The duty to the world was more important than a child's feelings. His oldest daughter had been the one who had instructed the Vessel in the etiquette as befitted the male child of the noble line. It would have been _regrettable_ if the Vessel did not have the instruction and the Grandmaster chose for a different option. It might have made a decent member of the Family, if given the proper guidance.

The Vessel had died. It had been weak, it had its Aura awakened when it should not have even known of its existence and the Family had mourned its passing, as if it had been something worth more than the breath it expelled. He had caught himself be emotional for a moment as well, undoubtedly just a minor Semblance issue, watching the flame consume the only flesh left of the Vessel.

' _A minor aberration. Emerald was compliant as always. To the children who had been saddled with the burden of caring for the Vessel at Beacon, a suitable replacement was to be sent. Death happens to all of us.'_

It had been a waste of resources. He had accepted that. Rowena was more compliant now, even in her fugue state. Weakness, rather than strength. He might have felt something for the Vessel if he had considered it to be a member of the family, yet it was what had been done.

' _We are all doing as we must according to the grand design.'_

He had killed innocents before. The final test for Rowena and Heather, before they would be given to the final training had been to slay humans. Rowena had been efficient and calm, fighting and killing with no difficulty. It had been a minor surge of pride within his fading emotions to watch her dismember the child. Heather had more hesitation in her task.

It was necessary for a back-up, so Ashley and Heather had been given two dogs to raise. They had obeyed when the order to twist their canine companion's neck had been given. Their weak emotions had played up, yet they had obeyed. They were the failsafe, even if their weaponry was mostly at medium to long range for Bianca and in the melee for Ashley.

The crying girls had gone to their mother after they had done the deed. Emerald had been frustrated, but she had accepted his judgment. He had told her that it might have been a child rather than a dog. It was important to desensitize them to the death that they would visit on others. They were his children and they would be strong. Emerald did not complain. Four would be enough, she had said. He had agreed with her plea. She was still his wife and should be given a modicum of respect.

He fought because he could fight, for the survival of this world.

Remnant was a beautiful place, and he would not wish to see it fall to the Grimm. The Grandmaster never lied, nor did he ever lead them wrongly. Calavera and Rose knew only of fragments, yet they held the core. They were the dark night in which the blades of the skull and the thorns of the rose lurked for those unwary enough to cross their path.

The orders had been given. The Good Witch had been present and had been instructed. They were going to win this fight as well, given reinforcements. Logic dictated that, with the reinforcements from Beacon, there would be a win eked out. These Faunus were nothing compared to Huntsmen-grade material.

The Faunus came once more and he barked the orders with a loud voice.

The order of things continued, as it had always been. He would obey, without involving his feelings. He would be the one who would guide the world as he had.

' _It is the order of things as they should be.'_

* * *

 _Her choices (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

Another round smashed through the armoured plate that the Faunus had worn, as she reloaded with a fresh clip, stalling the advance of the people who had dared to invade this city. Her daughter needed her, her daughter was in need of aid and comfort, not some sort of Faunus revolution.

' _Animals...'_

Her weapon had been marked with red gore from the times she had been in close combat, the small army of bodies in motion shambling along, the bright Glyph that glowed above them manipulating them like a puppet. It was still something that held little joy for her, as she began to push forward, towards where the thick of the fighting was.

Her steps were steady, her feet making a clicking sound with the soles of her shoes on the stones of the street, the horde moving along, as shouts and screams started to mix together. Already, she could feel that bitter sensation work through her, as she judged the time it would take to get to her daughter.

' _She needs her mother...'_

That was most important right as of this moment. As Beowolves appeared, her horde of shambling corpses moved to intercept it, being torn apart before the advancing horde of creatures of the Grimm, her shots dealing with them. They were not like the creations that her love was making, Grimm that they could link with... But they were raw and powerful in their own right.

Standing in the evaporating haze of that dark power, Whitney let her eyes search for more, as her supply of corpses dwindled. The drain on her Aura was larger than she expected, but the haze of anger still found her, her body alight with that rage still.

"Help me!"

Someone shouted and Whitney watched how a civilian boy ran from the Grimm, the fear and terror that the boy felt like a hot meal for the Grimm. A bullet shot past the child's ear, hitting one of the Beowolves in the mask, the creature exploding in a fiery explosion as the Dust reacted, Whitney's eyes following the child's motions.

She reloaded, and the child went flying, a Beowolf catching up and tearing through it. A casualty, she supposed. She'd almost still had a full magazine, but if it had run faster it would not have been too bad. It was just a child. Not something really important, like her daughter. It should have ran harder.

Another shot took care of the Beowolf, as she continued along, the body of the child motionless, as her eyes searched for the spot where her daughter was, feeling the Glyphs in the distance where her father was. He would keep the women safe.

She moved along, forgetting about the boy immediately. Her daughter was far more important. She didn't care much for those who were caught up in the madness that lurked within this place now, as she had to make sure that Weiss was alright. If Weiss wasn't...

There would be blood spilt.

* * *

 _The betrayed (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

They made their way through the city, the blonde woman still leaning against him. The members of his team had been quick to get there, as he functioned as the bulwark. Professor Goodwitch was mumbling something about needing to get something, because it was the requirement for... whatever, he didn't quite understand the wording, continuously mumbling the words.

' _Whatever he did to you, he's going to make sure that it'll be fine.'_

The feeling of that power invading his body, the strength restored to his body with a simple droplet of that power, was like a drug, as he watched the people. Civilians were hiding in their homes, afraid to go out. The Grimm did not care, as they roved and roamed, hunting down the civilians that had not been aware, the bodies that laid around like puppets with their strings cut, the blood already starting to dry.

"We're coming up on the group-up point. Hey Cardin, your girlfriend's there too."

He stiffened, as the anger flashed through his body, his steps not as light as they could be, coming heavier, as he looked at her in motion. She was hanging back, not a single sign of the mask that she wore, her hands busy, as she handed ammunition to her team leader for her machinegun-handbag.

"That's my ex-girlfriend you're talking about."

He could feel the darkness creeping through him as he pushed Professor Goodwitch away, his hands on his mace, rolling his shoulders a little. A Grimm dissipated from the hit, as he caught the eyes of Yatsuhashi, the stoic Mistralian native giving a nod, as he slew an Ursa that came too close.

' _Good, they haven't been briefed on Harmony's duplicity...'_

If he could just take her head whilst they were unaware, it would all be over. She'd get what she deserved in hell...

A soft clank of his armour, and her head turned. Her face turned paler, as he could see fear and madness in those eyes, even from a distance.

"Coco! Leap left. Incoming!"

The woman moved, as he threw his mace, the swing not as elegant as he could make it, but the Dust crystal primed and ready to bring forth the flame towards the target. Harmony dodged out of the way, like the scared little psycho rabbit she was. She got back up, looking at him with a nervous expression that made the wrath inside him grow fiercely.

"What's the big idea, Cardin!?"

An annoyed Coco said, looking at him whilst Yatsuhashi took care of the Grimm that were coming.

"Velvet's been replaced by a Faunus infiltrator."

He said, as he looked at Harmony, who looked back at him, a skittish and innocent look on her face. Just like with him, she was acting again.

"I am asking you on behalf of the house of Winchester to arrest her until the authorities of Vale can confirm whether she is who she says it is, in accordance with the emergency powers granted by members of the Council and their direct heirs."

Coco looked at him for a few seconds, before she turned to Velvet, looking a little more dubious. With the animals out here killing people, it would be normal for her to be suspicious.

"I'm me, Coco! Remember when we were under the showers and you asked me to lick you out?"

The look on Coco's face turned more reasonable, as she smiled faintly. Whatever it had been, it must've been private, as he'd not heard any of it.

"It's her, but... Sorry Velv, we've got to be sure. If there are infiltrators..."

He could see her look at Coco and the look on her face changed, her eyes glancing at him for a moment as he advanced. Death would be good for her, but as it was, her team still would guard her.

"It's okay, Human. I'm sure that you will die."

The voice was a little rougher, a little lower. Matured, perhaps a little, as she smiled, Coco turning away from her. Daggers shimmered into existence in the Faunus her hands and Coco stumbled as Harmony Tallow drove the daggers into the body of the team leader of team CFVY.

He could see it in Coco's eyes too. Betrayal. Hopes dashed and without even a flash, as Harmony pushed them in and then backed away, dodging the mace that was coming for her. Anger flashed and froze inside him, as he saw Coco drop like a stone, his anger and wrath driving him onwards, his body in motion. He caught sight of Harmony already skittering back, standing at a distance.

' _She'd fast and agile...'_

"Coco!"

Yatsuhashi shouted, as he turned around. Cardin could see the blood already flowing around the daggers, driven into the body. He didn't know whether Coco would make it, but he had a rabbit to kill.

"TALLOW!"

The anger in his voice was present, as she looked at him, her expression turning wrathful.

"You should have died! I hit your spine, you should've been dead!"

The hateful tone that she used was loud and she was rattled, as she ducked under another strike, her leg coming up and kicking him, his armour ringing.

"Death comes for me when it comes!"

She ran. With his armour weighing him down, he would not be able to give proper chase, but he had already prevented her from making a bigger mess. Harmony, being allowed entrance to Beacon as a student again after what she had pulled, would just spell disaster for the institution... He wouldn't allow that.

She looked back at him, a set of thin blades in her fingers that came with an additional glow of Dust, giving him a look and snarling like the wild animal she was.

' _I should have never trusted you...'_

He was livid, yet the anger burned still through his system. He turned to Coco and her team, Yatsuhashi already applying triage. There were things to do now. Professor Goodwitch straightened up, her eyes looking around and coming to some conclusion. He felt a wave of impossible force press against him and pin him into place, before the woman assumed command.

"Form a perimeter and hold it. Winchester, at the front. Daichi, make sure that Miss Adel is stable."

The woman was back in business, even as he felt a fading echo inside his mind, a voice added to the chorus through his head, worming itself over the voice of the one who he owed fealty to.

It was time to forget about Harmony for the time being and focus on keeping Vale safe. His King would not wish it otherwise.

* * *

 _The things we do for equilibrium_. ( _The Lady Formerly Known As Glynda Goodwitch_ )

* * *

She became aware of a rushing in her ears, hearing the whispers of someone that could not possibly be real. Slowly her awareness became more pronounced, pulsating and throbbing, as memories came flooding back. She'd been hurt, someone had hurt her badly and there had been students...

' _What was I doing?'_

Her eyes caught sight of young faces, students that she had under her protection. She was... Was she really Glynda the Good Witch?

' _No... I don't sense her.'_

She remembered briefly, the brush of pain, the splintering of herself. An old soul pulled away and consumed by a dark maw. Red eyes that looked down at her and made her feel like the Shadow had come for her, like her father had told her.

" _What is this?"_

 _The description had puzzled her, as Glynda looked at her with a soft expression on her face. The woman had taught her everything that there was to know, and now there were stories that she had to read._

" _The Shadow, dear. Little Glynda, you need to know this. It is insidious and nefarious. If you ever meet a person with the veins of darkness running through their body and their eyes the colour of blood, you must fight. The Grand Wizard will want you to."_

 _She had her duty, she knew. Father was looking worse every day as he drained his blood into the siphon. It would be time for the coven to gather, to invest her. Miss Glynda was ready to teach her, as she let her eyes feast on the image of a pale woman, the ancient word for Shadow written below it._

" _Oh, okay. I'll check up on big sis."_

 _It wasn't really her big sister, but the wife of her older brother was a nice woman. Warm and kind. The Good Witch let her go, rubbing her head with a soft little brush of the fingers._

" _You should enjoy the time you have, before you become me."_

 _She heard those words, even with her eyes looking at the baby. It was so darn cute, so darn cute and fluffy! It looked like a little angel baby, looking up at her with those pudgy little features and that cute little set of hands._

" _Do you want to hold her?"_

 _Her sister-in-law asked, and she nodded. The weight was so little, as she supported its little head._

" _I'm pregnant again. He wants another child. He's such a great man."_

 _Her brother was kind of mean. He wasn't so nice after her other older brother had disappeared. He'd been sent away after her oldest brother had attacked him._

" _I'll be the best aunt to them that they'll ever have!"_

 _The woman smiled, as she looked down at the little baby, whose eyes were looking at her with wide-eyed astonishment._

" _She will be the heir to the family name, as your brother is the oldest... Are you upset?"_

 _She didn't care about that. She was just Glynda, after all._

She shook herself out of her daze, as she barked orders at the children. Dark power surged through her veins, power that had been gifted by the young man who had been wrapped into the Shadow's power... a gift that had kept her alive.

" _WHO ARE YOU?!"_

 _She roared at him, as that link was established, as vile blackness rushed through her veins, saving her. The oblivion of death slowly began to lessen, as her body grew stronger. The images of those who had gone before her flashed into her mind._

 _A woman who desired, another who had lost everything and brought fear as a shroud. A woman whose wrath was bouncing beyond sanity with wild bounces, another whose love for him overflowed. A woman whose mania defined her, as silver eyes brought madness with them, another whose cowardice and values contrasted..._

 _And her now. She felt the link snap into place, as she beheld him._

 _A throne made out of darkness upon which he sat, looking at her with mismatched eyes. The blue colour that she had seen before within the eyes of the Arc family patriarch, a young man whose skin was now the colour of the moon, the dark veins showing clearly below the skin, his eyes judging her._

 _She realized that she was bared to him, her whole body exposed, yet that was not embarrassing, as her eyes looked at him. Words that she wished to say died within her throat as he merely gazed upon her as he would at a friend, a pain in her chest welling up and suddenly closing. She swallowed and felt the power go through her._

 _Words were unneeded, her body responding immediately to the energy, forming it in the ways that the soul had taught her. It was her power now, as the leech had been torn free. She let her eyes wander, leaving not a single shred of herself in control. She felt free now, free to be someone else than the Good Witch, free from the burden of being the artillery to those who died in droves for the Mission._

" _ **What will you do, Professor?"**_

 _The voice of the young man who had died too young, whose body held the Shadow that would have set her blood alight with the Light within her, curling around in her mind. She wanted to..._

 _A ghost of an image, of a body brushing against that of the Master, the body not belonging to her, yet blue eyes and white hair showed clearly to whom it belonged. A name,_ _ **Whitney Esmeralda Schnee**_ _drifted to her mind, as a ghost-spectre of a response tickled along her spine, her body tingling with new feelings._

 _She had been a pre-teen, barely growing into puberty... She had been naive and innocent, yet she had seen so much. The things she had done as the Good Witch were distasteful, cruel to people, yet she had done them._

 _Her eyes looked at the man on the throne, the shadows curling into the five who had been blessed._

 _Pale skin that seemed to barely be touched by the sunlight, silver eyes looking with that deadly intent, a Slayer, the bloody Rose of Summer, a woman who had been forged through the ancient ways into a weapon that had no other... Mania in her eyes, insanity of the purest degree. It tickled along her mind, whispering of the power, of how good the killing felt._

 _Pale alabaster skin and haughty blue eyes, assurances of power and the ability to wield a Semblance passed down through the blood. A woman whose presence was like a member of the upper classes, whose elegance and passion warred with each other. Desire and craving, a lustful expression for one man alone. A stirring in her loins, not suppressed by rigid discipline, perhaps the first craving she had ever had since she had been but near-ten._

 _Golden eyes staring at her from the shadows, as pale skin was marred with the signs of the Master, the darkness wrapping around the body like a dress, as Faunus ears stood atop her head as a sign of a Faunus, a shadow in the darkness that came wrapped within the shroud of fear. She felt fear, a deep and intense horror as the spectre of that fear brushed past her._

 _Golden eyes of a different shade and with more of an orange intensity, a body that had been half-shrouded in those very same shadows, ears twitching in that manner of alertness, burning wrath within those eyes that seemed to shroud everything in a mass of murder and pain. She felt that wrath, and it was righteous. The cause that it was put to use was for this man._

 _She could see the mask being worn by the woman, pulled away to unveil similar features to the young man on the throne, a cloak the colour of blood worn, the Beowolf mask hung from the side. Hair as golden as her own, framing blue eyes that slowly turned to silver, a look on that face that showed the power that the woman held, as well as a feeling of pain and death._

 _Her gaze returned to the owner of the throne, the one who had held these five women in his grasp and made them into what he had let them become. His expression looked at her and there were no words needed, as he stretched his hand out._

" _ **What is your name?"**_

 _She knew her name, but she dared not utter it. She had been Glynda the Good Witch for so long that it had been like a fading memory..._

She moved, the riding crop pulling the turned-over cars back into a formation, making for a good barricade. The power of her Semblance was enhanced by the gift, as she saw them come for her. Her frailty was no objection with the power that she had with her. As long as she had the power inside her...

A tremor ran through the earth as she _flexed_ the power inside her. Everything around her was for her to use. A purple glow shimmered into being around her, burning around her as a corona of power as she lifted off the ground.

' _I am_ _ **power**_ _.'_

She was the one who kept the balance, the one who could restore what had been broken and the one who would keep the children _safe_ from the horrors of the world whilst they trained. As she levitated up, her Semblance stretching out and giving her a bird's eye view, she started to manipulate the _world_. Streetlights were torn out of the ground and raised, spearing down into the Grimm, elegant like javelins, repairing with a flex of her Semblance. What had been broken, could still be mended.

' _I am_ _ **skill**_ **.** _'_

The children did not need to see the wreckage that she was creating, but they would. Huntsmen other than those she had seen at the courthouse stared in awe, as she forged with the power the defences that would stand there.

A speeding van, coming right at the barricade. Her eyes spotted the Faunus behind the wheel, the mask on his face. It was _easy_. The van crumpled under the force of her Semblance, as the _raw and untamed power_ surged through her.

' _Good Witch?'_

The blood leaked from the metal ball, as she slowly unwrapped it. Mashed flesh and bone and juices leaked down, as she reshaped the metal, back to its original configuration, the metal twisting back to how it had been before.

Why had she not considered it before? That which could be broken, could be fixed. The Grand Wizard had kept her small and contained, whilst her power could have been used to fix... to heal and to restore.

' _I am-'_

A shiver went through her body as the high slowly faded and she felt her Aura slowly running dry. The power expenditure was heavier on her body than before, but the darkness that bristled in her veins like an exploding Dust refinery's heaviest flare-up was enough.

She settled down on the ground, a smile on her lips. Probably not a proud smile, as she had just robbed nearly ten Faunus of their lives... but one that would inspire the children.

' _You will come no harm whilst I am here...'_

She had been young once too. She had been hearing the tales of heroics and of the loves that were gained within the noble profession of being a Huntsman. Her father's touch, the fading memory of what it had been like to be just...

"Professor Goodwitch, what..."

Her eyes met with the young man who had been supporting her, his red hair a little peaky. She might have to comment on his dishevelled state, but it was not the time for that.

"Ensure that there are none who pass, Mister Winchester. Your team leader will be able to provide you with more instruction, should you need it."

She had to make sure that there was a stable defence set up, spotting the team leader of team CFVY down, one of their teammates performing emergency triage.

Her outfit was a mess, but she was always aware of the power that she held now, as her fingers placed themselves on the wound. There was no _Lux Aeterna_ to bind the wound together, but she could do something of an emergency fix.

"She just... _turned_ on us? She just turned on us, and she _stabbed_ Coco."

Trauma, undoubtedly from the betrayal of their Faunus teammate. CVFY had been tight-knit, she had heard, knowing that they had been betrayed by one who had been with them from the start...

' _We should check the Faunus students better... Ozpin said that-'_

Anger welled up inside her at the thought, knowing that-

' _It was all a lie...'_

She didn't know what made her think that, but she remembered the faintest of shards of conversation. Something about the plan, about the Mission. Briefings that she had been at, yet could not recall. It was all for the greater good, because she did not need to know.

' _It was all a LIE. Where is the glory in being a meat puppet? Where is the glory in having someone to hold the reins over your life?'_

"She is stabilized. Make sure that she gets to the hospital."

Gentle, she was not. She knew that her Semblance could fix some things, but organs were delicate little things, and she preferred not to mess with them. The wound had to be pulled closer, in order to keep the girl's intestines from spilling out. There would be scars... But the girl would live.

"We will. Thank you, Professor Goodwitch."

Alistair seemed to be of a stable mind, as Daichi merely cared for his fallen team leader by following the procedures that he'd been taught for battle triage.

She was no _Good_ Witch.

More of the Grimm came and her Semblance moved. Javelin-like streetlights pierced through the Grimm, spearing them to the ground. She was raw power, and she was right.

She was the _darkness_ in the _n_ _ight._

' _My name...'_

She beheld the creatures of the Grimm, mindless creatures that perished before her. She was the Witch, the one who held power beyond the average. The Maidens were stronger still, yet she held her own against them...

' _Gloria. For mine is the glory.'_

And glorious she would make her life, freed from the shackles that had bound her.

* * *

 _Victory? (Cinder Ella Fall)_

* * *

The fear in the eyes of the people as they fled before the Grimm was something marvellous to behold. To see them whimper and scream as the Grimm tore into them, her own pace as slow as it could be, her weapons cutting through Grimm flesh with no lock of her hair marred by the beasts...

' _Is this not elegance? Is this not power?'_

She had been chosen to wield power. A power that was hers alone, a power that set her above the others in this world, a gift from the woman to whom she owed much. She did not care for the people who made the law, nor did she care for those who loved others. Mercury and Emerald and even the stupid girl that had no sense yet was the sister of her dearest Emerald... They could not see the beauty in this.

The Grimm that she had created was already dashing through the streets, almost an hour's labour of focusing the power into the shape, as she worked her will. Emerald had thrown up, the poor dear... But that did not matter.

It was what set her above the others, what had made her better and special... Salem had not given her the blessing because she was weak, no... It had been because of her capability. Something in the air, the fear and the terror, all seemed to work around her.

"Take the flank."

She said, Mercury moving to that side whilst Emerald kept a close eye on the people around them. Many of them had perished, yet the power inside her was like a living flame, the body of the Fall Maiden still holding a large store of the power... But the Grimm that she could make were special.

"Trouble up ahead."

Mercury said, and she looked at the street in front of her. A young man stood there, wielding a staff-like weapon with a single orb on it, maybe for the focusing of Dust, she didn't know.

Eyes that were red looked at her with a look that was recognizable as... pity?

' _Why don't you fear me?'_

She looked at the young man who still kept his position, his eyes not stopping with that darling glance, that burning brush of that gaze never fading from his sight, as his gaze never left hers.

"Do you want me to deal with him? If he's the opposition..."

Mercury spoke up and she nodded. She didn't need any of Ozpin's little do-gooders in her path... They had a mission to complete, after all. Torchwick needed to be in place, a suitable plan B for when the Faunus had failed in their little genocide. It would be a shame, but Taurus and Tallow were extremists...

"Hey there, pal... Holding the line for us, are you?"

Mercury's voice was light, jovial and with that hint of surety in it that would put people at ease. An assassin that spoke to the heart, even whilst there was a deadly weapon going to be used.

A humourless smile, as the young man fixed the assassin with a glance. **"You'd best not attack me. You'll end up like all the others."** The warning was there, present and firm. The young man did not look like he was joking, as his weapon was shifted from hand to hand. Cinder could see something in those eyes change, a deeper, darker sensation.

Mercury moved and suddenly, froze, the darkness wrapping around him from the man's shadow and then throwing him away, slithering back once again into the night's shade.

"I've got him..."

Emerald spoke, yet Cinder could see something in the man's eyes. Her Grimm came, and she ordered it to attack, testing to see whether he would be able to deal with it as well. A hand rose and the Grimm exploded, red eyes looking at her. A sense of unease, of unwelcome feelings, something that might be discomfort coursing through her.

" **Cinder Ella Fall..."**

Her name, as it was known now, as she had taken for herself. She would become the Fall Maiden, give the power a home.

" **Or should I call you..."**

The name that was not to be spoken, the name that belonged to a weak girl that had been drowned and smothered in the power slipped from his lips, an utterance that held the disdain of a mother who had died, sisters who had loathed her and made her _weak_. The power that the Mistress had given her had belonged to _her_ and she did not remember that name anymore, nor did she think that she would ever be that weak girl again.

Two Grimm appeared, Beowolves that were malformed and hastily made, speeding at the young man. Mercury was getting up again, warily looking at him, and then suddenly, the Grimm evaporated and she found herself face-to-face with the young man. He looked down into her, and she felt something strong inside her chest, as he looked into her eyes.

 _"_ ** _Weak..._ Why are you so **_**weak**_ **? Why did she not give you the** _ **power**_ **that she has at her disposal?"**

Anger rose inside her as she hissed and screeched, aware that he was holding her in a grip that merely raised her from the ground. Red eyes peered into hers and a flash of surprise went through them as he seemed to realize something. Her legs kicked against his own, but he seemed not to notice.

" **Oh... You don't** _ **know**_ **, you innocent _child..."_**

She felt herself drop, her legs weak and trembling, as he appeared once more. She noticed that her body as flush with sweat, her eyes looking at him with something that she idly recognized as fear in them.

"Cinder?!"

Emerald's voice was in her ear, yet she could only look at the young man. Grimm pulled themselves from the shadows around him, leering at her with their soulless eyes. She could see variations on the standard Grimm that Salem had shown her.

' _So powerful...'_

Her mouth was dry and she looked at those red eyes, took in the shape of his features. He was _young_. He was _strong_. His eyes bored into her own, her own golden orbs looking into his own, strength in that gaze. Strength that made her feel things she had thought long-since forgotten.

She was...

She wasn't strong enough.

He took a few steps closer to them, Mercury looking at him with a warning look.

' _Do they not see the Grimm? Why don't they see the Grimm?'_

She could see them, and they were leering at her. So many, with such little essence within them and yet so strong. It was hard for her to form two, nearly impossible... It would kill her, leaving her breathless and gasping, but he did it so easily.

"Cinder? Cinder?!"

She was looking at him still. The ashen hair, the red eyes. The skin that was much like the woman who had bequeathed her the power. He stopped before her and looked into her eyes.

" **You are weak."**

Her eyes widened, as Emerald raised her weapons to defend her. Cinder merely watched, the casual ease, the dismissive manner that he treated her as if... as if she was _weak_. As if she was an _afterthought_.

"Why?"

Her voice sounded choked to her own ears, as she looked at him, those eyes looking into hers. A smile flickered onto his lips, a twisted smile that made her blood sizzle.

" **I came here to find a witchling... Someone who was sent by Her to guide this mess to completion..."**

She was Salem's executor! She would have power, but- why couldn't she speak? Why didn't she speak up? She spoke after a second.

"Salem is strong! She's given me _power_!"

A mocking laughter, as his hand grabbed her by the hair. She whimpered, a feeling of helplessness. Emerald could not move, frozen, arms pinning her to the spot, Grimm arms. The Mistress had only shown it to her once, the power that she held.

" **You don't even know her** _ **true**_ **name, child. Why should she grant that which is Hers to someone like you, a girl who merely was the fairest of three?"**

She looked into his eyes, seeing that power and she tried to burn him with her Semblance, trying to harm him.

Cinder Fall would not bow before someone who-

He let go of her suddenly, as he walked past her. The Grimm dissipated, their oppressive power leaving her. It was the power that he held, raw power that burned and ached inside her with its absence, his head turning to her with a look in those eyes that reminded her so much of the Mistress.

A smile, perhaps a touch warmer, not stopping her. She watched, as he looked at her with those eyes, a smile curling on his lips that was as wicked as her own.

" **When you are ready for _true_ power... Come and find me."**

He walked, steps slow, his back facing hers. Emerald looked at her, questioning, her weapons trained at his back. She was...

' _Such power...'_

She was _aroused_. She had been toyed with as if she were the prey and he was the one hunting her, and he had not...

' _I need new underwear. I need...'_

She felt weak. She felt... vulnerable.

' _Was it true?'_

It had felt like she had met the Witch again, the one who had sprung her free. Her request for more power, granted. She felt like she was at home once more, with her stepsisters...

' _Can he...'_

She was desiring of this man, whoever he was. The Witch had spoken of a challenger, someone who upset the balance between her and Ozpin. It was not supposed to be... _this_.

"Cinder? Are you okay?"

She looked at Emerald and then shivered. She wasn't okay. She was wetter than she'd ever been, the power that had radiated from that man being like an aphrodisiac. It was...

' _Thrilling...'_

"It seems we have something else to consider, Emerald."

She wouldn't show weakness to anyone, even as she got up. She felt a little out of it, feeling the shivers go through her. Red eyes and pale features, boring down into her.

' _Perfection...'_

Oh, that was going to be her entertainment for when she got in the shower...

"Other players on the board..."

The look on Mercury's face was readable like an open book. A grim realisation that he was out of his depth. "A new player has entered the game."

"Do we need to eliminate him? Can we even eliminate him?"

Emerald spoke, like the stupid girl she was. She didn't see what a _man_ that was. That _power_ , that _finesse_... It made her feel like a woman, like she was weak and he held the flame that would light her up.

"No... I will see whether we can forge an alliance..."

He manipulated the darkness much better than she could... Perhaps an arrangement could be made. A strong man needed a woman to partner with, she supposed... and it would be such an utter _shame_ that no other women were woman enough for him.

* * *

 _The verdict (Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

Disappointment was all that he could feel as he walked past the woman, the brief bit of illusionary trickery fading away with an ease that he had only obtained through the Relic. To fully let go of his control and to truly summon a Grimm horde that would wipe out the Kingdom would be to tread upon the path of the Grand Witch...

' _Such a weak woman...'_

She wasn't even worth giving the blessing of the _Vitae Tenebris_ to. He had standards for his women, and she did _not_ meet them. The look in her eyes had been fearful, the power within her had been but a dreg of the dregs. It was impure and ill-refined, not even given the final purification through absorption...

' _Truly, you have outdone yourself, Grand Witch...'_

There was no reason why the woman would not use the puppet that had been given, but to have it be so _weak_... Whitney would be able to execute the woman if she tried with some exertion, and Whitney's level of infusion hadn't even reached to the level where she could be counted as an Acolyte...

' _Your standards are slipping...'_

He was sure that she would have more agents, but to see that Cinder Ella Fall, the one assigned to gather the maidens, was so weak was disappointing. She wasn't strong enough to be anything more than a mere afterthought... so perhaps it had been for that reason that Ozymandias Pinnacle hadn't detected her.

" **Master..."**

Kali's voice whispered in his ear, as he rounded the corner, leaving the acolyte of the Grand Witch and her followers behind. He felt the touch of Kali as she hugged him from behind. Her body was weightless as the shadows clung to her.

" **Your father is a kilometre to the east. Do you wish to speak to him?"**

It was a request from a mother to one she cherished to meet with the man who had given him life, and he could feel that faint yearning sensation inside him burn. If he went there, it would be to expose himself to his father, to let him know that he was still alive.

"No."

Meeting his father would not bring him happiness. Meeting his sisters might, but his father...

He _would_ provide answers for the crimes that he had committed against his child. Jaune d'Arc-Night was a _sacrifice_ and it had been nothing but that thus far. Meeting his father again would only complicate matters.

" **Your oldest sister is to the north-west, together with the daughter of Raven. White is making her way towards Weiss."**

She reported the truth to him, he knew. It was not going to be a happy reunion for Whitney and her daughter, but it would be something. He should probably head back to the hotel...

' _I somehow doubt that I'd like to be spotted by someone who knows me...'_

It would be explaining why he was still alive, or silencing the witness.

"We'll go to Pyrrha and Nora. I _need_ to know what happened to Ren."

The Faunus woman nodded, before they drifted into the shadows. She was warm and comfortable as she wrapped around him, the sensation slithering over his skin as she left him to emerge from the shadows. The Relic's hum was light as he watched the scene of carnage, bodies already broken and busted by the hammer that Nora wielded, her mind yearning for the touch of a guiding force. She was calling out to him with the cry of someone broken, someone who needed his assistance.

"Nora, **stop.** "

His voice was soft but Nora obeyed. A half-pulped body laid there, horns having bounced off the stones before, a Faunus. He could smell the fear from the young man who stood with them, a smile on his lips.

"Viridian."

His voice was smooth, Nora and Pyrrha looking at him with their devotion. Their attention felt good, as their voices whispered in his ears. Pyrrha's low hoarse whisper was like a rustling flame to Nora's screeching, as the unquiet moment made her spiral further into the darkness.

' _You poor, poor thing.'_

They stopped before him, and he caught sight of Neptune's lover's gaze, watching the two young huntresses approach without any sort of hesitation.

"John, they've gone mad, they've..."

He could see Pyrrha's head snap around, a low hiss coming from her lips. There was a faint hum in the air, a twang of something snapping, Pyrrha's whispers in the mindscape increasing.

"You're not _worthy_ to speak to _our_ leader, Wisteria."

The dark tone of her voice showed to him that she was in need of guidance. His hand reached out, the ash-pale skin light against Pyrrha's bone-pale skin. Nora and Pyrrha were perfection, as the _Vitae Tenebris_ had pushed through their system.

"Your l- He's the one who led your team first? Isn't he like... _dead_?"

He looked at Pyrrha, who smiled, his finger stroking through her hair. Nora was at his other side, a low moaning sound coming from her lips, pleading with him.

"Rennie is dead, _Jaune_... Rennie is _dead_ , can you _fix_ him?"

Her voice was pleading for a miracle, yet he was not a god. He knew not what it would take to revive someone, nor did he have the skill to make it so. Ren would be missed by all of them.

"I'm sorry, Nora."

He could feel the power inside Nora. She had drank Ren's blood, his _Vitae Tenebris_. He hoped that it would strengthen her more, to gird her against the things that snuck in the shadows. He checked her internal pool of strength, noticing the corruption that had ran through her. Black ichors pulsed through her veins, an increase in potency.

' _A danger...'_

"It _hurts_ so much, Jauney... It hurts _so_ much. I can't hear him anymore, I can't hear his voice anymore..."

It was pity that he felt for Nora, pity and sympathy. As his friend had fallen, Nora and Pyrrha only had him left. They required him to be their leader, as he'd sworn.

"It'll be okay again."

He looked at Viridian for a long instant, giving a comforting smile, or rather a simile of it.

"I am their team leader, yes. Juniper was my team."

He approached, and the young man inched back. He could feel the fear, could feel that terrible terror work through the young man's system. It was so easy to feel, as Kali lurked within the shadows. The weapon that the young man had in his hands was raised.

"I won't tell anything! I won't t-"

Magnhild froze at an inch from the young man's head, as he stopped Nora. The look in her eyes was _magnificent_ as she looked at the young man with the wide fearful eyes, ready to kill at his command. The power over life and death was intoxicating.

' _A hero shouldn't feel like this...'_

"You won't know a thing, Viridian. Pyrrha, Nora, back up a little."

He tuned to the Relic, as he looked into the eyes of the young man.

 **Initializing Memory Purge. DD/YY?**

A selection, as he felt the effect of the Relic pump through his system. He gazed into the eyes of the young man as the memories grew dull and the knowledge faded.

' _The last gift that I can give you is of ignorance...'_

"Hit him, Nora. Rattle his head a little. He won't remember anything before Ren perished."

The body hit the ground as Nora executed his order, leaving him with them aware at last.

Pyrrha was on her knees immediately in a formal bow. He could see the darkness spreading through her, the whispers of her mind adding a chatter to the network, her worship pleasing, yet worrisome.

' _That isn't good...'_

* * *

 _A love unbroken(Pyrrha Nikos)_

* * *

She looked at the man who owned her soul, feeling the tremors go through her body with every breath he took, with every utterance of a word. She could feel Nora at her side, numbed to the world with her frenzy. The blood that coated her weapon was a sign of her submission to the man who was their _leader_ , their _lord_ , their _saviour_.

' _I love you!'_

A whisper, sent to him, as she felt her body float on that current of love. She loved him so much, so much that she'd gladly make sure that he got what he wished. She would train her body to be perfect for him, to make the world a place where she could serve him.

Her body was ready, as she knelt before him, awaiting his touch. The blonde bimbo would see too, when she was finally captured. She'd spread the girl and he would plunder her like a Mistrali temple maiden... The pain of the infidel would make her feel better, whispering in her ears that she was the Master's, that her body was but a vessel for the love of the Master.

Eating his gracious gift from the useless flesh-waste that was Yang Xiao-Long would be something exquisite, as the Master would seize her and rail her like she was but a maiden of the streets. Her body was ready, fit and pure, ripe for the seizing... and she knew that the blonde would not resist.

"I don't think Yang would like that, Pyrrha."

Denial from the Master... The bimbo would die then, if the Master wished it. She uttered a soft sound in her throat as his hand seized her hair, his presence enriching her mind. It felt so damn _good_. The feeling of his hand through her hair, of that moment when his mind touched hers...

' _I will make sure that they love you as much as I love you.'_

A soft laugh, as he heard her thought sound through his head. She laughed with him, happy that she could please. She would drown anyone in their own blood if they disagreed with her that Jaune was the best. "I'm not sure whether I am that lovable, Pyrrha. You're much better than I am." She wasn't. He was the one who had jerked her from the darkness. With Nora and Ren, she might have forged a relationship, a carnal threesome in which she would not feel the emptiness anymore, but with _him_?

"No, you're much better, Jaune. You _deserve_ my love. I love you."

She spoke the words that mattered to her the most and he smiled, his fingers seizing her ponytail. It felt warm, it felt hot, her whole body was lit up with that craving and she just dripped.

"Be careful what you say... There are a few women who might disagree with that..."

Her voice was like a low hiss of displeasure before a claw-like set of fingers seized her neck. She could feel fear lance through her, as cold breath tickled through her locks

" **We'll allow it... But you must remain the Master's..."**

The words of the Faunus tingled her ear, as she inhaled and exhaled, looking at the only man who mattered to her. She wanted it, she wanted him. Her pussy burned and squeezed, leaking and dripping.

"I want you. I love you more than I love my own life. If you want me to die, I will cut my throat here and die." An oath, given to one's overlord, one's own god. He was bigger than those stupid concepts, he was someone who was her _everything_.

He smiled at her, lightly pushing her weapon from her throat. It was his blessing. His touch was like the heat of the sun, as he smiled at her.

"Now, I do want you to look perfect, Pyrrha."

She would have to get a dress. She'd have to get lingerie. She'd...

' _Nora will join.'_

He would enjoy it. Just the three of them, and Nora would feel better too, even if she moaned Ren's name... Yes, it would be nice for Nora. Something to fill the hole as she got filled...

' _You'll be happy too, Nora.'_

Nora looked at her, catching that thought. A smile on her lips followed, as she looked a little more at ease. The darkness was working through Nora's body, the pale skin slowly turning a healthy colour once more, as Nora's gaze went to Ren.

"I love you, Ren."

Pyrrha heard Nora whisper, before she looked at the Master. She could feel Nora's distraught emotions level out, as Nora looked at him.

"I love you too, Jaune."

The Master smiled, and Pyrrha felt the urge rise within her to ensure that he smiled at her the whole time she was around. Her head nudged against his hand, feeling his fingers on her scalp. It felt wonderful, the touch of her man on her scalp. He loved her, as a woman should be loved. She wouldn't believe otherwise, and nobody else was needed to pleasure him.

"We'll remember him. He was your boyfriend, your lover, your partner."

The words were what Nora needed to hear. The Master spoke them with that love he had for her. No matter what, she would serve him. She would be whatever he wished her to be.

' _Perhaps the Schnee needs to have a good hard shaft between her legs? He did find her appealing...'_

A sick and twisted feeling inside her came, as his hand jerked her head up, looking into her eyes. There was something like disappointment in those eyes, as her eyes widened, fear clasping her heart, a shiver going through her.

' _No, no, no! Her partner too! Both the cheery little bitch and the Schnee! Yes, yes... He'll love them, they'll love him too! The Master deserves something better, and I'm just being silly! Why not make it a whole team? They will all_ _ **love**_ _him!'_

"Pyrrha, you're more than enough. Nora, only if you want me to sleep with you, we can do so."

He was a kind and generous master. She'd have to make sure that she was _prepared_. Apologies had to be made to the master's mother as well for thinking she was retarded, yes... She'd be the best one he'd ever have, the best woman that he'd need. Nobody else needed to be there for him, when he had Pyrrha Nikos.

"Okidoki, Jaune. _Anything_ to... make it hurt less."

Pyrrha could hear the hopelessness in Nora's voice, and she knew that the Leader would be able to soothe that hurt. Jaune made everything hurt less, even if she had to kill everything that would hurt him.

He was such a good man.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect him."

The apology was wonderful. She could feel the regret in him, getting up and holding him. A soft whisper from her lips, a whisper that carried with it the empathy that she felt for him.

"It's okay, Jaune. You're still here."

She could feel Nora brightening a little, that darkness within them lurking in their depths, yearning to return to the man that was so close by. Nora's eyes were wet, Pyrrha noticed, as she hugged the young man who meant so much to her.

"Thank you, Jaune. Let's... Let's make you someone amazing, shall we?" Nora's voice was hesitant, but Pyrrha knew the truth.

' _I'll have to prepare! He'll make love to me. He'll make love to us both!'_

She wanted to make him happy, she wanted to see that smile on his face. She was going to be his partner and she was going to love him. She already could feel his fingers burn on her skin, making her be marked with his heat and warmth.

"I love you, Nora, Pyrrha."

A small stab of jealousy came through her before she calmed herself. Nora needed it more. She knew that he would come for her, come for them.

' _Yes, yes... We're going to be alright. Ren is dead, but we'll be alright. He's here with us, yes.'_

Anyone who dared to hurt her Jaune, was going to suffer.

" **My... You should calm those thoughts, girl..."**

The hands grabbing her around the throat were enough as someone's cool breath wrapped around her.

" **Hmmhmmm... Pride and obsession..."**

A set of claw-like hands forced her head away, peering into someone's golden eyes. Fear wrapped around her, as her lips felt the burning inside her. A slow, sensual kiss, a feeling that was like the darkness warping and twisting, a slow tentacle of power sliding down her throat, the struggle stopping as the claws wrapped around her.

She felt emptier now, as the tongue and whatever it was pulled out, the woman smiling a little.

" **My, what a rush. You should be careful... Loving him is fine, but this..."**

A toothy grin, showing teeth that were designed to rip out flesh and make nightmares happen.

"But it was just so little..."

Jaune said, and Pyrrha shook her head, feeling a headache slam through everything in her thoughts. She'd felt... angry?

' _But what?'_

She looked at him and felt the warmth blossom in her heart, looking into his eyes. He was here for her and that was all that mattered. She was going to be a good partner to her partner, yes.

' _He's so warm.'_

"I'm _sorry_ , Pyrrha."

He apologized, but he didn't need to apologize to her. She was fine. She was more than fine and she felt... fine? Nothing was wrong with her. She loved him, she knew that to be true.

"Diluting it probably would have been better. I'm sorry that you were-"

She kissed him. She wanted to kiss him and she needed that kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she just held on, letting her tongue push into his mouth, a low guttural groan coming from her mouth. It was what she deserved, a kiss from her leader, the young man who she had given her soul to.

"Go Pyrrha! Kiss that man like you love him as much as I love Ren."

Nora's barely enthusiastic addition to her state of mind was there, as she felt her head be pulled away.

"Pyrrha, I-"

Jaune started, but it was fine. She felt more than fine, brushing her fingers over her lips. He'd kissed her back. He loved her. That was enough, and she would understand. She needed to think, to-

' _Perhaps I might've been a little too... hasty.'_

"Was I wrong?"

She asked, and received a swift reply from him. He was concerned, his eyes still as red as the morning sunlight during dawn's early hours.

"No, no... I- If Whitney or Kali had given you the gift, it wouldn't have affected you as badly, and..."

He was stammering a little, undeniably cute. She smiled at him, knowing that he was caring for her. That kind boy that she had awakened the Aura of, the young man who had seized her by the heartstrings and raised her up, the one who had been the focus of her life ever since she met him...

"It's okay. Anything you give me is a blessing."

She knew that he hadn't meant to hurt her.

"It's powerful, but it makes you... a bit more inclined to be darker in your emotions." She didn't care. If it brought her with him, he could do whatever he wished with her.

"That's okay. It's okay. No matter what, I will always be there for you Jaune."

She knew that he was someone worth following, someone worth loving. The ancient people of Mistral had always followed the leaders who showed the most promise, who could conquer and keep to the traditions.

He smiled at her with that half-hesitant smile of his and turned to Nora, whose body seemed to light up with activity, a flash of something burning through her system, as she took a step back.

"No, no... I'm good. I can deal with this. Rennie won't be lost if I don't let go of what he had..." A soft whisper from her lips, as Magnhild came up, the shadowy fear-spectre shifting its gaze.

"Nora, Pyrrha was a wreck. She was starting to lose it..."

He sounded concerned for her. She wasn't losing it. She felt a little bit less like giving bimbo tits something to scream about, but that didn't mean that the young man before them would need no tribute.

"No! You won't take my Rennie from me!"

Pyrrha used her Semblance, the heavy war hammer slamming down onto the ground. Nora wore enough metal to pull her down, making her disabled easily. Nora's frustration was visible.

"I'm just going to take what Sienna gave you, and leave you with what Ren gave you, Nora. I should've foreseen it... The average human body isn't designed to hold this much..."

Pyrrha could understand. One made mistakes, but she wasn't going to make the mistakes. She wanted to have his babies.

"Kali, can you?"

The Faunus woman restrained Nora, tilting her head back and Jaune's lips met Nora's, the blood on those lips like a red smear, her pale skin slowly paling further, as the kiss lasted. It was the power transfer, she could feel it. Even with her body feeling weaker than it had been and the rush lesser, there was still that connection.

Nora felt sedate, a soft whisper in the neural network that was between them. Pyrrha felt calmer, as she straightened a little. She would be the best partner that Jaune would want. She just needed to get stronger...

' _She's strong.'_

The dark-clad Faunus woman looked like her daughter, caressing Nora gently and whispering something too low for her to hear. Nora quietened down a little, as Jaune pulled from her lips, and looked at them. His eyes were so nice and red.

' _I love you.'_

She would never stop loving him either. She was going to be the best instrument for the man who owned her life. He would be the one who would be able to command her to do whatever he wished, because he was someone who would not be bothered by her unsightliness.

"That should do the trick... I'm sorry, Nora, Pyrrha."

He should not feel sorry for being a strong man around these weaklings. She knew that she was the best. She knew that she was the strongest. Nobody would be able to stop her, if she wished to kill.

She was proud of him. He was the one exalted above all others, after all.

"It's okay, Jauney. You... You just want what's best for us." Nora said, and Pyrrha knew that it was the truth. Nora always knew that she should be truthful in her words.

Pyrrha was happy now. Even with Viridian with them and his degeneracy, being with Jaune and given what she deserved from him... It was wonderful.

' _I love you so much.'_

" **You should take her to bed soon... She looks like she wants you, my dear Zhu."**

The whisper of the shadow-creature called Kali Belladonna came, the Faunus woman giving her a smug look. He gazed at her and smiled.

"Only if she wants... I mean, I'm not-"

She didn't want to be left out!

"Of course, whatever you want. Even in the wrong hole, no matter what, I'll be _yours_."

She would make sure that she had him, even if she had to do horribly degrading stuff. It would all be worth it for the touch of the man who made the moon and the sun move in their pattern, one who controlled her world with his smile and his frown.

"Even in the wrong hole, Pyrrha? You're becoming like Viridian, eh?"

She gave Nora a heated look. It wouldn't be a good thing, but if Jaune wanted it, she would. She should get some nice lingerie first though.

"No. But if you want me to, Jaune?" The laughter of the Faunus woman was light, as her man flushed a little.

"Well, we didn't really try that yet..."

He mumbled, flushed. She smiled. She'd have to get prepared then. It would be empty in the dorm without Ren, but... But she'd make it work. Whoever they gave to them to fill up the blank spot in their team, it would be _her_ way or no way. She was still the team leader.

' _You're going to be a king, Jaune... Our king. The man who will guide us as your generals, who will love us like a beast... I'm so proud of you.'_

Where there had once been an obsession, there was now pride within her. She looked at him and she saw the small smile on his lips, that look that told her that things were going to be alright.

Even Nora could feel it, as she straightened out. The blood and gore on the outfit that Nora wore made stains, but Nora straightened up, as the Lady of Terror grabbed a hold of their Master and leader, whispering something in his ear and slithered into the shadows with him, fading into the obscuring darkness.

The first robots came raining down from the skies, from the Atlesian ships.

Pyrrha Nikos watched, and she beheld a brief smile on the lips of the Faunus woman.

" **You will get what you want, little red..."**

The whisper trailed in her ear as she felt her Jaune move away, carried by the Faunus woman.

She would get what she wanted, and she was _proud_.

* * *

 _Mother and daughter (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She could feel the presence of the Glyphs nearby, coming to a passionate defence of the streets of Vale, her weapon cooling slightly from the barrage of shots that she had fired. She was nearly out of ammunition, but it didn't matter. She would be the one to make her daughter be safe, and that needed little ammunition if her team was still there to shield her.

Huntsmen, varying in age and in weaponry, wearing cloaks and masks for some of the older generations, kept the line, a tall blonde man directing the defence, several of the Huntsmen already in line. A brief glance and her own blue eyes met those of a man so similar to the one that she loved. The small patch of hair on the chin she could do without, though. Totally not her style. It brought to mind the proposal that she had received from the young man.

' _A proposal must be made... So it might be best to formally introduce myself, once things quieten down...'_

She would have to track down Jaune's parents, but that would not be too much of a problem. Whitney spied her daughter in the arms of a blonde girl. Her daughter didn't look very happy and she was nude except for a cloak.

' _What did they do to you, my child?'_

She stepped forwards, noticed by the blonde immediately, and she felt for the emotions that her daughter felt, the anxiety and nervousness of everyone around being like a blanket, before she cleared the distance and watched her daughter. The blonde looked somewhat unnerved, unsure of what she would want.

"Dad needs all available Huntsmen to help with the defensive line."

The words weren't something that would be unusual, but she nevertheless only focused on her daughter's face. Eyes were looking away from her, and she sighed.

"Weiss?"

Her voice quivered a little as she spoke her daughter's name, seeing her daughter's eyes widen and her head turn to her. Tears came from her eyes as well as her daughter's, as she exhaled with a shudder, her eyes gazing into those pools..

"Mom-mommy?!"

The soft voice of her daughter, a wheezing and crying sound, as Weiss let go of her barriers and she could feel the scared girl that just needed a hug.

' _My sweet daughter...'_

She took the girl from the blonde's arms, the winces and hisses from her poor daughter's lips not stopping the mumbling of her daughter. She held her daughter, kissing her cheek softly, as a mother should to comfort their child.

"It's going to be fine, Weiss. Mommy is here and she's _not_ leaving again..."

She would be the one to guard her daughter from anyone who would dare to harm her, because it would not be on her watch that her daughter would be hurt.

"You're her mother?"

The suspicion in the blonde's voice was there, as Whitney's hand rose and she materialized a Glyph. It was as good an identification as it could get, the blonde's suspicion fading immediately.

"Aren't you supposed to be _dead?"_

She shook her head. Explaining would be troublesome, whilst her daughter needed her, her gaze turning down to her. Weiss looked so fragile and tender, but there was nothing that she could do to mend the body a little.

"Mommy? Mommy? I love you, mommy."

Fear and terror gripped her daughter's mind, and she kissed her daughter's cheek again, just holding her, kneeling and making sure that the child was stable. Her daughter was not going to be someone who would be broken so easily. She was a Schnee after all.

"Mommy is here, my little Weiss. Mommy isn't going to leave again, but she had to hide for a while."

Her daughter made a strangled sound, as she hugged closer. The red cloak that she wore was heavy, and Whitney supposed that it would be some time before Weiss could be dressed in something a little more modest.

"Mommy, they tried to _hurt_ me. I said no but they just wanted to... They _hurt_ me, mommy. The shadows came and the _eyes..._ They keep on _watching_ me, mommy. They keep on hurting people."

Her daughter's voice was small and desperate, the emotions inside her warring. Whitney felt bad for her daughter, her fingers brushing through the long hair of her daughter.

"Nobody's going to hurt you anymore, Weiss. Mommy is here and she'll make every bad person go away."

She would. No matter whether it would expose her allegiance to the greatest man in the world or not, she would defend her daughter with her life.

"Mommy came for me."

She kissed her daughter's forehead, just as she'd done when Weiss was still young. It was nice to be with her youngest daughter again, she knew, but sometimes...

"Grandpa Nick told me to make sure that you were safe. I never wanted to leave you alone, Weiss."

She didn't. Weiss was family, and you didn't hurt your family without good reasons.

"I love you, mommy."

Her daughter's voice was broken, as she could feel the tears drip into her outfit, stroking softly over her daughter's back. The girl had been through so much, but she would learn that things were going to look up.

' _And when you meet your new stepfather, everything will be alright...'_

A happy family would be something that her daughters needed. Winter might come home, Whitley would have someone to look up to...

"I love you too, my little snowflake."

She spotted people coming, a wolf-masked woman taking the lead, a dangerous-looking war-scythe on her back, ready to be used and pulled out, the woman's steps easy and with a lithe grace. The mask didn't come off, as the woman stepped to up to the circle of Huntsmen.

"We're going to seal the breach. Heather, use the liquidized Magma Dust. If anything's coming through there, it'll be nice and grilled..."

The huntress at her side, wearing a similar Beowolf mask, pulled a special canister out of a pouch, slotting it into the flamethrower that she wielded. The sword on her back looked dangerous, but the woman's methodical manner showed familiarity with the orders.

A flare of heat that she could feel over there, the Huntsmen leaving the breach, as the flames flowed from the hose-like weapon, filling the hole with globs of slimy burning Magma. It was a little like filling a hole with cement, but this stuff burned hotly.

"I love you, mom."

She was aware of a red-cloaked girl standing nearby, looking at them with eyes that seemed to ask questions that weren't voiced yet.

"Yes?"

She inquired, as the girl cleared her throat. An older man with a scythe stood nearby, his eyes looking carefully around, and Whitney mused briefly on some thoughts.

"You're Weiss' mom?"

She nodded, brushing her hand over her daughter's darling face. Weiss quivered a little, and she stiffened a little under the touch.

"I am. Lady Whitney Schnee, at your service... Though I suppose there's not much to be of service here."

The bright smile and the flood of words that came from the girl's mouth was a surprise, as the girl started to talk about how good it was to have Weiss' mom here, because Weiss was really sad and just needed to be held.

Weiss was a great friend, or so the girl claimed, but Whitney didn't think that this girl was fully all-there. Her daughter needed medical attention, a counsellor and hugs. Not just a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the back.

"Hey, my name's Taiyang, I'm this little huntress's father. You're Weiss' mother?"

The man was not wholly undesirable at the face-value level, but she absolutely did not think she'd ever voluntarily pick him. The man's eyes were warm and emotional and she could detects the highs of emotion within him.

"I am, yes."

The man's eyes looked at her and a hint of sadness entered them, as it did in his body. It wasn't something that he consciously did, she noticed, his Semblance probably emotion-powered.

"She suffered a lot. I was going to eh... yeah, second-year huntsman stuff. Ruby went first, and she's been a good girl, right?"

The girl smiled at her father and Whitney wondered briefly whether that was because it had been enjoyable or whether it had been something that the girl had been wanting. Whatever it was, it didn't really matter much to her.

"Best girl, daddy! Weiss will love it too, I just know she will!"

The man looked at his daughter for a moment and gave an indulgent smile, before he patted her head softly.

"Just let her heal up a little, sweetheart. We wouldn't want her to hurt whilst she's doing that, right?"

Whitney didn't think much of the girl, but Weiss shivered a little, as she nudged her head against her mother's shoulder.

"Don't wanna. I don't wanna, mommy."

She sighed and caressed her daughter's head, smiling sadly.

"You don't have to, sweetheart. We can work something out, right? Mister Taiyang, is it really mandatory?"

The man shrugged. Whitney frowned at the man, not going to budge from her stance. If Weiss did not want something, she would not have to do anything.

"No, but it's good to have some grounding. Ruby understands the stakes and she's a good team leader for your daughter."

The man sounded convinced of that. Whitney caught sight of the blonde girl, the man's daughter apparently, looking at her father with a look of disbelief on her face. It wasn't something that was immediately noticeable, as several of the masked and cloaked individuals started to gather, whilst the magma dust was being put into place to seal the breach.

"We shall see. The Schnee Dust Company thanks you for keeping the heiress safe."

The standard rote response, as she looked at the man's features for another moment before she dismissed him.

"We should join up with the main defence at the south gate. There's stiff opposition there. Do you think you'll be able to keep your daughter safe?"

The man's voice sounded worried, the man's eyes going to her, as she looked down at Weiss for a moment. Her daughter was not in any combat-ready state right now.

"I'll join you. There is power in groups and the Schnee are pretty much at the top of every White Fang member's kill list... I do not wish to have to suffer the loss of my daughter, Mister Taiyang."

The man with the scythe spoke up then. He'd been lurking in the background, making sure that they weren't ambushed.

"I'll personally keep you two safe then. You're a ranged fighter, aren't you? Might need a hand."

She appreciated the gesture. A light smile on her lips as her head inclined towards the man, her eyes glinting with the feelings inside her for her daughter swelling. A light little touch of the darkness to Weiss and she'd feel better...

But she could not. Her daughter ached and hurt, and she'd gotten broken bones. "Thank you, kind sir." A blonde woman gave her a look, one that wasn't very friendly. Probably a girlfriend, if she'd pegged her right. There was desire within that one for the man who had just offered her that, and it wasn't too bad to stoke those desires too.

"Qrow, the name's Qrow and I'm this ragamuffin's uncle."

The man ruffled the cloak and scythe girl's hair, Whitney feeling the spike of happiness from the girl. The girl seemed to be under the delusion that everything was okay as long as you were happy... or that much she'd gleaned from the brief flash of emotions.

Her Weiss did not need a simple girl around her to mess her up. Weiss was in need of someone who did not forget that Weiss was a girl that had feelings, who might not want to do what her leader commanded her to do.

' _Yes, I think you're going to love your stepfather, Weiss.'_

She would make sure that Weiss would be happy. Winter and Whitley needed someone to look up to in their life, so she would ease them into the state of events...

' _And when I am back in Atlas, I will make sure that nobody will ever associate the name of Schnee with oppression ever again...'_

* * *

 _Reunions (Yang Xiao Long)_

* * *

She watched how mother and daughter reunited, a warmth inside her now at the sight of the two of them just there. Weiss looked small in her mother's arms, the woman seated on the cold stone, but neither of them seemed worried. It was nice, just as her own mother had spoken to her only earlier in the night.

' _I'm happy for you...'_

She knew that there were things in the path of their reunion, her mother had intimated as much in their brief chat. The woman had looked conflicted, but sure. The cloak still remained with her. Ruby would have to accept it, as Yang knew that there was no longer merely a single cloak-wearer in team RWBY.

"So, new coat?"

She asked Blake, who had donned a black coat over the white one that she'd gotten from Weiss' grandfather. Blake smiled softly, as if something good had happened. It was curious, but Yang didn't seem to feel that sense of foreboding anymore.

"It was Adam's. She's carrying his head."

A shy smile, as her Faunus teammate and partner looked at the oldest Arc sister, who currently was gesticulating to some of the other members of the Order, relaying some sort of orders.

"That jerk-bag who did that to you?"

She inquired, looking at Blake, who smiled, something in those eyes more liberated than before. Yang felt lighter now, as Blake's eyes lit up. Yang could see the head in Rowena's hands, held by a horn.

"She _killed_ Adam. She hacked his cock off and then decapitated him..."

A giggle, as if it was somewhat funny, Blake's eyes looking at her and then returning to the Beowolf mask-wearing woman, a look that was definitely something that Yang had seen before.

"It was wonderful. She's safe, Yang. She'll protect you."

Yang could understand that, but it was not something that was a wrong assumption. Rowena had been like a mother to her for a few brief months. If Blake saw something like that in her too, it was good for her.

Weiss looked like she weighed very little as her mother lifted her up, her legs and arms dangling a little. Weiss kept on looking at her mother, as Yang watched carefully for the signs of something being amiss, the mother of one of her teammates looking like she required a good bath, the garb of the Huntswoman looking a little familiar.

' _Did she nick it from a movie or something?'_

"We should get going, guys. I've got an update from the man leading the defence effort for the south gate, and we're expected... Things are getting pretty hairy out there."

Her dad spoke up, getting a fresh batch of Dust shells into his weapon, switching to the alternate mode to slot them in. It wasn't as cool as her Ember Cecilia, but it was alright, she supposed.

They were a large group, she knew. Easily ten people, with one injured and one carrying the injured. She was alert the whole time, as she watched the streets, the many bodies that had fallen in the incursion of the Grimm, the response that was had. Coming up to the main square and watching the bodies that'd been carried away from the frontline, where stiff opposition was still being given to the invading Grimm. Several White Fang bodies had been left where they had been, a tall blonde man ordering the people with a voice that carried far.

The man's silhouette was grave, as blood covered his face, his attention going to them as they entered the field of combat.

"Taiyang Xiao Long, reporting in."

Dad sounded formal, as the blonde man regarded him with a passive look. It was different from the warm man that they'd met at the funeral, a grim kind of look, as if they were all but pawns on the board.

"Where do you want me, Sage?"

Informal words, spoken to someone in control. That sounded like her dad at least, or her uncle. The emotionless stare that she saw the man give her father was something that made her get a shiver rolling down her spine.

"You and your daughter will assist me with breaching through and getting to the next street. Do not fail at this, Taiyang of the Xiao Long."

The man's voice was without inflexion, as her dad looked at her and then grinned. The man patted the other man on the shoulder.

"Ruby, go and reinforce the front with Qrow, make sure that it's safe for us. Yang, we're going to go and get things back in order again. Get yourself ready whilst I talk to ol' gloomy here."

The oldest Arc sister stepped forward, a formal bow that looked stuffy in nature, as she righted herself again.

"Father, permission granted for deployment?"

A shake of the man's head. "Family fights together, Rowena." The words were sharp and pointed, and she watched the man's metal hand shift the shield a little, her father speaking in calm tones to the others. The head of the Faunus in Rowena's hand was tossed to the side, laid there as a trophy. A cloak was thrown over it, the head wrapped in it by one of the other masked women, their faces still unseen, but like the family that would guard her.

"Functionality has been restored, Father. The man who raped me lies dead. The file has been sent to my sisters. Peruse it for proper protocol."

There was a small smile on the man's face, a sign of twitching cheeks that showed what was approximatively something of approval.

"Good, daughter. Hold the line whilst I and the Taiyang and his daughter go to breach."

She didn't need to hear more, her dad nudging her away with a proud smile on his face. For some reason, she felt a little queasy in her stomach, but she couldn't pin down what had caused it. Her father started to talk about something with the man, going to Blake and plucking a fresh cartridge of Dust shells from the pack that they shared between them as emergency supplies.

' _Now... Let's Yang out with dad...'_

* * *

 _The ghosts we carry with us(Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She carried her daughter as gently as she could, the girl whimpering with every step that she took, her eyes searching for enemies. Her weapon was strapped to her back, a good decision that she'd made, because carrying Weiss was making her functionally useless.

" _ **No enemies detected within the immediate vicinity."**_

She could feel the presence of people around her, their emotions heavy and yet restrained, the blood inside her clogged with the darkness, yet not enough to sate her craving. She wished that she could bring Weiss to Jaune, to make him bless her with the power that he held. They would be a mother and a daughter and they'd like the same man. Weiss needed a good, dependable hero.

" _ **Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night spotted. Semblance active at 95%, complete lack of empathy and understanding of emotions. Challenging when engaged at close-quarters, challenging when engaged at long-range when facing towards us."**_

It was a strange thought. It didn't seem like it belonged to her at all, and she wondered where it had come from.

" _And what, exactly, does that have to do with me?"_

She replied back to the strange thought, and she received a faint spark of something that might be amusement, before someone spoke up.

" _ **If he is allowed to learn of the existence of Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night, he will bring him to the Grandmaster for the final connection to be made. Elimination of the d'Arc-Night patriarch allows for a 54% chance of Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night's survival."**_

Whitney supposed that it would be a bit of a delay in her plans to officially announce herself as the youngest child's bride-to-be. She'd have to talk with the sister that she had spoken to earlier on the Scroll.

" _So... I need to keep his existence hidden. I guess this is a bit like Oreo and Julep."_

A mild sound that could be humour flickered in her mind. The dull dry tone of her thoughts replied.

" _ **Ideally, yes. The Mission dictates that all shall serve the plan of the Grandmaster. Father explained to me the details because I was to be the one to continue the Family. The odds of our side's chances for victory are increasing the longer Jaune lives without being in the view of the main players of this game. The Shadow's presence is thoroughly eliminated wherever it is found."**_

It was a strange way of referring to things, but it clicked... and a sudden sense of horror wrapped around her. That wasn't how she'd refer to anyone, but she'd heard it before from Summer.

" _Who are you?"_

There was a pause, as the voice seemed to hesitate.

" _ **I am Cremea Arc, inheritor of the Creed and one of Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night's sisters. It is a pleasure to be aware and able to speak to you, Lady Whitney. I am at your disposal, should you require tactical advice."**_

The voice of a dead woman. She remembered the body that she had briefly touched, the awkward sensation. Father had the spirit of mother there to support him, so...

" _Do continue to aid me. Is there anything else I should be cautious about?"_

Muted amusement, as the answer waited for it a little, as the blonde man went for the father of her fiancé.

" _ **Atlas. Someone with your pedigree and financial capacity would be requested to take up another spouse, after a set amount of grieving time has been allowed."**_

She knew that. A mother of three, with the title and the pedigree and the wealth of the Schnee Dust Company behind her... well, it would be something that would be dealt with once she got back to Atlas, preferably post-wedding. The women she had saved...

" _ **They will provide ample support, should you need it. Their life was saved, thus gratitude will compel them to support you. A seat on the council should suffice, in order to push through legislation."**_

Whitney didn't know whether that would be the right thing to do at this point. General Ironwood still controlled the military and held seats on the Council, so it would be a hard bargain to sell. Still, if she shut the supply of Dust off, it would allow her some bargaining space.

" _I've got a plan..."_

If she had enough support... The economy would be hers. Dust was an invaluable resource, after all.

" _ **As you wish me to be, I shall be. Cremea Arc does not go back on her word. It is the best option."**_

She would have to trust in Jaune's older sister. Granted, he was the baby out of eight children, but she knew that his sister probably meant well for him.

" _ **I love him, as I love all members of my family, though I cannot really show it. Statistical data analysis shows that it is normal for humans to experience such attachment."**_

That answer was enough for her. She'd be part of the family, she would fight for that right, if it came down to it.

Kali would be there beside her, when it came down to that fight.

"I love you mommy."

Her daughter whispered softly, and she smiled down at her wonderful little Weiss.

"I love you too, Weiss. You're going to be safe again. You're going to heal up and we're going to have fun together."

She would make sure that nobody except those she trusted would _ever_ touch her family.

* * *

 _Tying Xiao Long with a raven's daughter's song(Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

She was ready, watching several of the Beowolves come ever closer to them. Next to her stood her dad, who was side-by-side with Sage Arc. Jaune's father stood there with an easy stance, his emotionless face showing not a single twitch of dissatisfaction, as he glanced at her. Ruby was taking shots at the Grimm, several Nevermores turning into Grimm smoke, her dad looking at her with a confident grin.

"Remember, Yang... As long as you've got confidence, no matter Xiao Long it takes, we'll punch right through."

A grin on her face, as she pulled herself to that combat state, before the shield and sword-wielding man gave the signal for them to move.

They were in motion, the sound of the sniper rifle marking the start of the fighting. Her body was in motion, her father catching her eye with a bold grin, sprinting with her. Sage Arc was faster, his shield in front of him, a Beowolf slammed into with the flat of the shield, her father's weapons discharging, blasting the Grimm apart, before she was on the next one. It yielded, as the explosion of the Fire Dust round came, and she felt the heat wash over her. The shield-bearing man continued along, hacking through another Beowolf with his blade.

"Ursa at the left, take care of it."

The emotionless voice was there, as her father sprang into motion, explodinating the Ursa, her body in motion, the gauntlets clicking with another round as her punch shattered the exterior of the Grimm, leaving only smoking black guts to evaporate.

"Sage, Beowolf from the right."

Her father's voice sounded concerned, as it always did. The man mechanically turned around and the shield came down onto the Beowolf's head, slamming it into the ground and cutting through it, the edge flashing with a hidden blade worked into the side.

"I do not need the advice from an emotionally incontinent fool."

She could feel the irritation in that voice, as the man continued along, her father's smile slightly more wooden and stiff. He tried to hide the mumble, but she caught it due to her close proximity.

"Still a stick up your asshole, Sage? God, I should've pulled that out years ago."

The man mumbled, seemingly to himself. He caught her eyes and grinned. He winked afterwards, a good-natured smile on his face.

"Worked with him a few times back when you were still a wee babe, Yang. He's a good man, but he's... _not_ the best at _showing_ his emotions. Things were rough when I was younger. Really skilled with his weapon too, and his wife's pretty g-"

The man's emotionless voice cut through her father's tone when her father tried to explain. The man's face was still set in that stoic expression, his eyes searching for enemies as he spoke.

"Focus on things that matter rather than talking with your offspring."

Her father's face showed more annoyance, as he looked at the man. Yang didn't quite know what to think of the man, as he looked at the opposition. Ten Beowolves, a Tajitu that looked like it wanted to take a big bite out of some nice Xiao Long thighs... Yeah, that was not going to be easy.

"Stay back, Yang. Sage, do you think it's time for that?"

The emotionless man looked stern, as he judged the situation. A hand rose behind him and motioned for the other Huntsmen to advance.

"It would be best to deal with that, Xiao Long. It would seem that your years of malaise have barely dulled the training you received whilst at Beacon."

Her father's easy smile, as he looked at the man, sighing deeply at the words that were being used. She didn't care much about the cold stoic man, who was already rearing up to take the front. Her father's legs braced themselves, as Sage Arc moved forward a few yards, before kneeling, the shield facing upward.

Her father took a sprint and then leapt, hitting the shield. With a grunt that sounded manlier than she'd expect from the stern man, her father was thrown into the air, nearly flying, his gauntlets starting to switch to the alternate mode. Dust rockets rained down on the Grimm, exploding in heated flashes, as the man rose up. The Huntsmen moved to his signal and she took a deeper breath.

The first of the robots started to fall down from the sky then, landing with dull thuds and deploying. Atlas security forces started to come, as her father mopped up the last of the Grimm, returning with a jovial bounce to his steps. Sage Arc merely had a passive look on his face, the man straightening his armour a little, the shield put on a strap at his belt, blue eyes peering at the robots as they made short work of the Grimm. Several of the Huntsmen already were moving into position to support the robots.

"A modest work, I see. It seems there was some use for you anyways..."

Her father smirked broadly, as he hugged the stern man all of a sudden, without warning. The man went still, as her father opened an arm for her to come and join them.

"Come and give him a hug too, Yang! He needs a hug! He did great today as our battle commander, as always!"

She wondered whether the man did, as the older man struggled a little, her father's grip on him rather tight. The man's armour looked like it was going to dent. Her father's Semblance was a little like hers, though her father's emotions guided his strength more than anything.

"Verdigris, this is _highly_ improper! Didn't I tell you _not_ to hug me in public? Some allowances are made, but this is still public!"

There was a shudder that went through her, as the man mentioned a name that was not the one her dad had. A similarity of the features she noticed, the two men face-to-face, her father's stubble and patch below the lower lip contrasting with Sage Arc's blonde hair that was turning grey, cut shorter and to regulation standard. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Similar facial structures, and...

Both looked at her, her father's face smiling whilst Sage Arc's eyes were merely cool mirrors of blue, as the familial connection clicked.

"Give your uncle a big hug, Yang. He's being a gloomy asshole, but he's nice when you get to know him. We'll have to go up to the family residence a few times... Can't forget to pay respect to your granddad too. Brave man, he died for the good cause."

' _Oh.'_

She had an uncle. He looked like her dad, but older. Her father smiled at her, pulling her into a big hug. The man struggled a little, her father more muscular in build, as well as being younger.

"See, Verdigris? She does _not_ desire a hug. Now let _go_ of me! This is improper. Emerald is the hugging type, not me. You can hug _her."_

She hugged the man, reluctantly. This was awkward but dad didn't deny that he was called that, nor did the man stop calling her dad that name.

She had an uncle and his name was Sage Arc.

* * *

 **Volume III, DONE. The reveal of Verdigris Arc was carefully hinted in several of the earliest chapters, so, yeah. Here we have him. Taiyang of the Xiao Long, Verdigris Arc.**

 **I'll duck behind something to avoid the barrage of rotten tomatoes that'll be coming to me for this unveil. Blartubus and Second Ghest probably will have something to say about that unveiling of someone's backstory... Yeah. Eazy, thanks for being a frequent flyer on Cyanide Review Airlines! Randomname, thanks for the support too!**

 **I appreciate all of your reviews, people! Here's Sage Arc's character theme! Slow music, with a deep manly voice, which you'll have to use your imagination.**

 **The Order of All Things (Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night Character theme)**

 **I was born into this world to set right what had gone wrong,  
born into the d'Arc-Night, to cause the family to not be undone.  
A brother, a sister, I shall not hold them dear,  
for I will be the bastion that stands against all that they will fear.  
It is the order of things, it is how it must be,  
what I do for this world, is a gift for you, from me.**

 **Chorus**

 **It is the order of all things, it is how it shall be.  
One order, one rule to guide, a gift from us and from me.  
The order of things, it is as how it should be,  
a world that is ordered and neat, where we are all free.  
The Orders will guide, and we will determine your fate,  
to sacrifice all we have for the people, before it is too late.  
It is the order of all things, it is how it is supposed to be.**

 **(Sang by Emerald Arc)**

 **Husband of mine, I care for you much,  
our daughter grows with every day,  
to crave your touch, if you give it as such.  
I breathe the air how you wish me to be,  
my soulmate, to be without you is to never be free.  
You claim it is the order of things, but it is not what it must be,  
my eldest daughter's life, chained and never to see.**

 **(Sage)**

 **It is the order of things, my wife, my dear delight,  
even if I must sacrifice everything for this world,  
never will my heart feel tight. I will do what I must, it is what it must be,  
an order of things, even with the number being merely three.  
Birth the heir, bring forth that male child,  
to become one with the saviour of this world.**

 **Chorus**

 **(Rowena)**

 **You took from me my child,  
handed me the mask and told me to go wild,  
chained like a bird with broken wings and never free,  
is this how it is going to be?  
I bore you a child, my life forfeit and no longer wild,  
my sister enchained in her own life,  
do I even fit within this order of things,  
or am I merely the reaping scythe?**

 **Chorus**

 **(Sage)**

 **A child born from my line, to be a vessel for a grand master,  
to hurry on the saving of this world of Remnant, ever faster.  
A sacrifice, to be brought to this world to create what is right.  
With the magic within him, what was wrong will be banished,  
the eternal oath to guard finally ending with the enemy vanquished.  
It is the order of what we are all striving to be,  
the cloak and mask our badge of office, for all to see.  
It is the order of all things, for you and me.**

 **Chorus**

 **I feel nothing, as those around me perish.  
I feel no emotions, as my Semblance orders the world.  
It is the order of things, as it all should be.  
Seven daughters, a child of my line gotten from one,  
an order to things, a route taken to bring peace for all.  
This is the choice I have made, as it is the Order from on high.  
For the peace and prosperity of mankind.**

 **Feelings are not needed, as I do what must be done.  
Come what may, I know my task will be taken up when I am gone.  
Daughters seven, of which the Order has not claimed three,  
to do what must be done, whilst the youngest remain free.  
A sacrifice for the Grandmaster of my fate,  
but one I bear with my mate.  
I am of the dark night, one of those who guards the truth of what is right,  
the shield against everything that will harm those under my care,  
for the bright morning that we all will share.  
The Order of all things...  
And the peace and prosperity that it brings.**

 **End**

 **Sage Aaron d'Arc-Night's Fairytale Allusion is Bluebeard.**

 **Leave a review, and I hope that you've all enjoyed Volume III! Onto Volume IV, which is 'lighter' in theme!**


	58. A light to break through the clouds

**Chapter 58: A light to break through the clouds**

 **Yeah, I goofed when I thought I could write during Christmastime. A Grimm Tale requires quite a lot of setup and stuff, and since I wasn't at home, I didn't quite get to manage to get in the mood. Thanks for being there with me for the closing of Volume 3. It's been… Yeah. Tough. Writing this story is tough, because it's got many dark and light points in it. Verdigris Arc was the final reveal for Volume 3.**

* * *

 _The things one should not do (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

She let her eyes slide over the interior of the meeting room, well-aware of the fact that she was here with her father, a testament to the power that she wielded. The General sat opposite of the two of them at the table, as was fitting. There was no talking, her eyes watching carefully for any sign of weakness.

"It is a surprise to see you alive, Lady Schnee."

The man affected a pleasant demeanour, yet she could see right through it. There would be no inheritance for her daughters with her alive and her father. The man would play the political games that he had the power to stop with a single declaration of Martial Law, working through the channels in order to enforce the law.

"I would imagine that the surprise might have lasted a little while before it was finally unveiled, General Ironwood. I am not fully certain yet that my safety and those under my protection can be assured. That is why we have called for the Hindenburg."

It floated above Vale, a testament to the Schnee Dust Company's power. A private warship, available in order to bring forth the power of Dust to the people, through barrages of shells that could strip the land of anything with heat and flame. The darkness inside her quivered.

"You could have informed us. We could have provided protection."

An excuse. Protection that would be a cell and a jailor, her daughters pushed into the game of politics. Weiss was dirtied, smeared. Winter would dance along to the tune of Ironwood, bringing with her that desperate control over the finances of the Schnee Dust Company.

"After my husband's assassination attempt, things were a little bit _tense_. I thought it wise to avoid scrutiny, in order to avoid hired weapons from firing. My husband was _not_ a man who would squander any resources to achieve victory, General."

She was not dubious of that fact at all. Her father, looking and feeling better than he had before, spoke up. His voice was stronger. The Atlesian women that she had rescued had all been provided lodging aboard the Hindenburg. It was the least she could do, after all.

"It is regrettable that he passed. My daughter had wished to at least confront the man."

Political words, spoken carefully so as to give the illusion that it hadn't been ordered by the man. If Whitney knew one thing for certain, General James Ironwood played the game well. She put a smile on her lips.

"Indeed. _Regrettable_."

The political answer, as the door opened and her eldest daughter entered, her expression set within that stoic façade. Weiss was hopefully sleeping still, recovering from the injuries that she had sustained. The military dress uniform that her eldest daughter had decided to wear today made her look formal and stiff.

"Mother. I hope you are well."

It was disgusting to see the power play. Whitney Schnee, survivor of an assassination attempt by her late husband, reconnecting with her eldest daughter. The heir to the name, the one who had been interned within the military of the Kingdom and raised by its military despot.

"Winter, my dear…"

She got up and walked with small, polite steps, taking only a second moment to meet with her daughter, a hug given. Her eldest daughter was warm to the touch, the smile on her daughter's lips genuine, a warmth inside her. She could feel the pulse and throb of that heart, that empty, void heart that seemed to feel only the desires of the military, her eyes looking into the blue ones of her eldest child.

"Weiss is _safe_ , Winter. Do you want to go and meet her after the talks with General Ironwood are concluded?"

It was an entreaty from a mother, an endearment that she could not forget. Winter was her daughter as well, even if the man of her heart had not met her yet. Winter would be obedient to the man who she was inferior to, she knew. Ironwood's little game of political tug of war would likely fail.

"If the General allows it. I still have my duties, mother."

It was a pity that things had to be like this. With how her day had been going, these talks were definitely something that had been long overdue. She had not let go of her daughter once in the time between her daughter's reunion with her and the arrival of the Hindenburg. Three days of near-sleeplessness, and her eldest daughter seemed to have 'conveniently' arrived at the same time as her own talk with General Ironwood.

"You may have the day off to reconnect with your mother, Specialist Schnee. Now, Lady Schnee… May I inquire where you have been all these months?"

A ploy for power, one that she would not indulge in. The feeling of the one in the shadows, Kali, roaming through the darkness like a vibrant little spark of shadow within a shadow. A whole feeling of darkness, as she could feel the touch of Kali in the shadows. Her friend whispered to her with her own presence, as she let her smile come to her face.

"In a _safe_ place, General Ironwood."

Her daughter pulled out of her embrace, a questioning look, something in those eyes. Whitney felt the urge build up inside her to ask questions, to know how her eldest had been, yet she also knew of the trouble that it might cause with her eldest.

"We could have offered better protection, Lady Schnee. We are still the Atlas military."

The General insisted, a smile of pride on his face. Whitney kept her polite and cool façade, a warm smile on her lips.

"It was not very useful for a woman such as me to be under supervision. If not for a passing Huntsman… I would imagine that my children would be bereaved of both of their parents."

Winter looked inquisitively at her, obviously filing it away. The General smiled, before the different topic was cut.

"The Hindenburg will need to adhere to our military pattern of deployment, Lady Schnee. If you would be so kind as to instruct its crew to enter the formation that we have selected, I would be _most_ grateful."

That would let them remain within the reach of the cannons of the Atlesian military. With the power of the Atlesian military at the command of the General, even such a deployment would put her within the sphere of influence, only through the command. She glanced at her father, giving him a small sign, a pursing of the lips.

"It would be rude to disallow our noble guests the ease of access between Vale and the Hindenburg, General. We are not members of the military, we are a private company. What we do with our vessel is all perfectly legitimate."

It was. Her father was right. The Schnee Dust Company, no matter how one looked at it, was an entity that held power on the global scale. If her father or herself did not give the word, it was not going to happen. A softness of the features, a small smile on her lips. The image of a woman who was touched by the sympathy from her father, a _weak_ woman.

She could see Winter, ever the obedient daughter, firm up. The General adjusted his uniform slightly, a barely perceivable nod given to her daughter. Betrayal, but not one that was immediately apparent. It was a slow process, she knew. A slow process that the man would slowly use to usurp the power from her.

Winter could be the _heir_ , if she proved herself independent. Weiss currently needed the most assistance, and she would get said assistance from her mother.

"Of course, Nicholas. I forgot myself for a moment, it is not Atlas."

The man had not forgotten himself, obviously. James Ironwood was a calculating man, a man who did not have the best intentions. She knew that from the start. Headmaster Ozpin had been requesting a meeting with her and her father as well, but she had denied him, citing a lack of time and wishing to catch up with her daughter.

"I apologize, General. It's still a lingering feeling of unease. My husband's assassination attempt has been… impactful."

There was less said about that than she could. Her eyes caught sight of the man's eyes sharply regarding her and her daughter. It was such a game, such a thrilling game. She could feel the desire within the man, something that held a curling leer of power and control. It would be _easy_ to stoke the flames.

"Understandable. There were doubts about your death, Lady Schnee. We have searched."

A faint smile, curling her lips. She knew that they hadn't. If they had, they would've found them. A problem, she surmised, but not one that was bad. Winter would be _asking_ undoubtedly. A problem for other times.

"I intend to make sure that the Schnee Dust Company has what reputation it has gained under my…" A pause, as she let the word slip into her mouth. " _late_ husband disappear from the public's minds. With the recent Faunus revolution of a few days, I would imagine that some people would be happy with a change in direction. We are a force for change, as we provide the Dust that warms their homes."

Her youngest child certainly was not, but there would be no assassinations from him if she could help it. A smile stretched her lips. She walked back to her seat, sitting down once more, motioning for Winter to do the same. She knew that the game was afoot, that the players had selected their pieces, allowing her father to speak up.

"I have been feeling better, General Ironwood. There's still life in me yet. The damage to my lungs seems to be recovering somewhat. A new treatment, something that makes me feel a little better than before."

Her father took the lead, as she looked at her daughter. The presence of Kali shifted, as ghostly fingers traced over her inner thighs, tapping softly the little code that they'd developed, burning with that hint of something more, a hint of a tension that came with the sudden knowledge that there was more than one person feeling fear in this room.

"That is most fortunate, Nicholas."

Her father, ever the miner, laughed, his face showing only the jolly expression that he didn't hide. If her father was honest, the face would be more thunderous, but there was nothing in his expression that told of his true thoughts.

" _ **You should really take a closer look at your daughter's expressions, Whitney."**_

The calm and placid voice of Lie Ren spoke in her mind, her eyes catching the expression on her daughter's face, one that showed a yearning, a feeling of craving. Perhaps her daughter was not fully under the thrall of the General yet, but there was nothing that she could do now to prevent it.

It had been one moment where the voice had been added to her mind, a soft awakening in the morning. A soft _**"Hello, my name is Lie Ren. Do you think you could talk to Nora for me?"**_ that had brought her to abrupt awakening, even as Cremea murmured in the background about something with irregular flux.

She had put it off, knowing that it would be suspicious if she called a young student at the early hour, but it would not be a bad thing to attempt later on.

"Shall we go to Weiss afterwards, Winter?"

Her father's voice was talking about something with the General, her mind automatically keeping track of it. Her hand laid on her daughter's shoulder, feeling the warmth of her daughter's flesh, the dark eyebrows, a symbol of Jacques' fine addition to the gene pool of the Schnee family, looking pensive.

Her daughter was like an ice sculpture, like something that had been carved into the shape of a woman, yet never astray from the path that she had been set upon. A feeling of pity, of empathy and something more curled through her body, something that lingered in her heart. She felt bad for her daughter, but there would need to be security. Weiss was young, yet Winter knew the woes of the world.

"That would be nice, Mother."

The lack of a heavy load in Winter's voice was like a shuddering of the thunder-peals of hope in her heart, something about her daughter being warmer striking a chord. She had seen what could be brought by hatred, by indifference. She still loved her children, no matter what they did.

As they emerged from the meeting room nearly an hour later, her hand was on her daughter's side, Kali's presence in the back of her mind, following behind the two of them as they parted ways with the General. Whitney could see the probing look, the brief expression on the man's face that showed that he wished more information. It was normal, she supposed. Normal for a man whose mind went to places dark and unsavoury.

' _A problem, in the future.'_

They would _not_ lay a hand on Jaune and the others. She was his lover, the woman he was to marry. She hadn't even met his oldest sister, though… she had met his father. Circumstances dictated that she have an acquaintance. Sage Arc just made her feel a little uneasy.

The emotionless man didn't strike her as the most welcoming of people. It was not her own opinion either, as Cremea said that there was something with her father's Semblance that negated most emotions that came from the man's core, making him distant.

His brother was more social, if that was the word. Verdigris Arc, or Taiyang Xiao-Long if one had to believe the rough man that smelled of alcohol and failed dreams, was a person who lived emotional highs and lows. Not a very stable individual, but she would give the benefit of the doubt. It was not her place to judge her love's family, after all. Not until they had proven themselves unfit for the love that _her_ Jaune gave them.

They walked through the sterile hallways of the Hindenburg towards her personal quarters, where Weiss was being given the care she needed to recover. If not for this meeting, she would have been at her daughter's side, Kali's presence in the room there to deny anyone who would dare to think to harm _her_ girl the chance to do so. With the shadows at her beck and call, Kali was efficient and powerful.

She looked at the bed that had been set up beside her own, her youngest daughter looking at her, brightening immediately.

"Mama! Winter!"

Her heart felt a throb of love as she saw the look on Weiss' face, smiling broadly. The girl had been skittish, unwilling to be treated by men. It was such a sad thing too, but normal. She had been through _quite_ the ordeal.

"Hello there, my little snowflake."

She sat down in the chair next to the bed, the casts that were around her daughter's broken limbs giving her the image of weakness, but she did not mind it at all. Anyone who would dare to harm her daughter would find that Whitney Schnee was _not_ to be trifled with. Winter sat down on the other end of the bed, a fine divide between herself and the General's position in things.

"Can Ruby and the others come to visit? Mama?"

She smiled indulgently, knowing that her daughter had been asking this question, Winter's face showing interest.

"They are my teammates. They… Ruby is my team leader. The others… Well, they are _good_ people. They…"

Her hand grabbed her daughter's cast, rubbing it softly and letting her daughter know that sad times were behind her. She loved her daughter so much, to see her hurt was just something that made her shiver.

"They came for you, Weiss. I came for you."

Her expression was maternal, she knew. She could not let her daughter suffer. The bright smile that Weiss had was not tarnished. The scar on her eye stood out, and there was something in her daughter's eyes.

"What happened?"

At moments like this, she really wished that her oldest daughter would have taken lessons in tact and grace, rather than how to fire a gun and be a bitch for the military. Weiss' eyes lost their spark as she inhaled and exhaled.

"They wanted to _r-rape_ me. Just because I was a _Schnee,_ because daddy was a _bad_ man. I didn't do anything _wrong_ , Winter. I was just a Schnee and they wanted to hurt me."

A tender look on her face, as Winter's soft hiss of distaste and disgust came. Whitney's fingers stroked softly over the cast. Weiss was crying.

"I came for you, Weiss. Mama loves you more than anything in the world. She loves you and your sister and brother."

The truth, she knew. Winter's eyes were emotional too and her emotions quivered. Her hand brushed over her daughter's cheeks.

"I would have slaughtered them all if they had laid one hand on you, Weiss. _Nobody_ will take my daughter without paying the _price_."

Blue eyes looked up at her, the yearning within her, Winter's gaze on her, she knew, but she was done with being merely political. Her finger slid up to the eye, looking at the tender expression on her daughter's face.

"Winter, do you think you could fetch something to drink for Weiss? There is some fruit juice in the kitchen."

She looked at her youngest, leaning forward, her lips pressing against her daughter's pale cheek as Winter moved. She could smell the scent of medical alcohol on her daughter's skin.

"I would never let you hurt, Weiss. You, Winter and Whitley are my children and I will always keep loving you."

The small smile on her daughter's lips, the look in her eyes. It had been repeated over and over for the young girl in the casts, the daughter whose pale features were so beautiful, like a porcelain doll that had been polished to a degree that it was ephemeral and beautiful.

"I have the nightmares again, mama. The shadows are watching. They always are watching when I close my eyes. Whispering softly."

Whitney's fingers pressed against her daughter's cheek, brushing gently over the skin. She could, of course, tell that it was just Kali's presence that her daughter was sensing, but telling the girl would only make her feel less secure.

"Mama is here, Weiss. Mama is here and she isn't going to make you feel afraid."

Her daughter's eyes were dark and gloomy, as Winter brought a glass of fruit juice. A softness of the features, her oldest daughter's love for her younger sister not wholly gone yet by the military's cruel ploys, something that could be stamped out with love and care.

' _I'm going to make sure that there won't be anyone who would dare stand in our way, Jaune…When we marry, it will be a grand ceremony.'_

She was sure that Kali had her own plans for her wedding. They had discussed it very briefly in the time they'd been together at night and alone. Her friend deserved just as much love as she got.

"I love you, Mama, Winter. I'm _so_ happy that you're here."

She smiled at her daughter with an understanding in her eyes that her daughter was going to be alright. Weiss was a strong, beautiful girl. Jaune would like her as his stepdaughter. A faint smile curled onto her face at the thought.

"Your friends will be here in the afternoon, Weiss. I will be close by whenever you need me to be, sweetheart."

She could see her daughter's eyes light up at the thought of her friends, knowing that she would be better off with people of her own age. They hadn't been talking much, as she took care of her daughter, the fragile emotions that she could see in the girl's state like ripples on a still pond.

' _You will be okay, my daughter…'_

She was going to make sure of it, even if she had to do questionable things.

* * *

 _Tensions rising (Heather Arc)_

* * *

She gazed in the mirror, her eyes bloodshot and without much variation, aware that there was just that extra bit of sleeplessness in her night, her older sister's humming entirely too cheerful this early in the morning.

Rowena had been in a good mood for the past few days, something that undoubtedly had to do with what had happened earlier, the freedom that they had been given to stay where they wished to stay with dad being called to Beacon to serve as the Combat instructor.

Given what had happened to the Goodwitch woman, it was only natural. The woman's body had sustained damage and there were some gaps in her memory, a concussion and some other damages, exacerbated by the use of her powers. The woman was recovering, or so it was said.

The hotel room that they shared was between the two of them, funded off her card, though they could pay for a year and not really break the bank. It was good to be well-paid for the missions that they undertook, her own bank accounts easily double the size of Rowena's, but that was due to her wandering state. Rowena wasn't much for taking commissions.

"Come on, hurry, hurry… We should be shopping. We _are_ going to shop, yes."

The cheerful voice reminded her of when they had been younger, when the days had not been so dark and frightful. Rowena had always loved to sing, before she had been dampened by what had happened.

' _I still don't…'_

She was anxious. Rowena in a good mood was… dangerous. The smooth and flawless skin that she had beheld in the bathroom the day before was still awkward. The suit that Rowena wore that was much like the other scythe-wielder's fit her well, but she wished to _shop_ now.

"Come on, we'll be okay. Just make yourself look better, Heather."

She gave her sister a look, Rowena's eyes alight, the dark blue colour drawing her in, the woman's hand brushing through her long blonde hair, contrasting to the shortness that it seemed to have. It was a softness that it held, a callback to when she had been… beautiful.

"It's not that easy, you know… I should buy more conditioner. My hair dries out faster than my pussy when I'm-"

Her sister's touch to her scalp and the smooth cool sensation of water sliding over her scalp, moved with an expert application. She could feel the touch, as she felt her sister's fingers slide up and down over the sensitive flesh.

"We're going to be shopping… Ooh, we're going to buy Yang a gift. I got her three sizes, and she'll need some nice stuff to wear. How about black?"

The positive, warm and friendly Rowena was back, contrasting the severe and angry Rowena that she had known for years. It was as if there had been no change at all, the sister she had loved returning, her eyes shimmering.

"Black on a blonde? Are you _serious_? Do you want her to look like a wasp?"

Rowena frowned a little, the coolness of her hair changing a little as the water evaporated. She wanted to braid her hair, but Rowena had said that it should be loose for a bit. The look in Rowena's eyes changed and the darkness returned.

"Uncle Verdigris…"

A fit of deep, dark anger in those eyes flashed, as Rowena the Slayer pushed herself to the forefront and Rowena the sister slid back.

"He's _not_ impregnating Yang."

She shivered. Rowena would know, she guessed. Silver eyes stared in the mirror, peering over her back. Her sister's form was fuller than her own, her own face having more of that weathered sour expression, as Rowena's features held the beauty of an angel.

"She's _not_ his to claim."

Rowena's mind was set, as her fingers brushed through Heather's hair again, smoothing it out. A cold, bitter smile on her lips. Heather wondered what the plan was. If the Faunus girl was going to betray them, she would have done so by now.

"And Belladonna?"

Sharp silver eyes beheld her, the curled smile that held a glint of wickedness within them was something, as Heather's own hand grabbed her sister's.

"Haven't you seen her looks? The girl's pulse races when she sees me…"

Lust, love or something else. Heather knew that Rowena, as she was now, would use that to gain what she wished to gain. It was a sick twist, her body knew, but she knew that Rowena was her sister and that she _loved_ her sister.

Not in the way that was sexual, of course, but that Rowena was above all others was a clear-cut case. She was the sister who was closest to her, without even a hint of change from her, her eyes never shifting from their silver sheen. The eyes of the saviour, the ones that dictated the war against those who would bring the Shadow to this world.

"Why haven't you told people about your gift?"

Rowena's smile was chilling to most other people, her hands sliding onto her shoulders, caressing her. It was not a touch that was intimate, as she felt the viscera inside her body move, the touch of the Semblance easy to negate with her own, but it was impossible.

"They would _use_ me. I am still the eldest and the inheritor of the Title and crown. Another child in my womb, if they can fit it into the schedule. Jaune's seed, probably. _Another_ victim for the schemes of the Order, so that one man can have the immortality he thirsts for."

' _Oh_.'

As far as her father and the rest of the family knew, Rowena was still scarred and infertile, without any sort of recovery. That her mind had repaired after the death of the Faunus man who had done such things to her was a boon, but Rowena was still a fully-invested Slayer.

' _Instead it comes to me…'_

"Do you _love_ me?"

She looked at her sister, Rowena looking at her with a look, the sister looking at her, rather than the superior. There was something in the depths of her blue eyes that made her want to respond with an affirmative, but something stopped her. She could see those eyes looking straight into her.

"Of course, Ro."

It wasn't anything else but that answer. The small smile, as her hand grabbed a hold of Heather's, Rowena's fingers lacing with her own, the other hand seized as well.

"We're _magnificent_ together, Heather. _Always_ together, okay?"

Her older sister's forehead pressed against her own and she stared into her sister's eyes. There was a cool feeling from her sister, as eyes peered deeply into her own.

"Always _together_ , Ro."

The soft smile on Rowena's lips turned warmer, as the hands squeezed softly.

"I'm your big sister. Trust me."

She did. As a superior, she trusted Rowena's calls. As a sister, she trusted her older sister's suggestions. They had been born apart, but they were never apart now. Rowena's eyes were warm, as her head leaned forward and she felt the lips press against her own. Something pushed into her, a warmth that seemed to glow, light that seemed to burn, Rowena's eyes flashing a bright silver, as her own closed for a moment, shivering with that pleasure that came through her upper body, not stopping with its momentary drift towards the force inside her.

The kiss ceased, as her sister's smile was warmer. A feeling, a throb in the back of her head and she felt her sister, close by.

" _Magic_ , Heather. Now we'll never be apart again. In this world, you two are the only ones that matter to me. _You_ and _Jaune_. The rest?"

Coldness flooded those eyes, as her older sister's eyes froze over.

"They are not _worthy_ of our love."

Heather knew that she would miss her other sisters, but to miss Rowena? That was a wholly different game. Her sister's eyes warmed once more as another kiss was placed against her lips. Heather indulged in the sensation, as she kissed her sister, her full-blooded sister, a woman she loved as a sister, yet not as a lover.

"I love you, little Heather. Jaune would be proud…"

A soft tingling of laughter as her older sister tugged her closer, their bodies pressed together. The blue shirt that Heather wore pressed against the simple yellow sundress that Rowena wore, a shiver going through her.

"Always be armed, little sister."

A softness of the eyes that did not fade from them, as Rowena pulled away, taking out a small stick of lipstick and applying it to her lips. It was something that Rowena had rarely applied, but the form was still as perfect as the first lesson on feminine hygiene products.

"We are going to get something _nice_."

The sudden feeling of ominous doom that Heather felt was only matched by the consternation that Rowena had mentioned something about going shopping. That meant trying on clothing and looking at herself in the mirror.

' _Fuck.'_

She hated clothes shopping, because every time she went into a store for some shopping, she'd exit with a few new 'suggestions' that were totally not in her nature. The hot pink set of underwear hopefully was still somewhere tucked deep in her closet, after the saleswoman had said that it would totally make 'her man love her'.

' _This is going to end up in disaster…'_

Rowena's soft humming seemed to be like the dirge of death for her, as her older sister continued to slip herself into the routine of getting ready, a brush already out and combing Heather's hair.

It was the fate she had to suffer for her sister's happiness, she supposed.

' _Let's hope it's not something hot pink again…'_

She _hated_ pink.

* * *

 _The Bang for the Yang (Yang Xiao-Long)_

* * *

"So, that's the new look, eh?"

It was a few days after the mission, a few days of frenzied getting things back in working order. The things she had seen during that time in Mountain Glenn had made her lose sleep, but it had been less than what the remnants of team PRWN had to go through…

Or she should just say, Pyrrha and Nora. She had caught sight of Nora in the cafeteria, a veritable cloud of depression hanging around her, Pyrrha's gaze cautious as she looked at her, not quite speaking but trying her best to keep Nora grounded.

The energetic feeling of Nora had left her. The love that she had for her boyfriend was gone and what was left was hurt, pain and fear. Viridian had been muted in his expressions, the shocks that he'd had to the system of someone dying who was a teammate having rendered him silent.

Nora didn't take care of herself anymore. The bloodshot eyes and the soft constant whimpers that came from her lips, Ren's name repeated, the teary looks that she gave from time to time to the spot where they'd always sat.

It was loss, and it was the second loss that the former team JNPR had suffered.

Blake turned around, the top looking fine, the cleavage giving it that 'Bella-hooker' vibe, the long black coat looking like it fit her, loosely wrapped over the shoulders. A blood-red blade had been fashioned into a buckle, a shard of something like a katana, the leather having been worked into the buckle as a guard, the white coat laid out on the bed. A mask was slid into place on her jaw, guarding her mouth. It made her look a little like those Mistralian temple guardians that she'd seen in a documentary once a while ago, but… Yeah.

"Do you like it? I want to show her." The face-mask came off, the bright smile of Blake Belladonna once more there. It had been showing up more often than before, growing broader and warmer with the heat of Blake's newly reignited self.

This was a partner she could somewhat trust not to kill herself. Whatever Blake had seen, it had changed her life. Yang wasn't certain though… Ruby was still a problem.

" _Can you repeat that again, Ruby? I thought-"_

 _The bright smile on her younger sister's face didn't fade. Innocence in those eyes, as she thought she'd just heard- No, that was wrong. It must be wrong._

" _What was your test? Was it good being with two girls?"_

 _She hadn't had much of a test in the art of love, really. The Trial had been something of her test, but she was not sure whether it was a thing that she enjoyed._

 _It hadn't come up._

 _Not yet._

" _It was… different. Cousin Rowena is… interesting."_

 _Ruby frowned, her face taking that pouty look that she knew meant that Ruby didn't agree with it in the slightest. That dad seemed to be one of the members of the Arc family was… a difficult pill to swallow._

 _It meant that they had cousins. That they had family. More family, though just as fucked up as dad had been when he was out of commission. She hadn't stuck around to really talk, having excused herself to go to the bathroom._

 _She'd just sat there in the toilet, feeling the coldness of the seat and just staring at her hands. Those hands had killed people, they'd ended lives. She was just like the other members of her family now, a Slayer._

 _She couldn't tell anyone about the Order. She couldn't tell Ruby, she couldn't tell Weiss or Blake. Summer, her real mom Raven and… and her cousins._

 _She didn't trust Sage Arc as far as she could throw him, and even then, she didn't, because Dad was his brother. What if…_

 _A soft exhale, tingling along her nostrils and filling her nose with that faint hint of thoughts and fears. She had heard the stories from Rowena in her youth, sang to her in the lyrical form. They had spoken of honour and valour, sacrifice and loss._

 _She had only emerged after she'd taken a leak, trying to justify her absence. Nobody had complained. Ruby was trying to make Weiss talk to her, but Weiss was just trying to hug her mother for dear life, the woman's face looking grave, as she stopped all attempts to talk to her with a simple 'My daughter is more important, please move to others.'_

 _She had to give the woman some respect for standing with her daughter, even after the massive ship had floated into the range of visual confirmation a day later, the Schnee crest on its bow standing like a beacon, the woman's face having looked haggard as she called them on their Scrolls one by one to convey her personal thanks._

It was all such a mess. She should get herself some new clothing as well, if Blake was going to enter a new goth emo phase…

Perhaps something with a few zippers? She didn't know, she'd have to accessorize it with the cloak and the mask. A girl had to look her best, of course.

* * *

 _A bad luck's charm (Qrow Branwen)_

* * *

"Come on, you can't be tired yet! Let's make the room quake!"

The excited voice of the young woman who wanted to go for round number four of the day was like a call to action, her eyes looking at him with that boundless excitement in them, something in them that held only the call for lovemaking.

It had been an awkward thing, really. One moment she was standing next to her sister, the next she was grabbing him by the arm and going 'Well, I've got permission, we're finishing what we've started, Branwen.'

"Sometimes, you've got to take a little break, Azure."

She was Rowe's little sister, the youngest. Nineteen, perhaps just shy of twenty. He'd never imagined that she could be such a freak, but here he was, three days later and his body feeling like it'd been through an earthquake. She wasn't exactly petite, but there was something about her.

They'd gone mostly through a fifty-pack box of condoms. Damn, this girl could _fuck_. Must be all those suppressed Arc hormones or something, but he hoped that she'd run out of energy sometime. Rowe would've been… nice.

' _Yeah, though if she's a freak like her sisters…'_

That Taiyang was really called Verdigris had taken him for a loop. The guy looked and talked just like he did, but the moment that he was around his older brother, something just changed. A formal sort of change, something that sucked the fun out of the man, a more serious attitude adopted.

"Breaks are for pussies, dude. Weren't you going to break my sister in with this big bad boy, huh?"

He looked at her and sighed. Rowena was growing better again, he'd heard. He didn't want to shame her, but that ship had probably sailed. He was just blessed with the bad luck that he'd waited for too long.

' _And now I'm fucking her youngest sister… She could be my daughter.'_

"Ooh, someone likes that. Now, let me get-"

She was bouncing on him again like some horny rabbit, the bed quivering a little with every bounce she made, her eyes closing. They smelled like sex, lust and what-not, as the young woman unwound all that stress from her body.

It was the creak of a chair being sat in that alerted him to a third presence in the room, someone who had joined them in a flash. He saw Azure turn, her body shifting a little, catching sight of dark hair and a mask that was slowly being lowered, Azure's body in motion, going for the weapon that was in easy reach.

"What do _you_ want, Raven?"

Azure stiffened as his hand grabbed her hip, the feeling in his own hips being one of numbness from what was undoubtedly one of those people with a dangerously high libido… or just a gigantic Aura pool to draw from. If that was genetic, he didn't want to think what the poor fellow who'd ever marry another of the sisters would suffer.

"We need to _talk_ , Qrow."

Azure got off, her fingers grabbing a hold of his manhood. He scratched his chin, getting up. Raven was used to the stuff he had on display, having seen her naked more often than not. Whenever she was with Summer, most of the times the clothes were absent.

"She's my sister. Not a threat, I guess. _Are_ you a threat, Raven?"

Angry red eyes looked at him. Her face was weary and tired-looking, lines on it showing worse. She hadn't been sleeping for a while, he guessed.

' _Yeah, she's working off that sleep deprivation, I guess… Must be important if she's here whilst I'm busy.'_

" _Why_?"

He didn't get the question at all. Why, what? His sister shifted a little in her seat, the red cloak that was much like Summer's shifting a little as she did. Azure was silent, just watching his sister for a while.

"Sorry, but I haven't gotten the faintest idea what you're talking about."

He saw Raven look at him, those eyes flooding with anger and rage. She had the worst temper tantrums that he knew, well, maybe Yang being similar when she had her hair mangled… Someone could get hurt when Yang exploded.

"Why did you let Taiyang sleep with Ruby?"

He looked dubiously, Azure coughing.

"His actual name is Verdigris. My father said that he'd been kicked out of the family for-"

His sister's exhale was loud, as the red eyes looked at Azure Arc. There was that murderous edge in them, that hate and that anger that was stronger than anything he'd seen before. Homicidal rage wasn't something strange to the band of bandits that they had been a part of, but this was worse.

"He _fucked_ Summer's daughter, Qrow. Why didn't you _stop_ him?"

It was normal, wasn't it? Ruby had said that she'd rather do it with her father than with him and there were just two guys around to show the girls the ins and outs of pleasure. Of course with how the mission had gone, a passing grade would be assigned, but still-

"She wanted it, he was her fath-"

Raven's Dust-blade Katana quivered as it stuck into the headboard of the bed beside his head, the cheek cut from the sharp edge, his sister having thrown it straight at him, her body in motion as she moved towards the bed. He was aware that she was trembling, a wild, crazy anger in her. He thought that there was darkness creeping into the sclera of her eyes, but it was perhaps a trick of the light.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU _STOP_ HIM?!"

He felt defensive, his sister's rage surprising for its fire. If Ruby wanted her father, she would get her father. He got up, rubbing his cheek and looking at his sister, who trembled.

"Ruby wanted it! She should be with her father, if she wanted it."

Surprise on his sister's face, as she turned red in the face and then the skin just seemed to lose most of its colouration. She took a few steps back, looking at him with wide eyes and just slumped down on the chair, the creak audible to his ears. Azure was getting herself off the bed, keeping a careful look at her.

"Listen, Rae, I know that you and Taiyang were married, but you ran out on him first. Ruby's all that he's got left of Summer, so-"

An angry, heated gaze, a glare that was so powerful that it made him flinch. His sister wasn't happy, Raven's face showing anger, frustration.

"And that makes it _okay_? He touched _my_ niece, Qrow! Summer is my sister! He forsook his oath to me!"

He pulled the Dust-blade out of the headboard, noticing idly that the wood had splintered around the impact, holding it out to her as a courtesy. His sister, impulsive as she was, was still his sister.

"So? He was Taiyang before and now he's Verdigris. People change their names, Raven."

She looked at him, pleading in her eyes. They looked vulnerable, like she was pleading with him. He was reminded of when they were younger, when she had still been a member of the team.

"Don't you _remember?_ Qrow, _please…_ Tell me that you remember what Summer said."

' _Remember what?'_

She looked pathetic and worried, as he tried to guess. Summer's wedding to Tai, he guessed. Raven had buggered off before that, and Taiyang and Summer had grown closer.

"Didn't she say something at her wedding to Taiyang?"

Raven looked at him, her face turning grim, that moody expression on her face, snatching her weapon out of his grasp.

"Qrow, I'm going to tell you this once…"

A sigh, something heavy and thunderous from within her, a dark expression on her face as she let her gaze rest on the man for a while, a deep look in her eyes. She was moody and dark, her expression never really shifting from those heavy emotions.

"Make sure that Yang and Ruby are _safe_. If you've ever loved those girls, just…"

A choked sob, as tears came from his sister's eyes, looking into his own. He could see Azure give a soft hiss, looking at the woman with an understanding look in her eyes.

"You're like Rowena and Heather, aren't you? Members of that Order."

A short nod, as Raven looked at the woman who'd been a stress reliever and bedroom breaker for a few days, a heavy sound coming from her lips. He'd heard of it, faintly. The masks, the cloak. It was Summer's stuff, he knew.

"The Rose. The duty must be carried through your life. There is no dismissal. Only in death does duty end. They are the strongest of the strong."

He could see his sister's hopeless face, speaking of the words that mattered to her. He didn't like to see her like this, even though he kept the conversations that they had mostly between them. It wasn't important to involve others with.

"My partner was the Rose of Summer, Summer. She was one of the strongest of her Family. Do _not_ let Ruby be set on the path of her mother, _Qrow_. Please. Keep her safe, because they will break her innocence into pieces and make her _kill_."

His twin sister's face pleaded with him and he mustered a smile. It was all according to the world's order.

"Ozpin won't allow it. He thinks Ruby has promise."

A hiss from his sister, her eyes darkening as her face turned into a mask of rage and anger. He hadn't seen that rage before, but her dark red eyes glowed, as the veins seemed to burst, a livid, boiling rage within those eyes.

"Ozpin is the one who leads the Order, little brother. Think about that. Can you trust a man who would do the same thing to her as has happened to the eldest Arc sisters?"

Azure hissed softly. He looked at her with a questioning look. Rowe was a great woman, and he felt strongly for her. That feeling had faded, but there had been something in his heart for the woman, a fondness.

"My oldest sister, Heather… She's said that it's brutal. She had to kill someone she knew, just to get used to killing. It was worse for Rowena, because… well, Heather doesn't like to talk much about it. She's hurt, but she'll always keep loving her older sister. When Jaune was still around, he'd…"

A mournful look in her eyes, and he wrapped an arm around her. Naked though they were, they didn't feel naked.

"He'd play with them. He was a good kid, and Rowe always made time for him. It's stupid, y'know? We never knew that he'd been her baby, but it was all so fucking obvious. Dad just said 'don't train Jaune', and we didn't even doubt it."

His sister's eyes looked mournful, sighing softly.

"Your little brother was intended to be a sacrifice. Summer… Summer told me a little of what happened, ages ago, when we were first starting out. I don't blame her for what she did. She was strong, I- I _needed_ her strength."

There was that morose look in her eyes, as she looked up at him and grit her teeth. There was something in those eyes, as she let her tongue slide over her lower and upper lip.

"Enjoy your day, Qrow. I just- You're _still_ my brother, even if we have our differences."

She was still his sister, indeed. She was still the moody brooding Raven that had pushed him into the pond days before they had to go to Beacon.

"What will you do now?"

His voice sounded hesitant, as his sister felt similarly to him. He loved his sister, and with how she looked… She was still _family_. Even if she was no longer with Taiyang, she was still his blood, even if she railed against the man who had offered redemption for the bandit twins, she was _still_ the one who had been with him when he had been born.

She looked at him and her eyes softened perceptibly. A look at his companion, a bitter expression that came to her lips.

"Claim Anima. The Beornir are done, it is time to point my fangs at the others. Keep them _safe_ , Qrow. Do _not_ let them take my daughter. Do whatever you must, as long as they are _safe_. There will be no time for games, Qrow. This grand game between Ozpin and Salem has gone on for long enough…"

She used the name for the enemy of Professor Ozpin, the name of the woman who had engineered the Breach, if the debriefing in the personal office of the man was any indication. It was a deep darkness in his sister's eyes, a stark look given to his bed partner.

"If you love your life, I would suggest that you keep this to yourself, Arc. You are still a child in my eyes, but your father would not see it thus."

Azure Arc swallowed, her eyes brooding and dark. There was something in those eyes that made him want to hold her.

"No, he would not. Heather will… She'll be with child. By the Gods… He wouldn't stop, if it was impossible. He's still our father and-"

His sister looked sadly at Azure, getting up and walking to her, giving her a pat to the shoulder. His sister smelled of blood and iron, the fingers brushing over her shoulder for a moment.

"He would kill you, if it would come to that. Your older sisters spoke of that. Keep your love, girl."

A maternal smile, bringing with it the old Raven who had been a friend, sister and occasional worrywart, and Azure Arc trembled. His sister's eyes looked into his own and she gave a mournful sigh.

"I love you still, little brother. Keep the girls safe, because Summer and I _couldn't_. Remember…"

A faint smile, touching his sister's lips. She shifted her stance, taking the familiar stance that had been adopted when they were young. A light smile, as she gave him a thumbs-up.

"Keep them safe and out of Ozpin's games. My former husband might have…" A look of darkness, anger and frustration crossed her features. "betrayed my devotion, but I will not see that happening to Yang. I will _not_ let my former husband fuck _my_ daughter."

' _Yeah, Yang's much the same. She'd protect everyone…'_

He was going to have to have a chat with the kids about that stuff… Raven was worried, he was worried and he didn't want to know what went on.

"Goodbye, brother. If you ever doubt my words... _Remember_ that Taiyang and Sage Arc are _brothers."_

The glowing portal that she cut in the air was shimmering as she stepped through it, a look in her eyes as the mask was pushed back into place, stepping through it without a hint of worry for being assaulted, the blade already back in the sheath.

"What did she mean with that, Azure?"

His partner, the girl who had fucked his brains out, gave a soft sigh. There was something in her blue eyes that really seemed to hurt.

"Dad… My father, he really does not care. All we had was _Jaune_ , and even then, Mom was… _distant_. They were always gone and we just had him to play with, but-" A bitter look in the eyes of the woman.

"Make love to me again, okay? Please? I- I don't want to turn out like _her_. Rowena _died_ when Jaune died and- Dad just said that it was _nothing_. She would be serviceable again after a period of mourning."

She looked smaller, much like Yang. He had to remind himself for a moment that Yang and Azure were only three years apart, there-abouts, that they shared blood through an uncle. He pulled her close, rubbing over her back, up and down. She started to cry. A bedspring hit him in his butt, but he didn't care.

"It's going to be alright, Azure. It'll be alright…"

Taiyang would just have to be kept ignorant. It'd just be like when he'd been out of it, when Rowe had been there to help out and to learn how to wield a scythe.

' _Yeah, spending some time with the kids might be good.'_

"Want to come spend time with my nieces an-, oh, I guess they'd be your cousins."

She smiled up at him and nodded softly. She looked better than he'd imagined.

"Sure. We've got some free time, if Heather isn't too occupied… The Vytal Festival will be over and then it'll be back to business, but- But I'd love to go with you."

She flushed a little, her eyes looking at him.

The next spring hit him in the groin, leaving him to groan in pain.

' _Just the bad luck…'_

"I'll kiss it better! But first… I think I should go for the emergency medical kit. Damn, we really wrecked this room."

' _Whose fault is that?'_

He just tried to keep himself in a place where his balls didn't hurt like they'd just been whacked by a piece of mattress spring.

* * *

 _The date (Cardin Winchester)_

* * *

Melinda looked nervously at him as she sat there, her fingers already brushing over the cup of coffee that'd been set before them. It was a state of constant alertness that she had about her, unsurprising given what had happened earlier. Two uniformed bodyguards sat a little way's away, looking at her with hawk-like eyes.

"Melinda."

He sat down in the seat opposite of her, her eyes looking hesitantly into his own. Her fingers stroked over the cup, as she waved for a waiter. He waited for the waiter to reach them before he ordered. A light soda, something with fizz in it to keep the taste of blood out of his mouth. The burning inside him hadn't stopped yet, nor had the feelings inside him.

"Hey… _Cardin_."

He couldn't stop himself from smiling, as he looked into her eyes. They were bound through a simple oath, one to the young man who had declared himself of royal blood, one oath that he would not forsake. With the fealty that he had sworn, his life was decided.

"Bodyguards?"

She nodded, the two men looking like they were busy with other things, whilst constantly scanning for danger. He had been invited here by her, a moment where they could be together again after they'd been split up.

Harmony Tallow was still wanted. The picture had been spread around, a bounty placed on her head of twenty-five thousand. Velvet Scarlatina had never existed, nor had there been any sponsoring done. She had infiltrated Beacon two years before, and she'd managed to pull the wool over the eyes of everyone.

"Insurance. Aunt Maroon doesn't want me going anywhere, after… after things."

He remembered the conversation that he'd had with his own grandfather, still caked with the blood of those he'd fought. It had been fighting for his life, for the safety of Melinda, for his friends.

"Grandfather is much the same."

His grandfather had not been happy to hear of the assassination attempt by Harmony Tallow. That had been an unpleasant chastisement, involving many different forms of 'stupid'. He hadn't mentioned the oath that he had sworn, yet.

He wasn't escorted due to his status as a Huntsman-in-training, but he was carrying his weapon. Armour was too cumbersome to wear in civilian situations, especially with how heavy it was, but he could understand it.

"Cardin, I've… I've given it some thought."

The soda was put in front of him and he thanked the waiter for their service, paying with a five Lien chip, looking at Melinda, whose face was a little more serious than before.

"After Ethan… Adam, _whatever_ his name was…"

A soft pursing of the lips, as she looked at him. It was a look of guilt, one that he knew from the past. She'd messed up intentionally, trying to rebel. She was older than him by several years, but that was still something.

"I'll keep you safe."

A smile, a giggle coming from her lips. He could see that the bodyguards were pointedly ignoring their conversation, as it was private. They were professionals, he could see. Huntsman trained, probably.

"So, we…"

She looked away, laughing softly. Her hands, which'd gripped her coffee cup, grabbed his own.

"Let's get together, Cardin. Dating. I'm kind of done with Faunus. You're… Well, after what we went through, I'd just like to- _y'know_?"

He didn't think that it would be alright for him to jump into a relationship this quickly, but…

"This is a little quick, don't you think?"

She grabbed his hands and she gave a soft tapping, feeling a tingle of the darkness shoot through his veins. She looked into his eyes, as she leaned forward. She pressed her lips against his cheek, a soft touch of the lips that made him feel a shock.

"Remember that time when we had to be at the ball and we went off to the arcade to have fun?"

It hadn't happened like that. She'd been followed by him, and they'd gone through the arcade but hadn't had any money with them. His grandfather had been amused that he'd gone with Councillor Syfres' niece, though Melinda had bore the brunt of her aunt's irritation.

"The King's game, remember? We had fun then, didn't we? So… I'd like to go out with you again, have some fun, see where things go. I'm done with Faunus, but a cute lil' mug like you? It'll be worth a shot, age difference be damned."

He smiled. There had been no 'King's game', but the hidden meaning of those words were pretty clear to him.

"Perhaps it'd be nice to try."

They would be visiting Jaune. He wanted to talk with the young man who had saved his life, and Melinda wanted to talk too. She smiled at him, her fingers brushing over his own, as she made a soft shushing sound.

"I'm going to show you the world…"

A carpet salesman walked by outside at that point and a blue and golden carpet drew his attention, hung out over the portable stall. He focused back on her, and felt her lips press against his own, surprise showing on his face.

"Let's play that game again, Cardin. How about the day after tomorrow? Aunt Maroon says that I should be learning from her… And I think I'll take that offer."

A council seat was the highest office someone could reach in this world, and to utilize that power would require a lot of back-door dealing. He had been instructed to graduate, before he would take his training more seriously.

Melinda was older than him. She would be getting her lessons already, but…

' _A Kingdom's council has power.'_

If he had sworn fealty to a King…

He looked into Melinda's eyes. She was grinning at him like she was just going to do something scandalous, like flashing the entire assembly again by loosening the straps and just going topless during the stuffy parts.

' _I guess it's time for a meeting with the King.'_

Jaune would need to know the current political climate.

* * *

 _The mornings we miss (Jaune Arc)_

* * *

The place that they'd rented for the foreseeable future had been spared the majority of the damage from the Breach, luckily. It had been up for rent since the previous owner had passed in the attack on Vale. The fear in the air was like an aroma in the kitchen, lingering like a haze over the city.

Power flowed into him as he set the bag of groceries down. A little bit of hair dye and he looked reasonably blonde once more. The pale hair that he'd dyed a dirty blonde colour fell into his face, the change having been more than visual. He could feel it.

The Grimm outside of the walls, waiting for the order to storm into the city. The negativity slowly feeding into his system, the dark _Vitae Tenebris_ writhing inside him. Whitney wasn't here anymore, Summer had decided to move out to find something with the Order, taking the two Calavera clan members with her. It was just him and Kali and Sienna right now, the two Faunus remaining silent, quiet. Kali was around Whitney more often than not now, and it was… different.

Setting the bag onto the counter and putting the groceries in the fridge, his attention went to the clock. Music slowly started up, and his head turned to the direction that the sound came from.

' _Hmm… that sounds traditional.'_

Kali liked that type of music. It was Mistralian, he guessed. Some sort of snare-instrument, the twanging of those musical notes giving a faint sense of peaceful repose. The bag he crumpled and he checked his Scroll.

A message from his oldest sister, Rowena. Asking him whether he'd slept alright. He stared at the message for a moment, conflicted. He remembered the time when they'd…

When she had…

 **Jaune d'Arc-Night: I slept well, big sis. Did you sleep well too?**

She'd nearly _died_ , trying to pull the _Vitae Tenebris_ from his body and pull it into her own body, to _save_ him. They'd had _sex_ , he'd not wanted it but-

But she had tried. She'd tried to _save_ him. Rowena had wanted to save him, to make him _better_. She was his big sister and she'd made an effort to make him live a life without the darkness inside of him. He wanted to be like her.

That feeling when she had been with him, that desperate, loving feeling that had come when she had been connected to him, her eyes having looked into his own with such an expression that just.

 _Love._

He'd dreamed about it. He'd dreamed about it, about what she'd done with him in that place, what she'd done so selflessly. Sacrificing herself after being restored, giving him what had been made whole once more, because of love.

It was wrong. It was wrong and should not have felt so _right_. Waking up in the morning and still remembering the glow of silver eyes turning blue once more, her smile that left spectral images in his mind, the spot in the bed next to him bare, as Whitney had left and wouldn't be back in quite some time due to caring for her daughter…

Guilt went through him. A younger brother should not think about his sister like that, should not imagine how it would feel to be with her again, to know that there was a soft whisper in his ear and to feel her just pull up and-

' _You're sick, Jaune. You're sick and twisted for even daring to think about your own older sister. It's wrong, it's sick and you're not going to do it.'_

He walked towards the music, wondering whether Kali had returned. He opened the door to the master bedroom, the previous occupant's pictures having been removed carefully, put in a bag. The house was bare of the hallmarks, the occupant having been excised from the place.

They had posed as a young couple. Summer in the body of Rubedo, acting cutesy and like a young woman in love, and him with a little makeup to look a bit older, a man who worked as a Huntsman together with his girlfriend.

The stringing notes started once more, and he looked at the bedroom. Sunlight fell in through the window and he saw the woman there on her knees, the music player slowly buzzing with the disk in its depths, her face made up with makeup that made her look younger.

The kimono was… nice, he supposed. A deep red colour, and the thigh-highs that she regularly wore having been discarded, showing her pale legs. Hard-bitten features had been smoothened and softened, as her wine-red eyes looked at him with the weight of something behind them, as she slowly got up.

The smell of perfume, something floral and spring-like, clung to her and she had obviously washed up, a hand, callused and with the roughness of a Huntswoman's hands still, seizing his shirt and pulling him closer.

"Raven?"

A question hung in the air for an instant before her voice spoke up.

"Get on the bed, Goshujin-sama."

Her emotions shone, fear, doubt and worry, as she let go, her eyes looking at him and he did as she asked. The string instrument music continued, as he felt the bed sink a little under him, the kimono slowly loosened, unveiling more of the pale skin, her hair falling down like a waterfall. It was a softness of her curves that was there, as her body exposed.

The flump of the kimono hitting the ground was there, as he beheld her. She was naked, standing there before him, moving with a slow motion, her hand pressing him down against the bed.

"Allow me to make love to you, Jaune-sama."

This didn't seem like a question. Raven had that certain nature about her, and he noticed that her ring finger was bare, a band of pale skin sitting where it had been before. A soft murmur of 'Summer said so' and she was on him, kissing with a frenzied expression on her face.

The CD stopped playing mid-way, as a woman surrendered her to the craving and desire within her to be loved by a man.

* * *

 **The start of Volume 4. Lighter than the last, I promise. There's a lot of things slowly starting to be set up. Thank you all for suffering through the Breach Arc, which was one of the heaviest arcs thus far! We get to see Ozpin's perspective next chapter!**

 **The smut with Raven isn't written, but you can see that she's the other side of the Mistralian coin. Hot sexy Maid Geisha Raven, go! Why? Well, Summer. Summer's responsible for that! (Never take advice from your best friend, especially when she's in the head of a mentally odd teenager.)**

 **Leave a review if you'd like to!**


	59. The light burns away the shadow

**Chapter 59: The light burns away the shadow**

 **Raven got laidenated. She got the sexytimes.**

* * *

 _The haze_ ( _Raven Branwen)_

* * *

She slowly stirred to some form of awakening, her eyes cracking open to find that it was now in the morning, her body aching and tired as she shifted a little, the young man laid below her still passed out, her body shivering a little at the coolness, the muscles in her body stiff.

' _I might not have been too careful…'_

She'd lost it a few times, and the marks on her body showed. Summer might've said that boys his age liked that, but it was still _embarrassing_. Mistrali maids? She'd have died of embarrassment if she had ever thought of something like that when she was twenty.

Her fingers brushed through his hair, the pallid skin looking unhealthy and flushed with a strange energy as she pulled off. A shower would be the next course of action, she supposed… if she could get up.

"Mornin', birdy."

Summer spoke up, her voice awfully chipper as she entered through the door that had been half-closed, walking over to one of the bookstands and removing something that she realized had been a camera.

' _Oh no…'_

Summer smiled toothily at her, giving her a wink and one of those smiles that made her worry that she'd done the worst thing imaginable.

"I guess this'll go in my personal collection… Now he's had us all. I went _first_ , of course. You wouldn't know how strong he is when he's properly ready."

She sort of knew. She'd bitten down hard on his neck when he'd pressed her against the bed. Embarrassment shone on her cheeks as she remembered the words that she'd screamed, the horrible lines that she'd used.

Her cheeks turned redder than her eyes as she remembered every filthy little thing that she'd hissed in his ear, all suggested by Summer.

' _But he… But he likes that, right?'_

She'd liked it, being with a man again after such a while. Damn, had she _loved_ it. The feeling of him with her, finally filling her. She got up with the aid of Summer and then went for a kiss, but Summer made a face.

"No kisses yet! I know your kind of weird fetishes!"

She was a _modest_ woman! She'd only indulged the guy who had been the one to make sure that everyone made it out safely.

"That's not fair! You said we'd share."

Summer's smile boded ill, as it was light and fluffy, like when she was about to say that they were going to make some sort of weird cake she'd heard about. Not quite usual, but Raven had the sinking feeling…

' _Oh gods…'_

Her mouth formed a little o at Summer's cheeky look.

' _Oh god, she said that all boys his age like it like this!'_

She had done _depraved_ stuff. Stuff she'd never done with Taiyang, and-

"You make a cute geisha, though. Really, _Goshujin-sama_ really gave it to you hard, didn't he?"

' _I fucked someone's brains out… Oh gods, the things I did and he didn't even stop me. I thought it weird when he asked whether I wanted this and-'_

Raven Branwen felt embarrassed even more than before. She got up from the bed and staggered over to the door, a trail of slick juices leaking from her nethers, definitely not only male ejaculate, but it definitely had been something. It reminded her of the marathon sessions with Taiyang, when she had still been twenty and she had wanted to have a child by him for the Tribe.

She needed a shower. A long hot one, where she could wash away the sweat and the…

' _I'm never going to be able to look him in the eyes ever again.'_

She stumbled into the shower and stepped under the warming spray of water, washing her body. Summer hummed a little as she handed her the bar of soap and the shampoo. She got herself cleaner, hoping that Jaune would not wake up.

' _He's going to be disgusted with me… or with Summer. But probably with me!'_

It was an odd sensation for her to be so worried about what someone might think of her. She and her husband were _over_ and _done_ now, after what he did. Doing such a thing to Summer's daughter, the sister who she had only found at age 17, the sister who bore not her blood, yet held the love within her heart for her own daughter when she had been absent, had murdered the feelings in her heart.

' _He's the better option… A husband who would lay with Summer's daughter is not one who can be trusted.'_

She was not going to dismiss the history that she had with the man, even if their views on the world no longer aligned properly. She rubbed her face with the sponge, the shampoo washing out of her hair. Summer started to hum, as Raven washed herself.

"So… How was he? How'd my little bird get her bang? Did he like the little geisha wanting his massive rod?"

She pulled the shower curtain aside and gave a heated glare at her partner and commander, the sister who was as close to her as it could be.

"You _told_ me that boys his age liked that! I did most of it! I-"

She was going to be sick. She was going to be sick and she knew that she shouldn't have done that. But it'd been… _nice_. Being with a young man who had made one of her companions reach that peak was pleasant, and there would be more times in the future, if she could arrange for it.

' _If I'm already going to be tarnished in his eyes… Well Summer, I guess we're going to be putting on a sister act.'_

She'd just about did everything wrong in the book, so she guessed that Summer would need to get her comeuppance.

Her brother had looked a little happier, the blonde girl that he'd been with one of the Arc sisters, the youngest, if her memory served properly. It was not a bad thing to see Qrow be with a woman, especially after relations had broken down…

' _We all split up too quick, especially after I went back to the tribe…'_

The man would keep her daughter safe, she knew. Her daughter and Summer's daughter… Taiyang would not be able to put his hands on her daughter if she could help it.

' _My daughter deserves nothing but love and care. I am not someone who can easily show that, but if I had to-'_

She'd made love, she'd fucked and she'd been a depraved pervert for a young man who was her daughter's age, following along the thoughts of Summer Rose, who suggested this. She'd not been in a proper state of mind, not been able to think why it might have been a bad idea, just craving the comfort and intimacy of being skin-to-skin with someone.

She let her hair wash free from the shampoo, a shiver going over her body as she started to think about doing it some more. She'd already lasted seven hours with the young man and her body still craved more.

The power inside her was brimming like a live energy, burning and twisting inside her with a simple touch. She preferred the blade over the power of the Spring Maiden, but at times when she felt the power sizzle through her veins, she would have only the barest twist of empathy for others. The flame and the thunder, the blaze and the ice, it worked all to the end that she sought.

' _I am a warped and twisted person…'_

She was. She acknowledged that, and she knew that she would be going soon. Anima needed to be claimed by the Branwen tribe following the death of the Beornir. There would be time for such things, she knew.

' _And with your power…'_

She would ask, when he was awake once more. The power of someone who controlled the Grimm was immeasurable in contrast to the bandits that she had under her control. A camp could be devastated by a swarm of Grimm under normal circumstances, but when properly directed and guided?

She had never wanted to let the tribe suffer, yet she knew that at times, the Mission was more important than the tribe, the time that had been spent making sure that Summer had her partner once more with her…

' _If he accepts…'_

She supposed it would be a fair deal to make him a Branwen tribe member.

She emerged from the shower with a towel wrapping around her upper body, sauntering out and finding Summer half-bent over a bowl of cereal, the milk having been poured into it without any sort of restraint, half of it already gone, just eating it straight from the bowl like an animal.

"Stop eating like an animal, Summer."

She grumbled, the woman's head rising up. Some of the cereal flakes had stuck to her face.

"She's sleepy. I'm Ruby!"

It was a little disconcerting to know that the crazy Beornir girl was in control, but it was what Summer had need of from time to time, just a little pause in the madness. She could feel the darkness inside her writhe and twist, as Summer's silver eyes flashed a deep red, a giggle that was not very sane coming from the girl in a woman's body's lips.

"Good evening, Ruby. Is your mother trying to sleep?"

A small nod, the woman she loved as a sister's head dunking back into the bowl and slurping noises starting to sound. It was really quite disgusting, but then again… she'd started to rationalize it. Her hand never left the blade, the natural suspicion against the Beornir still present.

"Soooo… When do I get to do Jauney? He's the best, you know? Mama Summer likes him. He reminds her of Mister Taiyang. He's important, but she did what she _had_ to. Always before a mission, never to remember, nope, nope, nope. She is _careful_. Good careful mommy!"

It was weakness, it was a lack of control, something that twisted and writhed within her gut, never straying far from that darkening urge inside her body to strike, to know that the body of the girl had been taken by Summer and made her own.

"I'm sure that she is."

There was a troublesome trend within the girl's rationale, rattling off strange facts. Her daughter was now a member of the Order.

' _Safe…'_

She would be cared for by the d'Arc-Night with the eldest working as a superior. It was the way, and it would be as such.

' _And when you come to claim your rank, I will be there to support you…'_

She owed that to her daughter, to make her into what she would truly become… someone who would wield power, who would be the blade in the shadows, there to dispense justice onto those who heralded the demise of this world, of the status quo.

"You!"

She winced, as she turned to the door opening, Jaune standing there, naked. He pointed a finger at her, his eyes looking right into hers. She caught sight of the rather impressive pattern of red marks on his skin where she'd left her mark.

"You turned into a _bird_!"

' _Shit.'_

There went her good mood. She remembered that too well. It'd been _big_. He looked at her accusingly.

"You _did_ things with me that even Whitney hasn't done!"

She coughed, remembering quite a few of those things. She was sure that he'd at least thought about them! Summer had said that all boys liked such things!

"You weren't _complaining_! Who was it who screamed for his maid to take it all, huh?"

He gave her a look that was thunderous. She would have been impressed if she wasn't fighting against the urge to just hide away somewhere until the shame went away. The makeup had ran after the first thirty minutes. It had made quite the mess.

"YOU TURNED INTO A _BIRD_!"

' _Yes, and you still continued!'_

That'd been awkward. Awkward and she might've pulled a few rectal muscles. She hoped that she'd be able to go to the bathroom right a few times. It'd heal, probably.

"You _liked_ the older sister play!"

He turned red, and she puffed her chest up. She'd never admit that she'd been influenced by Summer! She had her pride, she was still a desirable woman!

"You weren't complaining when I was giving you that titty sandwich either!"

He flushed even redder, his hands making a gesture at her that wasn't very pleasant, involving a finger and a hole. She remembered the feeling. He'd ruffled her feathers, too! He had nice big hands, but she might've lost a few feathers thanks to that rough moment.

"YOU TURNED INTO A _**BIRD**_!"

She'd never admit to regretting it! She was Raven Branwen, ex-wife of Taiyang, mother to Yang and godmother to Ruby! She would never admit that she'd been misled and quite bamboozled by her partner!

"Be happy! You were not complaining afterwards!"

He sat down at the kitchen table, still naked, his eyes looking at her as if he was looking at something filthy and disgusting. She didn't feel disgusting! She'd just been misled! Next time was going to be better! Soft music, candles, a comfortable mattress!

' _When did I decide there'd be a next time?'_

"Give me your abortions!' is _not_ something that you scream out loud!"

She drew herself up to her full height, his eyes giving her a look that challenged her. She was Raven Branwen, not some sort of weak woman who couldn't voice her own opinions!

"Then make me scream something better, with your small dick! Come on, show me what a man is like! Back to the bedroom!"

He gave her a deep sound of frustration and she growled right back at him. She was a woman who had been independent from a man in her life for years! She would resist the urge to flee because she remembered some of the other things that she had shouted at him in the heat of the moment, mostly suggested by Summer as 'fun things'. She'd watched a lot of weird stuff, read up on all sorts of things boys apparently liked!

" _No_. I'm going for a shower. If you're a nice woman, you make me something for… breakfast? Whatever. Just sit and we need to talk."

She was on making the third sandwich when it registered to her mind that she was doing that for him, as he joined them at the kitchen table. The mess had been wiped away and Rubedo Beornir was currently laid on the couch, playing a game on the Scroll. It was a bit like having a family.

' _Mommy, daddy and Ruby and Yang…'_

She somewhat wanted that. She watched the young man eat the sandwich that she'd prepared, mentally fussing a little about whether she had added enough slices of meat between it, whilst his eyes softened a little.

"I… I _don't_ judge you for what you were doing last night. I _wasn't_ comfortable with some of it, but you… You looked like you _needed_ it."

She flushed, looking away. The embarrassment was of a different sort, as she didn't quite know how to respond to that. Her eyes looked down at the table as her face burned red. She'd done things she hadn't been comfortable with, and she'd lost control for a moment, just when she'd…

' _Yeah, I should keep control.'_

Qrow never had that issue, she supposed. He could just shift to bird form and fly away when the condom broke, because he wasn't going to be twitching and touching those muscles. Curse her genetics for being so sensitive!

"I'm… sorry, for what it's worth. I'm…"

He made a dismissive motion with his hands and she felt bad immediately. It was Summer! She'd started with the sick stuff and-

"I understand. It's… It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm- You're someone who needs affection too. Whitney taught me that, and- And it wasn't _all_ bad. You'd make a _great_ older sister."

' _Shit.'_

She wasn't sure how to respond. Not in the way that she had, before. Some of the things she'd shouted at him had been crude and violent, just like how Summer had said it would be. Boys liked it when their girlfriend told them to fuck them like a whore, apparently.

' _I prefer the killing and stabbing over the… sexy bits.'_

It was easier. You stabbed, they died. If they were crazy, you stabbed harder.

"Jaune, I… I'd really like to do it again."

He gave her a look and she realized what she'd said. He seemed about to say something, his mismatched features of pale and ash-white and those eyes that were the colour of freshly spilled blood, but she stalled him.

"Together, in the bed. Hugging. K-kissing. Nothing like last night. I was…"

She'd just about acted worse than the Faunus woman had ever done. By the Gods, she'd been a _freak_. She hadn't _minded_ it too much, but some of the things she'd done…

"Good, I don't think my bladder would be able to take it."

Raven definitely wasn't going to do that kind of degenerate stuff again, no. She felt like a twenty-something-year-old once more, the burning inside her feeling much better as she smiled at him. She wanted to be held and told that she was pretty, to share herself with someone who saw her as Raven, as…

' _Taiyang…'_

He had been a d'Arc-Night. The two men standing side-by-side were brothers, obviously. They had similar features, albeit one held himself with distance and Taiyang had been frighteningly emotional at times…

' _I need…'_

She looked at the tissue that was being handed to her, his eyes looking a little concerned. She noticed that she'd curled in on herself, the towel half-hung off her body, her legs pressed together tightly.

"Let's do things without the sister thing, okay? We can… if you want. Whitney's just making sure that Weiss is okay. We'll see what to do next after she joins us again…"

She was weak. She was weak and afraid, right at this moment. She was not the bandit queen that inspired terror, but a woman whose husband had done something unconscionable.

"Can I have a hug? A kiss? _Please_?"

She felt his hug wrap around her and hold her, a shiver going through her. She could be weak, just for another night, another day… and then she would don her mask again and kill.

She was guided to the second bedroom, noticing that there was a shadow in the other bedroom, cleaning it up. Golden eyes looked at her and a catty smile showed, as the linen was being replaced with something fresh and the mattress was suspended by shadowy claws, a little pinch to her bottom given, with the young man setting her down on the bed, his voice soft in her ear.

"I can feel your emotions, Raven. Tell me what's wrong."

She looked away. It wasn't a secret, but…

"I want to conquer Anima. I need your help with that, Jaune. With your ability to control the Grimm…"

It was a devil's bargain, one that would not work out well if it became public, but…

"I can do that." He said softly, but his eyes looked hesitant. "It would be easy, but… I'd have to use my power. It made my hair white, Raven. I'm _changing._ "

She could see it. The young man with such _foolish_ aspirations, the man who she had done horrid and sensual things that no woman should do in the bedroom unless the man was very charming… and he was the age of her daughter.

"Uniting the bandit tribes of Anima under the banner of Branwen would make an army…"

She hesitated. It was a slow look of understanding on his face, as she still felt that drive inside her to find the best, the strongest, the most worthy. He was that man, after her husband had stuck his penis in Summer's daughter.

" _Your_ army. I'm offering you…"

She took a deep breath, as she looked at him with a look that boded ill for anyone else that it was directed at, her dark red eyes heavy.

"I'm offering you my tribe. It goes against everything that I was taught, to let the strongest rule the tribe… But-"

But she had no other choice. What had _Ozpin_ brought her? Her brother was divided against her, no longer caring for that which they had once belonged to, focusing on the _mission_ that Summer and she had fought so hard for.

"Keep my daughter safe and I will be _your_ woman. Yang does not need to suffer what I have suffered."

He looked at her with a look that was soft and understanding. She could understand how someone might fall for the young man if he looked at her like that. His smile was like the sun rising, as his eyes never faded with that expressiveness of understanding her plight.

"I would have done so either way, Raven. You're one of us now. A maiden of mine."

He understood, at least a little. She pulled the towel away and laid on the bed, bare, looking at him. A soft smile crossed her lips, as she beckoned him with a single finger.

She would make love to a man now…

It was nice to be held by someone who _cared_ for her at least a little bit more than her former husband had.

' _You may have laid your hand on Summer's daughter, but you'll never claim mine, Taiyang d'Arc-Night.'_

* * *

 _The mood swings (Whitney Esmeralda Schnee)_

* * *

The first thing that clued her in to the sudden shift in her daughter was the wide eyes, as she startled awake, her mouth half-set in a scream that only tapered off into a soft wheeze, as the fear filled the room, a warm brush of that emotion as she rose from her bed, walking over to Weiss' bed. It was still the late morning, but Weiss had been sleeping a little.

"Bad dream, my sweet little snowflake?"

A soft whimper came from her daughter's mouth as she looked at her. Whitney felt the fear inside the girl's body slowly fade when she came to her bedside, a soft tug, as the casts kept her arms immobile.

"They wanted to _do_ things to me, mama. I don't want to be _alone."_

She sat a little closer, kissing her daughter's cheek, letting her fingers brush up and down her daughter's scalp, not letting the girl go without the comforting touch. She knew that the girl needed her comfort, that she was in dire need of it without the use of her arms.

"I'll never leave you alone, Weiss. You're my daughter and that's how it'll always be. If Faunus make you uncomfortable…"

Her daughter's head shook slowly. That was a good thing, because her best friend was a Faunus. That would be a bit of a bummer to have to keep hiding Kali.

"Mama? Can we… Can we go shopping when I'm better? I'd like to buy something nice, a pretty little dress… Something to wear when I'm… _back_."

She brushed over the scar on her daughter's face, her gaze lingering on the delicate features of the girl that she had birthed into this world, her eyes deep.

"Of course, my dear. I'd like you to meet my friends…"

Weiss smiled shyly, as she looked around. Winter wasn't anywhere to be found, having went down to Vale once more when the General had requested her.

"Were they the ladies that came to visit? The ones you… rescued."

She shook her head. It had affected her darling Weiss when she'd heard about the women who had been violated and harmed. Her father had done an admirable job in keeping the hotel safe for them, his old bones still able to move.

"Huntsmen, my dear. One of my friends is…"

She didn't really know what to describe Kali as, aside from just _Kali_. The darkness within their bodies was the same, as was the feeling for the young man who was their overlord, as Kali put it.

" _different_ , you might say. She loves a little too much and has been… _peculiar_ in showing it."

She felt the scratching of clawed fingernails against her thigh, a reminder from Kali that she did not enjoy being spoken about in such a way, a curling finger sliding up and down.

"Like Yang? She's been… She's been better than my team leader. More…"

Her daughter looked away, shame in her expression as she looked back at her after a while.

"I'm _sorry_ , Mama. I just think that Yang's a better leader than Ruby is. She _cares_ , and Ruby is _naïve_. She thinks that… She thinks that it's all going to be _okay_ with a little kiss and a dance and some Huntsman'll come and rescue you."

She could understand the thought. She knew well that there was something in the girls that was wrong. She'd felt it in Blake, Kali's daughter, during their brief meeting. She leaned a little closer and kissed her daughter's cheek.

"I have done _horrible_ things, Weiss."

She had. She was following someone who was going to upset the global balance. She had killed people with her own two hands, using the weapon that she had obtained in Mistral. She was someone who had power in the world as the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company…

"You're _here_. Grandfather supports you… No matter what, it's okay. I will love you always, mama."

Her daughter was perhaps a touch naïve, hopeful for her mother to remain with her. She let her fingers brush over her daughter's neck, where no necklace laid. Her necklace had been torn off by the Faunus brutes and never been recovered.

"I've killed people, Weiss. Bandits. Scum. _Vile_ people."

Her daughter's eyes were blossoming with hope, with a lack of fear. She felt the emotions inside her daughter surge with the happiness, the desire to hear more awakening. She supposed she could, just a little tip.

"When they shot us down, it was us against the White Fang. I was scared, I was afraid… It was only after I managed to get a weapon that I felt a little stronger, a little less scared. I was afraid for being discovered for who I am, so I _lied_ to a young Huntsman who only wished to help."

Her Jaune, the man who meant the world to her. Her daughter did not know the wonders of the young man yet, but she would, eventually. She was a good mother to her children, even if the youngest had slain his own father…

"What did he say when he found out?"

Her daughter sounded intrigued, something that made her worry a little about the interest, before she dismissed it. A smile on her lips, as she tried to give the image of strength and comfort to the daughter that needed it the most.

"Oh, so you're a _really_ fancy lady?"

She was trying to sell it to her daughter, even though the status between the two of them was different. Their lives were different, she was older than he was, Kali was older still, but…

Weiss smiled, looking at her with a trusting look, her expression never changing much beyond that look of indulgence. Whitney wondered whether her face was showing her love for the young man, as she glanced in one of the reflective surfaces and found that it was still showing her face.

"I want a boyfriend like that."

She smiled, kissing her daughter on the cheek again, just to make her feel safe and protected.

"You _will_ , my dear. Even if Mama has to show you a few tricks… There are a few thing you can do to boys that make them go _wild_ , my little snowflake."

It was an uncomfortable topic, but Weiss did not shiver. It was good to associate the emotion with positivity, she knew. Her daughter deserved to smile, to dance through life as a dancer, rather than a mere stride of soulless need as others did.

"I've…"

The door opened and her weapon was in her hands in a flash, trained on the door opening, her finger hovering over the trigger, even as the red-cloaked girl fluttered into the room in a storm of rose petals, the other members of her team behind her in the door opening, the blonde looking apologetic, Whitney lowering the rifle immediately.

' _Nobody is going to touch my girl without my consent.'_

"Ah- don't touch her. I don't care if you're her team leader or what-not, but Weiss has her arms broken and a leg broken and I will _not_ see her jostled about."

She had to curb the girl's enthusiasm, even as silver eyes seemed to shimmer with that faint hint of disappointment.

"But she'll be okay again soon!"

' _She needs therapy and to heal up!'_

She did not agree with the girl. She knew what was best for her daughter, rather than some fifteen year old!

* * *

 _The older sister's experience(Yang Xiao-Long/d'Arc-Night)_

* * *

The trip up towards the massive airship was luckily short, Ruby starting to gush about the armaments that had been fitted to the massive ship as the pilot of the craft that got them up mumbled something about over-excited teenagers.

Blake wore her new getup, preparing herself for the strutting of a lifetime, if she'd caught the implication of the outfit, or at least, trying to emulate douchebag mc-Adam in the suave and cool way that Blake could not fully get.

' _I should shop for something new as well…'_

She still had money leftover from some of the missions that they had done earlier in the year, paid a marginal sum that came with it. She could afford a new jacket at the very least, maybe something of a shirt to top it off…

"I'm so excited to see Weiss again! She's gotta know what went down when she was gone."

Ruby had been excited all morning, bouncing up and down. Right now, she was looking out of the window and oohing and aahing at the sights of Vale below them, the small figures of people below almost like ants on the ground, not moving more than they should, keeping a steady pace throughout the streets of Vale. Death had come to Vale, yet people had bounced back. The Grimm and the White Fang had been beaten back and the people were starting to return to their lives once more.

She worried a little for her little sister, as dad and their uncle (which was _still_ a weird thought) had taken them for a few sessions in the training ring. She had to give it to the man, her uncle's defence was nearly impregnable when he set himself.

' _Jaune would've been just like that…'_

The face of the young blonde teenager came to her mind's eyes, his father's gaze almost like a stern reflection of his grandson's. It was all so messed up, she knew. It wouldn't be something that she would mind, but…

' _Rowe was right… The man doesn't care, as long as his goals are achieved. Dad is still normal…'_

She _hoped_ that it was the case. She _really_ hoped that dad was still normal, but a nagging sense inside her told her that the hope was slowly fading.

"She'll be fine, Ruby. She's just going to need another week to heal up. There are good medical specialists, the Schnee Dust Company does not hire anything but the best."

Blake tried to offer her view on things, but Ruby was undeterred in her optimism. Yang touched the mask in her pocket, the cloak zipped up in a small hip-bag that she kept on her. She knew that to wear the mask and the cloak was to don the garments of an office that bore only one final fate, yet she had not been instructed further.

"I hope she'll be happy to see us! I've been thinking about things and I want her to be happy again! Kiss! Yes, perhaps a kiss will make Weiss feel better."

There was a wishful fancy in the tone of her younger sister, something that made the alarm bells in her mind ring. She was getting more paranoid, especially after meeting with her mother and Summer.

' _What if…'_

She was _still_ going to be the best sister that Ruby could ever have, but she'd correct Ruby if it needed to be done. Ruby was her little sister, the girl that she'd cared for, and-

"Hey, we've arrived."

Blake jolted her from her thoughts, Ruby already down the ramp out of the aircraft, skipping softly, Crescent Rose on her back, the long red cloak looking like a flag. Something inside Yang told her that Ruby had not earned the cloak, that she had not been the one who had fought against the Grimm with nothing but her own body.

' _Strange…'_

"Are you doing okay, Yang?"

Her partner asked, Yang's expression changing a little, her fingers gripping the underside of her shirt a little tighter, the fabric ripping because of the pressure she put on it, her eyes meeting with Blake's for a moment. Ruby continued on, humming something that sounded like the Valean march.

"No. But we'll talk about that later."

They couldn't understand. The rules and the regulations. The instructions… The feelings. The Creed, waking up to the feeling of reacting to something greater and the instructions ghosting through her mind again.

' _A blessing… Or a curse.'_

She found herself in front of the door leading towards Whitney Schnee's quarters, Ruby bouncing through the door in a storm of petals. Yang could see that Mrs Schnee had her weapon trained at the door, not willing to take any risks.

' _Good, protect our little Weiss…'_

It was better than her own mother could do, making the best of the situation and then enduring the silence that lasted. Raven Branwen was a lot of things, but she was not someone who was at her daughter's side every waking moment.

"But she'll be okay again soon!'"

Her sister's hopeful face was something that she didn't want to see tarnished, but what had happened to Weiss…

' _The poor girl.'_

Weiss tried her best to offer a smile, but it wasn't reaching her eyes. Her mother looked a little annoyed as well by Ruby's sudden appearance, as she shifted a little, the gun lowering a little again.

"I'll be healed up in two weeks."

Her little sister smiled and sat down, starting to talk about the important things that she'd been doing in the past two days. Three new barrel adjustments for Crescent Rose and some training that she'd been doing with 'Uncle Sage'.

"How has she been? Any nightmares?"

She spoke with a soft tone to the mother, who regarded her with a look that was tense, as she sighed. A light nod, as Blake spoke up softly, her voice sounding hesitatingly as she spoke up.

"You were in the ambush, a few months ago… By any chance, did you- Do you know what happened to my mother and father?"

A question Yang was going to be wondering about as well. Weiss' mother's face looked pensive and tired as she looked at her daughter there in the bed.

"I'm… It's _not_ a pretty story to tell… But perhaps I can- Yes, I think I might be able to-"

A Glyph appeared in front of them, glowing with a bright blue light that slowly dimmed into a deep marine colour, turning and twisting more as it quivered. A figure appeared, a man whose facial features looked wise, Blake looking stunned to see him.

"Papa?"

A hopeful, yearning tone, the man's facial features twisted, as the bloodied hole in his chest stood out. His eyes went to his daughter and he smiled softly.

"Blake, I'm… I'm sorry for not being a good father. When I-"

The man looked around, coming to rest on Weiss' mother, whose face looked like she was under strain to keep the Glyph conjured, his expression changing.

"Where is Kali? What happened to my wife?!"

The mother of Weiss looked pensive, as she sighed deeply.

"They hung her, in a village in Mistral. Khan went on to escape, but your wife was too slow and they captured her."

A statement that was loaded, she knew, by the way that Blake reacted. There was a sadness in the man's eyes, looking at the woman with a deep feeling of regret in his eyes.

"Then I guess I will join her in death. Blake, never forget that we both love you. Your mother and I want you to be _happy_ , no matter what. Your happiness is what we've _always_ wanted."

She could see the tears in Blake's eyes, as Weiss' mother Whitney gave a soft sigh, the Glyph starting to fade. The woman looked tired, as if it had cost an enormous amount of effort to keep it up. A softness in the woman's eyes as she looked at Blake.

"Your mother and I were well-acquainted. We were only friends for a short while, but she had that spark of warmth that had been… _lacking_ throughout most of my acquaintances. Why, we even had the dubious honour of being at the same fashion show."

There was more to that story, as Blake showed that little hint of interest, the woman's hand brushing over her forehead, clearly having exerted effort to keep the spirit of the man there.

"I didn't know Glyphs could do that…"

Weiss said, Ruby's flood of words stopping, and she looked around, clearly realizing that something had happened. Yang noticed that she'd seemed to tune things out whenever around Weiss.

"It's a summoning-related thing. I've had to learn some _creative_ uses of the family Semblance, mainly because of bandits."

She saw Weiss give her mother a queer look, as if something had clicked together. Weiss was smart, but her stamina in the fighting they did was sorely lacking. Yang made a mental schedule to get Weiss' stamina up a little. A few days of extra cardio would be a good thing, to make little miss Princess get herself ready to huff and puff with no difficulty.

"Ooh, ooh! Did you meet a prince? Uncle Qrow says that there's a lot of weird people around, so you shouldn't travel alone. A prince might be coming to save you if you're caught up by bandits!"

Yang winced. She might've taken the storybook out a little too much when telling Ruby a story for bedtime, having to lug it up the stairs. It'd been a heavy book too, but the stories had all been made a little less _bloody_ , just so that Ruby wouldn't be too adversely impacted.

"I would say that I've met a prince, yes. A man who was willing to…"

The look on the woman's face changed to one of dark emotions, a gritting of the teeth that showed.

"He stayed behind, to make sure that we got away. When we were crossing the strait between Mistral and Vale, there was this Grimm that attacked us, and he stayed behind."

Yang let her eyes shift from the woman's expression to Weiss'. She could see the similarities between mother and daughter, the faintest hint of that awe that Weiss had for her mother's tale, the look on the woman's face as she related that bit of personal information.

' _I wonder if they had sex. I mean, I'm not sure whether I'd ever want to, but… If a guy or girl did that for me, I'd at least give a thank you.'_

She knew well that a Huntsman had to make the choices that were tough, to keep the species kicking for another day, another year, another decade. It was a decision that Ruby made for them, nominally at least as the team leader, something to follow in the heat of the moment.

"His sacrifice let you survive, Mama. What was his name?"

Whitney Schnee did not answer, as she walked to the window, gazing out over the city of Vale for a moment. The sunlight caught her features perfectly, making her look like an ethereal presence, her pale hair loose, gaze shifting back to them for an instant.

"I'm sorry, but I'd like to keep that to myself. It _hurts_."

The woman's voice sounded weighted down by the emotions, a sense of craving and desire going through her voice, the woman's hand laid against the glass. Pale fingers looked thin and her face was wistful, Yang could say.

"The moments when I was alone with him, just looking into his eyes… It was a beautiful moment. He comforted me when I was afraid and was so strong and brave. I miss him."

' _That guy died, then… Damn, it's not much luck that she's had.'_

Ruby gave a sound of consternation. Yang had a bad feeling go through her again. She could see the silver eyes look conflicted, could see that her little sister was going to say something.

' _Please make it something that isn't weird, Ruby…'_

"But he'll come back, won't he? You're like a princess, so he'll be coming back and you'll have a wedding and marry! Weiss will get to have a dad."

The simple cheer in her sister's voice was simplistic and hopeful, as the woman turned her gaze from the window, her eyes looking a little darker, something in them having changed.

' _You know that he's dead…'_

"Dear girl, if my late husband were still alive, I would divorce him so that Weiss, Winter and Whitley could have a father who is a _true_ man, rather than a mere simile of one. The moment when I shared myself with him, when I was able to show him the depth of my love…"

A soft wistful smile on the woman's face was like the candle that was lit in a dark room, as her sister had this big broad smile on her face.

"Ooh! He'll come back with a big smile on his face and offer you flowers! And then you'll hold hands and watch the sunset! You'll get _married_! Weiss can be cool in a dress too!"

The excitement in her sister's voice was threatening to make Yang worry for the sanity of her little sister. It'd been playing through her head a few times, watching the innocent smile on her sister's lips, those silver eyes dedicated to the thought of being a Huntress like Summer had been.

"I'm sure that it'll happen _just_ like that, Ruby."

The woman's tone was placating, a little pity taken for the mental state of her younger sister and Yang found herself not quite disagreeing with it. Ruby looked down at Weiss and gently hugged her.

"Are you okay now, Weiss?"

She asked again, Yang noticing that Weiss looked a little like she was affected by the closeness of her team leader. For such a pretty young woman, Weiss held with her a certain frailty.

"I'm… better. The doctors say that the fractures will heal given a week's time. Until then, Mama has been taking care of me. It's… It's a little embarrassing."

Yang noticed the look on the older woman's face, one of care and love. Whitney Schnee moved to stand at her daughter's bedside, brushing a finger through her daughter's hair, proud with her expression.

"We'll be happy as a team again! Daddy said that you don't have to do the thing, because of… damage? Well, you're fine either way! Just a few broken bones. It feels so good to do it, Weiss. He was so warm and comforting."

Weiss trembled a little, the eyes looking pained and a little frightened. Weiss' mother looked down at Ruby, her expression changing softly into one of consternation. The look in her eyes was darkening, as her little sister continued, not noticing the look on her partner's face.

"and when it goes in, it's like 'poof!' and you feel like you're floaty! Just like a cloud, because it's the _best_ thing ever. Yang's not into _boys_ , so she'll never know really, well, dad said that it isn't proper or something, but yes, he knows best."

She felt sick now. She felt pretty sick, as Weiss' eyes went wide, Blake looking caught between leaving and doing something about it.

"And we'll be best partners forever! We can share everything! A boyfriend, maybe two! It feels really good when you feel it go all boom inside, yes! Hmmhmm! It's our _destiny_. Just think of the fun we can have, together! Dad said that it's what all the second-year students have to do, yep!"

Yang felt sick. Blake looked sick too. Weiss was trembling. She did not look happy. Whitney Schnee's face was looking like it had been carved out of ice, gazing down at the girl that was so happily talking about such things.

' _They didn't…'_

She wanted to throw up. She wanted to throw up and-

' _Oh Gods… Oh gods, it's just like with Rowena. The Silver Eyes. It all comes down to the silver eyes.'_

"Ruby, I'm-"

Weiss was on the verge of tears, if she gauged it right, but Ruby just seemed to keep on going, smiling brightly, unaware of the amount of pain that she was causing her best friend by talking about such things.

"Oh, don't worry! You're apparently okay! You're part of… eh, I'm not sure I should tell. Dad said that I _shouldn't_ , but… Well, Mom was like that too. Weiss, we're going to become the best of the best."

' _Weiss would never survive against a Grimm like that. She doesn't have the stamina and-'_

She cleared her throat, drawing Ruby's attention. "I'm sure that Weiss wouldn't mind if you got her something to drink, right? Wasn't there a cafeteria down the hall where they had some nice drinks? Go and get a glass of something nice and sweet for Weiss, Ruby. Sugar cures everything, right?"

She saw the tremors go through Weiss as Ruby gave a cheerful 'Okay!', disappearing into the distance. Whitney's hand caressed her daughter's cheeks, as the tears came. Weiss looked shattered, broken, something that was like a doll that'd had its limbs broken and twisted, harmed in some way that could never be fully mended.

"She doesn't _understand_ , sweetheart. She's _naïve_ and doesn't know how the world works… You don't have to do _anything_ that you don't want, Weiss."

The motherly tone seemed to comfort Weiss, as the girl looked at her mother for guidance. Yang never had seen a girl look so lost and so broken, but it was time for her to act. She regarded Blake, catching her eye.

' _Someone has to make the call to keep Ruby away for a little while longer…'_

"Blake, go and make sure Ruby stays away for a little bit. Say that you think it might be nice to, I dunno, get something sweet to munch on. Distract her with some cookies, she likes them as a snack."

Yang knew that Ruby would be back soon, probably spilling the drink all over Weiss in the effort to get it to her as swiftly as possible. Weiss looked like she was on the verge of breaking. Yang couldn't imagine what it'd be like for the girl, going through such an ordeal and then just having her partner and friend say that it'd be fun to do things like that together.

' _And that's not even talking about the fact that dad skipped the condom… But being an Arc would make sense…'_

She didn't think much of it as Blake left, following her orders, not questioning them. Blake had felt better ever since she'd come back from the mission to Mountain Glenn, and it had been an upward trend in her moods.

"Don't cry, Weiss…"

The mother gave soft shushing noises as Yang sat down on the spot Ruby had just vacated. Ruby hadn't seen the small signs, she hadn't gotten the hint that such things might not be the best subject to talk about with Weiss but it was okay. She laid a hand on Weiss, the girl's small body laid there and Weiss just shivered a little.

"I don't wanna, mama. I don't wanna have sex with anyone I don't love, please help me, mama?"

It was breaking Yang's heart to hear that pleading tone in her friend's voice, the whisper that sounded like a beggar pleading to be spared, the terror in her eyes visible again.

"Nothing will happen to you, Weiss. If anyone comes for you to touch you, they won't leave the room alive… **Right**?"

The hiss of anger and frustration in the woman's voice was familiar, something dark and twisted flitting over the woman's features for an instant, her motherly features warping a little with something in her eyes changing to a dark and frightening way of looking at the world.

"Mama? I _love_ _you_."

The smile was warm and motherly, as Yang could see that Weiss calmed down, her mother's hand on her skin. She noticed that the veins were a little distended on the pale hand, something shivering below the skin, evaporating into nothingness after a short while.

"I love you too, my little snowflake. For you…"

A smile on the woman's lips, as her fingers traced up and down her daughter's tender neck. The skin was pale and sun-starved in its look, contrasting with her mother's, which seemed to be almost translucent and see-through.

"For you, I would select the best man in the world to be your father. Miss Xiao Long?"

The woman let go of her daughter's bed, striding over to the cabinet and then pulling something out. A long package, something that looked familiar. She had seen it in the apothecary a few times, in the feminine products aisle.

"Let your sister swallow three of these in regular intervals over a day. They go _great_ when crushed into a smoothie. I have heard from a reputable source who currently is the cutest daughter ever that she _adores_ strawberries…"

The pills were familiar. They were for when you had unprotected sex, when you just couldn't take the pill…

' _Dad got Ruby pregnant. It was all a set-up… Ruby has her eyes, Weiss was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Blake and the White Fang had some business… And I had the highest marks… Are we just…'_

She was going to be sick. She was going to be so sick that she'd be called Sick Xiao Long. Were they huntresses, or were they merely the mothers of the next generation? She grabbed the packaging, noticing that three out of the ten pills had already been used.

"Thank you… Eh-"

A faint smile traced along the lips of the mother of her teammate, her hand lightly patting her cheek. She felt a tingle of desire go through her for the woman, the fetching look on the woman's face definitely making her feel a little gayer than she should.

 _"Don't_ mention it. A _child_ should _not_ be _with_ child. _Especially_ one as naïve as your half-sister."

She could feel a dash of comfort go through her at the woman's suggestion, tucking the package into her pocket and arranging herself a little more as she and Weiss' mother went to Weiss again, the girl looking at her.

"You're a good person, Yang."

She supposed she was. Weiss looked at her with hopeful eyes. That look made her feel guilty, as she knew that in comparison to others, she was still someone who only seemed to look at the world with half-made eyes, someone who was simply a Huntress-in-Training.

"I'm not… _gay_ , if you're asking. That was just a cover."

She didn't know why she told, Weiss giving a soft little smile at her. It was warm and kinder, softer.

"I know, you silly blonde. You've got that poster with the hot boys on it. You're bisexual, at worst."

It was a heartening moment where she laughed, as Weiss mustered a little smile that morphed into something bigger, her eyes lighting up.

"You're a better leader than Ruby is. You don't act like things aren't _wrong_ , like it's _normal_ to sleep with your own father and to have him do that to you."

She would _never_ willingly spread her legs for her dad. That stuff was so wrong it'd be in a whole different Kingdom with how wrong it was. Weiss was right. Ruby needed some professional help…and…

"Do _not_ trust Headmaster Ozpin."

The words of Whitney Schnee made Yang regard the woman, a look in her eyes. Had her eyes always been a deep shade of purple, or was that just the light hitting it differently.

"I do _not_ want to see a young girl harmed by that man's schemes. James Ironwood, Headmaster Ozpin… They're all working together to make a _perfect_ world."

That made remarkably some sense. Weiss made a frightened sound in the back of her throat, the woman's body moving, as she pulled away from her daughter, her voice like a soft seductive hiss.

"It all comes down to _power_ , Weiss. What power does a _widow_ in control of one of the biggest Dust companies in the world _have_? What _power_ does a woman with a seat on the council, truly _have_?"

There was a softness to her voice, as Weiss made a sound in the back of her throat, Whitney moving through the room.

"We're _women_. We're _expected_ to be two steps behind our husband, to _obey_ their word. What merit do we have, aside from being mere breeding ovens for the next generation? A lot of the women I rescued have been… _violated_. The animals were on them, they manhandled them. All took a pill in order to save them from the shame of having to birth a _Faunus_."

Yang wasn't sure where the woman was going with this line of voice, as Weiss whimpered.

"But, Winter works as an aide to General Ironwood… Wouldn't she?"

The woman turned around sharply, as her eyes turned a deep maroon colour in the light of day hitting it, a deep purple slowly fading to blue again as she seemed to gather herself. Heated passion, a craving of something, as the woman stepped forwards.

"Why _shouldn't_ she? She's _Ironwood's_ Specialist. If he asked, she would spread her legs and birth someone who would be able to take your status as the Heir away… She is still the _eldest_ , after all. It would all be according to _plan_. My first grandchild would be conceived through insemination, shaped and moulded into the heir of the Schnee Dust Company, loyal to _Atlas_."

It was a dark, twisted vision that the woman had, something inside her rising up, a feeling of desire, something that yearned for family, for that touch that made her shiver and crave. Comfort and company, something a little more than the average.

"Mother, you cannot-"

Weiss was trying to reason with the woman, as the woman turned to her, her eyes looking almost a deep crimson, blinking and slowly turning purplish-blue once again.

"Have you not noticed that one of your teammates seems to be thoroughly on board with being _pregnant_ by her own _father_? Is that _normal,_ Weiss? I was raised on principles by my father that there would be a husband, a house and at the very least, something that would resemble _love_ in the relationship."

' _Blake acted differently after she had a chat with Professor Ozpin…'_

It had been a startling change, but it had been one that she had been relieved about. What if the man had some sort of Semblance that could change someone's perceptions, to make them believe something like…

' _I'm going to throw up.'_

She made it to the kitchenette's sink and threw up, the image of her father laying a hand on her and her responding back that it'd be fine if it was with her daddy. The thought was so sick that it just made her stomach revolt against her consciousness, remembering the touches that she'd suffered when he'd mistook her for Raven, when she'd had to bathe the man and make sure that he looked presentable enough to be paraded out for those who came to inspect them when Uncle Qrow wasn't around.

"Blake has been acting a little better, but- Oh gods, is it because of that?"

A softness of the features, something that seemed to come into connection, as fear wrapped around Weiss' body almost like a shroud. Yang felt bad for the girl, knowing that she was feeling the fear of not knowing what to trust and who to trust.

"Don't _ever_ be alone with that man, nor allow him to know that you know of his schemes, girls. I am _likely_ safe because I refuse to meet with anyone without my father present as well as guards… But _please_ …"

She firmed herself. Ozpin might be playing a dirty game, but that didn't mean…

She pulled her Scroll out, dialing the number she'd gotten. A beep and a click, and someone picked up.

"Good afternoon?"

She was on audio-only, so it was only the voice of Rowena d'Arc-Night that filtered through the speaker. Yang looked nervously at the entrance, wondering whether her little sister might be coming through that doorway. She'd trust dad too much to lie to him… But Yang Xiao Long was not going to be caught in some sort of trap. Secrecy be damned, she could damn well _ask_ the woman aloud.

"Does the Grandmaster have some power to change people? I'm here, visiting my friend Weiss and… I need to know, Rowe."

A soft pause, as the woman seemed to think for a moment and then softly, air escaped from the lips of the woman. The speaker whistled softly with that exhale.

"Yes. He will take what you value most and then take it away, just as he did my son. One moment, you will be happy and content and the next, you watch as he does unconscionable things to the child you love the most."

It was a grim statement, and Yang felt her breath stall in her throat, a hot heat settling in her stomach as anger filled it. She wasn't some _puppet_.

Whitney Schnee spoke up then. "Lionheart was the same. Working with someone who used machines, who spoke of a grand plan. It's all made to look natural, but how natural is this? My daughter, Weiss, nearly violated by _Faunus_ and my own death nearly a fact."

She'd heard about the sudden death of the Headmaster of Haven, the man having been killed together with a disgraced Atlesian scientist, or something. It had been the news of the school for a few days, before the latest things picked up the slog and things changed.

' _Well, they won't get me. Ruby… Ruby's going to be growing out of the fairytales and wishes phase. I'll make sure that she's safe.'_

"If it defeats the Shadow… Everything is permitted. Nothing is prohibited due to ethics or creed, because the fight must be won."

A wry tone, as the woman sighed. "Let's have a nice day tomorrow, Yang. We'll find something nice for you to wear, my cousin isn't going to be wearing something that won't fit her… Weiss Schnee, I hope your recovery goes swift and that you'll be able to function again soon. My sunny little dragon needs a good friend…"

The connection shut off and Yang sighed, even as Weiss looked at her, her head nodding softly. It was probably the best that they could make it at this moment. She would keep her sister and her team safe… and she would _not_ be some toy for some old man to use as some sort of breeding oven!

Ruby entered then with a big plate of cookies whilst Blake carried a cup of something with a large straw sticking out of it, Weiss brightening a little, though Yang could see the hesitation in the girl's eyes.

' _Now your confidence has shattered…'_

She felt bad for the girl, but she had to plan. There would be much to do in order to keep her team _safe_.

"So, when we do it, I want to be on top. Dad said that it's good for girls to do it together. Mom and Yang's mom did that a few times too. They were best of friends. So, we'll be best of friends too! Dad'll be going back to Patch for a little bit to make sure that Zwei is getting back home. He'll miss home, because dad just-"

' _No matter what… I'm not going to make us all be mere pawns…'_

Yang Xiao-Long was going to be a leader, because others wanted her to be, and if she had to supplant her sister for that role… Well, it would be so. Ruby needed a good firm bit of spanking anyways.

"Ruby, I think Weiss wants to eat cookies, rather than listen to you talk."

First, they'd survive this visit.

She was going to do what she had to in order to make sure that Ruby would not be suffering through her ignorance.

 _'Let's go and see whether we've got some strawberries at the market.'_

* * *

 _The things we must do (Ozymandias Pinnacle)_

* * *

' _How long has it been, my dear?'_

The ancient wizard looked at the map, indexing the final damages from the assault that Vale had suffered. It was all marginal in scale, compared to the grand game that his mind was already playing the next move in. He would move a pawn and she would move, this game continuing evermore.

"tally made into what can be considered as minor losses, Grandmaster."

The Calavera in his office spoke with a faint accent, as his mind remembered the first Maria Calavera that had stood there before him, anointed with the first Order that he had founded. A woman of skill, of swords and fury and pacing…

' _How long has it been since they have invented their crafts?'_

It was a cycle, something that continued over and over. It was all for the right cause, all for the peace of the world. He remembered the time when he had been with his lover, a passionate researcher and mage, rising to the station of Grand Witch within a short few years.

It had been raw talent, her body matured with that sense of style that had been common that year. It had been _necessary_. It had been necessary and needed to do what he had done. The child had been the catalyst, the Relics the fusion. His craft had been impeccable, even if the divide had been… _imperfect_.

' _One little error, corrected too late…'_

"Ensure that there are many who hide amongst the populace. Ensure that we have a presence everywhere for as long as we can manage, before dispersing and blending in with the locals once more. The Mission cannot fail, Calavera. You know that, it is our destiny."

It was a shame that the body of Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night was no longer available. Such a shame, because it would have been _perfect_. With the eldest daughter of Sage Aaron Arc as the next Grand Witch, it would have been the formation of unity for this world, something that could stem the tide of his former love.

' _Why must you do this, my dear? Why must you always rail against me for doing what is right?'_

The light within him burned like a radiant sun, the power always present, the finger that bore the ring-like shape of the Relic of Choice glowing faintly in the light. Its power was still within the Relic itself, although he had simply resized it a little to fit his finger. The body that he used currently belonged to someone whose consciousness had already faded. It would serve for a few years, perhaps another decade…

' _It would have been so perfect. A Schnee, the Faunus under Belladonna, a bearer of the Silver Eyes and a girl whose talent was high… Pyrrha Nikos, a talented woman who can still be of use…'_

The machine had been delivered already, installed within the vault after a moment of calibration. Amber rested within, as asleep as one could be. One never had to go into combat unprepared.

"Dismissed, Calavera."

The woman left quietly, her body in motion constantly, as he turned to the wall, pressing a panel and looking at the names that he had etched into the stone. A single name stood below, which the world would have known him as…

 **Jaune Ozymandias d'Arc-Night**

But now, the plan would have to be changed. Another host had to be found, or he would be adrift, unable to govern the world as it was.

"Grandmaster."

The voice of Sage Aaron Arc came to his ears and he acknowledged the man, who had been working on important things. Things would continue, and it would all be for the best. The man was to deliver his second-eldest daughter for the cultivation of another heir.

It was the way of the world. Children were born and some were born more special than others. The Awakening, when he had infused a great deal of the _Lux Aeterna_ into the body of the young man, had been rough on him. It aged the body, even though the power returned post-demise. There had been a return of sorts, though it had been lesser than expected. A single arm, emptied of the power, left to burn.

' _And thus, your sacrifice shall not be forgotten…'_

"Prepare your second daughter for giving her tithe to the Order. She will bear you an heir, use the Vessel's seed for the girl in order to ensure perfect acceptance."

Orders that were grave, yet they resulted in the survival of the species. They resulted in something that was beautiful, something that reminded him of better days that had long-since gone by and been forgotten.

' _On the flower fields of Arcadia…'_

"As you command, Grandmaster."

She would be coming, he knew. This strange third player as well, was someone who did not hold insignificant power. There were hints of their presence in the aether, the feeling of something familiar, yet not familiar.

' _The moment when you emerge…'_

It was all for the good of this world. She could not be allowed to desecrate this beautiful gem with her presence, her filth… Her _corruption_. The Grimm kept on coming and he was one of the few who knew what measures to take.

' _There will be a reckoning…'_

He was the Grand Wizard and one did not mess with the game he was playing. This body would hold out for a little while longer. If someone thought that they could enter the game when there was only space for two players…

' _Every time I lose sight… Every time I see the helpless look in their eyes… They need my guidance.'_

It was so simple, for him. Humanity did not need the Gods to believe in… They just needed their guardian, someone who knew what decisions to make, what sorts of things to believe in. It was all for the right cause, of course.

' _Even you, James… Even you will come to see the need that I have for order in this world. Humanity does not need chaos within its ranks…'_

A hand brushed over the glass, looking down at the students milling about in the afternoon sun, the massive warships hanging overhead, looking somewhat out of place with the Hindenburg, a state-of-the-art warship that was the private property of the Schnee Dust Company, hanging above Vale.

The news that Whitney Schnee had survived the ambushing of her flight back towards Atlas had been a _surprise,_ but _not_ unexpected. Nicholas Schnee had always been a cunning man, able to see some opportunity in small things. It was his suspicion that the man had smuggled his daughter back into Vale to make a grand appearance post-death of his son-in-law.

The news that Jacques Schnee had died had hit the media a day earlier. Poison had been suspected, but not confirmed. The youngest child, Whitley, was still an option for the ritual. Fourteen was an age where the personality was not yet fully set…

' _The financial means of the largest Dust provider in the world would be a boon to the cause…'_

It was an annoyance that the age was over fourteen, but nothing that could not be rectified with a few choices…

The Relic of Choice glistened on his finger, as he beheld the ancient stone slab upon which the names had been carved, his fingers sliding over the names, remembering the faces of the men who had come to be his host.

' _Some choices will have to be made for them, in order to guide them…'_

They were like young children who desired guidance.

He would _give_ them that guidance, all in order to preserve the world that he so loved.

They did not need to worry…

The greater good was a worthy cause to make the greatest sacrifice of all for.

' _Everything I do is for you, little people…'_

They were simply _ignorant_ of their true purpose. It was all for the benefit of this beautiful world.

* * *

' **You turned into a bird!'**

 **That definitely is a tagline that you don't see much. Our dear glorious leader seems to have had some issue, but at least he's still human!**

 **Ozymandias Pinnacle, ladies and gentlemen! Ozpin's first perspective, and hopefully, shedding some light on the things that he's done.**

 **The Greater Good… Well, this isn't some sort of Neighborhood plant association, and we are most certainly not in a buddy cop movie.**

 **Until next time, ladies and gentlemen!**

 **Leave a review! Seeing the appreciation from people who enjoy this fairytale of Grimm portents makes the writer happier!**


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